I'm not sure how it happened, but suddenly I find myself the mother of two. (Anyone who knew me when I was teaching is maybe a little surprised by that. Teaching definitely was great birth control, and I honestly had little desire to have kids of my own.) Now, not only do I have two kids, but one of them is growing up way too fast and it makes me tear up almost every day. It was like when I went to the hospital to have Beck, I left behind this tiny little toddler... and the moment we walked through the door with the new baby, I came home to this big kid. You get a sense of how grown up Zoey's becoming when you pick her up or scoop her into your lap. All legs and arms and heavier than my brain expects her to be. It's an emotional thing for this hormonal momma to deal with, let me tell ya!
So last Friday, Z hit 3 ½. Half-way to four. When she was 6 months old, we started the tradition of celebrating with half a cake and a gift or two. And this year the plan was no different. So on Saturday, the kid and I set out to make a chocolate cake, and it turned out delicious. Moist and chocolatey, you guys, it was perfection...except for one small detail. Not sure how or why, but the cake came out of the pan in a huge mess. So, after a few moments of swearing panicking (I mean, it was totally ruined and here we were, all of us, excited to eat cake! Disaster!), I figured chocolate covered cake balls could be a clever way to salvage this mess of a cake. (And they were! So good!)
But before we turned the cake disaster into delicious treats, Damon had the awesome idea to pick up some donuts on Sunday morning. And although she was super excited by the donut surprise, this was the best she could do for pictures.
And because she's 3 (and a half!), she is inexplicably saddened by the donuts. Her two favorite flavors. Whatever, kid. Life with a three year old, amiright?
These days, Z is silly and sweet and sassy and sensitive. And, like with most girls her age, I'm sure, it's a roller coaster of emotions. She loves to dance and sing and make us laugh. She's recently started making up little songs while she plays, and when she thinks no one is paying any attention will belt them out in the most hilarious ways. She asks for "seven more minutes" for just about everything, insists on wearing socks on her hands at bedtime, randomly announces "I like zebras...and purple. I don't like rocket ships.", loves wearing her Nemo swim cap in the shower, and confidently proclaimed, "I wanna do that!" during each Olympic even she watched.
sprinkler
tunic | leggings | scooter
I've been so impressed by how sweet she is with Beck. The transition to life with a new baby has been a little tough, but through it all, she just loves "her" baby so much!
And because she's 3 (and a half!), she is inexplicably saddened by the donuts. Her two favorite flavors. Whatever, kid. Life with a three year old, amiright?
These days, Z is silly and sweet and sassy and sensitive. And, like with most girls her age, I'm sure, it's a roller coaster of emotions. She loves to dance and sing and make us laugh. She's recently started making up little songs while she plays, and when she thinks no one is paying any attention will belt them out in the most hilarious ways. She asks for "seven more minutes" for just about everything, insists on wearing socks on her hands at bedtime, randomly announces "I like zebras...and purple. I don't like rocket ships.", loves wearing her Nemo swim cap in the shower, and confidently proclaimed, "I wanna do that!" during each Olympic even she watched.
I've been so impressed by how sweet she is with Beck. The transition to life with a new baby has been a little tough, but through it all, she just loves "her" baby so much!
Three and a Half Favorites
Color: Purple!
Foods: Pickles (she's never had pickles) and grapes.
Treats: Kisses (the Hershey kind, not the smoochy kind)
Toy: Kiki (duh!)
Books: Gerald and Piggie!! (The Piggie & Elephant series by Mo Willems.)
Songs: Cake song (Cake by the Ocean) and Elsa's song (I think she means Let it Go, but who knows.)
Game: Sneaky Snacky Squirrels
TV Shows: Sheriff Callie and the ants (She means Beat Bugs on Netflix)
Animal: Zebras, mommy.
Place to go: A tiny tiny store with the little house and the toys. (This would be a kids boutique and consignment shop we go to. They have great toys,)
Thing to do outside: Chalk
Thing to do inside: I like to DANCE! (This was said with a little bootie shake, of course.)
What do you want to be when you grow up? Uhh...big!
So there you have it. I tiny peek into the mind of your average three and a half year old.
