Two of my favorite activities, as frequent visitors here know, are eating out and shopping. Though Zoe makes both activities a bit more challenging, we do get out and about with her fairly often. Last Sun. was a good example: we played games and shared pizza with her during dinner; then we did some shopping (for her, of course) while she made a new friend at Old Navy. I just had to share the pictures here.

-M

Once you live in San Francisco for awhile, you get used to the lack of warm, sunny days – even in the summer. I still miss the warmth, though, which is why I feel so happy when the thermometer spikes above 75, as it did today. In order to take full advantage of the nice weather, we slapped on some sunscreen and watermelon shorts on Zoe and headed to our local playground. Zoe ran around and worked up a sweat, and also (as always) posed for the camera. Here are a few of our shots.

-M

Perfect, purely blissful parent moments don’t happen every day, but they tend to stick with you when they do. I can’t stop thinking about yesterday morning, which actually got off to a rocky start – with Q away on business and Zoe acting unusually grumpy when she woke up. When Zoe wouldn’t stop crying, I popped in a CD of kids songs in our bedroom (I’m not going to lie: I was pretty proud of myself for that idea), and I saw some small smiles as I got ready for work. When a particularly fun song, “Here We Go Loopty-Loo,” came on, I took Zoe in my arms and started to dance – and she proceeded to laugh and then wrap her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. This is a little girl who rarely dishes out the love without being asked – and also a girl who just moments before had been crying hysterically – and it’s one of the sweetest moments we’ve shared.

-M

I was looking through our archive of last week’s trip, and I thought this video of Zoe and Tanner would be a fun one to post. As you can see, they had a pretty good time together – and they didn’t seem to mind posing and even kissing for the camera. (And I love how Zoe leans in to get her smooch, and then quickly returns to her food.)

-M

When Zoe hit her last milestone (the 18-month mark), I meant to make a post reflecting on how fast time has gone and how much our life has changed in the last year and a half. I didn’t wind up doing such a post (I was probably too tired from chasing Zoe around), but I thought I’d at least list a few small things that have changed for me. So here goes.

In my post-Zoe life (unlike my pre-Z one), I:

-never set an alarm clock (yet am up almost every day at 6:30 AM)
-think 11 PM is really, really late
-get tipsy from one cocktail (that’s what 26 months of pregnancy and nursing does to you)
-consider a long-enough shower to shave my legs a real luxury
-find myself adding “s” or “ers” (e.g. “do you want to a snackers?”, “let’s take a bathers”) to some – most? – words
-automatically say “dog” whenever I see one – whether or not Zoe is around
-am more likely to be found on the playground or at a park than at the mall or in a boutique (though, let’s not kid ourselves – I do still find some time to shop)
-don’t mind (and even kind of like) when I encounter crying kids on airplanes, in stores, etc.
-don’t know what to do with myself when I have nothing to do (a rare occasion, anyway)
-now know what all the fuss about kids is about

Grandma Vicki sent some pictures of our recent trip to Madison, and there was one I just had to share. Zoe’s little head looks so round in this picture, and I love the look on her face…

-M

With Father’s Day and the recent trip to Madison, Zoe has a lot to be happy about. Here are a few pictures of her feeling particularly happy over the past few days!

Jon Q

Nothing makes Zoe happier than a trip to IHOP:

Just happy relaxing in Daddy’s big chair:

Spend any amount of time with the three of us, and you’re likely to hear the word “daddy” maybe one or two *hundred* times. Zoe is extremely fond of her dad, and she is constantly saying his name and then running up to him, grabbing his hand, etc. I love how much she loves him, and I had to make a post in Q’s honor…

I hope you enjoy the pictures below, which are a few of my favorite Zoe/Daddy ones from the past year, and I hope all you dads out there have a great day!

-M

As mentioned below, Zoe recently got to spend some time with her cousin Tanner (who is five days her junior). A bunch of us met up at Ella’s Deli – a bit of a Madison institution – and Zoe and Tanner did a lot of chatting, eating, riding around a carousel – and even kissing. There were so many fun pictures of the two of them that I had to dedicate an entire post to their night.

-M

So, we’re back from Madison. Our trip was a little wet and a little fast, but we packed a lot in during our time there. Zoe had a lot of fun hanging out with family and friends, and she did a great job on all four plane rides. (She didn’t even mind our flight delays, unlike her mom!) We’ve got some fun pictures to post later of Zoe and her cousin Tanner; for now, here are a few of my faves from the plane and on the ground.

-M

Well, I think some of you got a sneak peak at this video already, but check out our frequent flyer. Doesn’t she look right at home on the plane?

Jon Q

As we mentioned yesterday, Zoe had a chance to visit the Madison Children’s Museum and stroll down State Street. Here she is checking out the sites in her ride…

Jon Q

Even though it has been stormy, the weather is still hot. Zoe still finds the time to lay back and enjoy the day (and, of course, eat…) More pictures to come!

Jon Q

We haven’t posted in a few days because we’ve been on the road (or, more accurately, in the air). We made it through the rain and storms to arrive on Sat. night in Madison, where we surprised Grandpa Larry. (He didn’t know we were coming, and the trip is a bit of an early Father’s Day present.) Zoe is having tons of fun hanging out with family and Coco, and today we’re off to a children’s museum and, weather permitting, a stroll on State St. We’ll post pictures soon.

-M

Zoe met up with Zander at the playground yesterday morning, and they wound up fooling around with some balls. Someday soon they’ll be able to play catch or kickball; for now, they’re pretty content with just standing around.

-M