We have a winner! Congrats to….Uncle Gil, who was our 35,000 visitor! You’ll be receiving your prize in the mail. Send us a picture when you get it and we’ll post it for all to see.
We’ll have another winner at 40K so keep visiting…
Jon Q
Avery seems so inactive compared to her almost-three-year-old sister, but she’s still fun to be around. I’m a big fan of her smiles, funny faces and little sounds – and I captured some on video yesterday.
-M
Well, it is official; Zoe is now fully potty trained! She has been out of diapers during the day for awhile now, but we continued to put pull-ups on her at night. About 2 weeks ago we noticed that her pull-ups were dry, so we told her if she went 5 nights with no accidents we would take them off. Sure enough 5 dry nights later we were able to take the pull-ups off. It has been a week now with no pull-ups and I think we can officially say she is done with them! Now if we can only get Avery to use the potty….
Jon Q
A few months ago, I mentioned that Zoe, Avery and I often sat down in the afternoons for “Mommy Storytime.” We still do that – only these days, Zoe likes to call it “Zoe Storytime” and insist on being the one to read to her sister. Here was the scene from Avery’s bedroom yesterday.
-M
When I asked Zoe recently what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered, “A big girl!” She might be unsure of her future occupation, but – based on some of her favorite activities – I have a few ideas…
-Doctor: For the past few months, Zoe has enjoyed “checking” me, her dad or Avery. She uses a variety of tools to look into our eyes, noses, mouths etc. and then declare that we’re okay. (And if we’re not okay, she’s happy to give us a Band-Aid). Recently, she even started calling herself “Dr. Browdy.”
-Event planner or chef: Zoe often plays tea-party at home, and her teacher said she’s been doing elaborate table settings in the kitchen area of her classroom lately. Along the same lines, Zoe loves birthdays and likes to prepare birthday “cake” (and then sing “Happy Birthday”) at home. Perhaps she’ll make a profession of throwing fancy dinner (and/or birthday) parties!
-Train conductor or airplane pilot: As previously mentioned, Zoe loves getting the family together for little trips. (DC is the most popular destination.) She sets up chairs for everyone, closes the door to the train or airplane and then whisks us away.
-Make-up artist or painter: For quite some time now, Zoe has been a big fan of using little make-up brushes to “paint” my face. Her teachers report that she spends a lot of time in her classroom’s art corner, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she wound up working on canvas, instead of faces, someday.
-Stylist: Zoe’s teacher just mentioned that Zoe loves playing dress-up at school, and Zoe is always quick to give me (sometimes blunt) critiques of my outfits or accessories. (“Do you like my new purse?” I asked her just yesterday. “No,” she answered.) She also sometimes helps pick which shoes I should wear with a given outfit – so maybe she’ll get paid for doing the same thing when she’s older.
I’m not trying to rush anything, though. I love that Zoe’s current job is just to run around and be happy – like below!
-M
Avery is similar to her sister in many ways, but one thing she does that Zoe never did as a baby is take breaks during feedings. When Avery’s eating, she’ll often stop suddenly and look up at me with wide eyes – as if she’s surprised to see me. And lately, her looks have been accompanied by big smiles, like the one below. She’s been doing this a lot more since she started going to Elena’s; maybe she’s just pleased that her milk is coming directly from the source – versus a bottle. Whatever the reason for her joy, it makes me happy, too!
-M
Just FOUR months ago we were writing a 30,000 hit post and now we are approaching 35,000 hits! In honor of this feat, we are going to give another prize to our 35,000th visitor. If you come to the site and see the 35,000 marker at the bottom of the page, you win! Just send us a screen shot of the moment so we can post it and you will receive a surprise.
Jon Q
Little kids, I’m learning, are big on hyperbole. The other night, Zoe dug into her dinner and declared, “This is the best pasta I’ve ever had!” (I’m always happy when she likes something I made for her.) And I also had to smile later that night when she hugged her sister and said, “This is the best girl I’ve ever seen!” The funny thing is, I kind of feel the same way about Avery!
-M
Zoe got another treat this weekend when she discovered the song “Who Let the Dogs Out.” (She wasn’t even close to being born when it was released in 2000, but that didn’t stop her from becoming a big fan!) Her safta sent a Halloween card that played the song, and it was non-stop singing, clapping and dancing after we played it for Zoe. The video below is one of my all-time favorites – I can’t help but laugh everytime I watch Zoe bounce around and Avery just sit there, taking it all in.
-M
After numerous pre-Halloween celebrations, the holiday finally arrived yesterday. Per tradition, Uncle Dan and Jenny gave out candy while Q and I took the kids around the neighborhood, gathered treats and met up with friends. Avery was feeling a bit under the weather and, thanks to Zoe’s very late nap, we got a late start trick-or-treating – but we still had a lot of fun. Here are some pics.
-M
Pre-trick-or-treating fun:
Our little cats:
Out and about:
