As mentioned before, Avery is a big fan of apples – and she seems to think any round-shaped fruit is one. In the video below, you’ll see that she was recently quite adament that the peach she was eating was actually (yep, you guessed it) an apple.

-M

Zoe’s camp brought in two tadpoles to her classroom earlier this summer; the kids named their new pets Rock and Roll and every morning would check to see if the tiny things had morphed into frogs yet. Sadly, though, one of the tadpoles suddenly died, and while Zoe didn’t seem upset when I picked her up, that night was different story. Just before bedtime, the tears started falling, with Zoe telling me how sad she was that Roll died before he could become a frog. And then: “I’m actually most sad for the other tadpole – the one in the tank. He doesn’t have his friend.” (More tears.)

I knew logically that Zoe wasn’t really that upset over what happened: She wasn’t particularly attached to the tadpole, and I know exhaustion makes everything seem worse. But when I looked at her sad, wet face, that didn’t really matter: I felt my heart snap, and I would have done anything to make Roll come back so she could feel better. Unfortunately there really wasn’t much I could do; my idea to sing a song in honor of Roll was a big flop (“You’re making me more sadder!” Zoe cried out) so I wound up just cradling her and stroking her hair until she calmed down.

Zoe was totally fine the next morning (she actually hasn’t mentioned the tadpole since), but the event sure left an impression on me. I couldn’t fix her problem, and I felt completely powerless. And while this was the first time I’ve felt that way as a parent, I know – sadly – that it won’t be the last.

-M

One last post about last weekend: On Saturday the four of us visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We hadn’t been there in a really long time, and Avery was quite captivated by the various fish and sea animals (many of which she got to touch). Zoe was tired and a bit less enthusiastic about the animals, but a definite highlight was her role in a movie on the importance of conserving energy. (And she especially liked watching it at home afterwards.)

-M

We’ve highlighted in the past Zoe’s love for the song Take Me Out to the Ball Game – and last weekend she showed off her stuff as a “Gilroy Idol” at the amusement park. No stage fright for this girl!

-M

I had so much fun at Gilroy Gardens a few weeks ago that I told Q I wanted to head back for my birthday weekend. On my must-do list: Paddle-boating, which reminds me of my childhood (and which the kids liked, too), and a sunny boat ride on a lazy river. Who knew a kid-themed park could be so relaxing and enjoyable for an adult!

-M

As mentioned, we had a crazy-busy weekend – so much so that I think we wore out the girls. (Avery took a four-hour nap on Sunday and didn’t wake up until 9:15 AM yesterday!) We started out on Friday in Santa Cruz and Capitola, where we played and explored in the sand and water and where Avery impressed me by showing no fear of the ocean. She had a blast running along the shore and didn’t even get upset when she got crashed into by a huge, cold wave. (Definitely not the reaction I would have had!)

-M

We’re back from our weekend get-away to Santa Cruz/Monterey/Gilroy. We did and saw a lot, but the best part of my birthday was simply spending so much time with my girls. (More pictures soon – and thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!)

-M

Zoe slept in very late the other morning (she had taken a field trip to Lake Merced at camp the day before and was clearly exhausted), and Avery was dressed and running around well before her sister was. At one point she inquired about Zoe; when I told her she was still sleeping she bolted to Zoe’s bedroom, put her litte forehead on the closed door and called out, “Laila tov! Laila tov!” Q and I couldn’t help but smile.

-M

Speaking of Avery and Zoe looking alike, I just about freaked out when I picked up Avery at Elena’s yesterday afternoon and saw her in pigtails. With her hair done that way (and wearing Zoe’s old jean jacket), she reminded me so much of a younger Zoe – and a teacher at Zoe’s camp said the same thing when she saw her pigtails. (“I can’t believe how much they look alike!”) The first thing I did when we got home was snap Avery’s photo; Zoe and Hippo soon joined her on the photo chair.

-M

It happened. For the first time, I was (temporarily) unable to determine whether it was Zoe or Avery in a photo. Two photos, actually. I found the pictures floating around my desk drawer at work the other day and – despite my maintaining that Avery doesn’t look that much like Zoe-as-a-toddler (among the differences: Zoe had a fuller face and more hair) – I just stared and stared. I eventually figured it out, of course, and then it hit me: I better write down the names on all our printed photos – because if I’m unsure now, I’m going to be really unsure when looking at pictures twenty years from now!

For the record, they’re both of Zoe.

-M

The other night, about a half-hour after we had put her to bed, Zoe called me into her room and simply said, “Bounce me.” I still occasionally rock or bounce Zoe when she’s sick or upset, but this was the first time in ages that she has asked for it on her own – and I was happy to fulfill her request. And so, I retrieved the large exercise ball from Avery’s room and began bouncing and singing to Zoe. And just as I closed my eyes and imagined I was holding her as a baby, Zoe suddenly sat up and said, “Mommy, sorry to stop you, but you’re supposed to sing the ABCs and then Twinkle Twinkle – so it’s one big song.” It was a (funny) jolt of reality, and despite the fact I was getting scolded for singing incorrectly, I still enjoyed our bounce.

-M

Avery is two years, one month today – but, as I did with Zoe, I’m going to forego the monthly updates and do occasional ones instead. (The monthly changes in children, though still significant, start slowing down around this age.) For now, I’ll just say that Avery continues becoming more verbal, and her curiosity continues to grow. She’s constantly exploring and looking around (as below), and we hear “What’s that?” and “What happened?” more times a day than I can count!

-M

Q made dinner for us last night and – reminiscent of last Thanksgiving – guess who was his little helper?

-M

A few recent stories/comments, courtesy of Zoe.

-As we were heading into Elena’s the other morning, I noticed the back of Zoe’s head and commented that we hadn’t combed her hair. “But it still looks cute,” she said with a smile as she skipped away.

-Zoe and I were talking about names recently and I asked what she thought of hers. She liked it, she said, before telling me, “When I was a baby inside your tummy I had a strong feeling my name was Zoe, and Avery would be Avery, and I would be a big sister. I dreamed about it, and it was true.”

-When we were in Madison not long ago, Zoe ran downstairs to get ready all by herself. When she emerged she gave me the breakdown of what she had done: “I brushed my hair, I went potty. I put on my lip gloss, washed my hands, sang the yummy yummy snack time song, and I took my boogers out. I’m all ready!”

-Avery was trying on my shoes the other night, and Zoe ran over to – wisely – steer her away from a pair of heels. “Babies should wear wedges,” she told her sister. “They’re more better.” (How much do I love that my 4.5-year-old knows what a wedge is!)

-A few nights ago, as we were wrapping up a card game, I told Zoe it was time for bed. “Mine or yours?” she asked.

Before the All Star break Zoe and I decided to hit a very special Giants game – the Buster Posey Bobblehead Giveaway Day. The game had been sold out for quite some time but after pulling a few strings we managed to get some tickets. Zoe spent the morning drawing an extra special sign for the ESPN Game of the Week so we could try and get on TV. We then headed down to AT&T Park.

Gates open at 3:05pm, which is 2 hours before the game starts, so we decided to get there at 2:30. However, even that early the line was all the way down to the Bay Bridge! Zoe got on my shoulders and let everyone know that “there are a lot of people in line!” Everyone seemed to enjoy her updates. To our good luck we managed to be one of the first 20,000 fans and we got our “Buster Dollies.”

The game was lots of fun, too. We had super nice seats and after churros, Cracker Jacks, hot dogs, kettle corn, and other assorted snacks the Giants won. Anyone up for Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Day?

Jon Q

Hangin out outside AT&T Park:

We got our bobbles:

Great seats:

Did we get on TV?