Tulips, Wooden Shoes and Windmills

Thanks to her daddy, Zoë has good reason to celebrate right along with the Dutch as we head into Tulip Time next week. To start things off, Windmill Island is offering free admission this week to all Holland residents...so we had to take them up on that. Free is always good!

Zoë got to go on her first carousel ride with her good friends, Miriam and Lorena.

 She LOVED it! There where shrieks of glee all the way around :)

First Trip to the Dentist

Eight teeth and counting! Zoë made her first trip to the dentist today to get her lovely teeth checked out and have a little fluoride treatment. Martha, the dentist, was really nice, though when she got on her latex gloves and brought her hand close to Zoë's face, I blurted out "She's a biter!!" a little too late. Oops.

Zoë handled it all pretty well (I mean, who really likes having someone's fingers in your mouth??), and was thoroughly excited when Martha handed her the prize - a little purple toothbrush to take home. You can see her proudly holding on to her new toothbrush above, and she continued holding on to it all the way to the store, and then again all the way home. :)

Now we just have to get mommy and daddy to the dentist :o

"The Resurrection and the Life"

Happy Easter! 

This day is a day of uncontainable joy for all who celebrate a Risen Savior:  "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live." (John 11:25)

Though she was not born on Easter, Zoë proclaims the message of Easter every day of the year.

Zoë Anastasia 

life & resurrection

Eternal life, true life, life to its fullest. In the way of God, death never has the final word. God's way is LIFE, and life in Christ leads to true life both now and always. This is the hope that we cling to as we praise the one who suffered in our place and conquered death so that we might truly live.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly" John 10:10

In the powerful, living name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

11 Months Old! Toddlerhood is just around the corner...

As I cuddled with my little Zozie this morning (which is a rare occurrence, and I cherish every moment of it), I stared at her sweet eyes and she babbled softly and realized that in this moment of pure bliss, all the sleepless nights, hours of screaming, frustrations, depression and feelings of inadequacy were indeed worth it. (Did I just say that? Yes.)

It's been a rough road at times, but here I am, overflowing with love for this sweet, beautiful child who is growing up...and I'm growing up right along with her. God has chosen Zoë as a tool to do some serious reconstruction in my soul, and she has already taught me more than I have taught her. Though it is quite exciting to see all my hard work and repetition start to come to fruition!

Here's what Zoë has been up to in the past month:

Smartie-Pants
It's hard to know when babbles technically can be considered a first "word," but I believe Zoë's been talking for quite a while now. "Mamam" and "Dada" are staples, and her new favorite is "Oouu" every time she drops something "down" on the ground. Zoë has also been able to respond to sign language or sounds like "all done," "food," "more," "sleepy," " and knows several animal signs and sounds. The other day I asked her, "What sound does an elephant make?" while looking at a picture in a book, and after waiting for 30 seconds or so, she responded back with "ppppfffffffffff!" Daddy and I were surprised one day when she made the sign for "duck" right back at us during bath time, and every time before bed when we say goodnight to the animals in her nursery, she giggles at "giraffe" because the sign tickles her neck (Even if I don't touch her. Cutest. Thing. Ever). Also, that little pointing finger has come out of hiding and she loves to point at everything! Her newest favorite sign "where is it?", as you see below, and she enjoys playing hide-and-seek games with us.

Little Miss Independent
Zoë has decided she is officially a "big girl." She wants to do everything herself - hold her spoon, brush her own teeth and hair. She figured out how to open the cupboards and loves to stand there, opening and closing the doors and carrying on conversations with the pots and pans. The most exciting place in the house is the fridge - all I have to do is open the door and she comes crawling as fast as her little legs will go to try and get in before the door closes, and then she will proceed to empty all reachable contents onto the floor. What a goofball! :)

On the Road to Toddlerhood
Zoë has been pretty content to get up, stand, and sit down, then crawl to a new place and do it again. Every once in a while, she will cruise along the couch or move from one object to another. But in the last two days, she discovered that she can move her feet up and down (!) and can move forward if mommy is holding her hands. How fun!

We love you so much, Zoë! 

Way Down South in Texas

We just returned from a lovely spring break getaway in Dallas, Texas, where we visited aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, Didi, who couldn't miss out on a chance to see her little granddaughter :)

What do you do in Texas in the Spring?

Well, for one thing, go take pictures by the blue bonnets. It's all the rage! (Seriously. There were lines of vehicles illegally parked along the highway while couples and families took pictures.) So, we couldn't pass up this popular and pretty pastime.

 Zoë fit right in - a little southern (blue) belle!

Best family picture of the trip. We never did succeed in getting all three of us looking at the camera...

 Brooke (Zac's cousin) and her precious little girl Rebecca

Zac's Aunt (Zoë's Auntie) Gloria with her daughter Brooke and granddaughter Rebecca

 

The happy grandmas!

 Didi with Zoë

My little goofball!

Another thing to do in Texas when it is 92 on April 1st is go swimming in your backyard pool. Oh. Yeah. And hang out with more cousins!

 Check out those babies in bathing suits! Little Andie, Rebecca and Zoë

 Zoë absolutely loved this pool - waterfalls and all

 Zoë and Andie "hitting" it off...quite literally :P

Swinging with Hallie

And finally, after surviving tornado chaos, go to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It's gorgeous!

Daddy and his girl

 Zoë, pointing out the scenery to Auntie Judy

 Zoë and Auntie Gloria posing infront of Gloria's favorite trees :)

 New mommas stick together

 Chillin' by the waterwall

Giant spitting frog! Zoë seems a little frightened...

or maybe just not happy about the water sprinkling on her

 Lovely sisters, lovely Zoë and lovely Azaleas!

And then there's Zac... :)

There you have it - our trip to Texas and back. What a great time! (You know, besides fighting a nasty virus and watching breaking news about tornadoes and realizing they weren't very far away :s) But really, we had a wonderful time with our loved ones. And now it is time for bed and getting back in the swing of things.

G'night y'all!