Zoey Picasso

Zoey draws on anything she can get her hands on.  I've gone through almost an entire ream of paper.  She'll take envelopes, copies, etc. as long as there are no other drawings on there.  She is quite the perfectionist though and if it's not just right, we start all over on a new paper.  Yikes.  Zoey's artistic skills continue to amaze me and are getting more and more detailed.  She started out drawing circles and then started adding colors.  Then they turned out to be red apples with brown stems and a green leaf.  Then she started doing yellow suns with a circle and a bunch of lines.  Then trees with a green circle and brown trunk.  Now she does people.

Dallin and his beard

Each person she draws is in accordance with their favorite color.  Ironically, she tells me that Connor's favorite color is white so he is never seen on any of the drawings even though she does use a white crayon...I think, ha ha.  I am orange, she is green, Dallin is blue, etc.  She draws a circle for the person and draws their eyes AND their pupils and then adds ears, hair, arms and legs.  There is usually a red circle close by for their heart.  Sometimes she adds fingers and toes, earrings or bracelets or cell phones.  Sometimes eyebrows or eyelashes and their name.  It amazes me to see what her imagination comes up with and her creativity.  She definitely got her artistic ability from her dad because her stick figures are better than mine.  What's so interesting too, is a lot of the times she draws upside down - the whole thing - and it looks amazing for a 3-year-old.  I have tried to encourage and foster this talent and let her finger paint, paint other pictures or bird houses, etc.  The other day as she was painting she mixed yellow and blue together and proudly announced to me that yellow and blue make green.  I was dumbfounded.  Observant, this child.  I hope she continues to do what she loves and finds joy in it.

Popcorn Popping

Zoey has been obsessed with the "popcorn popping" on the trees.  She has been looking forward to this ever since last Spring and is quite upset that the popcorn is popping out leaves now and disappearing.  She loves to sing the Primary song whenever we see the trees and points them out constantly.  We were even driving down a road with lots of popcorn trees and she yells out, "Mom!  We're in popcorn land!"  It's so cute and one of those things that makes her, her.

Connor - 8 Months

Here we are, rounding the corner toward 1 years old.  I can hardly believe it.  Connor continues to be mellow and happy - people are drawn to his light and you can instantly tell his demeanor.  At 8 months, he also:

- Just learned how to blow raspberries

- Likes his veggies now except green beans

- Is eating little baby cracker pieces that dissolve quickly.  He isn't quite sure what to do with them and doesn't seem to like the texture but his liking to eat trumps an texture issue.

- Eats solids 2x a day and drinks 8 oz. bottles the other times

- Wears size 18 month clothes (!)

- Wears size 4 diapers

- Is graduating into Zoey's car seat since he's outgrown his infant one

- Weighs about 25 pounds, I think

- Randomly laughs at things, especially his sister

- Still has only 2 teeth

- Takes a binky to sleep but lately will chew on it

- Goes down for the night like a champ but cries his eyes out when I leave him for a nap

- Is super social and fights sleep now because he's afraid he'll miss something.  If there is too much going on, he can't sleep, he wants to be right in the middle of it

- Sleeps from 8 p.m. - 7 a.m.

- Usually takes a 30-60 min. nap at 10:30 a.m. then about a 2 hour nap around 2 p.m.

- Got his second haircut.  His hair is still super awesome and grows like crazy.  It's always the thing people notice about him and comment on.  Quite the conversation starter.

- Eyes squint up when he smiles

- Has started to smile with his eyes pretty much closed and crinkling up his nose with his bottom teeth jutting out - so cute!

- Does little shakies

- Tosses his head all over

- Is sitting up pretty well

- Has started maneuvering himself in circles with his arms.  He'll get his feet under him and lift up but hasn't gotten his legs under him yet.  He's hefty!

- Went to the park for the first time and looooved the slides until mom got too worn out packing him up the stairs or trying to lift him to the top of the slide

-Haaaates grass

- Loves to roll around on Zoey's floor and play with toys.  He especially likes toys that rattle and make a lot of noise

- Really likes touch and feel books