Dear Roadtripping Zoe

Dear Zoe B,

We went on a road trip this past week to Branson, Missouri. We all piled into the van and drove about 4 hours (you did great - thanks to your siblings and old school sesame street playing on your own personal dvd player) to Table Rock Lake and met up with your Grandma Jackie, Grandpa Russell, Aunt Jill, Uncle Mark and your cousins Caitie, Sophie and Dominic. First on our agenda was the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede. I was a little leery of this due to it having the words "dixie" and "stampede" and "Dolly Parton" in the title, but you enjoyed it and you let your hillbilly Greene family roots shine through. You bobbed up and down to the music and seemed generally interested in the horses that I was trying my best to pretend weren't kicking up horse dust into my food.

Thanksgiving was to die for...no cooking and no dishes! Right up your mom's alley. We had Thanksgiving brunch at a posh hotel - it was sort of buffet style with an outrageously awesome spread, (yes, I just said 'spread' - don't make fun of me, nothing else fit) so everyone was happy with the food. Josie had mostly shrimp and crab legs. Dominic had french fries and bacon. Jack had mac n' cheese and waffles. You get the point. It was perfect.



On Friday, we went to Silver Dollar City. It was fun - not too many people - chilly but pleasant (for ME, anyway, your dad acted like we were in the north pole) - the kids loved it and you were happy to watch people from the backpack. There weren't many little kid rides, but you didn't seem to mind. I could tell you were a little peeved by some of the christian propaganda, but as your dad said on the way down - it's the buckle of the bible belt, baby.

When we got home, we decided to give you some of your birthday presents early because we are impatient people and this is the sort of thing we do. I mean - you were 11 days overdue - so anytime after your due date seems like fair game. We got you a little climber thing that you seem to adore. You like to go up the slide and back down over and over again.



I can't believe you're going to be 1. I know I keep saying that. Where has the time gone? I....no, I'll save the blubbering for your actual birthday post. This post was supposed to be about Thanksgiving.

I love you, bean.

Love,
Momma

What am I supposed to be doing in here?

At Silver Dollar City!

Two weeks shy of her FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Rice mania at Liz and Gabby's

Zoe got a job

It's full-time, a lot of hours and doesn't pay very well. BUT...it makes her deliriously happy.

Trouble

I get in trouble when I don't post. Truth is, though, we have been busy! We're no longer just sitting around at home...we're climbing mats and playing in tents at playplaces all over the city. Little Zoe B is no longer content to just sit home and play with tupperware as much any more. Closer and closer to being a toddler every day!

This past weekend we went down to Butler, MO, to celebrate Zoe's Great-Grandma Hilton's 90th birthday. She was the star of the party (well, second to the real star - G'ma Hilton) in her lovely fancy dress that her Grandma Jackie bought for her.



I will try to get back to posting regularly...it's just that a certain someone wants the computer all to herself...

Dear Almost 1 year old Zoe

ZOE B!

This post has been a long time coming, but you won't let me near the computer for any length of time these days. You love the computer. Unfortunately it's an "Of Mice and Men" kind of love...you love it so much you rip the keys right off the keyboard. Right now I have no B key, for example.

So much has happened in the last few weeks. Your Grandma Patty came to visit for a week and we were astounded by how many new things you did while she was here. It was like you were saving up all of your new tricks for her. You initiated a game of peek-a-boo, which you had never done before. You pointed to a bear in a book when asked "where's the bear?". You crawled all the way down the stairs backwards. You ate yogurt. Need I say more? I know your Grandma misses you like the dickens, so it was extra awesome of you to wait until she came to pull all of these tricks out of your hat. She was blown away!



We were both a little nervous that you wouldn't remember her and you would think she was a stranger. Pfft! You took to her immediately AGAIN and you were inseparable the whole week. She gave you baths and changed all your diapers and made you yummy food and read to you a ton. You were bosom buddies (by that I mean "fast friends" as opposed to men in drag, like in the Tom Hanks sitcom).

You are very expressive lately - you look at books or videos of yourself and make the best noises and facial expressions. It is making me so anxious for you to talk - I can't wait to see what you'll say. I have been doing some baby sign language with you since you were about 6 months old and you haven't done even one single sign. I imagine you thinking, "Mom, I'm not deaf, quit with the sign language. I'll learn to talk here in a minute." Which is fine, really. We understand each other just fine.





I am planning your first birthday party. I can't believe you're almost 1 year old. It's so bizarre that it seems like yesterday you were a little tiny baby yet I can hardly remember my life without you in it. Life is a trip.

You continue to be the light of my life, little Bean. I love you to bits.

Love,
Momma

peek-a-boo

On the carousel again

proof that she sleeps

Here she is with another hilarious sleeping pose...and actual proof that she does occasionally sleep.

AHHHH! I LOVE TO READ!

Zoe B reads her book from chelsea on Vimeo.

Staring down the shoe salesman

...as Grandma Patty tries on new shoes.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Grandma Patty flew into KC to celebrate with Zoe B!

Success!!

Last night was such an exciting night, little bean. We went over to the Holloway's for an election night party - to eat Choco-Barack OreObama balls and color in the states as results came in. Barack Obama will be our next president. I have to say I'm happy for me, but I'm most happy for you. We'll get things back on track and we won't be leaving your generation with a mess you can't clean up.

Zoe B. Talking Points

Zoe said her first word today - BALL. I had to fight back the tears. I was kind of hoping for "OBAMA" - but ball will do.

Zoe B vs. Borders