We're back at our usual ritual of walking to the park in the evenings after dinner. Mia asks for it and it's great to get outside and enjoy the perfect weather. In the dead heat of the summer, it's not so fun, but for now, we are enjoying every minute of it.

We signed Mia up for Spring soccer and for her second time around, she's starting to pick it up.  She made 2 goals this season and she was a proud player!  Usually we spend lots of time on the field making faces and funny expressions, but then there are times when she gets busy and defends her territory!

Baby Likes Shoes!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!  This baby can't get enough of her shoes.

She loves to try on shoes, all sizes of shoes, sparkly shoes are her favorite.

Heels are no problem and neither are flip-flops.

But when she's upset, the shoes are the first to be pulled off!

[Zoe posing in Mia's slippers]

[Zoe sporting the winter boots in May, in jammies]

[Zoe kickin' it in mom's boots]

[Zoe workin' hard for her money]

Will Work for Cheez-Its

We felt a little cooped up today and decided to bundle up and head outside.  Surprisingly, Zoe was unwilling to let go of the Cheez-Its so we got to walk the neighborhood with Zoe and a box that appeared to be nearly the same size as her.  I love when she takes off with the pom-poms bouncing on the back of her boots.  She's got a little strut and she's ALL business.  We also have a little copy-cat on our hands, so whatever Mia does, Zoe is close behind.  It was a nice idea to take the scooter out for our walk today, but let's just say that we didn't get very far...

Happy Valentine's Day!
We had special visitors this week with Travis' Dad & his Grandpa.  I think it's amazing that Mia & Zoe will know their great grandpa.  I didn't get the chance to know my great grandparents and really only got to see my grandparents annually over the holidays.  Our girls are very lucky and I try to remind them of that often. 

Travis got some fun photos of Zoe who took a couple days to even warm up.  She can be such a stinker when it comes to anyone else other than Mom or Dad.  Have I shared our experiences with Zoe & Nursery yet?  Yeah, that's a treat every week!

Travis got to practice taking some photos of his Grandpa while they were here.

Here's Mia who wanted to wear something special to school on Valentine's Day for the party.  Mia said her favorite part was passing out Valentine's into the treat bags. 

Other Haps at Home...
Over the past week, Mia has been gearing up for soccer practice.  She's signed up for the Spring league and has been dribbling the ball throughout the house.  I was recently able to go to Miami for a work conference and even though it was for an entire week, I have to admit, Travis and the girls seemed to manage really well.  There was only one night of craziness when Mia got the flu, but there was a quick recovery and for this blog and her posterity, I will spare you the details of the all-night extravaganza. :)

We finally got some snow this past weekend and I forgot how nice it is to be home, snuggled up on the couch, when it's snowing.  It's a long weekend for President's Day so I'm just happy we get one more day of cuddling with the girls! 

Are Squinkies popular in your house? 

Mia is so lucky that her Grandparents know what Squinkies are!  They were a hit in our house come Christmas morning.  We had originally thought we would be in Seattle on Christmas morning, but at the last minute, we changed our plans and decided to take it easy and leave later on Christmas day to start our drive.  We woke up to this...

This was the year for Zoe and things to snuggle with.  She loves baby dolls more than Mia ever did.

Yummy!  Grandma Jo sent some of her homemade apple butter. ;)

 Zoe tore into the presents this year...it didn't take her long to figure out what was inside.  :)

And...for the final night, Krinkle Boy (our Elf on the Shelf) left a note for Mia and Zoe reminding them the true meaning of Christmas and thanking them for such a fun holiday season.  He also asked if he could go to Seattle sometime!  Mia giggled.

The best gift didn't come from Santa this year, it's the gift of new front doors!  It's amazing what a little face lift will do for your 70's home.  :)  THANK YOU, TRAVIS!  Like usual, we wonder why we waited so long to get them installed.

(Before)

 (After)

Zoo Lights

It's been an exciting couple of weeks as we gear up for the big man's arrival!  During this past week, we had dinner with Mrs. Claus and then strolled through the zoo to see all the lights.  It actually started to snow and that made the evening really fun.  Since we made our snowman, we haven't had any snow in December.  There's been a couple flurries, but hardly any snow on the ground and it seems strange.  The worst part is that it's very cold.  We'd rather have snow if it's going to be so cold!

I love the way these pictures turned out...the colors at zoo lights were awesome!

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!  Mia got a phone call from Santa yesterday and he said, "We need to go to bed early so he can bring us a surprise."  Have a very, Merry Christmas!

Cuddle Bug

After a long weekend, this is the photo I snagged as Dad passed out on the couch with baby in arms.  If you flip on Dora, Zoe will snuggle right up to you.  It's a fun stage, she always wants to be right in your lap.  It's really fun when you're trying to write, address and stamp your Christmas cards!