Chocolate Chip Tookies

Our little two year old LOVES chocolate.  Just like Daddy! And she loves when Mommy makes chocolate chip "tookies". Yep, tookies.  It's the cutest thing ever.  If anyone corrects her, I'll hurt them! LOL. She'll only say it that way for so long, and I want to savor each time.  

Time is just moving way too fast.  

Zoe's vocabulary is growing each and every day.  I can't even keep up with all the things she's learning!!! 

Trying to go over her "ABC's" today.  When she would mispronounce a letter, I would repeat it.  But she would just say it the same way again.  After doing this a couple of times, she said "No" indicating she wanted me to go on to the next letter.  So stinking smart! 

LOVE her!!!

Learning so fast!

It's just so amazing sitting back and watching this little girl, our little girl learn, and loving to learn.  I know that Janai and I are constantly teaching, and that her teachers at daycare are constantly teaching.  But it's so much more than that.  I don't feel like we're responsible for her learning.  She just catches on despite us! I don't know.  She mimics what we do, all the while we're unaware.  She watches EVERYTHING we do.  That's pretty scary! But pretty cool.  How does she know to watch and learn? 

There's so many amazing things that go on in our time together, that small bit of time that we have together.  I have so many thoughts, but so few words to express them.  How many ways can you say "amaze"? 

So last month, we're at some friends' house, and out of nowhere, little ZoZo starts counting to ten.  WHAT???!!!! We had no idea she could.  Sure, we work with her on that.  But she had NEVER repeated it before.  But the stubborn little girl wouldn't do it on camera until today! Yeah, she's stubborn as a mule sometimes, but I love it!  Love the personality she has.  

Her favorite phrases right now that are adorable are "right there", "OK", and "I fall down." So stinking cute! Her little voice just cracks me up!

Zoe's fast counting!

Full of Life

It's SO much fun being Zoe's Daddy. Sometimes, I just look at her in wonderment. So amazed by her zest for life.  She has no worries, no concerns. She just drinks in life (mostly from a sippy cup) and loves every drop.  

She is learning SO much right now.  Counting to 10, reciting her colors.  New words almost every day.  She's definitely a little sponge:  Soaking up EVERYTHING! 

And she loves her family.  Loves spending time with us.  I just can't get enough of her!  Daddy's little sweetheart.

It looks like she had fun at her first visit to Boyd's Orchard, too!!!

Difficulties

It's a hard thing when a friend decides that they no longer need Jehovah.  When they leave their God, they leave their friends, too.  It's heartbreaking.  Every part of the process.  Everyone deals with that sucker punch a little differently, I think.  Who's to say who's way is right, who's way is wrong?  It's one of those, 'It is what it is' moments.  Besides losing someone in death, I'm not sure what life event is more difficult to swallow.  

As a father, this difficult time is hard to even express.  Because it makes me question so many things.  How would I react if one day Zoe makes a similar decision? Will I be strong enough? Will I love Jehovah enough? Will I love Zoe enough to make the right choices?  I honestly don't know.  It's easy to say the right thing.  But the honest answer is, I can only hope to do the right thing.  

This decision by our friends makes me question how I will guide and help Zoe if one day she, too, has a friend make that determination. How will I support her, guide her to make the right choices, also? How will I console her without demonizing her friend?  It's quite a balancing act.  Fear and hurt cloud so much of our thinking abilities.  

I just pray that we'll continue to lead Zoe the way we're meant to.