-^- Halloween 2007 -^-

What a bootiful & spooktacular Halloween we had this year! We made jack-o-lanterns galore (even thought the squirrels made a grand feast out of them all)!!





The Uni-place neighborhood businesses had a trick-or-treat night and this was our trial run for the big event...Zoie's costume involved a hat AND a wig so I wasn't sure she'd keep it on and I wasn't sure she'd carry her pumpkin bucket, but after the first store we were at, she really seemed to get into it and grasped the idea that people were putting "canny" in her bucket very quickly!



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Grandma also got into the sprits (of Halloween, not the alcohol) and did some fun decorating at the house, she even added her own special touch to a couple of our jack-o-lanterns! After all, ghouls just wants to have fun!!!


(Apparently, her decorations were SO good that many a trick-or-treater was frightened by her "tricky" witch!!)


Our next outing was a first...Grandma, Lindsay, Zoie & Mommy attended the annual Boo at the Zoo event at the Lincoln Children's Zoo - and we met Auntie Wendy, Uncle Porkchop and Piglet (aka Piglet) there!! While waiting in the long lines, they had the Lincoln cloggers performing and Zoie was very interested in what they were doing. Although I might think twice about going to this next year, it was definitely fun to see all the other costumes that the kids - and adults - had going on. They really decorated up the zoo and it was fun to walk through. Zoie even got cozy with the Lincoln Salt Dog!








Next...it was time for the big she-bang! It was the 31st day of October and we were ready to haunt! We first met Vonda, Jeff & Connor at our church for their annual Trunk or Treat. It's a really great idea where they block off an area of the parking lot and people decorate their trunks, truck beds & suv's and then the kids trick or treat out of the there in a safe zone. Next we visited friends & Lindsay & Mommy even got into the mood and had costumes - although, what exactly they are, I'm still not sure of! (Still waiting for pics from the friends' house but they've been busy having a baby, so...I guess I'll let it slide for now!)






All in all, it was one of the funnest & most activity filled Halloweens I've experienced in a long time!

Zoie's 18 Month Check-Up

Yes, it's true...Zoie turned 18 months old on October 20th! That means we've been living back in Nebraska for a whole year already - wow! We went to the Dr for Zoie's normal 18 month chk up and everything is great...the doctor said she's doing awesome and that I'm doing a great job with her - always nice to hear that. She's met and exceeded most milestones for her age which just reminds me again how very blessed & lucky I am! So...her stats were as follows:

Head Circumference: 18.5" (50-75%)
Weight: 25 lbs, 14 oz (75-90%)
Heighth: 35-3/4" tall (over 97%) (Go figure!)

The doc said that it's usually at 18 months for girls when they guesstimate adult heighth by doubling current heighth...so that would be 5'10...BUT when you factor in my heighth and that of her birth father (6'8)...he figures she'll probably be about my heighth (almost 6'3), give or take. Nebraska Volleyball player perhaps!?! I won't talk about the kicking & screaming she did when the doc tried to examine her! Jeesh! It was crazy! She got a flu shot that day & it bothered her less than the stethoscope & stuff! Oh well...good to know she'll fight back!

Take care and we'll be posting Halloween stuff next!

Love,
Heather, Zoie & Indie

Catching up....it's a LONG one!

Hello! It's been a while since I've posted on the blog...between leaving one job and getting everything situated for the new one - and of course, keeping up with Zoie, things have been busy...so this is a quick catch up on what's been going on since the end of September.

Zoie is doing great...she'll be 18 months old on Oct 20th...it just doesn't seem possible. We came back to Nebraska from Texas just one year ago - when I had a 6 month old baby! Now that baby is a little girl who is constantly on the go and very independent (have NO idea where she would have gotten that!). She is enjoying the fall and loves seeing all the pumpkins and Halloween things. She isn't too scared of anything so far, but I've been the only one behind the mask up til now...I think she might run to me if it were someone else! We have tried to get outside as much as we can by going to the Sunken Gardens here in Lincoln a few times and the fountains as well as spending a day at an orchard near Ceresco. Zoie still goes to daycare and loves going there...she is one of 2 girls and 6 boys! Two of the boys are brothers and their mother has told me that they even fight over Zoie at home! Is this just a glimpse of what I have in store for me?!?! Ha! Luckily, she is oblivious to her effect on them - whew! She loves to look at books and have them read to her and knows part of her favorites by heart. She also adores Indie...she calls him "Innie Boo" and he is still really good with her even allowing her to lay across his body when he's laying on the floor...she's kind of attempted to ride him like a horse but he just very slyly slinks away from that! One afternoon, Mom, Zoie & I took Indie to the dog park here in town and I don't know who had more fun - Zoie or Indie! She was enthralled with all the dogs and that they were running free...luckily everyone got along so we might do that again sometime if it ever stops raining! Grrr We also have made a couple of trips out to my brother's near North Platte, Nebraska...one trip was to celebrate my nephew, Mithcell's, 18th birthday! Talk about feeling old!! It was nice to be with all of them - we miss them but make sure we look at pictures and talk about them a lot. That's really about it...so I'll get to the part everyone loves...the PHOTOS!! Hope all is well with our special family & friends out there - you're in our thoughts & prayers! Happy Fall!

Check out my groovy wheels that Mommy got me at a garage sale (of course!):



This was a cool, kind of rainy, Saturday when we went to the Sunken Garden & Fountains...Lindsay (or "Linzeee" as Zoie would say) went with us:






This is another visit to the Sunken Gardens...this time Grandma Lucy (or Gam-ma) was with us:




This is the day we went to Martin's Hillside Orchard near Ceresco, Nebraska...we picked apples, walked through the pumpkin patch, and picked & ate fresh yummy raspberries! Grandma made an awesome apple cobbler with the apples we picked! And Zoie picked out her very own little pumpkin...she carried it for quite a while...I was impressed!













Pics from Mitchell's 18th birthday - it was a surprise!







Dat-dat-dat's all folks!

Mama's Got a Brand New Gig!!

I wanted to officially announce that I have a NEW job! Woohoo! My last day at my current job is Thursday, September 27th and I begin my new adventure on Monday, October 1st. I am going to work for a software company called Activant Solutions (www.activant.com) as a Web Trainer and Implementation Specialist. Probably the most exciting part of this new endeavor (beside a bump up in income) is the fact that I will NOT have to relocate but will be officing 'remotely' - which means out of my home! Yes! Of course, it's always hard to leave people that you've worked with for a long time, but luckily there is technology to keep in touch with them all! I'm really excited and hope it all goes well...

September - where hast thou gone?!

Like the Green Day song says..."Wake me up when September ends..." Well, time to wake up! I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted on the blog but what a busy month it was! September starts with Labor Day and we very honored to have our special friend, Susan, come and visit from Oklahoma City for the weekend! It was a blast and so much fun hanging out with Susan...cousins Shelly, Tony & Spencer also came up for a day and we went to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. It was a HOT day but also a LOT of fun! The next weekend, Zoie & I went out to Uncle Gary and Aunt Chris' because it had just been too long since we'd seen them! A small town near where they live was having their fall festival so we got to partake in those activities. My work sent me on a training trip to Lafayette, Louisiana, so that took out a whole week...but I lucked out on my rental car and ended up with a shiny red Mustang convertible! Not a car I would buy, but man it was sure fun to toodle around in for a week in the nice Louisiana weather!! And we can't forget that September brought in the 2007 Nebraska Football season - it must really be fall now! Go Big Red!! (2-1 so far!) In between all that we've just been trying to enjoy the cooler fall weather as much as we can by getting outside and just living one day at a time! We hope that you are all doing well and enjoying September too!!!

All our Love,
Heather, Zoie & Indie