Visit to St. Louis, Six Months and Peas

September is here (and almost over)! School has started which means that church programs are starting up again. Nate is getting busy as well as Zobug and I. I am tutoring two days a week for a couple of hours a day. Stephanie Lorenz has been sweet enough to watch Zoe while I tutor in the morning. We are so blessed to have the Lorenzes here. I started a fundraiser called "Scrip" at St. Paul, and I am hoping it takes off. I have also become a Jamberry Nails Consultant. If you are curious about what that means, feel free to go to katiesunshine.jamberrynails.net.

We traveled to St. Louis the first week of September for my dad's ordination. He went to seminary after he retired from Procter and Gamble. He and Nate actually overlapped for a year at the seminary. He is now serving at Zion Lutheran Church in Valley Park, MO. Valley Park is in the St. Louis Metro area.




 This is my favorite picture from my dad's ordination. My three favorite guys (from left to right): Daddy, Steve and Nate.

During this trip we had a chance to go visit Cape Girardeau, where Nate did his vicarage. We miss our Cape Girardeau family all of the time. They have been a great blessing to us when we were there and even since we moved away.


The original Zoie and my Zoe.


Lanny and Zoe


Tori and Zoie giving the bug some love.


Zobug and Uncle John Edwards

Zoe was happy to spend time with her Grandma and Grandpa Cox and her Aunt Victoria. She also got in some time with our friends that are more of an extended family.


Hanging out with Aunt Victoria


Hanging out with Grandma


Grandma gave her magazine paper. She liked it and she destroyed it.


She loves Grandpa!


Standing on Grandpa!


Hanging out with Uncle Steve!


Funny faces with Grandpa!


Eating dinner with Grandma!


Three of my loves.

The nice thing about going on vacation is also just getting to spend time, just the three of us. Nate, Zoe and I took some pictures while we were hanging out together.






We were able to visit with Emilie Schultz, who used to live in McAllen and worked with us. Now she lives in Springfield, IL.



Zoe is so blessed to have 3 Godparents. One of them is our good friend Katie Lane. Katie was able to come to the baptism. Her two other Godparents, Marcus and Vanessa Lane (Marcus is Katie's brother), were unable to make it because they were on vicarage in Colorado. On our trip to St. Louis, Zoe was able to meet Uncle Marcus and Aunt Vanessa. Zoe clearly loves them and so do we!






She turned six months old while we were gone. My little baby is getting so big. We love her so much.


The picture on the left is her coming home from the hospital. The left is her on her 6 month birthday.


Zoe is changing and growing every day. One of the things that she does is blow bubbles with her lips. This is very adorable until she is eating avocado or peas and the bubbles make the food fly into Mommy's eye.

 She tried peas this week. She is not a fan. I have NEVER liked peas. When I was a little kid I used to throw my peas behind the refrigerator because I didn't want to eat them. I remembered why I hated them while I was blending them. They smell gross. I have never been much of a vegetable girl but I have come a long way in recent years. All of that said, I don't think I will ever like peas. Hopefully Zoe will give peas another chance.



Before we left for St. Louis, our rocking chair broke. Zoe loves her daddy, she loves him so much that the rocking chair is the only chair that she wants him to sit down in when he is holding her. When we discovered that she would let him sit down and hold her in the rocking chair, we were so happy. I was able to make dinner and do other chores around the house. Then it broke. Really? We had only had it for six months! Being the queen of dealing with customer service, I called the manufacturer. The company is in Canada and they answered the phone in French. I think companies put customer service outside of the US to create a language barrier on purpose, so you just give up. After three phone calls to them and many messages and waiting on hold, they told me I needed to take pictures and send them information via email. I needed a proof of purchase. This was purchased as a gift for us from our Babies R Us registry. I was in Babies R Us yesterday and I thought to ask them if they might be able to get me a receipt to send to the manufacturer. I figured that it couldn't hurt. I spoke with the manager and he told me that there really wasn't anything that he could do for me. I didn't really expect that there was. Zoe and I took a walk to a neighboring store and came back. While loading Zoe into the car, the manager came out to the parking lot. He told me that he could get me a new rocking chair, if I brought mine back that night. We did, and Zoe is rocking again! Many thanks to Babies R Us for helping us out in our time of need. I am impressed with their great in-store customer service.

I frequent Hobby Lobby. I love to go there to get picture frames, decorations and other crafty items. Zoe and I went to this one Hobby Lobby location two different times. For some reason, she hates this store. She has gotten upset both times we are there. The good news is for my checking account. On both occasions, I left the store empty handed. I think she and daddy are in cahoots.

Bonus pics of Zoe, don't worry I have plenty to spare...


Mommy, how do I watch "Duck Dynasty"?






That's all for now! God is good!

Zoe is Six Months Old!

Zoe is six months old! Where does the time go? She has been here half a year already! What?! Of course, every mommy wants their baby to grow up to be a healthy adult, but we all want them to stay babies too. Our little Zobug makes us smile every day and we love her so much!

Zoe loves:
Jesus
Mommy and Daddy
Her grandparents
Snuggling with Aunt Victoria
Her Uncle Andrew and Uncle Alex
Her Godmother, Katie Lane
Uncle Steve Wiesehan
Mommy and Daddy's friends
Snuggling
Soft Lighting at Night
Ceiling Fans
Yelling when she is hungry (not crying or screaming, yelling)
Chewing on many assorted things
Billy Joel Tunes
Cat naps
Pulling mommy’s hair
Yelling until mommy or daddy walks around with her
Formula
Her teddy bear
Pears!
Avocado
Blankets
To smile
To chat with Mommy
Cherry medicine
The color yellow
Her pacifier
Bath time (it’s cool again)
Laying on Mommy and Daddy's bed
Rolling over on both sides
Rolling across the room
Playing with magazine paper (Thanks Grandma Cox)
Making Daddy walk around with her after work
Going outside to look at the rain with Daddy
Sucking on her fingers
Rolling over both from her tummy to back and back to tummy.
Popular Songs that Mommy and Daddy insert her name into for example:
Millions of Zoes for Peaches by the Presidents of the United States of America
The Zoe-Bug Talk Show for The Barry Gibb Talk Show which is a Saturday Night Live skit that uses the theme of Nights on Broadway by the BeeGees


 Zoe doesn't like:
Anyone but Mommy holding her while she is at home
Small spaces
Long Naps
When people aren't paying attention to her
Being hungry (just like her mommy)
Wet diapers
The Ice Machine
Laying on her tummy for a long time
Grape medicine
The dark
Being hot
Being cold

Zoe is undecided on:
Squash
Sandals
The Exersaucer
Diaper Changes


 What people say about Zoe:

 “She looks so much like her daddy.”

 “She looks so much like her mommy.”

 "She's a good mix of the two of you."

 "She's so quiet." - Come spend a day with me. She loves to yell.

 “She’s such a good baby.”

 “She’s (insert synonym for cute here).”

 "What pretty blue eyes!"

 "(Insert a bunch of things people say to her in Spanish that I don't understand.)"

 “Oooo chiquita!!”


Mommy and Daddy's Nicknames for Zoe:
Zobug
Bug
Baby Bug
Bugaboo
Little Bug
Little Baby
Mommy's Girl
Daddy's Girl
Little Snuggler
ZoZoBee
Buggy
Buggily
Little Mama
Baby Girl
Sweet Pea
Buglet
Bugsy Malone
ZoZo
Zo

  













 How does this happen?


She is our blessing. We love her. 


That's all for now. God is good!