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Family Pictures in CP

My good friend Kelli Granum took these pictures for us in Central Park, she did a great job!

Barbados 2010!!!

"Your Baby can read," Really??? Yup!

When Zoe was about 9 months old we purchased "Your Baby Can Read" system. I had done my research on the program and thought based on what I had found it was pretty legit with good substantial data to back up the program. One of the big things they said was that young children learn the spoken language at a very young age, why can't they learn the written language at the same time. So that is basically what this system does. Teaches both written and spoken language to small children at the same time. Plus their brains are on fire at this time so they are just eat up the information. So I thought, well it is something positive to do with Zoe so I started the program. It came with five dvd's and a serious of flash cards and books. We started and month after month I didn't think anything was sinking in, she still wasn't reading. THEN... finally about August/September time, she just blew up. She started reading and signing the words. I taught her signs for the words because she couldn't say the words and she totally used the signs to communicate that she new the words!! This video was taken a little while ago. Now she can almost say all the words on the flash cards, and she is learning more and more words every day. This is nuts, but it works. Some times she doesn't want to read the words like she chooses when she will do it, but most the time she will say the word out loud or do the sign after looking just at the word.

Library, "Dama", Fish Bowl

Zoe LOVES books! We went to the library one day and all the baby books were neatly lined up on this big long ledge. Zoe immediately went and started taking down all the books so fast I couldn't keep up with her. After she was done, she sat and "read" as many as she could before it was time to go. It was definitely heaven for her. If you put her in a room with toys and books, she will go straight to the books, she loves looking at the pictures, pointing out the animals and things she knows. She will also do the actions for example if there are characters waving, she will wave. It is hilarious. She has played with her books so much, I am afraid we will have to get all new ones for the next kid!

Grandma and Grandpa Thomas came out to visit us and watch Zoe while we went to Barbados, in September. She LOVED having them there to play with. She got their undivided attention ALL day. She did lots of fun things with them. This is the three of them at the Central Park Zoo. She learned to say "Dama" Grandma and "Papa" Grandpa!
This is our little sweet heart in the CUTE skirt my friend Katie made for Zoe for her first birthday! It is adorable Katie, thanks!!
Fish Bowel?? So one day I was busy doing something and I noticed that Zoe was playing a little too quiet. I went to my room to check on her and she was in the bathroom taking her fish bath toys and putting them in the toilet! GROSSS! I guess she thought fish shouldn't be out of water, and that they needed a new home! Well they got a new home that is for sure, it was called the garbage!

More Summer highlights- playing catch up!

The picture above was a fun day at one of the play grounds in Central Park. There are tons of playgrounds in CP and most have water fountains this day it was hot so we played in the water and the sand. Needless to say, she had a saggy diaper after she was done! Below, Zoe went to the park with her friend Hunter! They were so cute together! This was the Central Park zoo. It also has a petting zoo that Zoe loved. She fed the sheep and thought it was hilarious. She would giggle when the lamb would lick her hand and then pull her hand back super fast. She said moo moo for the cow that was there too. After the zoo we all (Zoe, Hunter, Lauren and I) went to this cute little burger joint and the kids had tiny NY style burgers which are basically mini burgers, they had mini buns and mini burger patties, they were cute!

I took this picture in Central Park by the famous Bethesda Fountain. It was so cool cause there was nobody in the tunnel except my two favorites!

Day off!

This was a beautiful summer day in Central Park. We all had so much fun running and playing in Sheep's Meadow. Scott had been working SO much, like he hadn't come home before 11pm every night and worked every weekend, so this particular day he finally had a day off and we took advantage! I actually have become used to the work hours and it is no big deal now. Scott on the other hand, well I know he would rather be with us, but that is life. The nice thing about living in NYC though is that pretty much everyone works crazy hours, so it is just the normal. You don't feel bad for yourself because there is always someone that had it worse off, it just our life. After five years of living here, there are things you just call normal now, and work hours are one of those things. Some of the other "normalities" in NYC are walking everywhere, small spaces, hearing the news 24/7, wearing heals and skinny jeans on the weekends, eating at awesome restaurants, paying more for EVERYTHING, hearing sirens at all hours of the night or day, and finally sleeping on a couch bed (which is a luxury vs. an air mattress) All you New Yorker mom's and dad's you know exactly what I am talking about!

More Summer highlights- playing catch up!

Wow I am so behind on my blog, so to catch up here are some quick highlights of our summer. We had a great summer, or least Zoe and I did, Scott worked a ton. Some of the highlights were 3rd row seats in the new Yankee's stadium to see the Yankee's play with my friend! It was so fun! Thanks Breanne! Lake Powell with my family in July, and of course Oregon Coast with my family and Scott's parents! That was amazing.

Oregon July 2010- Cannon Beach

Our first real vacation of the summer was in Oregon. After a very long over night flight (which I thought would never end), we made it! We met Scott's parents there. Cannon Beach was the first beach we went to when we got to Oregon. It was BEAUTIFUL!! SO dramatic, scenery I had never seen before. Big rocks jetting out of the sand with steep rocky cliffs rising from the sand with lush green forest. Zoe had a blast running along the very wide beach. She had just learned how to walk and was loving her freedom there on the beach. We met Scott's parents in Oregon who had driven up from SLC. This was the beginning of our GREAT Oregon adventure!

Coney Island June 2010

We took the train out to Coney Island in June with some friends. It was super fun. Good old Coney Island, it is definitely a place to people watch that is for sure!! We had a great time though just hanging out on the beach and walking on the boardwalk (dragging all our beach gear!) Coney Island has actually been cleaned up quite a bit, there is rides for kids and the old faris wheel that I think has been there for years and years (hopefully they have updated it yikes!). Needless to say we did not go on that ride! Anyway it was super fun to just jump on the subway and step out on to the beach. Zoe had a blast playing in the stand and eating messy strawberries. The water temp was nice (although I didn't get in too far for fear of what was in the water) but, it was nice way to cool off from the heat.

June 2010

The weather was beautiful in June, in New York City. We had so much fun taking Zoe to Sheep's Meadow in Central Park. We got her a little baby stroller that she loved to push it, this helped her learn to walk.

On June 22nd, Zoe took her first steps!!

Scott worked ALOT this month, so we took advantage of every minute we had with him.

Zoe's hair has grown so much, it was crazy after her bath one night so we had to take a picture!

Peek-a-boo!

Piggy Tales!!

Zoe's hair is finally long enough to put in piggy tales!! Yeah! We have had so much fun taking We took Zoe to Central Park these past couple of weekends and we have had so much fun! She loves walking with our hands holding hers. She loves standing up on her stroller and she now is used to the grass! She is a riot!! Smiles and laughs all the time.

Almost walking!

Movin and Dancin!

Zoe's First Birthday Cake!

Zoe had a little Lamb cake to go along with her Barn Yard Birthday Party at Wheeler Farm. There were little pig cupcakes to accompany the lamb. SO cute, thanks for helping me mom!

Happy Birthday Zoe!

Zoe's Birthday Party at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City. The top picture she is with her Aunts Katie and Kimberly and cousins. The second picture she is with her Aunt Kristina and cousin Brooklyn. The other picture is her in her birthday out fit for her first birthday party. (Needless to say, I have fun dressing her), pretty in pink, she is very girly!