toddlerhood...

...is fun, thrilling, lots of laughs, beach & playground time are no longer "i'll get to sit for awhile" moments for mama & papa, moments of "she's a genius"-our right as your parents no matter what anyone else thinks:), frequent exclamations "where is she" "oh gosh noooooo zoe" "it's too quiet in here" "please come to mama/papa" (i think this it's your new favorite game). in summary you're  happy, therefore we're happy and i'm exhausted. the good kind though:)

                        
             

we commit...

on October 7 after four amazing parent classes we were blessed to dedicate you to the Lord. it was a wonderful ceremony that gave us an opportunity to stand before other parents, friends and family and commit before God to be the parents you deserve. we will work and pray everyday to fulfill this commitment..

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

We commit to being the parents that God intended for you. We commit to living our lives according to God's will. That we may be examples of living with God-fearing hearts and purpose driven lives led by the holy spirit. We commit to reading the bible with you, to equip you as you grow. Proverbs 9:10 (NLT)"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." We commit to praying for you daily, that you may grow to know Christ intimately, that you may raise your hands in praise because your heart is lifted by your love for The Lord and not because we told you to do it. That you may pursue a relationship with Christ and not religion. We look forward to praying on our knees as a family and hearing you say your first Dear Lord, your first Jesus, and your first Amen. We commit to honoring God for the blessing that is you by making this commitment today.

Hip hip hooray

I've heard more times than I can stand, 1st birthday parties are for the parents. Really?!? Why? I have had 35 already why hijack my baby's birthday? then after looking back and thinking of how grandma & grandpa used to take us or as we got older drop us off at the water world, greenwood park or exploring the botanical gardens ( all in Zimbabwe so you'll just have to settle for little ole Disneyland later..bummer) while they made hot dogs with our friends and cousins parents, I figured I'll just stick with what I know. party for the kid. yes you will not remember it but there's enough photographic evidence of YOUR party. and in keeping with tradition - started also by grandma & grandpa- we did a total of 77 hip hip hoorays this week.. 1 for you, 9 for cousin Jenny and 67 for grandpa( auntie & i cheated on those a little, I mean 67 is a lot. but I'm positive he was beaming down on us) those are positively my best memories of birthdays. pretending to sleep knowing your grandparents were waking everyone up to tip toe into the birthday boy/girl's room and sing happy birthday and do the hip hip hoorays loudly led by grandpa..ahhh good times.

So here is the photographic evidence, hey it might jog your memory..haha