12-30-2006 Christmas at Grandma Harts

Okay, this is it. Our last "official" Christmas (yes, we still have a few gifts to exchange, but the "big" ones are finished after this one). I promise.

Saturday, we drove down to Bluffton for Christmas at my Grandma's. Zoe got to open even more gifts - still loving it, of course. We had a nice meal, opened presents and then, went outside to play - without coats, very typical weather in Ohio at the end of December.

12-29-2006 Hart Christmas

Well, if you are keeping track this is our 4th "official" Christmas of the year - only 1 to go. Zoe may be beginning to think that we have Christmas all year long at this point.

Dad, Karen, Matt, Amanda, Jason & even Ben trekked up again to join us Friday evening to celebrate Christmas. Zoe had a great and really enjoyed her Cinderella pillow book, as well as her newborn Cabbage Patch Doll (the regular CP that she has is now the mommy of the newborn - it is really quite cute). Karen & I only exchanged the exact same gift 3 out of 5 times, I believe, (a horoscope calendar, the DvD "The Devil Wears Prada", and wristlets to go with our purses). Great minds, I guess...

More Christmas' to come

12-25-2006 Moyer Christmas

On Christmas Day, the celebration continued with the arrival of my Mom and Dave. A whole new stack of presents appeared at our house and we began opening then once Zoe awoke from her nap. This year, she really understands what is going on and the she is getting to unwrap presents (or 'rap presents as she says) and then gets to keep whatever is in each present. She even appreciates and oh's & ah's over the clothes. What fun!! She gots lots of neat presents from Grandma & Poppa including a bike and a dollhouse (furnished by Uncle Ben).

12-25-2006 Christmas Morning

On Christmas morning, Emily & Shannon were the first awake and mistakenly came to our room looking from Mommy & Daddy. After awaking us and realizing their error, they soon found Kathy & Jason. In the meantime, I got up and had to wake up Zoe (something I always hate to do) to go see what Santa left. The girls all opened their stockings. Zoe paused to admire each 7 every item for what seemed like 5 minutes. We hurried her along, so she could open her gifts from Santa which included a digital camera, a Cinderella doll and a Weeble castle (no mention of the Santa requested "baby doll house" which was to come later in day...whew!) The adults then checked to see what Santa left in their stockings & I believe a new tradition involving Santa leaving some sort of alcohol has begun. Mom and Dad joined us a little later for Christmas brunch and all too soon, the 2006 Bailey Christmas was over.

12-24-2006 Bailey Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas Eve with the Bailey side of the family at Kim & Andy's house in Howell, MI. My brother, Ben, even joined us for the festivities (and was nice enough to take a family photo for us... although someone needs to mention to Dad that it is Christmas and he really should be wearing red or green :) ). The girls played together relatively well and all enjoyed opening their presents. It was a pretty relaxed affair and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Following dinner, Tony, Kathy & I went to our church for the Christmas Eve bell choir service. It was quite lovely and our pastor even managed to fit college basketball into his sermon. Meanwhile, Jason & Ben brought the girls home and even "put them to bed". They were still awake when we returned, but were soon settled down and fast asleep awaiting Santa.

12-23-2006 Happy 40th Birthday Kim!!

Saturday evening, Tony & I along with Kathy & Jason joined Kim & Andy and some more of their friends to celebrate Kim's 40th birthday by taking a couples yoga class. (Mom & Dad graciously watched the 6 grand-daughters for us.) I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the class and especially by the fact that we weren't even close to being the giggliest people there. Plus, a night away from the children is a night away from the children. I might even try to coerce Tony into going again. We'll see... (sorry, no photos from yoga although I heard there was market for pictures of Jason participating...)

Following yoga, we went to an Irish pub for dinner, cake & presents.

Happy 40th Kim!!

12-23-2006 Happy 40th Anniversary Mom & Dad Bailey!!

For the past 6-7 months, I have been working on a 40th anniversary album for Mom & Dad Bailey. Saturday, it was finally done & finished. We finally gave it to them (their actual anniversary is November 19th) & I was a little sad to see it go. The "album" ended being two albums, 72 pages (39 layouts) and contained almost 400 photos. I ended up scanning/acquiring over 4 Gig of photos onto my computer alone. It is by far, my largest single project and probably took me over 200 hours to complete. We got photos from many family members and Tony even made a clandestine trip to their house to borrow some photos. We thank those who helped to complete this album and hope that Mom & Dad enjoy it for years to come. Happy Anniversary!!

12-22-2006 Happy 50th Birthday Karen!!

Friday, we made a quick trip over to Benton Harbor to surprise Karen at the dinner for her 50th birthday. Zoe, Daddy & I hid behind some balloons and then, yelled "Surprise!!" when she got to the table. Zoe really enjoyed this, as hiding and "surprising" people is one of her favortie games. Dinner was good and then Amanda got out the cake with the 50 black candles which took almost half a century to light. When Karen with Zoe's assistance finally got the candles blown out, the restraurant almost had to call the fire department due to all the smoke produced. And, then, the candles started re-lighting as the ever-so-funny Amanda had gotten trick candles. Ha ha ha!! Too soon, it was time to head home, as we had the Bailey family coming to house tomorrow. Happy Birthday Karen!!

12-17-2006 Christmas at the Stumps

Sunday, we celebrated our 1st Christmas of the season at my Aunt Kathy's. Zoe had a great time opening her presents and especially putting on her new glamour girl outfit. She is turning into the quite the diva.

12-16-2006 Happy Birthday Tanner(1) & Bailey (3)

Saturday, we trekked to Shreeve, Ohio to celebrate both Tanner & Bailey's birthdays.

Tanner had a great time with his cake (if I recall correctly, he got much more messy than Bailey did at her 1st).

Bailey really enjoyed opening her presents, in particular the dress-up shoes from yours truly and her American Girl Bitty Baby. Upon opening the Bitty Baby, Bailey looked into the little window of the box and said "Don't worry, baby, I'll get you out." She then kissed the box. Quite adorable!! Happy Birthday Messners!!

HO! HO! HO! 12-15-2006

Today, Zoe went and told Santa what she wanted for Christmas. She wore her Christmas dress, which she has been asking to wear everyday since I bought it and her shiny new "slippers". She had great time dancing & twirling around the house before leaving and would pick up the skirt of her dress just like Cinderella does at the ball.

Our conversation on the way to mall included a lot of "talking up" sitting on Santa's lap & telling him what she wanted for Christmas. When first asked what she was going to tell him, she wanted "A Castle" (a bit out of Santa's budget). Daddy, then, mentions a doll house (which she will be getting, but not from Santa). She quickly jumped all over this gift request. Upon receiving glaring looks from me, Tony mentions that maybe she wants a new baby doll - her previous standard answer to what she wants from Santa (a gift Santa has made sure to have because that "was" what she wanted). Zoe says, "Yes, yes, a baby doll house." Daddy makes one more attempt to convince her that she wants a camera of her own (another gift Santa has on hand). However, Zoe is sticking firm to a "baby doll house." Grrr....

Anyway, once we get to the mall, there is virtually no line for Santa, but Zoe is balking. So, we let a couple of people go ahead of us & just watch. Santa then convinces Zoe to come get some crayons he is handing out. Then, he asks Zoe to give him five and she does. He asks again, and another five takes place. Santa then reaches down, plops her on his lap. He holds her hands down away from her face & click, click, click...three pictures taken. No tears & even a smile. Rejoice!! What a good Santa!!

And, what did Zoe tell Santa she wanted?
A camera (with lots of coaching from Daddy)

And, later why was Zoe upset?
Because she didn't tell Santa she wanted a castle!!

You can't win.

OSU Victory Lunch #2 12-14-2006

The 6th annual OSU vs. That Team Up North lunch was celebrated again on Thursday. The victorious buckeyes (Lew, Tony and an absent Steve) were treated to lunch at the Fat Man's Buffet by what must surely be direhard wolverine fans (Shane, Bob & Ralph) for the 3rd straight year in a row. They were even kind enough to provide a special cake commemorating the Buckeye's victory.

Zoe & the whales 12-8-2006

Today, we trekked to Cabella's to do a little Christmas shopping. Zoe had a great time seeing all of the animals and such. She especially enjoyed the fish pond. Upon seeing the large carp, she said "Look Daddy, a whale". I guess if you saw a fish the same size as yourself, you might think it was a whale too.

OSU Victory Lunch 12-7-2006

Today was one of Tony's OSU vs. Michigan victory lunches. This one required a couple of Michigan fans to don OSU apparel & Tony just happened to have his camera handy.

Zoe & the "Pooh in the Box" 12-6-2006

This morning, we went to Ann's house to learn all about at the letter "G" (which Zoe must have learned by osmosis because she certainly wasn't paying very much attention, but somehow knew all about the letter when we got home.) Anyway, Ann took this video of Zoe playing with the intensisty that only a 2 year-old can.



This video was of the FOURTH time, she played with it. By the FOURTH time, you might think she would know when it was going to pop up, but apparently not. This also is not even close to the very first day that she played with this toy. She plays with it EVERYTIME we go over there. If only we could all be surprised over & over & over again, by that which has become predictable.

Christmas is Coming... 12-6-2006

It is official, the trees, snowmen, stockings, etc... i.e. all indoor Christmas decorations are up (you'll have to talk to Tony about the outdoor ones). We have a total of 7 trees this year, but a few of them are rather small (& one rather tall). Last night, I hosted the Christmas book club, a small, but joyous gathering. Joyous for me, mostly because it forced to me have all of my decorations up & the house cleaned. Now, I can relax for a few days.

For your viewing pleasure (& because Tony keeps pestering me to add this to the blog - mostly, I believe, so he can show people exactly how crazy I am), I've posted below, the 7 lovely trees (also note - the festive decorations on the mantle & more importantly, the TV mounted about it, YEAH!!). Merry Christmas!!

Christmas List

Zoe

(purchased) The Little Mermaid DvD - widescreen 10-3
Curious George -DvD widescreen
(purchased) Cars - DvD widescreen - 11-7
TotSports T-ball Set
TotSports Basketball Set
IKEA - play tunnel
IKEA - light - bead chandelier
(purchased) Fischer-Price Twin Time Dollhouse
Lowes - Butterfly nightlight & light switch plate
Clothes - 3T - adjustable waistband need in bottoms
Shoes - size 9

Trica

Murder She Wrote DvD Collections Season 1, 3 & 4
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire DvD - widescreen
Giftcards - JoAnn, Borders, New York & Company
COACH SOHO SIGNATURE CHECKBOOK WALLET $218 - Silver/Dark Brown
COACH SOHO SIGNATURE WRISTLET $48 - Silver/Dark Brown
Large Comfy Sweatshirt to replace much loved favorite, but worn out Virginia Tech sweatshirt
Workout clothes
World Peace
Books for Book Club:
February - Digging to America by Anne Tyler
May – Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
June – What Do You Do All Day by Amy Scheibe
July - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Cuisinart Pizzelle Press

Tony
Sports Coat (44, I think)
Dress Shirts(L-16 neck, I think)/Slacks(38-31)
(purchased) Wool Socks
(in progress) A national championship buckeye team
(acquired) Fiesta Bowl ticket(s)
Book Gift certificates
Books in paperback preferred...
Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks
1632 by Eric Flint
1633 by Eric Flint, David Weber, and James Baen
1634: The Ram Rebellion (Assiti Shards) by Eric Flint
1634: The Baltic War by David Weber and Eric Flint
1635: Cannon Law (Ring of Fire)
Island in the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling
Against the Tide of Years by S. M. Stirling
On the Oceans of Eternity by S. M. Stirling

O' Christmas Tree 12-3-2006

Tonight, we got our live Christmas tree for the parlor. To date, it was the fastest Christmas tree selection ever. It was 25 degrees & windy with light snow. I pretty much picked the first big tree I saw. Once we got it home, inside and in the stand, I gave the tree some water. Zoe, upon seeing this, raced upstairs to get a 5 oz. Dixie cup from her bathroom and filled it with water to give to the tree. I must say the first couple of times, it was pretty cute. But, being the obsessive-compulsive that she is we stopped her the third time (although, this time she did figure out that she didn't need to go all the way to the upstairs bathroom to get water). She did have fun and we are looking forward to decorating the tree tomorrow.

The "Hot Dog Lady" 12-2-2006

Yesterday, Tony & Zoe took a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up a couple of last minute items needed to hang our TV above the mantle. It happened to be close to lunch time & Zoe requested a hot dog (she's had lunch there before obviously). But, when they went in, the hot dog lady was nowhere to be found. Zoe inquired as to where the "hot lady" was...Tony replied they would look for her on the way out. When they had finished their shopping, "hot lady" was still missing. Tony realizing it would not be a good idea to have his daughter come home and talk about the "hot lady" coached Zoe the whole way home to say the "hot dog lady". Once home, Zoe asked about 30 times "Where is the hot dog lady?" This is not a high estimate as to the number of times this question was asked and answered. It may be even a little low. I am very grateful that she seems to have forgotten about her for today.

Messner Visit 11-27-2006 to 11-30-2006

Wendi, Bailey & Tanner came for a visit this week. Bailey & Zoe had a great time playing together while Tanner enjoyed finding all of the toys he wasn't old enough to play with. The moms did a little shopping while the kids did lots of playing. It was even warm enough on Tuesday that we went outside & played for a little while.

Flu Shot Conversation (11-28-2006)

This morning, Zoe got a flu shot. I told her that we were going to the doctor and she was going to get a shot in her leg to keep her from getting sick. She translated this to she was going to the doctor to make her leg feel better. We get to Zoes doctor's office which is located on the second floor of the building & used the stairs rather than the elevator. We sign in and wait our turn. When they call *Michelle's* name (for some reason she is always called Michelle at the doctor - something to do with her first & middle name being on the chart when usually it is only the first name), we head back to the room. Zoe is a little apprehensive, but not doing too bad. I sign the consent from, pull down her pants & hold her arms above her head. The nurse tells Zoe there is going to be a little pinch. Zoe winces ever so slightly as she gets the shot. She checks out her band-aid and we pull the pants back up. She then says, "Now, we can go on the elevator." Sure. In the car while leaving, she says, "The doctor gave me a little pinch. It tickled." If only, it were all this easy!!

Zoe's Big Girl Bed (11-19-2006)

I think the title says it all.

We've also realized how much air-fare we can save, by shipping ups rather than buying her a seat!!

Still No.1 (11-18-2006)

As anyone reading this blog already knows OSU beat Michigan 42-39!! Go Bucks!! It wasn't pretty (well, sometimes it was, but never fail, it turned ugly shortly thereafter). And, whoever heard of "roughing the center". I am pretty sure Zoe had about 5 new words added to her vocabulary during the game. As yet, we've not heard any of them, but I am sure we will in the future at the most inappropriate moment possible. Immediately followining the victory, Tony & I booked plane tickets to visit his parents in Arizone Jan. 5 - Jan 14. And, to our surprise, the BCS championship game is Jan. 8 AND in Arizona. :) Tony is now accepting sponsors to pay for his ticket price. He is willing to put your company name on a hat, t-shirt, pants, shoes, tatoos, whatever. Donations also accepted. Unfortunately, we do not have non-profit status, so it won't be tax deductible. Anyway, it's sure to be a good time!! Go Bucks!!

What is this? 11-17-2006

What is this?!?

To you , it may look like a mat, a box lid & a couple of chairs.

To Zoe, it is her very own Survivor inspired obstacle course.

Last night, for various reasons, Zoe stayed up & watched Survivor with us. When the show was over, she created this little course which she proceeded to run & then wanted Mommy & Daddy to run also.

First you jump over the box lid...run along the mat...then...


...run past the chairs...



...and then leap into the tent!!



What fun!!

Zoe's Christmas Tree - 11-11-2006

What ever does one wear while decorating your own little Christmas tree? A butterfly costume, of course - dressed down this time (no hairnet or slippers).

I saw a cute white Christmas tree with pastel ornaments at Bronners that inspired this tree for Zoe's room. Zoe had a great time decorating her little tree while wearing her butterfly costume.

Zoe the Butterfly Princess 11-10-2006

While shopping on Friday, Zoe found this cute butterfly costume that she conned Grandma into buying for her. She had her own bag for it that she had to carry. She also had to hold it the whole way home and put it on the second we got in the door. And, what does one wear with a butterfly princess costume? Why pink fuzzy slippers and a hair net over your face, of course!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Kathy!! 11-10-2006

We celebrated Aunt Kathy's birthday with a long shopping day at Birch Run and Bronner's followed by cake at home.

Zoe at Play

Two days ago, we finally broke out the play-dough that Zoe got for Christmas last year (supposedly, some sort of pay-back present for a bubble-machine the previous summer - not a fair pay-back at all really. I mean, kids LOVE bubble machines , plus I didn't make her to use it in the house). Anyway, back to the play-dough...Zoe isn't quite sure what to do with it yet. Her goal is pretty much to see how fast she can empty all ten little containers. But, she has fun when Daddy or Mommy plays with her. Tonys venture into play-dough included a cute little black rabbit with a orange carrot. Zoe then insisted on a brown carrot (brown carrots don't really look like brown carrots & Tony has now banned the making of all brown carrots).

Yesterday, while Mommy lounged on the couch and read, Zoe's friends Lily & Elmo had a tea party together. It was very cute. Also, notice how Elmo is totally dominating the conversation.

This morning, Zoe is playing princess and so far the princess has broken into the jelly-belly jelly beans dispenser, figured out how the open both the freezer and refrigerator and tried to make chocolate milk for her baby.