Almost every single second of my life, since the last update, has been dedicated to the house renovation. Until a few days ago anyway...
Here is a quick slide show of what we've done to the house:
...but all this work has come at the expense of sharing our beloved memories with all of you.
SO -- with apologies and a very tired brain, here is what the last six months (!) have brought:
OCTOBER
Grandma and Grandpa came out in October to visit Zoe and to see the new house.
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| "One time I caught a fish THIIIIS BIG..." |
We had so much fun going to the park, the library, even the park at the library.
You get the idea.
Grandpa was very brave and went down the big slide
after Zoe showed him how.
Zoe has discovered the joys of sugary sweets and
(especially on hot days like this one)
gets a special treat for being such a great kid.
On this particular day, we went to Pasadena to a big kid's fair.
They had rides and games, and Zoe especially loved
going on this gym course they'd set up.
She spent about 20 minutes walking the beams and jumping down
onto the trampolines.
Kid really loves jumping off things.
Here is an action shot of her jumping off a steeplechase obstacle.
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| Lookout below! |
She's happiest when she's burning off some energy.
Here is a little dance routine she did outside one day:
And everywhere she goes, she seems to make new friends.
People always tell her how pretty she is, how much they love her hair...
Even this little guy came over to the table during lunch one day to say hi.
She's quite the ambassador.
Everyone she meets gets a big hug.
In Late October, as the Halloween decorations went up around our neighborhood,
Zoe went around and introduced herself to all the new
interesting looking guys on our street.
Handshake?
Hookshake is good, too.
Either way, nice to meet you, One-Eyed Willy.
With Halloween just days away, Zoe got some practice wearing her
costume to a Halloween-themed party at her school.
It's imperative, of course, to get a pedicure before you go
trick-or-treating. Blue toenails make all the difference
in the quality of candy you get.
LA has a lot of talented people, you know.
Can't go half-way or you might get raisins.
Zoe then took her one-woman adorable show to the Zoo for
their Halloween celebration.
But all too soon it was time for candy day
and Zoe did such a great job.
Our quiet little neighborhood really comes alive on Halloween
and makes us feel especially lucky to live in such a nice place.
While my folks were here, our friend (and master photographer)
Inda Reid honored us with some amazing family portraits.
Please, please do yourself a favor and hire her to do the same for you.
She can be reached at: inda@me.com
NOVEMBER
We had started our big renovation, so there aren't many pictures from
November that didn't involve countertop choices, paint swatches, or
huge beams shoved into our ceilings.
We did find time to go to the Wildlife Learning Center at night
and got to hang out with some really fun animals like Tiny here,
who took a real liking to Zoe.
It helps that she had fed him lettuce a few months prior.
She also got to meet some feathered friends right up close!
When she got home, Zoe got right to work working on perfecting
her monkey toes. She's able to shuffle three decks now!
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| Was this your card? |
Zoe LOVES going to Garden Sprouts at Descanso Gardens.
Each week she and Mama bring home flowers to plant in our new garden.
Howdy, y'all.
DECEMBER
We've moved into a house without a kitchen, so December brings happy memories of
construction dust and lots of meals out.
My ladies made the very best of the situation and, with full tummies,
we'd make sure to tour the Christmas lights on our way home.
Turns out this house had them all.
Inspired by the grotesque display earlier that evening,
Zoe thought it was time to set up our new Christmas tree
(thanks Grammie and Grandad!)
for the first time in the new house.
A few days later, we went back to Descanso to see the holiday light display.
Zoe had fun controlling the spotlights across the lake with a joystick.
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| Close encounters of the 3 year-old kind |
And then...it was Christmas!
Zoe made Santa cookies the night before Christmas...
Speaking of the Night Before Christmas...
The Ramboard was laid on the hardwood with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas wouldn't scratch the veneer;
Zoe was nestled all snug in her bed,
Zoe was nestled all snug in her bed,
Asking non-stop if Santa'd yet fled,
And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
dreamed of the day our construction would wrap...
dreamed of the day our construction would wrap...
I'll spare you the zillion pictures, but suffice to say Santa was MORE than
generous once again this year.
And Mama has long dreamed of a big Christmas tree in the front widow.
And trust me when I tell you that it looked beautiful.
Zoe has taken to afternoon scooter rides through the streets of Burbank.
Let me repeat, once again, how much we cherish our sleepy little neighborhood.
She LOVES her new room and constantly surprises us with new discoveries
and games she's created all by herself.
At school, Zoe had her class picture.
And they did some portraits, too.
I'm including them because I think they really capture who she is at this age.
And then you look back 3 years...
Fun way to end the year.
2018
Well, it's the new year and we're slowly unpacking.
Zoe's still trying to figure out how the new couch works, but
otherwise we're doing pretty well.
The weather has turned foul but Zoe always makes sure to
enjoy those special little moments.
Thank you for the perspective, Zoe.
Lori, ever-closer to the delivery of our son, has devised some
clever ways of having Zoe help with chores.
Zoe is excited to meet he baby brother...and (as it turns out)
she won't have to wait long!
FEBRUARY
Ladies and Gentlemen, this blog now has two special subjects.
Jake Westley Bernat
Born at 6:01 am
Sunday 2/25/18
6 Lbs. 9 Oz, 19 inches
Sunday 2/25/18
6 Lbs. 9 Oz, 19 inches
We were scheduled for a c-section 4 days later, but Lori woke me at 2:45am
on Sunday morning with, "Dave. Wake up. My water broke."
We rushed to the hospital and, with no complications, welcomed out son into the world.
Hi, Jake.
Nice to finally meet you.
Zoe is a loving and curious big sister, full of soft kisses and gentle words.
Jake had ordered some toys that Zoe really wanted
and she loved opening them.
Last time, I stayed with Lori at the hospital for four straight days.
This time I split my hours between the hospital and home,
helping to relieve our incredible friends who so generously
dropped everything to come watch Zoe while Grandma and Grandpa
hopped the first flight from the East Coast.
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| This pretty much sums it up. |
And then Grandma and Grandpa came!
Everyone was so happy to be together.
Then, an impossibly short two days after checking in, Lori demanded release
and we all came home together.
Jake spends his day eating, sleeping, and dreaming of all the exciting
adventures that lay ahead for him.
Zoe loves being a big sister and wrote a song all about it.
Thanks for looking.
Hope life brings you all the happiness we've been blessed with.
