There are lots of things to do at the zoo!

Big Stuff

Being a "big" girl means you can do big stuff . . .

Friend(s)

A friend will wait for me and stay beside me . . .

Cheers to good friends!

*Aunt Julia and Grandma Jan taught Vanessa how to do cheers last New Year's. Ever since, she loves to spread good cheer. :) (Notice above that all three have their eyes closed from the tapping of their cups. This was captured on the third attempt to take a photo.)

Head Over Heels

Vanessa goes back and forth right now on whether or not it would be cool to be a big sister. Sometimes she refuses the idea and will argue that she's little Vanessa or that she's Mommy's baby -- "I'm not a big sister!" Other times she suggests sharing her clothes and toys with Zane. And she even likes to shop for him. Better yet, every once in a while Zane gets kisses and gentle touches when Vanessa kisses Mommy's belly and pats it. I've even heard her sing to him and use soft sweet words with him. And she's asked if my eating will make Zane happy. :)

I can only imagine she's tired of hearing about Zane when she can't even see him. One thing she knows for sure is that Zane has made her Mommy's tummy big, and as a result, Mommy doesn't do some of her typical fun things. But soon enough, Vanessa will be head over heels for her little brother.

Mommy Time and Pancakes

Vanessa isn't lacking in time with Mommy, but I love when we're able to do extra special things together. It's hard to justify breakfast out on a normal day, so it was an awesome treat yesterday. She's a different person when we do things alone -- so grown up. As we waited on our food she sat up tall, crossed her arms and asked "So what did you do today, Mommy?" I reminded her that we spent the morning playing at the park. :) On our way home from there, Vanessa was the one to ask if we could go to a "restaurant." She asked so sweetly "Please . . . " We happened to be driving by First Watch, so I asked, "Vanessa, would you like pancakes?" Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed "Yes!" She's very good about placing her order too: "I would like pancakes with blueberries, please." She's a picky eater but she loves pancakes and waffles.

While there we searched for letters on the kid page. And we talked about various things. I thought about how well she eats at 10:30 in the morning. I then thought about how on a regular basis her Pappaw spent the last decade of his life going to Bob Evans to have pancakes and coffee. He also made it a habit to go around 10 or so in the morning. His table was always ready for him, as were his coffee and friendly waitresses. To go with Dad was an extra special treat for him. How neat to think Vanessa is unknowingly carrying on his tradition, even if not on a daily basis.

Happy Birthday Rachel!!

Hickory, Dickory, Dock

With the exception of raking its huge leaves in the fall, we love our Shagbark Hickory. Its fullness and pretty bark make it a fun tree to have in the yard. The squirrels love it too, except when we gather all the fallen nuts to share with Great Grandpa. If we're not careful to hide the nuts indoors, the squirrels come back to steal them, taunting us with a pile of chewed up shells to clean up.

Vanessa picked up a bagful this year, being sure to get every single one. The squirrels only stole two or three before we hid them. Consider this year's harvest a success!

What's your handle?

So Zane Gibson Betz . . .

Many have asked where we came up with the name. It was chosen at the initial thought of parenthood. When we'd talk about the possibility of children, we figured we'd need to be prepared to name boys. I've alluded to this before when sharing about Vanessa's name. My sister-in-law Jenni reminds me that I made small talk about it at Adam's college graduation, before marriage, and on a most miserably hot day. (Wonder if I had a feeling back then that the time for growing Zane would coincide with another very, very hot summer . . . ? Probably not, but funny how that worked out. Thank God for A/C!) So at least 12 plus years later, we finally get to use it.

His name has special meaning for a few reasons.

Zane:

1) Considered a variant of John, it means "God's Grace," or a variant of a Scandinavian surname, meaning "godly light."

We like both ideas but choose to lean on the first variant -- John -- since that was also Zane's maternal grandfather's name. It's cool to think we're carrying something on for him, and although he was nicknamed "Tommy" growing up, John was his given name. He was so proud of his name he begged his stepmother at a very young age to name his new little brother after him. He was honored . . . (and the little brother bears a striking resemblance.)

Then additional notions became apparent once we named our little guy.

2) Cousin Zach could now share a name beginning with "Z" -- it's not often "Z" is used, so that's really pretty cool. And Zach is the one who pointed this out, leading me to think he's okay with it. :)

3) Then check this out: Zane Gibson BetZ

How cool is that? Our friend Heather pointed this out immediately -- his name has matching letter bookends. Adam thought that was obvious when I shared. I hadn't realized it. :)

And a musing:

The idea of a new little life came soon after I signed a work contract with Zaner-Bloser. Funny to think about. Perhaps the water warning is a good idea here -- "Don't drink the water!"

And so Gibson . . .

He is extending his great maternal grandmother's maiden name -- Evelyn Lorena Gibson Lumbard (sitting on her father's lap.) With her being one of two children, and the other being a sister, this will be the only branch going back to his great-great-grandfather's immediate family for continuing the name.

Another musing:

This name was also my very dear auntie's last name -- Helen Louise Gibson -- who passed about a month before this guy came into existence. Wish we could've shared the news with her in person, but I'm certain she knows. :)

So although it is obvious to us that his life was intended, without all the above mentions, it's neat to think about how it all comes together. We feel so very blessed . . .

Bedtime Ritual

Vanessa doesn't need much when it comes to going to bed. We used to read a variety of books and the Bible before saying prayers and closing our eyes, but for the last 4-6 months Vanessa prefers the same two books before her Bible -- Goodnight Moon and I Love You Through and Through. Daddy and Mommy are ready to switch but decided we need to keep some things consistent before and shortly after Zane arrives. So unless she takes the lead to switch, we might continue this particular ritual until we feel she's accepted the impending changes.

Here she is putting Sam Bear to bed. She begins a little distracted by the video camera, but she fights the urge to ask for it.

Just how long can you go?

Apparently a week or so. So Vanessa's birthday wasn't really till this last Friday. We did our typical Friday thing of hangin' with the Hilliard crew, so why not blow out another cake?! Vanessa was to have cupcakes for Friday, just enough to acknowledge her actual day, but Vanessa practically begged. :) So what an extra special b-day present! And I can't complain too much since she helped crack all 6 eggs. :)

Preparing to open gifts her friends brought, with Audrey sticking close to her side:

Megan was there but scurrying around so much that we missed photo ops. But much cuter than the Prince of Wales, even our friend Prince Charles came for a visit.

Perfection - The Unreachable Goal

Only He can be perfect, but I can at least strive to be . . .

The Youngest Princess?

She may not be the youngest princess in the world, but she's our only princess.

Happy 3rd Birthday Vanessa!

Seeing and putting on her new tutu for the first time:

Tutus are too much fun! Mommy made Vanessa's first when she turned 2. Vanessa's third homemade tutu was for her 3rd birthday. (We sort of have an unplanned pattern with these!)

Vanessa thanking God for a good time at Cousin Audrey's b-day party and then praying for her own special day.

We'll take these memories with us forever!

A Birthday Fit for a Princess

This last Saturday we celebrated Vanessa's 3rd birthday with family. Or as she would say "My cousin and family friends." Vanessa helped to make her cake on Friday. She was excellent.

Then Grandma and Mommy decorated her cakes. Here she is seeing them for the first time before her party started. When loading the video just now, Vanessa pointed out that the princess cake is "not Cinderella but it is Belle." You'll notice in the video that she looks a little confused and calls the cake Cinderella. (The girl knows her princesses.) A week ago she and Daddy had decided that Belle would be perfect for the cake. The night before her party Vanessa changed her mind to say she wanted Cinderella. We could've changed it but decided to go with the original plan. A lesson in follow through. :) As guests arrived Vanessa was very proud to escort them in to see her cake. We're thrilled we went this route, making it a birthday fit for a princess.

And you won't believe this group's singing of Happy Birthday -- outstanding. Vanessa had been waiting for this moment for months. She was all smiles and completely amazed that we were singing for her . . .

You could say we had a heap of fun!

"Is this a pattern?"

Out of the blue this morning, Vanessa presented questions that amazed me. After answering, we decided to take a couple of minutes to use images to create the patterns she described orally. Now we'll share with the world. :)

And let me say that Vanessa asked these questions as if she already knew the answers -- she was assessing my knowledge of patterns. :)

Vanessa: "Is this a pattern? Triangle, square, triangle, square?"

Mommy: "Yes it is!

Vanessa: "Is this a pattern? Triangle, circle, circle . . . ?"

Mommy: "No, the triangle doesn't repeat." (Probably not the best answer I could've given, but it'll do for 6:30am.)

Vanessa: "Is this a pattern? Triangle, circle, circle; triangle, circle, circle?"

Mommy: "Why yes it is! Very good job, Vanessa."