Zola's first quote

Zola colored in a little penguin and then shouted, "He's all tatted up!"

Zola in Philadelphia

Zola went to Philadelphia over the weekend to watch Dirk run the marathon. We didn't snap a whole lot of photos, but we got a few. Mostly of us imitating Rocky. (For the record, I played the role of Rocky's dog.) Click on some of these photos for a closer view.

















And then we went for cheesesteaks. (The guy in the background is a friend who ran the 1/2 marathon.)

Career Services

Here's young Zola at her school, considering her options. Zola is getting to the age where she's starting to think about an eventual career. So far, here are the potential jobs she's investigating:



1. Engineer. Not mechanical, civil, aerospace, or environmental. But a driver of trains. Choo-choo!


2. Baker. It's a little difficult to find jobs at the topless bakery, the threat of burns being what it is, but she's still hopeful. (Zola is frosting Halloween sugar cookies.)



3. Keymaster / Doorkeeper. Just in case Gozar the Gozarian needs entry into our dimension.



4. Professional Football Player. I'm sure even the great Johnny Unitas (pictured below Z.) threw a pass or two with his eyes closed (note: this was Zola's natural pose. We just told her to throw the ball. She's a natural.).





She tends to fumble under pressure, but she can lay the wood on D.
(If you listen carefully, you can hear her ask, "Are you okay, Daddy?" right after Dirk tackles her.)




5. Farmer.








6. Shepherd.



7. Drummer in a Rock Band.




8. Professional Bluegrass Dancer




9. Carnie. As a carnie, Zola could (1) see the world, (2) meet lots of people, (3) not have to worry about dental hygiene, (4) ride all the rides for free. What's not to love about this career?

(Note the classic carnie operating the train, and the tremendous front-butt in the background. This photograph speaks to all of us on so many levels.)







Personally, I'm pulling for #9.

Video Time

Zola and Dirk decided to sing some songs for Jana to help her feel better.

Shoo-Fly Pie can cheer up anyone.




What's in a name?

Birthday Madness - part 2

A couple days after Zola's birthday we had a small party at our community pool. Here is the awesome cake I made Zola. She loves construction equipment and yelled, "BACKHOE!" when she saw it.
















The three of us at the pool.















Zola eating dirt.















The happy remains.















This is our friend Grace who also had a birthday. She wanted a cake with water so I gave her a pool party - with flaming umbrellas and all.

Birthday Madness - Part I

Zola turned two on Thursday (Aug. 13). Here are some images from the madness that went on. (As usual, click on any photo for a bigger image.)



Zola loves fruit-snacks or, as she calls them, "treats." Here she's enjoying her birthday Mickey Mouse treats.




Mimi and Ed sent some books and a really fun memory game. Zola has played it pretty much non-stop for the past three days.

("Thank you, Mimi and Ed.")



[Action Photo]




After naptime, we headed out to the park for a picnic and some playground time. Rhett and Kim swung by and we all enjoyed cupcakes. Zola practiced blowing out candles all week, and she did pretty well when it counted. (I especially love the red-slide photo. It seems arty to me.)















After the park, Zola retreated to her castle for a little relaxation time. It's cool being 2.

Pop Art Zola

I know, I know, we need to post our pictures from our awesome summer vacation. They are coming, but check these out in the meantime. (Courtesy of Rhett and Kim)

Summer Fun

The month of June has been lots of fun for Zola. Here are some of the things she's been up to:

--- Enjoying the sunshine, during the brief moments that it appears.



---Working on her dance moves.
When she's not distracted by "Mommy's Bike" (really John's bike), she's trying to get the twirl down. Incidentally, that track of "Staying Alive" playing in the background is pure vinyl, baby.



--- The Lemont Strawberry Festival, complete with strawberry desserts, music, and pony rides.



Zola was a little nervous at first, but she quickly got the hang of riding.








After all that excitement, Zola just wanted to relax and listen to the bluegrass music. So, she found an empty seat in the crowd and decided to make herself at home. Luckily, her new friends were very nice and let her stay awhile.


--- Cycling. Although Jana has been hitting the bike lately, Zola's excited to take it up (eventually).






--- Partying.
Yesterday (June 21), we went to a friend's birthday party. The Tumblebus was there in all its splendor.



If you're like me, you might not know what The Tumblebus is all about. The lettering on the outside says that it's a "gym on wheels," and that pretty much sums it up.



The Tumblebus Driver was very good at helping Zola with her gymnastics routine:






"Daddy! School Bus!" - credit for "Best Zola Video Ever" must go to Jana here.



Zola loved playing in the rice and beans.




--- Looking at Backhoes. Zola loves construction equipment.



--- Feeding the ducks and playing in the fountain in Bellefonte.






And summer has just begun . . .