She's BAAAACK!!!!

Well, Zoe has returned and the house will be a little less peaceful (sister's have disagreements) and quiet (at least we always know where she is) but we are very happy to have her home!
Hannah, in fact, waited up for her on Tuesday night. She did not want to go to sleep without seeing her sister first.
Zoe came home full of stories about her trip! She said that she was a little nervous to fly home (the flight delay didn't help much) but once she got on the plane she was fine. In fact, she said that she had a 'boyfriend' on the plane but she couldn't remember his name. I think that she was very happy to have a 'friend' on the plane and it made the flight more enjoyable! She said that they shared her snacks and her colors and coloring book.

She said that she really enjoyed being at her Uncle David's house even though "the little boys and girl got spankings"....she was afraid that she was next...I reminded her that they were all brothers and sisters just like she and Hannah...then it made sense to her! She also said that she enjoyed swimming with them and going to the Children's Museum with them.

All in all, she had such a wonderful time going to all the new places and doing the different activities but was ready to come home by Tuesday night! She said that she would be ready to go back next year and do it all over again! I am sure that Papa Hat and Grandma Sally will be looking forward to that!

...Next great adventure...KINDERGARTEN!

Registered....ready or not!!!

Well, I registered Zoe for Kindergarten today! Yes,I said Kindergarten! I can't believe it and yet it seems as if she's been with me all of my life! She certainly has made an impact in my life and is growing and changing all the time!
Today is her last day in Virginia with her grandparents as she will be flying home tomorrow...still don't know if I am ready for that!
Anyway, my learning and growing as a parent seems to be in sync with her as she grows. I guess that is the way God planned it and aside from those darn growing pains; I wouldn't have it any other way!

Having a BLAST!

As I said in my last post, Zoe had arrived in Virginia and was very excited to be there. On Friday she went to VBS with Uncle David and her cousins. After VBS, he took them to McDonald's...which is always a treat...then to the Library for story hour. She then returned to Papa Hat and Grandma Sally's house with Katrina and Victoria. That evening she said that she ate macaroni and cheese, corn and taco meat and remarked to me that it was, "so wonderful"! As I was on Skype with her, she showed me the firefly's that she had caught that evening. She had been wanting to catch firefly's ever since she found out that she was going to Virginia so it was quite the treat!

Saturday, she went to spend the night at David's and is going to church with them today. Sally said that she was quite agreeable and was quite helpful with fixing drinks and cracking eggs. She also said that her disposition was very nice! I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that! You try to raise your children properly but are never really sure how they will act upon being out of your reach. It is nice to know that she is applying what we have taught her! We are so proud of her!

We will Skype again tonight when she returns from David's house and I am sure that I will have lots to blog about tomorrow! I am just so happy that she is having such a good time visiting the family!

She has arrived!!

We got a call last evening around 10:30. The plane had landed and Zoe was on her way to Grandpa Pat's house. She was full of excitement as she relayed to me the events of the evening. The plane was delayed by an hour. To pass the time, she found two girls to share her crayons and coloring book with. She told me that the plane's bathroom was purple and it went bump...bump...bump...when it took off. She said she saw clouds, rain and the lights of the cities below her window. Sally said that she was very entertaining to the other passengers on the plane because of her childlike wonder with flying.

She was tired but very happy as she talked with me on the phone. She then talked to daddy, Hannah and wanted to talk with Kayci but she was sleeping.
Today, she has gone to story hour at the library with Grandpa Pat and is going to a puppet show with him tomorrow! All in all, it has been a great beginning for her and I am waiting with fevered anticipation for more adventures to come. We will "skype" tonight and I am sure that I will have more to discuss tomorrow!

Until then, Zoe has arrived!!

Virginia or BUST

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
~Elizabeth Stone

Zoe is on a plane as I blog...headed for Virginia and I feel the words of the quote above with full empathy. She was excited...to say the least. Having never ridden in a plane before, she has expectations which include among them "cloud catching"! I am sure that she is after those clouds right now!
She is spending the next five days with her Grandpa Pat and Grandma Sally. She will also be visiting her Uncle David and his clan! Sally says that they have a lot planned for her to do and I am sure that she will get NO sleep tonight thinking about it!
However, the most interesting part of the trip for me, will be her flight back on Tuesday. You see, she will be an unaccompanied minor...and be "watched over" by her very own flight attendant.(WOW...still not sure that I am ready for that!!) Boy, I wish I could be the person seated next to or near her on the return trip and listen as she relays the adventures of her trip!

Lord, seems like I just gave birth to her yesterday and today she is a big time traveler...well almost. Here are a couple of pictures I took of her before she left this afternoon...please excuse the chips in the teeth but she was in a hurry...lots of things to do and places to go ya know!!

My Little Darlings

Just thought I's post some pictures of my little sweethearts...my girls plus the ones that I babysit!

The Artist Creates...

...There be Pirates here!!

Zoe had been asking to go on a treasure hunt, another of Noggin's goodies we learned about in 'Summer Fun', so Mark decided to make a treasure map and have Zoe and Hannah go on a pirate treasure hunt. It was great fun to watch as Zoe tried to figure out the clues as well as read her "treasure map" Hannah was the perfect parrot, literately speaking, she does repeat lots of things that people say. The two of them made for quite an amusing pair of treasure hunters....look out Nicholas Cage...you may have competition!

Our Trip to the Beach

Happy 4th of July from the O'Neils

Our 4th of July was really a treat! My good friend Candace and her family came over for a swimming, food and fireworks celebration! Even though it rained some, we still managed to have a fun time swimming and doing fireworks. Hannah still watched most of the fireworks from inside but she did come out for the sparklers. Kayci just loved watching all of the fireworks and she got so excited she just shook all over...it was too funny. Zoe dressed in flannel because she said she didn't want to get burned AT ALL...those pesky sparks have always found her in the past...needless to say, she gave us all heatstroke! Mark got plenty of exercise running back and forth to light the fireworks and he even ran away from some that didn't go quite as planned (smile)! All in all it was a fun and relaxing evening as well as a great kick off to Mark's vacation week.

With Love to our Friends and Family....

Adventures with Egghead...Chapter One

Zoe has taken an interest in art as it applies to gardening thanks in part to Noggin (see Direct TV 298 or www.mynoggin.com
Anyway, she has decided to grow her own 'egghead' and we decided to keep a online journal about it here on the blog.

First, you need an egg and the best way to get one is to eat one!

After eating, mom carefully cleans out the inside of the egg to get it ready for painting. Next, paint the egg any color and add a face!

Letting the egg dry is a very important step but it sure can be hard waiting!! Once the egg is dry, fill the inside with wet cotton and sprinkle in the seeds. We are using chive seeds.

Lastly, place in a window and wait for the seeds to sprout and grow. Remember keep that cotton moist so check your egghead daily!

Stay tuned for more exciting egghead adventures to come!!

The "Stars" are out tonite!!

The girls are really into storytelling and stories right now and one thing that Zoe really loves to do is act out the stories. Last night, she, Hannah, and Mark acted out the story of the Three Little Pigs....with modified content...in the way of the number of pigs. All in all, it was a wonderful reenactment even with the occasional ad lib and shift in storyline. Hope you enjoy!