Over the holidays Q got me a necklace with two letter – A and Z – charms. (I’ve wanted one for years; I had a Z necklace from when Zoe was first born, but nothing that represented both girls.) Several days after I opened the gift, Zoe came home from school and presented me with a necklace she made; when I took a closer look I saw that she had included two tiny beads with the letters A and Z. “I know you like those letters,” she told me, beaming.

A new favorite!

-M

Before Zoe left for the space center yesterday, I asked her to report back to me her favorite part of the trip and what surprised her most; she later told me that she liked lunch the best (ha) but also enjoyed seeing a big telescope that was “like an owl because it had big eyes, too.” (I guess nothing surprised her.) She had a few things to say this morning, too, explaining to us about the “gas giants” and saying to her sister on the way to school, “Avery, do you know the sun is a big star?”

Sounds like the field trip was a hit!

-M

Zoe was sick when her school visited the California Academy Sciences last year – which makes her class’ trip to the Chabot Space & Science Center today her first official field trip! She and two of her classmates were very excited as they got ready this morning.

-M

Zoe, whose very first bestie was a boy, still seems to have more boy friends than girl ones. (I practically melted when she ran across the playground to give a good-bye hug to one of her newest close friends, another Zach, at pick-up yesterday.) Curious why this is, I asked Zoe a series of questions last night (e.g. “Do you like the games boys play better?”) and got few answers. Wondering if perhaps she has crushes on these little guys (she does plan to marry Leo, after all), I asked her if she thought any of her friends were “cute.” She said she did and then  commented that her teacher, Mr. Ferris, was cute. “And you know what else is really cute?” she asked me. “Babies.”

(And so, the mystery remains.)

-M

Speaking of sleeping, one thing I didn’t mention in Avery’s recent update is her love for her “finger blanket.” The blanket was a gift to Zoe from Jenny’s mom years ago, but Avery adopted it when she was a toddler – and now she can’t sleep without it. And if you’re wondering where it got its name, Avery demonstrates below what she does to the blanket before drifting to sleep each night (and at naptime)…

-M

Everyone loves a good sleeping-baby photo, but I’ve got to say that sleeping preschoolers can be pretty cute, too! I couldn’t resist snapping Avery’s picture during yesterday’s nap…

-M

Since New Year’s I’ve enjoyed a few days of “Mommy Camp” with the girls. On Wednesday we went to a neighborhood we don’t often get to (Laurel Village) to shop and have breakfast, then we met up at a playground with friends after doing some art projects at home. Yesterday we explored another neighborhood and went to a new playground in the Presidio for a picnic and “nature walk.” We had never been to that park before – and it was just gorgeous, with long, winding paths and peek-a-boo views of the Golden Gate Bridge. We’ll be back!

-M

In the car this morning, I commented to Zoe that we had forgotten to brush her hair. “That’s okay,” Avery piped up. “You still look pretty, Zoe.”

-M

When Avery was smaller, she was a bit freaked out by lifesized plush characters like Elmo. I had to smile, then, at how she embraced – literally! – Elmo when she saw him at SeaWorld last week. To me, it’s a real indicator of how much she has come out of her shell!

-M

Happy New Year! The girls ushered in 2013 last night with old friends Zander and Xavier – and they even stayed up late enough to watch the ball drop in New York, a first for them! Zoe, as you will see below, was particularly excited.

-M