First snow of the season!

Here are a couple of shots of the girls in the snow this morning! Zoe loved it, but Delia wasn't too impressed!

Sneak preview....

Here's a sneak preview of the family photos we had done.................You'll have to wait for Christmas to see the rest!

Zoe's first day at school!

Only Zoe Kramer would go to her first day of school in a handmade Batman dress and pink high-tops! I love it! Zoe LOVES her preschool and goes 2 mornings a week. She has a FABULOUS backpack, courtesy of Grammie Abraham and a fantastic "princess" lunchbox!

Her favorite teacher is Pam and the playmates she talks most about are Liam, Callie and Alex. Her days are filled with exploration, music, sign language and play! When I drop her off on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, she says "Bye Mommy! Go run your errands and come back later!". She is so happy there!

Her teacher, Pam, is so wonderful and has really helped me to understand where Zoe is, developmentally. She has guided me to make a few changes at home and give Zoe more freedoms. It has really opened up a whole new world to all of us. Zoe now has her own snack drawer in the fridge and can get her own cups, milk, water and snacks. She is certainly an independent child!

I'm off to sew now, but I have a few more wonderful entries planned for the blog when I can get time! Just to keep you wanting more, I throw this little tidbit out there..........

We had professional family portraits done by a local photographer. I'll post some sneak peeks next time!

Pumpkin Patch

Hi all!

I'm getting better at blogging fairly regularly now! :)

So, today was perfect weather and we took the girls to Bauman Farms for their annual Harvest activities and pumpkin patch. We met several friends there, so the girls had many playmates. Zoe had ice cream, while mom and dad had some fresh apple cider! Yum!!!!

Larry's birthday was yesterday (the big 40!), so he and I had a friend stay with the girls and we had an actual date! Just dinner and drinks, but it was nice to actually be adults for a few hours!~

I'll keep this post short and show you lots of pumpkin pictures! Watch for my next post VERY soon. It'll be about Zoe's first day at school!!!

Julie

Yikes!

I'm really trying to keep up with this blog thing, but most of you already know that my life is so crazy right now, that I'm not even going to try! I'll post when I can......My head is just spinning from all that I have going on right now. Above are a couple of images of the girls taken by a local photographer, Angelina Buswell.

Anyway, Zoe starts preschool next week for 2 mornings a week. She is so excited and ready to go! I must say that I'm looking forward to the break for a few hours! Zoe has more energy that 5 kids put together.

I am sewing like crazy, as usual, and developing a couple of new lines. The first is "Zo Girl", which is geared to the "tween" crowd, ages 8-12 (or thereabouts). The second is "Delia's Tea Party". This one is for the ladies! I'll be creating very unique skirts for the women out there and I'm so excited! Now, running 4 lines will be very tough and I'll be rolling out the new creations very slowly, but I'm hoping that after the holidays I'll have a bit more time to focus on each line.

Larry taught his "Training Camp for New Dads" class last week in Silverton, and the French division of Glamour Magazine was there doing an article on the program (and him!). I guess the French are starting the same type of program, so Larry is going to be a big feature of this article! They'll be sending us a copy of the November issue, so as soon as we can find someone who knows French, we'll let you know what it says! :)

The girls are doing great and Delia is such a big girl now! She is learning a handful of new words every day and is copying everything her sister does (oh, brother!). These two definitely keep me on my toes every day.

My sister, Lisa, had her baby last week and everyone is doing well. The baby's name is Mary Alice and she looks just like her dad, Wade.

Larry and I are actually off to a date, so I'll post when I can grab a few minutes!

Life is good!

Hi again!

It's really hot here (not that I'm complaining), but we're surviving. Zoe's birthday party is in 2 weeks, but she has already gotten a few presents! This is a photo of her on her new trike (and one of Delia, as well!). They both ADORE this thing and the bell that goes with it. This gift is courtesy of Grammy and Grandpa Abrahama. Grandma and Grandpa Kramer bought her the best thing on Earth....a Baby Alive doll! It talks, you can feed it, it poops. Need I say more? Zoe is such a good mommy to her new doll.

ZozoBugBaby is doing well and I'm staying really busy with custom orders, as well as working on new clothing for fall. I've just ordered some great fabric from Japan, so I'll have a few really special pieces to offer in the coming weeks (if I don't keep it all for the girls!).

Dateline on NBC did a special last night about unclaimed property, so Larry is going to be beyond busy over the next few weeks. He's also still teaching his Training Camp for New Dads class as two of the local hospitals.

We just got back from a vacation on the Coast, which was both challenging and fun! It's always difficult to interrupt the girls' routines, but they had a blast on the beach! We actually ran into a couple of professional photographers and got some great shots of the girls. I'm waiting on them to be sent, but I'll share them soon!

Gotta run, but I'll update soon!

It's been 4 months!!!!

I'm embarrased that I haven't updated this thing in 4 months! Forgive me! Wow...a lot has been going on, so I'll just hit the main points. First of all....everyone knows already that I started ZozoBugBaby and it's been going really well. For a new business I'm staying super busy and the word is getting out! Custom orders are coming in faster than I can process them, it seems.

I have a booth at the Saturday Market and it's been really popular. I get return customers every week and I'm sewing like mad to bring new products every week. I am actually designing my own line of children's clothing and I'm having the best time!

My two little inspirations (and models!) sometime have to be coaxed into modeling for me, but popcicles usually take care of that! Grandma and Grandpa Kramer provided some material for the girls, so I've been sewing some adorable stuff for them.

Zoe will be 3 next month and I can't believe it! She was accepted into the local preschool that I wanted to her to go, so she'll be going for 2 half-days a week in the fall. She's been on the waiting list since she was just 6 months old! She'll be going with her best friend, Milaey, so it's extra special for her.

I am starting to plan her birthday party, which we'll have at a local park. She just cracks me up every day and is the funniest little girl on the planet. She is WAY too smart, so Larry and I have to be on our toes with her!

Delia is 15 1/2 months old now and has turned into a little spitfire!! She gets this look in her eye and just seeks out ways to test her boundaries (all the while, giggling hysterically!). She pesters Zoe all the time and it's just so funny. She loves to lie on top of Zoe, pull her hair.....just be an annoying little sister, in general. It's too amusing! She says many words now, including "apple", "down", "nana (banana)", "cat", "Dea Dea (her name)", "aku (thank you)", "car", "ack (drink)", "mommy", "dada" and several others.

Anyway....I better not use up all of my news in one post. I'll save some for my next entry (which, I promise, will be sooner than 4 months from now!).

Love.....

Larry, Julie, Zoe, Delia, and the new cat, Athena

I got a new haircut!

That's about as exciting as my life gets these days! A new haircut! Delia is going to be one year old in a week and I can't believe it! We have TWO toddlers!!!! Aggghhhhhh!!! Larry and I live in a constant state of "crazy", it seems. I'm learning to sew and will begin making Zoe some dresses for the summer. I'm obsessed with fabric now and can't wait to make both of the girls some cute clothes.

Spring has arrived here (at least temporarily) and we can finally come out of hibernation! The girls have really loved being outside the last few days. Once the nice weather stays around for good, Larry and I will finish the back yard. We need to make a patio and construct a raised flower bed. Then our little oasis will be complete.

Anyway...I'm tired from a VERY long day of fussy toddlers and work. I'll write again soon!

Julie

We're healthy again!

Here's a pic of the girls in the art studio making some beautiful paintings! Even Delia loved the painting process. Every Friday we have "art time" with another friend of theirs, Milaey. Sometimes we cook, other times we draw or paint. Mommy is so proud of her little artists!!!!

Anyway, the girls are FINALLY off antibiotics and relatively healthy. Zoe still has a cough and Delia is starting to teethe again, so they aren't back to normal quite yet. It's been a loooooong couple of weeks having two sick girls. I'm very ready for spring and summer and the end of the cold/flu season!

We are getting things finalized for Delia's first birthday party on March 8th. She's practically running these days and wants to be anywhere her big sister is. The weather is sunny for the time being, so we are getting out of the house more. Delia discovered grass last weekend when we took her to Riverfront Park. It was her first time walking around outside. She doesn't like wearing shoes yet, which is disappointing since Grammy bought her a beautiful new pair of See Kai Run shoes! We'll keep working on it, though.

All is well with Larry and me. Not much ever changes with us....we just keep on keepin' on! Hope all is well with all of you friends and family!

Send the HAZMAT team!

Holy moly! Zoe now has a double ear infection and some kind of upper respiratory cold/infection. Larry also woke up this morning sick. He's got a cold and cough, too. I was really sick a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully this round of illness will pass me by! I'm swimming in a sea of sickness here..........

I'm still visiting preschools in the area and I think I"ve found a couple that I really like. Other than that, I'm just working more hours at the indoor park this week and on nurse-maid duty! Delia is now walking about 95% of the time and turns 11 months old today! We've had a big turnaround in the sleep department this week. She's now in her crib 100% of the time and is putting herself back to sleep when she wakes up! Yeah!!! Last night was the first night she slept through the night, too!

Auntie Bev sent the girls a Valentine's Day card with some money in it, so Larry will take them to the store to pick out a little toy this week. Thanks, Aunt Bev and Uncle Mark!

Not much else to report. Hopefully I'll have more exciting news soon!

Hi all!

Delia is feeling a bit better, but both girls sound awful. We're all surviving, though! The girls and I checked out a preschool yesterday and Zoe LOVED it. I'll be sending her to preschool 2 mornings a week starting in the fall. She loved being around the other kids and I think she'll learn a lot. It'll be good for her to get used to being away from mom for a few hours, as well (in preparation for kindergarten one day!). I still have a few more to look into, though, before we decide on one.

Delia continues to walk more and more. She and Zoe get along really well these days and love to wrestle (read: Zoe loves to climb all over Delia and Delia loves it!). Their personalities are so different. I"ve also noticed something funny at the dinner table. Zoe LOVES veggies and will eat them over meat any day of the week. Delia LOVES meat and will investigate her whole dinner to pick out the little bits of meat here or there! They are opposites in every way!

Anyway..nothing new to report, just wanted to check in! Hope you are all well....

Delia's sick

Well...we went to the doctor today and Delia has bronchitis and an ear infection. Poor thing is just miserable. Hopefully the antibiotics will start working soon so she can get back to being a baby! She is really walking all of the time now and seems to prefer it to crawling. She and Zoe are playing really well together these days, which makes mommy happy!

I am researching preschools in the area this week and will be visiting a few. I think I have one picked out and I'm really excited about it. She'll be going two mornings a week starting in the fall. The particular preschool I'm interested in teaches sign language, Spanish, and community service, among other things. We'll see how it all pans out after I visit the schools.

I have several mural projects that I'll be working in March. Part of my payment for the murals is a 4 day weekend at the client's beach house on the Oregon Coast. I love bartering my services!

Well..that's about all for now. I'm exhausted from being up half the night with Delia. More from the Kramer-front later!

We're all back from our trips.

Well...Delia and I had a great trip and she was FABULOUS on the plane! She's walking a lot more now and I imagine she'll be a full-time walker in a couple of weeks. She loves to stand up and clap all of the time now, too. She's so darn proud of herself!

Larry and Zoe had a wonderful trip to the mountains, and apparently Zoe loved the snow. She didn't think much of snowshoeing, though. I think Larry got pretty worn out chasing after her for 4 straight days.

On our trip we found out that my sister, Lisa, is pregnant with her first baby! A new addition will arrive in September and I have a very strong feeling it's a girl. (Guess we'll see if I'm right in a few months.)

Anyway, I'm exhausted tonight, so I'll write more later.

Julie

We're in Mississippi!

Delia and I made it! She was GREAT on the all-day flights and actually slept quite a bit. I think she's LOVING having mommy all to herself for a change. She's getting used to all the attention. She has been playing with her cousins, Hunter and Lexx. She is getting really good at walking and now takes several steps without falling down afterwards. She'll take 3 or 4, stand there...take a few more. Her balance is amazing!
Delia met her great-grandpa this morning and showed off quite a bit by standing up and clapping many times. We are all having fun and Delia is investigating everything. We actually woke up to snow this morning, too, if you can believe it! I've NEVER seen it snow in MS. I'll post a picture when I can.

Daddy and Zoe are having fun in Camp Sherman, Oregon, and are going snowshoeing today!
I'll post more later!
Julie

Delia's first steps!

Before we all go out of town, I just had to add that Delia took her first steps yesterday! She'll take a good 2-3 steps before losing her balance. She is very quick to pick things up, so I imagine in the next couple of weeks she'll be full-on walking! Wow....10 months old and walking! I'm gonna be a busy mommy with 2 toddlers running around!

Vacations

This Friday, Larry and Zoe are going to Camp Sherman, OR, with a few friends of ours to go snowshoeing. They will be there for a 4 day weekend. One of our friends bought a sled for Zoe, so Larry can pull her around when she gets tired. He's under orders to take lots of pictures for me, so I'll post some next week.

Delia and I are heading to Mississippi to see my family. We'll also be gone just for 4 days. My Papa is not in the best health, so I wanted to go down there and spend some time with him. Even though he won't get to meet Zoe, he'll get to meet Delia, which makes me happy. I'm going to get to meet my new nephew, Lexx, as well! Delia is quite the traveler! At 10 months old, this is her 2nd plane trip already!

I'll update you all when we return! Have a good weekend!

Kramer family online!

Well...we are slowly entering the 21st century by getting our own blog page. We even recently upgraded to DSL instead of dial-up AND bought a flat-screen tv not too long ago! Whew! In addition to that, we gave up our little Honda Accord and bought a Nissan Quest minivan last week. Ahhhh....the comfort! I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd ever be happy to own a mom-mobile!

Anyway....Larry and I will be posting here as often as we can to keep you in-the-know on Kramer Family Happenings!

See you soon!

Julie