sunday afternoon.

So I have had a gift certificate from my birthday- since June- for a pedicure. Jonas got home a bit earlier than usual on Friday and I decided to finally use it. It was a little weird to leave Z and go out and do something by myself. It was also nice. Like the other night when I was cleaning with headphones on after Z went to bed. I miss headphones & working out with headphones on. Funny the things you never thought would be a luxury! It just set the tone for a relaxing weekend. Saturday night we picked up my current favorite pizza (veggie from North End Slice. I rotate favorite pizza places. Really, though. Most of them are my favorite pizza place.) After church on Sunday, was my favorite tradition- a delicious, homemade meal! My sister gave us some incredible olive oil & vinegar and homemade salts. She is awesome. It seemed like a great thing to pair with Spaghetti Bolognese. Most of Saturday & Sunday was spent playing with Z, reading books & we watched Aladdin in German. Zara doesn't really care about movies, but I enjoyed it. Dear weekend off, I'll see you again in two weeks!

zara::13 months.

 ^^this is what it's like to take photos of her these days. also, she loves her tricycle that Papa brought her. for now, we push hold her and push her around on it::

Another month down. It's just crazy.

I wish I could bottle up how cute she is!

Her little smile and all of the funny things she has been doing make life wonderful.

She just won't stay still long enough for me to soak it in.

Zara is always busy.

She has a corner where she needs to bring a few things and sit next to them.

She needs to get a few things out of the pantry.

Carry this toy here or there.

She always has something (or several things) in her hands.

Z tries to walk faster than she should & usually falls. She has a habit of bruising one spot on her head.

She loves roasted potatoes

& putting things in shoes.

She says "wow" and will open her mouth when she thinks she did something wrong or seems surprised.

Z is constantly at play, especially on the floor.

She has little tantrums now & we try to give her extra love when this happens.

Oh man, her attitude sometimes. & the whininess sometimes!
Only Z can feed herself.

She shows me her hands when they are messy, she really wants to know what I plan to do about it.

She will not hesitate to hit me in the face..with her hands or books. We are working on this. Ha.

She is so great with independent play. I love watching her at daycare when she hasn't seen me yet. It's adorable and good to know that she is content.

But there is nothing like her happiness when I pick her up after a long day. We share that. :)

I thought we had too many books for this stage, but we have read through each one dozens of times. I am so happy about this, but I am also tired of a few of them. I just ordered a few more that will be new for about a day. haha. Right now, her favorite thing to do with me is to bring me book after book. Sometimes we will read through the entire book, other times she is bored after two pages and ready for a different book. I am always saying to her "Go get another book." She will only let me read, but I wish she would let her Papa sometimes (especially since he reads the German ones).

Any room we go to in the house will have to be cleaned after a few short minutes. Z will pull out toys, jewelry, shoes, books, diapers, snacks, etc. We clean up CONSTANTLY.

We had to become firm about bedtime. She is not allowed to nap in the evening anymore. This has meant a decent bedtime for the whole house & Z sleeping through more nights!

Zara has big, chipmunk cheeks that I cannot stop kissing

& a freakishly large belly that she sticks out when she walks.

Our home is full of the sound of her little steps, her infectious laugh & her sweet voice.

We wouldn't have it any other way.

^^she loves to take an apple I am eating and feed it to me- even when her hands looks like this! ah!

In 2017.

Literally, my only goal for 2016 was to make it through my first year of motherhood and working while mothering. I made it, but I really thought it was brutal! ha.

Things have been getting better (despite ending & beginning the year with a two week illness).

I finally feel up to writing down my goals.

I think I can reach them, I try not to set anything unrealistic.

They are::

Train for & run the Derby Mini Marathon.

Run a full marathon in the fall.

Lose my baby weight (I had to break down and join WW. Starting Monday. Yikes.) Sometimes I feel like Regina George- "sweatpants are all that fit me right now."

Finish furnishing & decorating our house.

Build a fence in our backyard & get a swing set!

Take a few trips.

Go outside lots and lots.

Change the way I journal- I want to stay more positive and focus on the very meaningful experiences. Journaling is less of a therapy for me these days anyway. I blame that on having Zara and the awesome way she has helped me get outside of myself.

Continue to read one book/ month.

Work on dreams of the future.

Spend my time with my beautiful family!