Happy new year!

Part of the Korean New Year tradition involves the younger generations getting dressed up

in their 'hanboks' and bowing to their elders, wishing a happy new year in exchange

for a little monetary gift. 

Here she is bowing to her great-grandmother:

She quickly developed a taste for money, dropping down to bow quickly and demanding "mu-neee"

She wanted more...

Dad says 'What the heck, just take the whole wallet!'

The rest of the day, she walked around clutching her money, taking it out of the envelope

and putting it back in over and over again.  When she started putting it in her mouth, I gave her a little Hello Kitty tin to put her money in.  

She put it under her pillow with a favorite book and Winnie the Pooh doll, rearranging it several times before finally falling asleep.

Zooey is a girl

For Christmas, one of Zooey's presents was a pack of (washable!!) markers.

Instead of using them to draw, she has found a better use for them:

 I've put nail polish on her toes but never on her fingers as she still occasionally sucks on them.

She decided to remedy the situation and attacked her fingernails.

It looks like her fingers are bleeding, but on the whole, I'd say not bad for 22 months.

A few days later, she ran into her tent with another marker.  I assumed she was painting her nails

again, so just continued washing the dishes. 

When I looked in the tent, I found her doing this:

And this:

And the next day:

Christmas morning!!

Ok. I think we may have done a little more than we originally planned.  Yup, that's a kitchen

Here she comes...

What to open first!

Oohh! a push bike!

Thursday, December 19, 2013 - the day the sun rose in the west?!?

otherwise known as the day Zooey REJECTED mommy!!!!

Everyone told me that around the 2-year mark, Zooey would start showing a preference for 

her dad, that she would finally become the daddy's girl that both her daddy and 

I have been not-so-patiently waiting for.

Well, at 22 months, it seems that day has come.  

I thought I would be jumping up and down with joy to get a bit of respite from the 

constant cries for "mommy, mommy" throughout the days and nights, but when she woke up crying 

"da-ddeee, da-ddeee" and pushed me away, my heart broke a little and 

I finally understood the rejection Chuck has been feeling all these months. sigh.

For several weeks now, she is always asking where daddy is when she wakes up in the mornings, and she goes to him more and more frequently, so it appears the 

transition is definitely happening.  And no matter how quietly she calls for "da-ddeee," he drops whatever he is doing and comes running.  

I, on the other hand, yell for "Chuck" from the next room and no response, but that's another story.

Of course five minutes after this picture, she called for mommy, and all was right with the world.

Fun at the Park

Snow!!

Mount Baldy is only a half-hour drive from Claremont, but is at ~9000-10,000ft and 30 degrees colder. And there was Snow!!! Alas, there was only enough snow for one ski run, but that was plenty enough to introduce Z to winter weather!

To get to the mountain, you drive part-ways, then ride up a lift the remaining ways to the ski area.  I think enjoyed Z the ride, but Jennie--not so much.

On her first time in snow, Z stood motionless like this for a few seconds--I'm not sure if it was because she didn't know what to do, or if she was too cold to move!

Nice view from the top. Who knew?

Goofing off with Uncle Tim. The rest of us were in the nice warm cafe/bar having some nice warm snacks

I think she enjoyed it--to quote Z--"Fun!"

A Claremont Christmas

Claremont had a tree-lighting ceremony in early December so we took Zooey out to see it.

 quartet singing Christmas carols

Zooey loved the music but wasn't so interested in waiting for the tree-lighting -

it was coooold that night and raining and she was OVER it.

not happy :(

Air Z!!

Z loves to play "PLANE" with Mommy. Yup, those are wings.

Z mugging!!

Zooey the fashionista

Pucker up!