Priceless

This is a view of our little toddler turned teenager.  She demanded to watch Shrek, then stretched out in this pose.  It was too priceless--I had to capture it!

 

 

Ice Castles

On Saturday, we went to see the ice castles in Midway.  It was a beautiful day and very warm so we were glad to be able to take advantage of the weather and be outside.  We were hoping that Zuri would fall asleep in the car on the way up, but no such luck, so she was very tired while we were there.  Her favorite part was picking up the ice and playing with it.  

The ice castles are very intricate and very beautiful.  At night they are lit up--we have decided to go back soon and see it at night--sans Zuri.  If you haven't gone up to see the ice castles and are in the area, I highly recommend it!

 

  

 The ice melting in the heat--luckily, because it has been so cold lately, all of the caverns were open to walk through

 

 

About half-way through while Zuri and I were walking, she suddenly said "Daddy...." and wanted to cuddle with daddy for the rest of the time.  There were a couple of times that she almost fell asleep, but each time she would force herself awake so she didn't miss anything.

A Word of Encouragement

It really is amazing how much something so simple as a little word of encouragement can go a long way.  So often all we hear is criticism or corrections.  This has been a particularly stressful and difficult week for our little family. 

I don't often post things like this, but I feel it is important to share, because honestly, there is so much criticism and judgment that goes on in this world.  No one is immune.  Sometimes what is needed more than anything is a little word of encouragement.  A little nod here and there to acknowledge the good and the efforts that are being done.

Over the last twenty-four hours we have received two such acknowledgments, and it was like a ray of hope in the storm we have been traveling through.  Small though they were, we are able to stand a little straighter and try a little harder, especially at a time when we were ready to give up.  Life is hard, help make it a little easier for those around  you. 

For those who have supported us through these hard times, from the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you.

Pookie

Sounds like a term of endearment, right?  Pookie.

Nope, Zuri's word for poopie.  She knows poop just fine, but for some reason poopie becomes pookie.  Nickname?  Haha, maybe in the future she will become my little pookie.  We laugh because we try to correct her, but she is adamant on pookie.

Funny kid.