Zoe is 8!

Last Friday was Zoe's 8th birthday. It has been a very fast 8 years! She had a terrific day. She chose one present to open that morning (the game Googley Eyes). She took cupcakes to her class at school and was happy to share with them.

Friday is early release so we scheduled her birthday party for the afternoon. We brought her best friend Rozlyn home with us, another friend was dropped off at our house, and the third met us at the theater. We had cake and opened presents first then went to see Peter Rabbit. I was not looking forward to the movie (except for the excuse to sit down for 2 hours after an insane week) but was pleasantly surprised when I burst out laughing throughout the entire movie. It's super funny. The kids each got to choose a treat and we shared popcorn. Noah was there too, he was lovingly invited by Zoe just as we were leaving. I was so proud of her. She asked for a Peter Rabbit cake but I could not find a Peter Rabbit toy to save my life, so she got Peeps rabbits instead. Heh heh.

We came back to our house after and the girls played school (so cute!) and just as the last girl left we got pizza delivered for dinner. My sister Sara and her kids Rachel, Eric, and Charlie, my brother Delos and his wife Misty and David and Rebekah and my parents plus Eliza all came over for dinner. They came for her baptism tomorrow and when they all walked in I started bawling. It has been one of the hardest, busiest weeks of my life and I kept wishing I had family here to help and I was just so happy to see them. After dinner Zoe opened her presents from the family and we finished off her cake. She got new scriptures from Grandma and Grandpa Larson, a real pearl necklace from Grandma and Grandpa Foley (!), a Boogie Board drawing pad, a 2DS and Tomadachi Life, and lots of art supplies. She loves to draw and color and was so excited about those. She got Legos from her best friend Lydia who moved away (so sweet!) and some fun toys from her friends from school. It was loud and chaotic and so crazy fun. I am so happy they were here!

Zoe is very shy and doesn't like her picture taken and really doesn't like it when you talk about her (even if it's good stuff--sometimes especially if it's good stuff). She is a great reader, reading at an 8th grade level in 2nd grade and her teacher told me a few weeks ago that she is the best student in class, that she is a mentor to 4 different students and is a great teacher. She loves to follow the rules and is good at it. She only wears dresses and loves to look at clothes and catalogs. She spends a lot of time playing Roblox on the computer and watching YouTube videos, but she spends just as much time reading and drawing. She wakes up early and goes to bed at 8:30. Zoe doesn't like to have her hair done especially if I curl it. She loves to shop and look at clothes, and really loves getting new shoes. She is helpful and kind and funny, too. We love Zoe and we're so glad to have this bright girly spot in our family. Happy Birthday Zoegirl!