Goodbye Exams. Goodbye!

It's official... Lori passed her doctoral comprehensive exams. That means she can move on to the third phase of her program... the dissertation. Hooray! And... it may very well mean that Lori never has to take another academic exam for the rest of her life! (Big sigh!)

Lori was quite a happy camper this weekend since the weight of the exams was lifted from her mind. But... Lori doesn't sit idle for long, and she is now trying to meet major deadlines before Claire's arrival. Rob just shakes his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Lilly's new room is 98% complete. We are waiting on one final touch before posting pictures. Stay tuned... Life is never dull at the Z house!... and certainly won't be after Claire's arrival in just 5 weeks!

Under Construction... Lilly's New Room

Lilly will soon be the proud occupant of a new room... her big girl room. We are in the process of redecorating one of our guest rooms especially for her. Colors include two shades of lavender with a splash of lime green. There will be plenty of polka-dots and butterflies.

We will post more pictures once the room is complete...

Rob and Lori Celebrate 5 Years!

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY!

We reached our fifth year of wedded bliss on 2-22-08.

Rob surprised Lori with dinner at downtown Phoenix's Durant's Restaurant. To Lori's surprise, Rob had flowers delivered to the restaurant, and they were waiting on the table upon their arrival...white lillies, of course.

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner. The most memorable part... the most delicate and delicious crab cake we had ever eaten.

Entertainment followed dinner at the Herberger Theatre in downtown Phoenix. We enjoyed a live play: Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. The performance was fabulous, which added to the already unforgettable evening.

Here's to many more!

Pending Arrival...

Big news coming in April... baby Claire is scheduled to arrive on Friday morning April 11.

Our friend and OB Dr. Mia deliver Claire at the same hospital Lilly was born.We opted for a repeat c-section under recommendation from Mia.

Time is almost here!! We can't wait.

Ironically, Claire will share a birthday with her cousin Kate(Amy's daughter)and friend Emily (Andrea's daughter).

Lori Finishes Her Comps!!!!

Life has returned to normal at the Z household.
Lori has ascended from the basement and finished her doctoral comprehensive exams... all 4 of them! She had her last exams in-person last week.

She reports that she has "been released from prison and returned to the real world." Lilly is happy to have her mom's 100% attention, and Rob is ecstatic that his wife is back to "normal".

One big hurdle remains... just a little thing called a dissertation. No biggie. :)

NEWS FLASH!!... Punxsutawney Lilly Sees Her Shadow! ...

Lilly discovered her shadow at the Chandler city park today and according to legend there will be an extra 6 weeks of 100+ degree weather here in Phoenix this year. :(

While mom is busy working on her doctoral exams, Lilly and dad went to play at the Chandler city park. The bright AZ sun surprised her with a new buddy that she did not appreciate following her even when she tried to get away. Luckily she is easily distracted and quickly went back to playing on the slides and other climbing equipment.

New Niece!!

Welcome to the family baby Elena Marie!

Rob's sister Brianne and husband Lupe welcomed little Elena Marie into the world on January 8, 2008. She weighed 5lb 5oz and was 18.5in.

Brianne and baby are doing fine.

Lilly is very excited to have another girl cousin!!