Happy Thursday!!!!  I hope you have had a good week. Our week started off by a little after school park action. It is so hard missing out on all the fun hours with Zoey but I am REALLY taking advantage of these late days. So we started our week off by meeting H & L at the park after school for an hour or so. Then headed to the library for the Storytime program. But Z and I found out quickly that they have changed it due to the summer program. So I had one disappointed little girl on my hands but I convinced her to eat at the library with me still. Once we were in the library café we found this big jazz band playing. Z was in HEAVEN! She had the absolute best time eating and dancing with everyone that was a good 50 years older than us…ha!

Friday was an AMAZING day for me! I would be lying if I didn’t say there are several, several days that my heart is just so broken that I have to drop Z off at school and I don’t get to spend all day with her but today was NOT one of those because it was her school’s “Mother’s Day Program and Spa Party”. I was like a kid at Christmas the entire night before and the day at work. I was so giddy all day and could not wait to get to school to see baby girl. And it didn’t disappoint! Take a look at this video below from the program…Could it get any cutier!?!?!?!

After the program I had the best time getting my manicure, massage, and snacks from Z! She was so incredibly proud and kept pointing to me and saying “my mommy” which just made me beam with pride!!!

Saturday we decided to celebrate mother’s day since we were going to be with our families the next day. So we woke up early grabbed some Waffle House then headed on over to Helena for the Buck Creek Festival. It was our first time there and was not sure what to expect but we were wonderfully surprised! They had vendors, food trucks, music stages, and a HUGE kids area full of playgrounds, jump-jumps, and kid’s rides. Z was in HEAVEN and absolutely loved it. We also had a great time just hanging out by the river there eating Italian Ice and peanuts. E also tried to teach Z how to hula hoop…now that was a funny sight!

Later that night Susan came over to babysit Z while me and E went to see The Great Gatsby! It was our first date night in a really long time so I was super pumped and the movie did not disappoint either! So to sum up our day Eric did a great job at making my mother’s day feel really special!

But the Mother’s Day celebrations continued Sunday too! We met my extended family at the Zoo for an early lunch then a day walking around. It was SUPER fun getting to hang out with everyone and of course Z love showing off all of “her animals”. Yes…we go there so much she is convinced they are all “hers”! Once home I took a quick nap with Z then we headed on over to Eric’s parents house for dinner with his family. Z’s was pumped up to get to see her cousins and jump on the trampoline. They were seriously out there jumping for hours! And we had a great time just having dinner on the back porch.

Monday after work and school we visited the library for dinner and to pick up some DVD’s and books about getting your tonsils out since this Thursday E will be having surgery! I wanted her to have a good idea what is going to happen to her so I thought books about it would help and of course we somehow left with 25 DVD’s for her to watch at the hospital and the two weeks she has to say in the bed…ha!

Tuesday was a long day but I wanted to take one last outing before me and Z would be cooped up in the house for two weeks so we went to the Baron’s game with my family. It was a BLAST and a perfect night, perfect weather, and extra special because I was able to meet my brother’s new girlfriend Courtney, who we absolutely loved!

So that brings us to today. I have been running around like a crazy lady trying to get everything wrapped up with work before I take off for several days. And of course we happened to have a house showing at 7 tonight that I had to clean for and the big thing I had to get completed tonight was taking Z grocery shopping for things she can eat over the next two weeks. But we somehow managed to get it all done and are hopefully ready to go first thing in the morning.

So say a prayer for Zoey! I am not all that worried about the surgery but keeping her hydrated after surgery. So pray she eats and drinks so we only have to spend one night not two at the hospital! Thanks so much!!!

We kicked off this week by going to not just one park but two parks with Kendall and Blake after school. We had the BEST time and just love these long days so we can actually do things with our kids after school!

Friday after school Z and I had a quick run to the McWane Center. It was completely empty because we were there so late. So we were able to do practically the entire center in 45 minutes! Z loved it and it was the perfect thing to do on a rainy night.

Saturday Eric, Zoey, Kendall, Tim, Blake, Steve, and I all woke up early and went to my parent’s new house to help them unpack from their new move. It was raining cats and dogs so wasn’t the best day to move things in and out of the house but we were able to help organize the furniture, help hang pictures, set up tv’s and computers and stuff like that. It was great getting to check out their new house and of course the girls LOVED playing in the boxes!

Sunday was a busy day around here even though we really didn’t do that much. Children’s Day, Birthmother’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, and Digby’s 10th Birthday. We let Z celebrate Children’s Day by letting her run around in just her panties all day until we went out to dinner. Somedays she just doesn’t want to put on her clothes so on lazy days around the house like this I let her win! Weekday mornings I have to battle the most strong-willed, super quick un-dresser little kid…who I must mention still has her eyes shut and trying to go back to bed the entire time! So Sunday was a day I just let her have it her way!

Later that night Z let me get her dressed so we could grab an early dinner for Cinco De Mayo before heading home to make a cake for Digby’s birthday. I gave Z some streamers to decorate the house while I was getting the cake out of the oven and when I turned around she had decorated the dog…ha! But way cutier than what I could have done!  And we wrapped up the festive day by me typing up a birthmother letter which you can read here.

Monday we were back to work and school for a pretty typical week around here! And I just can’t state enough how much we are loving the long days! Z has REALLY gotten into “making” daddy put on his soccer jersey to match her and going out in the backyard to kick the ball around. It is too cute!

So that’s our week!

So today is a day of many things around here…Cinco De Mayo, Digby’s Birthday, Children’s Day in Korea but one I just can’t quit thinking about today is Birthmother’s Day. The Sunday before Mother’s Day is always Birthmother’s Day and if I am honest it is kind of hard day for me wrap my mind around. The more and more I fall in love with Zoey the more and more heartbroken I am. How could she? Really? How? Does she know what she is missing? Does she know what an amazing girl we share? Does she know that some days I am overwhelmingly angry with her causing Zoey to have a broken heart that I know one day she will start to have to navigate though the healing? Then in the very same breath I am so very grateful for her and the enormous sacrifice she made to carry our sweet daughter for nine months then to make an adoption plan for her. If I am honest I have a bucket full of feelings for her that is quite hard to process myself that it overwhelms me so much I push it to the back of my mind so I don’t have to process through it. But then days like today creep up and I am forced to deal with all the anger, sadness, brokeness, thankfulness gratefulness, and incredible love I have for this women I have never met and probably never will. And then I think if I have such a hard time working through my feelings on days like today how in the world can our daughter go through this.

So because I will probably never get to actually talk to you I have to just blog about my feelings, but birthmom if you were here I would have a LOT to say to you…

How in the world and what in the world do you want me to tell her when she starts to ask? I kind of feel like you left me with this big bucket of “stuff” that I don’t know what to do with to help our sweet and innocent girl understand her story. I have no idea what you went though the nine months you carried our sweet daughter. And I have no idea what led you to your decision and all the what’s and why’s I know our child will ask one day.

But what I do know is that it could not have been easy for you. I know that it must have been one of the hardest decisions you have ever made and I will never know what it is like nor understand the pain it caused you. But I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing it….For choosing a better plan and life than maybe you could give her…For choosing to not get an abortion…but instead choosing LIFE for our little one… Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Because you walked the hard road and made the hard decisions our daughter is living a wonderful life full of so much joy and happiness. I wish you could see her and the infectious joy she causes everyone she meets! I wish you could see the light in her eyes! I wish you could know what a blessing it is for me to to be her mom. So thank you for sharing her with me!

I also want to thank you for giving her the name Seulki which means “woman of wise choices”. We kept that name as her middle name and call her it often because I would like to think that you chose that name for her with great care and that you pray she becomes a woman who makes wise choices. And trust me I will do the best I can to raise our daughter to make her a woman that makes wise decisions.

Most of all I want to tell you that adoption is a GREAT and WONDERFUL thing it blessed me with the most amazing daughter that I could ever ask for but as much of a blessing it is to me I know that adoption was formed out of a place of brokeness with you and I am so sorry for your broken heart. But I do know that God heals the broken-hearted. And I pray wherever you are today and whatever you are doing that Jesus will meet you there and heal your heart. I also know that for all the answers I do not have to give our little Seulki one day that Jesus will be there to heal her heart too.

But I thank you again….Thank you for giving her life so I could live life with her!

What a crazy week it has been around here! Thursday after work and school I had one of those days after looking at Blake in her class I just had to take her with us. It was a beautiful afternoon so Z and me took her to the park for a walk around the lake. But the big news of the day was that I put Blake’s hair in her very first pony tail!! It was super tiny but super cute! And we wrapped up the day by meeting Tim and Kendall for dinner at Taziki’s.

On Friday the big wedding weekend finally started! After rushing home from work I quickly went to pick up Z and E and then we hit the road to the rehearsal out at the Sonnet House. Z was VERY hesitant about us leaving her in the house while we walked down the aisle and then her coming down later so I wasn’t really sure how she was going to do but luckily she had he two cousins with her to help her out. After the rehearsal we went to a beautiful dinner at the Marriott.

The next morning we woke Z up at 5:45 so she would take an early nap. So by 8:00 we were looking for things to do so off to the Botanical Gardens we went to play in the mud bog a bit in our rain boots. Z was having a great time till she went too deep and the mud poured into her boots. It freaked her out big time and our visit was over. But it worked out great because Z went to sleep on the way home and slept the entire time I was getting my hair and makeup done. I couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful day getting ready and then we made it right on time for pics!
So that leads us to the wedding…Z LOVED it! She surprised me big time when she told me and Eric to be quiet and stand in line because it was about to be our turn to walk down the aisle. Then she stayed back like a big girl for her flower girl duties! She didn’t drop a single petal but she carried her basket down the aisle VERY seriously as you can see in the pic below. She was extremely serious about the entire process! ☺

After the ceremony Z had fun, fun, fun at the reception. She LOVED the dj and we could not keep her off the dance floor. Poor Norman was the apple of her eye and she wanted to dance with him the ENTIRE time and seriously cried when we held her back from dancing with him so he could enjoy dancing with his NEW WIFE! ☺ It was too cute and Norman was so gracious to take so much time out of his reception to dance with Z. Here is a cute pic of the girls with him!

So Z danced the night away and was so upset when the music stopped and it was time for everyone to go home. I thought for sure she would sleep the ride home but nope! She stayed up till 11:30 that night just talking in her bed about dancing and Jillian and Norman. It was too funny!

The next morning we woke up early and went back to the hotel for breakfast with all of Eric’s out of town family. It was nice to get to sit and chat with them since it was hard to really talk with anyone in the chaos of the wedding activities. But after breakfast we were exhausted from the weekend so we went home and just chilled all day. It was so nice to have a day of much-needed rest!

Monday was a BIG day around our house…Eric got a new job!!! Here in Birmingham!!! And with a company he was super excited to work for and grow with. This mama is super excited because it does not require nearly as much travel as his last job and I truly feel like it will be a super great fit for him and our family! I am so thankful he found a place in Birmingham where he could be passionate and see a future with. Praise the Lord for this HUGE answer to prayer! I am just SO incredibly excited for him and to see where this new opportunity takes him. So of course Monday night we had to go out to dinner to celebrate at Surin and then over to Eric’s parents’ house for some leftover wedding cake! And then Tuesday night we had to go out and go shopping for E some new work clothes seeing that all he has been wearing the past 7 years has been jeans! ☺ And then we wrapped up the week on Wednesday night by going to dinner and church with the new Westervelt couple.

So it has been a crazy, crazy week and to top it all off every day this week I have dropped Z off at 6:30 and haven’t got to pick her up till 6:00 so we are all pretty wiped and we still have 2 more days till the weekend…It can’t get here soon enough!!

Well we started out the week by coming home from work to a fully cooked dinner by Eric followed by some bubble in the water table for some playtime with Zoey before bath time. Friday after work we had the April Birthday’s dinner for the Bush family. So me, Susan, and Jillian all had another birthday party at Jim N Nicks followed by some more fun at J’s new place. And of course we were all glued to the tv that night watching the manhunt for the Boston Bombers.

Saturday morning when we went to get Zoey up Eric and I was looking at her hair that was starting to resemble a mullet and we decided she needed a haircut asap! So I took her for her third haircut ever and she rocked it! It kind of helped too that their was a big Dora jump-jump right outside the salon so if she did good she got to jump!

After we nap we met up with H and L to go to the library for their big Around the World event. While waiting on them to meet us there it was the perfect time to do a little photo shoot of Z’s new haircut! This pic is my favorite! Just captures her go, go, go personality…

Once in the library the girls got their 3rd passport…ha! They do really have one from Korea and America so the fact they got a paper one from the library wasn’t as probably cool as I am sure it was to the other kids. We first went to Central America for some Salsa Dancing then over to Australia to see some Zoo animals native to Australia followed by customizing their own boomerang  That Z of course wanted to give Dana since she likes Australia so much! But the REAL fun part of the day was that they picked South Korea to be one of the countries represented this year. So in Korea they were able to make lots of arts and crafts, eat Korean candy (they way to Z’s heart) and then visit with a Korean Exchange Student! It was so much fun and neat to learn about the exchange student program. One day I would LOVE to host a student from Korea! How cool would that be for Z!

So our fun day got even more exciting when Eric and I took Z to the “Big Kids” park at the local elementary school that EVERY DAY she begs for us to take her! It wasn’t all that great from my prospective but Z loved it! Then to wrap up our day of fun we met Dana and Patrick for dinner at the Galleria then Dana took me for a little shopping spree for my birthday. I LOVED my night. This is how Patrick, Eric and Z felt about it…

So after our fun-filled Saturday we decided that Sunday had to be a fun day too. Since we had an open house that afternoon and had to be out of the house all day we hit the road to Montgomery to check out their zoo. To our surprise they had this cool new Skylift that took you across the entire zoo in the air! It was AMAZING to ride over all the elephant, lion, and hippo cages. It felt like a super nice ride that you would see at disney or something! So for the local peeps reading if you ever want a fun little day trip I think the skylift is totally worth the drive down there! Here is a pic of us floating over the zoo!

Monday we were back to work and school. And let me just say how much we love all of Zoey’s teachers! You can’t beat having 2 aunts as your teacher but to top it all off we also love Ms. Courtney too! Not sure how Z works her magic but all I know is that I got a pick of Z and Ms Courtney eating special yummy cupcakes together!!! I just LOVE the fact that I know Z is SO incredibly loved by all of her teachers each day…if I can’t be with her this is the next best thing!

Monday was also special because Honey picked Z up from school early and took her to the park then dinner at Olive Garden! What a fun Honey & Zoey night!

Tuesday after school Eric and I took Zoey to “Hoover’s Got Talent” at the library. Z loved getting to watch all the different acts in the talent show but the piano was her favorite! Remember this little clip we got from Korea?

Maybe she will be a future piano star! But all I know is girl wants to be on that stage one way or another next year!

Wednesday after school we took Z on a little walk with Digby and went “exploring” just like Dora! Then we wrapped up our week by Eric taking Z for a little shopping trip to Target (their FAVORITE store). She thought she was too cool for school going to target real late, just with daddy, in her pj’s! So that’s been our week around here! I hope all of you have had a good week too!

Another week has come and gone and I am another year older! Crazy, Crazy!!! After a very long Thursday and Friday it was finally the weekend and things started to look up just in time for my birthday eve! Me and Z went to meet H and L at a local church for some of our friends adoption fundraiser. The girls ended up having the BEST time playing with rubber duckies in this little water table. After hanging out for a bit that morning we headed back home for a much-needed nap for me too!

Later that night Eric and I dropped off Zoey to play with Jillian and Norman and we went out to dinner just the two of us. That hasn’t happened in a long time and it was a fun little birthday dinner downtown at FIVE. Zoey had the BEST time too playing with J & N. When we went to pick her up it looked like she had made herself right at home and had given uncle norman his daily exercise with all the running laps around the house and dance parties!

Sunday we woke up ready to go downtown for a big food truck, kite flying, type of day at Railroad Park but instead we woke up to a huge rainstorm!!! So it ruined the birthday plans but my sweet, sweet family and friends didnt’ give up and wanted to make my birthday special so everyone got all dressed in their rain gear and headed on down to the zoo for a fun day in the rain. It was a very memorable day and I am so grateful for each and every one of them that made me feel so special!

Monday I joined several of my adoption friends to volunteer for the STUCK tour. The movie is not about adoption but about advocating for the orphan. It is a perfect movie for anyone not just for adoptive moms. So maybe you don’t feel called to adopt but still want to help the 127 Million orphans many who are literally stuck…then this movie is for you!!!! And great news…even if you didn’t join us on Monday night to see the showing you can download it right here and watch it from the comfort of your home! Please, please, please take an hour or so to watch the movie, sign the petition, and do whatever God leads you to do to fight for the millions of orphans!

So other than the normal routine of work and school that about wraps up our week. I wanted to say thanks again for all of you who called, emailed, texted, or posted on fb to wish me a happy birthday! I felt very loved and special and it was one of the best birthday’s I have every had…it probably has something to do with this little two-year old who was mad it was my birthday and not hers but still made me feel oh so loved!

So we started off the week with E’s surgery. And after a 3 hour wait and 2 hour surgery he was back in recovery and with what the dr. said a very successful surgery. Woo hoo! Hopefully this nerve pain will go away and he will be back to himself soon.  And during the long, long wait I planned Z’s 3^rd birthday! J Yes, it is 3 months away but don’t worry I have it ALL planned! It is just not that often I get all day to myself not having to worry about Z, work, etc. So I say it was a pretty successful day for the both of us.

After the surgery Jillian took Z home from school so I could tend to Eric that night. Which it did involve a 2 hour nap for me! Yes, I took FULL advantage of this day off! Thanks so much J for keeping baby girl!

Friday I was back to work for a LONG day…like I did not get home till 6:30 kind of long day. Poor girl was at daycare for 11.5 hours that day. BUT it is days like today that I am VERY grateful that Zoey has her 2 aunts as teachers! I mean…can it really get any better than this!!!

So needless to say Friday night me and Z were both asleep around 7:30…ha!

Saturday we went to me H and L at the Purple Onion for lunch then went to an Asian Festival for the girls. National Geographic was there with a big map that the kids could play on which was pretty cool. There was also vendors, dancing, and other entertainment for the girls. But honestly they were most interested in the candy bowls that all the vendors had set up. Who knows how much candy they had eaten by the time we left?!?!

That night wasn’t all that great and it made for a real long Sunday too… But later Sunday afternoon Z and I had to get out of the house and we took our first trip out with big girl panties! So a quick trip to the library was the perfect distance and she did great! One weekend of being real dedicated to the panties and she is doing epic. This mama on the other hand is about to lose her mind. I honestly feel like the cost of diapers is worth not having to plan, prevent, and basically think so much about making sure she doesn’t have an accident. I know I have to let her grow up but changing a diaper every now and then was WAY easier than this…I know it will get better with time but boy this going to the potty every 45 minute thing is hard-core!

Monday we were back to work and school so you want to hear reason #2 I love Z’s school? It is because I get to do this every day when I pick up Z from school!

I just LOVE my Baby B and getting to cuddle and smell her every day. Yep, you read that right I LOVE to smell that sweet girl!

We wrapped up our week by going to have an impromptu dinner with my grandparents. We had a house showing till 7:00 that night so we couldn’t go home. So I called Gan-Gan and Paw-Paw to see if they wanted to hang out a bit. When at school I told Kendall so her and B wanted to join us. So off we went for a very last-minute dinner! It was a quick visit but Z had the best time eating cheese dip and rice with her great grandparents. Plus as a bonus for the girls they were able to get their Easter present from Gan-Gan and Paw-Paw…a super cute beach towel and backpack perfect for the lake this summer!!!

So that about wraps up our week around here…Got to go do potty duty with Z now!

We started off the week by taking Zoey to the doctor and poor thing had bronchitis. But she was a tough little thing and after a night of antibiotics and dora she was ready for her Daddy & Zoey day!

Z’s school was closed for Good Friday so Eric had a special day with her. She was SUPER pumped! The planned on going to the McWane Center but when they showed up and saw the line wrapped around the outside of the building they made a quick U-Turn to the zoo.

After their fun-filled morning to the zoo E took Z to his parents for lunch. It ended up being a big party there with Papa, Nana, Jillian, Tanner, Nichole, Bella and Mae-Mae. So needless to say Z’s fun day got even more awesome as you can see in the pic below!

Eric took her home for a late nap followed by tricycle time in the driveway. It was the cutest thing pulling up in the driveway after work to him trying to teach her how to pedal her bike!

Once I was home we packed up real quick then hit the road to go camping with my parents. We made it there a little before dark but for some reason Z had a complete meltdown on the way there. It was BAD…like REAL BAD! But we made it and once she was out at the campsite and saw her baby blake she was fine. Oh that girl…I will have all gray hairs before too long!

Later that night Honey gave Z her Easter Basket that was full of bug catching things. And wouldn’t you know around 10 pm at night she had my parents out and about walking around to catch her bug! It was too funny watching my mom jump in a running shower with all of her clothes on in the bathhouse to get Z this bug flying around!!

The next morning the Easter festivities continued when we all headed over to the big Easter Egg Hunt the state park was putting on. There we met up with all of my family who didn’t end up spending the night at the campsite. Zoey had fun seeing the Easter Bunny, riding the Easter Horse, and jumping in the jump-jump. But by far her favorite was the 10 THOUSAND egg Easter Egg Hunt! And this year she was ALL about it and really excited! I wasn’t sure how she was going to do but baby girl was fast and able to fill her Easter basket to the top with eggs. Crazy how far she has come from last year in Boston (you can read about here).

After the hunt we all went back to the campsite for lunch, bike rides, more egg hunts, and really just to hang out with everyone. It was SO much fun and really the best day! We left right at nap time for some good nap snuggles.

Later that night we were off to our churches Easter service which was great and you can watch here.

The next day was Easter morning and it was absolutely perfect! We took our time getting ready, did Easter baskets, made breakfast, dyed Easter eggs, read the easter story and just CHILLED while it was raining outside. Then all three of us took a long nap! Perfect, perfect relaxing day as a family. I LOVED it!

Once Z was up from her nap we went over to Eric’s parents house for dinner. Just about the time we got there the rain stopped and the sun actually came out so we could have an Easter egg hunt with all the kids! It was perfect timing and perfect weather for a yummy dinner on the back porch! We ended up hanging out there all night and had the best time watching tv with E’s parents with Z played with Jillian and Norman. It was a perfect way to wrap up our Easter.

Monday we were back to the real world. And we kicked it off with a bang by taking Z to the ENT. Where I created this nice little video for the doctor!

Yep…I am THAT parent that video’s her kid snoring at different times then splices together a nice little video for the doctor. He was cracking up over it and said I was the first parent to ever do that! But we ended up finding out that baby girl is going to have to get her tonsils out! The doc said they were 5 times bigger than what they should be and were so big they were touching and he was not even sure how she was eating solid foods without choking! Poor thing!!! But the bright side is he said he 100% believes this is why she keeps waking up every couple of hours at night and believes once they are out then she will be a sound sleeper! WHAT?!?! I don’t know what I will do if I get to sleep without waking up ever 3-4 hours!

So that about wraps up our week! And I know this has been a really long post but before I go I have to brag on Eric a bit. I can not tell you how much he has stepped up lately to be a great husband and father. I am SO incredibly grateful for him and all he has done for our family lately. I can not tell you how happy I am right now in this exact place in our life. He has been working hard for our family and it is certainly being noticed by me and Z. I can not brag enough on his parenting lately. Patience, patience, patience he has had for Z and watching him “Connecting while Correcting” has been awe-inspiring. We both read all the books and had our parenting plan in place but it has been so nice to see him work with her during her “hard times” especially when I am at a loss and just about to be ready to check myself into the crazy house. Never would I have thought seeing him lovingly discipline our daughter would make me fall head over hills in love with him. So Eric…It is being noticed! I am so thankful for all the hard work you are doing and forever grateful for all you are doing to be a better husband and father to us!

We started out this week with a big “What in the World”! This little box showed up at our house…

It seems that a certain little 2 year old decided to order herself a big box of easter candy from Amazon while playing on Eric’s iPhone the other night. E had his setting set to “One Click Order” which is not a good idea at all if a toddler has access to it. I am just glad that she only ordered candy and not something crazy expensive!

Thursday after work I picked Z up from school and we had a mommy & Z date night to Jim N’ Nicks, The Park, the PJ Storytime at the Library. It was another one of those amazing nights due to daylight savings time! I just can’t say how much I LOVE having a life with Zoey after work! You can tell spring is here too because we saw bunches of cute little ducks in the pond at the park!

Friday wasn’t all that great of a day. Z and I ended up just going to be pretty early. But on Saturday she woke up and REALLY wanted to go swimming but since it was so cold outside we had to settle for putting on her swim suit and letting her swim in the tub! After chilling at the house that morning we snuggled and took a nap together. Later that afternoon I did the dreaded closet clean out and finally bagged up all the clothes that don’t fit her anymore. I have been needing to do it for a long time because lots of them were the ones she wore when she first came home but it was just absolutely heart breaking to part with them. You see here that Zoey agrees…

The onsie Z is wearing in the pic above is the little pj’s she wore the very first night we had her in Korea!!! Oh melt my heart….

Sunday we slept in to 8:00 because you know with a 2 year old that is like big time sleeping in! And we decided to go out for brunch at Z’s favorite restaurant Waffle House! Girl LOVES it…When she gets the menu she says “I want this, this, this, this…” pointing to everything they have! After lunch we went on over to another Z’s Choice- The Zoo! We went to see the new dino exhibit because Z has been talking about it nonstop since she went with Hannah the week prior. And although we heard she hated it last time and was absolutely terrified she kept talking about how she wanted to go back so of course we went and guess what…she was still HORRIFIED! I had to hold her the entire time so Eric could “fight them”! It was too funny!

And that about wraps up our week other than the typical work, school, dinner, park routine we have nightly around here!

We started off this week by celebrating the two year anniversary of Zoey’s Referral. I still can’t believe it has been two years since THIS happened! To celebrate Zoey was picked up from school early by L & H and they took her down to the zoo where I was going to meet up with them later after work. Z was SUPER excited her BFF was going to be picking her up and she ended up having a party that lasted all night because as I was getting to the zoo to pick up Z Eric called and said he needed to go to the ER.

You see his arm has been hurting since he fell at christmas in the kitchen and he has been seen twice by the orthopedic but both times they told him it was just a bruised bone and time will make it better but the last couple of days the pain has REALLY increased with him. And I will not gross you out with all the symptoms but to make a long story short we have found out after a trip to the ER and a nerve specialist that he severally damaged the nerve in his elbow causing all the muscle and nerves below it to his hand to basically freak out and die. The surgeon is off this week due to spring break so he will meet with him on the 26th to finalize the surgery plans. So say a prayer for him because basically he will have to live in pain until then.

So due to our LONG…and I mean LONG night at the ER Z just ended up going home with Hannah from the zoo so I could meet Eric at the hospital. So she was in heaven to say the least! We are just so blessed with sweet, sweet friends that will take care of her, feed her, bath her, play with her AND drive her all the way to our house at 11:00 pm! They SUPER rocked our night with the kindness and it was so nice not having to worry one bit knowing she was having the best time having with her best friend!

Saturday we got to visit with her again when we meet up with all the local Korean adoptive families at the Korean BBQ restaurant nearby. I am so glad we have been blessed with a sweet little community of friends who are all in different stages of the adoption process. And I pray this time next year our table is full with at least 3 more little ones home from Korea…maybe 4 if we convince E Zoey needs a baby brother!

So after lunch some of us went to the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Botanical Gardens. It was the perfect little asian festival for our little group. And it was the first time in a while we have had warm weather so it ended up being a perfect afternoon.

After heading home for naps we got up and then went to Jillian and Norman’s couple shower over at Tanner and Nichole’s house. Z had the best time jumping on the trampoline ALL NIGHT! Seriously…like till 10:oo pm she was jumping! I think that is what we are going to have to get little miss for her third birthday. And I believe this mama is more excited about it than her!

Sunday was St. Patrick’s Day and Dana and Patrick had invited us over to their neighborhoods Shamfest so of course I was there! You know I am all about festivals! And Zoey was sold of course on the jump-jumps! After playing at the festival for a while and having pizza for lunch we took Zoey to Dana’s park then we decided to walk to her neighborhoods lake for sunset. It was a perfect way to wrap up a beautiful weekend! And I am SUPER pumped about going back out to her lake for fishing and swimming this summer!

By the time Monday rolled around Z and me were both pretty sick with a cold. I ended up seeing a doc Monday afternoon and after work came home and feel right to sleep so Z and E had a night at the park and dinner for 2. Other than work and school we have had a pretty lazy wrap up to our week other than meeting H and L at the library Wednesday after work so the girls could play together on the playground for a couple of minutes.

So I will wrap up this extra long post by stating how VERY, VERY happy I am for daylights saving time. It is so hard being a working mom leaving at dark, coming home at dark and being stuck inside all winter long. I feel like I am getting to be a parent after work with Z again and actually get to do fun things other than coloring/painting inside. I feel like I got my life back! I REALLY wish it could be like this all year long and I can’t wait for the days to just get longer and longer too!!