Blessed with One!

I must admit that I feel pretty good about myself. If I could, I'd even give myself a pat on the back! I cleaned & cleaned yesterday, pretty much all afternoon & evening. I even got rid of some of the clutter (some of it mine, but most of it my husbands - Shhh! Don't tell!) in the entertainment center in the living room & redecorated with cute picture frames. It looks so much better.

Anyway, I promised you some pictures of my freshman niece Courtney & freshman nephew Zack (They are not brother & sister, but cousins.) as they attended their first high school Homecoming dance last night. They are both good looking kids & oh so sweet.

Don't they look awesome?!

What's pictures without a close up?!

And of course, here's a couple of Zack & his girlfriend Kaylyn (Zoe's new favorite friend!):

Aren't they cute together?

Last night as I was cleaning, Zoe sat at the dining room table coloring & drawing. I walked by several times & she told me not to look. She was making something very special for me. Well, she was true to her word. Look what she drew? Pretty good, huh?!

Don't you like the fancy letters?!

This afternoon one of Zoe's friends came over to spend two nights with us as her parents were going out of town. Hannah, age 4, is adopted from India. She & Zoe are both quite the celebrities in town, which is understandable when you live in a town of 1,400. Since Hannah arrived she & Zoe have been playing non-stop. I did snap a few pictures of them having fun.

Every girl loves dressing up! (Hannah as Cinderella & Zoe as Belle)

Taking time out for a picture while Daddy reads the girls a book.

You know, while going through fertility treatments Paul & I both thought it would be kind of cool if we ended up being blessed with not only one child, but two. Yes, that's right. We were secretly hoping for twins. (We knew in our hearts & minds that if our fertility treatments worked that we would probably not undergo them again.It's just too stressful & emotional.) As you all know, God had a different plan for us & blessed us with the adoption of one precious little girl. Now, neither one of us can imagine our lives without Zoe. Let me tell you, after having two girls very close in age in the house together all day I am so thankful that I have just one. I know, I know, God doesn't give you more than you can handle, & I'm sure I could & would have learned to adjust to more than one child. But after being with a 5 year old & a 4 year old all day, I NOW more than ever admire those parents that have more than one child, especially those with children so close in age. Wow! It's hard work! So, my O.G.T. (One Good Thing) for today is that I am blessed with one & only one child! ( I think God knew what He was doing when He blessed me with ONLY Zoe Gwen!)

Tomorrow Hannah, Zoe, & I are off to court. No, I'm not in trouble. We are going to witness my niece Gracie's final adoption hearing. We are all so excited. I am tickled pink for my sister Heather. She has waited to be a mom for quite some time. She & I will always share a special bond (besides both being named Heather) as both of our daughters are adopted. Having both traveled down the fertility road, neither one of us would have ever imagined the plan that was in place for us. Isn't it amazing how God knows what's best?