Coming to America!!!!

Anyone want to guess where we are headed tonight?

Sign is made, balloons are ordered just waiting for pick-up, & a note was sent to school this morning explaining why Zoe will be late tomorrow!!!!

Can't wait to see this little fellow's radiant smile in person!!!!

Princess for a Day

Saturday we hosted Paul's grandmother's 85th birthday party. When we were approached about hosting it several weeks ago, Zoe immediately said that we needed to have a princess party. So, Paul called his grandmother (or otherwise known to Zoe as "Maw") & asked her if that would be okay. She said that would be perfect.

It ended up being a wonderful celebration. We had a potluck lunch followed by cake & ice cream. Maw enjoyed visiting with everyone & watching her grandkids & great-grandkids run through the house like they owned the place play with each other.

Cousin Christy's husband Richard taking it all in.

Aunt Stefanie telling one of her stories.

Maw & her two daughters - Brenda & Eula

Bub & Cole

Taylor & Zoe

Sisters - April & Rose

Sisters - Whitni & Sierra - & friend Kayli in the middle!

Zoe & new baby cousin Gabriella

Princess Maw herself with her princess castle birthday cake!!!!

Inflammation Mark

(Congratulations to Carolsue for winning the Shel Silverstein book & cd!)

So, the other day I am reading Zoe a book when she points to an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. Our conversation goes like this:

Zoe - I know what that is.

Me - What is it?

Zoe - It's an inflammation mark.

Me - A what?

Zoe - An inflammation mark (with a disgusting tone that I should've listened the first time).

Me - Oh.

Zoe - Mrs. Green says that when we see one of those that we need to get really excited & raise our voices loud. You know, Mom. Like when you say Yahoo!

Me - Huh!

Zoe - That's why it's called an inflammation mark. So people will notice!

My Creative Girl

As you all know, Zoe takes gymnastics twice a week at a pretty competitive gym. Each session she attends there are girls much older than her working on their routines for competition. She is just in awe.

So I thought it was quite funny as I was cooking dinner last night Zoe comes into the kitchen looking like this:

I immediately gave her a weird look & then asked her what that was about. She informed me that she was practicing her tumbling on her mat in the living room & had decided she needed wrist braces like the big girls wear. So, she made the braces out of toilet paper & hairbands. Pretty creative, huh?! (What is she going to think of next?!)

Festival Weekend

Festival weekend in our small town is a big deal. Those who can, come home for it. Those who can't, wish they could. And those of us who live here, are so thankful when it's over enjoy the odd people that a carnival always brings out, the trash left behind after a parade, fellowship with our friends, the smiles on our kids' faces at the carnival, & the spirit of a good parade. So, here's a little glimpse of fun from the weekend:

Zoe & Daddy with the loaded up golf cart for the parade.

Meet Swimmy the Dolphin. Zoe won him at the carnival.

Mommy & Zoe before the parade! (Just for Sarah!)
Do I need my hair colored or what?!

Princess Zoe has her candy bag ready.

The high school band featuring Bennett & Austin!

Here comes R*y Charles (notice the walking stick) & his friends!
(The parade theme was - Making Memories with Music)

Mich*el Jackson, The King of Rock-n-Roll himself, & Willy N*lson!!!

The Jr. High Band featuring Miss Abigail!

Our friends, Kevin & Jeff, reunited with their band from back in the day!

Backroads featuring Kevin & Jeff!

To end a great weekend, Zoe's teacher Mrs. Green was in the dunking booth. It was so cute watching all of the little kindergartners get excited about getting her wet. Zoe had talked about dunking Mrs. Green all week. This was definitely the highlight of the fair for Zoe. And guess what? Zoe got Mrs. Green down with the third ball!

Zoe thinking about her strategy...

Mrs. Green putting on her mean face...

Taking that third ball...

And she throws....

And down she goes!!!

My Little Bookworm

Zoe has always been a lover of books & that feeling has not changed. In fact, since starting school her appreciation for reading has increased. So much so that we are now reading several books each evening instead of one before bedtime.

I recently got out my childhood books & found my favorite book of all time, Where the Sidewalk Ends. My very favorite teacher ever (Mrs. Gregory) introduced this book to my class in 5th grade. She would read to us on a daily basis & would often take requests. By far Where the Sidewalk Ends was read more than any other book. (If you didn't know, Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book of poems that were written by the late Shel Silverstein.)

So each night I get out Where the Sidewalk Ends & read a poem or two with Zoe. Since most of Shel's poems are funny, she & I usually end up laughing before we talk about the meaning of the poem & look at the words & pictures. Our time spent reading is probably my favorite one-on-one time spent with Zoe.

So, in honor of Zoe's love for reading & her new enthusiasm for Shel Silverstein's poems, I'm giving away a 25th Anniversary Edition Book & CD of Where the Sidewalk Ends for this week's give-a-way. (Sorry, I tried to upload a picture of the book, but it won't work. So, I will have to try again tonight!)

To be entered into the drawing, you must leave a comment with the name of your favorite childhood book. (please also include your e-mail so I can contact you if you win.) Pretty easy, huh? Zoe & I can't wait to see what books you suggest! We might just have to add to our growing collection!

Bats in the Cave

UPDATE: Congratulations to Goosegirl who won my adoption t-shirt giveaway! Come back later today & see what's up for grabs in my next drawing!!!!

Now that we are in our 5th week of school, the morning routine at our house is just that - routine. We have everything down to a science. I'm the first one up & ready. Before leaving for work, I go in Zoe's room, tell her bye, & give her lots of kisses.

However, this week Zoe has thrown a loop in the routine. She decided that she wanted me to actually wake her up before I left instead of just kissing her bye. So, that's what I've been doing. After waking, she usually moves to the living room to watch cartoons with one eye open as she decides if she really wants to watch tv or go back to sleep. The other morning though she decided she wanted me to fix her hair.

As Zoe is standing on her stool facing the bathroom mirror & I am combing her hair, Paul comes into the bathroom & starts looking at himself in the mirror. He's acting somewhat silly, but yet, is also very serious.

Out of the blue Zoe says - "There's no bats in the cave."

Paul & I look at each other like what did she say & what does that mean?

Zoe says again - "There's no bats in the cave."

Again, Paul & I are stumped. I then say - "Zoe, what are you talking about? What do you mean?"

She then says as serious as can be - "Daddy doesn't have any boogers in his nose!"

So, there you go. Next time you're looking at yourself in the mirror, be sure to see if you have any Bats in the Cave!

A Journey to Follow

Our sweet friends, Erik & Adrienne, have longed to be parents for quite some time. After many years of frustrations, their dream of being parents is about to become true. Wednesday they will be leaving for China to meet their soon-to-be forever son, Collin David. Won't you please go wish them safe travels & perhaps follow along on their adoption journey?! I mean, come on, is Collin not the cutest little boy? How awesome is it knowing his world is about to change? He will no longer be an orphan, but a 3 year old boy with a mommy & daddy to love on him each & every day! It just doesn't get much better than that!

(Click on picture to get to Collin's website.)

Meet Purdy....& a New Giveaway!!!!

Keeping with the pet theme, Zoe wanted me to introduce you to her Hermit Crab named Purdy. Purdy became a member of our family after vising Gulf Shores, Alabama this summer. After making the trek home in the small cage that came with him, we headed to the closest pet store & bought him some new home furnishings. This past week Zoe became so excited after Purdy changed shells for the first time. Zoe continues to make sure he has plenty of food & water each day & also reminds us to chop up the carrots for his weekend treat.

So, without further ado, meet Purdy....

Cute fellow, huh? (Don't worry, I sanitized the table once he was finished crawling around!)

And now, a new giveaway.....

Daniel & Sarah are fundraising for their adoption from Ethiopia. They are selling this wonderful baseball style shirt:

And this could be yours! All you have do to is leave me a comment. Zoe will draw the winning name Thursday night, September 17. The winner will be notified at which time she will let me know what size she wants! Easy as that!

Skooter the Baby Squirrel

Last evening Brandy (AKA: Sissy) & her boyfriend Nick brought Zoe a surprise, a baby squirrel they named Skooter. Apparently where Nick was working this last week, a nest of baby squirrels fell out of a tree. Knowing they would not live, he & a co-worker decided to take the babies & bottle feed them until they thought the squirrels would make it on their own. As you can imagine, Zoe was thrilled to meet Skooter. Of course, she asked several times if she could keep Skooter as a pet. After saying no each time, Zoe wouldn't give up. She kept hinting with her sweet little comments. As you can see from the pictures, Skooter is a cutie. However, this Mama isn't too into animals. Plus, if we gave in to keeping Skooter, what animal would it be next? I seriously think Zoe wants to start her own farm - a dog, a hermit crab, a beta fish. Where would it end?!

Zoe petting Skooter....

Showing Skooter off....

Isn't he cute?!

Bottle feeding Skooter....

He loves that milk....

And one more for the record.

Cousin Time

We headed to my parents' house this morning for a fish fry & relaxing afternoon of fun with family. Zoe was especially excited to see her cousins & hang out with them. It had been a while since we had seen them so what a great way to spend Labor Day.

Cousin Gracie eating bread right out of the bread bag.

He*lthy Life bread no doubt!

After eating a brownie!

Cousin Blake riding around the block.

Gracie getting a push from Aunt Angie.

Zoe following the big kids on their bikes.

Cousin Tanner doing circles in the road.

Cousin Caleb doing his "Street Smart" comedy routine!

What a Weekend!

Our weekend started with a bang on Friday & hasn't ended yet. I feel like we have been going non-stop.

Friday: Zoe had gymnastics & we had a late supper.

Saturday: Visited Paul's dad & step-mom & then did a late Wally World run.

Today: Paul had his fantasy football draft this afternoon. Fortunately Zoe had her friend Gracie come over for a play date. What a blessing that was! I worked my tail around the house cleaning, cleaning, & doing more cleaning. Zoe & Gracie were excellent. I only heard them one time & went to check it out. Here's what I found....

They were in Zoe's room standing on her bed acting like they were singers putting on a live concert. So cute. (I wish the video camera was charged. It would've made a great video to blackmail them with later!

Gracie & Zoe did ask me later to take a picture of them all dressed up. Aren't they cute?

Tommorow: We are headed to my parents' house for a family fish fry. Zoe is so excited. She can't wait to see her cousins & sell items to everyone for her first school fundraiser!