6 Years Ago Today....

a scared little girl was placed in my arms in a hotel room in China. We never knew how that day was going to change our lives forever. Happy Gotcha Day, Zoe Gwen! What a blessing you are to all those who know you!

It's Been a Little Crazy 'Round Here

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been crazy to say the least. In the last couple of weeks we have had Zoe's school Christmas concert, my father-in-law had a stroke, Zoe had cheer camp at the high school, Zoe cheered at the high school basketball game, & two snow days. Plus, before all of this, we started painting our countertops in the kitchen. I do have pictures of everything. Hope to get those up in the next day or two.

PS - Does anyone else see the background on here that says the picture or video has been deleted. I have no idea what's happened or going on. It was here when I pulled up the blog. Huh?! Guess I need to figure it out. Any suggestions?

The Tooth Fairy Visits Nov. 28

Sunday as I was Christmas shopping, my cell phone rings. When I answer it, Zoe is squealing with delight as she tells me that her daddy pulled her tooth. You have to understand that Zoe is one of the few left in her first grade class that hasn't lost a tooth yet. She was so excited when she was at the dentist about a month ago & Dr. Kevin informed her that she had 4 teeth loose. He told her to start wiggling them & before you know it, they would come out. Well, the bottom left center has been hanging - & yes, I mean hanging - for a couple of weeks. Zoe finally got brave & asked her daddy to pull it. One the second try, it snapped right out!

After taking her bath & getting her jammies on, Zoe wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy asking that she not take her tooth. When asked why, Zoe said that she wants to keep it forever. (And believe me, if you know anything about my girl, she means FOREVER!!! She is such a pack rat & wants to save everything.)

Zoe was so excited when I woke her up the next morning to get ready for school & she found $7.00 under her pillow, the note she had written, & her tooth. She couldn't have been more thrilled, especially since the tooth fairy left her the amount of money that is her exact age. How cool is that! (Sure wish I'd lose a tooth - $39.00 would come in real handy about now!!!)

A First Times Two Plus a Win!!!

Last Saturday night Paul, Zoe, & I attended the St. Louis Blues hockey game. We had a great time right from the start. As soon as we got there (about 40 minutes before the game started), the usher encouraged us to take Zoe down to the ice while the two teams warmed up. Boy, are we glad we did. While we were standing there watching, a puck flew over the glass & landed right between Zoe's feet. She was thrilled! (Paul said that he'd been going to hockey games for over twenty years & has never gotten a puck. Zoe goes to her third game ever & gets her first ever puck!) Plus, during the game, a fan from our section was chosen to participate in a game on the jumbo-tron. He won which gave everyone in our section a free $1 lottery ticket. Zoe had a blast scratching off her first ever lottery ticket. No winner, but she was pretty excited for a seven year old.

Zoe & Daddy after finding our seats!

Watching practice...

The NJ Devils goalie - a hometown boy from St. Louis.

Zoe with her puck - how awesome!

Discussing their strategy.

A face-off...

Right before the Blues score.

A fight about to start.

The Blues goalie stops the puck before it enters the net.

The Blues goalie!

Another face-off.

Zoe's lottery ticket!

Erik Johnson - a Blues defensemen.

The final face-off before the Blues beat the Devils 3 to 2!

A Sneak Peak

of our 2010 Christmas Card! You all know how much I love this time of the year. With all of the hustle & bustle, it just makes the holidays that much more enjoyable for me. And, one of my favorite things about Christmas is the sending & receiving of Christmas cards. That's why I always put so much time & energy into our yearly card. It just has to be perfect (in my eyes anyway). So, this year as I was searching for the perfect card, I happened upon this etsy site. What beautiful work Daina does! Plus, she's so easy to work with. Once I placed my order I had a proof in less than 12 hours. Where else can you get that kind of service? Go check it out & see if you can figure out which card we are using this year. Kottage on 5th will not disappoint. (Oh, and by the way, don't be surprised if you see some card samples with Zoe's picture on it. Zoe was asked to be one of the models!)

Everyone Loves a Giveaway!!!!

A fellow adoptive mom, Stefanie, is giving something away for the next 30 days. She always has the most creative items on her blog so I am excited to see what things she comes up with for the next 30 days. Check it out for yourself. You never know, you just might win!!!

While I Was Away....

Zoe Gwen turned 7 on October 4th. She told me the night before her birthday that she wanted me to wake her up early so she could open her presents & eat breakfast in bed before school. Here are pictures (Minus the breakfast in bed. I was too busy getting ready for work myself to snap those pictures!) to prove I followed her wish....

Just what she wanted - a N*ntendo D$ L!te!!!! (with a game, of course!)

And here's a picture of out sweet girl all cleaned up:

Happy (Late) Birthday, Zoe Gwen! We Love You to the Moon & Back!