Toby Mac in Asheville
DJ and I got to go see Toby Mac for his Heaven on My Mind concert in Asheville. It was such an incredible concert. We haven’t seen him perform live since his DC Talk days and it was so fun to see him again. He sang through the whole Heaven on My Mind album then did another set of greatest hits. We knew he put on an elaborate and fun show and he did not disappoint. Only problem now is I want to go see him every time he is anywhere near us.
Halloween 2025
Both girls had a lot of fun for Halloween this year. Zoe came up with her costume idea of a gymnastics fairy. She got to go trick-or-treating in my mom’s neighborhood again and had a great time. Ava dressed up as a pirate and went to our good friends’ house to go trick-or-treating with their daughter, Nadia. Both girls brought home a ton of candy and had fun trading in the pieces with food dye and the ones they didn’t want for money.
Fall in the Mountains
Ava had the idea recently that we should take a day and drive to the mountains. She wanted to drive all the way to the Great Smokies but we said that was a little too far for a day trip. We headed up to Asheville and hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway instead. The colors and views were beautiful. Ava wanted to be comfy while we rode so she stayed in her pjs, which is why she didn’t hop in any of the pictures. We all enjoyed the beautiful day in the mountains!
Paris Fun Fest
Zoe and I had fun at her school fun fest this year. We met up with her bestie from kindergarten and the girls had a blast together. It’s always a crazy but fun night.
Skytop 2025
We headed up to Skytop for our annual apple picking day during Fall Break. We thought that going on a Monday would be better, even with schools being out, because not all parents have the day off. Well, we were very wrong. It was so packed! Thankfully, the donut line wasn’t terrible and we were able to get plenty of apples (although we had to hike to the very back of the orchard to find them). We made the most of the crowded orchard and are still enjoying apples. The girls were not up for taking pictures but I managed to snap a few anyways.
Happy Half Birthday, Zoe!
I still cannot believe that Zoe is halfway to 9! She is getting so close to hitting double digits and I am not ok with that.
As always, she is growing like crazy. She wears size 7 or 8 clothes and is now in size 1 shoes.
Zoe is still not a huge eater but she is getting more willing to try things. She recently discovered that she loves Asian flavors (as long as they are not spicy). She really likes ramen broth and will mix it with rice or pasta. Rice and pasta are still her favorite go-to foods. She also still loves to go to our Mexican restaurant and asks when we can go there all the time. Tropical Grille is her second favorite place to eat. And her Orgain kids’ protein drinks and applesauce pouches are still a huge staple in her diet.
This year school is really starting to get real and the work is much harder. But, she is doing well and is really mastering the concept of multiplication. She has some sweet friends but is starting to deal with the mean girl issue. I remember 3rd grade being when that really started for Ava too…there must be something about that age and the mean girls start to come out more. Zoe is learning what a true friend is and how to stick up for herself. The great thing about her is she is not going to let someone talk her into something she doesn’t want to do and doesn’t put up with the mean girls. She does have some really sweet friends at school and we are thankful for those girls. She also has lots of great friends at church and loves to go on Sundays so she can see her sweet friends. She is also a huge fan of the weeks that I am in nursery and she gets to hang out with the toddlers. She loves the little ones so much and is so sweet to care for them. All of the baby and toddler mamas keep telling me how sweet Zoe is with their little one and how much they love seeing her interact with them. One of her friends from church also goes to her same school and it makes Zoe’s day when she sees that little girl’s baby sister at pickup.
Zoe loves babies and her favorite toy these days is still her cloth baby doll, Lulu. She keeps saying she likes that baby doll the best because she doesn’t look real and that the real looking baby dolls are kinda weird. She actually got rid of several of her dolls recently because of that. But she loves Lulu and makes up very elaborate things that Lulu does. I think she lives out some of her fantasies about doing crazy stuff through Lulu. Her blankie and Bun Bun are still her comfort things and they still go most places with her. She said recently she was worried about growing up because she couldn’t have them anymore but I reassured her she could keep them as long as she wants.
She still loves crafting, even though she hasn’t been doing it nearly as much lately. But she can see a box or random item and envision some sort of project for it. We still say she has the engineering mind because she can picture these things in her head and make them come to life (most of the time).
Zoe is in Acro 3 again this year and is loving it. She is working hard on mastering her headstands, L handstand, and backbend. She is very determined to master these things so she can move on to Acro 4. We can’t wait to watch her shine on stage for her Christmas recital.
Zoe is still a silly extroverted kid who loves to make people laugh. She still loves to cuddle, touch is definitely her love language. She loves big and we are so thankful for her. We never take our role as her parents lightly because we know someone else is missing out on that role. She is such a special girl and we hope that as she grows her birth mama can be part of her life and get to know this awesome kid.
Happy half birthday, Zoe!
A Columbia Field Trip
Zoe’s grade got to have a BIG field trip this year with a trip to Columbia. Zoe thought it was so cool that they got to go on big charter buses. She asked me to chaperone since she was a little nervous about going that far without me. So, I joined her class and all the other 3rd graders for a trip to Riverbanks and the SC State Museum. I had fun with Zoe and her friends Chloe and Rayden. They were a sweet group of girls and it was a great trip!
Speechless with Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman came to Greenville on his Speechless tour so of course DJ and I had to go see him. This was such a fun concert because he sang through the entire Speechless album for the first set. Then after intermission, he sang several of his biggest hits (of course Cinderella and I Will be Here were included). We even ran into a friend from Clemson while at the concert. It was such a great night with SCC!
Disney World Day 8
We had such a great week in Disney World. It was exhausting but was such a fun way to celebrate the end of cancer treatments as a family. We were sad to say goodbye to the French Quarter but are all talking about when we can come back again. We hope to see ya real soon, Mickey!
Disney World Day 7
Our last day in the parks started at Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed riding a few rides together like Ariel’s Undersea Adventure Jungle Cruise and It’s a Small World. We also enjoyed the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse together. The girls had fun meeting Cinderella’s step sisters together too. Ava and I rode the teacups together…but I made her promise not to make us spin too much. Both girls tried to pull the sword in the stone but neither one was successful. We split up again for a little while for Zoe to meet the princesses and Ava to ride some more rides. It was a much hotter day that day and Ava was coming down with a cold (bad timing to feel rough) so she and DJ went back to the resort for a while and Zoe and I closed down Magic Kingdom making sure we rode more rides, met more characters and had Dole Whip. It was closing early that day for Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party so we had to pack a lot into just a few hours. We had another hiccup in the day when Zoe got stung by a bee while waiting to meet Mirabel. This was our first experience with First Aid at Disney and they took good care of Zoe. We headed back to meet Mirabel, but got to wave at Tiana while she was waiting to go onto the castle stage. Then Zoe and I hopped on the Monorail for a little adventure. There was a tea set she had seen at the Grand Floridian that she really wanted. I assumed we would be able to find it in Magic Kingdom but we didn’t. So we rode over to Grand Floridian to get the tea set and then took the Monorail to meet Ava and DJ in Epcot for fireworks.
After our Monorail adventure, we arrived at Epcot. Zoe and I explored Moana’s Journey of Water before meeting up with DJ and Ava for fireworks. The Journey of Water was so cool. Zoe loved the interactive features that made music with the water or where she could control the water going up and down just by moving her hands. Te Fiti was so pretty! We both loved this new part of the park. Ending our trip with Epcot fireworks was a great way to end out our week.
