All the Last Days

First a side by side of the first day of first grade and the last:

And now, all the last days of school so far…

Last Day of 1st Grade

This year definitely flew by and it is hard to believe Zoe is already finished with her last day of 1st grade! (Ava finished up 6th grade too but we didn’t take pictures - she’s past the age of letting me take school pics). And yes, Zoe wore her Gabby’s Dollhouse kitty cat ears to school…anything goes for that last day, ha. Now on to 2nd (and 7th for Ava) grade!

1st Grade Awards

Zoe had a great year in first grade. She loved her teacher and made some really good friends. She loves school and learning and it is fun to watch her get excited about all that they are doing in school. We were able to go to her awards day and she was so excited to get the artist award from her teacher. Mrs. G said that Zoe always added really great drawings to her poetry notebook pages. She said the kids always wanted to see what Zoe drew. She really is a great little artist and loves to take her time creating drawings and crafts. We are so thankful for another great year of school for her!

A Little Getaway

Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law sharing their Edisto beach house and my mom for babysitting, DJ and I were able to get away for a couple nights before he started chemo. We wanted to get some time away when the radiation fatigue had worn off for the most part and before the chemo side effects hit. It was such a wonderful, relaxing getaway and we hope to be able to make it back down there again!

Eclipse 2024

Right before Zoe’s birthday, we had a partial eclipse. Zoe had an e-learning day because it was going to happen during school pick up and they didn’t want the kids out there looking at it unprotected. The girls were excited to see it but were very disappointed because it was nowhere near as cool as it was in 2017 when we had a full solar eclipse. It was a fun experience even though it was a bit of a let down.

Spiritfest 2024

Zoe had a great time at her school’s spiritfest this year. It was much better than last year because it did not rain so it was able to take place outside. She had so much fun on the inflatables with her friends and playing all the games. This is always a favorite school event!

April 7th

As always, April 7th hits with so many mixed emotions. I love celebrating our girl on her birthday but the day is also filled with sadness as we miss my daddy so much. I’ve said so many times that I am thankful they have this connection since they never got to meet. It is so special and Zoe knows all about her Grampie who loved her. She talks a lot about how it isn’t fair that she didn’t get to meet him and how she misses him. It definitely isn’t fair and we’d give anything to have him here with us. But, we know this is not the end of the story and we know we will have an eternity with him in Heaven. He’s just waiting for us to join him one day.

Zoe girl, I know you know this but your Grampie loved you so much. He knew we wanted another baby girl and he was so excited to have another granddaughter to spoil. God had other plans and called him home before he could spoil you. We wish you could have known him and that we all had more time with him here on earth. You are a bright spot in a hard day and we are so thankful God gave us life to celebrate on a day filled with loss and grief. We all miss you so much, daddy!!

April 7th Through the Years

Here is a look back at Zoe on April 7th for the past 7 years.

2017 - Newborn

2018 - 1 Year Old

2019 - 2 Years Old

2020 - 3 Years Old

2021 - 4 Years Old

2022 - 5 Years Old

2023 - 6 Years Old

2024 - 7 Years Old

Zoe is 7!

I still cannot believe that Zoe is 7 years old! Each year now just seems so old!  She is growing up way too fast and I wish time would slow down. 

Zoe had her well check right after her birthday and she is right on track developmentally. She is a very healthy little girl. Zoe’s stats were:

Height: 48 in (51st percentile)

Weight: 48.5 lbs (40th percentile)

Zoe definitely had a growth spurt this year, especially the past few months. The pants that she started wearing in the fall are now way too short for her…although they still fit in the waist. She wears size 7 in clothes and either a 12 or 13 shoe. 

I continued with the annual birthday questions with Zoe this year. Like I’ve said before, I love being able to remember the girls at different ages in their own words.
How old are you?

7

What is your favorite color?

Orange and pink with sparkles in them

She is sticking with orange as a favorite color and pink. I love that she added the part about sparkles in them because that is so Zoe…she loves anything with sparkles. The more sequins the better for her.

What is your favorite food?

I like French fries and chick fil a’s chicken sandwich, and I like Mac and cheese and I like pasta

Zoe is more adventurous in eating these days but is still very picky. She will try a lot of new foods at school and we are very thankful for the free lunches that allow her to try new things like chicken sandwiches, salads, hamburgers and fish sticks…all new things she likes. Pasta and rice are still huge staples for her. She also loves Sister Shubert rolls and most any kind of bread with butter. Breakfast for supper is always a hit and she especially loves pancakes and waffles. I think she would still love to live on a diet of just fruit though. Berries of all kinds are her favorites but she also loves grapes, cherries and pineapple. As far as veggies go, she isn’t great about eating them but she does really like broccoli.    

What is your favorite restaurant?

Ooh, that’s a hard choice, Molina’s Mexican

This is probably everyone in our house’s favorite restaurant. Zoe also loves Papa Johns, Chick-fil-A, Panera and Tropical Grille. Some local favorites are Sidewall Pizza and Swamp Rabbit Cafe.

What is your favorite outfit?

Any dress

Zoe is still obsessed with dresses and wants to wear a dress or a skirt every day. She is very particular about what she wears each day and will lay it out on her bed to make sure it looks good. She is still a girly girl who loves a good tutu or twirly dress. She isn’t dressing up in her princess dresses nearly as much these days but did recently start wearing her Elsa dress more and pretending to be Elsa. I’m definitely hoping the dress up days last a little longer!

What is your favorite TV Show?

I like Mira, Bluey and Gabby 

These are definitely shows she watches over and over again. Some other favorites are Lion Guard, Ada Twist, Fancy Nancy, Puppy Dog Pals, Little Einsteins, Super Kitties, Eureka, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Doc and Kiya. A new show that she was introduced to at school that has become a favorite is Young Jedi, which made DJ very happy to have a little girl who likes Star Wars.

What is your favorite song?

Bye, Bye, Bye and Zero from Ralph Breaks the Internet and Let it Go

My 90s girl heart was very proud that she chose Bye Bye Bye as a favorite. And of course, her other favorites are from Disney. Disney music is always a favorite. She also loves Greatest Showman. She is a big fan of Colony House, Toby Mac and Jamie Grace too. Another common request is Hannah Montana. She basically loves anything with a good beat.

What is your favorite book?

I like board books 

Zoe recently started wanting to read the board books from when she was a baby. It has been fun going back through our old favorites, especially all of the Sandra Boynton books. Zoe also likes books based on TV shows she likes such as any Disney Jr books or Gabby’s Dollhouse books. She is also a big fan of any of the Click, Clack, Moo books. In school she discovered the Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books or the Pigeon books and she loves those. She also really likes Bun Bun and Bon Bon graphic novels. Those were some of the first books she was actually excited to read herself. She was super proud to show us that she could read through those books. She is slowly getting better at reading. This has been a little bit of a struggle for her this year but she is working super hard to master reading. 

What is your favorite toy?

“Merin Girl Doll” …American Girl doll 

Zoe was so excited to get Melody for her birthday this year. We decided to go ahead and give it to her this year even though she couldn’t read the books yet because we did not want to miss the window of her wanting to play with dolls. She also loves her baby dolls and comes up with some incredibly imaginative things with her babies. She still likes to build things but hasn’t been doing that as much lately, it has been mostly babies that she plays with.

What is your favorite thing to do?

I like to go outside and draw

Zoe does ask to go outside every day. It doesn’t matter how hot or cold it is…or even if it is raining. She loves to go splash in puddles when it rains. She is definitely happiest outside. She also loves to craft. She is still into creating projects out of boxes and always has an idea in her head before she begins and manages to create it. She also really loves to draw and is getting pretty good at it. I love looking at the backs of her papers from school because there is usually a very detailed drawing on the back. 

Where is your favorite place to go?

My favorite place to go is a good answer, Disney World!

Zoe and Ava have both been asking to go to Disney. We hope we can make that happen sometime in the next year or two but we will see. Zoe loves to pretend we are at Disney and will create stories with her baby dolls about being there. As Disney adult parents, we love that our girls share our love of Disney, just wish it was easier to go more often. 

Who are your best friends?

Juliette, Jordyn, you (mama), daddy, Ava, my cousins, Chase, Liam, Evie 

Oh I forgot another friend, my birth mama.

Our little extrovert couldn’t stop listing people as her friends because she is happiest when she’s surrounded by a ton of people. She loves going to church because she gets to play with all the little girls around her age and there are A LOT of them at our church. I think the social aspect of school may be her favorite part…and what can get her seat moved multiple times in the school year until they find a spot where she isn’t quite as chatty, haha. She is a sweet friend. Her teacher said she is always trying to make sure anyone who is hurt or upset is taken care of. I love that she included family (birth and adoptive) in her list of best friends. She loves her family fiercely and we are so blessed to be loved by her.  

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Engineer

She is definitely set on being an engineer of some sort. Her little mind can definitely picture things and then plan it out to create in a way that the rest of us in the house cannot understand. We are still trying to encourage her to be an Imagineer so we can all get access to Disney. Recently she told me she was going to be an Imagineer but not at Disney. She said she wanted to create a park like Disney but make it not cost much since Disney is so expensive and she wants more people to be able to go. I thought that was a super sweet thought! 

What do you hope to accomplish as a 7 year old?

Stop sucking my thumb

We really hope she accomplishes this goal. She started sucking her thumb in kindergarten when the other kids were doing it (and I think because she was missing us) and it has proven to be really hard to break. We are really hopeful that since she’s decided this is her goal that she will actually achieve it.

Zoe wanted to add another question…what’s your favorite flower?

My favorite flower is marigold and iris

Zoe still loves flowers and being outside. She is so happy when things start to bloom in the spring. She also loves when our blackberry and blueberry bushes start blooming and she can eat the fruit. 

And another by Zoe…what’s your favorite sport?

Acrobatics, even though I call it Acro 

Zoe thrived in Acro again this year. She really mastered her cartwheels and teddy bear headstand and was even able to push her legs up straight and hold it for a few seconds. She is very determined to master a handstand. She qualified to move up to Acro 3 next year and her teacher said that is when they really start to teach the more advanced skills. We cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next year! 

Zoe still has such a big personality! She is still goofy and loves to make people laugh. As usual, you can see some of her goofy personality in these pictures. She definitely has a tude and can be super sassy (always keeping it real)! But she is still a cuddle bug and still wants to be carried everywhere. She is definitely getting close to being too big to carry, I usually have to resort to piggy back rides instead of carrying her on my hip. But you can tell she’s the baby of the family and she wants to keep it that way and wants to be carried as long as physically possible. She loves big and we are grateful to receive that love daily.

We are so honored that we were chosen to be this beautiful girl’s parents. We know that choice was not made lightly and we do not take it lightly. As we watch her grow, we know there is someone so special that is missing out on these moments. Zoe’s birth mama holds such a special place in our family and we can never express how much she means to us. We are so grateful for her and Zoe in our lives! 

I still do not know how in the world Zoe is 7 years old. We cannot wait to see what all God has in store for her this next year! Happy 78th Birthday, Zoe girl! Mama, Daddy and Ava love you to the sun and back and the whole entire earth!!!

Zoe’s Birthday “Party”

This year, I didn’t have it in me to do a big party with everything going on with DJ. Plus, Zoe’s trip to Charlotte was more like a big party. But, our little social butterfly didn’t want to give up on celebrating with her little friends. So, we did a park play date with cupcakes. It was super chill but the girls had a blast and Zoe felt loved. She asked for a mermaid theme party so I found mermaid cupcake toppers that were perfect to give her the party she wanted. She also took cupcakes to school to celebrate with her friends at school. This girl loves to party and be with her friends and we are so thankful for all these precious friends in her life.