Spring Break

I remember when I was growing up, Spring break was a whole week however, when you live in a state where snow days cut into your holiday breaks, there is nothing we can do about it. Zoe had Thursday and Friday off for her break so we made the best out of it and kept pretty busy.

The weather has been fantastic – finally! Zoe was able to be outside and play.  All day Thursday she went between riding her bike, playing with sidewalk chalk, and riding her scooter, she was in all her glory.  Biscuit even got in on the action as Zoe traced her paw with chalk. 

Friday, we got to have a play date with our neighbor, Andrew who just turned one.  I’m not sure who had more fun, Zoe or me.    The whole time Z kept telling me, “Mom, you’re hogging Andrew!” I might be guilty as charged but I too enjoy play dates, especially when there are babies involved.

Saturday, it was 60 degrees and sunny, perfect for the first hike of the year.  Zoe got a new day pack from Santa and has been wanting to use it since Christmas.  I wasn’t sure if hiking was a good idea since I’m still not supposed to be doing too much yet per the doctor however, I was all in as I have pretty bad Spring Fever too. We didn’t do a challenging hike, it was a nice moderate 2-mile hike and it was just perfect!

 After our hike we stopped for a little snack. I found these ‘GoPicnic’ snack boxes at Target, and they are perfect for hiking (http://www.gopicnic.com ).  After our hike, we got home in enough time to relax a little before going to Jaylyn’s to dye Easter eggs and dinner.

Jaylyn and Zoe had so much fun playing outside with the other neighborhood kids. It’s been a long winter and it was nice to see all the kids outside playing. Every now and then I would look out to see what they were doing and one time I saw Zoe driving by in Jaylyn’s Barbie jeep.  The girls were throwing up peace sign and laughing hysterically. When it started to get dark all the neighbor kids were going home, so the girls decided to come in dye some eggs. Even after all the mess the eggs came out very pretty!  Finally, it was time to go through their Easter baskets and check out the goodies.  Everybody made out pretty well, between the basket goodies, egg dying, and all the fun outside. Zoe was so tired; she barely made it home before she fell asleep   

This morning Zoe woke up to a basket full of goodies from the Easter bunny! She couldn’t believe all the good stuff she got. Best of all, there was only one chocolate bunny, no other candy.  Now that’s what I call a smart Easter bunny!  All month Zoe has been getting packages in the mail from friends/family members. Even Mimi and Mommy got a very special Easter basket made by Zoe. It was the cutest thing in the whole wide world. Very special!

For weeks Zoe has been talking about making breakfast for Easter. We had the most decadent breakfast ever – Bananas Foster French Toast.  It was delish! Zoe even had her sparkling (special occasion) grape ‘champagne’, always a HUGE deal!  The kitchen was a mess when it was all said and done however it was well worth the clean up.

 For dinner, I wasn’t in the mood to cook OR clean so we went out to eat.  Last Easter wasn’t so great, so I was especially thankful this year we’re all at home, and healthy.

Egg Hunt

This morning Zoe and Jaylyn got together to hunt Easter eggs. Both girls were eager and ready to collect their eggs. It’s always fun doing holiday stuff with the kids even if they are getting older. There is absolutely NO challenge to the ‘hunt’ because the eggs aren’t really hidden.  But, it’s still fun to watch the kids go through all the eggs and open them to find their treasures. The place we went had hot chocolate ready for the kids when the hunt was done. It’s in the low 40’s and windy but that didn’t stop two little girls from having fun.

When I was younger, my mom did egg hunts that always turned into a full body contact sport when we were all searching for the ‘golden egg’, we always had the best time.  Of course every other year my dad would forget where he hid the ‘golden egg’, and we could never find it. Months later, in the summer we would be having a bbq in the yard and stumble across the egg! Ahhh good time had by all!

Spring break is almost here and we have other Easter festivities planed. Can’t wait!

Shells

Zoe is most definitely a beach girl. From the time she was born, she has always loved the beach. Before we moved here, we were only minuets from the beach and Zoe has always had an obsession with shells and playing in the sand. Even now when we visit home, the beach is always one of the first items on her list of ‘must- do's’.

Zoe got a package in the mail from my mom and my aunt. In the package were shells my aunt picked up for Zoe while on a recent trip to the beach. Zoe also got a really cool postcard from my mom with all the different shells on it. Z couldn’t wait to get outside this morning and compare ALL her shells to the ones on the postcard. (In her pj’s and all!)

As you can imagine, the beach is on our ‘to do’ list this summer.

Early Dismissal

Zoe had half day of school today. With me being home until April, I absolutely love half-days! It gives Zoe and me some time to hang out and do girl stuff. I missed out on outings for 2 weeks while I was stuck home so now I get to make up for lost time. I know I have to take it easy for the next few weeks however, the doctor never said I couldn’t enjoy lunch with my beautiful daughter!

On the way to school this morning, I asked Z where she wanted to go to lunch when I picked her up? She quickly shouted, “Sushi! Sushi!”
So… Sushi it was!

 Shelli is out of town for a little quality time with her Aunt and cousin in North Carolina. It’s nice that she was able to spend some time with them for pleasure because most all of her travel is always based on Work! Work! Work! Zoe always misses Mimi no matter how long or short of a trip she is on and of course when we go to eat one of Mimi’s favorite foods, Z can’t help but to miss her a little more!

**Looks like Mimi and Aunt Sandra were thinking about Zoe too!!!**

2-week post-op

Shelli took me to the doctor this morning for my 2-week post-op appointment and all went well. Everything is healing as it should and I’m finally cleared to drive! Sitting idle, missing Z’s activities, not going to the gym, not hiking, not being able to do lunch mom, not being able to rough house with Z, and just being confined to the house has been hard for me. I’m way too active to just sit and heal.

The first week and a half was NOT fun however today I’m feeling much better. I’ve only got a few more weeks until everything is back to ‘normal’. I’m so thankful for everyone that has been here with me every step of the way. I wholeheartedly have the best parents and friends in the whole wide world!  A big 'Thank You' to everyone for everything, and especially Shelli for taking care of me and getting Zoe all over town with her activities, and still managing to work 8 hours a day! Also, Dana for being here daily with food and much needed laughs.

 

Each and everyday gets better and I’m just happy to get this over with because Summer is coming and we have lots of good stuff going on! But first, bring on Spring because we are over all this snow!!!

St. Patrick's Day

Zoe has always loved St. Patrick’s Day, she loves everything about the leprechauns and the ‘gold’ they leave behind. Sunday morning, Zoe got up super early to run and check if he (the leprechaun) had been here and if he left her anything. Thankfully, he made it to our house and left her a few goodies. Mommy even joined in on the fun playing with all the fun stuff left by the leprechaun.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Basketball Champ

About mid way through the season I stopped video taping the games and HAD to coach from the sidelines.  Not that the coach wasn't doing a good job, it's just I felt Zoe needed a little more direction.  Today was the last day of Zoe's basketball league, the girls had a great game and it was so fun to see how far they have come since the first of the season.  Overall, I am very proud of Zoe's progress and understanding of the game.  To top it off, I don't think I could have been more ecstatic than when I was talking to the coach in passing and she told me that Zoe was her first pick after seeing her at try-outs.  I'm always proud of the effort Zoe gives on the court, but I couldn't have been more proud than at that moment.

The trophy the girls got today was so monumental for Zoe, she has been watching Tess and Tucker, even me and Aunt Wendy play ball since she has been old enough to remember.  Tess and Tucker have tons of trophies and medals from all the many leagues and sports they've played over the years.  Zoe covets those trophies and medals something awful, and has longed for the day she could have her own.  I was so happy and proud of her when she received her very own trophy today.  Congrats my little gym rat, I hope this trophy is the first of many to come!

Always play hard, and always have fun!

Love Mimi

My turn!

It’s almost been a year since Shelli’s horrific surgery when she was in Connecticut for business. It’s a time Zoe, Shelli, or myself will never forget.

Fast forward, 11 months and it’s my turn to have surgery and needless to say, the weeks leading up to my operation haven't been easy on Zoe. She had a really rough week at school last week. We had been talking to Zoe about my surgery for the past several weeks in hopes Zoe would understand what was going on and that everything was going to be ok. In her little head, she could only think about how awful it was when Shelli was in the hospital so, thinking about me going in, made her very uneasy.

Shelli and I got a call from the teacher saying Z was very concerned that my heart was going to stop beating. Zoe couldn’t quite stay focused on anything other than my operation. Shell and I decided to go to the school and meet with the guidance counselor to let him know what was going on, and to check in on Zoe.  The counselor set up a 'chance encounter' with Zoe and had a one-on-one conversation with her. We came up with a plan for the day of my surgery. The plan was for Mimi to email Zoe’s teacher as soon as I was in recovery AND Mimi would pick Zoe up early from school to visit mommy in the hospital. That seemed to put Z at ease.

My surgery was Monday and Z was counting down the hours. We had a super action-packed weekend (on purpose) to keep everyones mind busy. Monday morning arrived and Z was in good spirits. She got a ride to school with a friend because I had to be at the hospital by 8am.  Once I was all checked in, they took me back to get prepped and it happened to be in the SAME room, and the SAME nurse Shelli had when I took her to get her IVF procedure done.  So, I took that as a good sign, and it put a smile on my face just knowing I was in the same room. Surgery and recovery lasted about an hour and a half, then I was moved to my room.  I dozed for a few hours until Zoe arrived, and when she did, she didn’t come empty handed. Zoe had balloons and a beautiful card for me. Of course while she was visiting, she helped me sip on water, fed me crackers, and held my hand. She’s the sweetest girl in the whole wide world.

Overall, everything went well. I am so thankful for all the emails, texts, care packages, and calls I received. The only con to this whole ordeal is being out of commission for 4-6 weeks! The pro is I have so many wonderful people taking care of me.  With that said, I think we are going to be on a blog break for a couple weeks. It’s time to recover and relax.

B-Ball

A fun-filled afternoon spent with the Johnson-McCormick family at the Lehigh University basketball game!