A weekend at Desoto State Park

Several weeks ago our friends the Bosworth's had invited us to spend a weekend at Desoto State Park with them over spring break. We were so excited about getting away for a weekend and also apprehensive because this would be our first time going out of town with Zoey. When you have children you know that your kids are never going to sleep as well away from home, I don't even sleep good away from home. But all in all she did fine and we had a wonderful weekend. We got to relax too because there was lots of helpers to take care of Zoey!We had hoped for sunny weather, which we didn't get. And it was a little cooler than we expected, but we didn't have too much rain and were still able to get out and ride our bikes, and do some hiking. I think that Zoey really loved all the attention from Alec and Gibson. The kids all had a great time playing with Zoey, but believe me she let them know when she had had enough! When we got there on Friday we went for a bike ride. It was pretty bumpy for some of us older folks (me!), but it was a lot of fun to watch the kids (and the adult men) goofing around and relaxing. My bike wasn't made for offroading! Say "Hello" to our campfire master Pat. Friday night we cooked out hotdogs and made Smores, which I hadn't had in years. What a great night! Zoey didn't sleep so great, but the kids did so Saturday was nice. They all bunked on the floor and the adults got the beds, although I don't know which was more comfortable. No bed is ever as good as yours at home!Zoey took a good nap that morning while the boys went on a mountain trail bike ride. It pretty much wore the grown boys out I think! Pat and Vince looked pretty pooped when they got back, but Alec and Gibson were ready for another ride. We drove up to Desoto Falls, which was absolutely beautiful. I don't know if I had ever been there. For some reason I think I might have in college, but am not sure. After that it was back to the cabin for lunch and then out for an afternoon hike. Zoey spent half the weekend covered in Cheese Puffs! And she tried Grahm Crackers too, which were a big hit! Saturday late afternoon Hope, Zoey, and I ran into Fort Payne to get some more soft drinks and a birthday cake for Gibson, because his birthday was Sunday March 30. While we were gone the guys got a campfire going and cooked out some burgers. We got back and ate and then had birthday cake, which Zoey really enjoyed I must say! After that it was back to the campfire to enjoy our last night away. Poor Zoey was so exhausted after a fun filled day on the mountain, which so were we all. It was a great quick little getaway!

Zoey is on the move!

Well last Thursday (which when I started this post would've been 3-27) Zoey officially started what I consider crawling. Others may call is scooting or creeping, but whatever the classification-she is EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! When I say everywhere I mean it. No area unexplored no anything unturned. We have managed, somehow, to not venture to the steps yet, but I know it won't be long. She is such a busy body, but she has started finally sleeping through the night and it has to be because she is wearing herself out! She is also pulling up on anything and everything. It doesn't matter if it is a block or the dog, she will find a way to stand up. I truly think she will be walking within the next month. She is walking around holding our hands, and even tries to let go one hand at a time. Of course with pulling up comes the injuries, luckily no major ones yet, but she will be my child to go to the emergency room. She is fearless when it comes to that. The only thing she seems to be scared of is still the dog, although that is getting much much better. She just doesn't want her in her face at all and Scout is an in your face kind of dog. She would give everyone a lick bath if they would let her.
I can't even get a picture of them together because she won't sit close to her long enough to take one. Although now that she has started eating Cheerios she thinks it's funny to tease Scout with them and will wave it in her face and then NOT give it to her. It's so amazing to see how far her development has come in these short months we've been home. People had told us she would catch up in her motor skills but I don't think either of us expected it this quickly. God has truly blessed all of us. I knew all this time our lives would change in many ways, good ways, and this unbelievable gift that is Zoey has exceeded all of my hopes and dreams thus far. I thank God everyday for my beautiful girls, our miracle born to us, Madison, and the child He chose for us, Zoey. Of course every family has it's up and down moments and some days it seems it's more downs for some reason, but even on those days I can get in my bed at night with the world's most wonderful husband and be amazingly overjoyed with the life that God has given me and I know how blessed I am.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE.....a little late!

What a wonderful Easter Weekend we had. We started on Friday night with our nieces coming over for a sleepover and dying Easter Eggs. We had an obscene amount of eggs to dye thanks to Nana contributing them. We had all kinds of dyes to use, including stickers and glitter. The eggs all turned out so pretty, the girls did a great job. What would an egg dying event be without a major spill. Poor Suzanna, at least it washed out! And Emily had a nosebleed in the middle of it too, but I thought I would spare you all a picture of that. Vince built a big fort in the den for the girls to sleep in. He's tried on several occasions to build a good one, but the blankets just won't stay up, so this time we brought in a small portable shelter that you would use on the beach and then put blankets on that. It worked really well and the girls had fun. Zoey and even Scout tried to get in on the fun! They all curled up and watched The BEE MOVIE, which they said was good, I didn't get to see any of it. Vince and I had clean up duty in the kitchen. Saturday we played, rode bikes (which by the way Zoey looks so precious in her helmut but will NOT leave it on, no matter how tight we have it she can get it off), and relaxed. Easter Sunday we got up and went to Mass and then went to my sister Lee's for Easter lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt. Before changing clothes we had to take advantage of the beautiful day and make some family pictures. I know I am partial, but the girls looked so precious! I just love how the pictures turned out! Such an angel, God is so amazing to bring two beautiful girls into our lives. I am such a blessed mother and wife to have been given my wonderful family!We spent the afternoon at their house with all of our families and the Benedict family. Tyler cooked out ribs and chicken, which were delicious. Everyone brought a little something for a side dish and then we had bunny carrot cake for desert. The egg hunt was a hit. There were even prize eggs with money for the kids to find. Look at all those smiles after the cash had been found!

Vince decided to let Zoey try out the trampoline. She thought that was the most fun thing in the whole wide world. She laughed so hard just bobbing up and down on it (of course he didn't bounce her high or even off the trampoline). It was just amazing to think that a year ago around Easter I started our blog and here it is a year later and we are a family of 4! It was a blessed Easter weekend!

Fun Days!!

I had been behind on blogging for several weeks and now am trying to catch up, obviously. I've posted so many things recently. First off on Wednesday February 27th our social worker came and did our one month post adoption evaluation. She thought everything looked great and said that Zoey's room was very "peaceful", which was a good thing. Sometimes the children from orphanages can get over stimulated visually if the room is too busy, but she thought hers was great! Yea. She also had to have some pictures of us with Zoey and her with family members to put with her report. We had plenty of Zoey with other people but none of all of us, so this is the one she took for the report: The Blaszczynski Family of Four!The last several weeks at home have been great. Madison and Zoey have bonded and Zoey's little eyes follow Madison wherever she goes and she is fascinated by whatever her big sister is doing. Madison was working on her reading homework one night and Zoey was just listening to every word very intently, not understanding it or anything, but hanging on everything that her big sister was saying. It was so precious!She has fit right into the snuggle club. We are all about curling up on the couch and watching American Idol in our house and Zoey didn't miss a beat when it came to that. See, she is so comfortable that she is picking her nose and doesn't care who is watching!

She LOVES music, especially techno or anything with a good beat. She will boogie! I can't wait until she can get into a dance class, watch out Miss Shalita you have an up and coming hip hop dancer on your hands!

Every day we are just amazed at the changes in her since the day we got her, which was almost two months ago and will be on Easter Sunday. She has come such a long way, going from a blank stare and gorging herself to this happy, moving non-stop, grabbing and playing with everything she can get her hands on, laughing, smiling, rolling around, beautiful baby girl whose eyes are full and bright and filled with love! She has just absolutely thrived in the last few weeks we've had her home and it's just God's loving hand on her and on us for her coming into our lives!In the words of me and my sister when we were little, "We're sisters, we're sisters, we're lovely little sisters. We're sisters, we're sisters, we hope you are some too!"


The weather has been so crazy lately being 40 one day and 70 the next. Here are some picture of one of the warm days when we sat outside to eat our biter biscuit. This is when she first started eating it (or gumming it really). I know the birds were excited once we went inside. A feast for them fit for a king!I think more ended up on Zoey's face, clothes, and the ground than she got in her mouth.


So basically by the time she was done I had to strip her down and put her in the bathtub. It was in her hair, behind her ears, down her shirt, EVERYWHERE! But at least she enjoyed it and it was fun to watch!

Some of you know that we have kind of been blindsided by some issues with Madison. The first few weeks we were home things were great. Then all of the sudden she started getting very upset going to school in the mornings. One day I decided to let her stay home, which she had been begging to do for a few days. I thought maybe a day home with me and Zoey would help. Boy was I wrong. That just led to more trouble when trying to take her to school. I don't mean throwing a tantrum or acting out. I mean screaming crying saying that she was afraid to go to school because she thought I would forget about her and not pick her up. She thought that I would get so tied up with Zoey that I would literally forget her at school. It has been a very tough few weeks for me. I can hardly make her get out of the car, it breaks my heart. I finally week before last went to visit the school counselor after calling her and we all three talked about things. Madison has been visiting her office and calling me some during the day for some reassurance. I also talked to the social worker at the adoption clinic and she told me the same thing, just to keep reassuring her. Vince and I have told her over and over again that this has been a big change for all of us and things seemed to be getting better, but then she had a major breakdown again yesterday morning. I called the counselor and spoke with her because I feel like I just don't know what else to do. I have been able to change my work schedule and will be able to pick her up everyday from school because I will be leaving work at 2:00. I think this will make a difference. If I can show her that I will really be there everyday maybe we'll get over this hump. I probably shouldn't be spilling all this on my blog but it's like a journal for me and makes me feel better, so sorry you have to endure it. We've really tried to spend special time with her, each of us. We've had spend the night company with friends. It happened to be the Friday night that it snowed. It was so great, the girls woke up to a beautiful white covered morning and got to have a snowball fight before going home. It was a perfect sleepover with her friends Neely and Payton! What sweet girls!Tonight my nieces are over for Easter egg dying and movie in a tent night (pictures to follow on my Easter post). Please keep Madison in your prayers that she will find some peace of mind that there is no way we would ever forget her. It kills me to think that that thought would ever cross her mind! My precious first born baby girl so upset tears me up inside and I can't fix it, I don't know how!

Madison was so thrilled that we took this picture of her on the way to ice skating last Saturday, can't you tell? Life has definitely changed for us very quickly, some things are hard to handle but it is all worth it. Madison was playing with Zoey today on the floor after school and said, "Mom I am so glad that we went to China to bring my sister home. I really love her so much, it was really worth it." All I could think of is the song we used to sing in Sunday school growing up, "GOD is so good, GOD is so good, GOD is so good, HE'S so good to me!"

Zoey's Baptism

On Sunday March 2, 2008, Zoey was baptized in the Catholic Church by Father Bill Lucas, our priest at Holy Infant of Prague in Trussville, Alabama.I am sure for many of you this is a strange thing that you may have heard about being baptized as a baby. Being raised Baptist myself it was something I learned about during my confirmation classes when I converted to Catholicism. I have tried to find a way to explain the Sacrament of Baptism for those of you who aren't Catholic that might be reading this. When I was baptized in the Baptist Church I made the decision to be baptized. When I felt that I truly understood what Jesus had done for me I was in the 4th grade and I acknowledged that I wanted to follow Him through the rite of baptism. In the Catholic Church this is done when we are just babies, if born into the Catholic faith. In a Catholic Handbook I have it says, "Through your baptism, you share with others "the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn". Your baptism can never be repeated because it binds you to God forever. The bond is unbreakable. It is possible for you to lose grace and even faith, but you cannot lose your baptism. You are marked as one of God's own. That same bond links you to all other baptized persons in a sacramental way. You are one of us and we are all "sacrament persons." Together we are called to live until death the baptismal mystery into which we have been plunged."

Zoey's godparents are her Aunt Lee and Uncle Tyler Marlow (my sister and brother-in-law). The role of the godparents according to the Code of Canon Law, "Insofar as possible, one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is to assist an adult in Christian initiation, or, together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it" (No. 872). This statement clearly reflects the historical roots of the role of godparents or "sponsors".
To be a godparent, a person must be chosen by the person to be baptized, or by the parents or guardians of a child, or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister of the sacrament. They must be a Catholic who has received the sacraments of holy Eucharist and confirmation, and "leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken." Lee and Tyler are close to Madison and now will be to Zoey as we are very close to their 3 girls too. They are strong in their faith and have strong family values. For these reasons her aunt and uncle were chosen and we couldn't be happier.

It was a great day with lots of family and friends to share the occasion.