Life as we know it

Derik and I can officially say we now have a two year old!  It's bittersweet, when your kids grow and have birthdays.  It's neat seing how much they have changed in a year, but I can't help to be a little sad that she is growing up.  Zoie' s birthday fell on Memorial Day this year, but we celebrated with family on Sunday with a lady bug theme. We had crackers with ladybugs (Cream cheese, Olives, tomatoes) And some fruit lady bugs (Strawberries, chocolate chips, blueberries) We drank "Bug Juice" out of our cute mason jars But my favorite was the cupcakes that my mom and I got to make.  By the end of making all 24 of them, our hands were green and red.  It looked like Christmas at our house. Zoie did SO well opening her gifts this year.  She is way more into "stuff" than she was last year.  She got lots of books, toys, and clothes. She also got a really neat portable high chair that we can pack up easily into the car and

The first time I held Zoie in my arms I wasn't quite sure what to think. It's that, "okay, I love this sweet little girl, look at how beautiful she is, wow! We did this?" kinda reaction.....But if we are all honest, I think it takes a while to fully understand what being a mother means. It also takes time to develop that relationship and bond a mother has with her kids. My mom has always told me how much she loves me.  I never understood why she would say or do some of the stuff she did, or still does, until I became a mom myself. When Derik and I got married, I remember his asking me the question, "what do you want out of life?"  My first response was always to fall in love and become a mom.  I have always wanted tons of kids, and I always felt like I was put on this Earth to be a mom.  I wouldn't ever feel like it was okay for me to go to Heaven until I had the chance to fulfill my dream of mommyhood. I just had this feeling, that I wanted

Happy May Day to everyone! It's not just May 1st though, it's also the first day, of 31, to raise awareness and spread the word of Cystic Fibrosis. Two years ago, I had no idea what CF was; in fact, Derik and I first thought it was like Multiple Sclurosis, and thought it had to do with the muscles and walking. Shows how little we knew right? To raise awareness I thought I would re-tell our families CF story from the beginning, just so everyone knows how close to our heart it is and why we push so hard to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Zoie got the regular new born screen just like every other baby. A little prick in her heel at the doctors office and we were on our way home. Two weeks later as I was sitting on my computer, Zoie napping, Derik at work, I recieved a phone call that will forever remain in my head. It was her pediatrician on the other line telling me that her new born screen test came back abnormal, and she may have Cystic Fibrosis. How kin