Busy, busy, busy!

Once again, I have fallen behind. Baby #2 has really interrupted my blogging motivation-- what is going to happen when Baby #3 gets here?!

Moses was in a wedding this weekend, and he did a fantastic job. Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend:

Snuggling with her Daddy:

Showing off his tattoos:

Walking down the hotel call to breakfast:

Getting ready!


Posing for all the college girls (I'm not joking):

Moses and ZuZu chill in the church nursery before the wedding (and share a few crackers):

Moses and his "best friend":

Waiting to walk down the aisle:


What a little man!


Blowing bubbles at the flower girl (they really hit it off):


We got in about 1:15 on Sunday morning. Moses had a big morning that day as well- it was "Awana Sunday" at the church where he goes to Cubbies. They did their songs and recited their verses. Those pics and a video will come tomorrow!

Enough about ZuZu

I'm just kidding- but it is time to highlight Moses a little bit! We've been so busy this week that, once again, I lost my blogging momentum a little. So this video will have to do for the weekend!

Happy weekend to you all! :)

Princess ZuZu's Garden Party

Where to begin? ZuZu had a very exciting weekend- yesterday was her birthday, and we celebrated (just the four of us) with a special birthday breakfast and presents. But today was the big party- 2 sets of grandparents, 1 set of great-grandparents, 4 aunts and uncles, and 4 cousins. And boy did Moses and ZuZu have fun!

Let's just let the pictures speak for themselves...

The preparations:

The party begins, and Princess ZuZu makes her grand entrance:

She entertained us all day!

Happy Birthday, ZuZu!

What a year this has been! At 12:39 am on March 6, 2010, we met Tzofia Zerachia Smith, face-to-face, for the first time. She didn’t cry, and the delivery was so fast, that I remember asking over and over, “Is she okay?!”—afraid that something was wrong with her. But she was perfect!

Within several hours, however, her blood sugar was “critically low.” They came in and told us that if they didn’t put in a feeding tube right away, we could risk blindness and other terrible things. Between the red marks from tape on her face and the foot pricks she was getting every three hours to test her blood sugar, we had one beat-up looking baby!

I also remember thinking they would never let us take her home! But on the fourth day in the hospital, we were allowed to leave. We had to go back in the next day for some uneventful lab tests—and when we got home, I could hear Moses from outside, running through the house yelling, “She’s back! ZuZu is back!” I don’t know if he thought we weren’t going to bring her back, or what. But his loving acceptance of his sister was obvious from the beginning. He never questioned for a second why we brought this little bundle home. She was his sister, and she belonged to him.

By March 23, something was seriously wrong. I’ve blogged about that before, with the summary/update here. But by September 6—almost 6 months to the day of her birth date—ZuZu was healed. She went to bed one night still sick, and woke up the next morning perfectly healthy. Praise God!

That’s when her personality really started coming out. Up to that point, we had seen nothing but “sugar” from her. After that, the “spice” started coming out a little bit more! But while she is such a stinker, she is still a sweetheart at heart. She is so tender and cuddly and loving. Her heart is broken so easily, and her feelings are fragile. She is definitely a girl! But she can play with tractors and trains—and climb—with the best of ‘em.

She is loved and adored by us all! We are so excited to be celebrating her First Birthday!

Happy Birthday, ZuZu! We love you more than anything!

I think she's ready for her cake...

She certainly doesn't have any trouble eating her lasagna... and asking (actually, demanding) for some off of Daddy's plate!

Sleepy-heads

I don't think anything is much cuter than kids sleeping...

ZuZu fell asleep on the way home from running errands with Daddy. She doesn't look like she will be one in two days, does she?!

With Moses, we never quite know in which direction, or with what, he is going to fall asleep at night. Tonight he fell asleep sideways, clutching a paper he made at Cubbies that says "Jesus." How SWEET is that?!

I'm up late once again with party preparation! Last night I stayed up making some decorations, tonight I stayed up arranging a couple table runners for the dining room. It will be so fun to have our families joining us on Sunday! But for now, it is time for ME to go sleep...

Is she turning 1, or 14?

I'm quite pleased with myself...

I don't often have the chance to do anything "crafty"- and I'm not good at sewing (I have a machine, but I don't have the faintest idea how to thread it), cooking (but I can make a mean box of mac and cheese), etc.

BUT, I wanted ZuZu to have the perfect tutu for her birthday. Princess ZuZu is having a Garden Party, and I wanted her to look the part. I looked all over etsy, and the tutus were either too expensive for the occasion (she didn't really like her Christmas tutu, so I didn't want to spend money on something she is going to hate) or too overdone. I just wanted something simple to go with the special onesie I am making her-- and of course, her special birthday "hat."

SO, I decided to try my hand at tutu-making. When I first started, I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it. I mean, I even had a hard time at the beginning unrolling and cutting the tulle! :) But once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. We tried it on her tonight (over her sleeper, so not really the best representation of what is to come), and I was thrilled that she LOVED walking around in it. She had the cutest little smile on her face!

Here's a little preview of what is to come:

Of course, you can put the girl in a tutu, but you can't take the tractor out of the girl. Or, ahem, something like that. :) This picture pretty much sums up ZuZu's personality. She wants to be the princess, but she also wants to be just like her big brother: