plain and simple

just enjoying

spending time with my sister.. she is in town this week- we're having fun :-)

Small garden

We decided this year to try to grow a little garden in a box in the backyard.  Nothing too big- tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers and some flowers.  The kids are so excited!  They picked out the seeds, helped Brian build the box and then planted the seeds.  Hopefully, we will have some little sprouts that we will eventually plant in the 4x8 box!  (If not, my back-up plan is to just go buy plants! ha!)  Some photos from last weekend:

  

  

 

   

so fast :-)

A quick update on our adoption :-)

Our court date was rescheduled from May 19th to May 8th - YAY!!!!  So, for our countdown- we have 50 days left until court!!  A month and a half- not too bad!  Our visa interview is still scheduled for June, though- what a bummer- I really was hoping to travel earlier than June.  It has been so hard to think about our sweet baby girl in Ethiopia- I feel so selfish- I want her home NOW!!!!  I want to squeeze her and love her and kiss her!!

We got a huge blessing today- a new friend of mine (Hi Amy!) traveled this past week to pick up her son (he is so gorgeous!) and she took photos and a video of our girl and sent them to us- it was amazing!  I cried so much today just staring at her pictures- it feels so crazy to love this baby SO much when I haven't even met her or even held her.  But, it is there- this huge huge love.  I really can't thank Amy enough- it is crazy what these pictures mean to me!  I am so hoping we can do this for other families while we are there picking up our baby!

The kids were thrilled to see the pictures and the video- I know it is hard for them, but they are so excited and want us to travel now to pick her up!

Here is a picture of the family- from our last snow day!

I mean, really...

How cute is she?

My little mama has started seeing an orthodontist for her underbite.  This week, she had some stuff (plastic and wire and ??) glued onto her teeth and she has started to wear head gear.  (WHA?  Yeah, my first thought when they told us she would have to wear it was of the scene from 16 Candles when AMH woke up in the back of the car with his head gear on. eeps)  Anyhow, the girl loves it.  LOVES it.  Wants to wear to school (but not),  and she is so proud of it.  Wants to put it on right when she gets home from school.   She just thinks it is the coolest thing ever.  Really, she is just too sweet.  The only problem is at night- she is the craziest sleeper ever- tossing around in her bed like a monkey, sometimes ending up on the floor.  She has worn this for 3 nights and hasn't kept it all the way at night yet.  Hopefully she will just learn to sleep easier ;-)  8 months of head gear- her bite should change and also her profile.  Crazy.

dude cracks me up

Tonight at the dinner table, Declan tells Aislin:

"When you lie, you are caught in a web of lies.  Tell the truth and it will set you free of the web."

I just about peed my pants from laughing.  Apparently, he learned this from his teacher.  I asked if he lied at school and he said, "NO!", like he was shocked that I even asked him.  What a funny dude.  Oh, and the picture?  Aislin put makeup on him to look like a dragon- red all over his face, then blue on his neck.  He had cool blue triangles down his back.  The things they think to do...

Aislin went to the orthodontist today.. more on that tomorrow!