Fun final day

Today was the last day of school for Cassidy and Carter. I was fortunate enough to be able to walk them to school and then join them for lunch on the lawn. We got to eat lunch together outside with their friends and get pictures with their teachers. Then they got to go home early with me!

What a weekend...

It was quite the weekend! We started with dinner out with great friends and their kids. Our kids still decked out from their rock star party at their after school program.

Saturday saw the beginning of the 3 day weekend of yard work, but we were also able to meet some friends of ours, who were in our travel group to China, for dinner and ice cream. It was great to see them.

Sunday saw the real work beginning with the creation of a new garden. Jenny and I were able to enjoy a nice evening out with a quick bite and then the wonderful musical, Book of Mormon.

Monday about did me in! Sore from the tilling and digging the garden the day before, today involved lots and lots of mulching along with digging out a Bush and moving it...which required more digging! Jenny planted many flowers and some strawberries in our garden. While I bought many evergreen trees and some rose bushes that we were not able to plant yet, all in all, it was a productive weekend.

Thanks to both grandpa John's... one for the use of the tiller and the other for the use of his truck and his hands.

More pictures to come of the finished product!...

Never Forget

This past Saturday was Carter's 7th birthday and he made sure we did not forget it with a countdown that started weeks in advance. He made it quite hard for us to forget with the daily questions about did we know what was coming up in 5 days or 4 days... As the day approached he got even more excited. We went out to eat at a restaurant on Friday that he loves that has a magician that comes to your table to do tricks. This was the 2nd consecutive year that we have gone there to see this particular magician...and he did not disappoint. He amazed us all. Carter performed some magic of his own making one of his teeth disappear during dinner. It was one of his upper front teeth that had been loose for a while and finally came out during dinner. It was quite the time at the restaurant. On Saturday we celebrated with family over for cake and ice cream...and of course...presents. He built 3 or 4 Lego sets that afternoon.

While Carter would not let us forget his birthday, it is easy to forget just how little he was when we met him and celebrated his first birthday with us as a 2 year-old. It was right around the time of that first birthday here 5 years ago when we went to one of our favorite parks and took the picture that has remained at the top of this blog ever since. We went back last week and took another picture of the kids walking that same path. They have certainly grown over the past five years and have helped us grow as well. What an amazing journey it has been!

Of course, I write this entry on the 7th anniversary of a very important day in Carter's life and ours. For it was 7 years ago today that his birth parents made what would have to be the most difficult one they would ever make and one that would change all of our lives forever, when they decided to give Carter up for adoption. While the process is nothing like it is in the US and I will not go into the social political ideology, it is clear that they did what they thought they had to do for him...whatever their reasons. We are so thankful that they made the decision they did...7 years ago today. A day we will never forget...and I am sure...neither will his birth parents.

Out with the old...

...in with the new. After 10 years and many, many miles with the Accord, I finally got a new car...(the Elantra to the left of the Accord). The kids like it...and so do I.

Dancing Dancing

Back to back weekends with dance. Last weekend was watching the professionals at BalletMet with their amazing performance. Tonight was a family dance at our kids elementary school. Carter kept Jenny busy with all his moves. Cass was willing to dance with me for one song. Professionals we are not, but it was fun to dance with them.