march

The highlights for March were having both Bryan's parents and my parents come to visit us each on separate weekends.  When Bryan's parents came, the weather was perfect and we decided to go to the zoo.  We purchased a membership for this year, so we are looking forward to it being a regular field trip.  I guess I was too busy having fun to take any pictures!

When my parents came, we just hung out close to home.  My dad got very sick in February and was still working on gaining back his energy.  It was another great weather weekend, so we grilled some delicious steaks and ate on the deck.  In the above picture, the kids are fighting over my dad's lap at snack time, below, Dad is pushing them on the swings.

Lydia finished up her session of swimming lessons and Brett started taking swimming lessons.  Reggie will probably take swimming in the fall.  It is amazing to see how they can go from being scared of the water to having confidence in just a few weeks.

Lydia will be taking an introductory dance class.  A couple weeks ago, we had a "girls night" and I took her to the mall to buy ballet shoes.  Doesn't she look like she just loves shopping?  I'm in trouble! Brett had a special outing when I took him to a friend's birthday party, and we didn't want to leave Reggie out, so Reggie had a special date with Daddy.  They went to "Benards" (Menard's) and the dairy queen.

We're gearing up for planting a vegetable garden, so we got a couple books to learn about gardening and planted bean seeds to watch them grow while we're waiting for it to warm up.  I also started composting.  There was a bin left here when we moved in, so I might as well give it a try!

Brett is enjoying school, and it is always fun to hear what he has to say about his day - he is a man of few words.  One day, he told me they were watching caterpillars turn into raccoons!  We are looking into a different preschool for next year - but not because of the raccoons.

We celebrated Bryan's birthday.  We made him a cake and a poster and decorated with streamers and balloons.  I had the kids hide behind the couch and when Bryan came in from work they jumped out and yelled "surprise".  Later, we joked that even his birthday was all about the kids now!  But I made it up to him and took him on a proper date the following night.

blog shift

I'm going through a season where I lack motivation and inspiration to blog.  Life is busy, but not eventful, if that makes sense.  I started blogging just shy of 5 years and 500 posts ago.  The kids are glowing and changing, and this blog is my only record of it.  I don't keep a personal journal, am bored with facebook, don't have photo albums, don't scrapbook.  The kids' baby books are shamefully incomplete.  This blog started out as a way to communicate with people about our adoption and adoption in general, and there were many readers.  But it has changed.

This blog is for me so I can look back and remember.  There are a few family members who still appreciate the updates and picture, so I will keep the blog public.  I have an aunt who sends out a monthly email to friends and family.  It included birthday wishes and news about the past month.  In the coming months, that is my goal.