Fun Day

I have come to realize that I am not creative with my titles. Oh well...

We were able to spend the afternoon hanging out by the pool with friends. It was most definitely a low-key event, but fun all the same. We were given the privilege to meet the girl that our friends are in the process of adopting. She seemed to have a good time here, after warming up (haha) to the cool water in the pool. Her parents-to-be were naturals with her, balancing fun and learning throughout the afternoon. The little girl loved the boys, and played very well with them while they were in the pool. She also took to Jack quickly, and showered him with lots of attention and affection.

We also got the chance to hang with Kim Tres, someone who is dear to my heart, even though I haven't had much opportunity to spend time with over the years. She was moving out of the UCF group as I was moving in, but we have many mutual friends, so I have the privilege of seeing her when she's in town. And really, she's not here too often, since until this year, she spend the last six years in Russia teaching. Lucky for all of us, she made a quick visit to Orlando, before she heads off to Qatar to teach for the next two years!

Tyger came over as well, not wanting to miss a chance to hang out with her "little men", as she likes to call Nicholas and Matthew. Having Kim here was an added bonus, but meeting J & T's soon-to-be daughter was the main draw, I'm sure.

All in all, it was a great day around here. It felt like what Sunday's should feel like...an opportunity for a great church service, combined with a lazy afternoon filled with good friends and family. Here's to hoping for many more Sundays like this one, both here and at our new home.

(Did you notice that I threw in the theme for this month, Home? :-))

Baby Shower!

I've thrown quite a few parties for friend's over the years. Mostly wedding showers, with a small mixture of birthday parties thrown in for variety. But today I helped throw my second baby shower! It was quite an experience, and came off without a hitch.

One might say I was the primary point of contact for the event. I guess that's because I asked Anne if I could throw her a shower first. Then a connection was made with her friend Rachel, who also wanted to throw a shower. From there I sent e-mails to a few of the girls from church and a little shower team was created. Let me say that although I am not one who typically likes doing things by "committee", this event has softened my view on group projects. 99% of the planning for this event was done via e-mail. I tried to be as thorough as possible in my initial contact, hoping to get all of the big things assigned early on. Getting everyone to pick and choose a responsibility seemed to work pretty well, and each person was off and running. I touched base with the girls every week or two, getting opinions on invitations and dates/times for the event, but pretty much tried to stay out of the way.

Those who know me well might say that I'm a bit of a control freak. I've softened that image over the years (or at least tried to), and I hope that anyone who witnessed Anne's baby shower can testify that I wasn't trying to control anything. (Although I did desperately want to win something during game time, because let's face it, I'm a little bit competative!)

All that is to say that I worked with some wonderful women. Kelly, Katie, Hilary and Rachel were a dream team. Each person stepped up and took on a major task for the day, and for that I am so grateful. And while my own mom doesn't even know Anne, she came through in a major way. She lent me the plates, punch bowl and cups, and vases. She arranged flowers, helped met set up the room, and generally made the room look beautiful. Oh, and the bonus was that she and my dad kept the boys all weekend so I could concentrate on making the baby shower a success. (Thanks!)

My Wednesday Night Girls, (my Bible study) came through in a huge way. Maruxa offered some supplies, which was wonderful. Maggie stuffed favors and wrapped silverware. Loni did the shopping for our gift. Kim (and others) stuck around and helped with clean up. I love those girls!

But the best thing about yesterday was being able to sit back and watch the event come together, with no snafu's (other than forgetting a can opener!). Watching Anne get showered with love and prayers and gifts for her baby boy was simply amazing. I must say that there is no one more deserving of such a special day than Anne, and I am so thrilled that I was able to play a small role in it.

Impromtu Showing

Until last Saturday, it had been weeks since we'd had a showing on the Cullowhee house. Yes, there's been some interest in it, based on how few fliers are left in the tube, but no one has been inside to see it. Unfortunately, the fact that no one has been here for a showing since last month means that the house had slipped a little bit in the "you must keep the house show worthy at all times" state.

Of course, this meant that the phone rang Friday night at 6:00pm, complete with a call from our realtor saying someone was going to come see the place the next day. Thankfully my parents were here to babysit, and they were willing to do some of the straightening up necessary for the house to be show worthy. The house was seen on Saturday, as always, we're hopeful that it went well and the people are really interested.

All that to say, thank goodness that we had the showing on Saturday. Because of the showing on Saturday, when a realtor came knocking on our door at 3:30pm this afternoon, it meant that Dan (who was home alone) only needed about 15 minutes to run around and put dishes in the dishwasher, pick up the few toys on the floor and make the bed.

I really do wish this house would sell. Yes, there are obvious reasons why we want that to happen...1) not having to pay two mortgages, 2) freeing up a little money so we can buy a stove that was made in the 21st century, 3) kicking our butts into high gear to move. But I want this house to sell, because it really is a great house. It's in a nice neighborhood with good people surrounding it. I don't want it to sit empty and alone. I want people to come here and love it, and make it their own home. It's ready for new people and new memories, and I hope it can have that very soon.

Busy times ahead...

So it seems that our relatively low key summer thus far is quickly coming to an end. In the next three weeks we have the following things on our calendar:

Anne's baby shower in Orlando (June 28)
Kate, Dan's sister visiting before starting her new job (Sometime between June 30-July 5)
A quick trip for me to New Jersey for the weekend (July 4-6)
Jenn's baby shower in New Jersey (July 5)
Dan travels (July 7-11)
Dan's parents in town (July 9-15)


To say that things will be a little busy around here is quite the understatement. Add into that working like crazy on the new house (well, Dan and my parents are working on the new house) and it's quite a whirlwind around here.

Family Day is finally here!

Back in January, Dan and I started talking about what we were going to do to celebrate the first anniversary of our adoption. Visions of a huge blowout party, something similar to what our friend's Laurie and Ed did for their son Josiah when he turned one, danced in our heads. We talked about inviting everyone we knew, and even made sure that we told enough people to save the date that we would be sure family would be in town. Rest assured, dear reader, this party did not happen. You didn't miss an invitation to a huge MacDonald party.

Since those first discussions of Huge Blowout Party, things have happened. Well, one major thing has happened. The house on Burning Tree Lane came into our lives and has sucked up all of our "free time". But it's all good. Yes, I'm a little bummed that we're not having the big party we talked about, but we had a great time celebrating, just the four of us.



If you know me at all, you know that I love Disney. Disney has connected to it so many great memories, so it is no surprise that we spent our first Family Day at Magic Kingdom. The boys really seemed to enjoy the park today, probably more than ever before. I suppose this will continue to be so, as they get a little bigger and can comprehend a little more of what their little eyes and ears are taking in. They danced in their strollers twice, once each way when we passed the show at Cinderella's Castle. They rode rides. They pointed out every balloon they saw. They put on bathing suits and played in the water. They had french fries for the first time! (Can you believe it?) Not one tear was shed the entire day, except by the Mom, who so desperately wanted their pictures taken with Chip & Dale (twins) or Tweedledee & Tweedledum (more twins). They went peacefully to sleep in strollers as we were leaving. (Note, not the best time for them to go to sleep, but we'll take it.) Best part of the day at Disney? Realizing it really is a "Small World". See?

After we got home from Disney, the boys got to have a snack on the special Elmo blanket and watch Elmo on TV. (Yes, Elmo is their favorite thing right now.) Once that was was over, everyone changed clothes and we were off to Lac Viet to have a Vietnamese dinner in honor of today. While I don't know that Disney will be a tradition every year (although one can dream!), I do think going to Vietnamese food will be. The boys loved their meal, and Dan and I enjoyed ours as well.

It's been a wonderful year. I can't believe it's over, and we're on to a new one. It feels like Nicholas and Matthew have been with us forever, and yet, it feels like just yesterday that they were given to us.

Deep but not profound

On the eve that marks the one year anniversary of the adoption of Nicholas and Matthew, I feel like I should have these deep, profound thoughts to write about. Instead, I look around my house, filled with toys, sippy cups, bibs, laundry, and so many other things that were foreign to this space a year ago, I can't think of anything much to say.

So tonight, instead of reflecting on that last night we had as just the two of us, I will clean the living room and kitchen, do a couple of loads of laundry, pack the diaper bag, and get to bed early. Tonight I'm confident I will get more sleep than I did this night one year ago.

PSA

Yes, I know. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday posts are missing. Rest assured they will be posted soon enough. :-)

Family Day

Dan and I had several discussions about what we should call June 19th. Should it be "Gotcha Day", "Family Day", "Adoption Day", etc. We even went so far as to poll the internet and find out what other people called their adoption day. A little background...

In Vietnam, what makes your adoption official is a ceremony called the "Giving and Receiving". I have no idea why it's called that, but it is what it is. When I'm on the various Yahoo groups centered around Vietnam adoptions, I also talk about the g&r. I honestly have no idea what other countries call it, but as the years of international adoption have gone by, the term "Gotcha Day" has been coined to refer to the day a family adopted, or "got", their baby. Generally speaking, I hear that term in the China communities.

We decided that for our family, we didn't want to use the phrase "Gotcha Day". Although it has no negative connotations for us when we say it, or even when we hear it, it does leave a bad taste in the mouths of many in the adoption community. For some, the phrase can be construed as you "got" your child and ran away, never to return. Or, maybe that you "got" them from the depths of poverty. Or, you "got" them in your grasp. (I guess I should really research how the prhase was coined, because I really have no idea.)

Anyway, I did a poll on several of the groups I frequent. I had a little bit of feedback to my question, which was what we should call June 19th. "Family Day", "Adoption Day", "Gotcha Day" were the most frequent replies. I had wanted something a little more personal than those phrases and I really liked the one my friend Shana and her family use, which is "Familyversary", the anniversary of when they became a family. Very cute. I had a couple of other suggestions, but for the life of me I couldn't remember them...

But in the end, we decided to call it "Family Day", because it's the day that our family of two merged with the boys' family of two, and became one complete family.

...but so is my heart

I don't write much about the stupid things people say to me when I'm out with the boys. Yes, I get the occasional comment like I did back at Easter, but generally speaking the things I hear are benign. However, benign does not mean not stupid. I hear the dumbest things on a daily basis. Here's a sample:

1. Are they twins?
2. Are they boys?
3. Double trouble!
4. Wow, you must be busy!
5. Which one is older?
6. How do you tell them apart?
7. Do you ever dress them alike?
8. Are they the same/Which one is friendlier/Do they have the same personality/etc.?
9. You have your hands full!
10. Better you than me!

And more. After doing a quick search online to see what questions other mom's have been asked, I think the questions/comments above are the top 10 that I hear on a very regular basis.

Generally speaking, if someone asks if Matthew and Nicholas are twins, I just smile and say yes. Actually, for a lot of the comments, I just smile and nod. Typically I don't have the time to stand around in the grocery store/Target/Costco and have an entire conversation based around one comment. Also, I like to consider myself a little bit witty (read: sarcastic) at times, and can often come up with quick one-liners, especially during movies, long sermons, lectures, etc. But I just don't seem to have the same skill when it comes to answering the questions/statements above.

So here's a quick try...

1. Are they twins? "Well, Duh!" (This phrase spoken in front of my parents when they were out with the boys for lunch. Apparently the waitress asked if the boys were twins and her friend answered with that little gem. I wish I could have witnessed that. I might have wet my pants from laughter.)

2. Are they boys? "According to the referral picture we have of them where they are naked from the waist down." (Yes, it's true. One of the pictures we received of Nicholas and Matthew shows them with shirts on and nothing else. We have edited that picture for public view.)

3. Double Trouble! "No, double the love, double the kisses, double the hugs, double the happiness." (One day I'll say this, because it runs through my head each time someone says that phrase to me.)

4. Wow, you must be busy! "Well, duh. But I'm not any busier than any other mom."

5. Which one is older? "Nicholas." (Yes, that's the answer to the question of which one is older. At least, that's the answer as best as we know it, because, hello! We weren't there for the birth!)

6. How do you tell them apart? "Matthew wears blue and Nicholas wears green." (Okay, this one is legitimate under a couple of circumstances. a) When it's a child care employee at the YMCA, church, etc. b) When you are actually going to spend time with my children and not just be a passerby in the grocery store/Target/Costco."

7. Do you ever dress them alike? To borrow a phrase from earlier, "Well, duh!" (Yes, I get asked this question when they are dressed alike. And for those wondering, it's probably 60/40 dressed alike. It's too cute not to do it!)

8. Are they the same, etc.? "It varies from week to week." (Because, really, it does.)

9. Your hands are full. "Yes, but so is heart." (I have yet to use that phrase. I'm not sure why.)

10. Better you than me! "Yes, I think so too!" (Again, haven't had much opportunity to say that either.)

Deep down, I know why people say the things they do. Really, I do. I know, because even as a mother of twins, I find myself asking the same question, "Are they twins?" when I'm out in public and see children who look like they could be twins. I know people ask the question because they are trying to strike up a conversation, or they want me to know that they are admiring my children and not stalking me/us in the store. I get it. And that's why, when I get asked the more benign questions, I just smile and answer politely, and leave the snarky comments to swirl in my head. But really, I'd much rather someone tell my that my twins are cute and wish me well.

Yes, my hands are full, but so is my heart. If only everyone could be this blessed.

Lowe's

We made our first trip to Lowe's as a family to buy things for the new house. Most notably, I was able to pick out my own cabinets for my awesome new laundry room. (Now, please note that I currently have an awesome laundry room. This one is just awesome because it's in my new house!) That was super fun!

We also got lots of boring stuff...primer, outlet covers and new outlets, light switches, a doorbell, drywall mud. But the other cool thing we bought was some new lighting. We don't know if we'll use them yet, since they're recessed lights, but we couldn't beat the price. They were on clearance, and the guy working the lighting section, Joshua, said that if we wanted them he'd sell them to us for $2.00 each. So $16 later and we had lots of new lights. Now we just need a place to put them! :-)

It's too bad we weren't in the market for a new wall sconces, because Joshua had a particularly special sconce that he was willing to part with for only a nickel.

Home away from home...

Our family takes an annual vacation about an hour away in Satellite Beach, FL. For years my parents have rented the same condo, and the four of us share the space. The Woska family participates in the annual beach trip, and it's such fun!

Last year we had just returned home from Vietnam, and while we went to the beach 3-4 times the week everyone was there, we didn't sleep there. This year, however, we had our own condo (thanks to my parents!) and we stayed the entire week. It was wonderful to get away from Orlando for a few days, and the responsibilities that come with our day to day lives. Although Dan did work two days we were there, and we did drive back to Orlando one day to buy a new house, we had a great vacation.

I was a little concerned as to how the boys would handle the beach for a week. I dreaded both nap and bed times, but they were champs. They took great naps and went down each evening with no fuss. The trip went so well, that I even convinced Dan that we should go to Minnesota later this summer!

But anyway, back to the point. Below is a picture of the boys in their "home away from home". The beach trip this summer marked their third visit to condo 332 in less than a year! We're hoping to join my parents again late this summer when they travel for their anniversary. :-)

A quick break...

This entry allows me to take a quick break from a month of talking about Home. Below is a picture, taken last Saturday, at the annual FHSA picnic, which brings together families from all over who have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, with their agency. What was neat about this year's picnic (other than being the hit of the day because we had twins!!!) is that a delegation of Vietnamese officials from Ho Chi Minh City attended as well. The people were enthralled with the boys, and kept coming around and standing or sitting with them to have their pictures taken. They wanted to hold the boys, and thankfully Matthew obliged quite willingly. In the picture below, I'm holding Nicholas and one of the delegates that we met back in November when they were visiting is holding Matthew.

We were also thrilled to see An Na at the picnic. She was our in-country facilitator and I absolutely love her. I want to take her home with me and keep her forever, because she is so wonderful. She has such a heart for children, and seems to be so in love with the boys. Last June when we met An Na, she had not been working for FHSA very long, and had never been to the United States. When we left, the only reason I was sad to come home was because I thought we'd never see her again. Who knew that she would be chosen to be the interpreter for the delegates on two separate trips to the US this year!? We're so blessed to know An Na, for she is the reason we were referred Matthew and Nicholas. We're so thankful that we have been able to see her again and again. We hope she comes back again soon!

Is it pool time yet?

Not at our house, unfortunately. After being gone for a week, and then Dan traveling for a week, our pool is in need of some maintenance. I did what I knew how to do while Dan was gone (brush the pool down and add a little chlorine/shock), and my dad came over and added more chlorine and ran the pump. It's not a strange shade of green anymore, but it'll still be another day or two before we can use it. At least three of us are bummed about not being able to use the pool. :-(

Reasons why I have the best children ever. Edition One

1. They like to vacuum.

Any guesses on what chore will be their's when they are old enough? Oh yeah! :-) Now, if only they like sweeping and mopping. We'll work on that.

What does this have to do with home? Well, our current home has carpet everywhere, and it always needs vacuuming. Between two adults who like to eat in the carpeted areas of the house, two toddlers who like leaves, and a dog who I'm convinced is made purely of dog fur which he sheds all over, we should vacuum this house every day. Our new house is predominately tile (Boo!), hence the reason for teaching them how to sweep. :-)

Pretend this is June 7, 2008

I'm so bummed! I've been thinking all this time that it was June 9, 2007 that we got the phone call that we could travel to meet, adopt and bring home Matthew and Nicholas. I guess in the midst of all this talk of "Home" for the month, I completely missed the anniversary of that day! You can read about it that day here. What a crazy day. Dan, who usually works from home, was in Melbourne meeting with Sean (actually, I think their meeting took place on the golf course!). He couldn't be reached. My parents were in Canada and had bad reception and they couldn't be reached. Dan's parents weren't at home, at work, or answering either cell phone. So the first person to learn that we were traveling to get the boys was Kim Andrescik, and until recently she isn't someone I spoke to very often! Eventually Dan called back, my parents got enough service to call, and Dan's parents called. But it was pretty hectic, trying to get flights worked out on 8 days notice.

What does this day have to do with home? Nothing, unless you count the fact that it was this day last year that our adoption became a reality. That we weren't "playing house" by decorating a nursery, buying car seats and cribs, washing clothes, etc. We were really doing this. Becoming a Mom & Dad. That day changed our home forever. That day is the day that we really embraced the idea that we would bring children into this home. And that is a good thing.

I haven't started my other list yet...

But I promise I will follow up the post on Things I Will Miss with a new list entitled "Things I Look Forward To" or something similar. But that won't happen this evening as it appears the cold-that-will-not-leave-our-family has returned and taken residence in my ear and throat. So tonight I will begin the list with this.

1. Having my parents live 1.7 miles away (or less), so I don't have to drive 20 minutes with a headache, sore throat, fever, and painful ear to drop the boys off for a sleepover so I can get to bed early and get a good night's rest.

A (short) list of things not to do

1. Do not paint over wallpaper. Just don't do it. Paint over wallpaper does not really cover up the wallpaper. Oh yes, it covers the pattern of the wallpaper (with enough coats of paint), but it does not cover seams. Paint over wallpaper makes it very difficult to take the wallpaper down. Not that I've experienced this first hand, but my parents have. I'd like to slap the realtor who painted over all the wallpaper in our house.

EDIT: From my dear friend Anne...
1.5. If you do wallpaper and are smart enough NOT to paint over it, do not then get dumb and simply wallpaper over old wallpaper when you do not like it anymore, making it an extremely goopy, messy project when you strip it all...

2. I have no number two to write about. I'm sure I'll think of something soon. Stick around.

Tomorrow!

Dan, the boys and I are going to Bradenton tomorrow for a picnic with our adoption agency, FHSA. It's an annual event with the agency, and this year it's especially exciting because there will be delegates from Ho Chi Minh City in attendance. We're hopeful that An Na, our in-country facilitator, and Bonnie, our stateside coordinator will be at the picnic. An Na lives in Vietnam and Bonnie lives in New Jersey, so it will be really neat to see them if they can make it!

So what does this picnic have to do with home? Well, if not for FHSA, we might still be in the process of adopting instead of home for almost a year. If not for Bonnie, our paperwork might not have been completed so quickly. And if not for An Na, who gave us our referral, we might not have the most amazing boys to ever come out of Vietnam. So to tie this post into the theme of home, it's because of Nicholas and Matthew that we purchased a new home. While we're not moving into a bigger house, or one with more bedrooms, we are moving into a home and an area that we hope to stay in throughout their education. It's in a part of town that the boys and I spend most of our time, between playgroups, visiting grandparents, storytime, splash parks, etc.
I'm excited about the picnic. It will be fun to meet other families who have adopted like we have. It will also be fun to introduce Dan to a splash park since he's never been to one. It'll be super fun to see An Na and Bonnie, if they're there. And it will be great to connect with HCMC officials, in hopes of fostering good relationships with them so other families will be able to adopt in Vietnam.

Things I Will Miss...

1. Jan and Todd being so close. I hope that even after we move that we'll see them for Survivor and/or Amazing Race nights. Even if we have to get a sitter from time to time.

2. Laura and Chris being right down the street. Although I have never felt the need to call on them late at night because of a strange noise, it has always been comforting to know they were close. I will also miss stalking Laura on a daily basis as I drive past their house.

3. Our neighbors. It's taken us almost seven years to get to know them, and even though we really only talk to Brad and Lori, we've lived on a great street with good people.

4. 417 being so close, and the convenience it has given us.

5. My swimming pool. It has sat mostly unused for the entire time we've lived here, and now we have children who want to be in it all the time. I will definitely miss walking out the back door and getting in the pool.

6. My kitchen/dining room. It's been a year since we remodeled those two rooms. Although I know we'll be doing some minor things in the kitchen at our new house, I will still miss this kitchen.

7. The nursery. It seems so crazy that we've been home with the boys for almost a year, and I am sad to know that the first room that they are able to call "home" won't be their room for much longer. I made Dan promise me that I could recreate the nursery in whatever home we bought back when we were house hunting. Now that it's a reality and we're really moving away from here, I don't know that I will do their room the same. I can't keep them babies forever, and I want to make do their room in such a way that they can grow up in it a little. But I will be sad to leave that peaceful, dragonfly filled room behind.

8. The memories. All of them, good and bad. We've had countless parties here, and shared many good times with friends and family. We welcomed a dog into this house, celebrated and mourned pregnancies and losses, started and completed an adoption, held Bible studies, had birthday parties, TV nights, game nights, and the list goes on and on.

Yes, these are the things I will miss. I'm sure there are more things to add, but for now, this will serve as a starting point.

Before?

Last week, as we were doing the final walk through on our new house before closing, I had the forethought to go through each room and take lots of pictures. I did that when we bought the house on Cullowhee Ct seven years ago, and boy did those pictures come in handy when we were doing our adoption. But I took pictures of the new house for a purpose.

It's our plan to stay in this house for the long haul. We bought in an area that is known for great schools. It's close to all of the places I go to with the boys (church, playgroup, storytime, etc.), and best of all it's close to our babysitters, I mean my parents. Knowing that we plan to stay for a long time, we have some big dreams for this house. Dreams of adding on and maybe even up one day. Plans to put in an atrium and formal garden.

Back to the pictures I took...I like to refer to them as "Before" shots of the house. Our new place is pretty much a clean slate. White walls that have been primed. White trim. Beige carpet and white tile. You might call it boring. I like to think of it as having lots of potential! (If only we have the money to use all that potential.) As of this evening our first project in the new house has been chosen. We're going to tackle the kitchen. No, we're not talking about replacing cabinets and appliances, although I would love to do that. But we'll be changing the wall covering/color. We're (and when I say we're I mean my dad) going to strip the painted over wallpaper in the kitchen and repaint. It'll be a first step, and a pretty small one in the grand scheme of things, but I'm excited about it. It seems like anymore these days I spend my life in the kitchen, so I'm looking forward to making the one as pretty as the one at Cullowhee.

Big dreams people. Big dreams. Now, if only I could find my camera...I'd share a before picture or two. Maybe tomorrow.

MacDonald Clan

A cop out post for today. I'll try to do a little better tomorrow. But think of this a quick glimpse of who will be moving into our new home!

A first.

For the first time ever the boys and I jumped in the car this morning and took Dan to the airport, a trip he would normally make alone when leaving town for business for the week. Mostly this was for practical reasons. My car simply isn't conducive to doing any kind of hauling of stuff to the new house. I can't really even fit a broom in the car because of the two car seats in the back. We figured that if all of us took Dan to the airport, I'd be left with his car to use when/if I get to work on the house while he's out of town.

The boys and I didn't go to the new house today, and based on how much they loved being there yesterday I'd have to say that were probably a little bit bummed about it. We did take advantage of the pool in our backyard at Cullowhee Ct. though, with a little help from my mom. By the end of our vacation last week, the boys absolutely loved the water and loved swimming and jumping in the pool. A combination of familiarity, feeling better (we started the week off with a cold), and some confidence made for a great time in the pool at our condo. Today I took the boys in one at a time, and we worked a little bit on swimming and floating, thanks to the lessons taught by Mr. Jayme back in November and Miss Alisha in May. Both Matthew and Nicholas love jumping in the water, so we spent a lot of time doing that today as well. I think I might be a little sad when we finally sell this house and move away from the pool.

That's it for today. Tomorrow my dad is going to pressure wash the porch, both screen and floor, and clean out the garage. We are so blessed to have my parents so close by, and so willing to help!

Oh, and no pictures today. Maybe tomorrow!

A new challenge for a new month...

You might remember that I committed to blogging every day during the month of November through NaBloPoMo, a site that encourages blogging. Well, I was just reading my friend Anne's blog tonight and she found a new challenge on their website. The month of June everyone is encouraged to blog daily about "Home".

I'll try not to plagarize what Anne wrote in her blog about the subject of "Home", but seeing as how we also just bought a new house (last Friday), I think there will be plenty for Dan and me to blog about over the coming month. Just as Anne promised to her readers, I promise to you...there will be pictures. Here's one from today!



More tomorrow!