Playing catch up....

No surprise here, but I'm once again behind on the blog. Consider this picture heavy post my best attempt to catch up!



Amelia was so excited to go on her very first field trip. We went to the zoo but I think the ride on a school bus and a picnic lunch in a princess lunch bag was the highlight of her day!

Last day of preschool for the year!

Last day of preschool forever...next stop kindergarten! I'm glad Graham is ready for the next step because I'm sure not!

Preschool Diploma Time

Happy Graham

Amelia and her wonderful, fantastic, amazing teacher. Graham had her last year and I LOVE her!

Daddy Jeff and I attended our reunion at St. Olaf and it was a fantastic weekend catching up with old friends. The kids joined us for a bit so we of course had to document their visit to campus with a picture in the chairs.

 This picture won't mean much to many, but to our family and I'm sure other Oles, can it get any better than watching my children run and play with other future Oles on the hill behind Old Main?

A good trip to the dentist meant a trip to the donut shop. And yes, I'm fully aware that we just put all that sugar back onto their teeth, but it sure was fun!

Spider Man and Ariel the Mermaid shopping at Target.

Unofficial Start of Summer

I guess you could say that tonight was our unofficial start to summer as Graham had his first t-ball game. I'm amazed at what a difference a year makes. Last year the kids spent a great majority of the time playing in the dirt and only a small amount of time focused on the game. Tonight they were pretty focused on playing and didn't care so much about the dirt. It actually doesn't matter what they're focused on, they all look adorable no matter what they do!

Getting ready for his turn at bat

SWING

Right after Graham made this face at me, he told me that no Mom's were allowed in the dugout

This is very typical Amelia as she always has a book in hand. She was only semi-interested in watching the game.

I think this is her "I'm really hot and kind of bored and I really want you to put the camera away!" face.

Amelia's First Dance Recital

Today was a big day for Amelia...her very first dance recital!  I was certainly one proud Mama to see my little girl up on that stage dancing her heart out! I wasn't just happy to see how adorable Amelia looked in her little ballet shoes and lion costume, but I was so proud to see her in front of an audience having a great time! Amelia can be very slow to warm up in a new environment and being on a stage in front of a huge audience is definitely a new environment. But, she was so brave and showed off all her little dance moves with confidence! I will fully admit to getting completely choked up when Amelia spotted me in the audience which made her smile turned into a grin and she began to wave. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that this life really is my own. Today I got to be the Mommy in the audience waving at my little girl up on stage and what a fantastic day it was!

My only regret for the day was that I didn't break the 'no pictures in the auditorium rule' which means I don't have a single photo from the actual performance. I need to remember this for next time. Some rules are made to be broken, right? :)

Getting ready for her big debut!

Celebrating after the show!

Amelia and her friends Zebra Mary and Zebra Laney. 

The two months leading up to now....

The past two months have been life changing for me. My life suddenly feels like it has two parts-before and after. In this case, before refers before the accident and after refers to after the accident. In early March, Sara, one of my very best friends, was in an awful car accident caused by a drunk driver. Sara, with all of her amazing strength and persistence, fought for her life for an entire month before she got her angel wings, as her wonderful mother, Carol,  would say. I spent countless hours at the hospital, reading to Sara, talking to Sara, and just sitting with Sara. During that month, I do feel like I was able to say good-bye to my dear friend, but honestly, I wasn't ready. Sara was the friend to me that everyone wishes they had. Sara was the friend that I was in constant contact with-if we weren't talking, we were texting, or emailing. A day didn't go by that we weren't communicating in some way. When I think back to the memorable moments in my life, Sara was always present. She was one of the first people to welcome us home at the airport when we arrived home with Graham and eventually Amelia. In fact, when our long awaited travel call for Amelia came, Sara was the first person I shared the news with....sorry, Jeff! :) I called Sara at work and from her desk in her very conservative work environment, she let out the type of joyful scream that only a best friend could scream. She was a constant fixture not only in my life, but in the lives of Graham and Amelia as well. She attended every birthday party and loved to call them on special days specifically to talk with them. I will never forget talking with her on Christmas morning and how she took the time to chat with each kid as she showed such a genuine interest in what Santa surprised them with. Sara's passing has left a hole in my life that will never be filled but I'm moving forward and am trying to live each day to the absolute fullest...exactly the way Sara would. And, I will make a real effort to stay on top of this blog. After all, it was always Sara who would remind me when I was falling  behind!

The emotion of the past two months brings me to where we are today. The kids and I had the opportunity (Daddy Jeff  had to be at work) to spend a few days in California with my Mom. Sunny warm weather, a great resort, and a change of scenery...did I even need to give it a second thought? Needless to say, we had a great time. We swam, we relaxed, we shopped, and the kids were good little travelers. Does it get any better than that?

Thankfully, the kids love the beach just as much as I do!!

This is Amelia's dream come true. She's in a serious "I LOVE horses!" phase and talks constantly about wanting to ride a horse. Well, a street fair in Palm Springs came through for her and she rode that pony with pride!

Amelia sure loves her Grandma!

Piano Recital!

I'm finally getting around to sharing the video of Graham performing at his very first piano recital. Better late than never, right?

Happy Easter!

Happy 3rd Gotcha Day!!!

I'm not sure what's up with Amelia's silly grin here, but she was insistent that her new silver shoes be pictured, and this was the only shot to show off her new shoes. :)

Three years ago today, we flew home from Korea with our little little princess. Our world was turned upside down for quite a while as we adjusted to being a family of four, got to know Amelia, and very slowly earned Amelia's trust. Now, when I look back, those challenging days are nothing more than a distant memory. Amelia is one resilient little girl and I am so incredibly lucky to be able to call her my daughter. She's incredibly kind and compassionate and not to mention, she's one of the best shopping partners out there (seriously, she is!) and her love for shoes rivals my own obsession. At three years home, here are some of Amelia's favorites: anything related to ponies, baby dolls, anything princess, any type of art project, books, books, and more books, Graham, napping, meat (no joke-she would live off of protein if we let her), shoes, dresses/skirts rather than pants, hair bows, and nail polish. As you can probably gather from this list, Amelia is about as girly as they come and I'm loving every single minute of it.

We love you forever, and ever, and ever Amelia and are so incredibly thankful and lucky to have you as our daughter! Thank you for being you!!

And because Graham likes reminding Amelia that her 'Gotcha Day' means that his baby sister came home from Korea, I figured I would include a picture of the two of them together.