The past month has been a busy one, and this one promises to be even busier! We have our first language evaluations this week and next, and after those are complete, we will be traveling for a couple of weeks. So bear with us as I try to play "catch up" with the blog!
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Two weeks ago, baby S and I said goodbye to K and M and headed off to a nearby city for a ladies' retreat. And what a treat it was! Sweet fellowship with other ladies, a comfy hotel bed, 24 a/c, buffets of amazing food, and pampering (a facial, haircut, manicure and pedicure)... plus goody bags filled with American candy (woo hoo!), lotion, candles and more. One night, the most delicious beef stroganoff was even on the menu! I've never seen a group of ladies so excited!
As much as I missed K and M, it was also pretty special to have a few days one-on-one with sweet S. She is growing and changing before our very eyes, so it was a blessing to have some time to just enjoy our then seven-week-old princess. (Side note: Being in the a/c all day also meant that she got to wear some of her sweet outfits that it's just too hot to wear at home! Pants, even!)
While S and I were gone, K had the joy of dealing with a major home repair. You see, a few weeks ago, the floor in our bedroom out of the blue raised up a few inches, creating a big crack through about 12 tiles! As you can see from the photos, they didn't waste any time trying to match the new tile to the old. :)
We arrived back home on the afternoon of M's birthday. That night was pretty low-key. We offered to take him to eat at Chili's, but he opted for us to order McDonald's and stay home instead. He's a boy with simple tastes, I guess!
A few days later, we had his party. A few families came over for pizza, fruit, veggies, cake and ice cream, and three of his little friends spent the night! M was beside himself with excitement the entire time. From the train track weaving around the cake and the rest of the food to the fun and games coordinated by my fun husband to the gifts from friends and family, there was a lot for him to be excited about!
No, I did not make the cake. Our friends own an awesome bakery/coffee shop, and did a great job on it! He also managed to make our friend's day when she asked what the best part of his party was. He replied without hesitation: "My cake!"
When everyone started singing "Happy Birthday," M exchanged the sweetest look of pure joy with his daddy. I'm so thankful to have captured it.
I love this next one too. This is one of my favorite of M's expressions... it's his "I'm sooooo excited, but I am trying not to smile too big." :)
That night, K built the foursome of friends a blanket fort and let them watch Toy Story inside. They were so cute .... all in their pjs, and all but one holding a special stuffed animal. When it was finally bedtime, all except for M were sleepy and ready for bed. M was still so fired up! K sat in the room with them until all four were sound asleep, and we didn't hear a peep from any of them until 6:30 a.m. the next morning! (M woke up first and proceeded to wake the other boys, one by one!)
We're so thankful that M has such sweet friends here to celebrate with! Here's our little guy enjoying chocolate chip pancakes with his friends the next morning.
We are beyond grateful for this little three year old. This is a boy who loves life... and we are so thankful to have him in ours.
I have just as hard of a time believing that little S is already two months old. She is changing every day... growing more and more alert, and charming us all with her precious smiles and squeals! "Mommy, she's smilin'!" M will run to me and say. She is starting to pay a little attention to her toys, and just this weekend has begun giving the toys hanging on her bouncer seat the biggest, sweetest grins.
Before heading back home, we had lunch at a neat kebab place. Each table has its own mini grill where you can continue grilling and basting the food to your liking after they bring it out. Pretty cool!
We also have had the excitement of receiving packages from Granddaddy & Mimi as well as Aunt D!
Blessings to all of you! Thanks for following our journey!
Such a sweet update! The pictures are precious & it's always a joy to hear from you. Sara & Brett are due on the 19th, but the dr. says she's looking like it could be sooner. Boone is growing so much & is so funny; it's a treat to live right across from them. James is finally working full-time @ Yutaka in security & Stan also works there (not quite full-time), also in security. God Bless your whole beautiful family. Love, Stan, Jean, & James Cowley
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