Happy 4 You!

I'm a few days behind in blogging, but better late then...

We celebrated Ashen's fourth birthday last Thursday. He had such a great day. Woke up to balloons in his room (a birthday tradition) and proceeded to have an early AM helicopter flight. The boys had their first "birthday cereal", aka, Lucky Charms, which was (surprise, surprise) well received. After grandma arrived, I took the boys on a frigid bike ride through town to the running track, which necessitated a midday bath. The afternoon brought about a nap and then a Birthday playdate. FYI on the birthday playdate: this is the easiest "un-birthday party" ever! Just invite two friends and their younger brothers (yes, that means 6 boys four and under), add cupcakes, and my son is happy happy happy! Ashen chose hot dogs and homemade mac and cheese for dinner.

Grandma's creative airplane cake

Another family party with a sundae bar!

Ashen with two of his best buds from preschool. Can't wait to compare this to their senior year group photos!

The "coolest dad ever" flew the helicopter for the boys.

Ashen: My oldest, the first child to call me 'mama', the boy who stole my heart at first glance. Ashen is such a joy. He is kind and generous, especially with his brother. He is protective of his sister. He loves his mom and dad. The things he says these days keep us laughing and pondering (for example, he just asked me why the clouds are gray). He is always unassuming with his talents whether it be his physical feats like riding a bike at three, or mental milestones like when recently learned his letters and their sounds from watching this over the last two months (sidenote: totally recommend this to any preschool aged kid!), and this morning painted his first words (Ashen and Torin) totally unprompted by me...in fact, I have no idea how he knows how to write their names since I have not practiced writing with him. He has a very deep and mysterious soul--it is a delight to know him better every year.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 1st Birthday!

Bereket turned ONE on Wednesday (11/10)! She had three parties, all with family...we celebrate four family birthdays in a 10 day period in mid-November, so it keeps the parties rolling! On her birthday, we celebrated with pizza (her favorite) and cupcakes, with impromptu guests (my sister, niece and nephew and my mom!).

She is a dainty eater. There were no "all over your face" 1st birthday cake pics for this girly.

She opened two gifts: A baby doll from my mom, and a stuffed dog from us. She was over the moon with both. She knows how to make a gift-giver feel great! She cuddled and smiled at the doll for minutes. She is certainly showing her motherly instincts already.

She missed out on ice cream sundaes at her second party--sugar overload. At her third party, she enjoyed a cake to herself! I think the whole experience was surreal for her!

Happy Birthday, Baby B!

Good Morning Monday

Mondays just need sprinkles.

Wordless Thursday

Bereket's Readoption

Yesterday we spent the day on a mini-roadtrip to finalize Bereket's adoption with our friends Cami and Ryan in a county other than our own since ours is too complicated to navigate without an attorney. Though we were already Bereket's legal parents according to the Ethiopian government, and she has permanent residency in the USA, finalizing her adoption in the US courts allows us to obtain her US Birth Certificate and then her Certificate of Citizenship. It was a beautiful day, and the courthouse is situated above the water, with a view of the mountains. After our 5 minutes in court, all of the kids played in the field across the street, even stripping off their shirts it was so warm! The four brothers of these two little girls had so much fun together.

Though we had hoped to travel to Ethiopia with Cami and Ryan, I'm glad that we finally did something "official" together. We are so thankful to have them as friends, one of those incredible unexpected blessings that comes with adopting.

And because I can't resist, here is Prince Charming giving me a flower after lunch. I can't believe it's been less than 3 years since we finalized his adoption!

Happy Halloween

From our dragon, butterfly, mancat and little sister :-)