SNOW

It's been such an unusual winter here in Minnesota.  I have been able to see grass on the ground all winter...even when we do get snows, it usually melts in a few days!  I am not a lover of winter and cold so I am LOVING this mild warmer winter!  We did have rain and finally some snow during the night so school was delayed by 2 hours today.  My kids were thrilled to be able to play in the wet snow and even made this cute fella!  They just got on the bus for a shorter school day.  Peter's preschool was cancelled so we will have a nice warm day staying home.

Catching Up...

Four years ago we brought home our beautiful baby boy!  Peter is growing into such a wonderful little man...so smart and funny and kind!

Yesterday, we celebrated his 4th "Gotcha' Day" with an ice cream cake that he picked out and by watching movies from our visits to Guatemala while we waited to take him home and then our final(5th) trip there to bring our son home!  He never tires of watching movies of his life and hearing me tell him the stories of how we prayed for him and how God answered our prayers and brought us together!

We just returned from a wonderful relaxing warm week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  Unfortunately, I failed to get a passport for Peter in time so he got to spend the week "vacationing" at Grandma and Grandpa's house!  We missed him so much but were able to Skype him every day!

Here's the resort we stayed at...

The girls loved riding the waves...I found the water a bit too chilly for me however!

We started each day with a brisk walk on the beach.  Greta and I had fun finding sea shells...Ricky loved chasing birds and letting the waves wash up on his feet!

We spent one day at a nearby waterpark and the girls and Rich got to swim with dolphins.  Since Ricky wanted no part of that, I stayed with him while we watched the others kiss, shake "hands" with and swim with the dolphins. They have always wanted to do that so now will cross that item off their bucket lists!!

We enjoyed the meals and the entertainment at this resort.  Since it was an All-inclusive, we ate and drank freely and OFTEN!  Ricky's favorite drink which he is still craving since we got home is Pina Coladas(virgin!)...

Greta's outfits in these next pictures were made by a fellow etsy shop owner.  Check out Dayspring Dresses if you ever want affordable, gorgeous clothing!

Since this was an all-inclusive, we ATE and DRANK way too much!  Now that we are home again, I am needing to use my new Christmas gift that Rich bought me more than ever to take off all those extra pounds I gained on this trip!!  This Octane Q47 is amazing and actually makes exercising fun!

My kids are looking forward to our annual Super Bowl party...more for the yummy food and snacks than the game!  What are you doing this weekend??

Double Digits

As always, there is tons of activity and action around our house!  The week before Christmas, Peter looked like this!  He had a fever and a terrible cough that kept him(and me) up every night for a week.  Then he developed an ear infection.  Thankfully, by Christmas he was feeling better again!

We decided to do a family fun day on the Friday before Christmas and toured the James J. Hill House on historic Summit Avenue in St. Paul.  At one time, this was the largest home in MN and was really state-of- the-art for it's time...it's still really impressive to tour, especially during the holidays. If you ever get the opportunity to get to St. Paul, it is worth your time to take the 4.5 mile drive down one of the most impressive historic streets in all of America...Summit Avenue is a beautiful street with original mansions that have been perfectly maintained or restored to their original glory...my dream is to live in one of them some day....

Christmas was wonderful as we spent it at home with just my parents.  It was peaceful...as peaceful as can be with 5 very excited children!  It's nice when we don't have to do any running and can stay home enjoying the reason for the season!  We did get to visit with one of my brothers and his family as well as my sister and her family too.

Two of the SIX trees we decorated in our home with year!  The kids each had small trees in their bedrooms as they do each year.

Yesterday, my twins, Ricky and Greta, turned 10 years old!!  Double digits from now on...  Greta had a party with her friends at the Water Park of America.  They spent the day swimming and having a great time.  Ricky will have a party with his buddies later in the winter!

I got these adorable dolls for all three of my youngest kids from a fellow etsy seller.  They are so cute and so well-made!  My kids all love them and sleep with their new little friends every night!

I just love these matching snowman birthday cakes that I get for their winter birthdays every year!

Here is some of Greta's birthday loot!  Let me tell you, it's not easy shopping for TWINS 3 days after they just got every gift they already wanted for Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful, blessed, safe Happy New Year, 2012!!

Sorry...

It's almost embarrassing to post on my blog after such a long hiatus! Sorry for my absence.  Life just has a way of slipping by when you are busy with 5 children plus doing foster care!  Let me see if I can do a quick re-cap of our life since the last post!

We took in a few Twins games this summer.  Their new stadium is very nice!

Rich was even featured on their giant screen as they honored foster parents across the metro area with a special pre-game event.  He was chosen to represent our county as there were all 7 metro counties at this tribute to foster care.

Each year we make our annual trek north to Rich's hometown for the small county fair.  My kids still love it and especially love getting together with cousins up there.  Peter rode his first horse/pony this summer and loved it.  He wants to be a farmer when he grows up and he LOVES animals!

My vegetable garden did well this year despite the frequent visitors right outside the fence.  This fall we expanded the size of our garden and will put new, higher fencing around it to keep out these hungry deer!

Peter has always LOVED Thomas and all things trains, so this was a dream come true for him to ride on Thomas when he came to the Duluth Train Depot this summer.  It was a fun day up north with his cousins!

Hannah turned 15 this summer and now has her driver's permit so she is enjoying practicing her driving skills!  Hard to believe we have TWO teen drivers now! This was taken on the last day with braces...after two years she finally got them off.  BEFORE...

and AFTER!

We spent a lot of time at our lake home in Wisconsin this summer....so relaxing...

Taylor turned 17 this summer.  After much thought and prayer, we decided to home school her this year.  She is now in 11th grade and is doing so well at home and at her homeschool co-op...here's her classroom!

Hannah is in 10th grade this year and is loving her second year in high school!

Hard to believe buy my twins are already in 4th grade!

The summer flew by and before we knew it, the leaves were changing colors and fall was here:

The little guy above is our friend, Andrew.  As of this past weekend, he's also my Godchild!

Spent Thanksgiving with my parents...

Now we are preparing for Christmas and the celebration of Jesus' birth!  We've been busy shopping, baking and decorating.  I am looking forward to shutting my etsy shop down for a while and just enjoying the holiday season once all the work is done and we can just relax and focus on the meaning of this season!

I've already added some Valentine's Day and St. Patricks Day items to my shop...

Whew!  That was a very quick review of the past half year from this bad blogger!  I still follow all of your blogs and enjoy keeping up with you although I have not kept up on mine!

Merry Christmas and blessings for a wonderful 2012 from my family to yours...