Going to the Prom

Tonight Matthew was off to the Jr. Prom with his friend, Amanda. They looked so stunning. I was proud to be a part of the fun. They went with 6 other couples (yes -- 14 teenagers) in a limo to the party. Amanda's dad is a photographer who helped create some beautiful poses and beautiful smiles. I even got a smile out of Megan, as seen in the last photo. :)
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Happy 4th Anniversary, Megan!

Megan, May 2012; (age 7)

What a wonderful joy is has been to have Megan in our family the last four years. I can hardly imagine my life before this joyful, compassionate, darling child came into it. She has been an absolute blessing and I am thankful that the red thread connected us and led me to find her. She has been SO excited about her Anniversary. We met Megan on Mother's Day, a wonderful gift to me. If you are interested in our Adoption Day, you can read about it here. Be sure to watch the sweet, short video of her kissing me and Matthew, minutes after our meeting.

Megan in her orphanage; our referral photo.

Megan & Matthew in China, May 2008 (ages 3 and 13)

Time for Fun

Mary Alice wrote and directed a play this year. It was a long term, extra-curricular project for a group called Young Playwrights, run by a beloved teacher of hers.

The Cast of "Cole Black and the Seven Dwarfs, a Parody of Snow White".

Mary Alice won two awards, including Best Director and Best Special Effects.

Matthew and his lacrosse team.

This spring I decided to plant 4 fruit trees in our yard  in honor of our departed loved ones. Two sour cherry trees for Eric's parents (Marion and Bud), a pear tree for Guy and an apple tree for Marty. The pear and apple are espalier trees, meaning they grow laterally, on wires, four different varieties off a common trunk, so they fit nicely along the border of our house, near our new vegetable garden.

Fun with friends.

After the airband concert

Shanna & Gramma Iris

This is me, relaxing on our camping trip. If you look closely, you will see Whisper on my lap and a coffee cup on Whisper. It was very cold and there was NO ONE else in the campground, but we had a great time.

Shanna & Daddy

There was nothing to catch, but all had a great time with the new Barbie poles.

The Easter Bunny found us, even in the campground. Bunny left lots of eggs on the front lawn of the cabin, but the raccoons thought they were for them and they opened EVERY egg.

Rock throwing was a big hit.

Whisper just makes herself comfortable everywhere she goes.

This was a REALLY BIG tree.

And this was a REALLY BIG vine!!

The cabin was wonderful, with a full kitchen, shower, bathroom, huge living/dining area and 3 bedrooms!

We had lots of fund just hanging around.

Our cabin.

The park had a lovely beach but it was sooo windy! Not a soul on it, 360 degrees around, but us.

Endless time to play.

Mary Alice made us lots of treats.

We had our own private playground with a very large pathway around it for walking.

Eric's phone provided internet access for at least part of the week. I got some much needed shopping done for the kids!

Beautiful sunsets over the lake, painted by Grandma Marion in the sky. Shanna showed me a planet and told me it was her birth father.

Megan was so proud of this fire she built herself!

We went for lots of walks in the woods.

This one led us by the lake and we found these amazing sculptures, made of dirt and rock, weathered away by the wind.

Just to give some idea of size, that tiny dot in the middle of the water, is a boat! The path was so close to the edge in some spots that I was having panic attacks and made the kids walk closer in.

This is a good picture that shows some rocks trapped right in the soil.

It was an awesome week.