Spring!

Although we've been having kind of rainy weather lately after a nice stretch in February, it was partly sunny this afternoon and I took the kids over to the university near our house in the double stroller. Aidan rode his scooter much of the way. We were hunting for forsythia (Aidan has been enjoying pointing out these bright blooming plants when we've been driving around town), and we found a bunch! When we got home, Aidan pushed Lauren on the Push & Go. We had a fun afternoon!

I have been really sick (AGAIN) and am getting over bronchitis or pneumonia (the doctor wasn't sure which one but was going to prescribe the same antibiotic regardless, so I opted against the chest x-ray to find out which one it was). I'm not coughing as much but still have pain when I breathe and lose my breath easily. This has been one tough winter for illnesses. Luckily, I seem to have gotten the worst of it, but the kids almost always seem to have something low-grade going on. Hoping it all passes soon.

Enjoy the pictures I took today, and happy Easter!







Our neglected cat makes a rare appearance on the blog! (See above picture.)

One Year as a Family of Four!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of our meeting Lauren in Taiwan. This has been the absolute fastest year of our lives and she amazes us every day with her beauty, intelligence, sense of humor and sweetness. Her latest thing is asking for hugs (by saying "hug!" and putting her arms out) many times a day--to Ryan and me, Aidan, Bethie and her friends and teachers. Aidan has, just in the last couple of months, really warmed up to her and most of the time seems to truly enjoy her company and be amused by her antics. We feel so lucky to have been able to adopt both of these wonderful kids!

Here are some pictures from tonight. We had dinner at our house with Bethie and our old family friends Lily and Chase. I made some Sneaky Chef brownies and ice cream for dessert to celebrate our Lauren Ling-iversary.

Landscaping Progress, Cute Kids

Our landscaping is coming right along! Here are some shots of the progress over the last couple of months. The plants have now been planted (the kids were a great help with that on a BEAUTIFUL day last week) and there are just a few more odds and ends to finish up.

We've been sick a lot this winter, most recently with a really bad flu...we're on the mend now, but Lauren and I have hacking coughs. Yuck! Here are some pictures from February:

Lauren, Ryan and I tried Bubble Tea at a Chinese New Year celebration. We really liked it, even the tapioca balls were fine! Not something I'd purposely eat on a regular basis, but not bad. We all enjoyed the big straws!

We had a great time at Isabel's 2nd birthday party at the Riverfront Carousel in Salem. Lots and lots of Merry-Go-Round rides!

Lauren and Ryan try it out.

New paver walkway, and the ground getting ready for sod.
Ready for the grass!
Sod being delivered.
Getting started.
Miss Lauren supervises the process.
Rolling out the sod.
One side all done.
Other side all done (and sprinklers!).
Beginning of the plant placement.
Plant placement in the front. Almost all the plants are in the ground now! (I haven't taken pictures yet, though.)