Pretend Baseball Game

Elena and Alex love to play together. This afternoon after we returned home from school and while I was unpacking groceries from the car, the two of them headed to the backyard for a little pretend game of baseball. Apparently, a little audience was needed for this amazing game. How did I not notice that she took so many of her "friends" outside with her???

Halloween Costumes Have Been Selected!

Monday was the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, so the kids were home from school. I took the day off too, and we made it our mission to find the perfect Halloween costumes. We went to several stores, before the kids made their choices:

PONY PRINCESS
BOBBA FETT
The kids spent the rest of the afternoon checking themselves out in the mirror and playing in their costumes.
I think they made great selections!

Star Wars Obsession

Our five year old is officially obsessed with Star Wars right now. We purchased the entire library of DVDs this week, so he and Jeff are watching them together one by one. When not watching a movie, Alex re-enacts scenes with his swords. He also recruits his sister into pretending they are characters from the movie. Although she has not watched the movie, and is uninterested in the whole Star Wars thing, she will do just about anything her big brother asks her to do. It is hilarious to listen to the stories they make up while playing together.
Alex says he wants to be Master Yoda for Halloween. He spent 30 minutes on-line tonight looking at the various costume options. We will be shopping around tomorrow to see what we can find!

Elena Reading to Her Babies

We found Elena today teaching her babies in the living room. She had her two favorites, Elmo and Anna, lined up in their strollers as she read a stack of books. What was particularly cute was how she had managed to pile on the entire contents of the dress-up box of jewelry.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the sixth anniversary of when Jeff and I signed the papers to become husband and wife. Mike Murphy, the husband of my dear friend Linda Murphy, became "judge for a day" to perform the little ceremony for us in front of the fireplace at their house.

Our Little CeremonyMike and Linda MurphyThe story around how this came to be the way we were legally married instead of the wedding we intended is sad- my father passed away two weeks before and Jeff's dad was diagnosed with a lung cancer a week later. But I think it is symbolic of WHY we got married: we are a couple who helps each other through life's challenges and manages to find something to smile about at the end of it all.

I am so grateful to have this man by my side for the rest of my life.And to have my girls remind me of that on occasion. Happy Anniversary!

Go Rhinos!

Alex's soccer team picked a name: The Rhinos.

The team had another great soccer game this week and Alex scored a goal! It is fun to see how aggressive he is out on the field and how his skills are progressing with every practice and game he plays.

Alex Giving Coach Rothbaum a High Five after Scoring
Alex taking on 2 Players from the Other Team
Score!

Birthday Party for Elena and Elizabeth

We went to the birthday party for Elena's classmate Eve on Saturday.
Eve's mom and I met years ago through Alex's godmother Tina, so it is fun that our girls are in the same class at preschool together and have become such good friends. Eve had a Hello Kitty theme for her party, which Elena was very excited about. What a fun way to spend the morning!

Time for A Little Swinging

Jeff is now home on Wednesdays with his new job. After he picked the kids up from school, Elena and Alex joined him in running a few ran errands. One of the stops was to deliver some paperwork to St. Elizabeth Coleman, the adoption agency we are using for adoption #3. The kids made sure to try out the front porch swing at the agency in the nice afternoon sunshine.