Family Day

We celebrated three years as a family on August 14th. We started the day taking our annual portraits. We then hung out at the mall for a while before heading to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. It was a great way to remember one of the most important days in our lives.

3rd Reunion

Every year it gets better. The families that traveled together to China three years ago to bring their daughters home have been trying to get together yearly for a reunion. The first reunion was at Grandma Bev's and Grandpa Skip's house. We got together for the day and enjoyed a day in the pool. Last year we all traveled to Jae and Mary's house in Maine for the weekend. This year we did it big. We planned a week at Lewes Beach. Heather found a great house that would hold the families that were staying. Four families stayed the entire week. One family came in for the weekend. One family, unfortunately could not come.

It is hard to describe the week. The girls had a blast playing with each other. We had four 3 1/2 year olds, a 5 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old and 13 year old when we were at our max. Everyone got along so well. Yes, there were occasions when someone would not share, there were a few tears but overall the girls got along beautifully. The parents even enjoyed a night out without the children.

The beach was great. We were on the bay so the waves weren't big. The girls enjoyed running in an out of the water. They found hermit crabs, conchs and sand crabs. Unfortunately, two girls and a dad "found" a jelly fish.

Heather arranged a treasure hunt for the girls. Todd has a family member that really looks like a pirate. He came and helped the girls find the clues to find a buried treasure. The girls each got their own little treasure box filled with goodies. This was a blast!! Sophia was a bit afraid of the pirate at first but joined in on finding the treasure and forgot all about being scared.

We went to the boardwalk on Friday. Sophia rode the rides there and played games to win tickets. Winning the tickets was more fun for her than actually taking home the prizes.

The week went by too quickly. We are already thinking about what we will do next year. I am not sure if we can beat this year's fun.

Sophia's First Cruise

Anne's mom has been wanting to go on another cruise for quite some time. Anne's sister, Linda, wanted to get away with her family. She found the perfect trip that met both needs. Linda booked a 4-day cruise that left out of New York and went to Canada. Linda invited Mom. My mother would be in a room by herself so she invited me and Sophia to join her.

Sophia was thrilled. We would see Grandma Barbara, Auntie Linda, Chuck and her cousins, Stephanie and Hollie. She knew she would be going on a boat. We even checked out the virtual tour online. I don't think she realized just how much fun she would have.

The night before the cruise Sophia could not sleep. She was so excited. She picked out an outfit she wanted to wear on the cruise and could not stop talking about the trip. We took a train to New York. That in and of itself was a treat. Once we got to NYC we took a cab to the pier. Sophia LOVED the cab ride. Little things make Sophia so happy!!

Once we got to the ship she was amazed. She could not believe the pools, the stores, the food and the fun. She spent her days swimming and playing with the girls. She had a blast every night at dinner. The waiter and waitress treated the girls like princesses. They got everything they asked for. We also stayed up really late on two nights so we could see the shows. Sophia loved the dancing. She danced in her seat while we watched.

My mom enjoyed spending time with us. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. I know she loved having dinners with us. Most of all, I think she loved the casino.

I am so glad we were able to do this trip. It made Mom so happy. I haven't seen her that happy in a long time. We planned this at the last minute so George and his family were not able to go. Perhaps we can arrange it so we can all cruise together next year.