Our Halloween Treasure

I was really lucky growing up. I was the second of five children... I didn't bear the burden of responsibility that goes to the oldest, I didn't have to be the middle child, and I was old enough to remember a lot of the activities we did when the two little ones were too little. I remember a lot of really fun things that my mom did for us. Probably one of the most special memories was the series of activities she would coordinate every Christmas season... so that each of us kids had one "Countdown to Christmas" activity to do every day in December. Some were advent calendars, (I think they were homemade... I wish I had the creativity to make similar ones now.) But I also remember daily treasure hunts. It was so excited each time I got the symbol that meant I got to do the treasure hunt! There would be a clue for us to follow to find some sort of treasure... I remember a couple of Christmas-themed activity books I really enjoyed. I am so grateful to my mom for creating those memories - I still think about it every time Thanksgiving rolls around. Of course, I'd love to give our kids special memories too.

With our first round of holidays approaching, I found that we truly didn't have much in the way of decorations or fun kid stuff. (I have plenty for Christmas, because I am addicted to that holiday... but nothing outside of that!) So, I had a brainstorm... thanks to memories created by my mom. What if I found a way to add to our collection through some fun activities? When I had this idea several weeks ago, I quickly went shopping on Amazon and found a few kids things for Halloween... and then waited until we got closer to October.

We have Family Home Evening every Monday... a lot of you don't know what that is, so I'll explain. It's basically just a night where everyone stays home for the purpose of being together. We have a lesson, (last night it was about choice,) usually sing a song, do an activity, and have a dessert. It's a way to make sure that we are spending regular time together during the week. I have decided, during the holidays, that each Monday we will do an activity to lead up to the next holiday. Starting with last night, since it was close enough to October, we began our Halloween activities... and we started with the Treasure Hunt.

I admit that I didn't want to reinvent the wheel, so I went onto Parents.com and found some rhyming clues where I just had to plug in the locations. Although the clipart and format are mine! :) After homework and snack was done yesterday, I gave the kids a challenge to build the biggest city they could using Charlie's blocks in Charlie's room. They were on cloud nine... while I shut his door and set to work on the Treasure Hunt. I printed out the papers, cut them up, and rolled them into little scrolls. Then I hid them in all the appropriate places. I wrapped up the treasure and put it in the final spot... and then I went to go check on the city, which had unfortunately been knocked down by Charlie. "Oh well," I said, "Let's have dinner."

When the time came, we had our lesson and I let the kids know that they had treasure to find. "Did you say TREASURE!?!?! What? How are we going to do that?" Lynnae had a huge smile on her face as I explained that there were five hidden clues that would lead them on their way. I told them they would each take turns finding the clues, and that Lynnae would be our reader. Then I said, "The first clue is hidden underneath a piece of furniture in the kitchen." Since it was Lynnae's turn to go first, I really didn't think it would take too long. The only furniture we have in our kitchen is a table and four chairs... but she was very confused, so I finally had to tell her to look up under the table... where she found that I had taped it. She was super excited to have found the first clue!

Lynnae and Charlie both excitedly unrolled it. Charlie looked pretty confused, but was laughing really loud and getting hyper by the second. Lynnae read the clue out, and then pointed Charlie toward the fireplace for his turn.

Now it was Charlie's turn to be confused, so I asked Lynnae to help him. I suppose it would be pretty hard to know what you were supposed to do if you have never gone looking for clues before! Finally Lynnae spotted it, and got Charlie to see it too... "I FOUND IT!!!! I FOUND IT!!!" He pulled it off and handed it to Lynnae to be read. It told them to head over to the stairs.

I had purposely hidden this one a little better because I figured they'd be getting the hang of it by now. Lynnae was really excited when she found this one. And Charlie said, "Did you find it Lynnae? Did you find a clue?" Lynnae could barely contain herself enough to read it and send Charlie over to Boone's food bowls.

Charlie knew what he was doing now. He carefully pulled the food bowls away from the wall and pulled that clue right off. He wanted to read it himself, but I finally convinced him to give it to Lynnae so that she could find out what to do next. This one sent them to Lynnae's bed.
Lynnae started running so fast that I had to ask her to slow down and wait for the family... I didn't want Charlie to miss out on the excitement, because I thought she might find it really fast. But, I guess my clue hiding skills are too good for an 8 year old, and this one took the longest of all. Finally it was found and it told us to "run" downstairs and look where we keep Charlie's plane.

We all headed quickly down the stairs, where Charlie got to pull his plane out of the "hangar" and saw a present sitting behind it. (We have one of those desk-styled counters in the kitchen, and under it we store his plane and our backpacks. We call it the hangar in honor of the plane.) When he pulled out the present he saw writing on the back of it... he handed it to Lynnae so that it could be read.

Lynnae's breath got faster and faster as she read, "1 treasure is found, but two more are hidden. Look in the hangar and more gifts will be given." (Yes, I actually made one rhyme up myself.) The kids threw everything out of that hangar and found two more presents behind Lynnae's backpack.

The presents were labeled - one for Charlie, one for Lynnae, and one for the family. Charlie got to open his first. I was surprised at how gingerly he unwrapped it! As soon as he saw it he started screaming, "It's my FAVORITE!!! Little Einsteins! My favorite mommy! Look daddy!" it was so cute. It was the first time I heard him use the word "favorite" all on his own, without prompting. He got a Little Einsteins Halloween book, and was very upset when he had to put it down to watch Lynnae open hers.

Lynnae quickly unwrapped her gift and found her own book, "Twas The Night Before Halloween". She was super excited and chose to read it that night for her reading time. (Charlie also listened to the story excitedly, Lynnae is getting very good at reading to Charlie!)

We picked numbers to see who would get to open the family gift, and Charlie was closest. He opened "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," which Lynnae says she has never seen... but is very excited to watch tonight!

We had so much fun with the Treasure Hunt, it easily ranks up with the best things we have done as a family. Lynnae was so excited when she went to bed, telling me she had never done anything like it and that it was, "the best ever." And, for the rest of the night and all of this morning, Charlie has been re-finding clues and practicing articulating "Treasure Hunt". We are glad that we have done something fun that will give us books and a movie to watch as Halloween approaches this month. I can't wait to do another one... possibly for Thanksgiving supplies in November! (Pictures with the kids in them will be posted after the adoption is final.)

Fridge on the Fritz

Well the saga continues. It is not enough to have a freak accident with a failing toilet valve, resulting in flooding that makes you have to cut holes into the drywall of the room that you just finished painting. On top of that, less than a week later, our lovely Maytag refrigerator decided to fail. They say things come in threes, so I am just a little concerned about what might happen next!

On Wednesday afternoon I was enjoying Anne of Green Gables (the old PBS special) with Lynnae and Charlie. All of the sudden I heard this horrible opening and shutting noise start... and keep going, and going and going. I figured that one of the animals must be playing with something, but then noticed that all three of them were sitting peacefully near me, also enjoying Anne of Green Gables. I made my way cautiously over to the kitchen, where I was greeted by a fridge panel that looked like something out of Star Trek. All of the lights were flashing on and off rapidly, sometimes showing numbers, and other times showing dashed lines... there was the occassional red light as well. And the flap that lets the ice out was opening, and shutting, and opening, and shutting, and opening... Accompanied by a freakish whirring. On top of it, I thought I smelled something burning. "This is it," I thought, "Our fridge is officially haunted."

So I called Andy just to share our beautiful luck with him and to ask if there was anything that I should do. Afterwards I called Maytag. As soon as I started talking to a representative, and they asked me for the model and serial numbers which are inside the fridge, the flashing stopped. I decided to risk it, rather than schedule an appointment that could cost me hundreds of dollars, and hoped that it was truly haunted instead of broken. I started making dinner, (it was our favorite - breakfast for dinner night,) and was happily finishing up the french toast when it started again. It kept stopping and starting all night, I recorded the times just so we would know if it was changing. I finally stopped recording when it exceeded three hours the last time.

Andy did some research online and found that this is a very common problem with the Maytag Ice 2.0. Don't buy it. In the two years we have had it, this is the third malfunction that has required a repairman. Andy's research had showed us that the "haunting" occurred when the condenser was trying to come on, so we couldn't trust the temperature of the fridge or the freezer. It also suggested sticking a paper towel in the dispenser flap to minimize the noise. Before he did that, it was echoing through our whole house... afterward, barely a peep unless you were in the kitchen.

Andy also found our extended warranty with Lowe's... the one time that we actually bought one of those things, I am so glad! We bought it because we had just purchased a Maytag Neptune washer and dryer set that had already given us grief. (I don't suggest Maytag, we have had major issues with all of our appliances. And Maytag is now Whirlpool, so watch out for that too.) I called Lowe's and found out that the first service appointment they had was Tuesday. TUESDAY?!?!?!?! Hello... I have two kids that require juice, milk, yogurt, etc... and our water dispenser was not working... and I can't eat out much because it is impossible to avoid sodium... so I called Lowe's and pitched a bit of a fit. In the end I ended up being able to call a Whirlpool authorized service center to come out and fix it. They were available today - so all is now well.... until the next failure.

At this point, we couldn't help but make fun of the situation... so if you want to, you can watch our dorky "haunted refrigerator" video to welcome in October.

What A Week

This past week was an incredibly long one. The kind of week where you begin to wonder what is going to happen next... We started the week with sickness. The kids had not been sick since they first came to visit us six months ago. I think that's a pretty good record. And, they got over their illnesses pretty quickly, so I shouldn't complain too much... but, still it made for a miserable three days.

The day they were finally feeling better I learned about some big issues Lynnae has already had in school. Yes, school had only been in session for two weeks. Overall, this was one of Lynnae's most difficult weeks here. She really has a lot that she is dealing with right now, and she's starting to realize that the changes in her life have permanence. If I were her, I probably would have had a difficult week too. However, I'm not her - I'm the one that she was taking it out on. So, that added to my fun all week long too. To top it off, I also started my monthly hormone-induced emotional rollercoaster on Wednesday. I started to feel like I was defeated.

On Thursday, the day after our school discoveries, we had a plumbing disaster. The toilet valve in our master bathroom failed. I took less than two minutes to figure out what was happening after it started, but in that two minutes our bathroom turned into a small pond. Fortunately, I was able to stop the water from hitting the carpet thanks to a pile of towels that I had not put away right outside the bathroom door. Unfortunately, it was too much water to get up fast enough. I used every towel in our house to absorb it. And when I was done, I started to hear "rain". So I looked outside and saw that it wasn't raining... and realized that the "rain" was in my house. I ran downstairs to see water dripping from the door frame inbetween our downstairs bathroom and laundry room. Then I had another scramble to find buckets and trashcans to stop the disaster. During all this, I received a call from the school nurse. However, since it was only 20 minutes until school let out for the day, and I was worried about making it in time to pick her up at all, I ignored the call until I got home later. (Lynnae was fine.)

When Andy came home later, he cut holes in our drywall to investigate the damage. We did indeed have standing water above our laundry room, but it doesn't appear to have spread from there. Andy did a thorough job of getting the water down and doing an initial dry. We'll leave the holes open for a week or so before we seal them off.

Of course, all of this meant that my house was a wreck. This was unfortunate because we had a CASA visit the next day for the kids. I woke up and started cleaning, and kept cleaning until I left to pick Lynnae up from school at 1. (Her school has early release on Fridays.) The visit went well. Afterwards I looked at Andy, (who took a vacation day after the ordeal on Thursday,) and told him I didn't feel right. I had to run to the grocery store to pick up some supplies, and decided to get us Jamba Juices. They were so slow at Jamba Juice, I was standing there for 24 minutes. (They made 5 smoothies between Andy's and mine... which I had ordered at the same time.) By the time I got home I felt horrible. I couldn't really function to make dinner so Andy picked up Taco Bell. We'd also had pizza the night before due to the plumbing incident. This was a week of eating poorly.

On Saturday morning I really was feeling bad. We went to our friend's house anyway. And I am so glad that we did. Angie and I went to go see Get Smart, and the time we spent at their house was the only good part of the week. However, I definitely now have a full blown cold.

Between the illnesses, the difficulty from Lynnae, the meetings with the teacher, the water in our walls, and my hormones... I felt like I couldn't take anymore. I actually woke up on Friday morning and told Andy that I didn't want to do Friday. I asked if he could make it skip so that we could go straight to Saturday. Then I remembered the movie Click, and decided that might not be a good idea. All I can say is, I feel like a survivor for making it through the week. And, I'm expecting lots of good things to happen next week after all the ordeals we survived!!!

Charlie and the Basketball

Charlie seems to be growing up so fast lately! The more he grows up, the more of a "boy" he becomes. It's all about cars, trains, planes, dinosaurs, loud noises, running as fast as you can, jumping as much as you can, making things crash, and yes.... balls of all sorts.

Charlie has also become quite the escape artist. He is very proud of his ability to open and shut all types of doors now - traditional door knobs, levers, and he's even looking at the safety-covered knobs lately... Additionally, and something that has caused me a lot more caution when going into the garage or outside, he has figured out how to turn locks. He has locked himself in the bathroom several times, and locked Lynnae out of the house once. So far, I have not been locked out of the house... (that noise that you hear echoing through the blog is me knocking on wood.)

One day, I excused myself while Charlie was playing downstairs with his favorite train toy - Gordon - because I had to use the restroom. I couldn't have been gone longer than a couple of minutes, but when I came back out only Gordon was sitting on the kitchen floor. I walked around the downstairs really quick to look for Charlie, and didn't see him anywhere. I got back to the kitchen, and was starting to panic a bit when I looked outside and saw a basketball flying through the air. I looked to where it came from... and sure enough, there was Mr. Houdini in his green shirt, in my backyard, having the time of his life.

I couldn't really be annoyed with him when he looked so happy, so instead I grabbed my camera and went outside. He played with that basketball for about a half-an-hour. He's not exactly the best yet... he just throws the ball forward, instead of arcing it up... but, he was copying Andy and I by trying to dribble it. He also managed to "pass" it to me (although I had to run quite a bit to catch his pass,) and actually caught it a few times when I passed it to him.

After he was done playing, he was pooped! It was well past nap time, so we went upstairs, read his current favorite Doctor Dan, the Bandage Man, and had a talk about leaving the house without asking mommy or daddy. With a fast nod and a smile, he "pwomisssed" that he would wait for me from now on. (When I asked him if he was sure he said, "Charlie sure 'bout that.")

I was pretty impressed at his 2 year old basketball skills. Maybe his birthday will find him one of those kid-sized hoops.

How To: Eat Sunchips

How To: Eat Sunchips
by Charlie

If your mom has given you Sunchips with your lunch, you are a lucky fellow! She is likely unaware of the delightful game that she has provided for you. I know, I know... it's lunch time, and you really should eat that yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwich before you start playing. Trust me, once you start you will not be hungry anymore!

1. Pick up a piece of your PB&J and give it a good bite. It will placate your mom ... and, it takes awhile to prepare this game anyway.
2. Your mom is now oblivious to your actions due to the fact that she is eating her own Sunchips. So, while you are chewing your PB&J bite, take each of your chips and quietly break them up into several pieces. I like to start with three of four pieces per chip, but sometimes eight or nine pieces can provide more of a challenge.
3. If your mom is looking at you right now, just smile and say, "I love mommy! I love Sunchips!" That will keep her happy for a bit.
4. Go ahead and take another bite of your PB&J, maybe you are hungrier than you initially thought you would be.
5. While digesting that bite, swirl your Sunchip bits around on the plate to mix them all up.
6. I know, you're thirsty, go ahead and drink a bit of that milk.
7. Here's the tricky part. Wait until your mom gets up to do something... maybe put her dishes in the dishwasher, or let the dog out, or answer the door... and quickly take your PB&J off your plate.
   
8. Look at your Sunchip pieces and start to reassemble the chips. Try to get at least a little bit done before your mom gets back...
   
9. When your mom asks you what you are doing, smile and take a big bite of your PB&J, (the bit that didn't fall on the floor.) Then just smile at her because she knows that you can't talk with your mouth full. Keep working.
10. If your mom isn't distracted again by the time you finish that first bite of PB&J, hurry up and get another one so that you can keep working on your puzzle without distraction.
11. Once you assemble a chip, yell "Look mommy, I did it!" Your mom will be so impressed that you managed to come up with the game and get it all back together that she, hopefully, won't mind the mess.
    
12. Keep working until all the chips are gone.

By the time you finish your game, it will likely have been sixty to ninety minutes since the start of lunch. And, while you've only had a sip or two of milk, four or five bites of your sandwich, and the three or four Sunchips your mom gave you... who cares about hunger? Meals are not for eating, they are for playing. And this game is one of the best that I have found. (And try to make it to your nap before your mom finds that part of your PB&J that landed on the floor! By the time you wake up, she'll have forgotten about it.)

Our Third Grader

Last year the kids moved in the week of our school's spring break, so Lynnae was literally the last new kid in the school for the year. She had a good teacher and made some friends, but didn't really have the opportunity to form fantastic bonds or become involved in activities with only two months left in the school year. This summer was a little lonely for her, and I think she was very nervous about what the new school year would bring.

That's not to say that she didn't enjoy last year... in fact, she had a lot of fun. She was just the new kid, and that is a difficult thing to be. I have a really cute picture on my cell phone from the last day of school. They had a western-themed parade that morning, so we had her hair in pigtails and a bandana for her head. (They told us the day before, so that was what I was able to pull off!)

The way our school does classroom placement is very blind... and a little nerve-wracking, if you ask me. A month before the school year ended, I received a "placement letter," that asked me to identify my child's needs. It also informed me that no requests could be made, and that the placement decisions wouldn't be announced until the week before school started. I talked to a couple of the other parents about it, because it seemed awkward to me, and they said that the school is very strict about it... and that they announce it so late because it minimizes the complaining. Interesting. So, I filled out the letter with what I knew about Lynnae at the time - which wasn't much, given I'd known her for less than two months. My one request was for a structured classroom. All summer we waited to find out what teacher she would have.

Uncertainty is very hard for children with her background - so it made me feel bad for her that we couldn't even talk about what her teacher's name would be... I think that's why it bothered me so much. For Lynnae to be comfortable, we have to gradually talk about things over a period of time and introduce details, so that by the time they happen it just seems natural. For instance, she has started ballet classes. I worked up to it for two months - first, "what would you think about dancing?" Then, "I think ballet would be really cool, what do you think?" Then, "What do you think you'll wear to ballet class?" And on and on until we are talking about where her school is located. By the time she started ballet, she thought it was her idea, and was super-psyched and prepared for day one. But with the new school year, all I could talk about was the fact that it would be third grade, that they would learn cursive and how to multiply. That is not enough.

So the day of the ice cream social finally arrived. (That is when all the kids come to the school, eat ice cream, and meet their new teachers.) Lynnae was very hyper and nervous all day... and as we were walking to the school she seemed like she might get sick. Then, just before we reached the teacher list, she ran into one of her friends (Jennifer) from last year. We looked at the list together and found out that they were in the same class. They started jumping up and down and hugging, and then they started running into everyone else from last year. Every trace of nervousness seemed to be gone as we walked up to her new teacher, Ms. Stewart. And then Ms. Stewart asked her if she was excited for third grade... and what did our Lynnae do? She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head back and forth slowly. (Great first impression, huh?) But the teacher handled it well and Lynnae was more excited a couple of minutes later. She and Jennifer ran up to the classroom to take a peek... and I'll be able to post that picture after the adoption is final!

Less than a week later it was time to wake up at 7:00 and get ready for school. She was sooooooo nervous the day before, that she acted out and got into a bit of trouble. And I, again, worried that she might get sick on the walk to school. She was really excited about her first day of school outfit though. I let her buy a dress and new shoes for the occasion - she certainly loves dressing up.

When we headed down the cul-de-sac and onto the main road, we ran into another family that lives opposite our house in a facing cul-de-sac. They happen to be a foster-adopt family as well that have four children, three that have already been adopted. One of their little girls is just a year behind Lynnae in school. We walked with them the 8 minutes that it takes to get to the school, and Lynnae was chatting the whole way. The nervousness was gone by the time we got there. It was such a marked change for me that I pulled out my phone to take another picture. There is a big difference between the one I took at home, and the picture at the school - she was clearly more calm once we got there.

We walked through the front doors and into the classroom, and looked for Lynnae's desk. Unfortunately, the teacher had forgotten that she goes by a different name, so her desk tag said "Larenmie." Lynnae didn't like that at all and looked very scared, so I explained that it was an honest mistake and that we could get it fixed... but there were so many parents and so much commotion, that I couldn't get the teacher's attention before it was time for class to start. We got her desk settled, and saw that she was sitting next to two of her favorite people from last year... and then she started to settle down. However, when I said goodbye, she looked a bit nervous again. I gave her a big smile and told her I'd see her at 3, and walked out.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was an awesome day for me. I had six hours with just Charlie. I hadn't realized how little uninterrupted attention he received all summer... and when he had his nap, I actually was ALONE!!! It was heaven. And when I picked her up at the end of the day, she was in a terrific mood and didn't stop talking about school for a couple of hours. The mood continued through the rest of the week, and I already love her new teacher. We've also walked every day with the other foster-adopt family, and she's forming a pretty good friendship there. (The mom and I have been talking off and on all summer... she's very nice, and has been very helpful!)

Hopefully third grade will be a good year for Lynnae. Last year she was at a disadvantage, if for no other reason than the fact that she attended three schools in one year. This year she will get to stay at the same school, she does have a structured classroom, and she has advanced in her reading skills over the summer.... and most important, she clearly has a lot more confidence than she did in second grade. I am excited to see what this year brings!

Big Boy Bed

Charlie is our little acrobat. From the day that he came to live with us to today, his upper body strength seems to have tripled. He can climb and flip over anything... and I often find myself running towards him as he does something dangerous when I turn my back. Sometimes it doesn't work - like the day that he tried to flip over the back of our couch and landed on his face. He cried so hard, but I think I could have cried more... if I wasn't trying to stay calm for his sake.

His favorite thing to climb in and out of has always been his crib. It started about a month after he moved in... I would hear him crying during nap time, and when I went into his room he was straddling the crib at the top... one foot in and one foot out. Eventually, I would hear a CRASH and then a cry... and then I started leaving the railing down so that he wouldn't have to go as far... but he still usually chose to go off the very top. I spent time with him showing him how to do it safely, since it didn't seem like I could keep it from happening.

He also got very good at climbing into his crib, and for the last two months he would cry if I put him in. (He'd usually also start yelling, "I want Charlie does it!") So I found myself taking him back out so that he could climb in. He would stand at the bottom of the railing, where the mattress goes, lift his arms to the top ... and then basically do a chin up while shimmying his legs around the bars. Pretty soon it took him about 5 seconds to be on the other side.

Three weeks ago he managed to start getting out of the crib without jumping down. I spied on him because I was curious how he did it. Imagine how scared I was as I saw him lean over the top, and go down head first... but his arm strength kept him from slipping... he would crawl to the bottom of the railing and then flip over onto the ground.

The day I saw that, Andy and I decided that it was definitely time for a big boy bed. We had a bunch of errands that we needed to run about an hour or two south of us... right by IKEA. So, we fit IKEA into our plans. We bought Charlie a big boy bed that will adjust from a toddler to a twin. We set it up the next day and he slept in it that night. He was soooo proud to be a big boy in a big boy bed. It was incredibly cute, and it made him seem a lot older to me. I am really starting to miss the little toddler that moved here, because he is fast evolving.

We choose a car and truck theme for the bedding and his room. I had ordered the bedding online, so it took a few days to get it. Once we did, and we got it on his bed, he was in LOVE with it. He has two car pillows that he can drive on his quilt, (which has a picture of a road on it.) He automatically jumped on and started driving his cars around... and he wouldn't stop for an hour. He clearly is in heaven. And for my part? I'm looking for a gymnastics class to enroll him in. :)

Lynnae's Birthday Party

Lynnae celebrated her 8th birthday on July 13th. We were in California and went to Disneyland as part of her birthday present, as well as celebrated with lots of presents and cake at her Grandma and Grandpa Boyce's. Because we had already made such a big to-do about the birthday, (we won't be going to Disneyland every year,) we told her that we would scale down her friend birthday party. Lynnae invited eight friends over to eat pizza, watch a movie and share cake this past Saturday. With unfortunate timing during the Labor Day weekend, we had about a 50% turnout, but neither Lynnae nor the other girls seemed to mind!

Lynnae was so excited she was hyper all day long. I kept her occupied with chores... it worked like a charm! We didn't have a single meltdown before the party, (which is quite the feat right now,) and she was in a great mood when her friends started coming over. They were having so much fun playing with the doll house in her room that it took about an hour before they ate the pizza... (the adults were well done by then!) Then they opened presents and watched the movie - "Ariel's Beginning". Lynnae wanted a Disney princess theme for her party - she's been on a Disney kick since our trip - so everything was princesses. She had a hard time choosing between princesses and fairies at first, so we compromised and did a Tinkerbell cake. I never knew that fairies were as big a deal as the princesses... but apparently, they are!


Our good friends Angie and Jeff came up from Lake Tapps with their daughters Madison and Natalie - Natalie was there to be Charlie's friend - and we had a great time visiting with our friends too. All of the kids stayed later than planned, it wasn't until 9:30 that it was just the Boschees and us... and we ended up hanging out until it was officially Sunday. We had a great time, and Lynnae was super-happy afterwards... and seemed to be happy for the next two days too!

She has already starting talking to me about next year's party. We were going to do a luau theme this year, so now she is set and visualizing a luau for next year... sounds like fun to me!

More pictures will be posted after the adoption is finalized.