Some recent pics....

MK loves to entertain us with her latest dance moves......

And then she chooses to tackle those who laugh at her....

she does love her brothers....

And this pic I could not resist....MK is forever

putting on clothes that don't make a bit of sense together. This morning it was this combination.....

Same post, different day, right? That is how it seems sometimes. Where this blog began as a tool of communication between family and friends during our adoption of Mason-Kate, it has now turned into a diary of sorts. Therefore, I feel the need to write today about a toy that the boys had that is now being passed on to other children to enjoy. The boys received a battery powered John Deere Gator for Christmas when they were 3 and 1 years old. That would be the one Christmas that we literally had to rent a U-Haul to get all of their gifts back home. The Gator was definitely the best money we have ever spent on one specific toy. The boys used it as their school bus, their golf cart, their dump truck, their utility cart while helping Ryan with yardwork, etc. 7 1/2 years later we have told the Gator goodbye....sadly I am reminded that the boys are growing up. They started out hardly being able to reach the gas pedal, yet recently they were driving it around the yard with their knees up to their chins. RIP John Deere Gator. In MK news, she continues to be a girlie girl. Yesterday, she gathered up her items she needed, loaded them into her purse, dressed her baby, put her shoes on, grabbed a pretend set of keys, told me goodbye, told me she was taking her baby to school and then proceeded to tell me that she was going to go shopping! She is asking "why?" ALL of the time....as I type this, she is sleeping but I can still hear her sweet little voice saying "but why mommy? why?" We will ask her to do something and she will say, "ok, mommy, I will....why?" She loves school. Her teacher shared with me that MK was trying to work the teachers by showing her opinion as to who she preferred to change her and care for her....they caught on to this and shared with MK who was boss. That is our MK, she likes to take charge when given even an inch to work with! I was a little worried that Mason-Kate would not want to go to school due to the boys being at home. However, that is not the case....MK goes in all smiles and is smiling when we return to pick her up. She is such a cutie. All three children went in for dental appointments yesterday. All three did extremely well, teeth are clean and cavity free. MK even allowed the assistant to clean her bottom teeth and then calmly clenched her teeth closed and looked away so that her top teeth would not be subjected. One step at a time....at least there were no tears. That is all for now....

Hunting Island

The boys are so excited that Tiger Cubs and Weblos (Boyscouts) have begun. Our first camping adventure with the scouts was this weekend at Hunting Island. Somehow the word "primitive" was overlooked by me. We arrived on the island just in time to pitch our tent before the sun went down, and in just enough time for me to realize that we were really going to be camping. There were no outlets, ants were everywhere, mosquitoes galore, no running water, the bathrooms were a mile away, without showers, and the raccoons were ruthless. HMMM. Then I looked around, my boys were running through the woods with their friends, of course with sticks in hand to use as their swords.....they were gathering wood for the campfire, tending to the campfire - sometimes a bit too enthusiastically :).....they were helping others pitch their tents, they were toting items from cars, they were happy. So, Ryan and I took our seats and enjoyed watching them soak in the primitiveness of our excursion. The weather was perfect, the boys enjoyed tug-o-war on the beach, swimming, a nature hike through the marsh (the pic of C was taken just before our hike in the nature center....I didn't take a camera but someone caught this shot of him enjoying the snake), they searched for sharks teeth and, before the day was done, our family climbed the 175 steps to the top of the lighthouse. All the while, Mason-Kate was enjoying some undivided attention from all four of her grandparents. We have not left her with anyone overnight in almost a year so I was a bit concerned about how she would do....not to worry, she awoke Friday morning asking for her shoes (aka "plip-plops"), her bunny blanket, her baby and her "nother blankie." When all of these items were in her possession, she proceeded to the car saying "bye-bye home." Although I feel she continues to grow up way too fast, I do love that I can tell her how things are going to happen and she gets it.
In other news, another toddler is coming home from Dianjiang, China.....MK's birthplace. Check out www.francescabrinifay.blogspot.com to see this little girl being united with her family today.