Official

There's no doubt we have been functioning as a family of five for some time now, but I am so glad to announce that the courts have officially recognized us as a family of five!! Donna moved out last month as she is in college and hoping to gain her independence, so there was no need to go through the courts since she is an adult. We adore her and continue to keep in touch with her regularly. She will always be a part of our family.

But since Nancy is still a minor, we knew we wanted to make sure she was protected and cared for so the long process began with the courts. Finally, after several months, the judge gave her stamp of approval! We celebrated last night with a nice dinner and now I get to move forward and do even more paperwork with insurance, physicians, etc. It really is never-ending.......but gosh, it feels so good. We are feeling blessed beyond belief.

Updates

I think I would be a better blogger if I had 3-day weekends every week. For once, I am able to sit down and actually relax...we decided not to go out of town this weekend because of the crazy weather in Reno and I am feeling glad we laid low. My thoughts and updates in a nutshell:

• Nancy is learning to drive and I get to teach her...in my minivan...I understand this became my life.....but really? She's doing a good job so far and I have kept my cool.....relatively.
• Sophie started softball already...just in time for us to receive 5 inches of rain in less than a week. 
• Sophie's teacher sent out an email with ADDITIONAL optional worksheets to work on because some parents asked for more homework....who in the heck ARE these parents? What if I emailed and asked for LESS? Would she take away a few stacks? Whoever these parents are....I hate them.
• Noah was frustrated the other day and said, "Crap!" Unfortunately, I think I am the only one in the family that actually says that, so it's pretty clear who he got it from.....CRAP! 
• Tim's renovation at work is underway. So, thankfully, our schedule is now busier...because that is what we need in our lives!

Happy Birthday Uncle John!!!

So many birthdays! We wish we could be with Uncle John to help him celebrate his birthday! Noah said he would get him a tractor cake and green ice cream to match! We hope you had a fabulous birthday, Uncle John.......wishing only the very best for our favorite uncle! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday Auntie Michelle!

We had a fabulous Saturday! On top of it being my sister's birthday (Happy Birthday Michelle!), we had 80 degree weather and took full advantage by spending part of the day in the city, then the afternoon golfing, and finished it off with a yummy dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory! We also indulged in Kara's Cupcakes (using Michelle's birthday as yet another excuse to be bad!). Overall, a wonderful day and hopefully a very memorable one for my sis.

 Michelle fell in love with our Keurig coffee maker, so we decided to get her one for her big day!

 On the tee and ready to hit it down the middle!

 Jen was Michelle's chauffeur.

 Exploring Daddy's golf course.

 Noah mercilessly tackling Sophie to the ground!

 Happy birthday Auntie Michelle!

We were lucky enough to catch yet another gorgeous sunset at Tim's golf course. Such a great day!

Winnie the Pooh....or Monster

Tim thinks it's funny to run around the house and scare the kids while wearing a Winnie the Pooh pillow as a mask. Who knew Winnie had the potential to look creepy? Oh yeah, he can't see either, which makes it all the more fun to watch.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

I've held hundreds of conferences with parents, ran meetings with the PTSA, given presentations to parents about "how to be an involved, yet not an overbearing parent," but talk to me about attending my own child's conference and I get weak in the knees and start looking for the nearest can to puke in.

Today was Noah's very first parent-teacher conference (yes, even in pre-school) and I was extremely nervous. I shared this feeling with my husband who then got so annoyed with me he started to get anxious himself. We arrive just in time to have to wait (ugghh) because God forbid I am one second late to my slotted 15 minute conference. And when they say 15 minutes, they really mean it....not one second more. And if you're late....then tough cookies.

Once again, I was fretting over nothing. I was delighted to hear how well Noah is doing and was so glad someone else confirmed that he is a GENIUS. Okay, maybe the teacher didn't say that, but I most certainly walked away with that belief. I guess it's not that hard in pre-school......follow directions, clean up, listen during circle time, play nicely with others, recognize a few shapes and colors = super genius. And in this case, my little Noah! Tim and I walked away feeling very blessed knowing we have a happy and thriving son. We celebrated this evening with an ice cream cone! Great job, Noah!

Happy Birthday Dad and Nancy!!

Happy birthday Papa! Hope you have a great day with lots of good food and fun! Nancy also celebrated her birthday this past Friday, so we haven't stopped celebrating since Christmas!

Happy birthday to the both of you!

The week of sweets!

We are all on a sugar high from this week! First, Nancy had a cooking final and had to bring in homemade cupcakes. Then, Noah had a party at school and brought a huge cookie cake. Then, we topped it off with an amazing Toy Story cake for Noah! And that diet? Yeah, that starts next week for sure!

 Nancy was a hit in her class cooking final! These cupcakes were delicious!

 Noah and all his classmates enjoyed this huge cookie cake.

And the grand finale! The cake Nancy spent hours decorating, while I only spent about an hour baking. She is so talented!

Happy 4th Birthday Noah!

Happy Birthday Noah! I can't believe it was four years ago today that this little boy came into our lives and changed us forever. He brings so much joy and laughter to our family; it's like we have a mini Tim entertaining everyone who walks through the door! Now, he is running around with boundless energy, making new friends each and every day and loving every second of preschool. Little did I know I'd yearn for the time I used to be able to rock him to sleep and soothe him with the warmth of my chest. But now, I get to laugh with him as he gives me goofy faces. I get to chase him at the park as he is laughing uncontrollably. We are so incredibly thankful for our little Bubba. I only wish this coming year brings even more laughs and moments of joy. We love you little guy!

 He still loves his Cars, but lately he has also become a Toy Story fan.

 Here is the beautiful cake Nancy decorated! She is such a talent and made dedicated so much time to making this look perfect!

 The kiddos with Nancy.

Happy Birthday Noah!

Trip to Daddy's Work

With two weeks off, I find myself desperate for activities after, I'd say, oh the first day. Luckily, Tim is nice enough to let us come by and visit from time to time! We went by his work and enjoyed lunch with him while the kiddies had fun riding around in the gator.