Kindergarten Graduation Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a beautiful day as we celebrated Gabriella's Kindergarten Graduation Day!!!!! We are so proud of her and her accomplishments. What a different kid after 9 months of school!!!!!!!

This is Miss Dudgeon's Graduation Class of 2010! WoooHoooooo!!!!!!!!

Family pose..........................................

Here's my sweet Gabriella!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, Gabriella!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teacher of the Year, Miss Dudgeon!

Grandma Peggy was there to celebrate the day with us!

Ella, Braxton and Gabriella together after the ceremony.

Nana and the girls................................all smiles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is Emily Mortier! She was Gabriella's 8th grade buddy. Emily is now graduating from 8th grade at Holy Redeemer so it's bitter sweet for them both! Congrats Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It was a great day filled with lots of emotions. Happy Graduation Day sweetie!

Gabriella's Last Day of Kindergarten

I can not believe my little girl is done with a whole year of kindergarten! Where in the world did the time go?

Gabriella had a magnificent teacher this year. Ryan and I are so grateful for Miss Dudgeon and the time she spent with Gabriella. A child's kindergarten teacher makes or breaks their outlook at school! We feel blessed that Gabriella was lucky enough to start her academic career with Miss Dudgeon and we look forward to her years ahead. Thank you Miss Dudgeon for a wonderful year!!!!

Spring Dance Recital 2010

The girls wrapped up this ballet and tap dance year with a spring recital last Sunday. They did a fabulous job and I was so proud of them!!!!

The girls were in the same class this year which worked out great for scheduling and me running around to activities!

It's a play day

Sprinkler fun outside..............................On Monday the temperature hit 90 degrees!

Gabriella and Jocelyn catching butterflies....................

Here's Jocelyn spraying Ahnya in the face with the sprinkler.....look at the mischieveous grin!

Ahnya loves the water....she just STANDS in it and screams!

The weather is beautiful outside and we having a blast playing and soaking up the sun!!!! The girls always find something to do outside!!!! Ahnya loves the outdoors, too!

One year later baby!

Here's a picture of baby Ahnya at 8 months old and today at 19 months old! What a difference a year makes!!!! I'm so thankful I am able to stay home and spend every moment with her because time flies by WAY too fast!

Jocelyn's LAST Day of 4 yr. old Preschool!!

Today is Jocelyn's last day of 4 year old preschool! She has had an amazing year at school and has loved her teachers and preschool friends! Today the class celebrated by going to the park for some springtime fun in the sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Mrs. Garrels and Mrs. Roelfsema for a fabulous year! Jocelyn loves you both! This was Jocelyn's last day in the classroom! Gabriella and I went to see her end of the year program and the class sang songs for all the parents! God bless those preschool teachers!

Next school year, we've decided to send Jocelyn to 5 year old preschool. Yeah!!!! She gets to have Mrs. Macht next year and we look forward to another year of preschool and mommy looks forward to having Jocelyn home, too!

Happy Gotch'a Day Baby Ahnya!!!

One year ago today I walked into the orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and saw Ahnya Leigh Meretech for the first time. It seems like only yesterday that I saw her beautiful brown eyes, yet it seem like she's been in our family forever!

I'll never forget walking up the long flight of stairs to get to her nursery room one the third floor of the orphanage! My heart was beating so fast, I was instantly nervous and full of crazy feelings....I was so scared I wouldn't know which child she was. One of the nannies opened the door to the nursery and I looked around and saw a room full of beautiful babies! I quickly made one scan of the room as all the babies with their beautiful brown eyes starred at me and then I SAW her instantly! No doubt that I could pick her out! I remember quickly going to her and kneeling next to her as she was proped up and thinking...I am soooooooooo lucky......this can't be happening.....she was the sweetest, prettiest thing....I said some words to her making sure she wouldn't scream when I picked her up...and then I just scooped her up in my arms, smelled her intoxicating hair, and smooched her sweet baby cheeks and lips...and it was pure undeniable love!

Many emotions encompass the whole adoption experience and the one year anniversary is a time to reflect, be thankful, and think of Ethiopia. I'd travel a million miles over and over again for each of my children. They are so precious and Ryan and I are so blessed.

The last thing that I'll share is a piece of a note that I had Ahnya's birth mom write in my journal when we met in Hossana and I love it. It goes like this:

Dear Ahnya,
I am your birth mother. I can't care for you but I love you. Always know that I loved you more than warm sunshine, the sweetest milk, and honey.
Love, Terafech Admassu


Girls with Nana and Bumpa!

One year later and Ahnya our family is so unbelievably proud and humble by the experience.

Here's Kirsite, Ahnya and I on her Gotch'a Day eve. We celebrated at the Meyer's house for a family BBQ and it was a perfect evening.

Ryan, I and little Ms. Ahnya! Such a fun, sweet and loving baby girl!

My little dancers

Gabriella and Jocelyn at the ballet bar at Southwest Dance Studio in Marshall.

I'm amazed at Gabriella concentration and focus. She really loves ballet and tap!

Jocelyn is also a little dancer and so proud to be in the "big" girl class with the 6 & 7 year olds. She too is a wonderful dancer takes after big sister, Gabriella.

At that bar with Mrs. Wendel, the owner and director of Southwest School of Dance.

The girls are wrapping up their year in ballet and tap and have done a fabulous job. They are such good dancers and Ryan and I couldn't be happier for our girls being involved and active in ballet and tap. They love it!

Rain, rain go away

Baby Ahnya is growing and talking and has a fun, entertaining personality...to say the least!

All three sistas hanging out in momma and dada's room! They are so good together!

Our May has turned out to be a cooler, drippier month-as compared to April. So we are spending more time indoors and trying to find ways to occupy our time. But in the backs of our heads we are definately waiting for sunshine and beautiful weather again!!!!!

Water Babies!

Happy May everyone! I can't believe where the time has gone. But we are all happy and healthy and loving our time together as a family of 5. Every day I wake up and thank God for my wonderful family and life. I am so blessed and so happy where we are!

Here's a couple pics of the girls in the bath! They love bath time and I loves splashing with her sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!!