Rain Rain Go Away!!

Cami playing basketball with Ben.

Ian helping mommy plant flowers.

The kids having a picnic on Friday. Ben is worried that there might be more rain.

I think we have had enough rain to last us a while. Roads are shut down, basements are flooding (not ours thankfully), and there are large puddles and ponds everywhere. The rain has been coming down for several days now and it is time for it to stop. Thankfully we had a nice, yet muggy, day here today. The kids were getting a little stir crazy being in doors for so many days. They understand the seriousness of the heavy rains as the news showed houses in the Wisconsin Dells area being washed away whole and sinking and another house being split in two by the floods. They were a little scared, but Ben stated that he was thankful that God kept the people from being washed away with the houses. What a smart and thoughtful little boy.

This weekend we had a garage sale with our friends Stacy. Her son Hank and our kids enjoyed playing while we sat and waited for people to come. Despite the downpours on Friday, we actually had quite a few people come in between the rain storms. We all enjoyed having a picnic lunch with free food from Potbelly Sandwiches (free food on Thursday with donations given to Habitat for Humanity).

Ian made his way down the steps today crawling and pushing his way down on his tummy. It is the first time he has made it all the way down. He is really growing up! He has 4 teeth coming in all at the same time, climbing on everything. Babbling all the time, trying so hard to communicate his wants and needs, and learning so many new things. I LOVE this stage and dislike this stage all at the same time. I mostly love it because it is fun to watch your child learn so many new things and see the excitement in their eyes and on their face from the most simple things, like bending over and seeing someone upside down (Ian got a HUGE kick out of that). The part I dislike is the frustration they get when they are trying to communicate throught whining and grunting and me having to try to figure out what the need or want is before a major meltdown occurs. I often reflect on the amazing changes that occur everyday with my kids and thank God that I have the opportunity to see them grow everyday. I feel blessed to be home with my kids running around playing tag and having picnics during the day. I know this time will go fast and soon they will be in school and our carefree days will be lost to school and activities.

Speaking of activities, Ben has just started soccer and will have his first game this coming Monday. He is enjoying it so far. Ben and Cami both are finishing up their swim classes. Cami had her last one on Wednesday and Ben's had to be rescheduled due to the rain, hail, and tornados on Thursday. He will finish up next week. They love swimming, but are looking forward to taking a break this summer and starting back up in the fall. We look forward to a limited scheduled summer, leaving most days for playtime and play dates and zoo trips with friends.

We hope to hear about Ian's official adoption court date soon. We are expecting a July court date right now. We can't wait until everything is official! We are so excited!