Wrestling Tournament 12/20/09

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Tree Day 09

Tree day! Tree day! I love tree day....it's my favorite day of the year! This year was so much fun! It had been super cold all week and then on Saturday it warmed up to mid 40's, it felt like a heat wave. :) We decided to go this year with just our family, in years past we've gone with friends. We really had fun just enjoying our family time together and creating memories of Tree day. We were lucky this year to have found a great tree in about 20 minutes, some years we've spent hours looking for just the right tree. The kids enjoyed eating donuts, drinking hot cocoa, climbing trees and just having fun in the woods. All 3 agreed to wear the Santa hats and didn't complain about the photos I was taking, they actually stopped to pose for me. :)

The kids with the "kids tree"

Olivia and her hot cocoa

Jack taking time to climb a tree

The kids called this tree a "colorado palm tree"

We put Jack to work this year, hauling the tree. :)

Luckily, another family came by, so we could get a family photo.

The finished tree....aahhhh!!!

Nutcracker, Wrestling and Cotillion...

Whew....we had a busy weekend. First, was Saturday night, the girls and I went to the Macaroni Grill for dinner and then we went to see the Nutcracker. This was Lucy's first year and she was so excited. She couldn't wait to see the ballerinas. It was a late night, but we had a great time. I hope to continue this tradition with the girls for years to come. Jeff, Jack and Eugene had a boys night, they went to see the movie 2012.

"I can twirl like a ballerina"

Jack had his first ever wrestling tournament on Sunday morning. He did great...he ended up getting 3rd place and a ribbon. He was so proud of himself. He asked if there was another tournament next weekend. :)

The handshake

The takedown

Way to go Jack!!!!!!

Olivia has been attending Cotillion for the past 6 weeks and tonight was the finale. This is when the parents get to come and see what the kids have learned. We signed Olivia up, back in September and she was really upset with us and did not want to go. She told Kimmy, (our dear sweet teenage neighbor) and Kimmy kept telling Olivia she was so lucky to be able to go to Cotillion and that she had always wanted to go.

Last week at Cotillion they told the kids they could bring their parents to the finale and also a friend....well, guess who Olivia invited? Yes, Kimmy! Kimmy was thrilled to go with us and she even came early to help Olivia get ready.

All smiles for Cotillion

All dressed and ready for Cotillion

Olivia and Kimmy

Dancing the "fox trot" with a boy

The Waltz with daddy..."daddy's cinderella" was playing. I started crying. :(

Olivia and Jeff during the Tango competition....they were one of five finalist!

Thankful Thursday!!!

I thought I would do a "thankful Thursday" post.  Whew!  It's been a crazy week.  I have so much to be thankful for.  First, is Jack.....we found out a few weeks ago Jack is farsighted and needs glasses we, also learned he has problems with eye-tracking.  

We went to see the specialist this past Tuesday for a 2.5 hour evaluation. Jack had to undergo all sorts of visual, auditory and motor tests.  I was then called in by the specialist to review her findings.  It seems Jack is "gifted" in Visual/Spatial Intelligence.  This is how he learns and decodes the information around him.  The other side is, he is also "learning disabled" because of his inability to eye-track.  

Now, we can get Jack the therapy he needs to succeed and be confident in himself.  This has been an "eye opener" for us.  This explains so many of the pieces of Jack that no else could seem to answer. We are so thankful to be finding this out now.  We have a long road ahead of us, Jack will need therapy weekly for the next 6-9 months.  Click here to learn more about Jack and his unique learning style.   Here is a photo of Jack and his new glasses, he looks so handsome.  

Here is some artwork of Miss Lucy's.  She gave this to me last week.  On one side it said...the Pilgrims were thankful for the Indians and on the other side.....Me, I am thankful for mom and dad.  AAAAWWWWW!!  

I would be proud if Olivia or Jack had said they were thankful for us too but, when this comes from your adopted daughter it means so much more.  I still find it a miracle of how she came to be our daughter and a part of our family.  She is an amazing, sweet little girl.  We are so thankful for you Lucy!  I love her artwork of the three of us.  She drew her and daddy with black hair.   :) 

Wordless Wednesday