As you have probably guessed by my lack of blogging, this year has been BUSY! So I thought that I would just pass the highlights on to you...Our first Christmas with our children was delightful! It was so fun to watch them experience Christmas for the very first time! And of course they got royally spoiled by all the aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas, not to mention mommy and daddy! They didn't really catch on to the real meaning of it all, but they sure had fun decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents (although they couldn't keep a secret!) and of course the unwrapping.
In January, Beth and Jack experienced SNOW for the first time--and loved it! It only lasted a day or two but for two weeks after, Jack wanted to know when we could make a snowman again.
So by the time we flew out to Washington DC in April, they were ready for an adventure. Both of them loved flying in an airplane again and were so excited to finally meet the cousins we had told them of for so long. By the time we drove up to their townhouse, Jack and Beth were so ready to run around and play that when they saw their cousins riding bikes on the sidewalk, they jumped out and joined right in. No introductions needed! We had an amazing week visiting my sister and family and seeing some of the sights of DC. The highlight for Mitch was attending the NASCAR race in Richmond, VA and I was happy just to spend time with my favorite sister :)
Back home in Oregon, our next major event was Mother's Day. My first one with Beth and Jack. They took me out to my favorite breakfast place and spoiled me with flowers, and of course lots of hugs and kisses.
At the end of May, we took a trip to the Oregon Coast--the first time for Jack and Beth. They had so much fun splashing in the surf and trying to find little fish in the waves in spite of the chilly water! We looked for starfish and sea anenomes at Heceta Head Beach then wrapped up our day at Mo's resturant, where the kids loved their famous clam chowder!
Father's Day was a mini family reunion as Mitch's brother, sister and parents as well as my mom joined us for a backyard BBQ. The kids had fun splashing and "swimming" in the new pool and gave their Daddy pool toys for gifts.
July 5 was my brother's wedding and the kids added a new aunt to the list of new family members. They didn't mind one bit--just another person to spoil them, right?
More firsts for them included swimming in a lake, pony rides for Beth and motorcycle rides for Jack at the county fair.
The highlight of Beth's summer was her princess birthday on August 15! We celebrated at Grandma Louise's house and had a huge water slide for the kids to play on. Beth was definitely the star of the show and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!
We went camping at family camp for the Labor Day weekend and they thought sleeping in the camp trailer was a lot of fun. The weather wasn't the best, but we still had some fun family times. Jack learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels while we were there and was quite the celebrity, being still only three years old!
September 10 was their first day of school--Beth started kindergarten and Jack started preschool. Beth was especially excited since she has a couple of older friends who go to school and she thought it sounded fun. She loves her teacher and is picking up so much language and math every day! Jack is having a lot of fun at preschool and has a best friend with whom he is inseparable, especially if they are playing cars. I went back to school, too...as a long-term substitute teacher for a trimester. After Thanksgiving I was offered a half-time position at the same school for the remainder of the school year. It's been quite the adjustment for all of us, including Mitch, who has had to pick up a lot of the slack (and do a lot of laundry!)
Jack and Beth both got to attend a Duck football game with Daddy this fall, we all made apple cider again and the kids got to go trick-or-treating for the first time since last year was a little too soon for them to be able to understand. Jack was Spiderman and Beth was a princess.
We enjoyed lots of family time for my birthday and Thanksgiving.
In January, Beth and Jack experienced SNOW for the first time--and loved it! It only lasted a day or two but for two weeks after, Jack wanted to know when we could make a snowman again.As their English language skills increased, they both became much more outgoing and confident around other people, especially friends their own ages. We tried to arrange play dates to help them adjust socially to their home as well as consistently attended Sunday School.
So by the time we flew out to Washington DC in April, they were ready for an adventure. Both of them loved flying in an airplane again and were so excited to finally meet the cousins we had told them of for so long. By the time we drove up to their townhouse, Jack and Beth were so ready to run around and play that when they saw their cousins riding bikes on the sidewalk, they jumped out and joined right in. No introductions needed! We had an amazing week visiting my sister and family and seeing some of the sights of DC. The highlight for Mitch was attending the NASCAR race in Richmond, VA and I was happy just to spend time with my favorite sister :) Back home in Oregon, our next major event was Mother's Day. My first one with Beth and Jack. They took me out to my favorite breakfast place and spoiled me with flowers, and of course lots of hugs and kisses.
At the end of May, we took a trip to the Oregon Coast--the first time for Jack and Beth. They had so much fun splashing in the surf and trying to find little fish in the waves in spite of the chilly water! We looked for starfish and sea anenomes at Heceta Head Beach then wrapped up our day at Mo's resturant, where the kids loved their famous clam chowder!
Father's Day was a mini family reunion as Mitch's brother, sister and parents as well as my mom joined us for a backyard BBQ. The kids had fun splashing and "swimming" in the new pool and gave their Daddy pool toys for gifts.
July 5 was my brother's wedding and the kids added a new aunt to the list of new family members. They didn't mind one bit--just another person to spoil them, right?
More firsts for them included swimming in a lake, pony rides for Beth and motorcycle rides for Jack at the county fair.
The highlight of Beth's summer was her princess birthday on August 15! We celebrated at Grandma Louise's house and had a huge water slide for the kids to play on. Beth was definitely the star of the show and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!We went camping at family camp for the Labor Day weekend and they thought sleeping in the camp trailer was a lot of fun. The weather wasn't the best, but we still had some fun family times. Jack learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels while we were there and was quite the celebrity, being still only three years old!
September 10 was their first day of school--Beth started kindergarten and Jack started preschool. Beth was especially excited since she has a couple of older friends who go to school and she thought it sounded fun. She loves her teacher and is picking up so much language and math every day! Jack is having a lot of fun at preschool and has a best friend with whom he is inseparable, especially if they are playing cars. I went back to school, too...as a long-term substitute teacher for a trimester. After Thanksgiving I was offered a half-time position at the same school for the remainder of the school year. It's been quite the adjustment for all of us, including Mitch, who has had to pick up a lot of the slack (and do a lot of laundry!)Jack and Beth both got to attend a Duck football game with Daddy this fall, we all made apple cider again and the kids got to go trick-or-treating for the first time since last year was a little too soon for them to be able to understand. Jack was Spiderman and Beth was a princess.
We enjoyed lots of family time for my birthday and Thanksgiving.
And then it was finally Jack's long-awaited four-year-old birthday! We celebrated with family, then at school, and then with a kids' playdate! Whew! Needless to say, Jack is proud to finally be FOUR.
Today we finished our Christmas tree sales at my mom's farm and are now in the midst of the crazy last-minute shopping. This time around, I hope to update everyone much more frequently. We all, the Woffords, wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a fruitful New Year!
Margaret
Today we finished our Christmas tree sales at my mom's farm and are now in the midst of the crazy last-minute shopping. This time around, I hope to update everyone much more frequently. We all, the Woffords, wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a fruitful New Year!
Margaret
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