A Hiking We Will Go

We love taking the dogs and kids to Kelley's Nature Preserve to hike.  This was the first time we took Allie; in her usual up-for-anything fashion, she loved it.

Easy Winter

We had such an unusually warm winter, made it so much easier that we could get outside much more than usual!  Friday mornings were a big adventure (for me at least!)... all 3 kids had swim lessons at the same time, in 3 different classes.  I was in the pool with Allie... so when we were done, all 4 of us were wet, hungry and tired.  Not to mention we were on a tight schedule to get home for lunch and get Ben on the bus.  I have to admit, the kids did GREAT!  We found a routine that worked pretty well for getting everyone dried, dressed and out the door.  It may have involved some bribing and cookies, but hey, whatever works!

We spent a beautiful, warm day at the zoo and captured some great pictures.  We also celebrated Jeremy's 34th birthday!

Back Tracking

Ergh!  I've gotten so behind on blogging!  For some reason I've recently been feeling the "strain" of 3 kids now more than ever.  I guess it's because Allie now thinks she's a "big girl" and is in to absolutely everything!  She is nonstop movement, nonstop talking... I'm exhausted!  So in an attempt to catch up, here's some pics from the last couple months. 

Allie, Jeremy and I had the opportunity to go into Sam and Izzy's classroom to teach them about Korea. Sam was so proud to show off his sister and Izzy was thrilled to have her cousin there!

We took the kids on our  2nd annual visit to CoCo Keys Water Resort.  It is one of the boys' absolute favorite places to be.

The pics of Allie in the pink dress are from Valentine's Day, she loves dressing up!  And the boys ooh and ahh over her, it's so cute.

Allie and Evie got to play together again, it's so neat to watch them begin a friendship!

Celebrations

Here's a pic of all the grandkids celebrating with grandma on her birthday. Also a pic of Allie and her potty after she pooped on it for the first time! She is obsessed with the idea of going on the potty, she tells us every time she is going in her diaper. She has peed and pooped on the potty a couple of times, but we are not fully potty training yet... not sure if I can handle a 19 month old in underwear!

Sam & Izzy's Christmas Program 2011 at OneTrueMedia.com

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Santa Came!

Santa made everyone happy Christmas Day. Allie loves her dress-up clothes and Elmo gear. The boys are busy with their remote cars and super hero toys. Fun day with family to celebrate the real reason of the season! Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas Eve

We were so blessed to have Jeremy's Grandma come from Indiana to spend Christmas Eve with us. We all loved spending time with her and the kids were thrilled that she was here to help count down the final hours till Santa!

December 2011

Lots of excitement in December. Cousin Ethan turned 11 (which is mind b0ggling!). Jeremy and I took the kids to Christmas in Loveland, for a carriage ride and a visit with Santa (which did not go over well!). And Sam moved up to a big boy bed... hence the picture of them in their beds in their shared room. Some day we will make them bunk beds!

Allie Becomes a Coleman!

Wednesday, December 14th Allie's adoption became official! Our family of 5 traveled to Ravenna, Ohio (near Cleveland) to go to court to finalize her adoption. Although we have known she's our daughter from day 1, it was very special to have her recognized by the eyes of the court as officially a Coleman. She also became an American citizen that day.

We felt we had come full circle from a year ago. Last year, on Dec. 17th we had received the call that we had a daughter in Korea...the same week a year later it was finalized!

To make the trip even more special, our friend's daughter, Mae, came home from Korea the same day as Allie and her adoption was finalized the same day as Allie's. Then we went to their house for a Korean lunch and some playtime! Pretty special to watch them together; we have pictures of them together in Korea as well!!

November 2011

Some fun pics from November... Allie in her Thanksgiving dress and bathtime at the Colemans. We also had a visit from Aunt Ellie and Uncle Jon, home from Spain! Also a visit from cousin Carrie, Aunt Gay and Uncle Tom from Michigan. A month of family!

Family Pics

These were taken in October, our first official family photos with Allie. Ben is 5.5 years, Sam 3.5 years and Allie 15 months.

Halloween Pics

Yes, I'm way behind once again. These are too cute not to post.