Brookie and the Fundraiser

Tatum has been asking for a sister for over as year now:) Dennis and I have talked about it and thought that we would eventually adopt again. Well, the time is now:) Brookie has found her way into our hearts and we cannot wait to bring her home! She turned 5 in September and is one month younger than Colin. She is 16 months older than Tatum. The kids are so excited to welcome her into our family:) She has a repaired heart condition and a great smile:)

I have made some necklaces to help fundraise. They are handpainted glass hearts on velvet rope chain. I will be selling them for $15.00. Please consider a little Christmas shopping to help bring our beautiful girl home. She has waited 5 years for her family.

The Big Catch Up Post

Okay, the time has certainly gotten away from me! So, here is a recap of the highlights of the past 2 months.

We went to Yo! Gabba Gabba Live and that was so much fun! The kids were given a free juice box and snack on the way in and that kept them happy until show time. They each chose a key chain of their favorite character and then got a CD of the music. Can I just say that it has been playing non-stop in the car since that day:) They sang all the songs right along with the character and had huge grins. At one point, balloons fell from the ceiling and they charged to grab one. They held on the whole time and even got them home! I loved seeing their faces as they recognized each song:)

We had a great time apple picking. We went to a small orchard that they had just opened! The kids could just reach up and grab big juicy apples. They had many varieties and we just meandered through as there were only a few other couples there. When we had picked a peck, the kids plopped down on some hay and enjoyed a juicy apple that they had just picked:)

Dennis and I went down to Naples Florida for a friend's wedding. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed hanging out on the beach. The ceremony was right on the water and was beautiful! We are so happy for Pat and Michele:)

We went back to Confreda Farms for pumpkin picking. The weather was pretty good for the time of year. Farmer Brenda gave us a great, bumpy, hayless hay ride through the farm. We saw various vegetables being grown, a corn maze and a giant scare crow. The kids loved how bumpy it was and kept giggling. I told them that they could each pick one pumpkin, but they had to be able to carry it. Tatum went for a cute little one, but Colin had to make sure he got the biggest one he could carry. I love the look on his face as he struggled to bring it back to the tractor ride. Later, we decorated them. Tatum made a pirate and Colin chose a monster:)

Halloween was fun. The day before, we went ot the party at the dance studio. Both kids had fun. They played twister and ate too many donuts. Freeze dance was a hoot:) It was a bit chilly for trick or treating this year. We met down at Sue's house for the annual group shot that the kids joined in for the first time:)

Hamilton

We had breakfast in the dining room and then took the ferry over to Hamilton. It was a high speed ferry and the kids thought the wind in their faces was hilarious:) Coming into this side of the island was spectacular. It has to be one of the most beautiful island we have ever been to! We got on a bus to tour the island. On the way, our driver pointed out different aspects of the island. There are over 125 Churches and 95% of people attend church weekly. We also found out that they have zero unemployment and a average 2 bedroom house is about 1 million dollars!!!

We arrived at the aquarium and zoo and began to look around. The aquarium had many different types of fish that we had never seen before. It was very cool! The zoo part had the most amazing views of the ocean. The little playground was a hit and Dennis and the kids got to play a musical instrument kind of like a xylophone. There was this gorgeous waterfall with bright coral colored birds walking around.

On the way back, we stopped at the crystal caves. There were 88 steps down and 88 steps back up. The caves were beautiful!!

Back on board, we went down to watch a little bingo in the lounge. They let Colin yell BINGO and gave him a cookie as his prize! Too cute:) After dinner, we found an elf in our room made from our towels. Once again, the kids crashed!!!

Day 1 in Bermuda

We woke up to the boat pulling up to the island of Bermuda. It was very cool to watch! After a leisurely breakfast in the dining room, we headed off the ship. Outside, it was a beautiful 82 degrees with a little breeze. We walked over to Battery Park and found Snorkel Park, our beach for the day. We rented an umbrella and some chairs and relaxed. What a beautiful beach!!! On one side was a rock formation that jutted out from the beach, and the other side had the fort that once protected the island from pirates.
There weren't a lot of people there as many of them went to the popular beaches that get so crowded. We had real bathrooms and a snack bar!!! The water was so warm that even I went in and swam for a bit. Colin and Tatum enjoyed finding shells and building sand castles with daddy. We wrote their names and the sand and watched as the tide washed them away. Tatum was too funny with her goggles and had a blast in the water. Colin decided he didn't need his bubble and just swam along without it or a care in the world. We met a family from England and Tatum made friends with little Isabella. They played with sand toys for quite a while. Colin enjoyed a little break with some water and pretzels. They had some music playing as well. Before we realized it, 5 hours had gone by.
We headed back to the ship and had a light lunch and a rest before dinner. ( I miss those dinners!!!) After dessert, we changed and decided to go back out onto the island. We walked around and looked at the boats. We went to the clock tower and browsed at the shops inside. Tatum and Colin picked out some key chains and I found a very cool handmade ring. Outside, they had a juggler and some music playing, as well as, some local artists and chefs. Very cool:) We came back to find a towel bat hanging from the ceiling with my sunglasses on:)