Party On!

Here are some pictures of our friends and family.

Party Pictures

SPLASH! Sophie and Avery are Two

As you can imagine Sophie and Avery were very excited to be having a "ducky" birthday party. They practiced their "quack quack" and saying "two". The girls weren't convinced they wanted to be two- we told them that they had to turn two in order to have a party. Two sounded pretty good to them once they knew the party was contingent of their age. They can now say their two quite well.

Kate spent many hours preparing for the party. She made individual, painted tin favor pails for each kid, filled with bubble bath and bath toys. She also cooked and baked ... duck cookies, brownies, chicken wings, pasta salad, and best of all a ducky cake.

Doug also worked hard to get ready for the party. He spent many hours laying out new turf, spreading loam and mulch, and building a new play area for all the kids. It was quite a production with late nights and hard labor.

We were very grateful to all of our friends that came to lend a hand. Tricia and Jamie helped set up the tents, Lori baked more cookies and candy, and Nana Mulholland brought even more food. Nana also came and babysat on Friday so Mama could cut the lawn. Yah Nana! Uncle Jeff even video taped the whole party.

There was a lot of excitement in the air. Avery was so excited, she sneaked into the dining room to steal a duck cookie when she thought no one was looking.

Soon after the kids started to show up. Friends from near and far came to play. We were so touched by everyone's support and generosity. Everyone ate, hung out, and the kids played real nice. The weather turned out beautiful. People stayed until 9pm. It was a long day- but it went by way too quickly.

More Firsts

Ice Cream



Trip to PA and playing with our PA cousins



Playing Wiffle Ball



4th of July

Firsts

As you can imagine, in the short 16 weeks that we've been home, there have been many many firsts: hair cut, holidays, trips to the beach ... We are having such a wonderful time exploring the world through the girls' eyes.

Our First Easter




Ba'Ba's Day (aka Father's Day)







Our First Hair Cuts

Catching Up

We've been home for about 4 months and things couldn't be better. The heart specialist has discharged the girls from any treatments and they are growing like crazy. Staying home has been a lot of fun for Kate and the girls. They joined the local MOM's Club and have made friends with other stay-at-home mothers. They also go to gymnastics once a week. We have even connected with a group of girls in our area that have also been adopted from China. Would you believe there are two other sets of twins their age! It seems like there is something to do everyday. Here are some pictures of our activities:

Our China Play Group



Our Friends from the MOM's Club



Visiting the Kids at Mama's School