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We had such a great day yesterday, I just needed to share it. It has turned very cold here in Michigan, but still we had to take Alexa to her horseback riding lesson. When she was done, her little toes were freezing. So, when we got home, she took a nice hot bubble bath in mommy and daddy's big tub (she needed to get the horse smell off too). After wards, we had hot cocoa with marsh mellows. That hit the spot! Then, Alexa was working on her Catechism home work. They were learning about the Lord's Prayer. One of her assignments was to write her own prayer. I (Renee) was busy cleaning up the kitchen while she was working. When she was done she read her prayer to me. She said, "Dear God our Father, I wish I had a sister or brother. Love, Alexa" How sweet is that? I gave her a big hug and kiss and told her how wonderful she was. We spent the rest of the day playing horses, Princess Monopoly and card games. It was wonderful. Just the three of us, spending the day together.

Fall is probably our favorite time of the year. We love the crisp cool air, the smell of burning leaves, cider and donuts and all of the beautiful colors. Living in Michigan, we get the full experience of the change of seasons. We usually try to get some family pictures with the fall colors as a background. We took this picture last week. It was late in the day, so the sun was in our eyes a bit and Alexa was a little tired from a full day at school. Anyway, i think it turned out pretty well. We can't wait to expand our family photos!

Just wanted to share one more picture with you. It is my favorite of Alexa from our photos we took last week. I actually took this snapshot! I think it is beautiful. Marc changed the lighting setting somehow on my camera and I snapped it right at the perfect moment. I love spontaneous, unposed snapshots.

We celebrate Christmas in October! Well, a little bit. Papa & Mimi (Marc's dad and stepmom), travel to Arizona for the winter. They leave at Halloween time and are gone until May. Since we don't see them for Christmas, we celebrate early. This picture is of all the kids with their stockings. Every year, Papa & Mimi give the kids these huge stockings stuffed full of goodies. They get other gifts too, but the stockings are always their favorite. Papa & Mimi are leaving for Arizona tomorrow. We will miss them and can't wait to see them in May!

We finally signed the paperwork for the trailer. It is officially ours. We are so excited to use it. We are already thinking about where our first vacation will be. We really want to travel out west to Yellowstone. We also want to do a trip up the east coast. I am not sure which we will do first, but wherever we go, we will be comfortable the whole way!

We did it! We bought a trailer last weekend. As soon as i get a picture, I will put it up. It is so nice. The kids will have their own room with 4 beds (2 bunks) and their own TV. Mom and Dad have our own room too in the front. There is lots of room and most importantly, a bathroom. No more walking to the bathroom multiple times a day and in the middle of the night! A definite plus when you have little ones. We can't wait to get out and travel. Marc wants our first big trip to be out west. He has been to Yellowstone and all the beautiful state parks in that area, but Alexa and I have not. He can't wait to show Alexa, myself and our new little one all of the wonderful sights!

I overheard something the other day that that I think I was meant to hear. I have often worried about having a large age difference between our children, Alexa just turned 6 in March. While it was never my intention to have such a large age gap between kids, things just happen for a reason. Yet, I still worried. So, I was sitting at gymnastics the other day watching Alexa's class. There was a mother that was watching her teenage daughter practice tumbling. Her much younger daughter ran up to give her sister a hug. Another mother commented and asked what the age difference was. The mother replied, 10 years. She said, my kids are 7 years apart. The women went on to discuss how no matter the age difference, their children act and feel just like any other siblings would. This was so wonderful for me to hear.

The wonderful part about having children farther apart in age is that I can devote myself to both. I see many of my friends with children close in age have to juggle their time so much more. i love the fact that I won't have to do that. But, I am quite confident that there will be much love, play time and sibling rivalry between our children. Just as it should be!

Renee

Hi. We are so excited to begin this part of our journey. We wish you well and we hope that your decision to choose adoption will bring you a sense of peace.