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This weekend, we went with Marc's family to a waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells. There were 8 kids total, and Marina had such a great time! We all had fun on the waterslides, the kiddie waterpark areas, and the wavepool. Marc & I got to ride a couple of adult slides, and we also got a chance to play laser tag. I guess we're still kids at heart. :)

This past Saturday was Marc's birthday, and we went apple-picking in Michigan. It was a beautiful fall day. We picked four different kinds of apples: honeycrisp, gala, empire, and golden supreme. At the orchard, there was a 15-acre corn maze, which was a lot of fun. As you walk through the maze, you stop at 10 different signs. You then have to read and answer a question, and depending on answer, turn right or left. We also rode on a cow train, a ride with cars painted like cows. The ride was designed for kids, as the train weaved in and out of the apple orchard, with lots of twists and turns. Marina loved it! Tonight, Marina & I made apple cobbler with some of the apples we picked. Fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream...so good!

Today my brother and sister-in-law Becky had their baby girl, their second child. I am so happy to be an auntie again (I am now an aunt of 6)! I cannot wait until Saturday, when we will see the baby and spend the weekend at my brother's house, caring for their son, Louie. Becky is going to love the clothes I purchased for her daughter. I bought so many cute outfits, and it's brought back so many memories for me, having Marina four years ago. I am giving Becky most of Marina's baby clothes as well, although I decided to keep a few at home just in case we get a last minute adoption call! Looking at all these baby clothes has really gotten me excited to be a mom again! I have to confess I think I really want another girl just so I can use all these clothes again!

Marina is getting excited to create her big girl's room. Her favorite color is purple, so we will paint the walls a soft lavendar. She picked out a lavendar and green bedspread from the Land of Nod that is a mix of florals, polka dots, paisleys, and stripes. The curtains will be a matching lavendar polka dot. She also would like a bean bag chair with her name on it. Her room will look so cute!

Marina and I made a necklace today. We went to the bead store and picked out some colorful beads, and then we laid out the pattern on our table. We started with the center of the necklace and created one side, and then repeated the pattern on the other side. Marina wanted to string the beads herself, and she did most of them (some of the smaller beads were a bit difficult to thread.) The necklace turned out very nice, so I think we'll do a bracelet as well!

Today we went to a forest preserve for Father's Day. Marina and her cousin Louie had so much fun playing at a large playground there. Marc and my brother went for a bike ride as well. It was a perfect summer day.

This past weekend, we biked to a neighborhood art festival. It was so neat to see such a variety of art, and all the different materials used. Marina enjoyed minature framed landscapes, especially when floweres were featured. She also enjoyed the work of a Spanish artist that created clay figures displayed in hand-painted wood boxes. One work was of a carnival, with hundreds of figures with masks on their faces. Marc & I enjoyed the work of an artist that created carved pieces out of wood. One piece was made from the wood of a buckeye tree and took a year to complete. What a fun day!

It has been a very busy May. This past weekend, we joined my brother, his wife, and their son in Door County, Wisconsin. My dad and my aunt also came along. We stayed in a house that we have rented two times before. The house is located within 400 feet of a state park, where we all hiked on Saturday with the two dogs (ours and my brothers dogs.) On Sunday, we all took the ferry to Washington Island, about a 20 minute ride. On the island, Marc, Marina, my brother, and I went for a long bike ride. Marina rode in a bike seat on Marc's bike and loved it. My dad rented a bike as well and went with us for about a half an hour. My sister in law, my nephew, my dad, and my aunt went for a trolley tour on the island. The two groups (bikers and trolley riders) passed each other by en route to a beach on the island. Too cold to swim, but it was fun to skip rocks across the water.

This weekend we had Marina/Braden's birthday party with all of their classmates. The double birthday worked out well, and it was really great that we could share the cost! Marina & Braden sat in this huge inflatable chair for the pizza and cake, and they looked like a little couple! Braden had a 3D airplane cake, and Marina had a Thomas the Train cake (for the second year in a row.) Almost all of their 17 classmates were there at the party. It is unbelievable how well all of the kids get along, and how excited they are to see each other. It will be a bit of a culture shock when summer comes and they won't be spending every day together. We just signed Marina up for a 2 week summer camp at a nature museum; her friend Maya from class will be in the camp as well. I'm sure we'll meet up with the other kids in her class quite regularly at the park.

Marc, Marina, & I just got back from Mexico; we went during Marina's Spring break. Some of the highlights of our trip: 1)Painting pottery: Marina (with a little help from mom) painted a frog, which she made for grandpa. 2) At our hotel, right under our balcony, was a huge dolphin pool. A few times a day, the dolphins would interact with people. The best part was watching someone lie on their stomachs, and then two dolphins would push them across the pool! 3) We swam in the ocean more than last year, when Marina was more scared of the water. This year, with Marina in her lifevest, we floated happily in the water. She really loved the whirlpool too! 4) We all couldn't get enough of the oranges and grapefruit that was peeled and served on a stick. 5) Mom got to do yoga in a class held in an open gazebo overlooking the ocean. Amazing!!!

Spring is almost here! We've had some warm weather these last few days. It's great to see the parks crowded with kids again, and so many people outside jogging, biking, walking. We went to the Botanical Gardens last Friday, and there was plenty of greenery. In the next couple of weeks the flowers will definitely be in bloom, so I think we'll head back there.