Dad's Visit

My dad was here for almost two weeks and Kathie came at the end for the last few days. We thought we were so lucky they came for so long, but, of course, it turned out to be so short!! Grandpa is awesome and was so helpful around the house, in our condo, with the girls, doing the dishes, making walking sticks and flower boxes--we loved having him around. We were total tourists too! WE saw museums and the Ford Theater, the monuments, the Arlington Cemetery and had a wonderful walk on Sunday on the Mall. We LOVE Grandpa Kay and Grandma Kathie and miss them! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Come to see us in Mozambique-- we can't wait two years to see you again :)
One of our favorite memories is throwing rocks into the creek and making a "dam" the little Mexican kids we played with called "the border." It was halarious...they also did such a good job organizing themselves and doing the work. Dad and I commented that we could not have gotten them to do what they did, but because they decided, they did it is no time. So cute! Sorry about the allergies guys!! Come in the winter next time! Love you!

How would you like to cuddle a kangaroo?

So, Peter and Michelle's neighbor is a zookeeper at a small zoo of exotic animals nearby. They are training a "baby" (meaning almost one year old) kangaroo to be an educational animal, so the zookeeper gets to take him home. Of course, he needs exercise, so one day we were visiting with them and saw their neighbor coming over holding a baby kangaroo. This wasn't just exciting for the kids - Dad got totally into it, as well. Can you imagine how cool it is to hold a baby kangaroo and then watch him hop around your front lawn? Not your everyday, "Mom, can I go pet him?" Just look at the faces of the two girls holding him. Once in a lifetime.

Mika's Birthday!!!

The BIG 3!!!! Mikaela has been wanting to be three for months now, so today was a BIG day. She was probably wondering if it would ever come. Grandma and Grandpa Roy, Grandpa and Grandma Kathie, and Oma and Opa had all left gifts for her, which have been sitting wrapped on the dresser for over a week. And this morning she got a special treat - after opening a couple of presents, getting sung to, congratulated, and a special breakfast, she got to go early to gymnastics class with her sister to play on the gym toys. They love it. They recently watched a movie about Nadia Comăneci, a Romanian gymnast who started young, and has become somewhat of a role model. It is really fun to watch them in the early stages of learning to be gymnasts, a little awkward, very cute, and makes you chuckle. Today was a great day for both of them.

Great Falls

One of our new favorite things to do here in D.C. is go to Great Falls. It is beautiful place with wonderful trails and gorgeous falls. Madison is our little acrobat! :)

Mom's visit

My mom came to visit with her husband, Roy. We had a wonderful weekend in the sun, making cookies, eating at yummy restaurants, playing at the park and taking walks. My mom and I had some nice early morning talks and we all actually finished all three High School Musicals :) As always, it was too short! Love you mom!

Happy Easter- Happy Spring!

We loved the Cherry blossoms this year, even if they almost made Madison comatose with allergies! They were so fun to see and photo :) Here are some of our favorites. We also had tons of fun dressing up the girls for Easter. Madison insisted on white dresses, but I thought they looked like jammies so I made pink sashes and added way too big daises :) It was fun though :)

My girls the photographers...and models

Madison and Mikaela get creative sometimes, and Madi has really started to enjoy her new camera. It is funny sometimes to see how they turn out as she doesn't have patience to wait for it to focus and actually shoot the shot she wants. They also make some of the most interesting dress up outfits--the sun was beautiful when we were taking pictures, so I thought I would share. Madison loves to make up new poses :) She is my model, actress, creative one. Mikaela is definitely an athlete and so far is happy to follow her sister in whatever she is doing! They both are so cute sometimes...I believe it is so they stay alive longer!

Less sugar diet...

So...we are trying to eat less sugar and are failing miserably! Here we are on a Friday night making caramel popcorn with only 2 cups of brown sugar!! They were soo good and the girls had a blast making them. Thanks Katrina for the awesome recipe :)

Hanging out

SO...our posts aren't nearly as exciting as living in the Caribbean, but we still have fun and want Grandma and Grandpas to know what we are up to. This is yet another way my girls get o so creative with their boring mother!

Home School

This is Madison's "body" from our home school creation. Michelle has the best ideas (I claim none of this creativity!) There is a brain on top, painted bones underneath and then the arteries and veins. So cool. In the background you can see our attempt at recreating Matisse (a famous artist) and our calendar that is struggling to be kept current.

Costume Creations

We went to Jasper's birthday party and it was one where you got to dress up in your favorite costume...well! Mikeala was a fairy and Madison created her own princess, fairy type thing. This is what she decided to do with her hair! She is so creative! Must get it from her Grandma Diana :)

"Married" girls

When my girls dress up they like to say they are getting married--then they are "married" girls. It is really cute; it is nice to have them at home and to get to do so many fun things with them. I love being a mom.

Virginia

Well, we've made it!! Sorry we haven't been keeping up...life is always interesting around our house! I think we are finally settled and loving what life is bringing us lately! After the crazy moving months of the DR, and then the crazy vacation month of December, we were so ready for some peace and normalcy. After having the flu when we got here to D.C. and some other illnesses, we worked through my 32nd birthday (me sick as a dog) because, of course, we have to get used to all the bugs of Virginia now!! Oh, and we'll do it again come August in Mozambique. Maybe someday we really will have awesome immune systems, but for right now it seems we just keep getting used to all new bugs from all new places :)
Madison is homeschooling with Sam, her cousin. Michelle and I love to have our kids at home and love even more that we get to teach them together! She teaches Madi two days a week and on those days I teach all the kids Spanish with the really fun program I did when I was in Russia (ILP). It seems to work out really well. Madison has taken to the idea of being at home and enjoys her cousins tons! She even has accepted doing it with me at home. The Lord has helped us find the things that we need to make our family work and we are continually being guided in this process. Thank heavens for help!!
Mikaela loves that she always has mommy around; we all loved Juana, but I think my girls prefer Mom and Dad. Tobias is home a lot because he is learning Portuguese really fast. We all love the library and are already feeling that we are going to have serious withdrawals as we prepare for Mozambique is August. Daddy reads lots with the girls in our new red papasan chair. Niki is into red and so we have lots of new red stuff. We also love our new car mostly for the DVD player that is already installed in the car--we watch lots of DVDs from the library and everyone in the whole family is happier!! We also love being able to get around by ourselves :) We have recently learned though that after all of Tobias' hard work in getting such a great car, it may just be too ostentatious for Africa. Oh well. We'll find another one with a built in DVD player and leather seats. Those are the MOST important :)
We love our time together as a family, we love living in America for a while, the parks, the libraries, the friends and family. We are so lucky to live next to my best friend Michelle, who married Tobias' cousin Peter (yes, I set them up and now we have the same last name!!) It has been such a blessing and a tender mercy! We love them!
Hope you are all doing well. Christmas cards are on their way in the next month...or two. Loves to all.

Let it SNOW!

Well, we have had no lack of snow this holiday season and our kids are loving it! Here are some of the fun pics. Madison and Mikaela in the snow, and in their get up, plus my sister and brother working their way down the hill, and the same crazy sister with shorts on outside!! It is funny to think we were just at a tropical resort.

Family Reunion

So, nothing less than a miracle...but the Norris siblings got together for a reunion, and surprisingly it has been wonderful. We even were organized enough that we got family pictures taken! It was inside so the lighting isn't perfect, but we did it! Wahoo! Hospital visits and a 40 year snow storm that hasn't let up hasn't dampened anything. We are stuck in Oregon...but we are with good people and having a good time! Here't to family!!! Lovin' it!