Springbrook Nature Center

Mary and I are keeping busy while the boys are in Arkansas. We had a chiropractor appointment this morning, where Dr. H diagnosed Mary's 5th ear infection since January :( I loaded Mary up with Tylenol to get through the afternoon until her ped could see her. We went to lunch at Delia's with Kelly and Johnny and then took a walk through Itasca's nature preserve~
The weather was beautiful~
I'm continuously amazed by what these suburbs have to offer (for free, or very inexpensive) ~
Johnny looking very handsome, and Mary with her cheesy smile~


They liked watching the river~

Mary saw Johnny pee off the bridge, and decided to try it herself~

Anything Johnny did, Mary had to also~
We also walked over to the library and played with the puppets in their children's department for a while. Mary was in exceptionally good spirits, even though her ear was pretty bad. We can't wait for the boys to come home!

Chest Bump

Mary provide all the sideline entertainment at her brothers' baseball games~

All the Single Babies

Mary has seen this video, and then this (but just for reference). And once we heard the song in the car. But she sings it like this~

Rainbow Brite

Mary helped me make tie-dye cupcakes for Charlie to bring to the Greenhouse for his birthday. I looked up from filling the muffin liners and saw this~

2 Years Later

This was Mary two years ago today~
Here she is now~

I remember seeing her after her surgery for the first time and thinking she looked so different. She was very swollen and pale. Now she is full of energy! She uses the potty like a big girl, dresses herself daily, never stops talking, and knows most of her letters and their sounds~

She has come so far! And we will never be able to properly thank all the people who helped get her (and us) here. God has been very, very good to us.

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ice Princess

Today when I took the boys skating, I could not keep Mary off the ice. I had not brought a coat, or gloves, or a hat for her, but she really wanted to get out there~
She loved it, in spite of her little red hands and runny nose (doesn't Charlie look so great in this picture?) ~

I'm not even sure they make skates in a toddler size 5, but Mary has no problem keeping up with her brothers~

The Thrill of the Hunt

Even though it was pouring rain, and freezing cold, I took the kids to an Easter egg hunt at Cornerstone Christian church. The kids were divided by age, so I only got pictures of Mary~
She loved it (picking up each egg and saying the color). She was a trooper walking back to the car~