Winta's Adoption

 Some exciting family news! We finally finalized Winta's adoption! It's something we've been working on for a while and have had some snags but now it's official. Adopting an adult doesn't change much- we have always loved Winta as our daughter and lived and acted as a family. But this is symbolic and something that Winta needed and wanted. We all wanted it. :) So on a snowy March day we went to court and signed the final papers in front of a judge! 

To mark the special day, I made Winta this charm necklace to symbolize her home in Africa and here in America, both equally important and significant and always apart of her, and with us, her family. 

What a special day! 

(And yes, Haben is still very much apart of this family and we love her just as much and are still equally involved in her life. Her situation is a bit different though with having a father she's close with back home in Africa and siblings as well. And here she is married and a mother. But if she ever wanted us to officially adopt her, we'd do that also! But like I said, it isn't NEEDED to prove that we are a family. :) 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 It was a fun and eventful St Patrick's holiday, as always! Hazel did the parade again and this year Rose joined in since she started taking Irish dance as well this school year! It was colder this year but we survived and had fun. Afterwards the girls danced on a stage indoors. 

My family has been in town this week as well so we got to have a fun St. Patrick's day dinner celebration with them. We had traditional Shepard's pie, rainbow fruit, jello, Irish soda bread, and butter beer. The kids also made leprechaun traps but had no luck catching one this year! ;)