Whew!

So much to talk about and only so much room to put it all on here right now. . . We had a fantastic time in NJ visiting with our cousins. We all came back a little sunburned, but it was well worth it! My brother also came along and had a great time with all of our children. Here, everyone enjoyed some time in the hot tub!

All of the kids got along so well and it was wonderful to spend some time with my cousin, Danielle, Aunt and Uncle, and my cousin Andrea.










Our Belle is doing fantastic. She's adjusting to having us as her family very well. My Aunt Pinky bought us a harness and leash for her so we can train her on the leash. She's not too impressed with it, but she doesn't fight me putting it on and I think she likes the idea of running around the house. I think she looks adorable in her pink and read harness!
I'm hopefully taking Cody to see the new Harry Potter movie today. I find it interesting that many of our Christian friends won't allow their children to see these movies, but they are allowed to see Lord of the Rings (magic) or Star Wars (the Force) which both have the same elements in them as Harry Potter (magic). I'm not really sure I understand any of the reasoning behind it. It's all the same underlying theme - good versus evil. And in most cases, good always wins. If anyone has an insight on this that I'm not aware of, please feel free to share with me. Thanks!