Marching forward...March 1st

 March madness....well, it has been busy here at the Rikkers and March will be no different!  Andy has been taken away from us so much with his partner out of town and the volume of surgery suddenly increased.  We have hardly seen him and that always feels very frustrating to me.  The kids miss him.

Last night we actually had some time together in the car and at a wonderful Ethiopian dinner in Madison.  We went there to meet other Ethiopian ado

ptive parents in the Madison area.  Some parents are waiting, some completing their homestudy, others have had their children home for years and others have their referral and are traveling this spring!  It was very interesting to meet these wonderful people and hear their stories knowing we all have a wonderful commonality in all of our families.  I hope to continue connecting to these families and develop relationships with them for ourselves and our daughter.  It is going to be so great for all of our kids to see families like ours!  

We took an overnight trip to Chicago leaving after school early release on Thursday and came home Friday afternoon.  The kids were so excited to be in

 the big city, and I have to admit I was to.  I just love Chicago!  We stayed on the 24th floor of a Residence Inn...we had a great suite with 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living area...for a great price too!  And of course, the highlight was the pool on the top )27th) floor!  The boys had such fun exerting all their energy.  I even got in the chilly pool!  Jack was so cute jumping off the side of the pool to me.  He was all smiles and giggles!  Then Margo came over and we went back to her yoga studio.  The kids loved the open space and used the yoga blocks to build towers, which of course were knocked over.  Jack went crazy for the train zipping by in the window and would say "Choo Choo coming"...then he shortened it to  "Choo coming".  He repeated this constantly the rest of our visit and even upon returning home!   We attempted to set them up with a video in her back living space so I could participate in the 7:30 yoga class.  But within

 a minute Jack was crying at the door and he wouldn't let me leave him.  He was tired and a little afraid of the thunderstorm that was brewing.  Andy arrived about a half hour later to relieve me and I got about 15 minutes of yoga with Margo in.  I will take what I can get!  The next morning after swimming and breakfast we were off to the Shedd aquari

um.  I love being around the sea life as much, if not more, than the kids!  It was chaotic there to say the least with some construction, a busy no school day and with Jack who was not fully rested.  Ugh.  Well, we will try again some other day and hopefully it won't be so crazy.

We enjoyed our trip to Chicago and are so glad it is such a close trip to the big city and to see Margo, who is a member of the family!

Here are some photos of basketball.  Drew was a little nervous last weekend, but this Saturday got right in there.  He did a great job with all the drills and seemed to be having so much fun!  He even got his first basket!  What a thrill!  Drew starts at 8:30 and then Juddy is at 10:30, so it is along morning keeping Jack happy.  It is fun to see how much the kids motor skills change in the two year age difference between their groups.  Juddy is having a blast and really seems invested in  learning his skills and playing b-ball!  So, that is March 1st...here at the Rikkers!