It's been busy!!!!

So busy that I've really neglected this sight.  So to provide you cliff notes of all that's happened in the last month, I'm going to bullet point all the activities and provide video and pics:

• Jet's Birthday Ballooza ... family party, shared 'Pump it up' party for classmates and the 'after party at McDonald's playland' for those who missed the first two.  Yes, Jet is now 6 years old and VERY social.  He gets called for a playdate everyday.   What's a playdate you ask?  OK  ... these days kids no longer run out the door to their friends houses ... no it's all pre-arranged in 'playdates'.   Yes, it's kinda creepy because it's so hands on and too much parental involvement.  That's why we love our block ... it's front yard back to the basics ... shouting sidewalk across the street to the other sidewalk, pick-up star war shootouts, and bike/razor races down the sidewalk and unfortunately the lawns.  Did I mention the adult pick-up happy hours???
• Chris's trips since the last blog: 3 trips to London, 1 trip NY, 1 trip Dallas, 2 trips Wisconsin ... I'm sure I'm missing a few.  He's been out at least 2-3 nights per week sometimes leaving on the weekend.  We miss him and don't know what we'll do when he's home for a week straight!  OK ... it will be a week of 'no honey when you are away we do it this way!' or ' no honey you don't actually qualify as  doing the laundry when you take the clothes out of the dryer and dump them on the laundry room floor ... you actually have to FOLD them'.
• Charlie lost the training wheels on his bike.  In two days he learned to maneuver corners, start from a stop, brake and actually avoid mowing down pedestrians on the sidewalk (that's a good thing).  
• Chicago Area Families for Adoption (I'm on the board) hosted a conference for 300+ pre-adopt families, post-adopt families and adoption professionals on 3/14.  We do this once every other year and it's a major event/time commitment for the board. It's so helpful for families and a passion of mine.  We chuckled because our theme was 'parenting through adoption' but we were so busy ... actually crazed ... that we were anything but good parents the last two weeks.
• Jet earned his first Deputy belt in Tae Kwon Do.  When you have black on your belt ... you are in a whole new league.  There are 4 deputy belts before you earn your black belt.  Jet was the youngest testing at this level at our school.  He did awesome. See his board breaking video below of the always crowd pleasing "board breaking" test.
• A few visitors ... my cousin Mike and his lovely family and Juli, our good friend from Minneapolis.  We are syched that Southwest now flies from Midway to MSP.  Cheap flights!!! YIPPEE!  Thanks for the visits ... we love seeing you!
• I got my orange belt in Tae Kwon Do.  Seems rather lowly after seeing the deputy belts but I LOVE TKD.  I hope my body holds out until I can earn my black belt.  Hopeful but doubtful.

Mix this in with the everyday stuff and it's a bit nuts.  SOOOOOOoooooo, I'm going to work harder to keep this updated.  Even if it's just a snapshot of a thermometer on our back porch (see previous blogs)