Birthday, Sea World...and a BROTHER!

I know, I know, it's been a little while since I've posted. How embarrassing :-) We've been slightly busy around the Mast house. Someone turned five, we took a birthday trip to Sea World, and oh, we found out we have a son/brother. So, there's been just a FEW things going on.

We cannot believe that Ella is FIVE! All of those things you "older" people told us about the time flying by, well, you were right. Where in the world did it all go? We celebrated in style, or should I say "bouncy" style, at the Jump U. This was Ella's choice, so we were happy to oblige. It was really a ton of fun. The kids had a blast, and it was good to be with all of the parents, too. Her cake was a castle that she saw in a book. We gave the picture to a lady who makes cakes at Ella's preschool, and boy did she do a fantastic job. Here's a picture:

Also for Ella's birthday, we took her to Sea World. We saved our change and had enough to go during spring break. It was really tons of fun. I think she may have enjoyed it even more than Disney. Ella loves animals, and this was really an amazing experience for her. Here she is with daddy waiting to feed the dolphins:

We also went to the beach and a spring training game to watch the Mets vs. the Braves. Wow! That was really a lot of fun for daddy...not so much for Ella, though. She enjoyed it for a while but once the cotton candy, peanuts and coke wore off, well, you can imagine.
The beach was incredible, and we actually got to spend two days there.

Most of you know we are adopting again. On January 20, 2009, we learned that we have a son waiting for us in Ethiopia. He is the sweetest thing you've ever seen! We can't wait to share his picture with everyone. Our court date is coming up this week, so if all goes well and we are approved, we'll be able to post pictures. Stay tuned!! My sister-in-law, Sherry, will be traveling with me. We will have to spend about 6 days in country, so the whole trip will be about 8 days. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We'll be posting on our blog from Ethiopia, so be sure to check back. Thanks for your prayers.