Saturday adventures with Jack and Maddie

They had fun at the house for a while in the morning. We decided to take advantage of the great weather and took a picnic lunch to Palmetto Park.

Sunday @ Southeastern Wildlife Festival

Gene, Carrie, and I enjoyed spending the day at the SEWE exhibits. Charlotte should have gone as I am sure the Dock Dogs trials at the end of the day would have been her favorite.

Oyster Roast

We had our first oysters of the season @ Drayton on the Ashley with David and family. Yummy and a great time around the oyster tables and fire pit.

Spending time with Jack and Madison

Kristy brought the children to "Jesus' House" this morning as she said the children had been asking to do so all week. Maddie lasted a little while before asking to go to the nursery to visit Miss Maricella. Jack did pretty good during mass.
We went to lunch after church and then over to the Children's Museum so they could play. It is amazing how much we miss them, but are hoping for the best.

Movies

I haven't posted about movies in some time as I have only seen a few movies in the last few months. I believe all four of the movies I have seen are nominated for Academy Awards.

The Social Network had very good reviews so on a free evening in the fall, Gene and I went to the movies. I was pleasantly surprised as the movie lived up to the reviews. I knew little about Mark Zuckerburg before the movie, but wow, talk about making money from a good idea and changing the world at the same time!

Gene and I had a little free time on Christmas afternoon and went to see The Fighter. Again, a very good choice - Christian Bale was almost unrecognizable.

We were able to see True Grit last weekend. I'll confess that I never saw the original except for bits and pieces on TV over the years. I also usually enjoy Coen Brothers movies although I do not like to watch Fargo. True Grit had so many good moments, but I must be one of the few people who did not like it that much. Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn was so similar to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. I also had to watch most of the last of the movie with my hands over my eyes. Let's put it this way - the snake scene is one of my nightmares and the senseless slaughter of horses is always a scene and movie killer for me.

Now, on to the best movie I have had the privilege to see in a long time: The King's Speech. This was far and away the best movie of the year. Colin Firth deserves Actor of the Year. Wait a minute, is that the same Colin Firth from the Ann Hathaway Princess movies I had to endure a few years ago? One and the same!

Dinner with Jack and Maddie

We had dinner with Jack and Maddie. It was so good to see them even though it had only been a couple of days.

School and Changes

Jack learned about penguins, had a visit from a dentist, and worked on his numbers.
Madison learned about the Chinese New Year and that this is the year of the rabbit. She worked on using chopsticks and making a mask for the new year parade. No pictures yet for Madison's class this week.

Kristy no longer needs relative placement for the children so they were reunited with Kristy this week. Kristy will soone be getting her own place and plans to find new daycare for the children.

We are sad for Jack and Maddie as they have done so well at DIA for over a year and a half. All of their teachers and administrators care so much for Jack and Maddie.