surprise blessing

yesterday, we received a call informing us that Annah will be blessed with a birthday celebration check of $250

her birthday wish, as told to us over a month ago (and nearly every other day since) is that she wants to spend it in the mountains, with all of us (including the babies) and her sister Victoriya (who was also born in 1994, they are 10 months apart)
her favorite childhood memory was when all 7 kids and her mom and dad, piled into the family van and spend her 9th birthday at the moutains, sipping hot cocoa and eating Russian food
she would love to make a new memory with her new family :o)

her sweetness is rewarded with her wish being granted; we had already planned on one night in the mountains but now we'll spend 2 nights and spend one of the days getting snowboarding lessons (for just Annah and Victoriya) and one day with the whole family inner tubing!!

the weekend after Christmas will be FUN
we'll have a 14 year old ~ wow
and a wonderful 14 year old she will be

annah and viktoriya last summer