Little Princess

So, you think we are in a household where the boys came first?  Somehow I don't have a photo of Lydia, but she was stylin' in a Power Ranger costume as she dressed her sister in a Transformer mask and orange wings ... bless the orange wings.

 Oh dear, may be time to invest in some princess gear ...

White Ruffle Leggings ... For Real {Nora's Dedication}

The girls debuted their white ruffle leggings today for Nora's Dedication and Mother's Day.  It was a wonderful day but also a hard day.  For the past five years, as we approached Owen's birth and as we near his birthday, Mother's Day is a reminder of the piece of our hearts that is missing.  As we near Owen's 5th birthday I cannot help but wonder how our lives would be different had we not lost Owen.  That said, I am very aware of the blessings we have been given ~ four healthy LilyKids here with us.  Beautiful.

Today Nora was dedicated by our sweet Pastor friend.  Unfortunately, we have no photos of the actual dedication as corralling four kiddos into church this morning and then remembering to ask a family member to take a photo was apparently too much for this aging mama.

But, I did get a few photos of the kiddos afterward and of Little Miss who enjoyed her first cake ... A LOT!

Praying that we can bring this girl up to grow in the Truth.

 

P.S.  For those who have inquired, the multi-leggings were from HERE.  Would love for our friends down south to have some too!!!

White Ruffle Leggings

I was on a mission, a mission to find white ruffled leggings for the girls.  I looked to no avail around our small community.  So, I resorted to the web ... to etsy to be more specific.  There have been a lot of clever posts about love / disdain for pinterest, can I say that I feel the same about etsy?  My search for white ruffle leggings ended with these, these very non-white ruffled leggings.

For the record, I finally did find white ruffle leggings on etsy as well ... those will make their debut this weekend.  Stinkin' etsy ...

Monkey Girl

What beats coming home from work to a girl in her monkey pj's and tennis shoes riding her brothers' hand-me-down bike?  Makes me smile ...

The Geneticist

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here, aside from every day life, Miss Nora has had a 21-month growth check (she broke the 20 pound mark - in fact she's just over 21 pounds!), we had our 6-month post-placement visit with our social worker (may blog more on that some day ... or, maybe I won't ... lots to process with those visits), and today we went back to the Children's Hospital for a visit with the Geneticist.

I will be honest, this was an appointment that I had been dreading since the day we made it, months ago.  Until the appointment was done this afternoon I hadn't realized how preoccupied I was, wondering if there were any unknowns with Nora (of course, there are a lot of unknowns and finding anything new wouldn't change a thing), but I worry as most Mamas do.  My worry was for naught as the Geneticist feels that Nora's cleft is isolated and that her development and general health show no signs of any syndromes, disorders, etc.  Praise Him!

We received the pre-paperwork for this visit a couple of weeks ago, I put it aside for a few days as the thick packet appeared daunting.  When I did get to work, it took me a mere 3 minutes to complete all of the paperwork as it was largely questioning pregnancy and birth of Nora, both of which we know nothing about.  While it is hard to not be able to answer these questions, this was another reminder that got me to think about and pray for Nora's birth parents.  I mourn for them, not seeing this little girl blossom, not hearing her first word, not hearing her belly laugh, not chasing her as she wanders (and thinks she's hilarious doing so) at her brother's spring concert.  I mourn for the milestones they are missing.  But, I am thankful for this gift that we have been given because of their sacrifice, because they clearly loved and wanted a different life for their daughter.  So thankful ...

Six Months ...

Six months ago today, she was here ...

Six months later, here she is ...

Such a beautiful thing, something I certainly do not want to overshadow with trying to describe how life, how she, has transformed and blossomed over these past six months ...

I know that my words would not be adequate. 

So thankful ...

Kissing Cousins {and Siblings}

In addition to a lunch date with a friend this weekend, we celebrated Jason's parents 40th wedding anniversary with Jason's siblings and their kiddos.  I love that the kids get along with their cousins (most of the time), and I think it's safe to say that us being in China definitely grew the bond with a couple of the cousins as the kiddos spent long weekends at their house while we were away. 

Lydia's smile and the innocent joy she has is infectious, it is entertaining and joyful to see her interact with her cousins.  Samuel and Lydia also have this special bond (all of the kids are close, but Lydia adores. her. Samuel).  

Yes, Samuel, we see you!

Yes, Lydia, we see you!

Lydia loves her pretty cousin!

Awe, could they be any cuter ... or any sillier?

Love seeing Lydia "follow" everything the older kids do (well, maybe not everything ...)!

Yep, Nora was there too ... so was Jack, but he didn't make it into any photos!

A Lunch Date

This weekend Nora and I had a little date, it's unusual that just the two of us would get to go someplace together (aside from appointments, that is).  We met one of my very bestest friends for lunch.

This was the first time Robyn got to meet Nora, and I'd say that Nora pretty much adored Robyn (of course, it helps that Robyn got her this super cute owl bib ... and let her play with her iPhone ... those pseudo Aunts, I tell ya!).  

So blessed to call this girl daughter!

Your Little Boy is So Cute ...

When out and about with Nora, the one comment we seem to hear the most is “your little boys is so cute” … it’s humorous and annoying all at the same time! I get that her hair is just coming in after having her head shaved for the first 15 months of her life in an orphanage for cryin’ out loud (and side note, can I just say that I love her thick, shiny, dark hair that is coming in?). At least once a week I find myself “threatening” to get Nora’s ears pierced to avoid some of these comments. But I haven’t given in ... yet … it may be just a matter of time.

Admittedly, this comment surfaces the most when Jason is doing the grocery shopping with the girls (another side note, I am definitely blessed to have a husband who does the grocery shopping). Jason is MUCH more laid back than I so often his response is simple and something along the lines of “thank you, we think SHE’s pretty adorable too.” I’m glad his mouth filter works better than mine as I could just imagine what my typical response would be …

Seriously, Lydia is teaching Nora A LOT ... funny faces when I'm trying to take a photo is one of the tricks Nora seems to have perfected ... thanks to Lydia!

Saying Goodbye

Why is saying goodbye so hard?  Tomorrow morning my brother and sister-in-law set off across the country as they move to a warmer state.  Up to this point, we have pretty much lived in the same community our entire lives!  Saying goodbye is hard ... and, admittedly as they trek to their warmer, arid climate I am a tad bit jealous.  We still have snow on the ground, and winter clothes are not yet put away.  Oh to be able to keep flip flops by the back door year round! 

While parting is hard, the boys are already scheming and trying to plan a visit next spring as their new home is quite close to MLB spring training!

We will certainly miss seeing these guys regularly but are so thankful for technology ... now, we just have to teach my mom how to use Skype (Sister, I hear ya laughing!  Mom, watch out!  Between J. and I we are going to have you using technology in no time so that you can "see" T. and K. regularly!).