Girl fun

Kailahni loves her piano. She sits and pushes the keys until the music comes on and then she gets up dances. It cracks me up because she won't stand and push the keys...she has to be sitting. She really is a funny, playful little girl. It's near to impossible, though, to get her on video laughing and smiling, but she does both all the time. Well...not ALL the time, but enough of the time. Her personality is so funny. She'll insist on wearing certain clothing items (like this cap....even though it was sunny and 70 degrees outside) or her "squeeky" shoes from China coupled with nothing but a diaper (very classy). What a silly girl we have! She makes us laugh every day!

Kailahni got to have a little play date with her friend Lauren the other day. It was so good to see Lauren and Mardi again. We met up for some gymnastics. Lauren has been to this gym quite a few times with her parents, but it was a first for us. The girls had some "serious" fun. I don't think Kailhani cracked a smile once...but she seemed to have fun. Lauren seemed very intrigued by Kailahni but wanted to keep her mom close while she played (not her normal "monkey girl" behavior). So, even though it was a little bit of an "off" day for our girls, it was fun and something I look forward to doing again in the near future. Mardi and I are hoping to get together to take the girls on a hike next week. Maybe we'll get more smiles out of them then!!

Tea pots and giggles

OK, I'm trying out a new way to upload videos to the blog. Thanks to Stephanie, I may have found a new and improved way to do this. These are the type of videos that are way cuter to us than they will be to you, but they are here for your viewing pleasure none the less.

Kailahni loves her tea pot! She's will pour herself tea and sip it...but only if she hears the "pouring sound". If she doesn't hear the "pouring sound", then the cup is obviously empty and she can't sip her tea. Duh! I find this highly entertaining and funny! She will also giggle along with the tea pot (yes, the tea pot giggles, and yes, that scares me a little)! Enjoy!



And, here is Kailahni with her daddy! Too bad she doesn't like him...and vice versa! Ha ha!

2010?! Really?! WOW!

Time just seems to be flying by these days. I've been thinking back over our past few months, and I really can't believe all that we have been doing....and NOT doing (like, sleeping)!!! The "not sleeping" thing is part of the reason I've neglected my blog! Sorry...sleep deprivation is tough stuff, and I'm a huge whimp about it!

But, we are all happy and healhty, so that is good! Jacob and Benjamin are the best big brother's Kailahni could ever hope for. They love her to pieces and are so patient and kind with her. They couldn't be any prouder of her than they are. They both love to just sit with her and try to teach to say new words, or learn a new trick...they dress her up in funny costumes, build forts for her, take her on the trampoline and let her "bounce" on her own, read books to her, play music and dance with her...I could go on and on. I have strangers comment to me about how loving they are with her. People will come up to me in the grocery store or at a restaurant and tell me how touched they are to see the boys being "so good" to their sister. They are both going to make really good Dads when they grow up. I love my boys. They are good kids and fun to be around. Both of them are growing up a little faster than I would like, but there is still an innocence to them and I'm a trying to soak up every minute of their boyhood before it's gone.







As for our little sugarplum...well, where do I begin?! She amazes us everyday! She is "talking" up a storm and developing quite the personality. She's a riot...most of the time. But, she can be a real pill too! She know's how to turn on the water works..that's for sure!! She understands "no" now and doesn't like to hear it...EVER!!!!!!!! I'm blown away by how much she imitates us and can understand what we are saying and doing. You only need to show her something once or twice and she gets it! She's walking full time and has mastered the stairs in our house. She loves books and can make all kinds of animal sounds. She's learning new words everyday, and using them more and more often. She's been able to say mama and dada for a while now, but has just started calling for me when she want's me. She'll say "mama" when I walk in room now....IT MELTS MY HEART...I LOVE IT! Her voice is very, very sweet..her cry, LOUD..her hugs, to die for...her smile, contagious..her eyes, beautiful and "telling"...her spirit, awe inspiring!





I'm a Mom to three very different, very special kids. I really hope I am doing them justice as a parent. Finding the balance between taking care of them and taking care of myself can be a challenge... I've gotten back into my running and it's making me a happy little lady...a sore, happy little lady! I ran a half marathon in November and am hoping to do another in February (if my body let's me)! We'll just have wait and see!

The Gift of You

THE GIFT OF LIFE

I didn't give you the gift of life, But in my heart I know
The love I feel is deep and real, As if it had been so.
For us to have each other, Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you the gift of life, Life gave me the gift of you.

Four months ago today, Qian Xiu Gang stepped in my arms and into our life, forever. In an instant, our world turned pink! I will never forget how if felt to finally hold her, feel her cheeks againt mine, touch her hand, look into her beautiful eyes, kiss her sweet lips, and listen to her giggle. She was, and still is, a dream come true. As we watch her personality emerge and her heart open up, we are in costant awe. I feel so blessed to have been able to make the journey to her and priviledge beyond words to be her mom. She is our daughter and sister and is so loved and treasured!

"Wo ai ni, Mei Mei" ~ Mom

Has it only been 3 months?!

It's hard to believe that it was only 3 months ago that Doug and I were returning home from China with our precious Kailahni. So much has changed and happened in our life since then. Our whole world looks different...our surroundings, our home, our family...our whole life, really. It's enough to give me an anxiety attack just thinking about it.

The boys seem to be getting a handle on school. Poor Jacob is having a really hard time this year....middle school is tough stuff. And, middle school for a kid with ADHD who had to switch school mid year is REALLY tough. He's not loving school at all, but he's still trying hard and giving it his all. I "heart" Jacob! Benjamin is doing just fine academically, but begs to be home schooled. Ha...could you imagine?! I don't thinks so...not now, at least.

Kailahni is walking more and more each day, but still not full time. She's so funny about the walking thing. She looks like a weeble wobble when she walks...it's so cute. I'll have to try to get another video of it soon. She's talking more too. Her cousin, Saramarie, gave her a baby doll and she loves it to death. It's adorable how she'll cling to her baby and give it kisses.

We've been able to get out and around a little bit more lately which has been nice. With the move and everything, my friends and family have been sorely neglected by me. I'm hoping life will continue to settle down more and more so that I can get out and do more of things I enjoy with the people I have been missing. I did take Kailahni over to Lauren's house for a brief playdate the other night. It was a lot of fun to see the two girls interact together. Mardi and I have big plans for future playdates. Hopefully next time one of us will remember to take a picture. It makes me laugh to think that two of us moms have waited YEARS to see our girls play together...and when it finally happens, neither one of us bothers to pull out a camera! And we are both bloggers...there's no excuse for it!!! bahaha

I'll end this post with a big shout out to my 3/27/06 LID friends who booked their flights to China today! I can't tell you guys how much joy it brings me to see you complete your journey's. The next few weeks will be so memorable for you....there just aren't words. Enjoy every moment of it!!!

Catching up

 

I can't believe how horrible I have been about updating the blog. Between having Kailahni at my side ALL DAY, EVERY DAY and trying to help the boys get acclimated to their new school, I don't feel like I have much time to sit down and blog. Go figure! Life is good, but busy. Jacob and Benjamin are settling into school, although they are both a little overwhelmed with being in a "real school" (as they call it). But, all in all, they seem happy and are making friends...so that's good.

Kailahni is still working on her walking skills. She could probably be a full time walker if she wanted to be, but she seems content to just dabble in the walking thing, for now. She has entered into a bit of a "clingy" phase, which is normal and expected. She wants to be with me (on me really) at all times. If I walk out of the room for even a minute, she lets me know just how "not OK" she is with that. She's not sleeping quite as well as she was either. I'm up with her 2,3,4 times a night. I'm sure this will pass, and we are working hard to answer ALL of her cries and reassure her that we will always be there...ALWAYS. She's a bright girl, so I'm sure she'll get that concept soon. At least I hope she does, because I like my sleep...I'm missing it!

We've made it to the zoo once since our move. The day we went it was a little bit hot, but we made the best of it. Sarah, Norah, my Dad and all the kidos were there. Kailhani really seemed to like the animals and had a good time splashing in water playground. I'm sure there will be plenty more zoo days in our future! I've also included some pics of some playtime at Sarah's house. It's so much fun to watch Vienna and Kailahni play together!! Sista Cousins!!

Almost Walking!!!

Life is moving forward at top speed. The boys started their new school this week. Kailahni is trying to walk. I'm still working on putting our new home together. We have our first post placement visit with our social worker on Friday. And...let's see...what else?! I don't really know what else is exciting and new for us, but we are busy...that's for sure. We went to the zoo last week, which was a lot of fun, so I'll have to post photos of that soon. But, for now, just LOOK at what our little girl is doing!!

Attempt #1...ALMOST!!!


Attempt #2....GETTING CLOSER


The Third time is the charm!!! I got smart and set the camera on the coffee table so I had both hands free!


And, finally, here she is showing off her mad walking skills to Doug and the boys! We are so proud!