The Holidays are Here!

I can't believe it. Halloween has come and gone. The Buckeyes have another win over Michigan. The stores are decorated and we are gearing up for Thanksgiving this week. I have to admit this is my favorite time of the year. I just love Thanksgiving, time with family and all the fun holiday activities ahead of us.

The kids were goofing around this afternoon and I snapped a picture of them together.


Our goofiness continued and we snapped this picture of our cat, Allie. How ticked does she look?

This picture reminds me of this clip of Puss in Boots. If you have a cat, you'll find this funny

5 Years Ago Today........

we became a family of three. Today we are celebrating our 5 year familiversary with Lily. It doesn't seem possible that it's been 5 years already. I can remember all the details so clearly. Bill and his father, Joe had traveled to China with CCAI's 678 group. They were in Nanning, Guangxi province and traveled to a second hotel to meet the babies who had come from 2 different orphanages and 3 different foster homes. A French or Swiss group was meeting their children first in the room and 678 was waiting outside. It sounded like pure chaos. Soon, it was 678's turn and trust me, it soon sounded like pure chaos too. Bill was handed an upset Lily. It was love at first site for him, but Lily wasn't so sure. After the hand off and settling back into the Majestic Hotel, I called Bill back an hour later expecting to hear more screaming and crying from Lily. It was such a pleasant surprise to call and find Lily happily playing and eating cheerios with Bill. Bill, Joe and Lily stayed in China for an additional 12 days and then started the long journey home. They were supposed to arrive on the 19th, but didn't get in to the 20th which was coincidentally National Adoption Day. I had prepared myself for the fact that Lily would likely not go to me at the airport. Afterall, I was a stranger to her. I can totally remember the shock, awe and adrenaline rush it was when she willingly went to me after about 5 minutes. Those first few weeks home were amazing, challenging and precious. Our tiny, 13 month 3 week old, 16.75 pound daughter was such a joy. She was interactive, observant, social and at times wary of things. On our second day home, I took her to Charles Penzone (yes, I know that's funny) to get her "wall of hair" cut. When I brought her home from the salon, we got her first real smile on camera. To this day, it's one of my favorite pictures of Lily.

It continues to be a joy to raise. She's silly, smart, complex, funny and so loving. As sappy as it, it reminds me of the quote "However parenthood comes to you, it's a miracle."