Aruba

We are back from our yearly trip to Aruba. Gorgeous weather for the entire week and now back to the grey of January in DC. This year's trip was even more challenging traveling with 3 kids. Definitely not relaxing but 80 and sunny with that turquoise water really makes for a nice change of scenery. The kids had a blast seeing their cousins and spending hours bouncing back and forth from the pool to the beach. Lily in her usual fashion stole the show. Even the night she decided to power puke just as we ordered dinner, the people at the next table were telling us how adorable she is! Last year we weren't able to go since our travel call was supposed to come right around Aruba time and Lance still talks about how Lily made him miss the trip! Luca is becoming more and more independent these days and Lance just wanted to be one of the "big cousins." We figure in about 3 more years, Rick and I can actually enjoy the trip lounging with a cocktail without being on constant kid duty. At least there is help from mom, dad and nonna!!

Words!!!

It is so great to see the girly toys just scattered around the house now that Xmas is over. I actually tripped over Lily's American Girl baby doll last night. We received a letter from the agency saying that our update letter was translated into Korean and everything has been sent over to Lily's foster family. Meanwhile, we are nearing the end of the finalization process. Today I am off to the airport to make sure we can travel out of the country with Lily's Korean passport since we leave this weekend. Agency says it's no problem, but the thought of arriving at the airport at 6am with the 5 of us packed and not being allowed to travel really wouldn't be fun.

This past week, Lily began to say my name and screams it out every morning when she is ready to get out of her crib. She also is calling "Luca" and says "goodnight." Ahhh finally a few words that are clear! Here are a few recent pics.

First Christmas Photo shoot

I am so excited and proud to post this pic of Lily in her Christmas dress. She actually followed direction and posed for me!

Our family photo for our card this year is a nice surpise even though I thought the kids were awful during the session...Lily, who smiles all the time, refused to even crack one that night but it still managed to turn out ok. Completely my fault for making them do it at 5:00 at the end of a long day. I just finished an update letter to Lily's foster family. Really can't believe it was 9 months ago that we met. Hopefully it reaches them soon.

Snow

Just a few shots of the kids and the snow. Not sure if Lily saw snow in Korea, but if she did she was only around 9 months old.

Ten Years

Nov 29th marked the 10 year anniversary of the birth and death of our first baby. An experienced that has changed us forever. Unbelivable to me how time has accelerated. The years have filled up our lives in ways we never could have predicted. We use this day to dress our whole house for Christmas in her honor. We also visit the cemetary. She really is the messenger, an angel who briefly touched us so that we could have the family we now have.

This year is different, however, with the addition of Lily. Her first Christmas home is exciting for all of us. This time last year we were so anxious for that travel call and wondering how she was growing and spending her days in Korea. Here is a pic of her with the ornament we hung last year. It contains her Eastern referral photo. Talk about a rollar coaster of emotions, but overall the day was ok.

I really have to become a better blogger. These posts seem to have more and more time in between them. At this point in our life as a family of 5, I must get Lily to the pediatrician for her 18 month exam, not to mention that I noticed a bit of swelling at her left ear piercing. She took a fall in my bathroom and cut her lip open and scratched her face with her fingernail on the same day. Both of which are just in time for our family photo session scheduled for Thursday!! I am sooo excited to have these done. The photographer who got such great shots of our homecoming at the airport will be shooting them (with some cooperation from mother nature so we can do them outdoors.)

Lance has us under the spell of Yughio and given his obsessive personality, it's pretty much all he talks about, thinks about and cares about. That card collection is like gold to him. Tomorrow should be a blast as we head to his class trip to Maryland Science Center. Screaming 8 year olds on a school bus for 1 hour there and back...what was I thinking??

Luca is my pre school champ! I was worried about him pulling this screaming bit he does at home as well as the typical defiant 4 year old attitude. His teacher raved about him and had not one negative comment about him! Being that I often feel I was absent when they handed out the parenting manual, this was nice to hear. Maybe I am actually doing something right.

Little Lily bear is still climbing on everything and starting to want to do things on her own like put on socks and feed herself with a spoon. She has started to say her name which really is the cutest thing ever! She has this new pout face, something I am not used to with boys and cries huge tears when it appears that we have offended her in some way.

Here are some pics from the last 2 weeks. We had a great time at the National Italian American Foundation gala which is headed by my brother in law. We actually got to meet some celbs like Jimmy Kimmel, THE Italian cooking show legend Lidia, and actress Carla Gugino...so gorgeous and friendly too.