All of Life's Grace in One Little Face

I was thrilled to find a comment on this blog posted by Lily's foster mom!! Of course it's in Korean and I am not sure I have the accurate translation yet. Oh how I wish I could explain to Lily how much she was loved from the very start. How much her foster family gave to her with their love, their compassion, their open hearts.

I often look at this precious face and wonder how she came to be. Are her eyes from her birth mom or perhaps from her grandmother? Is her smile her birth father's? Is her strong will something she got from her great grandfather and what on earth is going to run through her brain when she is old enough to ask these very same questions?

What I do know for sure, is that this little face holds such mystery. It holds a link to her history and it will always remind us of where she is from. It also explodes with expression, curiosity and joy. In the times life is hectic and crazy, when the days are full with shuffling kids around and managing a family of 5, I am grateful for this face to show me what beauty and grace life has thrown my way. It's pretty darn cool.

Calling on Angels

I am calling on everyone out there, anyone who may come across this post. Weather you are a waiting family or you are a seasoned parent, we need prayers, good vibes, and positive energy sent our way. You see, some dear family members are awaiting news about the health of a possible referral, a baby girl in Taiwan. This couple has been through the ringer. Fertility issues, health issues and more than one adoption horror story including a birth mom that changed her mind! We are hoping that soon, they can kiss their waiting period good bye and begin life as a threesome so please, I would be so grateful for some good wishes.

Sunny with a Chance of Fun

Ahhhh, I have a serious case of the "back from vacation blues"! It just went way too fast. The weather was perfect and having Anissa to help with the kids was really nice. The only down side is that the 7 lbs I lost for the trip are probably right back on. The last 4 days consisted of non stop eating and drinking and I am now actually frightened of the scale. Our friends joined us for a few days and my brother and his girlfriend from NY have come with us every year so far. The kids had a blast...beach, pool, go carts, bumper boats, laser tag, smores, fireworks.
Lots of pics, check them out...

Welcome to America!

This last week, we welcomed Anissa into our home. Anissa will be our au pair for the next year. She is from south France, very sweet and very helpful. We are so excited to introduce her to this country. Let's not forget to mention that I am planning on being one happier, less stressed and less crazed mom of three. I plan to pee alone, actually work out and shower, food shop without loosing years off my life and ocassionally meet my husband for a nice lunch. That's right, I am taking part of my life back! At first I resisted this whole thing. Who me, need help? and someone living with us in our home? NO way! Then it clicked. If I was at the office, I would have a receptionist, a billing person and maybe an assistant so why not have another set of hands with my job as a parent? The next few weeks will be interesting I am sure, but for now we are all headed to The Outer Banks for vacation. Anissa gets a taste of the beach and it's only her second week here.

Commitment

This is the first year we have ever done swim team. Wow what a commitment! Practice every day , meets twice a week, voluteer jobs for Rick and I all while juggling the other two kids. Yes, alot of work but I am loving it. It's great exercise for Lance along with a taste of competition and the feeling of being part of a team. At first, the swimsuit was not exactly his favorite I guess because he was used to the whole board shorts thing. In fact, he cryed the first practice where he had to wear it! Today we had to be there at 7 am. After the cub scout picnic last night the kids went to bed pretty late so dragging Lance out of bed was not fun. I learned a great deal by helping run the time cards back and forth and Lance was hoping to beat his last time trial. I on the other hand am just happy to see him participating and enjoying the experience.

Nonna turns 90

This weekend we traveled to NJ to celebrate Rick's grandmother's 90th birthday. Even after the 4 hr drive, I was pleasently surprised at how well the kids cooperated. They has a blast with all of their cousins who they just don't get to see often enough. Check out how great Nonna looks at 90...

And she's gone!!

Well, this morning it happened. We knew it wouldn't be long. Yup, our little gymnast has masterred the crib jump! Kind of a bummer (I confess to sometimes leaving her there in the morning so I could suck down a latte in peace.) I guess shopping for new furniture will be fun but training her to actually stay in a bed??? AHHHHH.