Colby and Landry enjoying some food at the fair...(I need to take more photos of Lily...she's always running about)

Laney ready for her close up...and a dive into the lake

Laney sees her first seagull. "What's that?"

Laney is a beach baby...

Another great day at the beach....

More pictures from our first day...

Lily & Laney enjoying some sand time...and building driftwood forts

Colby getting a little help from his big sister...

This is all Landry wants to do. I don't blame her. Is there anything better than digging in the sand?

Mom mom took this shot of me. (From the back! Not nice mom! LOL!) But I share it because it shows much of the driftwood and debris from the recent floods here in MI. It also illustrates how much I miss my husband right now. I'm on my cell talking to him and wishing he was here.

We've arrived at our summer house...

Okay, so no excuses. I've been terrible at updating the blog lately. I'm hoping on this vacation to spend some time journaling and uploading more photos of the kids. Here is one I snapped this morning of Laney. We arrivived in Michigan last night and this was Laney's first glimpse of the beach. She was thrilled! She hopped out of the car, wriggled out of my arms and yelled "Oh, WOW!" I"m off to fix my crew some lunch and I will add more photos this afternoon. Promise.

T-Ball season is over...

Colby loved t-ball! His skills and basic understanding of the game improved so much over the course of the season and he had a lot of fun. He took some of his savings and purchased his own bat, ball and t-ball stand so he has enjoyed playing more even at home. We are proud of you Colby! 

It seems I can only handle one...

new update per month lately. Life is just so full! Here is a quick update for everybody in my family:

• Lily is really enjoying her piano lessons. She started about 3 months ago and she is progressing nicely. I love hearing her practice and seeing her start to enjoy playing little songs...and not just practice drills.
• Colby started t-ball last week. He thinks he is VERY cool -- and of course, he is! He has been saving his allowance for several weeks, and he finally asked to spend some of it. He invested in his very own baseball glove, t-ball bat, baseball and a pair of cool sunglasses. :)
• Landry is loving life right now, but last week she was a little slow-moving. She had her tonsils out on 5/13. We had about 2-3 days of "My throat HURTS!!" but now she is racing about as though she has never heard of a hospital. And the best part? NO more snoring! Sleeping through the night!

• Laney is growing like a tiny weed! She is doing so well with her speech therapy, talking more and more every day. And her occupational therapy is really helping as well. I can see such an improvement in her fine motor skills, her core strength, etc. I'm off to buy her a small fitness ball tomorrow so I can do some of her new balance exercises with her throughout the week.
• Troy took some time off for Landry's surgery week and it was great to have him around for help and support. He works 2 days this week, and then he starts a 10 day vacation. We're probably going to stay close to the house and work on some projects here. I received lots of hand-me-downs (awesome!) for the 2 little girls and I need to go through all of their clothes now and declutter for summer. Troy wants to clean out one side of the garage and set up a workout area...carpet, treadmill, weight bench, etc. That should EASILY keep us busy for his vacation time.
• I've been so busy lately, but I'm we've finished our school year and the pool opens next week so I'm DETERMINED to slow down a bit. :) I started running again about 2 months ago. I was running pretty frequently a year or two ago, but I took many months off. I decided I need to do it again. It's so good for my stress and it's just plain fun. I'm running in two 5ks this summer, and I'm hoping to train for a 10k in October. We shall see.

Today I took the two older sweet kids to see "Prince Caspian." What a fabulous movie! We had a great time. My sweet friend Katie offered to take care of Landry & Laney (what a woman! she has two girls of her own -- adorable Carolyn & Julia) so we could go without the wee-ones. Thank you Katie! The girls had a wonderful time and Katie captured a few moments with her camera. Here you go...

Landry Sue is 3!

Landry Sue is 3 years old today.

She is such a sweet and silly girl. I just love her! We went to the store this morning to pick up her princess cakes. :yum: She couldn't decide on which princess she wanted last week when we went to place the order. I told her if we ordered the smaller princess cakes, she could pick her favorite 2. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Then the lady at the bakery counter says, "But doesn't the little girl need 3 mini princess cakes since she is turning 3?" Gotta love the sales pitch...NOT!


Anyway, Landry didn't hear her so we she is thrilled with her two cakes and her mint-chocolate chip ice cream. She also requested a birthday BRUNCH this year...since breakfast is her favorite meal. So her party started at 11:00 a.m. and we enjoyed the menu of her choice: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and cherry stuffed crepes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

We had a wonderful party. We are thankful for you Landry!!

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Laney Kate Rao is two years old!!!

Yes my baby is two years old! I can't believe it. What an awesome day we had!

We took the kids to see the Disney Princess on Ice tour in the morning. That was fun and they loved it. Laney dressed up as Tinkerbell and Miss Landry Sue donned her Cinderella attire. The older two kids just wore regular duds, but everybody had a great time.

That night, we had lots of friends and family over for dinner and cake and a relaxed time of celebrating. Laney was a bit overwhelmed, but it's all good. She got some great presents and felt very loved. I can't believe she has already been home for 6 months! Time flies when you're having a wonderful time.

We love you Laney!

Yay! We're making progress...

Building your family through both biological children and adoption is so awesome! It is impossible to convey what a powerful and beautiful thing it is to meet your child for the first time -- whether it's in a hospital room or on the other side of the planet.

It also presents some new challenges and emotional dynamics. When we left for China, my youngest baby Landry was two and a half. She knew her new "sister" was coming, but like any youngest she didn't fully understand what that would mean to the pecking order.

Laney, on the other hand, was just happy as a peach to meet Troy & I and thought, "Wow! This is it! Finally, after having to fight and scrap my way to some attention, I finally have a mom and dad who are fully focused on me and my needs. I'm lovin' this!"

When Laney's world crashed into Landry's world (not to mention Lily & Colby in the mix as well!), there was some pretty intense emotion for those first several weeks. Lots of jealousy and crying and competition. I wondered if my arms would fall off. I was pretty much having to hold both of them --- constantly. And if I wasn't holding them both, they were each hanging on an arm...trying to RIP me in half.

My heart ached at times, for the displacement Landry must be feeling. She wasn't just moved into a middle-kid position by a newborn, but by another toddler! Only 11 months younger than she. And then I would cry for Laney. This sweet, amazing baby who thought she had finally found people who would make her feel as special and prioritized as she should be...only to discover that this same couple has THREE other kids who need attention too.

Ugh. It hasn't all been pretty. For the most part, our first six months with Laney have been incredible. And I know that compared to lots of families, our transition has been blissfully smooth. Laney has shown a really stunning capability for attachment and she is a happy, healthy baby. Landry is going to turn 3 next month and she is growing up too. And Mommy is getting a better handle on how to focus on each of them individually (giving them that critical 1-on-1 time) each week, but also how to mediate times when they are both just being jealous and spiteful.

All in all, God is good and everything is evening out. And I snapped this picture yesterday, while these two precious sisters were snuggled on the couch watching their favorite new movie, Mariposa. Landry doesn't have Laney in a death-grip. Laney isn't about to fall asleep. They were just happily, peacefully cuddled up (for at least 20 minutes!) spending time together. It really melted my heart. We are definitely making progress.....

Laney watching her favorite...

movie earlier today. (It's the Bumblebee Vocabulary Builders -- Opposites, btw. She LOVES it). I love this picture because it illustrates several things about Laney. One, she has a VERY long attention span and can watch a 30 minute video happily...without moving a muscle. Two, she is very precise and exact with her movements. She always folds her hands when she is listening to me talk, or watching the kids play a game, etc. Very mature looking for a toddler. And finally, she is very short. LOL! She is sitting on the teensiest-weensiest little kids chair you've ever seen, and look how far off the floor her feet still are! LOL! Oh, I love that little munchkin of mine. :)

An update...

This week has been crazy. All four kids and the one husband have ALL had awful colds. I don't know if it's only God's mercy or a little due to my new addiction to Airborne, but thankfully I have been spared.

Today I'm taking Lily and Colby to the gallery for their art classes. Lily is making the most awesome sculptures in this class! I can't wait for her pieces to come home. Colby seems to be enjoying his class, but he doesn't seem as into it this semester. I think he misses his teacher, Miss Sabina. He had her 3 semesters in a row.

Landry is about to drive me to distraction...bless her pointed head. I'm praying, pleading, begging that she will be "less two-years-old" and all that it means, by April -- when she turns 3. The kid just knows how to get into EVERYTHING...and does! Aack! Good thing she is so very cute. Exhibit A:


I think part of my problem is everyone has cabin fever. I hate February for just that reason. You've been cooped up in the house for 8-10 weeks by now, and everybody is starting to go nuts for lack of exercise and sunshine. And Valentine's Day adds to the issue. Who in the heck came up with the idea we should all eat sugar and chocolate and then still be stuck in the house? My kids were jumping off the walls! Ugh. Next year, carrot sticks and melatonin tablets for Valentine's Day treats. That's what I say. :)

Be inspired...

Pictures from last week...

All the kids have had colds and the snuffles for a week, so we've been playing catch up every day. I'll write a longer blog entry soon...when I dig out of the pile of Kleenexes that have buried me. Here are few pictures of Miss Laney:

Helping Mamma load the dishwasher :)

This kid falls asleep after lunch, in her high chair, ALL the time! LOL!

Laney, happy and smiling, in Mamma's favorite hand-me-down from sister Landry

I know, I know...

I still haven't uploaded current pictures of my munchkins. I lost my card reader, so I need to find it or borrow one...or buy a new one.

But in the meantime, I have another picture I'm excited to share. My little sister, Carrie, had her first baby early this morning. She and Michael are now the proud parents of a gorgeous baby daughter.... Leina Caroline. I'm so thrilled for my sis, and I can't wait to hold my new niece next week!


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Updates from the home front...

Once again, I've let my blog go for a bit too long. Life is so busy and full, but I know I have lots of friends and family who read this and love the updates, so I'm going to do a rundown on everybody today. :) I'll also try and snap some pictures of the kids today and upload those later.

Let's see....

Lily has been busy with her school work and enjoying all of the American Girl things she received for Christmas. She has four or five (?) of the dolls now and LOTS of the clothes and furniture. I've never seen a child play with dolls as seriously as Lily. She will get them all out, set everything up and I won't see or hear from her for HOURS. She just loves to make up story lines and act out great conversations among the dolls, etc. I love that even though she is 8, she still appreciates good play time...and I love how that line of toys so encourages a love of history.

Lily is also taking CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) classes right now and loving them! She has 3 lines in the scene they are rehearsing and she is going to learn beginning stage makeup next week. She is thrilled! She and Colby are also enrolled in spring art classes at the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery again this year. They have been enjoying those for the last 3 years. What an incredible gift that gallery is for our city! I love that my kids love it...and "own" it. They think of it as their own art museum, and they are learning to appreciate all of the treasures it contains. Lily's class this semester is clay sculpture. She is really having a blast.

Colby is doing great in school. He is tackling his reading like a champ, and is literally flying through his math. We've had so much fun doing our Five in a Row studies this year too. He has studied weather and crystals, used a microscope, learned about the New England region of the US, explored ocean life, and more. He is taking art classes at the Nelson too. His classes are fundamentals....painting, paper sculpture and drawing. And Colby is also very excited to tell anyone he meets that he has now made it to World 6 in Super Mario Brothers on his Nintendo DS Lite that he got for Christmas. LOL!!

Landry is my crazy-wonderful, almost 3 year old! She is really starting to adjust to Laney and our new family dynamics. It was a rough few months in the fall for sweet Landry. She was feeling pretty displaced, but she is coming into her own now and I am learning to better prioritize time alone with her. She is all about princesses right now. Barbie princesses, Disney princesses...any of them. She LOVES playing dress up and even the outfits she comes up with for herself in the morning are pretty interesting. She is definitely my girly-girl.

And finally Laney! She is doing great. When we arrived home from China, she was evaluated by learning specialists and they discovered she had some pretty big gaps in her fine motor and cognitive skills. The therapists felt quite certain the gaps were caused by lack of exposure, and not learning disabilities. In the orphanage, they did not have basic toys (stacking cups, blocks, lacing cards, etc.) for the kids to explore and play with. And she certainly hadn't been enjoying one-on-one interaction and encouragement either. Well, in 2.5 months of therapy she has completely caught up in every one of those areas! In a few skills, she is even testing a bit older than she is (24-28 months). She'll turn 2 in March. I'm so excited at how well she is doing!

Speech is still a little behind, but we're working on it. She is gaining a new word or two each week and she is getting more brave about TRYING all the words we're asking her to try. For a baby who has only heard the English language for about 18 weeks, I think she is doing brilliantly. :) She can say "Lily" very clearly and calls Colby "Coco" which we all think is incredibly cute.

We brought her home on September 7th, 2007 and since then she has gained 2.5" and 2.5 pounds. Awesome! She is still super-super tiny, but man, can that girl climb and run and laugh and keep us in stitches!

Okay, I'm off to make breakfast for my sweet family. I'll try and get some pictures uploaded this afternoon.

A few beautiful pictures...

of my beautiful baby. My brother-in-law took these....