Purely random pictures....

The pink goggles (and two huge bicycle helmets) make it inside for some silly sister fun.

Today we went to visit a local cherry farm that also has a beautiful herb garden. The center of the garden (where mom & Lily are walking) features scores of different plants. The outer rows of the garden (coming out like spokes from a wheel) were just luscious, dense rows of lavender. It was really magnificent.

Laney liked the garden and she enjoyed wandering around by herself...sniffing the plants and making "mmmm" sounds. :)

A few more photos to share...

My children can spend hours playing in the dunes. They love to go on hikes and make up stories. The dune grass makes them feel quite alone and brave as they venture far from our spot on the beach. 

Laney -- catching up on some reading. 

No trip to our home in Ludington is complete without at least one run to House of Flavors for some delicious ice cream. This was Laney's first time to enjoy it with us!

She was quite happy. :)

These are the days of the endless summer...

Landry -- wearing the favorite pink goggles. She and Laney share them back and forth...and neither of them actually use them in the water. Just for looking "Cool." :)

Lily -- looking cute and working on her moat.

Landry -- teaching her self to surf -- sort of.

Colby working on his upteenth teepee frame.

Flashing her cutest grin....in hopes for a 2nd bag of fruit snacks

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...