Ahhhh....spring!

The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and the toys are once again strewn all over the driveway. What better way to say goodbye to March and hello to spring!

Here are some ways the fab five enjoyed a beautiful day:

SIDEWALK CHALK

Lia gets her first lesson in the art of sidewalk chalk drawing...


...and finds it pretty intriguing.

SKATEBOARDING

He spent more time putting his pads on than he spent surfing the concrete waves...

FOUR-WHEELING

If there were an X-games for pre-schoolers, he would certainly be a participant.

NATURE WALK

OK, so her nature walk consisted of collecting the daffodils that Alex had picked and left on the driveway...but isn't she cute?

...from any angle :)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...POGO STICK JUMPING


Caroline masters the one-handed jump

While Lauren gives high-fives

And Michael impresses us with his "no hands" jumping...with the economy tanking, it's a good thing to have a skill set, I suppose. (PS. I gave up trying to figure out how to rotate this video....sorry).

With rain in our future, it was sure nice to enjoy a little sunshine!

Ready to Roll!

The other day, we found the most magnificent contraption known to mothers of multiple young children: a double jogging stroller. This morning we tested it out by taking Alex to pre-school with Lia riding shotgun.

Although it was cold, and she was not too sure of this new plan, it was a great way to start the day. And Alex serenaded her the whole way with "Standing on the Promises." Too cute.

I just know she's thinking..."now whose bright idea is this? I just want some breakfast."

Three In A Row

I don't want to say this too loudly (lest I jinx the situation) but this morning marks the third day that Lia has slept through the night. Scott says that three data points represent a trend...so we are waiting to see if little miss Lia, among her many other talents, can now be called a trend setter as well!

Here are some examples of another area where Lia is setting trends: hairstyles.

The double-bow look (I suppose she's an all or nothing kind of girl)

The punk rocker look (I knew she had a wild side)

Puppy Love

Miss Lia has not been cooperating for pictures or videos lately. But I do have one who is never camera shy.

I saw Lauren outside with Caspian the other day and it reminded me why those vet visits, grooming bills, and Chiuaua-size furballs that I vacuum up on a regular basis are worth it.

What Is March Madness?

Is it...

(a) 1 woman taking 5 children to the salon for haircuts?

(b) the belief that order will one day be restored to my house?

(c) the current forecast of rain through the weekend?


I'm going with (d) all of the above and hoping the weatherman is wrong once again.

Well, One Out of Two's Not Bad....

So we didn't make it through night number two without waking up but that didn't slow Miss Lia down today.

We started off the morning with a little music. (For anyone wondering, she is eating a tape measure while wearing binoculars and a whistle around her neck). I love how she follows his every move...well, I sort of love it. It depends on what he's doing. :)

Then, it was snack time. Since I was busy vacuuming, they decided to help themselves....

Yes, they are on their backs eating Cinnamon Life in the middle of the pantry. Excellent parenting skills, don't you think?

And then, a quick spin around the foyer...

Makes me wonder what life will be like when she consistently sleeps through the night.

She Did It!

I woke up this morning to the sounds of Scott getting ready for work and realized...hey, I'm in my own bed...alone! Lia had slept through the night in her crib for the first time since being home!

Now, she doesn't look quite as excited about the whole thing as I was, but it was a happy moment nonetheless!

Breakfast, as usual, perked her up a bit. Anyone else notice how most of her "happy" pictures come from the highchair? Hmmmmmm...

And once word gets out that Lia is awake, crowds seem to gather :)

Here's hoping for two in a row!

Still Amazing

Today marks the one month anniversary of Lia's adoption. What's even more amazing than the joy we felt in making her our daughter by law is the blessing of watching her become our daughter in spirit more and more every day.

Love you Lia!

Things That Make Lia Happy

Watermelon

French Fries

Toy Drums

And dare I say.....splashing in the bathtub????

Times, they are a changin'.....

Happy Birthday Lydia!

Today, Lia attended her first birthday party for her sweet friend Lydia who was turning 3! She had a great time meeting Lydia's friends and family and celebrating...and I think they had a good time meeting Lia, too!

Happy birthday, sweet Lydia! We pray that as you and Lia grow you will not only share the heritage of your homeland but a heritage in Christ as well!

Poor Baby (continued)...

...and during today's trip to the doctor's (our new home away from home) we discovered she as an ear infection :(

As you can see, it hasn't slowed down her appetite. Motrin is a wonderful thing!

Poor Baby

After two weeks with a nasty cold, Lia finally started to feel better this afternoon. Until her mean old mommy took her to the hospital lab to have routine bloodwork done. Six viles worth! Poor thing.

And starting Friday, she'll have to start having ALL of the recommended vaccinations done again. That's 16 total to catch her up. Not all at once, but still....poor, poor thing!

She's a tough cookie, though. When getting her blood drawn today, she really only screamed because she wanted the nurse to give her arm back and not take so long in taping the gauze. And Alex sat beside her rubbing her back saying, "Don't cwy Wia, it's OK, don't cwy." That is, when he wasn't taking pictures of the lab with my cell phone.