Lilly then and now..after 6 months in our arms...

What an enormous difference 6 months makes! Our six-month anniversary of the day we received Lilly just passed (16 September). Take a look.

THEN:

Moments after first laying eyes on one another, here we are heading from the office where we received Lilly to the photographer's to get her adoption photos taken.

Holding her for the first time.


Our referral photo...

AND NOW:


Lilly now, ready for preschool!

Happy Girl!

settling in now...

All the "firsts" of fall are now over. We are several weeks into the school year for Jared and Anna, and Lilly is into her second week of school. Cross country, pep band, scouts, soccer, AWANA, Kids Choir, orchestra, Women's Bible Study...it's all well underway. Life is very full, very busy, and very rich.

Now that the novelty of new fall routines has worn off, it's time to learn to cope with the busyiness of daily life with grace and patience. It's time for me to teach and motivate the big kids to do their best, work their hardest, act kindly, respectfully, and graciously always, be responsible for their homework, their belongings, their time. It's time for me to learn to get all the housework and errands done on Lilly's school days so I can simply spend time playing and being with her on her days at home.

It's time for me to *consistently* find myself sitting at God's feet, soaking up wisdom from His word, and pouring out my heart to Him in prayer. I need discerning eyes to see when to correct my kids and when to simply praise and support them. I need a heart that is not so full of myself that I get annoyed when the kids demand my attention at inopportune times. I need wisdom to find ways to occupy Lilly while Anna does her homework and needs my attention. I need to be purposeful in spending time and conversing with Jared, who is my easiest child to parent at the moment, but whom I fear I could lose touch with since I spend so much of my emotional energy on his sisters.

No photos today, just heartfelt thoughts, and a request for your prayers for me as a mom.

Lilly's First Day of Preschool

After a fun long weekend with Grammy and Pop Pop visiting and Daddy home from work, Lilly today began her long-anticipated 2-mornings-a-week preschool. She has been excited about going to school for weeks, no months, now. From the time we first brought her home from China and started taking the big kids to school, she has been asking me to go to school. So today was the big day.

On the way to the school, she showed a few signs of anxiety ("mom, can you stay with me?" and I assured her I would stay for a little while), but when we got there, there was almost no turning back. She immediately got busy playing with a little doll house, and then some puzzles, and then, when I said goodbye and gave her a squeeze, she got back to her play.

I had decided in advance that I would pick her up early since it seems like a long day for 3-year-olds, but when I arrived about 40 minutes early, happy as she was to see me, she told me in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to leave yet! When I offered to come back in a little while to get her (and go finish the pedicure that I left halfway through because I was missing her so much and having visions of her missing me, too), she said "no, stay." So I just stayed and played for the last 40 minutes.

The teachers all said she did really well, no communication issues at all. She was definitely wound up when we got home, but quickly settled down for her nap. And since school puts her on a bit later nap schedule, I am hoping for a few quiet minutes with just Anna when she gets home from school.

Here are some photos from Lilly's big day (and a few others as well!):

Here is Lilly on her new scooter with her new helmet. She might have a tiny little body, but we needed a big helmet!

Some snuggle time with Daddy

Lilly loves Pop Pop, and likes to run shrieking from him when her pretends to come tickle her.


Lilly with Grammy.

Now, the pictures you were waiting for...here she is ready for school, with lunch box and "bucket" in hand!

Is it time yet mom?

First stop--the dollhouse.

Lilly calls her school "threeschool" instead of preschool since she's 3. Here she is showing me (unprompted) that she is at threeschool.


Next stop--the puzzles.