School Picture

Above is Dani's first school picture taken at her daycare a few weeks ago. I can't believe how mature and what a big girl she looks like! She is growing up too fast.

A Friend from the Hood!

For those of you in the adoption community who follow my blog, below please find a link to another blog for a family departing in 24 hours to bring their little girl home to her forever family. This is a new, but dear friend of mine whom I met through a mutual friend and our Pilates classes - go figure! Their daughter is from the Henan province which is the same province Dani is from. They are even meeting their daughter for the first time in the very building we met Dani. It brings back so many emotions and wonderful memories, and I am so excited for them as they embark on this life-changing journey and can't wait for Dani to have a "friend from the hood"!

http://www.gilkisonfamily.blogspot.com/

Happy Anniversary!

Not flesh of my flesh Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn't grow under my heart, But in it. I can't believe it has been 1 year since Chris and I traveled to China and our daughter was finally placed in our arms. It seems like she has been a part of our family forever and the years of agonizing over when we would receive our referral a distant memory. Dani has brought more joy to our family than Chris and I ever imagined. While the jump from 2 kids to 3 was admittedly a tough one, we wouldn't change a thing. As a younger mom, I constantly strived for balance. This past year however; I learned that life, kids, work and marriage are too messy and ever changing to have perfect balance. I am now the official Family Manager of Chaos and have learned to embrace that. I focus on the good things in our lives, of which there is so much to be thankful for. Everything happens in waves; even the bad days roll in and go away. What I value most is that LOVE defines my family. It’s the one thing that we can count on and that keeps all of us close. I recently read a quote that stuck in my head and made me think of my family. “Life is not a fairytale, it is a reality show". So as our first year as a family of five comes to an end, I can't wait for future episodes. Stay tuned!

Working Backwards . . .Dustin's Birthday/Homecoming

On October 14th our 1st baby turned 17 years old. It's difficult enough to say it let alone see it in print. Neither Chris or I can believe our not so little (6'3") boy is a Junior in High School and fast approaching College and adulthood. Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his 1st birthday, 1st Halloween, 1st day of Kindergarten. It is cliche to say the time goes by so fast, but it is SO true. The days, weeks, months and years seem to go by even faster the older we get. We are so proud of the young man he has become and look forward to celebrating his next milestones. Below are some pics from his birthday dinner as well as his Homecoming Dance. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween

Wow! We had a very busy Halloween this year, which was awesome. We re-instated our tradition of pulling the fire pit into the driveway and inviting neighbors, friends and family over to hand out candy to the trick or treaters, tag team trick or treat with the kids, enjoy some food and adult beverages. Dustin also invited a dozen or so of his friends over, so as I said, it was a busy evening.

This year marked Dani's first Halloween. As you can see from the picture, both she and I were bees . . .I was the Queen Bee! She got the hang of the tradition very quickly and enjoyed the few houses she went to. I'll post more pics later, but for now, enjoy!