Happy Chinese New Year!

Lily and Kate celebrate with their twin friends, Ella and Emma!

Lily plays the drums; Kate "feels the beat"

The game of chase

They've learned the game of chase (which is really funny to watch since they can't run yet). Kate picks up a toy, looks at Lily and smiles to tease her, Lily waddles after her until she catches her or they both fall down. If Lily catches Kate, she pushes her down and they both fall to the floor with squealing giggles.

My, how things have changed with two walking

4 hands get into 4oo things they shouldn't















Even the eggs aren't safe.















Lily can now take Kate down.

Look who's walking now!

...or staggering, rather. Lily has a hard time keeping a straight face while walking. She thinks it is so funny!

"All we really wanted for Christmas was a family"

Here are mine and Phil's present under the tree. We have been awe struck this Christmas by God's provision for us and for Lily and Kate. Our minds have drifted often to last Christmas when we were apart from them; wondering what life would have been like for all of us without this miracle of adoption. As life has hustled and bustled around us and we've smiled and offered the usual holiday cheer, these pressing thoughts have brought us to quiet tears of thankfulness throughout this holiday season.

Our first Christmas

Taking in the wonder of Christmas















Cousins, cousins and more cousins :)















We got Sit-n-Spins for Christmas!















We also got some "gently used" egg cartons!















"Yo-yo, chillin' with Grandpa."















Christmas with Mammaw and Granddaddy

New definition of privacy...

Privacy = being the only one in the shower (never mind the audience of two)

Our holiday treat

We got to meet Stephen Curtis Chapman! Lily (left) and Kate (checking out SCC)

Due to the high price of baby food...

Ahhhh (sigh)...they are on a schedule after 3 months

After pushing to get them to sleep through the night for the last 3 months, it has finally paid off. The last thing to come was getting them to sleep until 6 am instead of getting up at 3:30 to 4:30 am. Phil and I were going crazy there at the end, alternating mornings of getting up with them. This photo I took of their first morning to sleep until 6am. I got them out of their cribs, put them on the floor and turned on the light. They looked at me like..."Oh, mom, turn off that light...do you know how early it is in the morning?"

Kate is walking!

...and Lily is now crawling faster out of necessity.

Aunt Lily comes to visit

We had a wonderful weekend with my best friend who is now called Aunt Lily around our house. She got to meet her namesake and the girls such a had a blast playing with her! She brought great gifts with her for the girls. One of which was a scratch and sniff book. Whew! I had forgotten all about those since my childhood. Lily, Phil and I stayed up late reading it. Here we are below with Lily scratching, me sniffing and Phil making jokes behind the camera. This is one of those pictures that is funnier in the moment because part of the fun is sharing that moment with someone who has made you laugh for 18 years. :)

Indoor sledding

We enjoyed a visit from the Burch family last week. One of the gifts they brought were VeggieTales placemats. The girls aren't old enough to eat off of them yet, but they make great indoor sleds! Kate's in front above and Lily is having a blast below.

Guess who we saw on Friday?

They were too stunned to remember what to ask for, but I'm sure Santa knows anyway.

The new parent look

Looking through previous photos, I found this one that we took on the elevator going up to meet Kate and Lily and become first-time parents. What is interesting to me, is that this expression is still on our faces after 2 1/2 months. What a wild ride! It still boggles my mind that I can love two little people so much who won't let me sleep past 5 am, poop in their diaper right after I change it and won't let me leave the room to go to the bathroom. Now I understand what other moms mean when they tell me that it doesn't get easier, you just get used to the amount of work and lack of sleep. Who teaches these little ones to smile that "I love you" smile just when you are losing it so that they live through childhood? :)

Not all interactions are positive

Kate (on top, as usual) wrestles Lily for the balls...















Just when it seems that Lily is getting away...















Kate makes her final move and wins this round.

Learning to play with each other

Kate and Lily are learning to interact with each other lately. Here they are playing peek-a-boo through the mailbox (Lily on right). They love their side-by-side stroller where they can touch each other. Yesterday when we were out strolling, they kept touching their foreheads together and laughing like it was the funniest thing!

My Clever Kate

Kate is clever. She wakes up looking for adventure. She loves to learn and you only have to show her once and she's got it. It is hard to get a smile on camera because she is so busy looking at the camera as if to say..."I could take that thing apart and put it back together again if you'd just give it to me!" She pats us and grins ear to ear when she is happy. It is so cute. She has a strong voice and loves to yell when she is excited. She has stellar eye contact and is always looking at us to see what we think of her actions. Kate loves an audience! We love being her audience. She is amazing to watch. Kate is a DO-er.

My Sweet Lily

My sweet Lily is quite the lover of people. She is looking for a party most of the time. She is happy even just watching the party. You see her every emotion - happy or sad. I wonder how many times a day I say to her, "It's ok, Baby Girl" or "What a sweet smile!" as I respond to her emotions. She loves to be cuddled and kissed. She has a soft voice and she babbles softly most of the time like she is singing. She always has a smile for you. I love the fact that she is a "lap baby" - content to be loved. She is a BE-er.