My Beautiful Girls

From Our Family to Yours

Merry Christmas from Mississippi! Here we are on the beach in Ocean Springs during a visit with Wade's brother & family. We've been enjoying unbelievably warm temperatures this week. In fact, I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt right now, and I've had to run the ceiling fans to cool the house. Is it really the end of December?! It feels like May!



Liliana and I have been tackling the heaping boxes that once covered our dining room floor, and I'm psyched to have only a few left! Finally, there's light at the end of the tunnel. It'll be so nice to have dinner at the dining room table for the first time.

Here are the girly-girls on our new sofa (thanks to Hudsons, my favorite store) in the living room. They're so cute together. Liliana dotes on Leila, and Leila smiles and laughs at Liliana like nobody's business!

Wade and I are absolutely stoked about being so close to the beach. There's no place we'd rather be than in the warm sand on a sunny day, and now we're just a short drive away. Liliana and Leila will be such beach bums this summer.


We are also enjoying more frequent date nights than we were able to have in STL, thanks to retired Grammy and Grandfather (Wade's parents). We attended a Christmas party last night, and we had so much fun that we were the last to leave!

Liliana seems to be adjusting a bit better the past few days, now that we've unearthed her favorite toys. She is on Christmas break until the first week of January, so we'll have plenty of time to play and enjoy the this crazy warm weather. Liliana is still falling pretty frequently, which is a major concern. I had to pick her up early on Monday after a serious faceplant on the classroom floor. And on Tuesday night, she fell against the corner of the coffee table and gashed the back of her head. Poor darling! We're praying it's just the stress of the move and nothing grave. Please pray for her!

Leila Bean (as we affectionately call her) now rolls over, sits up and is eating rice cereal, carrots and sweet potatoes. She likes to be in the middle of all the action, especially when there's a large group of people. The term "social butterfly" is a really an understatement for her. She would rather "talk" to and watch people than sleep!

We feel very blessed this holiday season, and we wish you every happiness. Merry Christmas and much love to one and all!

The Latest and Greatest

I can't believe we've been in Mississippi for six weeks. The time has flown by, especially with the holidays in full swing. We are loving it here, much to my surprise. I thought I might like it, but I certainly didn't expect to love it!

We've got a fabulous new church family, and we feel right at home. We're making new friends and getting connected to the community more quickly than I could have imagined. The people are so friendly and welcoming. Of course, it's also wonderful to be near Wade's family. We see them almost every day, and they've been a tremendous help during this time of adjustment. I'm so thankful that God has surrounded us with love and blessed us in this new adventure.

As for our home, it's coming right along. We have almost two acres of beautiful land, with a large number of giant pine trees in the yard and azalea bushes lining both sides of our long driveway. A small creek runs along the back of our property, and Liliana enjoys hunting around for acorns, pine cones, berries and other treasures. Our front yard is large enough for a respectable pick-up game of soccer or football. Although we haven't met many of our neighbors, we're planning to venture out with the stroller this week. Left: our family in the back yard on a warm December day.

We're especially psyched about the weather here. Today was sunny & 70 degrees, and tomorrow the forecast calls for 80-degree weather! On December 15th, no less!

Despite the warmth, we're decked out in Christmas spirit. We decorated our tree a couple weeks ago (here's Liliana in her "Santa's Little Helper" hat), and Santa visited last week. Liliana hid when the jolly man arrived, while Leila stared in wonder. At least there were no tears, which is a major improvement from last year. After St. Nick left our home and flew back to the North Pole, Liliana asked, "Mommy, does Santa have feet and toenails under those boots?" When I said, "Yes," she asserted, "Well, I think he's just a human being dressed up like Santa." Amazing. She's four stinkin' years old!

On a more serious note, please lift Liliana up in prayer. She's still having a difficult time adjusting to our new home, and her daily behavior reflects it. I know she'll eventually grow to love it, but it saddens me to see her struggle right now. She has such a tender heart, and I pray that it heals quickly.

As for Leila, she is still as sweet as ever. She's probably the most happy and social baby I've ever known. We are enjoying every moment with her, and so thankful that the Lord brought her to our family. She is now sitting up with support, eating rice cereal and sweet potatoes (like a good Southern girl) and rolling over. Leila "talks" and smiles all of the time, and she's the life of every party. She's such a blessing. We're thrilled to report that our adoption will be final on April 15th...just four short months away!

Save the date, St. Louis friends, because we'd love to spend time with you when we're in town! Hopefully we'll be there in Jan. for a wedding, too. We'll keep you posted!

Now, a little about Wade. My dear husband is working so hard these days. He's the executive business director for Pine Grove, a major residential treatment provider in the area. Not only is he thriving in the new company, he is also renovating the house and taking extra time to be with the girls. Both Liliana and Leila are so excited to see him when he returns home every day. It's absolutely precious to see their eyes light up (and Liliana run to the door) as soon as they hear him come in. If only every child loved Daddy so much!

Well, I certainly hope ya'll are rejoicing during this advent season. We sure are!

Many blessings to you,

Ramona the Southern Belle

Southern Thanksgiving

Christmas is just around the corner, and I'm lovin' every minute of the holiday season. This is my favorite time of year. It's magical, even without snow. Here is a sample of our Thanksgiving festivities...

This Thanksgiving was very special for us. Not only was it our first holiday in our new home, but we were also blessed to spend it with thirty family members. Much to my surprise, my mom even journeyed to Mississippi to enjoy a taste of Hattiesburg! It was a joy to have her with us for the week, and we are hopeful that she'll make it an annual trip!

Leila was the life of the party, smiling, laughing and "talking" nearly every waking moment. The entire family fell in love with her. Even though she wasn't feeling her best (fighting a cold), nobody would have known it. She is definitely a little social butterfly...and we love it!

Liliana had a ball with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in town. Her favorite activities were Hungry Hippo (or, as she calls it: "Rhino Rampage") and creating crazy concoctions with spices, baking ingredients and food coloring. Her final project was a very strange-smelling "chocolate pudding" with meatballs in it. Yum!

After our Thanksgiving lunch and November birthday celebration, the guys played a serious football game on the front lawn. I couldn't resist capturing the style and sportsmanship of our fellas in this photo. Nice form, Wardy!

At the end of the day, we all cuddled up in our jammies and relaxed at our cozy casa. Here's Leila with her Blabla, Chloe (thanks, Aunt Marcia). She loves having her own toys and dolls to hug and, well, eat. Everything goes in her mouth now that she's teething!

Happy holidays, one and all!