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

Photos of Our Mississippi Adventure

Here's our new life in Mississippi! We're missing the midwest, but loving the south. The Lord has certainly blessed our family in our new community.

Liliana's second first day of school. Poor baby had to meet her classmates with cuts and bruises all over her face (from a nasty spill on Halloween). She now goes to school three days a week, rather than two. That's been an adjustment for both mommy and Liliana. She seems to love her teachers and new friends, and her teacher says she fit right in on her first day.

Leila started eating rice cereal about 10 days ago. She loves to blow raspberries when her mouth is full, so the food flies all over. As you can see here, she enjoys mealtime. As a matter of fact, she enjoys just about everything. Leila is the happiest baby I've ever encountered.
Less than a week after we arrived in Mississippi, we ventured to New Orleans with the church nursery group. And I'm so glad we did! Not only did we have a fabulous family outing, but we also met a bunch of young families who quickly became friends. We already feel very connected.

Liliana loves the zoo, but the animals couldn't compete with the playgrounds. She had such a ball climbing and sliding that she didn't even care to look at the exhibits. In fact, she and her little friend, Charlie, pretended to build a fire with sticks for over 30 minutes while the adults chatted.

Here are the primate girls. Of course, my faves were the monkeys, chimps and gorillas. Leila watched and smiled at the people walking by all day long. She is extraordinarily social. In fact, she often chooses social time over eating and sleeping.

Here we are at the Hattiesburg zoo. After having so many wonderful experiences at the St. Louis zoo, we found our H'burg outing to be rather anticlimactic. We took a "behind the scenes" tour that lasted exactly eight minutes. Okay, so what the community lacks in animal attractions, it more than compensates with friendly people.

Liliana and her pal, Vivian, pet a baby crocodile at the H'burg zoo.

Liliana dressed up like Daddy, who wears a suit to work almost every single day. His job is quite demanding, and we don't see him as much as we used to. Liliana has definitely noticed. Almost every day, she comments that she misses her daddy.

Liliana dressed up like Mommy, perfectly accessorized with STL hat and sleeping baby.


Leila absolutely adores her new exersaucer. She looks so proud when she creates sounds and music with the various toys. And she seems like such a big girl standing up in the seat. I can't believe she's already 20 weeks old!

Liliana's school held their annual Thanksgiving feast on Friday. Here she is as an Indian Princess. As I snapped this photo, she just finished saying, "Mama, hurry! My teeth are chattering!"

Here's Liliana at the feast. Notice the blonde braid in the back. It was the insurance policy, just in case she balked on the wig.

Missing Home

Today it hit me. I don't live in St. Louis, Missouri. I live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Until now, the move has felt more like a vacation. We hung out with family, went to a couple zoos, dined at restaurants and stayed with Wade's parents. Now that we're living in our new home, reality is beginning to set in.

I can no longer walk out of my front door and hang out with close friends. I can't catch up with pals at Sunday services and in the carpool line. I can't see our beloved small group friends every Wednesday night. There's no Trader Joe's, Houlihans, or Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. I miss my friends. I miss my old life. I'm homesick...very homesick.

On the flip side, I'm keenly aware of the blessings in this new adventure. We're close to family, the beach and friendly people who say, "Yes, Ma'am." Wade has a fab new job, Liliana's new school is terrific, our new church family is wonderful and I've had the opportunity to decorate our new house. But everything is new and it's just not home...yet. Please pray for my heart as I seek to serve Him in this new place.

Blessings,
Ramona

Southern Greetings

We're in Mississippi, ya'll! And it has been a whirlwind. We arrived at 2:00am Sunday, slept for a few hours and then unloaded the moving trucks all day. After a short snooze, it was off to school for Liliana's first day (photo forthcoming) and a frenzy of unpacking & arranging.

The house is coming along, slowly but surely. All of the updates are beautiful (thanks to my hard-working hubby)...and we should be able to move in in about a week. Right now, we're shacked up with the in-laws and getting acquainted with our new hometown.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers during this time of transition. We miss you, St. Louis! Come visit soon!

Farewell, St. Louis!

Say it ain't so, Joe! Here we are on Halloween as the Palin family. Today we finish packing, load up the trucks and head to our new home in Mississippi. We are so sad to be leaving the people we love, but we look forward to this new adventure. Thank you for all the sweet memories, friends. We love you and we'll see you soon!

Every blessing,

Ramona (for the family of four)

Moving Time

I'm in it...last minute! I can't believe the moment is finally approaching. We move this weekend! Although I'm sad to be leaving, I'm ready to get the move out of the way. I feel like we've been living in limbo for a month. Our bags are packed, but the house isn't quite ready for the moving company (who arrives tomorrow morning to pack our stuff). So much to do, so little time! Please pray for strength, stamina, guidance and joy as we make this transition.

Blessings to you!

Family Portrait

Here we are--one big happy family! Below is the photo I mentioned a few weeks ago. It didn't scan so well, but you get the picture (pun intended) of our love for Leila Madeline!

Less than one business day 'til we break free from the ranks of foster care and becomes an adoptive family! Our hearing is Tuesday morning--and, since Monday is a holiday--this is the last day that the adoption could be disrupted. We hope and pray for an uneventful afternoon!

This weekend is an exciting one for us. Tonight, we will be "celebrating" our new adventure by going out with neighbors. And Sunday afternoon is our big celebration (notice I have decided to celebrate instead of saying "good-bye"). We are so grateful to those hosting and all who plan to partay with us! We are going to miss our STL friends so much!