Little Brother and Big Sister

Meredith and Lucas are so cute together! I posted a couple of pictures of their first few days together earlier, but now I've gotten some super cute ones as they've started interacting more.

Here are a few from April that I love:



I love this big smile!


Part of our job lately has been helping Lucas in his quest to stalk his sister. If she is playing her new ukelele (photos to come) we try to get her to play it where he can see her, or we bring him to where she is. He is just fascinated by his big sister and loves her performances! Happily, she is eager to give them...but is not so eager to stay in one place. So we follow her with Lucas, or try to get her to come back, as our wandering minstrel makes her way around the house. She has recently perfected a full rendition of "Leavin' on a Jet Plane," which she has heard before bed (at her request) almost every night for the last several months. Lucas just can't get enough.

Last week we went to JCPenney for some photos. The photographer did a good job, but sadly our children's attention span was more limited. We wanted to be sure to get individual photos of Lucas (his first professional ones) and of Meredith (for her 3rd birthday) and of our whole family. By the time we did those, the kids simply refused to get a photo of the two of them together :( Lucas starting melting down a bit first, and then when Meredith lost it there was simply no recovery. We will have to go back for some additional pictures later. Why am I telling you all this? Because I am not terribly upset, due to an amazing photo shoot I had with them earlier in June. The 8 pictures, in order, are posted below. They are priceless! (Thanks to my Mom for the Big Sis pajamas and Aunt Jaynie for Lucas's elephant onesie.)









I wonder if two kids could ever adore each other more. Maybe this happens often with siblings, but it seems like a miracle to me every time. God placed these two children in a family, and they love each other. It is glorious.

so much to celebrate!

We've had a lot to celebrate lately. We remembered the middle of May when we first met Meredith two years ago. We celebrated Meredith and Lucas being baptized on May 16. We finalized Lucas' adoption in front of a judge in Jacksonville on June 2 (also my mom's and Rob's sister's birthday!). Then June 11 was the second anniversary of Meredith's court date. And to finish it off, next week (June 16) will be her 3rd birthday. Wow! When I feel overwhelmed (which is most of the time) it helps to be reminded that two years ago today, we still did not have a child in our custody. It has been a CRAZY two years. Wouldn't trade it for anything though. God is so good.

I have a smattering of photos for you. Next time I post I will focus on Meredith and Lucas together as I have some really cute ones, but several aren't loaded onto the computer yet and I do not have the camera with me right now.

So for now, here you go!

Lucas is starting to enjoy a blanket with hanging toys.



Lucas loves daddy -- and I love this outfit :)





Isn't Lucas the cutest thing with his little hat?



One evening Rob had to work late and I could not seem to get Lucas happy. I needed to try to get Meredith to bed and ended up calling my dear friend Jenee (why must you be moving away?) to come over and help me. Here is what she found when she arrived -- I had finally got Lucas calmed down, but he still maintained his grumpy face!



So you've seen grumpy. But this is our little man's winning smile! Who could ever resist?



Here are some photos at the kids' baptism. Lucas is wearing the same baptismal gown that Rob wore at his baptism! The second photo has Rob's parents in it.





And just so that you don't miss out on Meredith's "progress"...the other day she was playing with some little playmobil figures. I found her in the kitchen admiring her hat in the oven door. She is all about trying to keep the tiny hat on her head as long as possible!



The next post will give more details on some new developments with Meredith -- mostly a bunch of funny things she has said. Just as preparation, here's one to get you started. We were talking at dinner once - maybe about day and night, I'm not sure - and she said the word "honeymoon". She seemed to like the sound of the word (not sure where she heard it). I clarified that a honeymoon isn't actually a moon, it is a vacation after you get married. In all seriousness, she stated:

"When I am done honeymooning, I'm gonna come home and play the kazoo."

Well, alrighty then! Hope that special man is prepared for all the excitement.

Hope you have enjoyed the update and as always, we love your comments!