R's new look...

Our little Cabbage Patch Kid

We think that R is working on his first teeth. He has been chewing on anything he can get in his mouth, and as you can see from all the recent pics, drool is everywhere! A couple days ago he started this thing with sucking in his bottom lip, and I was able to catch a pic of it today. We think he looks like a Cabbage Patch Kid...what do you think?

Our basketball star!

Doesn't she look all grown up?

A can't get over how T looks with her mouthguard...I think she looks tough!

Going up for the shot!!

This has been T's signature move...streaking through under the goal, wide open, yelling for the ball!

R was so excited that T wanted to play basketball this year!! She played in the Upward league at our church, and she was awesome!! She scored in every game, and by her last game today we finally had her rebounding, too!! She has improved drastically over the season, and R has high hopes for her as his basketball star. Basketball is the one sport I really enjoy, so I have found myself really enjoying her games. Then the cheerleader in me comes out, and A and I are on the sidelines cheering her on!!! It's been a lot of fun, and we can't wait until next year when she actually gets to play for her school team!

Our cheerleader!

Doing what she loves...

Do you see how much taller she is than the other girls???

Ready!!

A has been cheerleading during the Upward basketball season, and she absolutely loves it!! She has definitely found her sport. She is great at it, and she has a lot of fun doing it, so R may have to get over his dislike of it. Today was her last game, so I thought I would try to get some pics of it...sometimes I feel like all we put on here is little R!!

R meets cereal!!!

This is R while enjoying his cereal...no time to wipe his face during feeding...gotta keep shoveling it in!

And this is how happy he is when he has his tummy full!!!

We have just started feeding R cereal, and he LOVES it!!! He knows exactly what that highchair is for...once he is sitting in it, I have about 2 minutes to have something yummy going into his mouth or he lets me hear it!! We almost bought a highchair that had a toy to go on the tray...but R is not interested in playing when he gets in the chair...he is there to eat!!

Baby R is officially a WILLIS!!!

The Willis Family (all FIVE of us), along with the judge who presided over our hearing.

R was quite fond of the judge...even gave him a smile when he was talking to him!

On Friday, January 18th we had our court hearing for the finalization of our adoption of baby R. We were very excited, and the girls were thrilled that he was officially ours forever! This was the final step in the long journey that brought him into our home. It is a journey that we will remember forever, and we met several very special people in the process that we hope will always be a part of our lives. We can't wait until R is old enough for us to tell him the story of how God brought him into our lives, and of the special woman who loved him enough to let him go. We are so grateful to have him here with us...he has brought us so much joy already. We can't wait to see the little man that he grows into...

SNOW!!!!!!

All the neighborhood kids shared in the excitement of the snow!

A caught a snowflake on her mitten...she thought that was very cool!

R really didn't get what all the fuss was about...

Last week A got to experience snow for the very first time in her life! She was SO excited!! It snowed for about an hour. The girls went out and played in it the whole time. They were so excited that they ran to all the neighbor's houses and told them...we had all of the neighbors' kids in our yard, yelling and screaming and having a blast. Sable even went outside and enjoyed the fun! A thoroughly enjoyed herself, but she was very disappointed that the snow didn't hang around for long...it actually turned into rain after about an hour...but it sure was fun while it lasted!

R's stats...4 month checkup!!!

This is R the first time we met him...

And this is R after 4 months of love...

R had his 4 month well baby appt. today, and the results were somewhat staggering! Our little guy who started out 4 months ago weighing 7 lbs 7 oz, now weighs 15 lbs 8 oz!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw the scales!!! He is also now 24 inches long, which means he has grown 3 1/2 inches in those 4 months. We can't believe how much he has changed in the short time we have been with him...of course he is smothered in love every minute of the day...that might have something to do with it.

Little R is 4 months old!!

R's new "big boy" haircut!

The girls are always doing silly things with R and then laughing at him...he never seems to mind though. Getting him undressed for a bath turned into 5 minutes of hysterical laughter from both girls...

Another month has passed, and R is now 4 months old! He is getting so big and while he has always been a fun baby, he is tons of fun now. He coos and laughs, and he always has a smile for us! He has just learned how to spit, and has lots of fun seeing how much slobber he can get out of his mouth...and its a lot!!! Everything that comes near him goes straight to his mouth. Big R took him just before his 4 month birthday to get a haircut...I knew I was probably making a mistake by letting him go without me...he has been wanting the "high and tight" since R was born! Needless to say, little R came back with a lot less hair, but we thought he looked quite handsome...

Christmas

Each year the girls and I make a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, we start our day by singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then we have cake for breakfast. The girls pick out the cake and plan the design each year...we thought this year was their best yet!
The tree before Santa came... there were even more after his visit!
All loaded up and ready to go eat!!!

We realized after we opened all the presents that we hadn't taken a single picture of the kids opening them!! We got so engulfed in making sure we called family when we opened their presents that we totally forgot the camera!! We celebrated Christmas alone this year...I think for the very first time in our 10 years of marriage. We had a quiet morning at home, then we all loaded up and went to Fort Gordon to eat Christmas dinner at the dining facility. The food was great, and I just really didn't want to cook a huge meal when we had no family here with us. It was a great day, and since it wasn't so hectic we were able to focus a little more on the true meaning of Christmas and not just presents and visiting family.

It has begun...

Notice the "birthday girl" crown?

We wondered how long it would be before the girls were playing "dress up" with R. It seems it took almost exactly 15 weeks. R just kept smiling at them because they were laughing...poor thing doesn't realize they are laughing at him!!!