(The current state of affairs: It takes me four days to write a lame ‘lil blog entry. I know that someday I will have – some – time again). Happy New Year! While I know 2011 is sure to be an awesometastic and wonderific year, I am slightly disappointed that it didn’t roll on in with new and improved days – like longer ones that have more hours but not as much sleep necessary, then maybe I could get everything done that I’d like to! I’ve had about a million blog-thoughts in my head for the last week bouncing off the dusty walls, but have just not had the time or energy to put ‘em here. So, this will be a standard random-thought post.

• Kayliana – now at 8 weeks old – is a smiling, cooing champ. We have yet to capture a REALLY big smile on camera though and we’ve exhausted ourselves talking in the highest voices possible, making ridiculous sounds, practically dancing on our heads trying to get one on film. We did a fun photo shoot over the weekend and got some really cute (really close to full-smile, but not quite) photos.
• New Years was so super fun. Our best friends – Jason, Rebecca and their two boys Joshua (5), Noah (3) and baby bun in the oven (either Kayli’s best friend or future husband), along with Jason’s daughter Adrienne (13) – moved in for our annual holiday staycation called “Camp Christmas.” We played games, stayed in pajamas all day, ate delicious food, drank delicious drinks, exchanged gifts, and stayed up late (thankfully, Kayli’s been sorta sleeping through the night, so that was extremely helpful and wonderful!). It’s possible that the highlight of the weekend was watching the four boys play a very intense and focused game of hide-and-seek. Three-year-old Noah would count in the living room with eyes covered and then practically look directly under the chair HE was sitting in for a hiding boy. Zachary was a very dedicated hider and remained hidden for long minutes at a time even suffering an injury for the cause. (He’d folded himself up like a pretzel under a dining room chair and had his stomach wedged up against the chair bar. He occasionally rubbed his paine- side for two days).

While some people find it hard to believe that we could spend 2.5 days nonstop with “friends,” just “cooped up” in our house, I must say that our vacations/staycations with the “Clan” are never long enough. We don’t have a lot of family here and no kiddo-cousins for our kiddos, so the Clan and our “clousins” are as close to extended family as we could possibly get. We’re so blessed to have such great friends!

• Zachary has had some great expressions and comments lately. The other day we had friends stopping by for our playdate. I’d told him in the morning that we’d have visitors later and then told him who it was (my neighbor/friend Megan with her two kids), and he jumped up and down and said, “Oh! So it’s Nick & Kate who are our first customers today!”

Yesterday, out of the blue in the car he said, “How come I’m such a good big brother? I’ve never even done it before or practiced and I’m GREAT at it!”

He also came into the kitchen one day last week and throwing his arms open exclaimed, “Mom! I’m gonna knock your socks off!” When I asked him what he meant he looked at me like I had three heads and said, “Helloooo. It’s an expression,” and then left the room exasperated.

• The week after Christmas, we had our first visit with Kayliana’s birth mom Mia. We will see her approximately four times a year (kind of like once a season with one visit happening around Kayli’s birthday-Christmas). We’d kind of thought that this first visit wouldn’t happen this year – that it’d be too soon and that Mia wouldn’t be ready – but early in December she’d asked to at least put something on the calendar at which point I kinda freaked out feeling like I wasn’t ready! (I was just surprised that she was ready since I really hadn’t expected to do it so soon). But once I mentally prepared, I was pretty excited to see her (as were the boys)! We decided – since she will be a part of our lives – to have her come to the house, that way she can see us all in our “natural habitat.” (Plus, it just seemed weird to do this intense of a visit/moment at a public place like a mall or something).

Mia and her wonderful boyfriend Austin (not the birthfather – he’s out of the picture) arrived on Thursday afternoon baring gifts for all the kiddos. They had PERFECT presents for the boys (a police Lego-type set, a paint-your-own Toy Story statues kit and two little foam-disk shooting guns). The boys were thrilled. Kayli got a super cuddly stuffed giraffe and little outfit (I’m sure she’s thrilled too). Mia seemed to be doing so well and couldn’t get over how big Kayli’s gotten in just seven weeks. I really could go on and on about how lucky we are to have been blessed with – not only the perfect baby for us – but the perfect birth mom as well. Things are pretty dang great, and we’re scheduled to appear in court to finalize the adoption on January 28th!! Woohoo!

Now, if I could just have more time in the day and/ or more assistance – namely in the form of a maid, chef, poolboy (again, for the sole purpose of keeping the umbrella drinks a-comin’) and masseuse, then life would be truly perfect. Woe-is me for now I’ll just HAVE to resign myself to near perfection.