It has been just over a month since we were in China meeting Lilah-Kate for the first time.  Now, it seems like she has always been with us and we wonder what we ever did without her.  She has really taken to the whole family and loves to get us involved in her play!  She continues to amass more shoes and still loves to dress up.  Lilah-Kate is beginning to understand English words and follows simple commands.  She laughs easily and frequently (we are all very funny people)!  Will wrote a poem that says it all...


Little Sister

I have a new little sister.
We traveled to China to get her.
She's cute and she's funny.
She loves her stuffed bunny!
I have a new little sister.

She speaks Chinese when she has something to say,
We speak English, it's tricky this way!
The most important language is love.
We speak with smiles and hugs.
I have a new little sister.

She's been through a lot, she's doing great!
She's a brave little girl, that Lilah-Kate.
We're happy she's home, the adoption took awhile.
Now that we're all together, we can't help but smile!
I have a new little sister.


-Will McCullar












Surprise! We are updating our blog after being home for 10 days. Recovering from jet lag, cooking and cleaning for ourselves again, and running a family of six takes some adjustments!

Lilah-Kate became a U.S. Citizen in Chicago. We intended to do a grand photo shoot with her red, white and blue outfit on, but we had to hustle to our connecting flight home. The photo shoot became a few iphone pictures on the escalator, featuring her red and white bow! We arrived at XNA to her joyful big brothers, Pop and Nana, and some excited Johnson's. We immediately headed to Will's orchestra concert, what a night!

Over the last week, we have focused on her attachment to Mom and Dad. She loves to read books with us and to play at her kitchen! She also knows which room is hers and likes to sit on her rug and play blocks and dolls. Her brothers are getting her attention by building block towers and letting her knock them down, which makes her giggle. Lilah-Kate also like to ride her rocking horse, but only for very short rides with BaBa (daddy) holding on!

In the middle of the week, we went to Table Mesa for lunch and as we walked through the square, I captured the most accidental “supermodel” pictures! She is super cute.

This Mother's Day weekend, she got to meet her mimi and papa, aunt and uncle, and cousins. She really warmed up to them quickly, which put smiles on everyone's faces. We had a special baby dedication at church and she wore a traditional chinese silk dress that Laurel found in Guangzhou with matching silk squeaky shoes. Lilah-Kate is a true joy and it seems like she has always been a part of our family. How blessed are we!