April 30th marks 1 year!

Wow, has it already been one year since we sat in the orphanage director's office and she said thru the translator, "now we will bring in three children for you to chose from..." In walked the little boy whose photo we had seen before, but he was so small!

That's how Nicholas Peter Holland entered our lives. The first thing he asked when we drove out of the orphanage weeks and weeks later was, "will Daddy get a doggie for me?" I answered, something like "sabatchka when you learn Angliski." Doggie when you learn English. Well, he's grown, from a 2T to a 4T, and is completely fluent in English. Katrina persuaded us to get a dog and well, it coincided with Nicky mastering English... so this is Travis, a one-year old puggle (pug and beagle mix) that we found at a doggie orphanage. He is darling and now I know why little boys and puppies go together like peas and carrots.

Ski trip to Snowbird, Utah

Nicky is fearless! He's going to be a great skier once he learns to STOP! We had a blast, Justin and I, skiing with Izie and Nicky, on the Chickadee run. Sophie and Katrina are good enough to ski whatever Justin and I ski. We had many sunny days, 14 inches of new snow, and lots of lounging around, swimming in the hot tubs and heated pool, and the little kids loved the kids club up at Alta. When we got home, spring had sprung!

Visit to Tia Renata in Argentina

Tia fell in love with Nicky and Nicky fell in love with Tia! The horsebackriding was his favorite.

Sharing the love

Isabelle went on a daughter-daddy date with Daddy just before Valentine's Day. She was absolutely delighted. (And I think it confirmed for her that she's daddy's precious girl even though there's a boy around now!)

We try to share the love with the four kids daily according to their needs and the way each of them was created. They are each so beautifully different, one from the other. We do draw the line though... For one, "special orders do upset us" in the Holland kitchen. It's tough beans if you don't like beans! Nicky eats everything though. It's a delight to watch him gorge and we're still saying "smaller bites" and "slow down." He's grown over 4 inches and we're due for another run to Target for some longer corduroys since it seems Spring is still a long way off here!

Christmas and snow

Though the pictures are worth a thousand words, the blessings are worth a million words of praise. Christmas for Nicky below, opening Leapster (his own, rather than borrowing Isabelle's), his remote control "machina" (car) and a s'mores and snow evening on the patio (Katrina pictured).