Favorite Photo Friday

Well, technically it isn't Friday anymore -- it's just past midnight. But, I can't resist posting a picture of my momma holding my baby THE DAY WE RETURNED HOME FROM CHINA!!!!
Isn't it beautiful? I sure do think so.

Fun little meme

I missed blogging while we were gone, so here I am posting for the second time today! Lily is sleeping soundly in the other room with her stack of paper bowls. She developed a new obsession with paper products while we were gone. You may have noticed some small paper plates in a couple of the pics I posted from our trip. She grabbed some from Great Grandma's appetizer table and wouldn't let them out of her sight for the entire evening. Then, back at Booma and Papa's house it was a stack of small dixie cups that she carried around with her everywhere. (She even bathed with them). So, now we are home again and she has been clinging to some Mickey Mouse paper bowls. Funny, quirky kid!
Anyway,
I found this meme on one of my new favorite blogs The Jade Road. I had fun reading hers, so I thought I'd play along... I hope you will too. If you do, leave me a comment so I can check yours out.

What is something that...

1. Always makes you giggle? When Lily belly laughs. It is the cutest sound ever.
2. Always makes you mad? When I receive a bad tip.
3. Always makes you cry? When one of my parents tells me they are proud of me.
4. Always cheers you up? When Lily tells me she loves me.
5. Always makes you frustrated? Finances.
6. Always makes you hungry? Seeing, smelling, or simply thinking about food.
7. Always makes you tired? Traveling.
8. Always makes you sick? hmmmm... I dunno. The thought of children being abused.
9. Always makes you fall down? I can't remember the last time I fell down.
10. Always makes you nostalgic? Definitely 80's music. I LOVED the 80's -- just ask my hubby.

Ok, your turn.

We've got pictures!

If a picture is worth 1000 words, then here are about 11,000 words for ya...Enjoy!!!!

Home again, home again...

Well, we are home again and I am EXHAUSTED!!!!!

Christmas was wonderful, but traveling with my child is a lot of work. She loves to go and see her extended family, but it is a bit overwhelming for her at the same time. She/we had a couple of rough nites. She was up at 3am the first night ready to party. That festive mood of hers lasted until after 5am. Her naps were screwy and she had way too much cake and candy, so our trip ended with a big pile of throw up. But my mother-in-law runs her home like a five star hotel, so we were cleaned up and happy within an hour and all of the yuckies were laundered and good as new. Other than those few technical difficulties, the trip was really great. Lily loved being with her grandparents and they got to spend a lot of quality time together. She also got to play with her cousins Morgan and Macey (4yrs and 2yrs) which was both fun a tad chaotic (but we love that kind of chaos). She loves her cousins and her Aunt Kristen and Uncle Jason very much. We don't get to see them very often, but she NEVER forgets them.

We spent Christmas Eve with Jay's grandma Doctor. We enjoyed filet mignon, corn, rolls, jello, and ice-cream cake, oh and the best potatoes I have ever eaten!

We spent Christmas Day with Jay's mom's side of the family at Grandpa and Grandma Meyer's house. It was a full house with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. It was great to be a part of it.

I felt so blessed to spend both days with my inherited grandparents, since it has been a long time since I had to say good-bye to my own.

Lily got so many wonderful gifts. Some of them have already become her new favorites, and some of them are still waiting in their packages. We will have plenty to keep us busy for the rest of the winter.

I'll write more tomorrow and post some pictures, but for now I am going to hit the hay. Lily is already crashed out on the couch. And it isn't even 10:00! Now you KNOW the whole Christmas thing wore her out!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and made many special memories of their own.

The celebrating continues!

So, yesterday was another Christmas party for our family. We went to my parents' house for food, fun, games, and more presents! It was great because my Uncle Rick and Aunt Val were there, with my cousins and their significant others. Although they all live in state, we still don't see each other often enough!! Lily has really come out of her shell since they had seen her last, so it was really exciting to watch her interact openly with everyone. She held my uncle's hand and led him to the back room to show him the Christmas tree, she gave ready hugs and even snuggled up to a couple of them. It was awesome. They all commented on the big change in her, and it was really a big deal to everyone. (including me) I know all too well how hard it is to wait for her love and affection. So, the evening was a great success. The only drawback was the fact that my aunt and cousin weren't there. They are celebrating in Florida, but we all lived in MI growing up , and still haven't totally adjusted to NOT spending the holidays together.

This will be my last post for several days, because we are heading to the west side of the state to spend the rest of the holiday with the inlaws! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my inlaws. I married into one of the greatest families on the planet, and I am so excited to go. We will be back Wednesday and I will tell all about the trip.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!

The celebrating has begun!!

Our Christmas celebrations have begun, as of yesterday. woohoo!

After an extremely busy day at work we all rushed home to get changed for our first annual "Christmas PJ party" at my sister's house. We ordered carry-out (pizza and grinders), made cookies, let the kids open a gift -- we bought them all new pajamas--and we attempted to make a gingerbread house (that didn't go very well), but it was a total blast. The kids had such a wonderful time, and it was so much fun to watch them together, and also enjoy a little bit of adult time. My sister is definitely the hostess with the mostest and we love spending time over there. I will post pictures at a later date, but I don't have any on my camera right now. My batteries were completely dead, much to my dismay. I always remember my camera, but those other little details often slip my mind. Oh well. I took some good ones with my sis's camera.

Lily had such a great time. We stayed there until 11pm, so she was in her element, being such a little night owl. We are starting new traditions with our family and I am finding it to be so much fun. I feel like a kid again!

Well, I posted a picture of my sweet, little monkey. It has nothing to do with Christmas or our celebration last night, but it is still a funny picture. She literally wouldn't put those bananas down for two days straight. Ooh ohh, Ahh ahh!

Bath time is changing!

Well, bathtime at our house has always been a much anticipated event. Lily LOVES her bath. You can't tell in the pictures, but she is actually jumping up and down in the one while I fill the tub with water. Then, she can't even wait for me to get all of her clothes off--she wants in NOW!!! The girl enjoys a good bath.

However, all that seems to be changing as of late. She has always been a bit preoccupied with dirt, or lint, or anything that messes up what should certainly NOT be messy. She is the first to point out lint on my living room carpet. "Momma get it." She definitely does her part in keeping me on top of my housekeeping duties.

Well, this little trait of hers has made its way to the bathtub. All of a sudden we don't have play time in there anymore. Gone are the days of splashing and giggling and pretending to swim with the fishies. Now it is all, "More dirty, more dirty..momma get it" (pointing at the tiniest little pieces of dirt or WHATEVER that happens to be found in her vacinity).

Oh, and the hair!! The hair! She sheds a bit in there, so she is always on the lookout for floating hairs. "Another one hair momma" over and over again. The child cannot relax until the hair has been removed from the tub. Ugh.

She used to linger in the tub long after the water had been drained. She would pretend to sleep. I would turn out the light and it became our little ritual. No longer. Tonight after I had washed her and removed some dirt and hair from the water she promptly stood up and said "Get me outta here!"

She cracks me up. But, I gotta go clean the tub.

Christmas came early

This is a picture of Lily and her forever friend Sophia. It was taken in China on the infamous "red couch". Keeping with the spirit of all things China today ( I did not have a picture of "Mr. Happy" sorry Stef) But, I thought this might put a smile on your face.

Christmas came early at our house. We had a package on our front porch this morning from sweet Sophia. I let Lily open it -- she was very excited since I haven't let her open anything else. She keeps hearing, "You have to wait until Christmas". So, today was a special day.

Thank you , Sophia, for Magnolia. She is a beautiful dolly. Lily says, "Ha ha how, Mawee Bwissmiss, Sophia" Translation: Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas Sophia. She can't give YOU a kiss, so she will give dolly a big, fat kiss instead!!!

But, Lily was a really lucky girl today, cuz she got not ONE, but TWO packages on the porch.

Her good friends Sara and Macy had also gotten her some Christmas goodies.

She loves her new red shirt with the bunny and the squirrel on it, and the matching socks. Too cute! Lily is so happy to have such good friends like you. She hopes to see you again REAL SOON!

Feeling thankful

Can't sleep, even though it's late and I should really try. I had coffee tonight and went out with my sister to finish our Christmas shopping. So, here I sit WIDE AWAKE!!!! And, I am just feeling so very thankful for the precious gifts that God has blessed me with. I am often sarcastic and silly on this blog, but I wanted to take 2 minutes to be seriously grateful for my incredibly patient and kind husband and our outstandingly beautiful, funny, witty, special, one-of-a-kind daughter. We are truly blessed beyond measure.

Good things really do come to those who wait. So, to those who are waiting: I pray you are given the grace you need to survive the wait and I look forward (with you) to the day you get everything you have been waiting for.

ABC's

I found this on The Jade Road and thought it looked like fun, so here goes...

A is for Age.

I am 33 and 1/2 (almost exactly)

B is for beer.

I used to really like it. Now, I don't drink much, but every now and then one tastes good.

C is for career.

Never really had one of those. I'm a part-time server and full-time momma.

D is for dog's name.

Don't have a dog. My parent's used to have one -- her name was Sadie.

E is for Essential item I use every day.

My laptop, of course!

F is for favorite TV show.

"Gilmore Girls" and endless reruns of "Law and Order"

G is for favorite game

I love cards. Also, Balderdash is hilarious.

H is for hometown

Royal Oak, MI. Born there, livin there now!

I is for Instruments I play.

Play? Play? no, I don't play any instruments. But I took piano lessons and I own a guitar. Maybe someday.

J is for favorite juice.

Cran-grape.

K is for whose butt I like to kick.

That's easy! Bad tippers! But, I won't.

L is for last place I ate.

Out? was "Famous Dave's" and it was delicious.

M is for marriage.

Yep, I'm for it! Going on 6 years with my sweet hubby.

N is for my name.

Why, yes it is! Nikki.

O is for overnight hospital stay.

One that I can remember. I had my appendix removed when I was 13. Emergency surgery.

P is for People I was with today.

Just me and the kid today. (Unless you count the random strangers we encountered while out and about running errands).

Q is for quote.

"Let them eat cake" I just finished dinner and I'm craving something sweet.

R is for biggest regret.

refer back to the letter C. (I don't regret the momma part, though!!!!) Just wish I had made some different choices during my college years.)

S is for sport.

I would rather play than watch sports. My favs: softball and beach volleyball.

T is for time I woke up today.

Oh, this is embarrassing. 9:30 ish. Lily was up very late. So, I was too.

U is for current underwear.

I had to check. Gray and pink cotten boy briefs from Aeropostale. Very comfy.

V is for vegetable you love.

corn on the cob and asparagus are tied.

W is for worst habit.

Gosh, there are so many to choose from. OK, self-critism wins.

X is for x-rays I've had.

Well, definitely at the dentist. Otherwise, I dunno.

Y is for Yummy food you ate today.

left-overs from "Famous Dave's" yummy spare ribs.

Z is for zodiac.

I am a Gemini, although I don't follow all that junk.

Be a sport and play along. Leave me a comment if you do so I can check out YOUR ABC's.

OK, Becky. You promised you would!

Gotta love that hair!!!

OK momma, I'm almost ready to go! Man, I am cute!

This is how Lily insisted she wear her hair yesterday. "One more pigtail, momma!" And, really, who am I to argue with my cute, little trend setter? She also wore her pink tennis shoes with her skirt and tights. Wouldn't have been something I would've chosen, but I like the fact that she has an opinion about such things. She will be a leader, not a follower, and I love the sound of that. Hey! As long as it isn't harming her and it makes her happy -- I am all for it!!!

Bedtime blues

Why is it that when you are younger you fight against naps with all your might and when you are older you would give just about anything for a little cat nap? And bedtime for a toddler is a dreaded necessity and it is something that most adults look forward to longingly most days?

It is no different at our house. Lily won't usually cry or protest her naps -- she will just talk about anything and everything under the sun to protest the dreaded enemy... sleep. Today she was passing an excessive amount of gas, followed by "escuse me, momma" after every little toot. (Sorry if my discussing gas makes anybody uncomfortable, but it has always been fair game in my family.) So, she is tooting away, excusing herself and giggling. Then she starts counting, then naming family members, then she just gets goofy. "Lily stinky gas, daddy stinky gas, dog stinky gas" etc. etc.

It got to be so late today that I just got her out of bed and decided that a nap just wasn't gonna happen. So, Jay put her to bed early tonight (8pm), and now she is awake and sitting beside me as I type... just chattering away. (It is 1am) Lily: "Momma so tired, fruit loops so tired, apple jacks so tired..." Big yawn. Me thinks that Lily is so tired. Although now she is saying "Lily help momma make the coffee"

Never a dull moment. But the sleep thing has always been less than perfect over here. I am actually starting to understand why my mom put a lock on the OUTSIDE of my bedroom door when I was a kiddo.

But, when sleep does finally come... there is nothing sweeter.

Goodnight.

Favorite Photo Friday

This picture was taken on Father's Day, 2005. Jay's first as an "official" father. I remember how special that day was to him, and I think this picture is so beautiful. He also told me that he was a little hurt that I never mention him on my blog -- poor thing. Obviously I couldn't do any of this without him. He is a wonderful daddy and Lily is crazy about him.
They had a fun-filled day today, while I was at work. They went to the mall to look at "titty tats" (kitty cats), had MacDonald's for lunch, and she spent a lot of time playing "monkey swinging from the daddy tree" -- a game that only daddy can play with her. Momma isn't big and strong like him. A lot of my favorite pictures are of Lily with other family members. It is just so nice to see how much she is loved. But, who WOULDN'T love that cutie-bug? Oh, that hair -- I love the way it used to stick straight out!!!!

Lil tidbits

Well, These are pictures of sweet Lil after making a late night MacDonald's run with daddy. I was totally craving a milkshake, so daddy bundled Lily up and off they went. She was giggling nonstop -- so excited to be wearing her princess jammies AND her pink boots. When daddy bought her an ice cream cone, she was so happy she nearly came undone. Don't judge us for our lack of structure over here... Lily is back on China time somehow. so we are just rolling with it a little bit, we will get back on track eventually. Anyway, Jay is staying home with Lily tomorrow so that I can go to work. My sister usually babysits on Friday, but her entire family has been stung by the flu bug. YUCK! So, we are just whooping it up due to the fact that we can ALL sleep in tomorrow. SO ANYWAY,

I don't know about the rest of you momma's, but one of the most entertaining parts of my life is listening to the funny, off the wall things that come out of my kid's mouth. A lot of times it isn't so much WHAT she says, but it is more about HOW she says it.

When she walked in the door from her trip to MacDonald's she ran up to me and said, "Happy see you momma...mmmmm yummy ice bweem come"

She is constantly saying "Wait a minute" and "where she go? I dunno eater... now what I'm gone do?" She saw me open a package with scissors once and now everytime she wants something opened she will say "Momma open scissors."

She will turn out the light and say "Shh shh, be bwiet." as she tiptoes around the room.

She is always asking me to fill her hands with random items, saying "Yiddy carrot awdissum" translation: Lily carry all of them. She pronounces lily Lin as Yiddy Yin.

Living room sounds like weava womb: Please=pweese; Baddaweena move=ballerina move.(she has several moves/poses that she is fond of doing.)
I must always listen carefully so that I can correctly interpret her many ramblings. I know that I will be more than a little sad when she starts pronouncing everything perfectly...she is just growing up so quickly!!!

Favorite Things

I've always loved the movie "The Sound of Music" and the song "A Few of my Favorite Things" has been in my head for like a week (tis the season). So, I thought just for fun I would list a few of OUR favorite things.
My list:
1. Lily
2. all the other members of my wonderful family
3. music, listening to it and singing to it
4. eating yummy food
5. being outside in the summertime
6. my beautiful friends -- those who live near and those who live miles and miles away.
7. VACATIONS
8. Writing this blog, and reading others.

OK. Now for Lily's list. These are just my best guesses judging by her behavior. She will neither confirm nor deny the validity of her list.
1. momma (I am not trying to toot my own horn. I'm just one lucky momma)
2. Her green blankie, flower blankie, dog, bear, bunny... we can't leave home without them
3. princess jammies and jogging suits. ("all done jeans")
4. dancing, ballerina moves.
5. books
6. her blocks -- building towers
7. Candy canes, candy corns, cookies, suckers... OK, anything sugary sweet
8. All members of our family and our close friends. (loves being with those who are familiar. Not
always thrilled to be in the company of strangers.)
9. Watching TV -- especially Dora, Diego, and Blue's Clues.
10. Making people laugh. She is really good at this.

We had a rough couple of days, but "I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!"

The Best Laid Plans -- Part two

Well, I could just write a little fluff about how we baked cookies at Papa and grandma's ("Booma's") house yesterday, cuz we did indeed cut, bake, frost, and sprinkle some Christmas cookies. Aren't they cute? Mini cookies for our sweet mini people.

However, that doesn't begin to cover the day we had yesterday. We set out in the AM to print our Christmas cards -- yes , we finally got a picture that we thought was good enough to send out. Lily is looking to the side and has a fake smile, but we are done waiting for the PERFECT photo... she will only sit still for 15 seconds at a time and I am lacking in patience. So, we go to Walmart, cuz that is where I went last year and it was quick and painless. When am I gonna learn that what was easy last year is going to be a nightmare this year? The cards were supposed to take 25 minutes to make, so the 2 of us strolled around the store to kill time. Long story short, the photo machine broke and after waiting OVER AN HOUR we were told they didn't have any idea when our cards would be done. So, I made my way (unhappily) to the registers at the front to purchase all the crap I had to get to pacify my child in this overcrowded store...an opened bag of goldfish crackers, an opened bag of snack-sized cashews, M&Ms, barrettes, pony tail holders, and a flashlight. Yes, a flashlight... if you know Lily, that will make perfect sense to you. The nuts and M&Ms were picked up while we waited in line...longest line ever!!!! Well, by now it is well past lunchtime and dangerously close to nap time, so we swing by MacDonald's for a burger and fries. Normally this would be a 10 minute stop cuz Lily would eat 5 fries and say "all done" and I would inhale my cheeseburger and we would be home for a nap before we had to leave for booma's house. Nope, yesterday my kid found her appetite and ate her entire happy meal. It took about 45 minutes...speedy eater she is not.

So, her nap was in the car on the way to Booma's and it lasted a whopping 25 minutes. I knew I was in trouble. After an evening of making cookies with family we headed home for a night from ____! (Insert a truly horrible place)

Lily fell asleep in the car on the way home, but woke up once we were in the house and proceeded to have herself one mind blowing meltdown. It started around 7:45 and lasted for longer than I care to admit. She finally fell asleep around 10:30. In case anyone was wondering why I didn't post yesterday?

So, I went back out to Walmart tonight (alone) to pick up our cards and will be up addressing and stamping them all tonight so I can mail them out to all my loved ones in the morning.

Well, that's the PLAN anyway...

Silly Sally

Lily has always been a bit of a monkey. Complete with the "Ooh, ooh, ah, ah's". She loves to climb, run, jump, swing, and hang from just about anything she can get her hands on. So, as you can imagine, getting this active little monkey to bed can be quite a chore. We have developed quite an elaborate pre-sleep ritual that is quite effective, although it can sometimes last longer than her actual nap. But anyway, the most important part of the ritual is storytime. We have an array of Lil's favorite books that daddy or I read to her before it is milk, music, lotsa chatter, and then finally... sleep. One of her absolute favorites (and mine too) is "Silly Sally" by Audry Wood. She just adores Sally cuz "Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upside-down...". So, my kid, of course, monkey that she is -- imitates Sally day and night --gettin herself upside-down any way she can. It is amusing (and nerve-racking), but that , my friends, is life as a momma.
On a serious note, Lily did something before her nap the other day that absolutely blew me away... SHE read Silly Sally to ME. She had memorized every last page and I sat there amazed by my beautiful baby turned little girl. Granted, if someone had been listening outside the door, they would've scratched their head and wondered what the heck my kid was rambling about, but I understood every last word and could not have been prouder. Life as a momma is a very good life.

Favorite "photo" Friday

Well, I am not able to post a photo at the moment. I think I have thoroughly messed things up in that area over here. But, I have decided that I will not let that stop me from participating in Friday's photo post. Close your eyes as I try to paint you a picture of one of my favorite memories. Memories, afterall, are simply photos in our minds -- yes?
OK. Open your eyes, you have to READ this.
One of my favorite memories is when I gave my testimony (of sorts) of my journey to sweet Lil. It was May of 2005, we had been back from China with our little bundle for almost one month.
My church was doing a Musical called "Somebody's Praying Me Through" and I was singing a verse from a beautiful song called "He's Always Been Faithful" which, of course, is a song about God's faithfulness to us. Before I sang, I said these words...
"Jeremiah 29:11 says 'For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'. I held on to that scripture for dear life when my husband and I were struggling with the devestation that infertility can bring. But, what I have now come to realize is that God is faithful to the plans that HE has for us... but we first need to let go of OUR pre-conceived ideas and dreams and ask God what He has in store for us -- that is when the blessings come pouring in. I was praying (and pleading and begging) God to allow me to become pregnant, not knowing that He was indeed going to make me a mom and He had already chosen our baby for us, but she was going to be conceived and born a world away and we would make the journey of a lifetime to go and get her and bring her home.
I see now that God also had a plan for an abandoned baby girl -- plans to give HER hope and a future. Jay and I have been the proud parents of Lily Lin, a baby girl who was born in China, for almost a month now and honestly my life doesn't look anything like I had imagined it would. But I am confident that this is what God had planned all along for the three of us. My heart is filled to overflowing with love for my sweet , wonderful daughter. And I am forever grateful to my Heavenly Father who has been more faithful to me than I will ever know how to put into words".

The picture of this night is forever in my memory and embedded deeply in my heart. I remember saying these words to a dimly lit room filled with people... family, friends, and strangers alike. But, I remember most saying it to the dimly lit figure of a squirmy, squeaky little asian baby in the back row watching her momma.

Testing, testing

I am still not 100% clear on how to handle the photo part of blogging. So, this is just a "test" entry to see if I properly (with Jay's help) retrieved some pictures. OK, I got a picture. Yeah!

This is Lily and her cousin Logan -- they are sweet friends. They love each other sooo much and just have such a great time when they are together.

I'll be working on mastering this craft and then I will post again. And Stef, if you find 6 comments to make about this... I'll give you a dollar. Hee hee

The softer side

Well, I felt a little guilty describing Lily's stinkerish behavior without also writing about her "softer side". She can be the sweetest little thing on the planet when she wants to be.

For example, her new greeting when I arrive home after work: "So happy see you, momma" AWWWW that melts my heart everytime.

She also says "love you so much, momma" quite frequently. Actually, it sounds more like "yuva so much, momma" but you get the idea. She is sweet and affectionate; loves to snuggle up with ya (when she finally stops moving, that is). There are many sides to my girl -- her softer side is definitely one of my favorites.!

Oh, and LOOK! Is that a picture on my blog? Why, yes I believe it is! I figured it out all by myself. Well, my dad and husband might have helped. But, there she is! Lily Lin! She and I had ourselves a little photo shoot this afternoon. Still don't think I have picture for our Christmas card, but this one is pretty stinkin' cute. The reason for the HUGE grin? I told her if she smiled for the camera that I would let her EAT one of the "candy cames"!!!

The best laid plans

Well, sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I hope I don't lose my audience of two!!

It is just so funny how much REALITY differs from the idea you have in your head of how your life is gonna go (especially when there is a 2 yr old involved).
We made it to the Santa Brunch on Sunday afternoon, as planned. But, everything from that point on went seriously off course. I pictured Lily sitting happily on Santa-daddy's lap and smiling for a photo -- which I would place next to her beautiful photo from last year. I am sentimental like that. But Lily had other things in mind. She decided that she would run scared in the opposite direction saying over and over and over again "All done santa daddy!"
She would then run around like a bit of a lunatic throughout lunch, causing me quite a bit of heartache and embarrassment. I have to work with these people, afterall. So, that afternoon was a disappointment, but I was OK, because I knew we would be going to my parent's house the next night for a "photo shoot" of sorts -- they have a beautiful home with a nice fireplace. We took Lily's picture there last year and sent it as our Christmas card. So, that is what I set out to do. But, once again Lily had other things in mind.
You got it -- "All done picture fireplace" ... "Too hot, too hot"
My daughter has a strong will, so once she says "all done" to something -- good luck to anyone who tries to change her mind.
When she doesn't want to sleep.. "all done bed, all done sleep, all done warm (throws off blanket)
When she wants daddy to leave her alone..."all done daddy" (daddy loves that one)
When ANY food is offered to her..."all done____" (the girl eats next to NOTHING)
So, basically the only thing that is NOT all done... Our Christmas card.

But, I am going to keep trying. She did offer to have her picture taken last night in her princess jammies. Hey, it's certainly not my first choice but time is running out.

Off to see Santa-Daddy

Well, today is the 2nd annual "Brunch with Santa" at the restaurant where I am employed. The role of Santa will (again) be played by my very good sport of a husband.
I will make it my life's mission to learn how to post a picture within the next couple days, assuming Lily's nose stops running long enough to get a decent shot.
I just love the cold/flu season!

We're bloggin now

Well, I have spent the entire morning trying to figure out how to finally become a blogger. I had some help from a little book called "Blogging for Dummies" -- yes I am that pathetic. And, it SEEMS like it is working... I guess time will tell.
Meanwhile, I have completely ignored my sweet Lily -- the inspiration for the blog in the first place (go figure).
She has finally given up on me and has moved on to my husband who is now tending to her every whim. She has decided she would like "Lily's carrots" from the fridge. Which she will carry around for awhile, giving them an occasional lick and then she'll hand them back to daddy and say "all done carrots". She loves holding food, but isn't real keen on actually eating much of it. Everyone says it is typical for her age -- she is 2 and 1/2.
I'm gonna go ahead and post this to see if it even worked.
More later... hopefully.