Whatcha doin' in there????

After reading books one night last week, Lily's face disappeared into her pajamas (as pictured), and I could hear her muffled whispers. So I, of course, asked her what she was doin' in there. To which she replied "pwaying". I asked her why she had her head in her PJs to pray...and her reply was "Cuz God is in my heart - and my heart is in here!"

As if that wasn't sweet enough...I leaned in closer to hear her prayer. It went something like this: "God and Jesus, pwease heal my papa cuz he got hit on his moto-cycle...and take care of ev-wee-one in da world. I love you soooo much. Haymen."

(Yes, my dad had been hit by a car while riding his motorcycle and got banged up a bit - but he is fine...PRAISE THE LORD!)

I love that she is praying on her own now. She will randomly list different people off at night for God to take care of. She mentions family members that live out of state (she does NOT understand why people we love choose to live OUT of this fine state) haha. I also love how much she is learning about God, and how she truly loves Him already, at her young age. She talks about Him all the time. In the car the other day she was rattling on and on..."Mommy, when we do some-ting bad, it's called a sin but God takes our sins and puts them FAR away. I learned dat fwom my devotional you wead me evewee-day." She has plenty of questions about Him too. (Why is He a spirit? How can I hear Him when I can't SEE Him? etc)

She just amazes me over and over again. I keep thinking that one of these days the "awe" factor will subside a bit, but that's not happening. I am 100%, crazy, ga-ga, head over heals in love with this child!

Preschool is going extremely well. She loves it SO much, and has already made some buddies - we actually have our first "playdate" after class tomorrow. A couple of the other moms have volunteered in class already and they both commented to me on how "smart" and "sweet" Lily is. Makes a momma very proud! And, I'm taking advantage of that time to myself - it's been really good for me too.

So, that's it for now. We're just enjoying our fall - although, it still feels a whole lot like summer around here. (and I'm NOT complaining)

Sugar Plum Fairy

Jay took the day off on Friday to watch Lily (my sister normally watches her, but she went out of town). They had a wonderful day together spending money at the mall. This is why Jay could NEVER be a stay-at-home dad...we would have exactly zero dollars and zero cents. Anyhoo, her favorite purchase of the day is a pink pair of wings that she has been wearing non-stop. She is a self-declared "sugar pwum fawee", and she can be found prancing, dancing (and then bowing while instructing us to clap), spinning, and singing in her new wings. Oh, and you know the ensemble just wouldn't be complete without her ballerina costume and her magic wand!

Lily's first day of preschool

Lily started preschool on Monday. This is the short version (in pictures) of how the day went down:

Giving Spot a hug and kiss goodbye in the morning...telling him she would be back soon.



Posing with daddy in front of her new school, before going in.

Pointing out her locker.

Telling daddy she was ready to go to school now.

See ya after!

After class the teacher has the students line up against the wall and wait until their name is called to be dismissed.

Lily's name was called, so she ran to mommy to tell her all about her first day at school!

Later that day we celebrated with cupcakes...Lily's favorite. Day one was a HUGE success!

Now, here's the long version. Feel free to skip this part...I just wanted to capture the entire day to look back on.

I had butterflies in my stomache all morning, just thinking of taking my baby girl to school and leaving her there. Lily seemed partly excited/partly disinterested about the whole thing. Jay worked a half day, so he met us at her school for the drop off. She was so thrilled to see him there! We went in and she quickly found her locker and put her belongings inside. Then she excitedly said "I'm ready mom, I'm ready! Where's my teacher!?" Meanwhile, the hallway is rapidly filling up with more kids, and their parents. A few minutes later, in what I would best describe as "partially organized chaos", her teacher arrived and instructed her students to use the bathroom before heading down to class. Lily went into the girls' bathroom and Jay and I just kinda stood out in the hall - not knowing exactly what to do. We weren't needed for anything else, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving yet. I mean, I hadn't really said goodbye. Plus, I was basically freaking out about Lily being in the restroom alone. This is what was going thru my brain: 'was she able to get her underpants AND bloomers off, was she able to lift her dress up enough, and prop herself up on the big toilet? Did she get enough toilet paper, wipe good without leaving drips? Get her clothes back on right? Is she scared that we left already? Does she know her teacher is waiting for her in the hallway or is she scared that she didn't wait for her?'

I stood there, working myself into a little frenzy, for what seemed like an eternity. (it was probably about 5 minutes). What was taking her so long? I looked at Jay and said "I'm goin' in". I walked into the restroom , and there were kids everywhere - I located Lily's little blue shoes under the second stall, and called out her name. She replied "Mommy, I can't get the toilet to flush." I had her unlock the door and I went in to help her. Poor thing, it was an automatic flusher, and it was just waiting for her to step away from the toilet. With that mystery solved, I observed my girl - she had managed on her own. So, she proceeded out to the sinks to wash up, and we were out. Her teacher met us at the door, I got a quick kiss goodbye - and she was off to her first day.

Jay and I made small talk with one of the other moms on our way out to the car. Then I got in my car and the tears just came, one after another in a steady stream...I think I could've cried for an hour, but Jay climbed into the passenger seat and started to gently tease me. So, I got a grip, and we went to kill some time together. We went to lunch, did some shopping (looking, no buying)...the time seemed to drag. (sorry Jay) Finally, it was time to pick her up. So, back to school we went. When she came down the hall to see us, she was ALL smiles. First thing she said was, "Mom, I didn't paint, but I had fun. I love school." She went on to tell us about Circle Time and Book Time and how she made a chain with links, and how her teacher said she couldn't take it home with her - even when she asked her AGAIN.

She said she made new friends. "Anabel is allergic to carrots" she chirped happily. "And we had circle crackers for snack, and there was a carrot on my napkin too, but I didn't eat that." (I'm guessing that Anabel didn't either)...

So, the day was a wonderful success. We went home and made her favorite dinner, spaghetti pie, and cupcakes for dessert. I'm so proud of my big girl...

Today is Day 3, and things are still going wonderfully. Lily truly seems to love school, and her teacher says she is doing great. And, I haven't shed another tear!

Lil Tidbits (from a not so lil girl)

As you know by now, Lily is a constant source of entertainment for us. She is always saying things that make us smile - and lately I have been blown away by how mature she is getting. She'll say something and I'll laugh, and she'll say "Why are you laughing at that mom? You say that all the time." So, I have to explain to her that for some reason when I say it, it's not funny...but to hear a 4 year old say the same thing - it is pretty amusing. When she cocks her head and says "Oh, for goodness sake!" I can't help but chuckle.
Here are some more examples of her recent (maturing) tidbits:
-She and my niece were playing in the other room and Logan (my 8 year old niece) came to me and said "Aunt Nikki, Lily says we need to compromise...what IS compromise!?" So, I told her to go ask Lily what it meant, since it was her idea afterall. A few minutes later Logan returned saying "Lily says it's kinda like sharing when one person wants to do one thing and another person wants to do something else." So, I just kinda smiled and said "Sounds good to me, Logan, now why don't you back and see if the two of you can compromise." Logan smiled at me and asked "How does Lily know this stuff!?" (I later found out that Winnie the Pooh had taught our girl this particular nugget.)
-She was playing school in her playroom and ran out saying "Mom, c'mere, I wanna show you something." So, I went and saw that she had written the numbers 1 thru 12 on her chalkboard. She told me she had been practicing. "With who?" I asked. She pointed to a chair full of her dolls and stuffed animals.
-We were playing school together (I was the student and she was the teacher)...she told me her name was Teacher Lucy. Then she tooted. Without skipping a beat she looked directly at me and firmly said "Students, teachers pass gas."
-The other night after reading her devotional she said "Mom, I need a bible. I can't listen to what God says to me if I don't have a bible." (P.S. She has a bible.)
-Yesterday I was getting her in her carseat and she pushed my hand away saying "I can do it by myself, mom. I'm a big girl now." She got herself situated in her seat and proceeded talking "I remember exactly where my locker is at school, so Monday when I go I'll put my stuff in there all by myself, cuz I heard my teacher say she wants us to be independent." I was thinking about how big my girl is getting...overhearing her teacher at orientation tell one of the other moms that she wanted her students to become more independent - she had taken it all in and decided that she was going to show her teacher just how independent she is. wow. But then she interrupted my thoughts by saying "Um, mom. I still need you to do my buckle." Phew. I guess I'm still needed for something. (for now, anyway!)

Hard to say goodbye...

It's hard to believe that summer has come to an end, and fall is in the air. It's always hard for me to say goodbye, but this year seems especially difficult. We had such a great time in the water and the sand. (these pics were taken last weekend...our last hoorah, if you will.)

BUT, fall does have many wonderful things to offer. We're looking forward to Lily starting preschool (in 6 days) and starting dance class (in 2 days). Going to the Cider Mill, playing in the leaves, going for long walks in the cooler temperatures...the list goes on. I'm just the nostalgic sort, and I'm reluctant to say hello to a new season, when it means I must let go of the one that came before it. But, such is life. So, I look back on summer with a smile - it brought us much joy.
Lily is ready for a new season. She is excited to start school and make new friends. She can't wait to get back to dancing, and of course she still claims that winter is her favorite season. She even starting rattling off her Christmas list for me today.

Farewell sweet summer! Until we meet again...

Our Weekend - worth the drive!

Well, Saturday morning we headed to Jay's parent's cabin...we finally arrived at 3 pm. As Lily put it "this is taking us FOR-EVER!" But, when we got there, we decided it was well worth the drive. The cabin is absolutely beautiful - and this is our view from the balcony. Ahhh...so nice.
Lily was so happy to see everyone again. She always has such fun with her cousins Morgan and Macey. One of the highlights of the trip for them was definitely riding on the 4 wheeler with Papa.

Lily would tell Papa when he was going too fast for her liking...she kept a close eye on the speedometer! (she is cautious like her momma.)

We also spent a lot of time at the campground where more family and friends were staying. The girls had a blast playing in the sand and in the waves of Lake Michigan.

Lily enjoyed the water, but the waves kept her REAL close to her daddy at all times.

Mr. Tom was teaching the kiddos how to make an acorn whistle. They never quite got it to work, but they sure did have fun trying.

Lily is still coming down from her sugar buzz from the weekend - between the oreos, s'mores, ice-cream, etc. Ah - we're taking a break from sugar around here for a bit.

Lily immediately warmed up to Papa's brother Ken...even told me at one point that she wanted to go live with him instead of me. I reminded her that family is forever - and she can't get rid of me that easily. She eventually decided that this is a GOOD thing. Silly girl.

Lily and her cousins sittin' around playing with money. Life is good...

She already misses everyone - especially her sweet cousins. Last night, before bed, she told me that she really wants a girl baby. I told her that she'd better start praying for one. So, she closed her eyes and said "God, pweese give me a girl baby cuz Morgan has Macey and she's a girl too. Hay-men."

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend too!