More Summer Fun

I don't feel these pictures need any explanation...besides, I'm too tired to add any commentary.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying these last days of summer!

Oops! I blinked...

And looked what happened! Lily went from a babbling baby who could hardly sit up on her own, to an inquisitive and feisty "big girl" who is attempting to do most everything on her own! I took the first picture in April of 2005, in China. I took the second picture the other morning while Lily was watching TV and enjoying a cup of joe. This morning we went to Lily's school to drop off her paperwork, and got to see her classroom (where she will be in less than ONE MONTH)...I had to fight back the tears. I am so excited for her this year - she will learn so much, and I know she'll do great, but my baby is growing up so fast I can hardly catch my breath!

I remember wondering what her voice would sound like when she finally started talking...and now she chatters almost non-stop! And, the questions! Oh my! They come with hardly a breath to seperate them sometimes. But, in her own words: "I ask a wot of questions. Dat's how I learn, cuz I'm four." And, now when I don't have an answer for her she'll say "maybe we should go get a book." Yep, we'll be getting LOTS of books around here, I'm guessing.

Lily: "Dad, what is die?"

Dad: "When you're not alive anymore"

Lily: "What is not alive?"

Dad: "Well, when a bug is flying around, it's alive. But, what happens when it lands and somebody steps on it?"

Lily: "It dies."

Dad: "Exactly."

Lily: "Then the bug goes to heaven?"

Dad: "OK, sure."

Lily: "How does the bug get to heaven when it can't fly?"

-One of my favorite questions from her: If God made everyone, then who made God? Did He make Himself?

-As she was eating MacNCheese in her "fancy dwess" the other day, she spilled some and quickly asks me "Mom, is this dwess washable!?"

I love that she is filled with wonder - and that she is eager to ask questions and learn. I am enjoying age 4 and knowing that everyday brings with it something new...but she will always be my baby.

My Girl

Lily isn't just my daughter - she is also my sweet friend. I honestly just ENJOY her company. We have such fun together and her personality is one that I just think is so cool. She constantly makes me laugh - not just giggle, but deep, belly laughing going on here!

My girlfriend took these pictures of us at the park last week, and I just love them. Not posed and perfect, but real and precious moments with my kiddo.
(See, Lily isn't the only one who likes the swings.)

Princes, and Playdates, and parks...oh my!

Lily and her prince, Wyatt. Looks like she's getting ready to put him in a strangle-hold, doesn't it!? Just try to get away from me, my prince! hehe

On the front porch, Lily and I decided to do a photo shoot. This is her favorite "pose". She learned it when I was doin' my hip-hop thang.

Seriously kid, could ya BE any cuter?

We had a wonderful playdate last week with several friends. We went to lunch and then to the park to play. Lily's favorite thing is still the swings but she is also getting a lot more adventurous and independent on the other structures.

She is so proud of herself climbing like a big girl.

Hangin' with her friends. She is the youngest of the crew, but she fits right in. She has become so much more social in the last year! The only problem: when the playdate comes to an end, she gets pretty upset. "I want my fwends to come home and wive wif me!"

Somebody needs a sibling! Speaking of which, our homestudy went really well. We have our 2nd and final visit a week from Thursday - then we begin our official wait for baby number 2.

Have a great week!

Lil Tidbits

Things are going well around here. Some days I feel bogged down with our heavy work schedule, housework, daily "stuff", adoption preparation, etc...but then Lily says something and I immediately feel better. Life is good with her in it, I must say! I had been getting pretty lax about writing down her funny/sweet Lilyisms, so I purchased a notebook last week and leave it open now at all times with a pen poised - ready to capture whatever she might say. She was talking a mile a minute the other day, and I was writing as quickly as I could to get every word...she asks me "Mommy, what are you whiting?" So, I told her I was writing down all the sweet things she was saying. "Oh" was her only response. Until yesterday when she asked me for a notebook. I inquired what she might need it for. "To white down all the sweet things you say to me, mommy."

Here are some other things I've written down as of late.

- Lily wanted to be "fancy" today, so she's dressed in a frilly yellow princess dress with her red sparkle shoes. She says she's ready to go to the "kid ball". Unfortunately, the only place I'm taking her today is Hollywood Market. I was helping her go potty - lifting up her many layers of tule, and it made my brain flash forward to her wedding day - how we might be in a similar situation. I must've been staring off into space cuz she yelled "Mommy!" "Yes, Lily?" I answered. She looked straight at me, all wide eyed and asked "Am I the apple of your eye?"

Yes Lily, you are. And you always will be!

-Later I was singing a song and Lily was trying to sing it too. She just could NOT get the words right. She finally walked away with her head down saying "I'll NEVER figure it out!" I told her not to get upset, but just to keep trying. Her response was "I'm sorry mom, but I just get fwustwated sometimes."

-A different time I was in the bedroom singing (yes, I sing a lot)...she walked in and said "Stop singing mommy, this is a house - NOT a stage!"

-Lily is smitten with Wyatt, the little boy who lives across the street. She said to me "I choose Wyatt. I want him to be my pwince!" (every pwincess needs a pwince, right!?)

And, I would love nothing more for that to happen. I hope her taste is always this good!

I could go on and on. This girl is too much - I could just eat her up.

On the Korean adoption front: We have our first homestudy appointment tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Promised Photos...

So, here are some pictures from our weekend with my inlaws. Lily had such a great time with her cousins Morgan and Macey. They don't see each other very often, but they don't let that stop them. There is only a 5 month age difference between Lily and Macey, so the two of them REALLY hit it off this trip. They were so much fun to watch.

SERIOUS crafters at work. (thank you Kristen for bringing all the supplies. It was a great idea! And, thank you for Lily's 10,000 beads too - not a day goes by that I don't step on at least 3 of them that didn't quite make it onto a piece of jewelry! hehe)

Lily gettin' some love from her great-papa!

While there, we celebrated Papa D's birthday. The girls devoured his cake and had the blue tongues to prove it!

As always, we were thankful for the sweet time spent with family, and look forward to seeing them again.

Now, Monday morning Lily and I headed out to spend the day with friends. My good friend Nicole was in town from Idaho, so we went to her mom's house (on the lake) to spend some quality time with her before she had to go back. (sniff)

It was ALL girls...4 adults, and 5 kiddos. My friend Kris brought her adorable 2 month old and the "older" girls were obnoxiously interested in her. Don't worry, the baby was never harmed in any way...even though the picture tells a different story!

Of course, we spent time in the water! (duh)

And, yes, I could have posted a better picture of Lily - you may be thinking "What a goofy face she's making"...and she is. But, this is a face that she actually makes all the time, and it I've grown quite fond of it. She's quirky, and I like it. Most days.

Cuteness times two.







Lily is saying "Look into my eyes, Nicole...you want to stay in Michigan. There is nothing good in Idaho...Just stay HERE, where you have so many friends who love you. And, we can hang out at your lakehouse all the time."

But, alas, Nicole is now back in Idaho.
(It was worth a shot though, Lil!)

Happy Friday to all. Have a blessed weekend!

I will be spending time with my cousin and her kids who are in town from Florida. Oh, and working. everyday. but we won't dwell on that.

Extreme Home Makeover - Garden Edition

We had a wonderful weekend away with my inlaws...pictures are coming soon. We also spent Monday with friends on a lake and I have cute pics of that day coming too, but FIRST...I just had to share the amazing thing that happened to us. As I've mentioned (many) times before, I am really good friends with my neighbor Shannon. And, because of her, I have become friends with several of her family members - including her cousin Brian and his wife Melissa. (I just did a post about the party they threw a couple weeks ago)...anyhow, Melissa is extremely talented when it comes to gardening. Her home is like something you'd see pictured in a magazine. So, I had mentioned to them that my front yard was in desperate need of some help. It was REALLY bad. Basically, it consisted of a couple hostas, some lilies, and a whole lotta weeds. So, Melissa had agreed to come over one day this week to give me some advice, and I was so very grateful. However, when we pulled in our driveway Sunday night, I heard Lily shrieking from the backseat "look at the lilies!!" Then I started to take everything in. I was wondering if I was at the right house! Shannon and her husband Dave, Brian, Melissa, Kristen (Shannon's SIL), and many others had spent the entire day re-doing our front yard. It looks so beautiful and we are just so thankful to have found such wonderful, thoughtful, generous, kind, and selfless friends in these people. We now consider them to be our extended family...aren't we BLESSED!?!?