Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to you and yours!

Above: Lilly with LuLu the animated kitty cat that Santa brought her.

A few more pictures of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning are up on Flickr. Click where it says Flickr below our family photo.

The great Santa disappointment of 2009

Every year since Lilly's first Christmas we have taken her to get her picture with Santa. Every year we have returned to our "not favorite" mall because they have a fantastic Santa. Real white beard, jolly tummy, sweet face... the whole package. I loved the fact that he not only looked like the perfect Santa, but that all of her pictures were with the same Santa. I mean, at some point, she's going to notice, right?. So, it has always been worth the trip to the mall that has nothing to offer except for it's fantastic Santa. (You can see where this is going, can't you?)

So, let's travel down memory lane a bit, shall we?

Look at the sweetness.

Bless his "belly like a bowl full of jelly"!

Look at that little girl grow!

So right after Thanksgiving we went to said mall to make sure Santa was still there. Relief filled my soul when I saw his happy dancing eyes looking out from his gold spectacles.

Things have been busy, we've all battled colds, so yesterday was the first chance we've had to go get the 2009 Santa picture. We set it up to meet Bekah at the mall and go to lunch afterwards as a little pre-Christmas fun. Lilly was dresssed in (one of) her darling Christmas outfits. We waited in line, chose our package, and finally rounded the corner. I think I may have audibly gasped when I saw that not only was this not our Santa, but it was a horrible Santa! He was skinny, grumpy looking (the guy couldn't smile to save his life) and his beard... his beard! Yes, it was real, but so were the yellow nicotine stains that saturated it! I was agahst.

I asked the photo lady what happened to the other Santa and all she could tell me was that he'd been transfered. She didn't know where. This led me to believe one of two things. Either they didn't want people to know where the good Santa had gone for fear of losing all their business, or that dear good Santa had been "transfered" to heaven. Judging by the way his vest was pulling at the buttons last year, that wouldn't be too hard to fathom.

Anyway, Lilly seemed to like hideous Santa and talked with him more than she's ever conversed with any previous Santa. She told him what she would like him to bring her and photo-taker-lady snapped a picture. Lilly looks as sweet as candy in the picture. But Santa? I asked photo-lady why Santa wasn't smiling, to which she replied, "That IS his smile." Oy vay! Let's just let you take a peek, shall we?

Honestly! Can you look any grumpier... "Santa" ?

Quickly doing the math of the days before Christmas and the likelihood of getting to another mall before then, I realized that this was going to be it and forced out the words, "Yes, you can print it." Then, for the rest of the day, I whined to Elliott, Bekah, and anyone else who happened to be nearby how utterly devastated I was by the turn of events.

So, now, I will go place this fine photo into its frame and add it to the collection of Lilly and Santa pictures we proudly display each Christmas. It's painful to know that each and every December for the rest of my days I will have to gaze upon this hideous, angry looking Santa as he haunts me from behind the frame.

I guess the up-side is that when Lilly gets older and asks what happened to Santa between her 3rd and 4th pictures with him, we can warn her about the dangers of smoking. Just look what happened to Santa when he picked up that habit!

New pictures

New pictures are up on Flickr (tab on right under our family photo). A post with the actual Santa photo to follow...

Gender stereotypes

Today Lilly pointed the remote control at me and said, "Mommy, you be the TV and I'll be the daddy." Priceless!

On a sweeter note, she also said to me, "When you were a little girl you would be my best friend." Awww...

You must be joking

The computer is still broken, but I had to jump on the laptop now that Elliott is home. Lilly told her first joke tonight while I was drying her hair. It was totally out of the blue, with made it even more hilarious. Wanna hear the joke?

Why do chickens sit on their eggs?
Because they don't have any chairs.

I recognized it from a TV show she watches, but until tonight, didn't realize the got the concept of jokes. Our baby is growing up, and just might have a future as a comedian.

We didn't fall off the planet

Just a quick note to say that we're still here. Our home computer crashed and we're in the process of recovery. Elliott's laptop goes with him to work, which is why I'm writing quickly before he needs to pack it up and take off.

Once we're back up and running I can post new pictures.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

The secret of success... TOYS!

Almost 2 weeks ago I was talking to a friend about Lilly's potty habits. I know, do I talk about anything else??? I was lamenting that she was still pooping in her underwear and we weren't making any progress. This friend, we'll call her "Mighty woman of wisdom and knowledge" suggested a jar of small toys in the bathroom... things that could be seen, and that would be immediate and tangible rewards for going where she was supposed to go. Lilly and I made a trip to Target and she picked out about 10 items that were each a few dollars or less.

For about 5 days she talked about getting the toys, but I kept scrubbing little undies. Then, behold, out of the blue last Friday evening, while we were at a cabin in Tahoe, she announced, "I have to go poo poo." Off we scurried to the bathroom, and there has been no looking back! (Pretend you can hear me singing with glee on top of a mountain...much like in The Sound of Music.)

Fortunately, I'd had the sense to pack 2 of the toys from the jar in with our cabin stuff. I figured it was pointless at the time, but better safe than sorry. Boy, was I glad! We ended up picking up a couple more trinkets along the way to get through the long weekend, because I certainly did not want to stop this train that had finally taken off!

So, hopefully this will conclude the TMI posts about bathroom habits. At least until the next child is being potty trained. (Oh Lord, give me strength. I don't even want to think about that.)

And in closing, I just have to share... While at Target yesterday I saw a doll whose box clearly and proudly said, "I really poop!" Really?? A pooping doll?? I'm celebrating NOT cleaning up poop for 5 glorious days in a row. Why would I want a doll that poops??

If anyone ever buys that for Lilly they will be taking it home with them or possibly shot.

Have a great day!

Photos

I just had to share these...

Here is the modern family. I'm not sure if it's funny or pathetic.



And the second is Lilly "playing the violin." Pretty inventive!

Wild Things

Today we had a fun trip to the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town, along with Elliott's parents. We all had a great time! More pictures are under the Flickr Photo tab on the right...

Safari girl

Ready to view some wildlife!

Update on "Decisions, decisions"

I'd been wondering if I should post an update on this, and then got a comment asking about it. So... here goes.

Remember that whole post about pursuing fertility treatments for child # 2? I am thankful for the prayers that were prayed on our behalf, because we feel solid in our decision.

Despite the thoughts and feelings that were triggered by my birthday, I/we feel certain that going down that road (of further testing/treatment) is not the way for us. There are several reasons that led to this, most of which I'm not comfortable putting out in blog land, but it all boils down to the fact that I know that it would not be wise for me to pursue a pregnancy. The easiest way to describe where I'm at now is this... (I say "I" because it was me feeling the pull to try in the first place. Elliott was supportive of whatever I needed to do.) I know in my gut that our kids are both to come to us through adoption. I may feel occasional losses regarding not being the only mother my kids have had, but that's okay.

One of my friends really helped me get this with an analogy. She was talking about how even in birthing your children you can have disappointments. A woman who has her heart set on a natural birth can end up having a cesarean and feel like she missed out on something important. She might always feel a little sad about what she didn't get to experience, but it doesn't mean that she needs a natural birth to be whole. Sometimes there are just things in life that don't go the way we thought they would, and it's okay to feel sad about them sometimes. I don't know if that translates, but it was exactly what I needed to hear to put this in the proper place.

So, we just updated our profile with Birth Connection since our other one was a year old. We're antsy and anxious and want another child yesterday, but keep reminding ourselves that God will bring the right child at the right time, just like he did with Lilly.

And as for the tough parts of adoption, I know they're there. Perhaps knowing some things will make it easier this next time. And while there will not doubt be surprises and challenges along the way, I trust that God is right with us as we bump along the road he put us on.

Just had to share Lilly's new brand of tummy control Pull-ups. She loves 'em!


Silly girl! She had us in stitches with her goofiness.

Look out Denise Austin!

We're thinking of making our own work-out video...


Okay, so maybe not, but it sure is cute when she joins me!

Random

This morning Lilly saw the (empty, unbeknownst to her) bag of Goldfish crackers in the trash can. She looked up at me with such sadness and disappointment and said, "That's not berry nice mom!" I had to stifle my laughter.

On another note, it only took 3 1/2 years, but she has finally begun to get out of bed on her own after naps or sleep. Seriously, up until now she would stay in bed and play with her bears. She never got out of bed, and never came out of her room. She would call for us when she was ready to get up, but would still be on the bed when we came in. I don't know why. We never told her she had to stay in her bed, she just did. Funny girl!

Potty Time

Because I know you have been sitting around wondering about it, I figured I'd better give an update on the potty training progress around here.

I am VERY pleased to report that Lilly is doing great at staying dry! She's been in underwear for about a month (barring naps and bedtime) and has had one accident in all that time. It's kind of funny because this "dry spell" happened immediately following the worst accident day we'd ever had. I was about crying over cleaning up pee everywhere all day long, but the next day was a total turn around. Maybe it just took me being willing to let her experience a day of wetting in underwear for the idea to sink in.

We're still having resistance on the poop front. Most days see me scrubbing it out of her underwear once or twice. I know. It's awesome. She has gone a couple of times on the toilet, but unless she wants to, it ain't happening. Ya know the saying about leading a horse to water?? I'm confident that one day it will click and my undie-scrubbing days will be behind me. In the meantime, I'm just thrilled with the progress thus far.

Three going on 13

I couldn't believe it when Lilly said to me today, "Aw, come on mom! Dat be fun!" She was trying to convince me to go to the playground after lunch (following a morning spent at the pool). Where did she get that one? It shocked me to hear her sounding so grown up.

Update on today's swimming class... I sat far across the pool and could still hear her crying through much of the class. The strange thing is that she does everything that the instructor says, she just cries while doing it. Then after the class she talks about how fun it was and is excited to go back the next day. I don't get it, but at least she wants to keep going.

Swimming

Lilly began swimming lessons this week. She has a half-hour class in the big pool, and then we go to the wading pool and play for an hour or so before heading home. Last year we did the parent/toddler class together, but this year she's in the pool all by herself. Being the last session of the summer, Lilly is one of two students in her class, so they get lots of practice time.

On the first day, the other little boy in the class cried through the whole half-hour. Today, I got to be the mom in those shoes. Despite the fact that Lilly likes everything except going under, she cried through almost the whole class today. I was sitting closer to the pool in order to take pictures, so maybe that upped the drama factor. Tomorrow I'll be less conspicuous.

Here are some photos. She was so excited to use her new goggles this morning that she wanted to eat her breakfast wearing the goggles. Too cute!

Uh oh!

Lilly quote:

"Uh oh. Bu-speg-i-os!"

Love it!

Self Esteem

Last night at bath time, Elliott made up a little rhyme for Lilly.

He said, "I know a girl. Her name is Lilly. And she is SO silly!"

Without missing a beat, Lilly added, "And CUTE!"

Oh dear.

Aclarium...

...that's what Lilly calls the Aquarium. We had a great time in Monterey; visiting the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium, seeing friends, playing at the Dennis The Mennace Park, dining with family, and exploring Cannery Row and the coastline.

Lilly loved the Aquarium! Here are a few photos of our time.

3 year photo

Better late than never. So she was 3 1/4... when you're that cute it just doesn't matter.

Great vacation

We had a fabulous time on vacation with our friends at Lake Almanor! Check out the new photos on the Flickr link to the right.

Next week we're off to the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

Carousel

I just had to share this little video bit of Lilly on the Carousel at the county fair. She loved it!

There are some new pictures up under the Flickr tag too...

Decisions, decisions

So I just turned 36. I know... the downhill slide to 40 is underway.

The day of and day after my birthday I was struck with the fact that I'm not getting any younger (duh!), and if I ever wanted to try any fertility procedures, the clock was really ticking. Previously we'd had no desire to pursue treatment, and knew that adoption was the path to go down. Suddenly though, I had a change of heart and wanted to try a few things while still continuing the active wait with The Birth Connection.

So, after talking with Elliott (and of course crying as I tried to explain my sudden change of feelings) we agreed to schedule a consult with a specialist in Roseville. The appointment is now scheduled, I have the packet of information, and now I'm having second thoughts. I drive MYSELF crazy. Poor Elliott.

It boils down to this. We don't know why I can't conceive. If we want to spend $450 we MIGHT get a better idea of what the problem is, or we might be no closer to any answer. If we want to spend $800+ (our insurance would cover the rest) we could try one course of treatment that offers only a 15% chance of pregnancy. You can see how it adds up quickly, although in the world of infertility treatment, this is NOTHING.

Part of me wants to know why I can't get pregnant. Even if there is no option of it ever happening, I'd like to know what is wrong so I can wrap it up neatly and put it away for good.

Another larger part of me desperately wants the chance to love our next child from the beginning. It's a horrible feeling to have to protect your heart and wait for permission to love the child that might be yours. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. I absolutely respect the fact that in adoption, the birth mom needs to be sure of her decision, and I would never want to parent a child knowing that his or her birth mom was cheated of the little time she had to make such a huge and painful decision. It's just the nature of adoption, but this time around, I know enough to fear and grieve the inability to just love at first sight.

Maybe I can explain better... After Lilly was born and we got to see her, my first glimpse of her brought an overwhelming swell of awe and love for her. She was easily the most beautiful baby I had ever seen and my heart nearly exploded as my emotions already had. I knew however, that I was not her mommy, not yet, and possibly not at all. So I checked my maternal feelings and locked them behind a wall. It wasn't my time yet. What I didn't know was how hard it would be to allow those to flow again when I was allowed to. Whether out of fear, circumstance, self-protection, or who-knows-what, I had a hard time allowing myself to feel like Lilly's mommy again when we brought her home. And that is precisely what I don't want to happen this next time.

But 15% is not exactly encouraging. And I don't want to throw away money that could be used for adoption expenses in the (likely) event that we end up being part of the 85%.

I don't know why I felt the need to share this with the world. It's obviously a very personal decision. I just had to get it off my chest.

If you are a praying person, would you please join us in asking God for wisdom in this decision? We know that HE knows the right child for our family. I don't want my fears to get in the way of bringing that child home.

And if you read all of this... thanks?... :)

Got fleas?

I just had to share this...

Theology

Today, Lilly gave me a lesson in theology.

After lunch she told me that her "drawers" were clean, when in fact, they were not. As I was getting her cleaned up I thought it might be a good opportunity to talk about telling the truth. "Lilly," I said, "When you told mommy that you were clean that was not true. Saying things that aren't true makes God and Jesus sad." She replied, "And Moses. (pause) And Abraham. (pause) And Isaac."

I'll admit, I couldn't hide my snickering. I'm not sure she learned anything out of this teachable moment, but I sure did!

Memorial Day

Of course, I forgot the camera.

This morning we went to a local Memoral Day program where Elliott's mom sang with her chorale group. The program was very meaningful, the singing was beautiful and the after-program donuts were quite yummyrific!

Lilly was decked out in red, white and blue and had a little flag to hold. Her cuteness was captivating, hence my sadness over forgetting the camera.

It made me think though about how I want to make this a family tradition for us. Not only because grandma's group usually sings there, but so that Lilly grows up with a better understanding of the price that has been paid for our freedom.

So, from our family today, we say thanks in honor of the men and women who have given their lives in battle, and to families who have lost their loved ones in service to our country. We are grateful!

Making progress

I've not been very good at this blogging thing lately. I find myself not thinking about it at all for a week or more, and then I wonder, what do I have to say to the masses who read here? :)

Life is just... life. Some days, like yesterday, Lilly was a holy terror. We had fits and "No!" and "Mine!" and general whining and tantrums more times than I could count. Today, thank the Lord, she has been angelic. (God knew mama could only take so much.) We went to lunch with my mom after music class and she ate like a horse, declaring everything "delicious," "so good," and "juicy" (even the carrotts were juicy, go figure). She stayed in her seat until we were done, asked politely to go see the games, sweetly obeyed when it was time to leave, and has been napping without a peep for the past 2 hours.

We have made some serious progress in the potty department recently! Out of the blue, while we were out one day, Lilly decided to start using the potty. She still has plenty of accidents but doesn't resist trying on the potty, for which I am so thankful! Most of the time when she tries, she goes. We've gone back to the sticker and an M&M as a reward for pee-pee in the potty, and I've promised ice-cream for poop in the potty, but no go as of yet. According to Lilly, she "can't do it." I'm hoping the promise of ice-cream will at some point sway her to at least try. In the meantime, I am thrilled for all of the successes she's having on the potty and am encouraged that this WILL be the Summer Of The Potty at the Trevino house.

Hooray!

Walk For Families

On Saturday we took part in The Birth Connection's annual Walk For Families. This is one of 2 fundraisers they put on every year, and a way to support the organization that does so much for women and families experiencing unplanned pregnancies. We had a great time on the walk, and Lilly had a great time making a detour in the playground of McKinley Park.

Here we are before the walk.

Many thanks to friends and family who donated to help keep The Birth Connection going.

On another note, I just had to share this funny picture of Lilly from last week.

She was in the bath (uh, obviously) and after putting on this "gear", told me she was ready to ride her scooter. Not that she has a scooter, but at least she's safety conscious!

Oh how I love this kid!

The nibbler

On Saturday morning Elliott had to work. Lilly and I had a lazy morning, and then I got into the shower. When I got out, I found the refrigerator door open and the one of the vegetable drawers open. Upon going to close the door and drawer, something caught my attention. It looked as if a squirrel had been in there. Here, see what I mean?



I smile each time I think of Lilly standing in front of the refrigerator gnawing on that cucumber. I don't know what's funnier, that she ate bites of all these or that she put them back.


On another note, we've gone to full time underwear as of today. We're utilizing backup plans such as waterproof pads over the couch or pull-ups over the underwear to minimize damage to the house and car, but we're going for it. Please pray for success. We've just had our first "poop in the underwear" experience, but it didn't seem to phase Lilly. She doesn't really want to use the potty today, so I'm trying to motivate without creating a battle.

Why exactly did I decide to do this???

We're still here!

Wow. It has been way too long since I've posted.

Life continues zooming on at high speed. Lilly is growing in every way almost daily. We laugh constantly at the things she comes up with. The other day, she referred to her knee as her "foot elbow." When she doesn't want to go to bed, she asks to, "Play widdle minute," a favorite stalling technique.

We were fortunate to take a few days off this past week and go to Tahoe with Elliott's parents. Lilly enjoyed going sledding, and even did one run by herself. She LOVED it, and proclaimed sledding, "Wriddy fun and wriddy great!"

Elliott's job has been extremely busy and he's working long hours, but we're grateful that he has a job! We expect that this current push will be finished by the end of the month and we'll return to a little more normal. Nobody likes it when daddy is gone for 12 hours each day, but again, we're thankful that he's got a job to go to!

No news on the adoption front. Lilly continues to pray for a baby brother AND sister, but I've already told God she means OR, NOT AND.

Wishing you a wonderful Easter celebration. We are so thankful that Jesus paid our debt and that he lives!

Birthday girl

I can't believe she will be 3 tomorrow. Where has the time gone? Where has the little baby gone? While I don't have answers to those questions, I do know this. I'm amazed and in love with the sweet, animated, funny, smart and utterly delightful little girl she has become, and each day gets better and better.


Happy birthday bunny! Thanks for making my days so bright

She knows what she likes

Earlier today Lilly and I were looking at some photo albums. One page had a picture of Elliott and I at a costume party dressed as hippies. Elliott had on a long haired wig and Lilly didn't recognize him at first. I pointed out that it was daddy, just wearing a wig, which was silly big hair. She studied it for a few seconds and then continued looking at the album. Shortly thereafter she pointed to another picture of Elliott, this one looking like himself. Her comment?? "Small hair. Much better hair."

I'd have to agree.

Potty Training

The thought of potty training really fills me with angst. Most of the people I know who have gone through it recently say to wait until your child is well aware of when they're going to begin the process, rather than having to follow your child around for months in hopes of avoiding an accident.

Lilly has just begun to become aware of when she's going pee. Usually she tells me when she's peeing in the bath. That's gross, but progress in the awareness department none-the-less. This just so happens to coinside with a new indifference toward the potty she has been using before bath. For the better part of the past week, she doesn't want to even try. I haven't pushed it, because I don't want to create a power struggle around the potty. Let me assure you that as Lilly is approaching 3 she's dutifully ramping up the dramatics when she doesn't approve of something. You'd think that she'd give up in that we never give in to her terrorist tacticts, but nope. She's not yet convinced.

Anyway, back to the potty training. I'm thinking that when the weather gets warm we'll pick a week and spend most of our time outdoors, with our trusty potty chair of course. She can wear her assortment of new underwear and dresses for easy maneuvering. Of course, all of this depends on the premise that she will dislike the feeling of pee-pee running down her legs. I've heard that some kids don't even care, and I'm hoping that won't be the case at our house. Remember my comments about power struggles? I have a sneaking suspicion that if Lilly doesn't WANT to use the potty badly enough (ie. she doesn't like the alternative, being wet) she isn't going to use the potty. I don't believe in forcing a kid to use the potty, so I'm praying that she'll be on board when the time comes.

Am I delusional for thinking this can be done (for the most part) in a week? What did you do to potty train your kids?

New family members

I realize that title may have you thinking that we brought twins home or something. Do you think we are nuts??? (I realize that wouldn't be nuts for some people, but for me it would!)

We do have a growing family though. Wendy's mom is engaged after being widowed 6 years ago, so on June 20 Lilly will officially have a new grandpa... grandpa Joe. He's a great guy and we are thrilled for them.

And, last night we learned that Elliott's brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in October, so Lilly will have another cousin soon.

I'm going to confess here that upon learning the news of the new baby I immediately felt jealous. That's not a feeling I'm proud of, but it's the truth. I wouldn't trade Lilly for anything, but I'm a little sad (and yes, jealous) that I didn't get to experience the joy and attention of being the pregnant daughter in law. That's petty and selfish, I know, but I also know that anyone who has struggled with infertility will understand. Our waiting for Lilly was more a journey of worry and angst for our family rather than the pure joy and anticipation of a pregnancy.

I know that Elliott's family love Lilly like crazy and that won't change, but I just pray that there won't be any thoughts of this new child being "more" a Trevino than Lilly. I'm sure that nobody will really think that, but this mommy still worries for my little girl. *** NOTE*** Just after typing that sentence Elliott's mom called to assure us/Lilly that she will always have the special place of being their first grandchild. Thank the Lord for great timing because I was getting all teary writing this post! I know that God will answer my prayers and remove the "junk" in my heart so that I can be truly happy for the new family. It IS very exciting!

It's going to be a big year! I'm on "processing" overload.

Just a little confused

Last night while bathing Lilly, she "washed" her tummy and told me, "Have baby in my tummy. I be big sister." It took me a second to realize what she said, and then the rest of the evening to figure out how she put those two together (and just how many kinds of wrong that statement is in a creepy back-woods way).

We've been talking to her about a baby joining our family someday and how she will be a big sister, but never in the conversation is there anything about babies in tummies. We've had a few pregnant friends, including one at the beach, and I've told her that they have babies growing in their tummies. She also has seen pictures of Bekah pregnant with her and I point out that she was growing in there. So, I guess in 2-year-old logic and imagination, it's not that far of a leap afterall. If babies grow in tummies, why not? Oh my.

Beach report

Forgive the fact that the photos are before the text. I don't want to take the time to change it right now.

We had a great time at the beach this weekend! The new house worked out great and had some perks of its own, not the least of which was a dishwasher! Score for kitchen cleanup.

Lilly had a fantastic time and loved walking on the beach. Last year's February trip found us carrying her a lot. She wanted nothing to do with walking on the sand, but this year we could hardly keep up with her. She LOVED playing in puddles near the rocks, and had a ball playing jumprope with a big piece of sea kelp. I have fond memories of doing that when I was a kid at Dillon Beach. She also enjoyed climbing on the rocks and is quite good at it. Of course, mommy was right behind her with a hand on her, but she did just fine.

We had lots of rain and wind, but got some sunny moments as well to head on down to the beach. All in all, another great trip!

Braids

Yahoo! I finally learned to french braid. Check out this cuteness!

Beach time

We're getting ready to head to the beach tomorrow, and I'm feeling cruddy. I will fight this cold bug to the death though. Wait, that sounded bad. I mean that the cold bug will die, not me. Anywhoo...

This will be the 26th year of the Veerkamp/Candido President's Day weekend Dillon Beach trip. Sad to say, the house we've rented for all these years (except one) has been sold and the new owners aren't renting it out. So, we're on to a new house and will surely be trying to find things in the cabinets all weekend.

Our beach trip now makes me think of 3 years ago. We just found out on Thursday that Bekah had chosen us as parents for her baby, and we left for the beach the next day. What a weekend of surreal disbelief that was! I was kind of hoping that we would be "expecting" again for this year's trip, but no dice. (Where does that phrase come from anyway? Dice?) Another member of our beach party is expecting though, and I'm so excited for her. Last year we were there looking at Bride magazines for her wedding in July, and this year we'll be planning for baby who is due in August!

Another member of our party has a big announcement to make, but I better not spill the beans. I'll let you know when I'm allowed.

So... we're off to the probably rainy coast! I promise to update photos when we get back. I've been a slacker in the department lately.

Thanks for reading. This was a strange post. I blame the Sudafed.

Trash talk

It's not what you think.

Within the last couple of weeks Lilly started throwing away trash on her own. If she ate a granola bar for example, she excitedly announced that she was taking the wrapper to the trash. "Fantastic!" I thought, "She cleans up after herself!" She favors the little wastebasket in the front bathroom. Hey, I'm not going to be picky! I praised her exuberantly for helping me and throwing away her garbage.

Perhaps I was unclear in my praise, because for the last 2 days I've been finding shoes and bowls in the trash. Never a dull moment!

Updates and ramblings

Good grief! It has been a while since I posted. Somehow the days just fly by.

Lilly is changing so quickly and becoming less toddler and more preschooler. Her imagination is in full force as she plays with toys, such as feeding a toy turtle a "cheese sandwich" or walking him through the "snow". I absolutely love watching the process.

Last night while she was eating dinner, she could still hear The Little Einsteins playing on the TV in the living room. One of the characters asked the kids to help "Rocket" fly by patting their hands on their laps. As he pleaded, "Come on! Pat, pat pat!" I heard Lilly reply, "I eating dinner right now." First things first! That's my girl!

Also, within about 24 hours she started pronouncing some of her "classic" words correctly. We are kind of sad to hear:

"bookey" become "monkey"
"night-night time bear" become "bedtime bear"
"I fine it" become "I found it"
and...
"Nenny" become "Lilly" (with the tongue stuck out to get those L sounds)

At least she still calls the water fountain a "water mountain". I think I want to keep that one forever! I can't say the same for her very favorite word at the moment..."Mine!" Hope that novelty wears off soon!

New phases

Sometimes the smallest things can strike me as big. For instance, in the past few days Lilly has begun to frequently say, "Mommy, watch me!" or "Mommy, watch this!" as she does something new or fun. Just the fact that she is putting together the words and the concept reminds me that she is quickly leaving the toddler years behind. More and more, I see how she's becoming more like a preschooler. It's an absolute joy to watch, and it makes me stop and get as many cuddles and kisses as possible while I can!

Our little fashionista

Look out world! Lilly can accessorize!

Post Christmas update

I've been meaning to come back over her and update about Christmas. It just hasn't happened. Elliott has the week off and we've been enjoying some good family time. It has been great! I'm not even going to take much time for this post.

Just wanted to say that we had a great Christmas and hope you did too. We spent Christmas Eve at our house with Elliott's family following an early service at our church. We simplified this year and drew names for the adults gifts and it was GREAT to have things less crazed. Everyone bought for Lilly, so she was not hurting for presents to open. This year she really got the concept and had a blast with it. She also knows a lot more about desserts and how to butter people up. Between new toys and sugary treats, she was up with the rest of us until 10:30 p.m. This from our 7pm bedtime girl.

Christmas morning we lazed around our house (following a gleeful encounter with Larry the Cucumber). In the afternoon we went to my sisters house to be with my family. It began to snow as the evening arrived, which made for most of our first white Christmas. Granted, there was only about an inch when it was done, but that's more than any other Christmas we've had around here.

Wishing you and your family a very happy new year! We look forward to sharing it with you.

PS: Oh, and I put our Christmas pictures up on Flickr.