Happy Monday

You are my sunshine.

You make everyday worth living to to fullest.

You bring joy to everyone you meet.

Your laugh is infectious,

It brightens my soul.

You are my little girl

I wish for you, that you may always be this happy and carefree.

Love,

Jules

Treasure Hunting

Saturday was a cold day, and though we weren't in the mood to go out in it, we were in the mood to do something. Jason had suggested we take a trip to  Jamie's Flea Market in South Amherst. It was full of everything vintage and antique and so much more.

The thing I love about flea markets is that the stuff inside practically beckons you to hold it in your hands and explore it up close. It is so exciting to find so many vintage treasures all in one place. Since there were so many breakable items Jason and I took turns hanging out with Lily while one of us would go inside and check everything out. Great Teamwork on our part, we didn't miss a thing.

This trip we were hoping to find a few old nintendo games to add to Jasons' collection, a Van Morrison record, and a silver platter for my next project, but we only managed to make out with a sweet frock for Lily and a circa 1930 "Pokey Puppy" photo. Oh and Jason did managed to find a saturn game that he has been looking for, for a very reasonable price.

On our way home we stopped at a few different consignment shops, which were all very nice. We ended up coming home with a very beautiful Hearthside Classics Stoneware plate set and a bread box.

To end our day of treasure hunting we met up with Jason's parents at the California Pizza Kitchen (if you haven't had there club pizza yet, you are definetley missing out on pure goodness.) enjoyed a wonderful dinner, and headed back to their house where we relaxed and watched Lily run off all of her pent up energy from the day.

I would say we had a very successful Saturday.

Here is a peak at some of the things that we saw:

Love,
Jules

Today, Lily and I celebrated her cutting yet another tooth last night, the third in the past week. She is now showing off seven pearly whites. I can only imagine how painful this past week has been on her and her poor little mouth. So we celebrated. 

We had frozen banana's and Lilys favorite banana pancakes for breakfast. We spent the afternoon dancing around the living room, reading stories,and playing hide-n-seek. 

For snack, you guessed it, we indulged in delicious sugar free popsicles ( Lilys all time favorite treat in the world). We laughed so hard the whole time.

And the rest of our celebration was spent listening to Van Morrison and just enjoying each others company. Who would have thought, spending a whole day celebrating a new tooth would be a day I know I will keep close to my heart forever.

 Love,
  Jules

The Farmparks

This past Tuesday a friend of mine Shannon and I took Lily and her daughter Alexis ( such a cutie pie ) to the Lake Farmparks. Much to our surprise we were the only ones there besides a mother and her daughter. We had a such an amazing time together. I am so appreciative for the amazing park systems we have in Northeast Ohio.



We were nose to nose with so many animals - little one week old piglets, big pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, cows,horses, and mules. It was a blast! Lily and Alexis were filled with so much excitement the whole time. It was so rewarding to just stand back and watch them interact with the animals, so innocent and pure. At one point a goat even decided Alexis was a tasty treat, it was so funny she would squeal in delight every time he would lick her jacket.

Days like these make me really wish we lived in the country. To see the joy that the farm and the animals bring to Lily. To live and breath in the fresh country air. To feel free. Someday, hopefully not to far from now, we hope to fulfill that wish. But, for now we have our wonderful Metroparks and Farmpark to escape to whenever we please

Love,
 Mama

At the start of her dance

   Lily and I have discovered two of our new favorite songs. Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" and City and Colours "The Girl".

Lily in the middle of dancing

   "The Girl" is by far Lilys favorite though, every time I play it for her she immediately stops whatever she is doing gets up, bobs her head, smiles, and does her little spinney dance...To cute.
   I will say that "Wildflowers" is the happiest song I have heard in a long time, and i currently have to listen to it a minimum of three times per day. I just can't help it, it puts the biggest smile on my face. I would say it puts me in Raleigh NC, right where i long to be.

Potty Talk

 Lately, we have been focusing on how we use the potty. We have Elmo use the potty, we have bunny use the potty, we have mommy use the potty, and we have Lily play with the potty. We are getting closer to actually starting potty training though. Today Lily brought her doll house potty to me and said potty potty and ran to the bathroom and sat on her potty. She is starting to recognize the potty which is wonderful.

16 Month Rundown

Stats: You are still so tiny. I put you on the scale this morning and it said you were 21 pounds. I measured you against the wall by getting you to look at a dent and by making a mark where your head was; 30 inches and your head measured at 18 inches. That puts you in the 25% percentile for your age. 

Teeth: Slowly but surely your teeth are emerging. Your two front teeth and two bottom teeth are all the way in, and have been for about a month or so. Currently your poor little mouth has been working hard on three new teeth which have broken the surface for about a week, but have ceased to progress since then. Your little teeth make you look so grown up, though i miss your baby gummy smile it tickles me to see all of those big white teeth in your mouth when you smile. Also, about your teeth you LOVE to brush them, we can not walk past the bathroom with out you wanting to brush your teeth. 

Feeding: You are Picky now. For the past 15 months you have loved and enjoyed anything that we have given you to eat, but now you just pick at everything and pretty much just push any meat we give you to the side of the plate. You do still love all of your fruits and veggies, which i am very thankful for .

Words: Your favorite things to say right now are: Up.Down which sounds like uh down uh down...more ....please which sounds like pweese.... potty which sounds exactly like potty.....stinky.....elmo which sounds like mo mo just the your uncle Alex used to say it when he was a baby.... Buh Bye, Hello which  is like Helwo...... and Chicken which sounds exactly like chicken but you say it really really fast it is so cute, by far one of my favorite Lily words... You are into repeating Everything we ask you to say or just anything you hear. 

Awesome stuff you're doing now: Coloring: You are so artistic our fridge is covered with all of your wonderful finger paintings, sticker pictures, and drawings. You get so excited when you see me pull out your art box with all of your crayons. We are still working on NOT eating the crayons while we color though.

You are such a big helper. You love to help me do whatever it is that I am doing. You help me fold laundry by sitting in the laundry basket and kindly throw clothes at me, and once I have the clothes folded in piles you love to rearrange the piles. Though it takes a lot longer then it used to I love our laundry dates. 


You love music, anytime you hear any kind of music you immediately will start clapping and dancing. More recently you picked up the ballerina dance, you spin and spin and spin i have caught it on video countless times. I just can not get enough of your dancing.


Your Loves: Mama and Dada we are still by far your favorites, I can not get enough of how your face lights up when one of us walks into a room, even if we were only gone a moment.


Bathtime: Oh how you love your baths. The other night you actually asked me to give you a bath before bed, You signed bath and said BAF BAF. I didn't even know you knew the sign for bath, but you showed me.

Bunny is still your ultimate security item. Bunny goes everywhere with us, but now stays in the car when we go into stores.


You love to put things away, which I love. We play the clean up game all of the time. Anytime you see a box or anything you can fit anything else inside, you better believe that is exactly what you are doing. Then after you have filled whatever it is that you were filling up you like to smash your little feet into it and sit down. Like a little birdie making a nest and then laying in it.


Your Dislikes: Snow, you love to watch it fall from the sky and walk in it. But please do not let it touch your skin. You hate the coldness of the snow.


You do not like for anyone to touch anyone else unless it is you. Mama and Dada can not even give each other a hug or snuggle on the couch in front of you anymore, you get so upset. It is kind of funny, but I hope you grow out of it soon.


We are so proud of you Liliana. Watching you grow everyday is the greatest delight of our lives.


Love, 
  Mama

Winter Exploration

   
  I love the way a fresh blanket of snow can make everything feel so pure and peaceful. We have spent the morning snuggled up on the couch, snacking on apples and cheerios. Just sitting back and watching the snow fall.

  This afternoon Liliana and I decided it would be in our best interests to go for a nice walk outside in the snow. So i bundled us up and out we went. It fills my mommy heart with so much joy watching Lily interact with nature. We could not walk two steps without stopping to examine a mysterious footprint in the snow or a lost stick that had fallen from a tree. I am truly grateful for all of the little stops and explorations along our walk today, and everyday. Lily brings a much simpler appreciation to everything, she reminds me everyday to stop a examine the footprints in the snow.

My Lily Bear Exploring in the Snow

Dr. Lily

Well it happened AGAIN..... We caught that nasty stomach virus for the second time this Month (knock on wood Lily has managed to dodge this one). Luckly it has only been a 24 hour bug, but still it is not fun. Lily has been taking such good care of us while we have been sick.

She is such the Little Mommy. Here is a picture of her comforting Daddy.

She trully is so Sweet.

15 Step Program......

 Oh my Gosh I laughed so hard when I read this, and I just had to share it with everyone. Im not exactly sure who is the author of this brillant program but i found it on MomaRoos site. I hope everyone enjoys this as much I did, And be glad we have the internet because if we didn't i would be printing this out and mailing to everyone. ENJOY!



Thinking of having kids? Do this 15 step program first!
Lesson 1:
Go to the grocery store.
Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
Go home.
Pick up the paper.
Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2:
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
Methods of discipline.
Lack of patience.
Appallingly low tolerance levels.
Allowing their children to run wild.
Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3:
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…
Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
Set the alarm for 3AM.
As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
Go to bed at 2:45AM.
Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
Lesson 4:
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out…
Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
Then rub them on the clean walls.
Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5:
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this – all morning.
Lesson 6:
Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Lesson 7:
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 8:
Get ready to go out.
Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
Go out the front door.
Come in again. Go out.
Come back in.
Go out again.
Walk down the front path.
Walk back up it.
Walk down it again.
Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps.
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.
Lesson 9:
Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10:
Go to the local grocery store.
Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat.
Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 11:
Hollow out a melon.
Make a small hole in the side.
Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine-month-old baby.
Lesson 12:
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney Channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking, What’s ‘Noggin’? Exactly the point.)
Lesson 13:
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.
Lesson 14:
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying ‘mommy’ repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each ‘mommy’; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 15:
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the ‘mommy’ tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Bring on 2011

2011

THANK GOODNESS!!

I am so glad to see 2010 END

 Although, we did have some good moments such as Lily turning one, Jason getting hired into Steris, and Jason and I FINALLY getting engaged.

But, as a whole it pretty much was a very trying and emotionally up and down type of year.

A real life learning experience if you will.

I said goodbye to my Grandmother, I watched my Grandfather suffer a long hard fight, and eventually pass away. I quit a good paying job for a unstable job, and to top the year off we had to say goodbye to Bear, one of our Fur-babies, a ferret whom was very close to all of our hearts, and Lilys best buddy.

So here is to a very happy healthy New Year. Full of success, education, and love.

I am so excited for 2011. My resolutions for the coming year are simple:

1. Organize and Stick to a Family Budget
2. Worry less and Pray More
3. Go back to School
4. Get a Better paying job
5. Exercise everyday, start jogging again
6. Potty train Lily
7. Make everyday a learning and discovery experience for Lily
8. Love more argue less
9. Make my bed everyday
10. Succesfully have our wedding planned and ready to go before June 3rd 2011 hahah

Happy New Years Everyone!