We are not short of cute around these parts.
We are not short on love or laughter either.
We aren’t short on crazy either but I have no photos of that because that’s when survival mode takes place and picture taking usually ends. 🙂
Willow is sitting up enough to be in the grocery cart! It makes shopping more fun for the both of us….
We have all been under the weather for about a week and a half.  The good news is that Lilly and Willow seem to be fully recovered.
Lilly has been ultra cute lately and saying the smartest and funniest things. On top of her wit, she is such a sweet big sister to Willow. Willow was wailing in the car after being out for a few hours and Lilly very calmly and quietly goes, “Willow, Willow, it’s alright…shhh” and gave her a toy. Willow didn’t respond so Lilly got a little louder and pushier about it and it still didn’t work so she went, “Aww, come on!” It was pretty funny but Willow is in for some being bossed around. Lilly has also been saying, “What’s the big idea?” At first I could not figure out where she got this from and then her and I played my Just Dance 3 game and one of the songs starts out with the singers saying just that! Mystery solved…
Willow has hit an interesting point where she is fed up with just laying around but can’t sit for long. She also gets very angry when you take something away from her. At church, she had gotten hold of some paper and started eating it so I took it away. She wailed a scream as we walked up to get communion and then once she saw the chalice, she stopped crying long enough to grab it and then when it got pulled away, some more crying ensued. At that same moment, Lilly dips her bread into the cup of wine and goes, “That purple stuff makes this yummy!”
This past weekend, I voyaged to Montgomery Alabama for my annual Sewanee girl retreat. It was awesome and being with those ladies means a lot to me. I got home to a clean house, sleeping children, and Wil telling me how much fun it was to be with them (he did wish he had felt better though.)
Before each bath time, Lilly gets prepared by running full speed out of the bathroom (naked) and throwing herself on the rocking chair, bouncing off then coming back into the bathroom. This happens every night and I just grin as I watch that little bottom round the corner into her room and that cute smile re-enter for bubble night. This evening, after her streaking routine, I was getting the bath ready and she nestled up against me and told me she loved me. Heart full.
We made it through most of winter with hardly a sniffle but this past week has been brutal! It all started when Wil and I decided to take the girls to Asheville for a few days. Lilly woke up with a mega fever the night before we planned to hit the road but after much deliberation, we went on the trip anyways. Lilly plateaued and is currently feeling almost 100% but meanwhile, on our mini escape retreat to Charleston, I started to feel sick and back in Asheville, so did Willow marking Willow’s first cold.  Kei Kei and Pepaw took stellar care of the girls but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them knowing that they were all sniffles. The drive back was long but we made it only to discover that now Wil is sick! So, for all the beauty we see on the outside (blooming trees, awesome warmth) we are all pretty puny on the inside.
With that said, we did spend quite a few hours enjoying the weather yesterday. Lilly picked flowers while Willow soaked up a bit of sun.
You wouldn’t know it by all the smiles that Willow’s cough would make your hair frizz. That’s because she is a trooper and one that I just can’t get enough of. The tree in our backyard is so gorgeous and I think I have said this every year. Lilly is really appreciating it this year and loves all the pink petals that fall from it when the wind gently blows. Although we do not love all the bumble bees that enjoy those pink petals too! I can’t help but think of Sylus and how much he loved this weather too…..
Willow finally had her 6 month check up with Doctor Rawlings.
She weighed in at 16.2 lbs and 27.5 inches. She is right on schedule for most things and is able to eat any foods we want squish for her except those that run rampant in the allergy world. It never leaves me- the gratefulness for having two healthy and beautiful children. Now if I could just get Lilly to stop opening the bathroom stales out in public when I am half way through using them! Sheesh 🙂
Yesterday was the day that Lilly turned 3 and I turned 33. A special day indeed starting with Lilly getting to wear whatever she wanted to school and taking her special treat to hand out to the class. We made popcorn with m&m’s which was fun to make because we are a popcorn loving household!
I spent the day getting the house and goodies ready for the big event. We invited some of our friends over to partake in a taco bar, Rainbow themed, birthday bash. Everything was looking good by the time Lilly got home from school and after a mandatory preparation nap, she was ready to party…..well, she was getting there anyways but her wake-up is a little on the slow side.
The guests arrived toting the requested donation gifts for the Community Kitchen and a few gifts for the birthday girls. Parties tend to not really be for the people throwing it but for the people attending it. I felt like I didn’t really get to “see” anyone but enjoyed having everyone here to bring the good birthday vibes.
We sang Happy Birthday and ate some of the ice cream cake I managed to make…it turned out great! Lilly chose to eat one of the cupcakes instead of a slice of cake and I chose a slice of cake (or two when the party was over.)
Then it was time to enjoy our gifts. People were very generous and Lilly took the time to open each card and place it on the TV stand.
Willow spent the first few minutes of the party peering out from her high chair. She gazed unsure at the crowd of folks sometimes sticking her lip out almost crying and other times gracing us with her half smile. She went to bed fairly early which was a gift to me so I could enjoy the party.
This past year of my life has been filled with lots of changes, much growth, and a happy family to love each day. Our blessing are many and I look forward to 33…….
Lilly went to bed that night carrying a single blue balloon and talking about who was at her party. She even woke up this morning wondering, “Is Alice still here? She gave me some stickers!” And now life with a three year old begins…….
Today is day 4 of what tends to be one of my favorite months of the year. Although the weather seems to be about 6 weeks early, it is making this month even better.
Our Willow turns a whopping 6 months old today. Easier then infant Lilly in so many ways, Willow just doesn’t seem interested in sitting up, rolling over or sleeping. She gives all these things a good go but hasn’t really achieved any of them with flying colors. I know it is just a matter of time and then there will probably be no stopping her. Happy to just be, Willow is still super easy going and she has those thunder thighs that just make you want to squeal with delight. Her grasping of objects and leg strength have improved greatly. Right now, she is eating a tablespoon of rice cereal at dinner time but I suspect that very soon, we will be moving into squishy pea territory. We go next week to see Doc Rawlings for a weigh-in check up.
Here’s a video of Willow enjoying my sweet dance moves:
Life has been preoccupied lately. I have taken on tagging and pricing Willow’s old stuff to sell at an upcoming consignment event. There’s something sad about getting rid of all our tiny little outfits. I tend to hold them up and look at them just a little too long which slows down the process immensely. I do hope to make a little money for all the future outfits we will be buying.
The girls were invited on a trip to the aquarium this past Monday by my good friend Amy and her son Henry. We had a great time and everyone was so well behaved. Lilly became obsessed with finding the Nemo fish and then once we found that, she became obsessed with lunch. 🙂
Lilly has such a quick wit about her. I am a little worried about the way she is already playing her parents, asking permission from one and then when getting the no, she goes and tries to get the other to say yes. I asked her a riddle the other day when we were playing that there was a troll under a bridge. I asked, “What is the name of a flower that is also the name of a girl?” I thought she’d say Lily but instead she said “Rosey.” I am liking this three year old stage a lot, she tends to be a lot of fun just to be with.
It will be a busy month but a great one, I just know it!
