Loving Life with Lily

Happy 4th Referral-versary!

2012-02-06T19:18:00.002-05:00

Four years ago, Suzette took the day off with me while we waited FOREVER for the FedEx guy to deliver our first picture of our beautiful baby girl! Once we got it, we had to WAIT a little longer for Jamie to drive home from work so we could open the package and see Lily's face for the first time! Wow! What a blessing! Thank you God for making Lily just for us! Happy Referral-versary to everyone in our China family!

Happy New Year, Mushu!

2012-01-30T17:22:00.002-05:00

Baba and Lily with their friend, Mushu! Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

Lily went to a Chinese New Year Celebration this weekend. Kenli's family did an amazing job setting everything up and making the totally cool dragon cake for the Year of the Dragon. Do you see those cool dragon scales, a.k.a. orange and yellow M&Ms? How cool is that cake, seriously!

The girls had a blast jumping around and playing together. Then, they got to hit a pinata!

Lily definitely enjoyed picking out the goodies she wanted from the dragon pinata!

Before we went to the party, we also ate at our local Chinese Restaurant. This is a picture of Kenli and Lily making funny faces at me under the table! Lily had a blast. She wishes that the Chinese New Year were every day...her words exactly!

What Lily says...

2012-01-16T19:58:00.002-05:00

Oh, my hair is such a disaster today! (Because of all of the static.)

What kind of lotion is that- Coconut Lima Bean! (for Coconut Lime Verbena)

Boys don't wear skirts, they wear "quilts." (Of course, she meant kilts.)

Mama, I will be right there as soon as I get my things "situated".

How could that be? (About anything and everything!)

Okay- when you read the Bible tonight, exactly how many parts are you going to read?

Dear Father God, Thank you for this Wwwwoooonnnnderful day and for this Wwwoooooonnnderful meal. Help it make us have healthy bodies. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen. (Her Baba loves to say the word wonderful!)

Mama- You say Googly Bear to Baba, and then he will call you Smoopsie Poo, okay? (Then, after we do what we are told, she says---Now kiss because you love eachother!)

How old are you Mama? How old are you Baba? Are you sure you aren't 87?
How did I get so smart? Oh, that's right- God did it.

Rapunzel Lily & Her Friends

2012-01-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

Lily is all dressed up in one of her three Christmas presents from us. She has the crown and sparkling, light up shoes that match. She also has her three new friends with her...I know you can't see them...but they are there. Lily has three new imaginary friends. There names are Gracie, Candyce, and Tootsie. (I have no idea where she got that last name.) These three girls have gone everywhere with us the past week- shopping, school, and church. Yesterday, while getting in the car to leave Wal-Mart, I even closed the door before Gracie could get in. I was in some trouble, but I quickly opened the door back up and apologized. I also had an imaginary friend when I was young, and her name was Annie. She went everywhere with us. I can remember my Mom making my Dad pull the car over one day because my friend was running beside us to catch up- since she had the door closed on her before she could get in. She also went to the doctor's office once, and my wonderful pediatrician checked Annie out first before me. I can't wait to see what these three girls will be doing with Lily!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T19:02:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Aunt Sharon, for the Disney Gift Card! Lily had a "fabulous" time shopping...she said so herself. She bought her very first backpack with Rapunzel on it, who happens to be her favorite princess. She also bought the light-up Rapunzel wand which she has wanted for months. Along with those two items, she had enough money left over for the nightgown she is wearing (which has every Disney Princess on it) and a purple Rapunzel PJ Pal set.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-12-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, Lily only gets 3 presents for Christmas...just like Jesus did from the Wise Men. That has been our family tradition for years. I would show you her other presents, but honestly, they pale in comparison to what her Aunt Suzette bought her this year. The Disney Princess Castle is really all that matters, along with the Princess Carriage (which is over to the side that Aunt Trina bought for her), and of course, all of the many Disney Princesses and Fairies which were also presents, too. This is the present that just keeps on giving. She LOVES this castle! So, we have continued our Disney-themed Christmas this year...which brings out many other questions from Lily like "How many days until we go back to Disney World?" About 6 months to go....we can't wait!

Thank you, Father God, for another wonderful year with this amazing family you have blessed us with and for sending your son! Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas with Aunt Trina & Aunt Ella!

2011-12-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Lily was so excited to spend the evening with her Aunt Trina & Aunt Ella. Here is a picture before she started opening up all of their presents. She was thrilled with each gift, and she has not stopped playing with her new toys and art supplies. Thank you so much for being such important people in Lily's life. Lily says, "I love you both more than all the ladybugs in China!"

Lily's First Picture of God

2011-11-16T16:59:00.001-05:00

Lily came home with this picture the other day. I asked her what God was doing. She said, "He is watching over us just like He always does." She has started drawing us as smiley face people, so that is a new trend. But, I like it. I especially like that we are so happy while God watches over us!

Silly Lily

2011-11-05T21:49:00.003-04:00

Have a blessed day!

Marriage, Babies, and the Water

2011-10-16T16:28:00.000-04:00

Lily decided to have a wedding today at our house. She made a list of guests, then sent them invitations. After that, she told me that Mickey and Minnie were getting married...again. Since I have seen them get married before at our house, I took the opportunity to discuss how important it is to only get married once to your best friend.

To this, Lily informed me that Mickey and Minnie were best friends for a long time, then boyfriend and girlfriend, then they got married. After that, she said they had a baby. Then, they got married again, and they had another baby. Then, today they were going to get married again and have another baby. But, that is all the babies they want. I said, "You only have to get married once though- and you can have as many children as you want."

Then, Lily said, "But you and Baba always say you have to get married first, and then you can have a baby! So, they wanted 3 babies." She continued playing. They got married again, and then next thing I know, Lily says they are in China getting their baby (Hello Kitty who is Japanese, by the way). Lily brings me a sheet of paper and says read this- of course, I say, "Well, could you please read it to me." Lily replies, "Sure. It says- This is your baby from China. We hope she lives to be 100 years old, and when she dies- we hope she goes into the water." (That is from Return of the Dawn Treader where Aslan sends the mouse into the water to represent going to Heaven.)
Look what we have done to her! She thinks you get "married" to have babies and she thinks you to get to Heaven by going through the water. Of course, you kind-of do with baptism and all. And she should get married before she has a baby. Maybe, somehow, we are on the right track. I just love her imagination and her listening skills!

Wacky Wednesday

2011-10-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

We are having Spirit Week at school, and Lily is enjoying her different outfits. I think that Wacky Wednesday has been her favorite. She was so excited to get to wear her tu-tu with her accessories that didn't really match. She said she felt like Fancy Nancy today! Of course, she was really happy when I dressed wacky, too! After our day at school, she also got to go to the dentist all dressed up! What a fun day!

Package from NeverLand?

2011-09-19T16:30:00.001-04:00

Julie and her family used to be our neighbors. Today, Lily got a surprise package from them.

She wondered if they came from NeverLand? They did look like Tinkerbell had sent them just for her!

When she dressed up in this orange one, she said she was a "Tigger Fairy"! Thank you so much for sending Lily this special package. I know she will enjoy these adorable tu-tus and their accessories!

More Aunt Fancy Nancy Fashions!

2011-09-04T18:06:00.003-04:00

Check out this adorable brown and pink polka-dot outfit! Lily just loved it. She couldn't wait to wear it to church this morning. After church and lunch with our family, she was thrilled to go shopping at the mall. She informed us that she really needed some headbands with bows and flowers on them to match all of her fancy clothes!

She also let us know that for Christmas this year, she only wants Disney dress-up clothes. Yay! We have already started shopping since Rapunzel is her favorite character. We are enjoying this phase of watching her be our little princess!

Aunt Fancy Nancy Shops Again!

2011-09-03T16:45:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much Aunt Fancy Nancy for the new fashions that arrived upon our doorstep a few days ago! Lily was thrilled with brand-new clothes! She could not wait until she got to wear this outfit to school. She even put on some sparkly pink Sephora eye shadow with some lip gloss. She had to get "fancy" since she had fancy fashions to wear!

We will post another photo after she wears the adorable brown & pink ensemble!

FPKids & the World

2011-08-20T18:45:00.003-04:00

Lily had some FPKids homework to do last weekend for church. She was so excited to learn about what God's Grace was really all about. One way that we showed her was by making some homemade cookies to share with family and friends. It was a way of showing her how Grace is all about getting something we totally don't deserve.

Part of her Bible Study for the week was drawing the world and labeling all of its parts. She did this all by herself by looking at her Melissa & Doug World Puzzle. We were really proud of her, and as you can see by the first picture- she was really proud of herself, too!

Lily's Afterschool Friends

2011-08-13T09:12:00.003-04:00

Lily loves Kaitlyn and Kaylee! Thank you girls for taking care of Miss Lily afterschool so I can get my work done! Lily cannot wait to see you and play with you every day!

Lily's First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-10T18:28:00.002-04:00

Lily had a wonderful day today! She loves her teacher, Mrs. Stewart! She has told us all about her day- she made a schoolbus, colored an apple with a green leaf and a brown stem, went to Computer Lab where her teacher said, "Do not throw the headphones!" , went outside to play on the playground, and went to Art & Music. She said that in Art she got to tell three things about herself- "My favorite movie is Mulan. I love to play a lot! I love to watch t.v. I have a cat named Sushi." She had her school smile on all day today! She also ate all of her lunch that Baba packed for her: strawberries, grapes, sliced deli turkey, BBQ Pringles, string cheese, and a Yoo-Hoo. She got to help pack her lunch last night.
She also said, "I did not get in trouble one time!" She better not EVER! :0)

Lily's Ukelele

2011-07-28T15:46:00.003-04:00

While we were in Myrtle Beach, we found this purple Ukelele for Lily at a cool music store. Jamie loved it immediately because it reminded him of his grandfather who played the Ukelele. At one point, he even taught Jamie how to play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." So, we have spent the summer learning how to play. Lily has always wanted to play the guitar, like Taylor. So, we thought we would start with this instrument. She loves it!

Sushi Love

2011-07-26T09:51:00.003-04:00

Chocolate Milk, Cheetos, and Sushi...make Lily a very happy little girl!

What she says...

2011-07-20T18:40:00.005-04:00

"I really want some of that BarbeCUBE today. It is yummy!"

"I need to put on some lipgloss today because I am going on a special occasion!"

"Make sure Sushi stays in here with you since she is always a good stayer."

"Okay- you sit here, and you sit here, and you sit here....(waiting with hands on hips)...pllllease!"

"I really love your tattoos, but I am never going to get one of those because there will be blood."

(Two days later) "I am going to get one of those tattoos when I grow up...probably a small heart."

"I think I need a Kit Kat."

"Remember, when I grow up, I want a hot pink Mini Cooper. Now, don't forget, okay!"

After watching Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, "Next time we go swimming, I am ready to go to Heaven." (In the movie, Aslan says his land is beyond the water.) "I am excited to see Nana Claire. But, I will miss you since we can't come back here after we go there." The questions and statements about Heaven are constant and very interesting.

We can't wait to hear what she will say next....

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood...

2011-07-20T18:29:00.003-04:00

Ever since Lily started watching movies, she has been a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh. We have Tigger's Movie and Lumpy's Movie- which have been favorites from month to month. In the beginning, Piglet was Lily's favorite character...then Roo...then Tigger...now Pooh. Rabbit will never be her favorite because "he is too bossy."

Needless to say, we have been counting down the days to see the new Pooh movie at the theater. So, Lily could not wait to see it last weekend. We even made a desired trip to our local Disney Store to buy a Pooh, along with some winter pajamas that just had to be worn now. The movie was an absolute treat for all three of us. How wonderful it is to be able to go to a movie and know that everything in it is going to be completely okay for Lily to see!

If you haven't been to see it yet, make sure to stay for all of the credits...yes, every last one. Otherwise, you could miss the whole point of the movie. It is not over until all the credits are gone, and you see the hundred acre wood back on the screen. We would have missed it if Jamie hadn't read about it on-line.

The Flower Girl and the Shoes

2011-07-19T17:14:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl named Lily. She had always longed to be a flower girl. One day, her Aunt Manda asked her if she would be one of her flower girls for her wedding. Lily was thrilled. So each day, she practiced and practiced and practiced for her very important job. Finally, the wedding day arrived. No one had told her it would be such a long day- she waited and waited and waited. She just thought she could not wait another minute. She could not wait to drop the fragile flower petals down the center aisle in the church. All of a sudden, everyone began to get even more excited as the bridesmaids put their high heel shoes on for the big moment. Lily was really unsure why the girls kept taking their shoes off all day long. Before Aunt Manda walked down the aisle, Lily finally was able to be a flower girl. She walked in the middle of the two older girls, delicately laying down one petal at a time. When she reached the area where she was told to stand, she did so happily...for a few minutes. Why had no one explained to her how long this wedding would take? She knew it had to have been at least 5 minutes by now! She looked up at her Mama, and she whispered, "My legs are really tired." She saw her Mama's face, and she knew she had better turn back around and do her job. But, seriously, she was tired, and that basket was really heavy. So, she decided to just sit it down for a few minutes. Wait a minute, Lily thought, maybe that is why all of the girls in the wedding kept taking their shoes off all day. They were probably tired of standing, too. So, it couldn't hurt to take my shoes off, Lily said to herself. She quietly removed her shoes, and quickly realized that things must be coming to end. She watched as Aunt Manda and Uncle Bernie walked down the aisle with loud applause. Then, she watched as her cousins walked out. "Uh-oh," she exclaimed when it was her turn. "I don't have my shoes on!" Everyone in the audience was smiling at her, while the two flower girls were staring at her...waiting on her! It was the easiest thing to turn and wait on her Mama and Baba to walk. She decided to just walk back with them. She would remember next time she got to have this very important job that you probably should keep your shoes on.

And Mama will remember to always explain everything to her daughter...absolutely everything...next time!

Note: The photo was taken by Doodle B Photography. You can check them out on FaceBook!

Getting Ready for Dinner

2011-07-18T11:11:00.002-04:00

Aunt Manda and Uncle Bernie got married this weekend. Yay! Lily got to be a flower girl, and she was beyond thrilled! This is a picture before the wedding rehearsal and dinner.

Last night after we got back home, Lily was completely worn out from the weekend. She had fallen asleep on the way home-- actually during dinner at Abuelo's---We carried her to bed. She woke up for just a minute, and she said the sweetest words. "Mama- I am so glad I am here. I am so happy that God made you. I love you super much!"

Thank you, Father God, for this beautiful child that you have blessed us with! She is an angel!

I Love You More...

2011-07-14T20:40:00.002-04:00

As soon as we held Lily in our arms, we began saying these words, "We love you more than all the chopsticks in China!" Over the years, it has become a game between the three of us that we often play. "I love you more than all the pandas....I love you more than all the bicycles...I love you more than all the rice-in China..." It is always fun to see what Lily comes up with and how many things we can think of that remind us of our time in China together.

This tattoo has been brewing in our minds for awhile....the chopsticks represent our saying, while the Chinese characters stand for Lily's Chinese name- Wan Jin Mi. Mi Mi was the name she went by in China.

Lily Grace (Wan Jin Mi)-

Your Baba loves you more than all the chopsticks in China!

All Grown Up

2011-07-14T11:53:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure what it is... the constant need to put on her Sephora pink eyeshadow with her lipgloss, her unending questions about Heaven- (how we get there, who we will see, and what it is going to be like), her constant questions about marriage and babies, her need to tell everyone what to do "really nicely", or the fact that she keeps growing taller and taller.... But, everyday, we look at each other and comment about how Lily is growing up.

She has always loved everything Disney, but now, she has a new found passion for Mulan. I think it is because she finally understands the movie, along with how amazing Mulan's character truly is. She is constantly reminding us that certain people (in movies or life) are breaking God's rules. She completely understands wrong from right, and she has even started counting for herself. (You know- "Now, Lily- you have to the count of 3. 1...2...3" She means it, too. I told her the other day, I am just waiting for her to put herself in time-out. She thought that was hilarious, but she also thought it might be a good idea.

With every change, I enjoy her little spirit, her personality, her creative-side, her love for God and Jesus, her love for her family and friends---even more! Every day, we pray that God will make us into excellent examples for our daughter. He has given us such a gift, and we pray that we can raise her with God's guidance, strength, and grace every day!

My "Stretch Marks"

2011-07-07T16:12:00.007-04:00

Some Mamas get to have stretch marks after they have their child, so I decided to get a "stretch mark" of my own. Forever, I want Lily to see my tattoo and know that my love for her is unconditional, forever, and neverending- just as God's love for her.

Waiting for Lily stretched my faith. Having Lily here now has stretched my understanding of unconditional, amazing, forgiving, spectacular love! My tattoo is a representation of those things- the love for my beautiful Asian princess and the love of my Father in Heaven which is the most amazing love of all!

My Lily- always remember that I love you more than all the chopsticks in China!

Our Last Day of Vacation

2011-07-07T16:02:00.003-04:00

Lily had a wonderful evening playing on the beach with Liana and Marah.

She took advantage of being able to run wild on the beach and chase the waves into the ocean...

This was a common sight to see during our week long vacation together. I just couldn't get enough of these hugs and moments for the girls to become lifelong friends.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures that was taken that evening. I loved watching the girls together, and seeing them share this vacation together. I hope that it is the first of many more to come!

Friends Forever

2011-07-06T09:53:00.002-04:00

The girls genuinely seemed to love being around one another. They could always find something to do each day. Lily couldn't wait to wake up because she knew the girls were there...

Of course, I have to mention that Marah woke Lily up most days. This really made Lily happy. On one of the last days, she asked for Marah when she woke up because she wasn't in there "to do her job". Then, she asked if we could take the girls home with us so they could wake her up every day!

They were always busy, busy, busy! The next post will be beach pictures of our last evening together on vacation. I am sad to once again see this vacation come to an end.

Argh...A Pirate's Life for Me!

2011-07-05T10:35:00.003-04:00

We went on a Pirate's Adventure on an actual pirate ship with an actual captain. The girls had the best time.

First, they put on their pirate garb along with their tattoos to get ready for their voyage.

Then, they went out into the water searching for Pirate Pete and the treasure.

After a water cannon battle and some Grog (a pirate's beverage), they found the treasure and sailed for home.

....Fearless

2011-07-03T20:07:00.003-04:00

"I don't know how it could get better than this..." as Taylor sings...with a huge smile on Lily's face.

Did you know how much happiness a $5.00 flashy Taylor Swift light can bring to a child? Pure delight and enjoyment!

I had to show a picture of Taylor in Lily's favorite dress of the evening. When we left the concert, Lily said, "Taylor is so amazing! How did she change clothes so much and so quickly! When do we get to come back?" That was the beginning of the hour-long endless discussion and play-by-play of the evening. It really was a great concert, and Taylor does a wonderful job introducing young children to a broadway production concert with some class and style. We had a great night!

The Skywheel Makes Me Happy!

2011-07-01T10:18:00.002-04:00

David, Beth, Liana, and Marah couldn't wait to take us on the skywheel. Lily was so excited to ride it!

However, Jamie did not completely feel the same way. He was scared! He is extremely terrified of heights and bridges... for future reference! But, he made it! It was a lot of fun!

An Evening at the Boardwalk

2011-06-30T10:10:00.002-04:00

Lily loved to copy Liana as much as she could, but she has always loved trying to be just like her.

There were lots of hugs on this trip together. If we left each other for just moments, Lily and Marah would embrace as though they hadn't seen each other in years! It was so sweet!

We had such a wonderful vacation with Beth, Marah, Liana, and David!

The girls were always having fun together, no matter where we were!

The Children's Museum

2011-06-29T11:16:00.002-04:00

We spent the second morning at the Children's Museum. The girls really enjoyed going from station to station inventing things, being creative, and having fun.

In Lily's vacation journal, making this huge bubble was her favorite thing from the day. Liana went first, and she did a great job making her bubble.

After Marah, it was Lily's turn. Before we left, she had to go back and try this experiment again.

The girls really enjoyed spending the day together!

First Day at the Beach

2011-06-28T11:00:00.002-04:00

Lily absolutely adored the beach. She loved everything about the sand, the water, and especially-- the seashells. She never complained one time about wanting to leave.

She even loved the ocean water, and she enjoyed splashing in the waves as they came upon the shore. But, most of all, she loved playing with her friends- Liana and Marah.

Marah loved collecting seashells, too, and she also loved jumping into the ocean over and over and over again. She was so much fun to watch. She also learned how to surf on a boogie board.

Liana was a big sister to both girls the whole week. She took care of them, and she made sure they were going where they were supposed to go. She gave up many turns on her board each day to let the girls play instead.

Last night, while we were watching HGTV, a family was discussing going on vacation to Hawaii. Lily immediately said that she wanted to go to that beach. Then, she said, "But would we be going on vacation all by ourselves to Hawaii?" We said, "Well probably." She said, "Oh, well, then never mind. I only want to go on vacation with Beth and David's family."

Vacation.... in Savannah!

2011-06-27T13:02:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful time in Savannah. Our trip started there, and after three days, we went to Myrtle Beach with Beth, David, Liana, and Marah. So, Myrtle Beach pictures will be coming this week.

These are some pictures in our favorite restaurant- Belford's. They had the most delicious food!

Lily went on her first carriage ride throughout the city. It was a 55 minute historical tour, and she did great. She loved riding with the horses.

Here she is listening intently to the stories that the lady told us.

We also loved staying at The Bohemian Hotel. It was quite fantastic and beautiful! Come back tomorrow for the first of many pictures of the girls together at the beach.

Lily in Kindergarten (with the smile!)

2011-06-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

Lily's Aunt Ella visited her at school today during her Kindergarten class. She took some pictures of her while she was working. I love this picture because she has her "school smile" on!

She truly loves LOVES LOVES school! Every day, I hear "Do I get to go to school today?" Thank you Ruella for taking these pictures! I love them!

Lily's Birthday (Finally!)

2011-06-06T17:25:00.004-04:00

Sorry it has taken so long to post these... We have been super busy with my new room at school! The first few pictures were from the Aquarium. Lily loved being there!

She loved the Butterflies!

And the penguins!

She also enjoyed getting in the shark cage...

and seeing the big spider crab!

Then, later that evening, she wanted Aunt Trina and Aunt Ella to come over for her birthday.

She opened up lots of presents.

She loved getting her new Taylor Swift CD.

She loved her new Disney Princesses! And Sushi had a lot of fun, too!

Happy 4th Birthday, Princess Lily!

2011-05-18T18:48:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, after church, Lily got to celebrate her birthday early with her Nana and Poppa.

She picked her "Taylor Swift" dress to wear. She started calling it this because Taylor loves polka dots so much. If only you could have seen her sparkles all over her with her pink and purple painted toes. She was definitely dressed up like a princess!

And I almost forgot the Tinkerbell tattoo on her arm! Lovely! She loved spending the afternoon with Nana and Poppa!

Later this week, I will post her birthday "day" pictures!

(Thank you, Aunt Nancy, for this beautiful dress, too! Lily loves it!)

Lily's Video

2011-05-15T20:45:00.001-04:00

Just click on the link to go to YouTube and view Lily's video...
http://youtu.be/1iOS-wugxXM

Mink March 2011

2011-05-14T15:43:00.003-04:00

Our theme was "We are the world... We are the future."

Lily and Sushi

2011-05-08T16:18:00.003-04:00

Sushi is the sweetest kitten we have ever had! She just lets Lily pick her up any-which way. The pictures show how sweet she truly is!

Easter

2011-04-30T18:13:00.006-04:00

Lily is hiding her eyes while we bring out her Easter basket before church. Aunt Fancy Nancy has been shopping again...this time she bought her a beautiful dress. She also bought her a beautiful polka dotted dress and a fun summertime outfit. I have already posted pictures of Lily in the polka dot dress on Facebook. THANK YOU, Aunt Fancy Nancy!Miss Lily loves her new stamp set. She is looking forward to using it after church.She has a big smile for her chocolate Easter bunnies and her pink bunny Peeps.She just had to eat one of the pink bunnies before we left, so I had one, too!After church, we went to Jamie's grandparents' house for lunch and an egghunt.Lily, Nathan, and Elijah were waiting patiently for the eggs to be hidden.Finally, it was time for the big egg hunt...It took FOREVER for them to find the green egg placed above the hose. It was hilarious. Finally, Elijah found it.Keely was having fun just holding onto the real Easter eggs. Lily was super happy to have found one of the money eggs! Yay, Ice Cream money!

Meet Sushi

2011-04-25T17:20:00.003-04:00

Sushi is Lily's birthday present. She has been wanting a kitten for a long time, and we made her wait so that we could give Jambalaya all of our attention. ( She has also had the name picked out for a long time, too!) Sushi is a Tonkinese kitten, and her mother's name is Bella. Tonkinese kittens are a mixture of Siamese and Burmese. We will be going to pick her up on May 14th- the purrfect time since Lily's birthday is on the 17th. Isn't she beautiful! Lily cannot wait for her birthday present!

Goodbye Jambalaya...

2011-04-23T17:52:00.003-04:00

We said goodbye to our 17-year-old cat this morning. We were sitting outside crying (all 3 of us) when Lily said, "It is a good thing that Jesus died for us so that Jambalaya can go to Heaven. I am so glad that Nana Claire will get see Jambalaya again today. She will be so happy to have her. Do you think Jambalaya will see Moses and Noah too?" I am so thankful that Lily knows what Easter is all about.

We will all miss Jo-Jo (Jambalaya) forever. She was the most perfect cat in the world. Our house is just not the same without her. I am so thankful that God made cats.

We miss you Mickey Mouse!

2011-04-14T19:05:00.003-04:00

Now, we are just counting down the days until we can return to Disney....

We Love Epcot!

2011-04-13T18:29:00.003-04:00

Standing outside the French spot in Epcot- we were going to eat a turkey and brie cheese baguette, along with some delicious chocolate mousse. Lily also wanted a chocolate croissant!

Paris also had lots of things about Beauty & the Beast, one of Lily's favorites.

We can't forget- Marie- she will always be my favorite cat!

Lily was thrilled to meet Belle for the first time. The Beast had already left for the evening.

We were walking around the different countries that evening- see the Japanese drums in the background. They were so amazing!

Standing outside Italy, we decided that we needed to eat some pizza there...

But, Lily wanted spaghetti and meatballs. So, we ate at the Italian restaurant. They had the best pizza ever, along with some awesome servers. All of their ingredients are shipped directly from Italy, and it was obvious. The pizza was perfect! We can't wait to eat there again next time.

Lily's Pictures- Part 2

2011-04-11T18:31:00.002-04:00

Lily was really excited about taking pictures in Disney. She also wanted to switch places and have her picture taken in certain spots, like this one above...

Here are a few of her pictures she took in China @ Epcot...

We had to stop and take a picture of this chair. She just thought it was beautiful!

Of course, she had to take a picture of the lion...

She only took about 75 pictures in China while we were there this time!

I still have lots more pictures! :0)

Meeting Sully...and Mike

2011-04-07T16:55:00.002-04:00

After she met Sully, she just had to have a little Sully. He is so cute, and we knew he definitely wanted to come home with us.

We met Mike last time, so he did not get a lot of attention from Lily. She was thrilled to see Sully for the first time.

She finally walked over to see Mike when Baba needed a hug from Sully, too!

They were both excited to meet these monsters. We are all excited for the new movie to come out!

More pictures will be on here tomorrow!

Toy Story Mania

2011-04-05T19:41:00.002-04:00

These pictures were from our wait to see Buzz... which turned into a wait to see Woody at the last minute. She loves them both, but Buzz is her favorite. Toy Story Mania was also one of our favorite rides!!! SO much fun!

Our little picture queen... she seriously loves to have her picture taken.

This is a classic Princess Lily shot. Did I mention how much she loves it when everyone calls her Princess at Disney World? I love that everyone does that, too. That is such a great idea that someone came up with years ago.

She is in the luggage where Jessie was with Woody in Toy Story 2...then, Buzz left and Woody came to replace him---

Lily said, "I was a little nervous about Woody. He was SOOOO TALL!"

Yes, I still have a lot more pictures. I haven't posted this much in forever! :0)

A Single Rider and Disney Junior

2011-04-01T16:12:00.005-04:00

Jamie was posing with Lily after waiting in the single rider line for the Rock'n RollerCoaster. We are so thankful for that line. Jamie was able to get in-and-out of rides that Lily cannot ride on...yet. She keeps telling us when she is a little taller then we can all ride together!

Standing outside waiting for the doors to open for the Disney Junior Playhouse.

Inside waiting to see the performance for the 2nd time. Lily knew what was coming, and she was so excited to see it again. She loves watching Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Little Einsteins.

Here she is during the show waiting for the gold doubloons to fall from the ceiling.

Here are Jake and Cubby... Cubby always says, "Oh Coconuts!" So, Lily likes to say it, too.

And don't forget Skully, their parrot friend! This show was absolutely wonderful. I am so glad that we waited in line to go see this one. It is definitely something we will go see again and again.

Socks, Fireworks, Croissants, and Pooh

2011-03-31T17:36:00.002-04:00

One of our favorite spots to see Pooh and Tigger is in England @ Epcot. They never have a long wait there; however, it is probably because everyone is outside waiting in the Mary Poppins and Alice lines which we did not even attempt this time.

We decided to purchase some matchy-patchy socks while we were there.

Lily loved sitting on the "deckony" eating her chocolate croissants from Paris.

This was our view of the fireworks from our "deckony" each night. See the little Eiffel Tower to the left of the fireworks. We just loved our room this time.

One other view of the Eiffel Tower when they highlight it with white lights during the fireworks celebration each night.

Come back tomorrow for pictures of Lily @ Hollywood Studios- her new favorite place because it is all about Toy Story & Disney Junior.

Our Little Photographer

2011-03-30T18:41:00.002-04:00

We were so happy to be on vacation together! It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with eachother. I cannot stop thanking God for our trip and our time together. The following pictures were just a few of the 300 pictures that Lily took on our trip.

This sign said "Blustery day" which was from the Winnie the Pooh characters inside the Flower & Garden Festival @ Epcot. This is one of Lily's favorite stories from Pooh. So, she had to take a picture of this word. She tries to use it as often as she can when we have blustery days.

She also had to take a picture of Tigger- one of her favorite characters.

For this picture, she saw it as we were walking- and we had to stop so she could take a good picture of these beautiful flowers.

This picture was taken (while we were shopping) for Aunt Trina because she loves butterflies.

She also really enjoyed us posing for her pictures, so we had to stop often and say "cheese".

Besides Nemo (which we rode about 20 times), Lily also loves the Donald Duck ride inside the Mexican Pavillion (which we also rode a bunch). When she saw the Mexican Donald, she got so excited and had to take his picture. Jamie said this picture taking idea was great because it saved us a lot of money. She took pictures instead of asking for presents.

I still have lots more pictures to share. So, keep checking back each day. Tomorrow, I will post some pictures of Lily eating her chocolate croissant on the "deckony".

Mulan & Lily

2011-03-29T17:43:00.002-04:00

Lily loved, loved, loved being in "China" this time. Later on this week, I am going to post a ton of pictures that our little photographer took. China was her favorite place to take pictures.

We spent a few days eating lunch in China at Epcot. It was so delicious. Lily truly loves rice and noodles with tons of duck sauce.

We have a smaller terra cotta warrior like this one at our house, so Lily thought it was really neat that she was as big as this one.

We were there for the Garden & Flower Festival @ Epcot. So, she loved taking pictures of all the interesting characters throughout the park.

Lotso & Lily

2011-03-28T17:23:00.003-04:00

Lily loved meeting all of the characters, but Lotso was by far her favorite this time. They hit if off instantly. I wish I had a video of her running to him. Then, he started tickling her and kissing her...

Lotso was so sweet- nothing like the character he played in Toy Story 3- Lily says.

She loved that she was actually in Sunnyside DayCare. Disney is truly amazing and creative!

Here we are traveling on the monorail, or as Lily calls it the "monoray".

We had to go ride the carousel since it is one of her favorite rides at Disney.

Come back tomorrow for more pictures...

A View to Love

2011-03-27T15:19:00.003-04:00

Staying at The Boardwalk at Disney is by far our favorite place, but this view was definitely the best. We were so excited to have a balcony, or as Lily called it "a deckony" where we could sit and watch the fireworks from Epcot every night. She also loved sitting outside looking at the Eiffel Tower and eating chocolate croissants.

This was another view from our deckony.

Lily loved that she matched Daisy when we went to Epcot the first day...

She was all about getting her picture made with everyone on this trip- Pluto...

and Minnie got lots of hugs from Lily!

There will be lots more Disney pictures every day this week...

Aunt Fancy Nancy Fashion Show

2011-03-11T18:44:00.004-05:00

Aunt Fancy Nancy has been doing some Spring shopping for Miss Lily- the fashion model...

She could not wait to do her fashion show with her new clothes after dinner tonight.

How cute is this one with the matching headband... we are loving this cute skirt!

Now, if you cannot tell- she seriously enjoys being a fashion model...

She loves posing for the camera...

Aunt Nancy- this smile is all for you! She is so pleased and thankful for her new clothes!She loves her new Easter dress, too! She loves the matching coat....And she is amazed at how the inside matches her dress, too!

THANK YOU, Aunt "Fancy" Nancy for thinking of Lily and spoiling her rotten!

WinterJam Rocks!

2011-03-05T19:11:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of pictures of Lily before we headed out for the concert...

She was so excited to see Newsboys! She had a great time, dancing and singing...

And praising our God! I am so thankful for the opportunity to worship God in a group of 18,000 people! We had a wonderful, blessed evening!

Elijah's Birthday

2011-02-12T15:18:00.002-05:00

Lily is finally all better, and today was Elijah's birthday party. Elijah is Lily's cousin.

He had a Toy Story themed party at Wee Bounce, which is one of Lily's favorite places.

Here is Elijah with Lily. He will be 5-years-old on Valentine's Day.

Here is Lily with all of her cousins!

Here is the birthday boy with Lily's Aunt Manda & Uncle Bernie! Lily had a wonderful time at Elijah's party! Happy Birthday, Elijah!

Fancy Nancy Fashions

2011-02-06T15:01:00.002-05:00

Lily has been sick this weekend. She ran her first really high temperature, and she ended up having Tonsillitis. She has not felt very well, but today she is beginning to feel a little better. Aunt Nancy, or as Lily refers to her Aunt Fancy Nancy, sent her some new clothes this weekend. Lily did not feel up to trying everything on today, but she wanted to show off her new pajamas.

Thank you Aunt Fancy Nancy for this BIG surprise. Lily loves her new clothes...

especially her hot pink pajamas! She says she will feel up to a fashion show later this week!

Conversations with Lily

2011-01-31T19:14:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we were walking around the block. Lily was asking a thousand questions, and somehow we started talking about drains. This led to Ratatouille, and then onto the questions about rats living under the streets. Lily said, "I think rats might be able to see better in the dark." I replied, "Maybe they are nocturnal. Do you know what nocturnal means?" Lily answered, "Oh, yes. Stinky possums are nocturnal and bats and owls. That means they sleep during the day and they are awake at night." I said, "Where did you learn that?" She said, "The Cat in the Hat. He was telling Nick and Sally, and I just learned that."

She is learning like crazy. She knows her right from her left, she can identify all coins, she knows many sight words, she is able to add and subtract basic numbers, and she is quickly learning opposites. She knows her sounds, and she is learning about clusters. She is learning how to read menus when we go out to eat, and she can operate any computer. She is an absolute sponge. I find myself telling her all kinds of things and explaining everything constantly. I absolutely love this age!

Happy Chinese New Year! (with one more video)

2011-01-30T16:30:00.006-05:00

We had a great evening with our friends at our local Chinese Restaurant. I made a new friend, Emma. Lily decided she is ready for a little sister now after being around Emma all evening.

We had fun trying to get all of the girls together for a photo!

But, Lily kept smiling at Jamie while he was trying to get a good picture of the girls.

We decided to wear matching purple for the evening! Lily is beginning to like purple again!

I like this picture because it shows how much red is in Lily's hair. Lily says our hair looks like its about the same color in the picture below.

Here is another video:

Lily's First Bible Verse

2011-01-27T19:36:00.001-05:00

This was Lily's first Bible verse that she memorized a couple of months ago.

Stay tuned this weekend for more videos!

Dress Up!

2011-01-27T17:53:00.003-05:00

Lily loves to dress up her Baba...
She is so proud of her skills!

Of course, I have a turn, too!

We just got a brand-new computer that is as fast as lightening. So, get ready- because you are about to be bombarded with videos and pictures galore over the next few days!

A Snow Day!

2011-01-10T18:56:00.004-05:00

We headed outside this afternoon to play in our 6+ inches of snow!
Our next door neighbor came over and brought a sled he made this morning.

Lily got to have her first sled ride with Baba and James, our neighbor.

There she is with the two of them, along with Maggie, who was also enjoying the snow.

Lily even got to sled all by herself. She really enjoyed this new snowy day activity.

She had so much fun just playing in the snow...

Making snow angels...

Throwing snowballs...

and laughing as much as possible!

We had a wonderful day together! It reminded me so much of the snowy days we used to have when we were younger. I hope we get another day of this tomorrow!

Christmas Eve Family Photos

2010-12-28T18:26:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve @ Nana and Poppa's House
We are ready for Aunt Pam's Lasagna!

This is Aunt Manda (Jamie's sister) and Uncle Bernie

Uncle Gene (Jamie's brother) and Aunt Holly

Lily's Great-Grandparents (Jamie's grandparents)

Poppa, Nana, Elijah, and Lily

After the pictures, we ate some delicious lasagna and opened presents.

We had a great evening together, and Lily enjoyed spending time with her family!

New Toys!

2010-12-26T11:58:00.006-05:00

I had to start with her favorite present first. This was the last thing she opened, but she absolutely loves this tent! She asked for a tent for Christmas, but we had no idea we had ordered one this BIG! We can all fit in here! So, this was one of her presents from us...

First, she opened her stocking which also had 3 presents in it- because you know about our 3 presents tradition since that is how many gifts that Jesus was given.

She got her first jump rope which has been a hoot to watch, along with some Disney Princess figures, and Russell Stover candy which is a tradition started with Nana Claire years and years ago.

Then, she opened up her Lotso Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3. She LOVES Lotso! I love him, too. He smells like strawberries (which is Lily's favorite food) and he is hot pink (which is her favorite color)- so clearly- she LOVES him. If you have seen the movie, you will understand Lily's comment to us last night before bed, "I am so glad that MY Lotso is so sweet! He is not like the one in the movie!" Lotso was present #2 from us.

Now, she is opening present #3- a LeapFrog Leapster. Wow! This has definitely been a great buy. It is a wonderful gift for her. She is already enjoying playing the Kai-lan game we got her, along with the free ones we got with it.

Then, Suzette came over, and Lily got to open up her presents from her. She got her some more magnet dolls, a Princess cash register which is also awesome, and...

Lily FINALLY got her BIG Nemo that she asked for over the summer. She has had to wait on him for a long time, and he was worth the wait.

She also got something else she has been asking for- her Magic Kingdom Castle Set.

We have had hours of fun with this castle. Lily has had a Royal Ball with all of the characters, and we have had the best time listening to Lily play with all of her new toys. I think we are as excited about Christmas presents as she is! It is so much fun to have new things to play with!

Tomorrow, I will post family pictures from Christmas Eve with Jamie's family. We are going to continue enjoying this beautiful, blessed snowy Christmas weekend!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2010-12-25T12:40:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful Christmas miracle---a white Christmas!!!

I will post Christmas present pictures this evening...

Christmas with "Ella & Teena"

2010-12-24T10:45:00.003-05:00

Lily got to celebrate Christmas with her Aunts last night- Aunt Trina and Aunt Ruella. After dinner, she opened presents... Ruella got her this ladybug pillow pet.

Lily enjoys unwrapping her presents. Aunt Trina made sure to wrap her presents with Tinkerbell paper, which is still Lily's favorite character.

Below is a picture of the three of them...

Aunt Ruella (Ella)....Lily... Aunt Trina (Teena)

She LOVES her Aunts!

So, here she is with all of her presents. Trina gave her Mittens and Rhino from BOLT. Needless to say, we have a new bed-buddy--- Mittens, the black & white kitty.

This is a picture from our snow a few weeks ago. I kept forgetting to put it on here. This was a picture before we headed to Faith Promise for church. This was a day that Lily kept praying for snow all day- and every time she prayed, it snowed! She kept saying how awesome God was because He was really listening to her! I hope we have more snow tomorrow!

Merry Christmas everyone! I will post more pictures tomorrow afternoon sometime!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-04T15:55:00.003-05:00

We have spent a rainy, dreary Saturday in the house playing dress-up and playing with Legos.

Our tree has been up since October 30th- our own family tradition of beginning Christmas at the end of October.

But, Lily likes to rearrange the ornaments often. So, today, she moved a few around again.

This year, she was in complete control of Christmas tree decorations! She did a great job!

I had to finish off with a picture of Lily's laughter. Laughing and giggling is one of her favorite things to do! Thank you, Mrs. Alice, for the beautiful new jewelry. Lily has enjoyed dressing up with her new earrings!

Thanksgiving in the Smokies

2010-11-28T18:03:00.002-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving in the Smokies with Jamie's family this year. It was a Thanksgiving/Birthday Celebration for his grandmother. In the picture above, we had spent the morning watching the Macy's Parade. Lily loved it! She loved it last year, too. However, this year she kept telling us how much she really wants to go see it next year. We are considering this for a future family outing because we do love New York. We can't wait to share that trip with her.

This picture is from the night before at Jamie's grandmother's birthday dinner. We stayed at the Park Vista Hotel which was really nice. We had a great time spending time with family.

This was the view we woke up to on the first morning we were there. Check out what was underneath the smokiness...

Pretty cool, huh! We were surprised at our view from our hotel balcony.

We enjoyed the weekend! Plus, we ended up spending some time going to see TANGLED which was the best Disney movie ever! We loved it. Jamie still loves Princess & the Frog the most, but Tangled is now my new favorite. I think it is Lily's too since she had to have the Rapunzel doll at the Disney Store today after church!

We love Sundays!

2010-11-14T16:15:00.006-05:00

We have started going to a new church which is 45 minutes from our house. We are cherishing these moments together. That much time in the car every weekend has been wonderful for talking, singing, and just spending time together. So, today, I took the camera with me. I taped a lot of things. So, I hope you have time to enjoy a few minutes of Lily-entertainment.

I am sorry! I am having a horrible time getting these videos to upload. I have one of her singing her ABCs, the "Tinkle Tinkle" song, telling a made-up story, and just talking in the car. I will try again sometime this week.

Remembering...and Catching Up

2010-11-09T16:03:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it seems like yesterday that we were in China.... but Lily is 3 1/2 now! I just cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. I haven't posted in awhile because work is so busy this year for Jamie and me. Of course, having a 3-year-old makes my computer time absolutely pointless. Besides, I would much rather be playing with Lily!

Lily is doing great. She is growing and growing. She amazes me every day with the conversations that we have. She has a major obssession with cleaning now- but she is just like her OCD Mama. So, I can't really fuss too much about that. She is really into telling stories and making up her own songs. She has been making up songs for awhile, but these actually make sense. She loves to do school work of any kind- writing her letters, coloring, figuring out patterns. Her new favorite tv shows are Team Umizoomi and Wonder Pets. She is learning a lot about math and the world from these shows. I really like them, too. She enjoys shopping probably a little too much, and she loves going out to eat. Her favorite meal at the moment is steak, but she also loves anything that has to do with pasta.

Right now, she is extremely excited about Christmas since we put our tree up last weekend. She has 6 presents under the tree- 3 from Aunt Suzette and 3 from us. (Since Jesus only got 3 presents- she says.) I had no idea that she would remember every ornament and where they came from. I told her stories last year, but I had no idea she was paying that much attention. Getting the ornaments out, she would gasp and happily hug each one, telling me where they came from or who they belonged to before she gently hung them on the tree. I think Jamie and I were responsible for about 10 ornaments, but the tree has been redecorated a few times since the original hangings.

I will try to post some pictures this weekend, and I will try to get a little video for you to see.

Dress-Up, Board Games, and Driving Around

2010-10-17T14:26:00.004-04:00

This has been such a beautiful weekend! We spent most of Saturday morning inside playing dress-up and going to a ball where we danced, waltzed, and twirled. Then, we headed outside for the afternoon hours...

While Baba trimmed bushes, mowed, and weed-eated; we continued learning how to drive. I am not sure when Lily will ever get her driver's permit! Then, we played with sidewalk chalk. We actually helped Baba a lot, too! Lily said, "This is so much fun carrying all of these sticks to the road!" We are so thankful she is such a good, willing helper!

We ended up back inside for the evening playing more dress-up. We also spent hours playing board games- Lily's favorites at the moment are Hungry Hippos, Memory (the Kai-lan version), Chutes and Ladders, and Hi Ho Cherry O! I think that CandyLand and Operation will be our next purchases! We saw a Toy Story version that looks like so much fun!

I am truly enjoying this new Lily who loves to dress-up! By the way, for those who don't know- Lily has changed her name. She is now Lily Grace Flower Davis- and she is very serious about it! :0)

The Princess Parlor....Finally a Fairy Princess!

2010-09-25T23:21:00.007-04:00

I have to start with this picture first simply because it reminds me of a Breakfast at Tiffany's shot. Plus, for those of you who remember the post from last year, we had no idea how this evening would go. Lily would barely participate the last time we went to The Princess Parlor. This time was different. She was very excited about dressing up like one of Tinkerbell's friends.
We went this time to celebrate Kenli's birthday.

Lily knew immediately which dress she wanted. Even though we had some difficulties, she was allowed to wear the dress in the end. After last year, I was so thankful that she was able to wear the one she wanted.

She is in the dressing room choosing her jewelry in this picture.

Now, she is really taking a good look at her fairy princess dress. She picked this out all by herself, and I just loved it. I wish I could find one to buy for her at home.

Next, they put her fingernail polish on, a little blush and eyeshadow, and some lipgloss.

She was ready for all of it! She looked beautiful with the make-up they put on her.

Of course, we had to get a picture with Lily and her Baba. There will be more of these...

I loved this picture of her with the flower, especially since she has changed her name to Lily Grace Flower. She has been telling that to family and friends lately.

Isn't this dress just beautiful! She was mesmerized by this flower.

Do you think she feels completely confident about how they are fixing her hair?

She listened and did what she was told when they began spraying her hair with hairspray.

I do believe that she likes what she sees.

I watched closely to see how they fixed her hair. I was amazed by what they could do with Lily's short hair. I hope I learned a few things.

She is really ready for her raspberry tea. She has been waiting so patiently for this tea. It was the one thing she remembered from last time that she loved.

Once again, she is wondering about this princess crown procedure...

Finally, everyone is ready for some tea. Can you see the look on her face? She is really ready for some tea. Kenli, the birthday girl, is in the middle. Kenli is so beautiful. Look at her gorgeous smile!

As soon as they sat the cup in front of her, Lily was drinking her tea. I am pretty sure she had many refills- as many as they would give her. She absolutely loves this tea!

She also enjoyed the plain vanilla cupcake.

I do love this shot of her drinking her tea through the glass window.

She certainly enjoyed her spot of tea and her scrumptious cupcake.

Now, it is time to dance. She is once again a little fearful of what is next.

Then, she remembers this is the part she loved last time. She loves to dance!

All of the girls danced together, while Kenli's Prince Charming, a.k.a. Baba, stood in the back watching. They had already had their dance together.

Then, Lily danced with her Prince Charming, too.

We had a wonderful evening! Thank you Kenli for inviting us to your birthday party!

Tigger & Lily

2010-09-17T19:41:00.003-04:00

We found Lily and Tigger hugging in her bed the other night.
It is always interesting to see who Lily is snuggled up with when she falls asleep.
When we showed Lily these pictures, she said that Tigger was really happy when he was hugging her in bed.

Hunting Eggs

2010-09-10T21:34:00.003-04:00

This was taken after an evening of hunting eggs. Lily loves hunting eggs in every room of the house. She enjoys finding brand-new hiding spots for her eggs. The other evening, she picked up an egg, and exclaimed, "Mama, Mama- the egg patched!" I thought, "What? What does patched mean?" Then she continued, "There is a baby in this egg! It patched! It patched! Do you see it?"

It patched (hatched)! Seriously- I love this age! The imagination, the stories, and the words are just absolutely entertaining. I could listen to her made-up stories and her imagination at work every second of the day.

Brownies & Secrets

2010-09-07T18:02:00.003-04:00

Over our long weekend, Lily came running into the living room. She said, "Mama- it's a secret...But, Baba and I are making you brownies!" We are at a new stage where everything is a "secret"!

Our new kitty...

2010-08-29T19:28:00.004-04:00

...named Lily! She just discovered that she can fit into Jambalaya's cat tree

Sleeping Beauty

2010-08-18T16:41:00.002-04:00

Lily is beginning to fall asleep in her own bed now, so we had to capture it on film. We cannot wait to see how and where she falls asleep each night...

Or where her animals end up...

Or how they push her out of the bed...

Or the fact that she was making phone calls when she fell asleep...

Or when she crawls up beside the washer and falls asleep on our brand-new kitchen floor!

Our Summer...

2010-08-02T19:59:00.002-04:00

I have had the best summer with Lily. I am so blessed to be a teacher and to be able to spend 2 months with my daughter every summer. I absolutely love everything about Lily. She started to blossom right after Spring Break, and she has continued to blossom this summer. She is turning into a little lady with such manners- "Yes, Mama." "Please with sugar on top." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Excuse me." "Whatever you say, Mama."- my personal favorite. Her new favorite word at the moment is actually. She is a caregiver who constantly wants to rub our backs, love on us, cover us up with blankets "since we are so cold", and just geuinely "take care" of us. Her favorite stuffed animals are Nemo and Roo, with Piglet coming in a close 3rd position. She loves watching movies- especially The Tigger Movie, Finding Nemo, The Heffalump Movie, and Wall-E. She enjoys reading to her stuffed animals and to us. She makes up the cutest stories. She also loves to cook in her kitchen, and she makes sure she feeds every stuffed animal she has in the process. No one ever gets left out. She is very aware of God and Jesus, and she wants to talk about them often. She also loves reading her picture-Bible and is completely convinced that she is the Princess who found Moses (because she does look just like her). Her prayers have become more intimate as she really talks to God about everything.

I am so sad to see this chapter of our lives come to an end, but I look forward to what the next one will bring. It was wonderful to have all day with her every day. I will cherish these moments for years to come. I also promise to cherish every second I get with her when tomorrow morning comes and I am officially a working Mom once again.

Family Reunion

2010-07-26T13:22:00.003-04:00

We went to Kentucky for a family reunion over the weekend. Lily loves her cousins- here she is with Alex.

Here she is with Wyatt and Alex- they are brothers.

Jamie took this photo with our camera. From the back left- Michael, Jonathan (both my cousins), Pop, Uncle Paul, Tommy (another cousin), with Uncle Tom on the end (Nana Claire's baby brother). His wife, Aunt Sharon is sitting in front of him. Tommy is their son. Aunt Ruth (Nana Claire's sister) is sitting beside Sharon. Then, Aunt Theresa is beside us. She was married to Mom's oldest brother. There were 7 children all together in Mom's family. Every family that had children had boys, except for Mom- she was the only one who had girls. How funny is it that all these years later, the exact same thing has taken place. All of my cousins who have children all have boys- except for me! I think that is interesting. Notice the little photographer on the front row- Lily is taking a picture of Baba!!

Here is Lily with Aunt Sharon. She followed her around most of the time. She loves going to Sharon and Tom's house. She loved spending time with the family- and so did we!

Lily's New Kitchen

2010-07-20T18:38:00.003-04:00

Well, that is what she is calling it anyway. Lily is thrilled to have a brand-new kitchen, but not even as thrilled as her parents.

So, here she is showing off her new snack bar where she eats lunch every day, along with her snacks.

She also loves this corner area because the bottom drawers are all hers. She has her silverware, plates, bowls, and cups in her drawers. She loves helping to set the table each night for dinner.

We love having our office area in our kitchen. It makes everything so much easier.

So, now, we are just waiting for our new floor which should be installed next Tuesday. Lily and her Mama have already been getting cooking lessons from Chef Baba. Lily helped me make Spinach con Queso the other night. It is one of her favorite things, so we tried to make it. We had a little difficulty with the roux- it was a little thick- but still delicious.

Next, Lily is going to help me make Lettuce Wraps. I am really looking forward to that! Baba is enjoying having 2 new "Chefs-in-the-making" in his kitchen.

Dollywood

2010-07-15T16:15:00.004-04:00

We got to Dollywood bright and early with our friends. Lily had to ride the carousel first!

We were the only people on the ride! So, Lily got to pick the kitty instead of the horse. She was thrilled to get to ride a cat!

Next, we flew on the elephant ride- really high in the air! Lily loved it!

Then, she went on more rides! She loves Disney World rides, but I had no idea that she would love these rides so much. She wasn't scared of anything!

Here I am holding Marah while we are getting ready to ride again. Marah loved to ride everything, too!

Lily rode this ride with Beth. Jamie and I didn't want to ride The Scrambler. But, Lily did. So, Beth said, "I will take you." Without a glance in our direction, Lily reached out and took Beth's hand. Amazing. Lily loves Beth!

Here she is riding the kiddie rides. I had no idea this duck would spin around so much!

Here, she rode with Liana and Marah. Marah was a little upset because she did not get to ride in the front seat. But, isn't that the sweetest upset face you have ever seen!

The girls were excited to steer themselves and push the buttons.

They had so much fun at Dollywood together on these rides. I had no idea they had all of these rides for kids.

She also rode on the train roller coaster and the shooting star ride. But, we didn't get pictures of it.

She even rode on things with strangers. Totally not like our Lily- but we are liking this independence she is displaying!

Jamie had to get into the action at KidsFest. He helped Lily make a tye-dye t-shirt. It is so cute! Of course, it is pink and purple!

After our day at Dollywood, we went back to the cabin, spent a little more time with our friends, then we headed out for dinner at Calhoun's. Then, it was time to head home. Lily and the girls loved spending time in the window of our upstairs bedroom at the cabin.

We had the best weekend! We really miss our friends, and we can't wait to see them again "next week"! We love you - Beth, David, Liana, and Marah! Can't wait to plan another vacation really soon!

ACCA Reunion

2010-07-13T12:00:00.005-04:00

We went to the Reunion at the Cirque de Chine on Saturday, July 10th.
We participated in the activities like hopsctoch...

blowing bubbles together...and

the acrobats showed the girls how to hula hoop.

Lily loved the acrobats, and she could not wait to see them perform.

This man helped Lily write her Chinese numbers in Calligraphy.

Lily was excited to write in this special way.

After she was finished, he wrote her name in Chinese for her.

Jamie got to write, too.

Then, Jamie got to show off his exceptional chopsticks skills while picking up marbles.

Lily wanted him to try on the Chinese mask.

Beth, Marah, and Liana were learning the art of paper folding.

We are really enjoying our day at the reunion.

Lily is coloring with the acrobats.

Liana was our photographer. She has always loved to take pictures, even back in our China days.

We ate a delcious Chinese meal, and Lily really enjoyed the noodles.

Sweet Liana with David. See Marah eating her ice cream.

Here are all of the families taking their children on stage for a picture with the acrobats at the end of the show. It was really great!

However, one sleepy little Lily didn't get to go on stage! At least she made it through most of the show!

I will post pictures of Dollywood tomorrow!

China Sisters

2010-07-12T13:44:00.003-04:00

We spent a wonderful weekend with our friends from South Carolina. Here is a picture of Marah, Lily, and Liana.

This was a moment when we were privledged to listen to a 3-year-old's conversation between China sisters. It is such a blessing to be able to reunite the girls together. Lily is only 2 weeks older than Marah. They are Wanzai sisters- they were from the same SWI.

Of course, Lily will always love Liana. She has looked up to her and wanted to be just like her. Any moments that Lily could be with Liana were treasured over the weekend.

I will post more pictures of our fun times together tomorrow!

The Yes Dance

2010-07-02T17:57:00.002-04:00

Lily has been making up stories, dances, and songs for awhile now. All of sudden she wants me to tape her when she is showing them to us. So, she said, "Mama, I want you to tape me doing the Yes Dance." Then, the above video is what I saw...

I have no idea where she got this! :0)

Summer Days

2010-06-29T19:44:00.002-04:00

This summer has been so crazy! We are remodeling our kitchen, and we have at least 2 more weeks before we have a countertop, sink, cooktop, and dishwasher again. I feel like we are really roughing it! :0)

Today, Lily decided to go all purple (which is a real rarity these days, since she is all about hot pink now). So, my sister took our picture since we were matchy-patchy.

Here is another rarity- a picture of Doodette- a.k.a. Suzette with Lily. We are sure enjoying these summer days. I cannot believe we have already been out of school for a month!

Next week, we will be traveling to spend some time with our friends, David & Beth and their wonderful daughters, Liana and Marah. We also get to spend some time with our brand-new friends, too. I am telling you this because there should be lots of pictures when we get home!

Farm Days

2010-06-02T13:02:00.002-04:00

We spent the weekend in Kentucky with my family. Lily had so much fun drawing with her sidewalk chalk.

She also enjoyed playing around on Pop's farm equipment.

Doesn't she look like such a big girl!

Of course, she had to check out the John Deere tractor, too!

Pop showed her all kinds of things about the garden.

She loves him so much!

Lily loves swinging with Mammow!

She made sure to give away lots of lovin' while we were there!

We also stopped to see Aunt Sharon and Uncle Tom on the way home. Lily could not stop talking about riding with Uncle Tom in his Mule. She really enjoyed the trek through the jungle! :0) It is always fun in Kentucky- Lily always manages to learn all kinds of new things.

Lily's Friends

2010-05-25T19:28:00.003-04:00

Lily is watching t.v. in her own room now before bedtime.
As you can see, a few of her "friends" join her in bed.
She actually slept in her own bed on Tuesday night until 1:45 a.m. when Jambalaya decided to try and sleep on her pillow. That woke Lily up, and she was not very happy about that.

Lily has been very specific about things lately, especially where she is going at home or away from home. Lately, she has been telling us which room she is going to in our house. We have had a few laughs over a couple of her names for our rooms: the "lemon" room, a.k.a. the living room; the "diamond" room, a.k.a. the dining room; and my personal favorite- the "pantie" closet, a.k.a. the pantry. I do love this age!

Wee Bounce and bounce and bounce...

2010-05-22T20:34:00.007-04:00

On the way to Lily's birthday party, she kept saying, "We don't want to be late." She has been so excited about her first actual party all day long.

Finally, she is able to play on all of the fun things at Wee Bounce. She loves this place!

This time, she is even going down the big slide all by herself. Oh, how things have changed!

She is eager and excited to try everything all by herself!

Here is her cousin, Nathan, having fun at her birthday party, too!

Her friend, Kenli, is having a wonderful time sliding and playing.

There Lily goes again down the big slide all be herself.

I showed her how to climb up to the big slide one time and that was all it took.

Here she is going through the obstacle course to get to the big slide.

I got to put more ponytails in her hair today. I am loving this new stage of Lily where she is enjoying me fixing her hair in different ways.

Here is her friend, Keaira, have fun at Wee Bounce, too.

I can't believe that she is 3 years old!

As usual, someone else really enjoyed their time at the party too!

Lily and Kenli are having fun sliding together!

How cute are they holding hands!

We love Lily's birthday cake with the Pixie Hollow & Disney Fairies theme!

Here Lily is with her friends, Jayci and Kenli. She is getting ready to blow out the candles!

It is sad to say, but remember, we are new to all of this... so guess who never took a picture of all of the children sitting together eating? That's right- US. Oh, well. I suppose there is next year. Thank you so much to all of our friends who brought their children to Lily's party tonight, and a special thank you to Aunt Trina and Aunt Suzette for coming tonight. It meant so much to Lily to have you all there!

Party with Aunt Teena & Aunt Ella

2010-05-19T19:20:00.004-04:00

Yay! More "Darbie" Dolls! Lily loves Barbie dolls now, and she plays with them for hours on end.

But, her first passion is still singing. So, Aunt Teena bought her a new microphone with a microphone stand that actually works.

Lily actually asked for a microphone stand for her birthday. So, the above expression is shows how super happy she is that she got something she asked for from Aunt Trina- as though that doesn't always happen.:0)

Yes, of course Lily is a gift herself. We tell her that all of the time!

So, here is the microphone. There has been a lot of singing going on in our house since yesterday.

Aunt Ella got her these cute Tinkerbell sunglasses, along with 10 or so other presents that Lily also loves. These Aunts definitely know how to spoil her!

How cute is this! She is all ready for her big performance at the Dove Awards! :0)One more shot of our Princess with her microphone. She is serious about this singing stuff.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lily!

2010-05-17T20:18:00.002-04:00

My favorite line is "Happy Birthday Princess Lily!"

Lily's First Party...

2010-05-16T19:50:00.003-04:00

Lily had a first family gathering this evening to celebrate her 3rd birthday. This was at her Nana and Poppa's house. Nana made her favorite Strawberry cake for her birthday.

Lily loves her Nana's cake. She ate and ate. She doesn't even like cake, but she loves this.

Then, she opened her present from Jamie's family. It was her very own Princess TV. She loves it! She couldn't wait to get it home and put it in her room. We will take pictures of everyone watching it later tonight. When I say everyone- I am talking about all of Lily's friends, a.k.a. stuffed animals. But, don't tell her I said that.

Her cousins, Nathan and Elijah, were watching her unwrap her presents.

Here is a picture of the newest family member- Keely. Lily said tonight that she couldn't wait until Keely get older so she can play with her because she is so sweet. She is looking forward to a girl cousin to play with.

Tomorrow, I am taking the day off to be with Lily on her birthday. We can't wait to spend the day together.

Finally....Ponytails!!!!

2010-05-15T08:41:00.002-04:00

Lily is a girly-girly...she loves hot pink everything... she loves having her fingernails painted... and she loves bracelets, necklaces, and rings... and finally- last night, she said- "Mama, please put my hair in ponytails." To my delight, she doesn't just want one- she wants as many as we can make! So, we had so much fun last night, and the first thing I heard this morning was, "Mama, I want more ponytails today!" Yay!

Only 2 more days until her birthday!

Mink March

2010-05-04T14:47:00.002-04:00

Every year, we have the Mink March at our school. A couple of years ago, Aunt Trina (who teaches 4th grade with me) decided to have the Chinese Connection as our class's theme for the march. So, we just carried that theme threw again this year since our social studies curriculum covers a lot of diversity.

Lily was thrilled to be our "connection". She carried her flag, pandy, and her hat like a big girl.

She refused to take help from anyone. She did wear her hat a few minutes, but you know how she is with dressing up- so I never thought the hat would last too long.

This was a picture of our boys from the back with the flag. I liked the way they looked- proudly flying our flag.

Lily has certainly changed a lot since Disney World. It is as though she has finally become the social butterfly that we saw at home and with close friends and family. She is very quick to carry on conversations with adults- especially neighbors. I cannot believe she is almost 3 years old!

Take my picture!

2010-05-02T10:27:00.002-04:00

Lily is going through another stage of loving to have her picture taken. She wants me to take it all of the time- with my camera or my cell phone- and she loves to pose! So, here are a few of her posed shots right before bedtime...

Minnie's House

2010-04-29T16:19:00.002-04:00

During the parade, we strolled back to ToonTown... and it had turned into a ghost town. It was wonderful! So, Lily had a blast playing in Minnie's house without anyone else around.

If you haven't ever been in Minnie's house- Lily is popping popcorn in the microwave.

And in this one she is watching a cake bake inside the oven.

We also had all of the furniture to ourselves. This was so much different than being there over the summer when we were shoved into Minnie's house like sardines with sweat pouring off of us. She had so much fun!

Meeting the Princesses

2010-04-27T17:52:00.002-04:00

Outside the Nemo ride on our 15th time trying to find Nemo...

Later on that evening, during the parade, we walked down to ToonTown to see Tinkerbell again. But, the fairies line was LONG. So, we asked Lily if she wanted to go see the Princesses. Her immediate answer was, "YES!" So, she met Aurora first. She was really shy with her since she is "real" and all.

Also, she doesn't really "know" Sleeping Beauty. But, she knows Cinderella. She was thrilled to meet her. Can you tell from that big smile?

Then, her favorite- Belle. She hasn't even seen the Beauty & the Beast, but she has seen bits and pieces of it. Apparently, she has seen enough to be delighted to meet her. Now, if you ask her, she will say Belle is her favorite Princess. I think it is because she was so sweet to her!

Tomorrow, we have pictures of Minnie's house with Lily in it all by herself. Seriously, this time was the best time to go to Disney. It wasn't too crowded, and at night during the parade and fireworks, we had ToonTown all to ourselves. I miss Disney World...

Back to Disney World...

2010-04-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

With a kiss from Mulan after our third visit with her, we were on our way to lunch at one of our favorite spots in Epcot...

Sunshine Seasons! Lily enjoyed eating here and at Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom the most.

She drank a lot of chocolate milk while we were there since it is her favorite drink besides lemonade.

We only had a couple more days before leaving, and she was completely worn out for her nap.

She laid down and stayed this way for almost 3 hours! You can see that Piglet and Nemo had been purchased. After riding Nemo for the 35th time, just kidding, but almost that many times- Lily said, "Do you think maybe Nemo could go home with us?" So, Nemo joined our family!

I think I have at least 3 more days of Disney photos- so come back and see who else joined our family before we left!