'Cause Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night

Well, maybe not quite the end to 2009 that I had thought. I'm currently enjoying some Amstel Light with my brother while watching the Virginia Tech/Tennessee Game and Kevin is upstairs snoring quite loudly (yep, it's not even 10:00pm yet). When did I get to the point where I would have to force myself to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve?

I'm generally not one to reflect much during this time of year, but it has been quite the year for us. Mostly, I'm thankful for the wonderful friends I've made. Making friends has never been easy for me. Unlike most of my musician friends, I'm the shy type...which is (sadly) often mistaken for being aloof. Yet another obstacle in my friend-making path! But, the upside is that when I do make friends (albeit slowly), I know they are the best kind...and I know I will most likely have them in my life for a long, long time. This, I hope, is the case with The Tribe. They are more wonderful than I could have ever hoped: a group of friends with whom I could (candidly) talk about motherhood, adoption, traveling husbands, post-adoption depression...etc. My New Year's Resolution? To get to meet the newest additions to E, A, M, A, and J's families! And to be the best friend I can be to these wonderful mommies & mommies-to-be.

And some rather shallow news? I actually danced with happiness when I received my Blended Cutie hair products in the mail yesterday. I'm pretty sure Lila had no idea what was going on, but the excitement was (apparently) infectious. Lila was jumping up and down with me and at one point exclaimed, "Oh! Thank you, Mommy!" I will wait until after I've used it a couple of time to give my full review, but so far, so good! I put the Curly Cake Shake and Jelly Cream in her hair this morning and for the first time, her curls held up ALL DAY. Even after her nap. More to come!

Happy New Year!!!

Great new blog

I stumbled upon a great new blog devoted to haircare for girls of color. Check out the blog list to the right...it's called Happy Girl Hair and is written by a mom of two adorable Ethiopian girls  with very different hair types. I love that there is someone out there who will try all of the products for me! I just ordered some Blended Cutie products for Lila's hair - Blended Beauty is giving a 20% discount for the month of December (hurry!) to readers of the blog (check out the blog itself for the discount code). I'll keep you posted on how the products work for my little one. I'm so excited!

Blast from the Fairly Recent Past

Over the holiday weekend I discovered that many of our home videos were on our computer, ready for viewing!! I know, this may not seem like groundbreaking news to you. Perhaps you may be thinking, "Well, where else would the videos be?" Nevertheless, there they were! So, I spent quite a long time watching videos from Lila's first few months home. My thoughts...

1. I can't believe how TINY she was!

2. Despite the fact that I was in full freak-out mode, I actually appear normal on camera!

3. I miss our Chicago apartment.

4. I wish that I had spent less time freaking out and worrying, and more time enjoying my amazing baby. I won't make that mistake again, I promise you that.

And here are a few things that I want to write down now so I never forget:

1. Lila had this adorable "machine gun" style laugh when she was an infant. It was hilarious!

2. She loved her first bath: the combination of getting naked and warm water led to non-stop smiles & giggles. This has not changed.

3. She used to do this funny elbow move when dancing. Very "Elaine" from Seinfeld, but cuter.

4. When she first started pulling herself up to standing, she would make these massive grunting noises. Such effort!

5. There was this one hanging toy on her exersaucer that she LOVED. She yank on it constantly and squeal with delight each time the music started. Each and every time.

6. I was blessed and lucky enough to be there the first time she crawled, walked, said "Mama" & "Dada", raised her hands in response to the question, "How big is Lila?", clapped, said her first animal noises, danced, jumped...etc.

Now I just need to figure out how to attach videos. But here is a teaser: a picture of Lila from our first months home:

More later on my fantastic, wonderful, relaxing trip to Target. All by myself!

Kitchens, and Easels, and Dinosaurs...oh my!

Well, we had a truly lovely Christmas. I found myself quite the weepy one several times over the course of the past few days. Lila was home for Christmas last year, but this year just seemed all the poignant. She was soooo adorable during the Christmas Eve service, I was constantly choking back tears. I am so blessed and so very thankful. 

For now, I'll let the pictures do the talking. I'm way too full & way too tired to be...um, what's the word? See? This is why it's just going to be picture for now. Here goes:

Lila with her new boots & Princess Tiana hat!

The Christmas dress! Beautiful silver, and I found shiny silver shoes at Target (lordy, I love that place).

Our first year of putting together toys on Christmas Eve. This is Lila's first kitchen!

Hmmm, I think she likes it. But perhaps not quite as much as she loves her...

DINOSAURS! ROAR!

Princess Tiana doll. She actually liked it much more than I anticipated. I think it's weird that Princess Tiana is going commando under that pretty dress.

Pretty princess Lila.

Uncle John bravely attempting to free Sid the Science Kid from his shackles. Seriously, these days you practically need the jaws of life to free toys from their packaging.

Merry Christmas! Stay cool!

Up on the rooftop, click click click!

We're definitley in the Christmas home stretch. I have only one more present to purchase (and only a gift card, so does that really count?), which is not too shabby! But enough about the holidays, I have Lila anecdotes!

On Thursday Lila managed to lock me out of the house. At night. In the freeeeezing cold. Totally an accident, nothing malicious, I assure you. I was taking Molly outside and when I tried the door Lila looked at me through the glass with absolute PANIC. She was beside herself: crying, hyperventilating, begging me to come inside, telling me she wanted me to hold her...etc. It was one of those situations where I simply had to remain calm. I couldn't scream, swear, hit something (all things I wanted to do sooooooo badly) because if I did, all hopes of getting Lila to unlock the door would be dashed. So, after 10 minutes of talking to my hysterical child in the most soothing voice I could muster, she finally unlocked the door. The best part? She then launched herself into my arms and cried, "Oh Mommy, I love you so much!" She repeated that phrase about 50 times in the next 10 minutes. It was worth every shiver. And hey, it's a great story, right?

THEN, we woke up to snow on Friday! Sure, she experienced snow last year, but the excitement was completely lost on her. And she was barely mobile in her snowsuit...more like a beetle...she would fall over and be completely unable to flip herself over. This year she ran about in her adorable pink boots (with faux fir trim...thank you, Target)in absolute bliss. She was thrilled for snow. Ecstatic. And we made snowmen!!!! Two of them. They both have carrots for noses and coal for eyes and sticks for arms. And I love them. I wish I could put them in the freezer and keep them forever...Lila's first snowmen. Pictures soon, I promise.

Other things I love: the way Lila sings the "Mr. Grinch" song, her reaction everytime we see this yard that has a blow-up Santa, how she is equally excited each day we open the advent calendar, how she loves it when I sing Christmas carols to her, and her new holiday dress! It's silver and cream and lovely. I can't wait. And my joy just overflows infinitely when I realize that this time next year I'll be able to enjoy this holiday with our son.

You know you've slacked on the housekeeping when...

Your daughter is lying on the bathroom floor playing, and ends up with giant dust bunnies in her hair. Yikes.

Don't judge me! The "public" areas of my house are quite clean, I swear. But my own bathroom (where said dust bunnies were growing & multiplying) has been sorely neglected.

Lila's been having a hard time with baby Kendall this week. I think the sense of competition has really hit her. The past couple of days she's cried, "No Mommy! You no hold baby Kendall!" when Kendall is dropped off in the morning. Sigh. It's a hard balance, for sure. How do I explain to my toddler that I love her to pieces? That she's my one and only? That I love baby Kendall because she's my niece (and darn cute), but my love for her (Lila) is infintely more profound? I still haven't figured out quite how to get this across in toddler-ease. Until then it's lots of extra hugs & kisses, repeating that she's my absolute "best girl."

Right now she's putting her playdough away all by herself. How cute!!!

'Cause you gotta have friends

I had such a great time last night. I stayed out until (gasp) 11:00pm last night. That's like 3:00am in mommy-time. The Ethiopian adoption mommies brigade gathered last night for some wonderful food, wine, and company. Michelle & David are leaving in a week (!!!) to pick up their son, Benjamin (who has just about the cutest smile I've ever seen). So, we spent a lovely evening talking about all things adoption: the painful wait, traveling, parasites, formula, post-adoption depression, and the joys & scariness that accompanies new motherhood.

I am so thankful to have found such an amazing group of women. I wish that I had had this when I brought Lila home, but I'm exceedingly happy that I will have such a wonderful (and funny) support system of mommies and mommies-to-be when we bring Elijah home. Adoptive parenting is such a unique experience, it's great to be able to find a whole group of mom's that truly get you. Other highlights of last night: a streching plan for my IT band issues (going to Target to get my roller!!), two adorable chairs for Lila (thank you to Amy...Lila was over the moon!), getting scolded by a 3 year-old that we were laughing too loudly - that was priceless.

So tonight I'm thankful for my adoptive mommy friends. I'm sending good travel vibes to Michelle and my love & support to Emily & Amy, who are showing great strength and grace as they endure "the wait."

One of Lila's funny moments today was her singing (loudly) the following:

"T-Rex (ROAR!). I'm a tyrannasaurus. I'm the biggest carnivore in the cretaceous forest!"

I never thought the words "carnivore" and "cretaceous" would ever come out of my 2.5 year-old daughter. She is, by far, the funniest person I know.

Little full...lotta sap.

We have our Christmas tree!! We had a great time tree shopping yesterday with Papa and Uncle John (who came out despite having had shoulder surgery just days before). Some pics of the tree-choosing process:

A pinecone! What could be more exciting!

Lila and her Papa.

And now to the decorating. We started first thing this morning. It was lovely. I put on the Christmas music and we began to decorate in our jammies.

As you can see, Lila was much more interested in playing with the ornaments...not so much into the hanging on the tree.

Hee hee. I like this picture because it reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. A Christmas tree has clearly fallen from above onto my beloved.

The finished product! It is a bit on the large side, but at least when the netting was cut branches didn't shoot out the windows. No rabid squirrels, either. Which means I'll never get to say, "I'm going to catch it with the pillow case...and smack it with the hammer." Darnit. Maybe next year.

I was also uncharacteristically crafty today, altering Lila's stocking. We bought it at Pottery Barn last year, even went and had her name embroidered on it. It wasn't until later that we realized the stocking featured a very blonde, very white little girl. No longer! Behold...

I still have a bit of tweaking to do. Kevin and I both agree that somehow her eyes make her look angry and slightly evil. Not so good for a Christmas stocking, no?

Still so much to do, but I'm THIRLLED that I have my girls' night out on Tuesday to keep me chugging along. To say that I can't wait is a massive understatement. I spent Saturday night with some of the girls wrapping presents for Ethiopian Orphan Relief. Such great fun, and we made some moolah for EOR to boot! I'll be getting the ingrediants for hummus & tabouleh tomorrow. Yum!

The first two weeks with Kendall went by like a flash. She really is adorable in every way and Lila is taking the competition better than I had expected. And if I can take care of two kiddos and not loose my mind with Kevin out of town, imagine how great it will be when he's here! Piece of cake!

And lastly, my favorite Kevin quote from our outdoor light decorating adventure:

"You need the proper distribution of sparkle." Yep, he was serious.

Clever titles elude me

So there won't be one tonight! Seriously, I've been sitting here for at least 5 minutes trying to think of something clever and I'm completely blank. Nothing. I'm sure it will come to me sometime in the wee hours of the night.

Let's start with adorable & hilarious things that come out of my child's mouth: the other day she did a very dramatic and slow fall to the ground whilst yelling, "Goodbye, cruel world!" I almost fell over, it was so funny. At first I had a tiny bit of concern. Is my daughter morbid? Death scenes? At 2? But then I realized she was quoting the Oppossum from Over the Hedge. One of my favorite characters, the oppossum is voiced by the fabulous William Shatner. He is at his melodramatic best, which is why Lila seems to be drawn to his character, I think. My little sweet one does have a soft spot for some good old fashioned drama. Which is the reason I spend much of my day smiling & laughing. Seriously, Lila is one of the funniest people I know.

The holiday weekend was long and lovely. Lots of family, lots of food, and marred only my Kevin's departure on Saturday. I should know now not to get my hopes up, but I still hope that he'll be home this weekend. I want to buy & decorate the Christmas tree, put up some more lights outside, check out the zoo lights...etc. And I don't want to do any of those things without my dearest beside me.

The biggest change: I've officially started babysitting my niece, Kendall! I wasn't terribly nervous, but I think there was some fear there because it would really have some bearing on how life would be once Eli comes home. The report: so far, so good! Lila has only had a few moments of true jealousy, but they were short-lived. I've been working overtime trying to remind Lila that she's my best girl, pumpkin, doodlebug...and thank goodness I'm strong enough to hold them both, because that was necessary several times today. Kendall is just adorable. Smiles, coos, squeaks, a minimum of crying, darn good sleeping. I can't ask for much more.

Actually, that last statement applies to my life in general. Lila's sleeping, clothes are laundered, kitchen is clean, family is close by, friends are wonderful, and there are some Ghirardelli brownies in the kitchen. Kevin's absence is what is keeping this night from being absolute perfection. Looks like I'll probably have to have a second brownie to cope. 

If I Had to Pick Just One Letter

Last night I plopped down with a pen & paper and asked Lila if she wanted to write a letter to Santa. With a rather quizzical look on her face she replied, "Ummmm, Ok. How about 'J'?" It took Kevin and I a few moments to realize that Lila thought we were going to write Santa just one special letter. The letter "J," apparently.

I've always loved the holiday season, but it's beyond joyful with my sweet girl. We went on a walk today and passed a house with a decorative snowman...Lila shouted with absolute glee on her face, "Look, Mama! It's FROSTY!!!" Other houses with stars, lights, and decorative presents in the yard were also greeted with unbridled enthusiasm and joy. While Lila may not quite get the whole Christmas concept quite yet, I'm thrilled that she seems to effortlessly get into the spirit as much as I do. I mean, what's not to love about Christmas music 24/7???

I'm excited to do some Thanksgiving baking with my sister tomorrow. I do love baking, and don't do it nearly as much as I used to (oh, the cakes I made at Eastman!). I was just thumbing through my old holiday issues of Bon Appetit and felt such nostalgia. Especially for one very wonderful Saturday of cookie making with Alta & Amy. Hopefully our paths will cross so that we'll be able to do that again someday. In the meantime, I'm currently trying to narrow down my cookie selctions to make & hand out to neighbors, friends, and the wonderful women who work at the Westerville Community Center.

And now I'm going to cuddle with my honey, home again from Chicago. I'm going to spend the next several days soaking him up, as he'll be gone again all next week. But I won't think of that...only how thankful I am for my family & friends. I am blessed. Simple as that.

You Know Your Not Talented When...

I'm currently watching the AMA awards and have come to a conclusion: the number of back-up dancers you have is inversely related to the amount of talent you posses. A certain singer (who shall remain nameless) had an INSANE amount of back-up dancers. Truly an army of slutty looking ladies gyrating and grinding all over the place in a desperate attempt to mask the singer's obvious lack of talent. It was frightening.

On to more important things...isn't she just the cutest?? Often I'm chasing Lila around with the camera screaming, "Please, say cheese! Sit still! Smile! Plleeeaassse??"

But on this day she was all smiles and poses for my camera. As a matter of fact, I think we might have our holiday card photos selected! I still haven't made my final decision, but the selection I've saved are all pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.

We had a great weekend here in C-bus. Uncle John's birthday, OSU trounced U of M (sorry, Papa & Mimi), breakfast out this morning followed by a lovely visit to the zoo. The weather has been amazing as of late. I often feel as though the Fall is such a short season, but it seems to be holding out this year (as I type this the weather man just said, "much colder temperatures on the way." Alas.)

I know I've already mentioned our new leaf blower but it bears mentioning again. I LOVE IT. I love love love it. Leaf blowers are perfect for perfectionist neat-freak people like me. Turn on the blower and zip! Leaves are gone! The lawn is pristine and leaf-free.

And this also bears repeating: Happy Birthday, Uncle John!!!! We love you.

Home again, home again

My beloved is home! After a rather harrowing ordeal (1.5 hours in the air and the plane had to turn around and head back to London due to electrical difficulties) Kevin is home and my family is complete once again. To say that Lila was happy to see her Daddy is a gross understatement.

And I was proud to present my darling with a newly edged lawn. Thanks to a very generous Mimi (thank you!), our lawn is on its way to being almost respectable...just in time for the snow. I have been wanting to edge the yard forever, but just never got to it and had convinced myself that it wasn't really that bad. Well, judging from the several inches of sidewalk that was unearthed, it was that bad. A heartfelt apology to my neighbors.

And Mimi also blessed our house with a new leaf blower!!!! My favorite new toy, it is just a wonder. Magical, even. All of those leaves just POOF! Into a perfect little pile just right for jumping. I think that I might be a wee bit melancholy once all of the leaves have dropped and the leaf blowing season is over. Hmmmmm...maybe a nice snow blower could fill the void??

Careful the words you say...

I must watch the Today Show in the morning. I don't need much, just a wee bit of Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera to get me started in the mornings. As I would walk with my coffee into the living room I'd say, "Come on, Lila! Let's see what's going on in the world." It's now become a kind of ritual for us in the mornings, and sometimes Lila will even request the news: "Mommy, can we see what's going on in the world?" Cute, right? But this morning something had changed. I mentioned going to watch the news and Lila looked at me with her giant brown eyes and said, "No watch news, Mommy. News is sad." Oy. One of those poignant moments where you are rendered completely speechless. Of course she had no idea the power of her short little speech, but it was hard to come up with a pithy response, I'll tell ya that much.

Had a FABULOUS time last night with friends to celebrate Amy's impending motherhood. Our wait was a painful 7 months, so I can only imagine how hard it's been for Amy & Joel, now waiting over 14 months for a referral. The best we can do is keep reminding them that we are here to support, encourage, pray & listen. There is power in have a group of women who know exactly what you are going through. And on a personal note, it was just so great to be out with girls!! I love my husband dearly, don't get me wrong. But I had forgotton how nice it is to saturate in estrogen for an evening. In grad school it was so much easier to find & make friends (and it still took me a while)...it's crazy hard work now! Even harder for those of us cursed with shyness. I hope we make this at least a monthly thing. Nothing like yummy pizza, good beer, and lots of mom's talking at once. 

Kevin is currently over the Atlantic to the UK (his first time!). I'll miss him so (as I always do) and hope to have a wee bit of Christmas cheer up on the house before he returns. Perhaps a wee bit early, but I don't care. I LOVE Christmas lights. 

Tomorrow I'm hitting the yarn store to start my next knitting project. Maybe a baby blanket. Maybe a hat. Will I finally learn to knit in the round? Stay tuned...

I'm awfully fond of you

I'm relaxing on the couch (thank you to my beloved for taking bedtime tonight) listening to the "squeak squeak" of the rubber duckie through the baby monitor. Lila does love that Eric Carle story so very much.

Although my tummy seems to be punishing me for my gluttonous ways, I am still a happy camper. Sundays are usually hard for me, often preparing for Kevin to travel. But yesterday was so lovely: as melancholy would descend, I would suddenly remember that he doesn't leave yet! Not until Wednesday! This happened several times yesterday...each time was like a little mini-birthday present. I love it when you repeatedly forget something wonderful. Then you get to repeatedly remember it!

Another major accomplishment: our piano is home. Although it needs to be tuned and mildly repaired, we are one happy family to have that front room complete. Some pictures were hung as well...could this be home? Really starting to feel like it.

Off to sneak one more corn bread muffin and watch some Monday Night Football.

You're Killing Me, Smalls.

So, the title of this post has little to do with anything, really. It's something that my brother says a lot (quoted from a movie, "The Sandlot") and I've recently gotten Lila to say it...encouraged by my hysterical laughter. I don't know why it's so funny. But it really is. Hilarious.

We attended Astrid Meklit's 3rd birthday party this afternoon (no pictures as I forgot my camera AGAIN). It was fabulous in every possible way: great friends, kiddos running around and laughing with delight, and amazing food (provided by Tiru from Abyssinia). I don't know what it is about Ethiopian food. I can just keep eating and eating and eating. It's not until several hours later, when the injera has fully expanded in my stomach, that I start having regrets about shamelessly stuffing my face. But more importantly...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASTRID MEKLIT!! She is an amazing, beautiful, articulate, charming little girl and I'm thrilled to know her.

Lila is still pining for her Alex the Lion costume. I have semi-hidden it in her closet. She's not demanded to wear it yet, but our days are still filled with much roaring. I never thought that, as a mom of a little girl, I would spend much of my time talking about lions, bears, dinosaurs & dragons. Lila's new favorite thing is to stomp around buck naked yelling, "I'm a BIG T-Rex!!"

Final thoughts: Go Bucks!

Also, I know there aren't many out there that actually read this blog, but for those that do, please send out some good vibes to my friend Amy. She and her husband have now been waiting for a referral from Ethiopia for 14 months. Recent news regarding embassy dates has not been good, meaning their wait may be longer, even after a referral and successful court date. There is just not much I can say to ease her stress, but I'm hoping that maybe a few more people out there saying prayers and/or sending positive vibes her way might make some difference.

Go Ethiopia!

Hooray! An Ethiopian woman took 1st place in the NYC Marathon! Derartu Tulu is a 37 year-old mom of two...which means I really have no excuses to skip the gym. What a wonderful role model for little girls out there. Check out the whole story here.

Meanwhile, my little Ethiopian lady has been dancing her little heart out lately. This morning (in reference to her new fave song, Jungle Boogie) Lila asked me, "Mommy, do you like to get down?" To which I replied, "Why, yes, I do like to get down!" And then we proceded to get down.

Birthdays, Halloween, and More Birthdays!

Quite the weekend here in Westerville, Ohio. The end of October/beginning of November is always a crazy time. Halloween, of course, plus tons of birthdays to celebrate. And I do love birthdays. My house was filled with family, laughter, crazy screaming running children, cake & presents on Friday night. It was a wonderful night. To say that Lila was excited to see her Mimi & Papa, Auntie & cousin Dylan is a MASSIVE understatement. There were times when I was sure her head was just going to spin right off out of sheer happiness. The birthday party was a success, and I think that Mimi liked her bird-themed presents:

Saturday we braved the cold, wet weather and headed to Boo at the Zoo. Lila, snug and warm in her lion costume, seemed to be the only one completely oblivious to the inclement weather. While the Halloween-themed aspect of the outing was a bit of a disappointment, the kiddos had fun, and so I marked it as a success. Pictures to come. I, of course, forgot my camera.

And finally, Halloween! Ya Ya & Grandpa came over for the big event. I think that, unlike last year, Lila understood (to some degree) what was happening. So, her excitement was infectious...not to mention she was able to wear her lion costume for the millionth time. Seriously, we've gotten our money's worth out of this costume - the fabric has actually begun to pill! Here is our little lion:

We didn't hit many houses, but we had a great time. Lila would become suddenly shy when approaching each house, but would warm up quickly once the candy transaction began. If I didn't love this neighborhood already, I do now. Our neighbors are gracious and friendly. One house was even handing out coffee, cider, hot chocolate & baked goods to the adults!

Happy Birthday to Mimi, Em, Heidi, Susie, and my Kevin. And Happy November! The autumn has been absolutely gorgeous...I'm actually looking forward to the winter with Lila. Last year she was a bit too small to really play in the snow. We had a lot of "Christmas Story" incidents where she would fall over in her snowsuit and be completely helpless...like a flipped over beetle. But this year! I see snowmen, snow angels, and snowball fights in my future! Hooray!

In closing, GO PHILLIES!

Take my license and all that jive...

Ok, so the title of my post has nothing to do with anything really, other than I was lucky enough to be driving around town while our local classic rock station was playing my FAVORITE Sammy Hagar hit. The lyrics are hilarious, my memory of the video is even funnier, and the funniest of all? Recalling Em, while driving a shift during our road trip to Florida sophomore year in college, yelling in frustration..."I can't drive 55!" Classic.

Thanks to a visit from Miss Alta I have taken up knitting again! Finally, something to do during Lila's nap that is not housework or sleeping (both make me feel crappy for different reasons). I'm dedicated to actually learning how to knit this time. I've already progressed to patterns, something that had completely baffled me in the past. It's a crazy code that you just have to memorize and learn. And thanks to youtube, this might work! I've almost finished my first scarf, and will soon start on some baby blankets for some expectant friends out there. What still kind of intimidates me is knitting in the round, but I plan on watching every video youtube has to offer. I WILL knit in the round, dammit!

My darling husband finally met his beautiful new neice last weekend:

He is clearly the smitten one.

In other news, Lila started her "Hands On Toddler Fun" class. She's not really been that much into crafts at home, so I was curious to see how she'd take to this. All in all, not bad. She was her show-off-i-est best, hamming it up for all that would dare glance her way. She made an adorable cat mask, and once I figure out how to get pictures off of my new phone, I'll post them asap. Unfortunately, I just figured out how to answer my new phone, so don't hold your breath on seeing the picture anytime soon.

I would go into a lenghty post about the fun times had by mothers-of-adorable-daughters-who-like-to-pull-poop-out-of-thier-diapers-and-play-with-it...but I'm just waaaay too tired from cleaning up poop. Seriously, my life seems to center around poop lately. It's a sad state of affairs. 

But I have several glorious birthdays to address, and that always puts a smile on my face. Tomorrow is Mimi and Susie's birthday, Friday is Em's, and Sunday is Kevin and Heidi's birthday. Phew! Perhaps there is come cake in my future? Mmmmm, stay tuned. 

And then there were three...

No pictures today, just a mention of my happiness that my beloved is home again. He's been working so hard lately. And to add insult to injury, has to spend time away from his darling little girl whilst doing all the hard working. I just know we can all take a giant-family-big-breath and have a relaxing, wonderful, stress-free weekend. Yep, I'm going to be uncharacteristically optimistic about this.

Welcome home, Daddy (aka, the yellow ghost)!

Not just a white little, tucked in tight little, nighty-night little bed...INSTEAD...

After months of talking about it, we finally put together Lila's big girl bed! It was a spur-of-the-moment decision (made shortly before all stores were closing on Sunday, natrually), but we found a great deal on a twin mattress, and Kevin went and picked up the ADORABLE bedding I had found at Target.

I'd been talking about it frequently with Lila, just putting the idea out there, but she never really seemed to care either way - so we really didn't know what to expect. We certainly did NOT expect her complete and absolute happiness/excitement/awe at the sight of her brand new bed. She kept whispering with reverence, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Here is a of Lila and the bed just after Kevin put it together:

Yep, she pretty much knew instinctively that her new bed would be PERFECT for jumping. Smart little one. Here are some pics of the bed with the adorable Target bedding:

And to cap off a truly lovely couple of days, my wonderful friend, Alta, came for a visit!! It was so so so great to see her again. And now all glowly and gorgeous with a baby on the way! I think Alta is one of the most creative, crafty, amazing people I know, so I was THRILLED that she was here to help me put the decals on the wall in Lila's room. It turned out just perfect, thanks to Alta. I can't wait to see what kinds of amazing crafty things she does with her son/daughter. So, here are the final pics of Lila's new big-girl room!

Truth be told, Kevin and I were a bit teary-eyed when all was said and done. You know they are growing so quickly, but to have such tangible evidence right before your eyes that she's not a baby anymore...sniff...don't get me started.

Lila the Lion - ROAR!

Behold! The King (or Queen, in our case) of the Jungle Grandey:

It's time for bed, little bird, little bird

Without further ado...

How perfectly beautiful is this child? I'm crossing all fingers and toes that she lets her mama get some sleep tonight.

There's a new girl in town

And her name is Kendall Grace. I was finally able to meet my GORGEOUS niece this afternoon. She is one of the prettiest newborns I have ever seen. Cute button nose, beautiful rosebud mouth, and the loveliest thatch of brown hair. Of course, I grabbed my camera whilst rushing out of the house forgetting that the battery was being charged. Yep, that sounds about right. Those jokes about motherhood are based in truth! I never used to lose my keys before having Lila. Now I lose them AT LEAST once each day. I've caught Lila mimiking me..."Where are my keys?"

But back to my niece. She is just as sweet as can be and I was almost overwhelmed with excitement knowing that I will get the great joy of waching her during the week. Lila was slightly disinterested, but still quite cute. As we were walking to the car she said, "Baby Kendall...SHHHHHHHHHHH!" And the proceeded to scream and laugh. So, we'll work on that.

Let the WIld Rumpus Start!

Well, not really.

Aw shucks, I just love this picture. Lila is a CHAMPION pouter.

We are both stuck inside with the sicks. Nothing major, but I just don't feel right letting her loose amongst other children what with the copious amounts of phlegm coming out of her wee nose. That means no community center, no library, no playgrounds. Were I a better mother, perhaps I would find amazing crafty things to do indoors. Sure, we've done some coloring, some playing, a short nature walk around the block (what will I do with all these sticks and leaves? No idea). Sadly, I have stooped to watching some movies to pass the time. The weather is lovely but quite cool, so snuggling down to enjoy a movie just feels good, you know?

Hopefully we'll both be in good enough shape to meet Kendall Grace tomorrow.

On the Day You Were Born, Kendall Grace

Welcome to the world, Kendall Grace! My new niece was born just moments ago, weighing in at 7.5lbs and measuring 20 inches. Given her fashionably late status, we were all expecting a gigantic baby! I hear she is adorable and perfect in every possible way, and that her mommy is doing well (I heard wall-shaking baby screams in the background as this information was being given...so I can only personally attest to a VERY healthy set of lungs).

Oh Kendall Grace, we are so glad you're here.

Peacocks and Zebus and Emus...oh my!

This weekend Autumn really began for our family. We headed up to Willard for a lovely weekend with Mimi and Papa. The leaves are reaching their peak right now, so even the rather boring stretch of I-71 was ablaze with fall colors.

On Saturday, we had a wonderful time at Iron Springs Farm - some good 'ol pumpkin picking was enjoyed by all. They also had a rather motley collection of exotic animals, so Lila was practically vibrating with excitement. The family that owns the farm was gracious and patient with my little one, even bringing out a baby bunny for her to pet. Those who know me well will be impressed at my close proximity to several animals of the feathered variety. Seriously, those emus are HUGE, and just stare at you. And make this weird clicking noise in their throats. Perhaps the clicking is their ability to smell and process my fear. Yep. I think that's it. So, enjoy some pics from our fabulous weekend!

Barn cat...very Halloween, no?

Mimi & Lila walking to Daddy & Papa

Iron Spring Farm

Lila with the ghosts & goblins

Lila in the pumpkin patch, and then in the wagon with her loot! The small pumpking she is holding (oh so proudly) was totally rotten, so we had to pull a switch-a-roo before leaving.

I bravely sucked it up for the perfect shot. Reminds me of the evil creatues in the movie, "The Dark Crystal."

Papa with a gen-u-ine Emu egg!

Our wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch. This was all Mimi's idea, so thank you, Mimi, for a wonderful weekend!