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!