Feed Me!

I forgot to post this.

This is Lily when she says to Mike or I: "Feed me (like) when I was a tiny baby." She loves to be cradled and cuddled as we hold her drink for her and I love to do it because I know she'll only let me for so long! It is amazing how grown up a two year old can seem at times, so I revel in her sweet babyish moments.

It's too bad Lily loves to drink more than she likes to eat! She is pretty stubborn about it. We've tried all kinds of things. She does love candy - she told me it is her favorite food. ...But she doesn't get much of it because she has to eat real meals first... and if she gets it into her head that she doesn't want to eat her breakfast/lunch/or dinner - she doesn't eat it! -- no matter how much we promise a treat if only she will, or withhold treats and snacks unless she eats her meals.

Quote from today following a discussion in the car after a visit to the World Market:

"I don't like good food! I want to eat all the chocolate!"

She actually did eat well today so we gave her a little chocolate :)

It's funny

It's funny that I've never been much for the traditional terms of endearment. Mike does not get called 'honey' or 'sweetheart', and never 'dear'. But when Lily was born I started using them on her. I call her 'angel' and 'sweetheart' even when she is driving me crazy. Maybe it subconsciously helps me be sweeter to her even when she's totally irrational and screaming. Right now she's in a time out fuming mad at me for putting milk in the chocolate milk she asked me to make for her. Whoops - my bad! I really don't know how to get her to understand that there is milk in chocolate milk. I guess it's just one of those things that you come to realize as you grow older...

I Need a Time Out

This week has not gotten off to a very good start, Lily has been grouchy and I have been grouchy and I'm not totally sure who started it off. I am not proud of how I have been handling everything. I knocked my head really hard on the underside of a dresser drawer Sunday night and it still hurts. It seemed like it was just one thing after another last night. The eternal battle that is dinner...Lily wanting dinner suddenly at bedtime and other stall tactics, orange juice on the carpet... Then, when we finally went to brush her teeth the knob to the hot water in the bathroom came off in my hand as I went to turn it on and we had a geyser in our bathroom. I just wanted to cry... I did cry! So did Lily. It was so shocking she is still talking about it. We got drenched and so did everything in the bathroom, and now the faucet needs to be replaced. I guess it's a good thing that happened before they do the smoke test to our sewer line next week! Blessing in disguise? Could be. All I know is - I sure hope everything goes smoothly on our trip to Washington later in the week. This fog of grouchiness needs to lift, and I need a good vacation!

This is December

The other day was such a warm break from the cold spell we've been having - it was like a gift from heaven. I just had to get out in it -- thinking maybe soaking up the sunshine would get rid of the last of my never-ending cold! I feel so much better, but it's just not totally gone. So Lily and I packed a lunch and headed to the park for a picnic. It was a good time.

Lily got a little bit braver than usual - trying to climb up different ways. and going around the equipment to climb up without having to cling to my hand! She even ventured around for a little while with another little girl her size. It was so cute to watch. Lily needs friends so much. Every day she wakes up thinking it is going to be Christmas, and her friends (her cousins) are all going to come over to play. I think that's kind of cool that that is what she is most looking forward to about Christmas! "Mom, my friends are downstairs!?" Every day after her nap. Sorry kiddo, not today :(

(Lily and her cousin Evie playing sleepover Thanksgiving weekend)

 
Lily: "Mom, it's Christmas-time!?" at some time every day. Me: "Yup, it's Christmas time! Christmas is coming soon!" This is why sometimes I just wait until right before something happens to let her know about it - avoids the persistent questions and the disappointment if it doesn't happen they way it was planned. Our ward had a Christmas party last night I found out about at the last minute. We went to the church building at they time we were told, but there was no party. Lily was starting to get very disappointed. Luckily it was just at another building and we still got to go. She was so excited when people started singing up by the stage. She really wanted to go up and give her rendition of Jingle Bells, and I think she might've gotten up the nerve to go ask the man at the microphone if Mike hadn't held her back. I bet he would have let her try. She did get brave enough to go sit with her nursery friend Bailey at the front of a group of kids who were sitting on the floor... until Bailey ran off to find her mom and Lily ran straight back to me.

I signed us up for a Mommy and me preschool for the winter, just one day a week. Rebecca did the program with Evie, and is enrolling Aujinay in it now. I am excited. I think it will be really good - for both of us! It will give Lily guaranteed time with other kids at least one day during the week, and give me more ideas for things I can do in our preschool at home - which hasn't been much of a preschool with me feeling under the weather. Our new year is already going to bring on several new beginnings - preschool and potty training. Should be fun :)

 "Surprise!"

 "This is Mary, this is Joseph!" 

If Mary and Joseph were reindeer and they both got to ride.

O Christmas Tree

I think this is possibly the earliest my family has ever gotten our tree up and decorated for Christmas! Last night Lily and I made snicker doodles and peanut butter snaps with chocolate kisses on top, cranked up the Christmas music and she and Mike and my dad decorated the tree. Lily is big enough this year to do a pretty good job hanging ornaments. I didn't get too perfectionist about it and just let her go for it. I kind of hung back and watched for the most part, and it was pretty entertaining! How can you really mess up hanging such a variety of family ornaments anyway? I think the more laid back you are about stuff like this - the more fun you have. I mean, who cares if there are 6 candy canes on a single branch?

I've always had a hard time getting good pictures of a lighted artificial Christmas tree.

 The same group of decorators, and the same lighting dilemma last year. 

I just love looking back.

 My baby!

The tree looks awful with the flash, but the people are all blurry without it. Throw in the complication of a fast moving child who only cooperates through so many takes of me experimenting with different camera modes, and this is the best I can get.

This one actually looked kinda cool, maybe...

Any suggestions from more professional photographers are welcome! Got an affordable compact camera that takes great photos in low lighting - let me know! :)

Lily Antics.

Cookie face.

Random funny one.

My Dad helped Lily get started decorating this mini tree too, and then let her take over...

 The cheese.

 A real smile!

 Decorating to her heart's content.

 This is the result:

 

Now, isn't that a much better conversation piece than if it was all perfectly done? I think it's way more fun to let your kids handle the decorating!

Lily's all ready for Christmas!