Milestones

We have a routine of bringing Liliana over to Auntie Joy's about once a week for a long afternoon of play with her dear friend, Emma. We usually drop Liliana off without a hitch...until today...Noah was so upset. I will preface by saying that he has a cold and was not feeling to good today...he kicked and screamed and took of his shoes AND his socks out of frustration that he did not get to go into AJ's house and play too. AWE! I felt so bad for the sweet bug! He kept saying "Yana, ah-go???" (Liliana, where's she go?)...He really missed her while she was gone this afternoon. Too sweet!

This event showed me that he is beginning to "care" more about having friends around...thank God for Manny! He has been saying "Casey" and "Manny" for almost three days now. This is the first time he has talked so much about a non-family-member all on his own so much...except for Roxie, and Grandma, of course!

Our Sweet Singer

Tonight we had our Annual CCC Staff Christmas Party, a very special event I really look forward too! It is a rare time when almost every single CCC staff person and their families are all together in the same place at the same time with nothing to do but have fun! One of the things we do is have a talent show. Here is Liliana singing "Down By The Riverside" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". She also sang Away in a Manger, but we did not have the camera ready since she went up first and it happened so fast. She did WONDERFULLY! She loves singing in front of people and does so every chance she can get! She could not wait to sing for everyone tonight...we kept having to tell her "not yet"...Here is the cutest singer EVER (notice her doggy sitting on the piano behind her):

I must also write about what a perfectly well-behaved sweetest boy we had with us at the party...our sweet Noah!!! He sat in his high chair almost the entire time (3 hours) and just ate and ate and watched what was going on without a single complaint! He did play with the kids the last 30 minutes or so...he looked so proud to be hanging out with his big sister and her friends! Adelyn Walker is one of those friends...Liliana just loves her...she kept asking me if she could give her hugs! Awe!!! Love you babies!!!!

LOVE and stuff...

Liliana gave Donnie a bear to give me to sleep with the other night and the next morning at 6:10 she came to our room and I thought she wanted to come up into our bed and she said "no, I am just coming to see if you still have your bear"...she left then came back and said "I just want to say I love you".....AWE...SHE JUST HAD TO TELL ME SHE LOVES ME....AWE!!!!

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the new year is just around the corner...I can't wait to start working on this years blog book...I don't feel right about starting on it until after this year is complete...yay!!! :o)

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Mommy has been in therapy for her lower back the past two weeks...injury due to...??...too much lifting of my infant....wait...2 year old...30 lb boy!!! :o) Therapy is going great and just started the P90X...yay! Getting in shape...feels so great!!! wooh!

My Jesus Year!

Today I turned 33!

I feel old...but in a good way...I feel wiser...calmer about EVERYTHING...not anxious or striving about stuff or the future...I feel ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!!!!!

We had a nice day at home...had delicious cake Donnie bought...then we went out to Adam's Mill Restaraunt...coconut shrimp was my favorite...yummo!

Then we went to see 2012...Donnie is so bad to bring me to such a long terrible movie on my birthday...LOL!!! :o) I am just teasing...I had a wonderful time...just thought the movie was terrible...totally NOT realistic and bad acting! ha! :o) Anyways!

One thing that was in my heart all day was how many hours I have been on this earth...Instead of thinking of the years, I thought about the hours...wow...every single hour is a gift. There are so many things you can do in an hour:

read some books to your kids
go for a jog
cook a meal
call a friend and encourage them
write a sermon outline
pray for the world
sing and dance with your kids
take a nap

There are also so many ways to waist and hour:

whining
complaining
being lazy (sometimes good)
worrying
obsessing

...I will not waste a single hour...I will live every one of the hours I am blessed with on purpose and with thanks...especially the hours with my kids and my husband!!! Thank you, Jesus!!! It is not so much what you do in a day that impacts a life, it is what you can do in an hour. Meaningless days can come and go with regret, but an hour of focus can change a life!

The Luxuries of Renting

Having an indoor pool and hot-tub are two luxuries we would not have to break up the winter routine if we owned a home...something that I wanted really badly a year ago. Now, we love where we live and are absolutely blessed beyond measure!!! Thank You, Jesus!

Our big-girl swimmer! :o)

Noah is so funny, he reminds us of little man in how we goes straight to the hot-tub all by himself. I think he feels it is more his size. Awe!!!

The lockers are definitely a big part of the routine! The whole experience, from suiting up to drying off and getting home is definitely a great calorie-burner for me...which I need right now! :o)

We go swimming about once a week and I finally brought my camera so I can blog it!

Lately

This is the kind of thing that goes on when Daddy is home. Daddy's glasses...
The kids have been doing and saying the cutest things lately...

Noah was on the stairs the other day and out of nowhere let out this big burp...he turned to me and said "I tooted".

I was one of the chaperone's for the 27 teen girls from CCC who went to the Revolve Tour at the XL Center this past weekend. I was away from home for about 30 hours and when I returned Liliana was TOO cute and I was SO happy to get back home to my sweet girl after being with the teenagers... :o) ...Liliana kept saying things like "we're a team, right mom?" and "your my helper" and "I'm your girl". I was so happy to get a shower when I got home and guess who joined right in...She was in such a big-time-mommy-mode...AWE!!!

Liliana is all big in so many of the things she says. One of them is in the mornings she says "I slept so good", all dramatic. Donnie told me that when I was gone Noah said "I seep good" in the morning when he woke up. Later in the day he layed down for a nap but didn't fall asleep but came to the door and when Donnie showed up Noah told him "I seep good"...he did this like three times but...he didn't even sleep...lol

This past Sunday I brought the kids into the sanctuary for worship and Liliana didn't want to leave daddy's side, so I let her stay in service with us to avoid a public meltown. I gave her a notepad and pen and I just happened to look at one of the pages and found the only thing written on the middle of the page was LOVE ...she randomly put those four letters together and wrote my favorite word!!! I saved the paper...will take a picture of it.

Bed Graduations

This is Noah's first night in his new bed (12/2/09)...these are Liliana's sheets...by the second night his blue sheets were on there! :o)

We graduated Noah to Liliana's bed and got her a new bed and put hers up on a frame...wow! :o) Liliana loves her new bed! She is even napping in it...voluntarily! :o) She feels like a princess way up there in her new bed. Awe!

Noah had been in his pack and play for several months since he jumped out of his crib. He is such a little guy of routine that he had a hard time transitioning to his big boy bed. He would get out of the bed and come to the door and call for me and when I would come he would stand there and talk this jibber-jabber really sweetly and then I would say "Noah, you need to go to your bed and go to sleep" and he would say "close" and close the door and lay down...and he would do this again and again. He was WAY TOO SWEET to be "in trouble" for getting out of bed just yet. He was so sweet and innocent and he just seemed so perplexed by this new set up and this new found freedom, he just didn't know quite what to do with it. SO, the first night we were tired and Donnie wasn't ready to really hang in there with me so we surrendered to put him back in his pack and play...Noah was so happy at the idea that he stood up and threw his blankets in there and was so happy...BUT...less than two hours later he woke up about three time crying within 1/2 hour, which is something he never does, so I brought him to his new bed and snuggled with him until he fell asleep. AWE!!!

The next night he did the whole calling me and love talking thing...he would put his hands on our cheeks and get right up in our face and whisper the sweetest little nothings - literaly - lol... way too sweet...so we were very patient with him through his transition and found that the threat of putting him back in his pack and play kept him in bed!

Today I took the pack and play out of his room and he is sleeping so sweetly in his big boy bed!

Every kid is different and our little guy is definitely SWEET, SENTIMENTAL, AND A CREATURE OF HABIT AND ROUTINE.

Their room is so sweet and cozy now...we are blessed beyond measure!!!