Summer Lovin!

Lily looooooves playing in water. We took to a park in northtown that has a neat little fountain shooting up out of the ground. She had so much fun. We went back again last week with our good friend, Grace, and her son, Nathan. Too many good times playing outside at the park. When Lily's daddy is sleeping during the day, it's a great way to get out of the house and still stay cool.

Today we put up a blow-up froggie wading pool for Lily to splash around in. I was glad to use our electric air pump that Koichi bought for me to use when I pump up my exercise ball for working out. Needless to say, the pump hasn't been used that much. It did a great job of inflating the froggie for Lily to play in. It had a place to attach the garden hose and spray out water. Lily liked that the best.

Finally, a post!

I've been getting a little bit of grief because it's been over a month since I've updated my blog. So, here I have some time before I go to bed, I've uploaded my pictures to my computer, and I feel like sharing. All good things to help me be a better blogger.

So here I go, watch out!

1st Birthday

On April 6th, we celebrated Lily's birthday with a big party and lots of friends and family. All of Lily's cousins were there to help her have fun.

No, she's not bleeding. The cake had a layer of strawberry goo in it. Turns out it looks a lot like a bloody mess when a baby smears it on her face.

Lily gets hooped-up on a sugar high from her very first drink of punch. That glass was full when she started....okay, not really.

Lily's distracted by a balloon while her cousins Abby and T.J. check out some rocking toys from the church nursery.

Not only does Lily remain transfixed by the awesomeness of the balloon, but now she's recruited cousins T.J. and Wesley into her little cult.

There are few people as accomplished at lounging and shooting the bull as Lily's uncles. They're pros. Pros who whined for goodie bags of their own when they found out hacky sacks were inside for the kids.

Looks like everyone's having a jammin time! Hey, check out the decor...very nice!

I finally get ahold of my little rug rat.

Check out Lily's haul!

Lily had sooooooooo much fun at her party. It was so much fun to get to play with all the cousins and have the attention of all her aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends. She was tuckered out for a couple days afterwards. It was even difficult to stay awake for dinner that night.

It happens every night around eight o'clock. Lily has finished her dinner. She's been cleaned up and has slurped every last drop from an 8 ounce bottle of milk while I've changed her diaper and have managed to wrangle chubby arms and legs into uncooperative pajamas. Then I pick her up, plop my tired body into the rocking chair and wait for that divine moment.

Most nights she fights it. Quite literally. She bangs on my chest, pulls my hair, sheds tears of frustration, anything to distance herself from the ever approaching quiet of sleep. Every few nights she succombs peacefully though. Finishing the last dregs of her bottle she thrusts it away and plops her tender head against my chest, slowly closing her eyes as I sing lullabyes and prayers softly in the dark.

I feel the heaviness of her sleeping body in my arms, and her warmth as she lays on me. That's the divine moment when I feel the absolute love of God wash over me and I say to myself, This is what His love towards us feels like. This nightly ritual reminds me that I am the child resting in my Father's arms. And though I rage and fight against Him, though I sometimes beat Him with my fists and cry bitter tears, I can't help but finally succomb to His all-encompassing love. And in the bosom of the God most high I rest my head and am washed in his love as He holds onto me.

THE MANY FACES OF LILY

Happy Lily

Multi-tasking Lily

Muffin-top Lily

Peek-a-boo Lily

Cute as a Button Lily

Scrunched-up Nose Lily



Acrobatic Lily



Pouty Lily

Play Date

Last Sunday while her daddy was sleeping, Lily and I went over to my brother, Dwain's house to meet the extended fam. for a BBQ. Lots of good food (yummy pineapply brauts), lots of great people, and lots and lots of kids. With all the cousins, there were 5 little ones running around all over the place. It was a lot of fun.

Here's Lily and some of her "peeps"

Lily and her cousin-in-law, Wes, "play" with blocks. There was actually more taking away of the toys going on than actual cooperative playing. Everybody's still working on the concept of sharing.

Wes and T.J. read a book with Dwain (T.J.'s daddy).

Lily's cousin, Abby, watches all the fun from the safety of the couch.

Lily chills on the patio with Uncle Dwain and a formula-rita, perfect for a BBQ.

Lily also gets to sit on some grass for the first time this year. The last time she was on grass was last summer, and she was still working on sitting up and grasping objects. This time she was able to interact a lot more with it.

She's growing up so fast!

This weekend I was finally trying to put some decorations in Lily's room and make it look more cute and adorable. Right now it's just the room where she sleeps and where we change her diapers. It's pretty drab. Some of the decorations we have are picture frames, and one in particular holds photos throughout Lily's first year.


Here's Lily's first year so far...


SEVEN DAYS OLD

ONE MONTH OLD

TWO MONTHS OLD





THREE MONTHS OLD

FOUR MONTHS OLD

FIVE MONTHS OLD

SIX MONTHS OLD

SEVEN MONTHS OLD

EIGHT MONTHS OLD

NINE MONTHS OLD

Nine full months of adorable. What a cutie pie!!!

Lily learns to crawl, but mostly to stand

Lily's first solid food.

Yummy! Yummy! Organic brown rice cereal is just sooooooooo good!