Future Professions

Every time I take Lily with me to any store, and she is wearing her ballet shoes, I get stopped no less than two or three times by strangers wondering if I noticed she's walking on her tippy-toes. It's hard not to get frustrated when you are told the same comment over and over and over again by countless observers, but one day my reply was, "Yeah. Wouldn't it be crazy if she grew up to be a world famous ballerina?" And then I was thinking... what other talents or tendencies does Lily have? What has she shown a great interest in? What will she grow up to be? 

I have friends who said from a very early age they just KNEW they wanted to be a doctor, nurse, artist, engineer, etc. So, I wonder what Lily will want to be when she grows up? 

Therefore, I decided to take a look at pictures from the last year (September 2014-September 2015) and see if I could categorize what her future profession might be based off what she is drawn to.

Here is my lengthy conclusion:

Artist

 

 Ballerina

Babysitter

Big Sister

Card Counter

 Cheerleader

Chef

Cook

Cryptographer

Daddy's Escort

Dentist

Doctor

Driver

Engineer

Exerciser

Farmer

Gardener

Hairdresser

Jockey

Landscaper

Model

Mother

Nurse

Oceanographer

Photographer

Pianist

Pilot

Plumber

Sculptor

 

Storyteller

 Shopper

Soccer Player

Sonographer

Student

Taste Tester

Tennis Player

Waitress

Veterinarian

What do you think?

Big Girl Bed

Lily has been potty trained since January, and night potty trained since March. However, we had been having a number of accidents in her crib because she couldn't climb out to use the potty. I tried everything...The only thing that worked was taking away her "friends" that she slept with and as she told me she needed to go potty, she'd be able to "earn" them back. But, that was also hard on me... waking up in the middle of the night. Or her screaming an hour after we put her to bed and we had no idea why, only to find out our "mistake" in not coming to her rescue earlier. 

I resolved that there had to be a better solution. So, I decided to upgrade her bed to a "big girl bed." This would make (and has made) such a difference because she would be able to get herself out of bed to use the bathroom when she needed to relieve herself.

With how much Lily LOVES her big-girl-bed, I wish I had done this earlier! Going to bed is SO easy compared to what it used to be. We've not had a single problem with her leaving her room, unless it's to use the restroom. She loves reading, singing, and talking to her "friends" before she goes to sleep and gets excited to go to sleep. In fact, the first night we introduced her to her new "monster big girl bed" she went to bed at 6:39 pm and woke up at 7:42 am the next day! Unbelievable!

I searched high and low for monster sheets and a monster comforter. It was no easy task and after calling over 20 Babies R Us stores - I found two sets in Georgia! I immediately paid for them and anxiously awaited for them to arrive. The day they came to our home, we took haste and moved the crib into Marco's room (who no longer uses the pack and play to sleep in) and assembled her big girl bed. 

The first night sleeping in her new bed I could hear inventorying all of her animals/dolls/monsters and telling each one of them:

"Doll-doll, this is my new big girl bed."

"Sulley, this is my new big girl bed."

"Mike Owski, this is my new big girl bed."

"Mr. Waternoose, this is my new big girl bed."

"Glow-worm, this is my new big girl bed."

... 

and she went through every single friend she slept with and then started over. 

I thought it was so endearing to listen to her tell anyone who would listen about her new big-girl-bed, so I grabbed Michal downstairs and had him come up and listen. I almost felt like I was a little kid at Christmas trying to listen for when Santa Claus came... or when I could sneak downstairs. We were hiding behind Lily's closed door, trying our hardest not to laugh. 

I think that smile says it all. She is really so happy to be in her new big girl bed. I'm glad that I took the 'Monsters' route rather than 'Frozen.' (Just wait for Halloween! I know I'm being cryptic... but with how much Lily loves Monsters, you'll love her Halloween surprise this year!)

Anna for the Weekend

Next to Mommy, Daddy, Marco, Grammy, Papa, Babcia, Caleb, and Marin... Anna is one of Lily's very, very favorite people! She talks about her all the time. At first I thought she was just referring to "Frozen" but I quickly caught on that when she refers to "Frozen" she always says "Anna and Elsa" - which is not the case for when she just refers to "Anna."

So, we were tickled and thrilled when Anna asked if she could spend the night at our house while her parents were out of town. There were so many more people she could have gone with, but she chose US! (Seriously, how lucky are we?) Lily was in heaven all weekend. 

Anna this and Anna that... 

I love Anna... 

Not Mommy anymore, want Anna...

Wake Anna up...

Sing with Anna...

Eat with Anna...

Where Anna go?...

Lily was most definitely Anna's shadow for the weekend. She wandered and did whatever Anna did. And it was so refreshing to have her over! We tried to make the weekend fun... but we failed miserably because we got sick Saturday.

Let me back up...

Friday night we watched Anna's favorite movie: "The Age of Adeline" and fell in love with it. We were so grateful that she introduced this movie to us! 

Saturday was pretty busy - we started the day with Anna accompanying me to a local consignment sale, then getting hair cuts, followed by going to the bookmark festival downtown Winston-Salem, and then Anna took off for a youth dance in Greensboro. That's when we all started feeling crummy... So I had planned to go to bed and wake up when Anna got home so I could hear all about the dance. We teased Anna that she would find her "Ellis" at the dance, and we really wanted to know if she did or not. But I was so lame, and am the lightest sleeper ever, except for when I am sick... and so I woke up at 12:23 am (going to bed at 7:30) freaking out that Anna didn't make it home okay. Michal said he heard her come in and get ready for bed. I was so sad I missed her coming home and hearing about her dance. But I was also so tired that I slept a total of 12 hours and felt much better the next morning.

But no one else did. Marco was only awake about 2 or 3 hours all of Sunday, Lily had a four hour nap (2.5 hours longer than normal), and I couldn't shake a nagging headache. For that reason, we all decided to stay home from church. We left the decision up to Anna whether she wanted to go or stay at home with us. We were both thrilled, and felt guilty, when she said she'd stay home with us. That being said, we decided Sunday was a rest day. So we rested, cooked yummy treats, played games, and had a little FHE (Family Home Evening) together to try to bring the spirit into our home even though we weren't able to make it to church.

I told Anna that I get a do-over Saturday night and Sunday... and surprisingly, she agreed! If y'all have any great ideas of fun things to do, be sure to pass them my way!

Zoo with the Dazey Family

On Labor Day we were invited, by the Dazey family, to go to the zoo with them. We jumped at the opportunity because Lily just loves the zoo and we enjoy walking around seeing her so happy.

It was a day of perfect weather, there weren't too many people there, and the company was great.

For the first time we spotted the Polar Bear. She is always hiding out every time we try to see her and say, "Hello." I think that she was out roaming because she was hungry and in anticipation for her lunch she wandered around while waiting to eat.

Now that Lily is getting older, she has this energy and desire to go exploring and climbing all over things. She made sure Daddy followed along so that she could run around this bizarre playground. We always knew where she was because she just giggles and giggles as she runs around thinking that she is the princess of the playground.

The Dazey children were much more adventuresome (and brave) and climbed atop a large structure thing. Man... I'm glad my children aren't old enough to do this yet because just watching them made me nervous... and they aren't even my kids!

It really was so enjoyable to go with the Dazey family to the zoo because I got to know them better. They are a hoot and fun people to be around!

Besides the playground, and the Polar Bear, this was Lily's favorite attraction. It's some sort of "energy efficient" workshop set up off to the side of one of the paths. It teaches children to turn off lights when not using them, turn down fans, shut doors, etc. Basically how to be more energy conscientious.  It was something new and exciting and that's why Lily liked it so much. 

I love coming to the zoo and walking around. It may not be nature, but with the lack of places I have to walk in Winston Salem, this is a nice serene place that I enjoy because my kids enjoy it here. We can't wait for our next outing. I wonder what will be the highlight the next time we go!

"Marco made a mess!"

I am starting to realize what it means to have a little boy. 

What are Little Boys Made of?

A wee bit of dirt and a devilish grin...

Curious eyes and spaghetti sauce chin.

A dollop of mud behinds his right ear, 

And a handful of worms in his pocket I fear.

You see his knees through the holes in his jeans.

He likes ice cream, but won't eat his beans.

He's made of muddies and bubble gum kisses,

And wonder at Christmas and birthday wishes.

And a heap of giggles and wiggles and love;

These are the things little boys are made of.

~Patsy Gaut

I can already tell that this little guy is so much more active than Lily was at his age. He is so much more inquisitive, and eager to get his hands into everything and everything into his mouth! I can tell you this:

I am in for one wild ride.

Lily loves Marco. Marco loves Lily.

I had originally intended to do a part 2 to this post. But upon further reflection, I don't think that it's just Marco that loves Lily. I think that Lily loves Marco equally as much.  Her new favorite thing is to try to get Marco to laugh when they are both in their car seats and ready to GET OUT! Lily starts whining to get out and Marco starts laughing, so then she tries to be silly, and he laughs harder. Since Marco is laughing, Lily can't help but laugh. Where car rides used to be such a pain, they are no so enjoyable and pleasant because I have two children who entertain each other during the trip. There is no sweeter sound to my ears than to hear children laughing!

Marco is becoming more and more mobile and interactive. With this Lily has really taken to playing with him instead of her toys, animals, monsters, or books. Sometimes she doesn't realize how small Marco is and how she needs to be gentle, but most of the time Marco squeals with delight and tries so very hard to be included in all the fun.

She is such a good big sister and wants to make sure that Marco is included in everything she does. If she doesn't like what toy he is playing with, she will go and get a different toy for Marco to play with so she can have the toy she wants. And when if I get bored of her reading books to me, I can tell her to go read to Marco. He makes such a great substitute!

When Marco was finally stable to sit upright in shopping carts, Lily wanted to start sitting in shopping carts again. She is so protective and makes sure that Marco has a friend. Sometimes she gives him a little too much love... but really... is there such thing as too much love for each other at this age?

Nap times are awesome when I bring Marco in. Lily usually wakes up disoriented and upset. (Disclaimer: I lay down next to her until she falls asleep so when she wakes up and I'm not there she becomes a tad frightened). When Marco comes in it makes the world of a difference because she instantly wants to play and hug him. If he's had a good nap - he's totally game for it. If he hasn't - he's ready to move on to the next station to play!

When we FaceTime Grammy Lily has to show how much she loves her baby brother. 

I really, really was hesitant to have two children - mostly because I didn't want to go through another pregnancy. But, what won me over was the fact that Lily would have someone to play with. I am so glad that she and Marco have each other and that they love each other. They are so good to and for each other and watching them play together just makes me beam as a mother. I hope that their friendship will only continue to grow and deepen over the years. That is my wish.

Other August Outings

The month of August didn't seem nearly as busy as the month of July... and I think I've figured out why! The first week kids were sick with colds so we camped out at home to keep from getting anyone sick. And then the last week or two of August school started. So other families that we see frequently were busy putting their lives in order to get kids ready for school. I also think that it didn't seem as busy because I didn't pull out my phone nearly as much as I used to. I now have a little boy who wants to chew on it anytime he sees it so I keep it out of sight to prevent slobber damage.

That being said, we did try to get out and see people as much as possible. Here were some of our fun outings...

Lily loves, loves, loves Caleb! (She prays for him, and Marin, every night). So she is always asking me when we can go and see Caleb. I need to be better about getting together with them. Marin is a great friend and someone that totally enriches me every time I'm around her... so it would just make sense to see them more often. This particular outing Caleb taught Lily to love hats. 

We visited Laura Bell and her children this month. I always feel bad popping by to see them because they have so much going on and so many kids to take care of. But she makes me feel so welcome every time I step through her front door. I hope that from visiting Laura that her warm welcome to me can rub off on me and I can emulate this and share this with others as they "pop" in to see me!

We had Daddy for one Saturday this whole month! So we took off and headed up north to Mt. Airy and decided to check out a cute little general store in the area. I had won a $20 gift card here and we wanted to spend it. It sounded like a great idea, but we ended up spending way more than our allotted $20. We had lunch there and we wish we would have known that one sandwich could have easily fed three people. We were also feeling generous and let Lily pick out a special treat for her to take home. If you can tell (from the photos below) that she is toting around Nemo and Dori - it will come as no surprise to you that she chose gummy sharks to take home. She played with them for three days before she saw Daddy take a bite of one and realized they were edible. After that discovery all the sharks mysteriously disappeared. 

This month, we also made a new friend, Cynthia, that we met at Trader Joes. She invited us over for lunch one afternoon and as soon as we arrived Lily decided that she needed to inspect her home. I was so embarrassed. Luckily Cynthia was such a good sport about things and decided to take us on a fun tour of her home. Even though there were no "toys" for Lily to play with, Lily had the time of her life and keeps asking when we can go back to see her.

I had a really neat experience happen at her house. As I was getting ready to leave Cynthia said, "I just wanted you to know that I knew you were Mormon as soon as I met you at Trader Joes." Her comment left me speechless, and while I didn't say anything she continued, "I bet you're wondering how I knew. Well, let me tell you. When you meet a Mormon, they have a different 'look' about them, a different demeanor. There just appears to be this light in their eyes. And you had this look." The only response to what she had said was to say, "Thank you." Nothing else felt appropriate because this was a compliment she just paid me. If nothing else, her comment really made me so glad I came over because it was just what I needed to hear. It uplifted me, and I like to be around those that uplift me and make me feel better. 

Bed Head

I have dreamed of cutting off all my hair and growing it out, but I have a little problem and this little problems is called, "I have naturally curly hair." So while others have straight hair and their hair behaves, I never know what my hair is going to decide to do. Instead of taking a leap of faith, I can vicariously live through Lily and watch her grow her hair out and see what kind of awesome hairstyles can be produced with a little bit of curl!

I think bed head is adorable and I love it. Sometimes there is nothing I can do to tame it other than wet it down and start over... which isn't always promising either! I have neglected to take pictures of bedhead because I don't ever have my phone around when kids are waking up. But all of her crazy hairstyles help me feel assured that she got a good night's rest.