Fall Festival #1

Take #1 - This one might have been the end of the picture taking, but I was in too close and wanted to try again!
Take #13 - She insisted on having her bear in the picture with her. She has been carrying bear around like a baby the last two days. She's even started asking to be a baby - having me hold, rock, feed, etc. She even has the fake baby cry down pat!

Take #14 - Cheesing it up for the camera

Checking out her stash! This was taken horizontally, but blogger changed it for me and I don't know how to fix it- Sorry!

"Signing up" for a cake auction. She did this all on her own. I think she saw the paper and just wanted to draw!

Our church had its fall festival tonight. I bribed her by telling her that she would see Riley (an older gentleman that gives her "Tootsie Rah Rahs") just to get her costume on her. Unfortunately, we didn't see Riley, but Lily got a handle on the trunk-or-treat very quickly. I had a HARD time getting a good picture of her ahead of time though. Eighteen shots to be exact!

Must read and watch

I usually don't post things like this, but this really bothers me!

Follow the link to read what a fellow mom of a Xuwen baby wrote: http://martinemadness.blogspot.com/2008/10/so-many-red-flags.html

How Hard Is It?

Well, let me see if I can give some perspective. Steve would be best at this, but he is a little busy studying.

Two of his classmates have significant others who are 1. an ER doc, and 2. in medical school. They have both commented on what the anatomy professor is expecting of Steve's class. They both seem to agree that this class is harder than what they had in MED SCHOOL!

One of his profs has been out for a week (wife had a baby). The person filling in for class also commented on a couple of things. One comment being that they will never have to know that (whatever that was) in a clinical setting.

Just because you know a lot DOESN'T make you a good teacher!

Well, I had better go. We were supposed to leave the library to go have dinner 15 minutes ago in order to meet some classmates for a movie at 7 p.m. Oh BTW, I am actually in H-burg with out the Bugsmeister! Lily is staying with G and G Robey. She slept well last night. Hope tonight goes just as well!

Sorry :(

Lily took this picture

I am SO sorry that I haven't posted since the concert. We are still adjusting to life as a family of two during the week. Can you believe that I am in the middle of my 13th week of work (10th since Steve left for school) with only 4 1/2 weeks until Steve is home for an entire week? Continue to pray for Steve. He is VERY smart and can handle just about anything! We are both struggling - feeling many days the thought, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Onto more important things . . . Lily continues to amaze me. On the way back from our trip to visit Steve in Harrisonburg, Lily babbled continually.

Anna do it, Elanna do it, Stop It, Anna (Ellianna is one of her sitter's children - the one who she plays with while the other's are at school).

Check mommy, sit here (patting on the couch - she used her doctor bag to check me over)

Underwears, underwears, princess, princess - She came out of her room after running around with out a diaper on with a pair of her underwear on. Facing the right direction. She also had a onesie pulled over her head on top of the shirt she was wearing.

She is no longer using a sippy cup, a pacifer (she picked up that habit at her first sitter), or her blanket during the day (only to go to sleep with at night). Check out the picture above.

We have made it a habit of watching a Praise Baby video before bed. It really helps with her transition to bed. She knows that she drinks a yogurt while watching it and then heads to bed right after. I have been putting her to bed a little later as that seems to be helping her go to sleep easier. She doesn't complain as much if I wait until 8:30 or so. Tonight, I am not sure when she fell asleep. We laid down together and snuggled under a Daddy blanket (blanket to keep you warm vs. one of her security blankets). We both fell asleep. When I woke up, it was 8:50 and the video was over and playing the music it plays at the menu. Lily was like a rag doll as I carried her to bed!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The United Tour

The Roanoke Civic Center will never be the same!

Working hard

Do I have to touch it? - oh she did. She ate her fair share too!

MW Smith on Keyboard and SCC on guitar singing "How Great is Our God"

Bummed a ride from an adoring fan

Grandpa is the coolest!

Except when David is around - Wish we had been able to catch her smile :)

Packed up and ready to head for home at 11 pm

I absolutely couldn't pass up a chance to volunteer for Shaohannah's Hope and see a great concert. We arrived at 6 pm and left the venue at 11 pm. Lily was spectacular! You could not ask for more from a 2 1/2 year old. We told them that we might have to leave early depending on how Lily was doing.

That little bundle of energy and sweetness made it through the entire concert - even clean up with NO temper tantrums or meltdowns. That was a feat as she has not been herself since about Friday: clingy, whiny, and just awful if she isn't getting her way. I think it's a combination of teething, a new sitter, not seeing Daddy this weekend, being 2, etc.

I think people really enjoyed seeing her. She had a blast "working." She handed out brochures and fortune cookies. They asked us to try and pass out all the brochures marked for our city. They even had some left over from the show in Cincinnatti the night before. I am proud to say that Lily completed her task - so well that I didn't even have one to keep for a scrapbook!

We had the privilege of talking with David Trask (SCC's road manager) a couple different times. It is always nice to see people you have met before and see how they are doing. He thought she looked like Stevey Joy, but I told him from everything I have learned about Maria (love for life, living it large, and happy happys and mad mads) that Lily has a personality similar to Maria!

It was also nice to share such a special night with my dad. Usually it is mom (we both love SCC's music), but she was in Florida finishing up a cruise!Please. please, please continue to pray for SCC and his entire family. People have a tendency to forget once an "event" isn't news anymore. It is still a struggle and they still need our prayers and support!

Lilyisms

"I put it on, sock"

"I draw something"

"Circle"

"Green - Go"

"Red - Stop"

"Daddy Home"

"Miss Daddy"

Little Better

Thought I would update you. I'm not 100%, but I am on the road to recovery. I took half a sick day on Tuesday to go to the doctor. I hesitated to go, because the last time I went for virtually the same symptoms - they told me to just wait it out. This time I got a round of antibiotics and it made a world of difference!