This Girl...

Lily, at 2 1/2, is pretty sure she's the matriarch of our family. She is in charge of directing most activities that go on around here.

Lately she's started calling us "sweetheart" when she wants us to do something.  Like, "Sweetheart, come here, sweetheart!"  

Art projects are about the only thing (besides TV) that will hold her attention for long

Lily is also very into singing and dancing.  Here, she combined those loves with her love of giving directions.  Do I see a career as a fitness instructor in her future?  :)

Life in Lily-land is either very, very good, or.....This:

She keeps us on our toes, makes us laugh, and fills life with a lot of zesty joy.  Love this girl!

A Pre-New Years Resolution

I've never forgotten this talk from General Conference a few years ago.

I don't think of myself as a very creative person generally, but I recognize that when I DO create something, it fills a part of me that is often running pretty low during these long days in the motherhood trenches. 

So, as a pre-New Years resolution, I've resolved to make creating a more regular part of my life.  Specifically through photography of my kiddies.  Rob has been the photographer for most of our life together, so he knows how to use all of the fun photo toys we have.  But he is pretty durn busy these days, and I'm around some of the cutest photography subjects a girl could ask for 24/7, so it makes sense for me to step up my game while my kids are still so eager to say, "CHEESE!"

Here's some of my first efforts (commence proud-mama photo dump):

 

Randoms

Life is flying by pretty quickly these days (although, I might tell you a different story around 5pm on any given evening....those last 3 hours are a KILLER!).  Here are a few snapshots...

Sidewalk chalk family on the driveway.  I'm becoming quite the arteest. 

This girl and her smiles.  Just catch her eye and wait. 

That is lip-liner on her face. 

Having a baby sister around does have its perks...

...like turning her chair into a toddler lazyboy!

Again.  This smile...kills me.

Nothing like having 2 co-pianists to take the pressure off a performance...nobody can tell when you make a mistake!

Yes? Can I help you, Mother?

A Thanksgiving To Be Thankful For

This was our first year in 7+ years of marriage to actually HOST on Turkey Day.  I feel like it's almost a right of passage as an American woman...so I guess I've finally arrived!

The Table

Since we didn't have any actual family nearby this year, we invited some of our "practically-family" friends to come be Thankful, eat, and play with us. 

Jayson & Courtney (staying w us during an PA internship)

Felicia & Brandon (& Henry & Eleanor), good friends from Boston who are now local

Adrienne & Sterling (& Eleanor, Sterling, Charlotte, Juliet), bffs from down the street

 As we sat around the table talking about Thanksgiving traditions, sports, family, and everything else under the moon, my heart was full and I really FELT all of the many things I have to be thankful for. 

The Group

To allow our stomachs some time to empty before we filled them again with pie, we adjourned from the table to move around a little, play some games, and begin the annual viewing of Scrooge.  

Kids kicking it old school on the N64

The little girls doing what they do best: TV marathons

High Stakes Wits and Wagers around the kitchen table

 By the end of the long, full day we were all tired, but I couldn't shake the happy glow that had settled over me.  And as my head hit the pillow, just seconds before falling asleep, I said for the 25th time that day, "This has been such a GREAT day!" 

And this little peanut just came along for the ride!

Frequent Feeders @ The Zoo

So it only took us 3 years to work out Rob's schedule so we could all go to the Houston Zoo together.  But on this beautiful Saturday morning, it was worth the wait! 

The Zoo here is awesome.  We almost always get to see some serious action with the big cats, the sea lions, the elephants, and the chimps.  But our favorite thing is: Feeding the Giraffes.

The giraffes' heads were as big as L & S!

I wish we could have gotten a shot of the girls' faces as they each held out a lettuce leaf, then watched a looong gray tongue come out of a big beautiful giraffe mouth and gobble it right out of their hands!  They were seriously in awe.  Next time I'm thinking about smuggling some romaine in with me b/c, at $5/3 leaves, the zoo is making a KILLING on these giraffes!

Second favorite thing at the zoo: Petting the goats.

Each kid gets a little brush and can walk around abusing brushing these saintly, patient old goats. 

Lily is really into "mothering" everyone and everything she interacts with.  And by "mothering" I mean bossing around and herding, mostly. 

It was so funny to hear her saying things like, "It's ooohhh-kay sheepy, it's oooohhh-kay." Or, "No, no!  Come over here!" Or, "Come on sheepy, let's go!" 

Wonder where she gets it from?  ;)

Even though it sometimes feels like a herculean task to get everyone out of the house to do things like this, I'm always so glad when we do!

  Seeing life through these little 2-year old eyes is just so EXCITING. 

Halloween

I was a little worried as Halloween approached because neither girl would even get NEAR her costume.  But on D-Day, when tantrums abounded as I struggled to stuff flailing limbs into tights and fleecy polka-dots, I had a motherhood flash of brilliance.

Bribery.

It's not in any of the "what-to-expect" books, and it's not on any medical website, but a great toddler milestone is when they reach the age of understanding that there are consequences to their choices.  In this instance, the choice: let Mom put us in these ridiculous outfits; the consequence: CANDY.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  Especially when she's outnumbered, 3 to 1. 

Smiles all around when our mouths are full of chocolate!

We went with a garden theme this year.  Savannah and Lily were ladybugs and a 3 week old Caroline was a sleepy flower. 

Snuggles

And Mom was dressed up as a girl trying not to sweat as she shepherded her little brood to various Halloween activities.  

This year our activities included a church trunk-or-treat, Rob's work had an awesome Halloween party, and then of course there was actual Halloween.  We skipped the library costume parade, and a play-group Halloween party; I just ran out of Halloween spirit after awhile...

Arm painting at Rob's work party

All in all, Halloween was pretty successful this year.  The girls learned how to say "Trick or Treat," they learned that sugar comes in a LOT of different shapes and sizes, and they learned that being cute, blond, twin ladybugs pays big dividends at each door. 

One of Rob's coworkers thought this was pretty much the cutest thing he'd ever seen :)

2 months late...

...but here are some of our favorite newborn pictures we took with Caroline. 

Pondering the meaning of life

The Thinker

Sisterly Love