Tea for 2

Nilla Wafers, marshmallow "sugar cubes" and tea! What better way to spend a rainy Friday evening!

Busy Week

Gosh - a week sure has flown by fast. I can't believe it's already Sunday evening again.

Last week was quite a busy week in our household. Josh has recently gone into business for himself, so has been working late night after late night. Between gymnastics, Wednesday night church stuff, dinner/bedtime routines/chores, there has not been very much time for blogging!

We did have a nice and somewhat relaxing weekend. Saturday morning, we had breakfast at Doug's and then ran a few errands. Saturday afternoon was spent outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather. I squeezed in a bit of yard work between swinging and sliding with Lily and Bear.

Today, we had a fun morning worshipping at church, lunch with the rest of the McWhorters, and then Katie and I hit the outlets for a "kidless" shopping adventure. Katie got a great deal on some cute clothes and shoes for Katie Anne. I found play clothes and an Easter dress for Lily and a few cute boy outfits for Bear. The outlets are always a great place to find good deals on kid's clothes. I don't think I bought anything (expect Lily's Easter dress) that wasn't 40% off. It was another beautiful afternoon to be outside and I had fun catching up with Katie!

My stack of good deals!

Dinner tonight was quick and easy - pizza. Though Lily was a bit less than impressed with our frozen grocery store pizza, Bear thoroughly enjoyed it!

Bear enjoying dinner - yes, he's eating off of a Disney princess plate

Isn't his messy face adorable!

That's a quick catch up on what's going on in our lives! Kids are sound asleep and Josh and I are going to relax and watch a few tv shows! Have a great week!

All I Need

Tonight, in the kitchen during dinner:

Lily - "Momma!"

Me - "Yes baby"

Lily - "I like you sooo much!

Me - I smile, caught off guard by her spontaneous burst of affection.

Do I really need anything more than to hear those sweet words from my little one!

Happy Birthday Lily

Lily,

As I tucked you in to bed tonight, I thought about this night, 3 years ago, when I was holding you for our first night together. I can't believe how fast 3 years have gone by and how much you've grown and changed. I love you more than I ever imagined and am so grateful that I get to be your momma!

You've accomplished so much this year. You started taking gymnastics classes in August. Daddy and I are so amazed by all that you've learned to do. You now are doing so well on your cartwheels, headstands, and walking on the balance beam.

You've become such a great big sister as well. You were almost 2 when your little brother was born. The first few months were a little tough - but you now are such a doting and protective big sister to Bear. You are teaching him so many things and I love how you always want to help momma take care of him.

You talk and tell stories like such a big girl. Most people think you are older than 3 when they hear you talk. You swam this summer with just swimmies on. You are now potty-trained. You love playing with your friends. You love your Sunday School class and Puggles group on Wednesday's at church.

I can't believe that my little princess is already 3. Though you are growing up, you still love being momma and daddy's little girl. You still ask sometimes for us to hold you like a baby, to read and cuddle with you at night, and too kiss your boo-boos. We love you so much Lily and thank God everyday for life with you!

Princess for a Day

The birthday celebrations continued this weekend with Lily's birthday party! About a month ago, we were discussing birthdays and she requested a princess birthday this year. I hadn't planned on doing a real party this year, but the thought of a princess party seemed like so much fun to me! Lily is certainly our little princess and it seemed like a perfect way to celebrate her 3rd birthday. We invited several of her close friends and their parents over for a day of fun in "Lily's castle". We took everything out of our playroom/formal living room and turned it into a fun party area. We brought down Lily's vanity, her princess tent, and set up some craft tables with foam crowns to make. The girls all came dressed as pretty little princesses (we had a few boys too) and we had such a good time. After the chaos of cake eating and gift opening, we took the little princesses and princes outside in the beautiful sunshine for sidewalk chalk. It was a great way to end her special day.Lily was all smiles all afternoon long and enjoyed being princess for the day!
Here are some pictures from our day. Katie has more on her blog as well.

Emma's 3rd Birthday

Waiting

Waiting is never fun - we wait in line at the grocery store, I wait in traffic several times a week driving in to Atlanta for work, and sometimes I find myself anxiously waiting for the kids' bedtime/naptime so I can have a few minutes to myself.


Lily has now figured out the concept of waiting. I've been single mom-ing it since Thursday, as Josh is out of town for work. My adorable kids are normally easy, but when they want something, they want it then and they usually want different things at the same time. I guess I've been telling Lily "Just a minute" quite a lot this week because her automatic response now is "I wait for things all the time". Very simple, said cheerfully with a playful grin on her face, no whining involved. She understands that waiting is part of life and with a little brother who needs more help that she does, she gets that she is going to have to wait for things quite often.

After hearing this several times over the last few days, I started thinking about my own attitude towards waiting. I finished up the Angela Thomas Bible Study "When Wallflowers Dance" a few weeks ago and the last bit of the study was about waiting and be ready when God tells us it is our turn. I've always prided myself on being what I considered to be a patient person - but really I'm not. I, like most women, have in my mind a plan for my life and when I want things accomplished. When God's timing is different than mine, oh how I whine! And complain! And stomp my feet like a child to Him. As a parent, I know He cannot enjoy this, as I hate when Lily acts this way towards.


That being said, I've found that my heart's desire is to be more like my Lily has this week in my approach to waiting! When it's not my turn - to smile, dance and know that He has a perfect plan for me. I know I am far from perfect and will have my moments of pity and fighting the wait I am being called to. But I also know that by waiting on His timing, in both the little and big things in my life, I will be so richly blessed!