Lilah's 1st Birthday WEEK: The BIG Party

Here are some shots of Lilah's outfit and her sweetest, cutest EVER party hat!! Thanks to my dearest friend Emily for helping me with decorations, Lilah's party outfit and her hat, along with SO much more (and all the way from Georgia). I so do love her.
Just in case you're wondering, this truly is the cutest little girl you've ever seen.

Lilah's Big 1st Birthday Bash

So, my cousin Melissa took most of our pictures, so I only have some so far. Here are a few shots with Lilah's cute birthday hat (Emily sent this to me - it's the best). And, our attempt at taking a family photo...not so successful (as you can see).
It was a perfect party for an absolutely perfect princess! The food was good (thanks for our family!!!), the weather was beautiful, and Lilah was in a great, spunky mood. More pictures to come....

1st Birthday WEEK: Day 4

Today was a joggin' outside sort of day. We've had so much beautiful sunshine so Lilah and I went out on a run (and I have to get my runs in anyhow in preparation for my 1/2 marathon in June). She does pretty good and was in the jogger for about 50 minutes. We stopped at the park and she walked/crawled around and tried to eat a LOT of grass, woodchips and pinecones. Then we headed home. She not only loves glasses, but sunglasses too. ;)

1st Birthday WEEK: Day 3

Ohhhh...my PEPS friends. How I love thee! They have been such a great support group and have come to be our good friends. Lilah loves these babies and how exciting it's been to see them from 3 months and now to all their first birthdays. For Lilah's PEPS birthday party I got Trophy cupcakes for the moms and banana muffins for the babes. We just hung out, had mimosas and celebrated together making it to the 1 year mark.
I am so thankful for this wonderful group of ladies and hope we continue to get together and see our babies grow throughout the years!

Goofin' Off with Granny

She loves her granny, and loves granny's glasses almost as much. We couldn't resist taking these of her.

Birthday Morning

A few shots from our morning on Lilah's 1st birthday! Hooray!

Lilah's 1st Birthday WEEK: Day 1

Our little baby turned one - everyone was right...it's bittersweet. I'm so excited and I love how fun she is now, but it's sad to see her growing up so fast. I want to slow down everything, yet I know this is how life goes. Everyone gets older. You deal with it.
On Lilah's actual birthday, I met granny (my mom) at Country Village so we could watch the ducks and roosters (and unfortunately there were TONS of geese out today - they're mean and they hiss and totally scare me). Since I can't put captions on the pictures, I decided to explain the two where I'm holding Lilah and I'm making a heinous face and she's about to cry - well, it's because when granny's around, she only wants her. So, she's mad that granny's taking pictures and mom is holding her. ;) Lilah again loved the ducks and roosters and "ooohed" at them a lot. We then went to the litte coffee shop there and had snack and coffee. She played with some kids and loved it (and I loved most of it, except for the moms who don't parent their children). Grrrr!
Later Lilah and I went on a run with auntie Dana and she really enjoyed all the people and Dana kept her very entertained for about 50 minutes of running in the sunshine. It was a nice treat for me and I actually think Lilah's liking the jogger more and more. Phew!
Lance got home and we went to Red Robin to celebrate. Lilah was a little afraid of Red Robin (the gigantic red bird that walks around and doesn't talk). She liked him fine until he tried to touch her and then she almost produced tears. Her first meal at a restaurant was macaroni and cheese with steamed brocolli - all which she loved. She got a birthday sundae too, which we ate since I think the ice cream was too cold for her and she just turned her head at it. Lance wondered how she could be his child and not like ice cream. :) Instead, she enjoyed much more staring at the ceiling fans. Fun stuff at one!

We Heart Country Village

Lilah and I met up with Olympia and Elena at Country Village in Bothell yesterday afternoon. I hadn't been there since I was much younger when my mom used to go there and I'd tag along and go into all the crafty, country-style shops. It's just a 15 minute drive from our house and Olympia had told me about this great coffee shop that's made for kids - moms can sit around and drink coffee and chat, while their kids play with toys, puzzles, the little kitchen set, read books.
Lilah and I got there a little early and as soon as we get out of the car we hear this loud "cock a doodle doo" and there is a rooster about 20 feet from us! He had a friend nearby and they went back and forth cock-a-doodle-dooing. There's a pond right there with a million ducks (since I think they get fed by every child that comes here) and they are all very friendly and tame. Lilah was in fowl heaven! She honestly could not stop "ooohhing" and screeching and screaming. She'd wave to the ducks and would have joined them in their poop infested man-made pond if I would have let her. When Olympia got there with Elena her comment was, "Is she always like this or is she just really excited?". Ha! She was very excited, but also "oohs" at everything now.
So, we made our way eventually to the coffee shop and played with the girls. I realized I am "that mom" that cannot put up with or keep my mouth shut when kids are misbehaved. I think I may make some enemies this way, but then you should probably keep an eye on your children and teach them manners. Yes, I am still worked up about it. To make the story short, this little girl (5 years old, at least) didn't want Lilah to come near her, play with "her" toy (that belonged to the coffee shop) and actually pushed her a few times and told me she didn't want her to touch her sister's toys, or whatever. I think my face turned the color of a strawberry. I did have to tell that little girl that Lilah is just a baby and if she didn't want her to play with her stuff she should probably go elsewhere. Mind you, I was not necessarily upset with this little girl. I was much more upset with her mother who sat only feet away chatting with her friend and not paying attention to her rude daughter, and who had somehow forgotten to teach her any sort of manners or sharing rules. Ugh!
So, I learned that this is the first of many, many times I'll be flaberghasted by other parents and children. However, I can hardly wait to go back with Lilah. I think it'll be her birthday treat to go there and play with the ducks and roosters, have some coffee and play time, and then swing on some swings and go down the slide at their little play area. Fun!

Home Away From Home

Last weekend we spent our time traveling to, staying in, and traveling home from the wonderful city of Spokane. I actually say that in all honesty because Lance and I love it there. Probably really the biggest reason is because we love the Lofstedt family. Lance and Shane have been good friends for probably almost 10 years, and then when I came along I saw what was so great about the Lofstedts. Kelli and I have a lot in common and just enjoy each other's company (as I said in my last post). Olivia was, is, and will always be my little buddy. I think (well...hope) that even when she's 16 we'll have a special bond. And Nolan....I can just hear that sweet little voice talking right now. I love it! He...will some day be....our son-in-law. So, there you have it. We're all stuck with each other for life. ;)
Other than Lilah not sleeping a WINK on the way there or home (that's 5 hours) and our first night only getting 3 hours of sleep, we had the best time. Kelli and I went shopping (at Kohls of all places - it's where I wanted to go, and actually we found great stuff and great deals), talked, and then ran in Bloomsday. For her and her friends it was a horrible run, but for me actually it was great. I think I let them do all the worrying and thinking too hard and planning, and so I didn't even think about the run very much. I was smiling the entire time about the bands that played along the way (ha - they screamed and for some I thought I could even sound better...however, I thoroughly enjoyed them), the crowd that joined us, Kelli's very serious running partners, and the beautiful weather we go. Anyhow, the worst part for me was sitting in the car on the way home - not really ideal to sit for 5 hours after running 7 miles.
Lance and Shane enjoyed each other as always - quoting movie lines, eating blizzards from Dairy Queen, watching sports. They were great actually because it seemed like Kelli and I were gone without the kids more than the usual visits, and they stayed at home and were in charge of feeding, naps, and entertaining. Good husbands!
We're already talking about the next time we see each other....not only do we love to see Shane and Kelli, but Lilah just adores Olivia and her future husband.
Thanks you guys for a great visit and can't wait to see you again! xoxo