Photo Session with the St. Clairs

Seriously the sweetest family is all I can say. All four of the St. Clairs (Luke, Jen, Leah- 19 mos, Rory- 2 mos) came out in the cold and rain to take some family shots of us. And, they could have backed out or done some photos inside of us, but Jen pushed a sleeping baby Rory around in the stroller and entertained Leah (who is not hard to entertain...such a good little girl) so that Luke could spend an hour getting some family photos.
Anyhow, we got some great pictures, even in the Seattle gloom. :) Here are some of my favorites, a few that will be included in our Christmas cards (created for us by Jen also, www.littlesproutcreations.com).
Thank you so very much to the St. Clair family for giving us some of your precious Saturday and for taking some great, memorable shots of our little family of three. xoxo

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving. I am very thankful especially for no family drama. It seems as though so many families we know and friends' families have so much drama on holidays and it's nice that our's was just normal. No crazy family members, no inappropriate comments, no horrid children. It was wonderfully uneventful.
We played in the snow earlier in the day as it snowed once again and then melted and rained as the day continued on. Lance built a snowman that barely lasted through our playing time and Lilah tried really hard to try to figure out who this strange being was.
We went and got my mom to join us at the Wileys. Like I said, it was wonderfully uneventful. Good food, good company, and relaxing times. The most eventful was our ride to and from Marysville, which for some reason our 18 month old still can't handle. She makes it a dreadful time and always makes me so thankful to finally get out of the car. Ever since she was a newborn she hates, HATES being confined. And, 18 months later, she continues to fight sleeping in the car and instead whines, cries, and is mostly never content. It makes the driver feel helpless and the passenger feel frustrated and anxious.
Other than that, it was a great holiday. Friday my mom and I did our usual Black Friday shopping, which we both always like. I get most of my shopping done (with a few little cheap treats for myself) and we both get to people watch and be in the mix with all the crazies. Shopping from 8-1 is very exhausting, but well worth the time together and the great deals!

So This Is Why She Doesn't Eat at Meal Time

I think I finally figured out why my child is in the 7th percentile for weight. Her favorite play activity is to take any cup, bowl, plastic container and her play fork or spoon and "eat" out of it. She does it all the time (and this includes trying to feed me, Lance, granny, and her baby).
She must tell herself that from all that "eating" she's full. Duh. Why did I not figure this out before? I guess if I was "eating" all day too, I wouldn't be too interested in food during meal times. :)

What Did She Order?

I am reading (not as regularly as I would like) The Coffee mom's Devotional. It has great daily devotionals that are really tailor made for a mama. I feel like every time I read them I am convicted, relieved, thankful, and repentant all in one. :)
Last night I read the chapter titled What Did She Order?. It was about satisfaction in your life and primarily regarding jealousy. I find I am usually very satisfied and content with my life, but there are occasional times that I do feel jealous of others' more extravagant lifestyles. We can't go on vacations, shop anywhere we wish, or buy the clothes/shoes/accessories as I would like. However I felt convicted that if I accept my value in God and take time to be grateful for all I do have, I will be at peace. I will be satisfied. I want to always appreciate what all God has blessed me with, which is so rich in value and much better than clothes, shoes, Hawaii, and definitely better than working every day.

#57 and 58...

on why it's very awesome to stay at home with my little girl:

#57 I get to call "snow day" whenever I feel like it (or when the roads are bad). Today we took a quick (and slippery) trip to Safeway and then stayed at home all day. I'm not waiting and watching and sitting on the edge of the couch at 5:30 am waiting for the Bellevue School District to loosen up a bit and give me the day off so I don't injure myself or others in the treacherous weather on the way to school. Nope. I call "snow day" tonight, for tomorrow! Whoop whoop! That means pjs, coffee (hot chocolate for little missy), Sesame Street, a snow angel, and lots of playing.

#58 Along the same lines, I get to have way more make-up free and messy hair days than most. Today I did shower (I did my at-home workout so it was necessary), but I got to put on my sweats, put my hair up and not worry about make-up since I knew my day would be chillin' at home.

It's pretty wonderful.

Arctic Blast - Take Two

More pictures of our second round of playing. It didn't last too long because it was freezing and a little breezy too. And, I get Lilah all bundled and don't worry about myself (no hat, no gloves, no scarf), so I get out there and I'm like a popsicle.

Arctic Blast 2010

I just read a post of facebook from a friend who mentioned how crazy it is that all these Washintonians drive 20 on the freeway when it has snowed. Although I agree, I think it's more crazy and super annoying when people drive 20 on the freeway when it's raining (and yes, there are some that do that).
I did brave a short outing to Safeway to get groceries (it's probably a half mile away, maybe less) and actually did some serious slipping and sliding in the Jetta. I don't think it's a very reliable snow-driving car. :)
After lunch Lilah and I went outside for a little visit in the snow. She liked it and would look up into the sky and just giggle. I got her way too big of gloves since I know she'll grow into them, but luckily they stay on, but she can't really pick anything up.
The snow continues to fall and we're cozy inside - we may head out one more time before dark and play (she's walking around attempting to put her gloves on right now and singing a song about those gloves, I think).

Three Thanksgivings Down, One To Go

And, I have no pictures to prove it! What is wrong with me!??! Out of three Thanksgivings we've already had (one for our community group through church, one with my side of the family, and one with the PEPS kiddos and families) I took ZERO pictures. I'm sad I didn't get pictures of all the kids yesterday. At this time last year we kept them all contained, sitting around, some crawling, in a little confined area. Now we can socialize and mingle some, but have to keep an extra eye and ear out for our little ones that may be stealing someone else's toy, knocking over a glass while reaching on his/her tippy toes, or eating something they probably should not be.
Anyhow, all three Thanksgivings have been super fun and all with very delicious food. Our last one will be with the Wiley side on the actual Thanksgiving day. I think by then I will have had my share of turkey and gravy...but maybe not stuffing. Mmmmm...that's my favorite. All bready and carby.
As I type I am thinking of the true reason for getting together with these family and friends, and it's not just to shove our face with loads and loads of carbs with football on in the background. I am very thankful for my family, for our church family, and for my newer friends I met through PEPS that have continued to be great advice-givers and great listeners.
Thanks to all of you...I am thankful and grateful you are in our lives!

Mama's Little Cook

She likes to help...sort of. Or at least she likes to wear the oven mits and walk around saying, "huttt, huttt".

Friday Visitors

Mason was in town visiting his dad and Julie, so last Friday we went for a short little morning visit. Mason is 6 and is such a nice boy. He entertained Lilah (and by that she was laughing so hard that you could see all her teeth and she had to squint her eyes and flail her head back) and blew bubbles and played with all the toddler type toys. It was fun to see him and also to get a taste of what it could be like when baby M comes here....I plan to be taking many trips to the Muchlinski residence.

She Disappeared And...

This is what I found. Just chillin...in the rocking chair....readin a book.

Nothing's Better Than Shoes

Usually we keep shoes away from Lilah...
They either tend to go in her mouth, or she gets frustrated trying to untie them or get them on herself. Today she got my running shoes and got one on. She tromped around in the kitchen for quite awhile with one shoe on. Clearly it was tons of fun.

Pre-Shots

At her 18 month appointment Lilah is rockin' less than 21 pounds and only the 7th percentile for weight. Kind of frustrating, but her pediatrician seems to think it's fine and we're doing all we can do. Unfortunately, she's just not into food. Fortunately though, Dr. Anderson's happy that she really likes most fruits and veggies, which she says is better than a baby at the weight he/she should be but that only likes carbs and cheese.
She had to get three shots this time (in her arms) so I kept her only half dressed. She didn't mind. Although apparently it's more common at this age to scream and cry the entire time at the doctor's office, she was more than happy to be there. She made a lot of friends, "Hieeee". She seemed to like Dr. Anderson checking her heart beat and shining the light in her eyes and looking in her ears.
I'm thankful for a social, friendly girl....I would take that over a big eater any day. :)

Rocky Balboa

This is what I looked like this for a few days this week (minus the blood). While we were camping and having rushed out the door since deciding last minute we were actually going, I forgot my contact solution and case. Therefore, I slept in my contacts. Usually, not such a big deal. This time though, I must have had something in there that just happened to stay all night long, leaving me with a scratched cornea. By Sunday night my eye was watering like crazy, it was swollen, red, irritated, painful and my head was pounding. On Monday, I went to the doctor to find out I had a scratch on my cornea and there was virtually nothing I could do but wait it out and put drops in my eye every few hours. The worst part was that it lasted until about Wednesday and my eye was also SUPER sensitive to the sun. Driving was pretty dangerous because as soon as my eye saw the light of day it was watering so bad I couldn't see out of it at all.
Luckily now (almost a week later) it's mostly better, other than my eye is still a little blurry. In lieu of a picture of my eye, I am posting a picture of Rocky's. :)

Jillian's Sidekick?!

I have super exciting news!! To make this story a lot shorter, I have been thinking lately about what "I'm going to be when I grow up". I think I have a desire to dabble in something now while I'm home with Lilah and to do something I am truly passionate about. Not that I don't love teaching, because I definitely do. However, I can't be home and raise my baby girl and teach (even part time IS full time in the teaching world).
I am though very passionate about fitness, exercise, and beyond that, being a mom and being physically fit. I believe that you can lose that baby weight and if you work HARD, it will happen (I'm saying that of course before baby #2 is here, so my tune may change). ;) Again, to shorten this long story, I met with a woman who is opening a studio in downtown Kirkland. She will have a variety of classes, including all the things I love (circuit training, resistance training, cycling, cardio, and stroller/mama classes). So, I'm going to take some more of her classes and go to her stroller and mama classes in hope's of eventually becoming an instructor for her.
I'm also praying for guidance and that God's will be done for my future and what I should do in terms of this, teaching, and even a possibility of getting my Masters in Speech Pathology. For now, I feel as though a door has been opened and I'm collecting Jillian Michael's sayings to share with my future mama's during our workouts (just kidding really). Yay!

Daddy's Birthday Morning

To celebrate Lance's, uh, 28th birthday I made homemade cinnamon rolls, some cheesy eggs and of course coffee and we ate in front on the tv before he headed out to work. Unfortunately the reason we ate breakfast while watching Elmo and his other Sesame Street friends was because poor little Lilah was very sick with a fever and gross runny nose. :(
Thankfully granny came over so that we could do the usual Daniel's dinner night out and she could take care of our sick little one. Such a bummer to be sick on your daddy's birthday.
This weekend is supposed to be filled with our last camping adventure of the year, but it's not likely it'll happen now with a recovering baby girl.
Happy Birthday to the best daddy in the world (my dad is probably reading this from his golden thrown up there saying, "hey, wait a minute!"...but he knows that he was the best daddy to us two girls in the world too)!!