Panic post...

As I think about where to begin....I haven't posted in so long! I want to include ALL that we've been up to and ALL that Lily is becoming (with ALL the funny and adorable things that she does) and I start to panic when I think I may forget something. So, I'm going to try my best to include ALL that I can remember of what's been going on for the past 2 months :) Our Lily turned 2 on October 17 so I'm still in shock that 2 years have flown by so quickly. However, I've learned to enjoy each moment and praise God through the blessing for every day. The life of our family has been a busy one lately. Joe is working for Cabinet and Stone Werks and getting ready to take his real estate license test. I have several jobs caring for kids and cleaning house for a friend. I am grateful to have work that allows me to be with Lily. When Joe is off work she stays with him so she's always with her Mommy or Daddy which is a blessing. So in-between babysitting and cleaning I'm able to go to Bible Study and MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) and then try to find time to cook and clean at our house :) There has been alot of sickness in the Raley household as of late - Lily has hand, foot, mouth disease (again) and Joe has a stomach virus with fever and I'm still taking antibiotics for a sinus infection. But through every storm of life God is faithful and has been so good to us.

So, here's a list that I've been jotting down for the past couple of months ("Lily 23-24 months") and hope some of her quirks and cuteness make you laugh like they do us.

• She says:
• "YEAH" (really loud) when we call her from another room
• "I'm making music with my feet" (when she scooted her sneakers across the floor)
• "I'm cwanky"
• "what color is it" (when you are changing her poopy diaper)
• "I'm cweening my teeth"
• "Super Max save the world" (as she carries her "kite" (birthday sign) around in the air) - it's another quote from her favorite show Max and Ruby
• when we were planning a trip to see Poppy and Grami she said "are we going to Nississibee?"
• "Daddy will you help me anymore?"
• "what color is it?" and "what does the ________ say?" (whatever animal she is thinking about at the moment)
• "Daddy, you color this? Good job Daddy"
• "they are soooo kee yuuut (cute)" talking about her new puppy pj's from Frankie
• "lemonade - one nickel!
• "here comes choo choo train baby, open wide" when she pretends to feed us a bite
• "yes ma'am and no ma'am"
• "where is ________ anywhere?"
• "I want to watch something on the BIG-O TV" (emphasis on 'big-o')
• "I can't reach it....can I fly to it?" when she sees the moon
• "eee yuuuuu" when she's eating (Ruby says that from Max and Ruby)
• repeats things that she's done at the end of the day when she's tired
• Knows her ABC's, colors, shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle, heart, star) can count to twenty (with some mistakes usually 14, 15)
• Asks people what's in their pocket or purse when she's hunting for candy (especially if she knows they've had it before in those places)
• She has a tender heart - when she sees someone crying she says "why is she crying?" and the expression on her face is so sad. One day I told her Maw Maw had to go to the doctor and she said "is Maw Maw sick, can I go see her and make her feel better?" She saw a car by the side of the road and when Daddy told her they were stuck, she said, "Can we help them?" (there was no one in or near the car).
• Conversations that we've had:
• talking to Naaman in the morning "Good mornee Naaman, how did you sleep good?"
• (at the dinner table) Mommy: "Lily, say 'may I be excused please?'" Lily: "yes you may Mommy"..."no, Lily, YOU say 'may I be excused'..."Yes, you may, Mommy"
• she went into her playroom and Joe went in to check on her and she said "I'm poopin" and he said "you are?" and she said "I'm not poopin' anymore"
• Daddy was giving her a bath and she scooted her bottom on the tub and he said "what was that?" and she said "it sounded like a toot but it was the water"
• She saw lightning one night as we were driving home from church and she said "What was that?" and Joe said "That was lightning" and she said "Let's do it again"
• (while eating lunch) Lily: "Something's in the kitchen" Joe: "What is it?" Lily: "Is it CANDY?" (emphasis on "candy")
• (having oatmeal and peanut butter waffles for breakfast) Lily: "I got all over me" Joe: "Do you want me to wipe you off; are you ready to get down?" Lily: "I still eating Daddy"
• Joe: "Somebody has a doody; who is it?" Lily: "Lily Jo'phine Laley"...another time.."Is it MOMMY??"
• (Joe walked in the kitchen and she had the broom) Lily: "I gotta wheep" "wheep wheep wheep....look Daddy, what I got in my hand?" Joe: " a broom and a dustpan" Lily: "Can I clean up? Then you wheep Daddy." Joe: "what do you want me to sweep?" Lily: "this mess"
• (I was brushing her hair after a bath) Lily: "I want to brush Daddy's hair" Joe: "I don't have much hair left" Lily: "It's behind you"
• (picked her nose and handed it to Joe) Lily: "Here ya go Daddy" Joe: " What is it?" Lily: "It's a boog." Joe: "I don't want it"  Lily: "Can I put it back?"
• (having a picnic in the yard) Mommy: "Oh, it is so nice and peaceful out here" (then a few minutes went by) Lily: "Mommy, listen" (silence) "...is it the peace ables?"
• Lily: "Nana, what's the crow say?" Nana: "I don't know what the crow says" Lily: "It says 'caw caw'" Nana: (laughing hysterically over the fact that she didn't know how a crow sounds and Lily did!)

Photos tell her story too so I've put together a slideshow from the past 2 months. And I'll warn you - it's LONG. Poppy teased me last time of having 65 pictures on a slideshow to tell the story of our summer. Well, this one has 111 photos. I tried to narrow them down but when your subject is as cute and adorable as Lily....and as busy as we've been - spending time at the park with friends, going to birthday parties (including Lily's), Sesame Street Live, and just having fun at home - I wanted to capture all those special moments!

This photo slideshow created with Smilebox