Lily turned 3!!!

Ok, so I'm a little late with her birthday post since it was actually October 17 :) But as you will see from the slideshow...our life has been so FULL lately. We celebrated her birthday for an entire week and it was so much fun! It started with a visit from Grami and Poppy and ended a week later with a birthday party with her friends at Brantley Farms. I'm not sure if I'm trying to catch my breath from the speed of "life" these days or from the fact that my BABY is now 3 years old! There are so many things about these daze that I'm trying to keep track of b/c I don't want to forget all of her adorable, hilarious, peculiar, hysterical, bright, odd....ways. Here are a few:

Her favorite things:

• Songs – Stuck Like Glue, Out of the Overflow of the Mouth the Heart Speaks, Nothing is Impossible with God, Drop it Like it’s Hot (from the Sun Drop commercial)
• Food – tacos, CANDY, bluberry pancakes, hummus, peas or beans, GUMMIES, pickles, feta cheese, olives
• When she goes to bed at night we have a very strict ritual – snack, juice, must have ALL of her animals (George, George’s best friend, Little George, Bongo, My first puppy and My first teddy, and Blankie), Mommy and Daddy must both be laying down with her and we read a book, say our prayers and tell stories about “when I was a little girl/boy”
• Loves to swing and play outside with Bingo, catch lizards and put them in her bug box (they are all named Lizzie), pick flowers for Mommy, paint, color, hula hoop, sing songs into the microphone and dance, play board games, play dress up, and watch her favorite shows
• Has a morning routine with her Daddy – feed the chickens and the deer and ride around in the “big ‘ole truck”
• Shows – Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Little Einsteins, “Long hair Dora”
• Movies – Tangled, Frosty the Snowman
• Color – pink
• Likes to dress herself, smell the books when we read them ??, play “going for a picnic”

Funny sayings and conversations:

• She was eating lunch and Daddy cut her sandwich with a heart shaped cookie cutter….when she ate it she said “ohhh, my heart is broken” and then she looked at Daddy’s lunch and said “I don’t like halomingos….when I’m a big person I might but right now I don’t like halomingos.”
• Ate a piece of her Halloween candy and it was hard and tasted funny and she said “what were those people thinking?”
• Telling Daddy a story about when “she was a little girl”….”I had a dog with a bad attitude and his name was Keri Alyce”
• “Daddy, you need to cut your hair and your whiskers are getting too big”
• In the truck with her Daddy “Let’s get some music goin’ on in here” “Daddy, do dogs have lips? Bingo doesn’t have any lips.”
• Told her it was time for a nap and she responded “I’ll need a pickle, candy, & cheese; I’ll get George, George’s best friend, Bongo, Little George…. And I’ll need to wipe my hands on your shirt, I already ate my pickle.”
• “Daddy, you see this on my knee? I may need some headache-in-my-knee medicine.” And then she started hula hoopin’
• We were watching Fox News and she said “Bingo is a terrorist” and Daddy said “he is?” Lily said “yeah, that lady just said terrorist”
• “Come on Daddy, class is starting”
• When Joe was having trouble with his leg – “Daddy is there anything I can help you with?” He said “no thanks” and she said “ok then, you can come help me paint….it won’t hurt your leg.”
• Put on her “balleret” outfit and said “My mommy thinks I’m beautiful”
• Got up from her nap “is Mommy home yet? When she gets here I will say ‘boo’ and she will say ‘boo’”
• Asked Daddy to make her some tea and said “we have to check the gredients, it’s importenent”
• Found acorns in the driveway and we told her they were seeds that came off the trees – she said “that’s amazing”
• “I think my food didn’t idgest”
• “Daddy, will you peel this orange for me?” Yes maam “Actually, I’m gonna need some candy.”
• She was on the potty and told her Daddy, “I fell in the big potty one time”. “I know you did, you have to be careful”. “Why did I fall in it?” “Well, your booty is small and that hole in the potty seat is big”. “No, I think I just lost my balance”.
• Got a new watch and Mommy asked her what time it was and she said, “Snuggle-time”.
• Remembered that her snow white doll was in her back pack after a week or more and said “and her legs are up”. Sure enough the dolls legs were sticking straight up.
• Went up to the TV and pointed at the words and said “Daddy, Jake and the Neverland Pirates are coming on
• Her and Daddy were laying in bed watching a show and he said “look at us Mommy, aren’t we cute?” “Lily, aren’t we cute?” and she said “I suppose so”
• "nationwide is on your side"
• Daddy trying to explain something to her and he said "it's hard to explain" and Lily said "heeey, we can complicate it!"
• “how much money do you need?” “all of it!”
• Playing in her playroom and Daddy peeked in “Daddy, you can’t come in here we are doing some business”
• Loves picking flowers and talking to the trees
• “Mommy, earth is a planet and it’s God’s”
• Daddy telling her something and she said “ok, whatever you say”
• “Mommy, let’s take for a walk”
• Spread a blanket and got all of her monkeys to read them a book and had one in her lap “are you comfortable?” Read the book and licked her fingers to turn the pages, looks at George right in the eyes and is so gentle and sweet to him
• “The problem with coyotes is that they just go wild….but they are in their cages, we heard them last night."
• Woke up from a nap and said "Am I 5 yet?" no, not yet. "Well, I'm still 3 and I'm getting growed up. When I was 2 I couldn't hula hoop but now I can."

Oh, my sweet girl. Don't grow up too fast. But, as we walk through these precious days with you we will hold your hand and enjoy the blessings. We love you, Mommy and Daddy

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Nearing 3....

2 months from today Lily will be turning THREE!! How did that happen? I am resisting the arrival of October 17 but I'm taking time to reflect on all the special moments we have shared with this sweet girl over the past few months. I need to be more diligent about writing "stuff" down b/c it's the little things that I want to remember - the times she suprises me with words of love or hilarious stories that she makes up or new words that she learns that aren't quite right but bring a smile to my face. Here are some of the things that I've jotted down along the way -

29 months :

• “Poppy is a big and strong man….he’s a man”
• “Mommy, you got powder all over my instruments” when I accidently spilled baby powder on her harmonica
• Going to Maw Maw’s house “Mommy, I won’t sneeze on Jesus”
• LOVES stickers and picking paper off of crayons
• Maw Maw was sick and Lily said “I can’t take care of her….Jesus will take care of her”
• We had a dentist appt. and she told the dentist that “Pastor Joel fell off his bike and broke his hip…he needs a band-aid"
• Bit for the first time and said “I need to taste her” (speaking of Anna Rose)
• Had a stomach virus (2^nd time she’s ever thrown up)
• I said “I smell something” and she said “it’s a puma….get down….it’s a puma” (while she was in the bath tub)
• Walking around with a scowl on her face “I’m feeling mad”….”I’m just going to sit here and be mad”
• she sings "The A says ah….every makes a letter sound" (from Letter Factory movie which actually says "every letter makes a sound"
• "Maybe I ‘scuze please?" when she's ready to get down from the table

30 months: 

• Carrying is kinda like huggin’"
•  Sings “Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham”with a fan just like the gospel group she saw on utube

Conversation with her Daddy:

Lily: "How'd you get that Bama thing on your nose, Daddy? (talking about a V or A shaped varicose vein)"

Daddy: "Sometimes people get those”

Lily: "Why?”

Daddy: "It just happens when you get old.

Lily: "Are you old, Daddy?"

Daddy: "Yeah, I guess"

Lily: "Why?"

Daddy: (no response) :)

31 months:

• Learned her first Bible verse Psalm 20:7
• identifies all of her letters

32 months:

• Loves pepperoni, lollipops, popsicles, swinging, drawing, playing dress up, lipgloss/stick, painting her nails (and chipping them off), listening to videos on my phone, lining things up "to make a train" (and one day she got Maw Maw's picture off the table and said "Maw Maw is getting on the train with me"); “mothering” her baby dolls, singing (she’s also a song writer!), Rapunzel, favorite songs – “Wheels on the Bus” “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”    
• Likes to point out the fact that boys stand up to potty and girls sit down and “sometimes Daddy sits down”
• Has an imaginary friend named “Anna” and she likes to push her on the swing or she will tell Daddy, “Anna will stay with you while we are gone”
• Does not like to get water in her eyes
• When she gets a scrape she cries for a band aid (they make it better)
• Loves to go with Daddy in the mornings to feed the chickens
• Got her first puppy and named him Bingo (jack Russell terrier)

Conversation with her Daddy: 

(when we got home from work and he was greeting her, she was most interested in playing with her puppy, Bingo)

Daddy: "I'm going to take him out to feed him"

Lily: "No, I want to play with him"

Lily: "Daddy, will you color with me?"

Daddy: "What about Bingo?"

Lily: "He doesn't have any hands"

• One night in the bathtub she was pinching her little boobies and said, “What are those?" (hesitating) "maybe Dr Hagemier can take them off" (I sometimes mention getting moles taken off...I guess that's where that came from!)
• Loves lipstick and for me to paint a kitty face on her
• When she sits on the potty she says "Mommy/Daddy, tell me a story about when you were a little girl/boy"
• And she likes "telling us a story about when 'she was a little girl'”
• recent story "when I was a little girl I had this necklace and it got stuck up i the tree and I got my kite to get it down and the wind did it. When I got it down I had ants all over my hands and my mommy spanked them off"
• When she’s about to get a spanking and we say “you know what you are about to get?” she says “a pickle?”
• took my keys and started pressing the button and said "I've got an emergency"
• funny sayings "I can handle it"; "that car is in bad shape"; "this is ridiculous"; "watch this dance, it's very important";
• on the way home one night she said "watch out for deer...they have red eyes like tree frogs"
• Sometimes I use the timer on the microwave to assist in "sharing" and I'll say "you have the toy for 3 minutes and then it will be your turn" and one day I was sitting on the porch watching the kids play and Lily wanted to play with a certain bucket and she ran over to the swingset and pretended that she was pressing the buttons and said "let me turn the microwave on, ok give it to me"
• sitting indian style and pushing her legs back and forth "look, a seesaw!"
• stacks her hands and feet when she's in her carseat and says "look Mommy, I made a cake for you"
• got her notebook and started walking into her playroom "come on Daddy, I need to go complicate this"
• tells her monkeys or babies "don't be scared, I'm right here with you...it's just a little toe bear" (we are not sure what a "toe bear" is but it's something/someone that she talks about regularly)
• we have an ongoing discussion about "things that God made" and "things that God 'taught' people to make" and recently during one of these conversations she said "Mommy, God is up in the sky and I want to go see Him. I'll sit in His lap...He won't bite." and I said "no, He is always good, He is our Father in Heaven, a good Daddy to us." And she said "He is Jesus' Daddy"
• @ Sam’s eating pizza and she wanted some parmesan from the counter and Daddy said “I’ll go get you some cheese”….she held up her hand in a “Halt” gesture and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it”. 
• I told her “no more TV”; she said “lets play the color game on the computer”.  I told her I didn’t know how….she got up in “my chair” and said, “I’ll show you, Daddy”…started moving the mouse around….looked over and said, “I’m gonna need my juice”.

And here are a few ways God has been teaching me through Lily:

• I bought some cheap freeze pops at the store and when I brought them home Lily wanted one immediately and I tried to explain to her that they weren't frozen yet. I offered her a fruit pop which tastes much better but she cried and whined for the other. God pointed out in that moment that I do the same thing. He knows what's best for me and some things I need to just wait for His perfect timing and He doesn't need to explain the chemical composition of or why it takes  freeze pops awhile to turn into popsicles :) Our Father knows what we need before we ask Him...trust Him
• When Lily holds my hand as we walk down the rocky steep driveway she clings to me more tightly. The more difficult the path and through the hardest times I draw nearer to Him and He is absolutely faithful to hold me and keep me in those dark hours. 
• When we go for walks and I immediately turn on the IPOD Lily says, ”why are you turning on your music…God is making music for you” (speaking of the birds and the breeze) It was a reminder of how I move forward and do things in my own strength instead of resting in Him and listening for His "music"
• A few months ago on a walk we were going against the breeze on the way out and it was to our backs on the way home. God showed me something....when I obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit….the ride is so much more enjoyable and easy as I walk with Him “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light” Let His breeze be to my back that I might be directed every step of the way.

Whether Lily is teaching me something about my walk with God or has us in stitches by something that she says...it is pure joy to call her our daughter!

What a girl! (almost 3 years old!)

A mind of her own...

Well, Lily decided she wanted to potty train yesterday :) I guess she was tired of waiting on me. I kept thinking I needed 3 days to be at home and to do it the "right way" by using the guide "Potty Train in 3 Days" And life has been so busy we just haven't had 3 days in a row to be home. Well, yesterday Lily woke up and said she wanted to wear panties. We are on day 2 with no accidents. And I'm not really "training" her....she's doing it on her own. She never ceases to amaze me by her individuality and independance. Whether she is playing with her imaginary friend "Anna" or pretending that she's driving a bus with all her babies in the passenger seats or "writing" songs of her own....or deciding what day she wants to potty train :) I absolutely love this girl!

bye bye diapers

this is what she thinks of Mommy taking a picture of her with her panties on :)

one of her favorite playmates...poor Naaman

She wanted me to line the chairs up so her babies could have a seat on her "bus"

Lily and Daddy's specialty

Egg salad anyone?

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!

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Boots, balloons and Jesus Loves Me...

Recently I've noticed that when Lily gets something on her mind it's hard to divert her attention or to get her to change her mind about something. So, I'll start with the boots.....a dear friend gave me a bag full of shoes that her daughter has outgrown and out of ALL of them Lily has become very attached to the green rainboots with frog faces on them. It all began on trash day....she loves riding in the truck with Daddy to take the trash to the front of the driveway. She usually insists on wearing a hat but in addition to the hat this week she had to have her boots. I thought it was really cute since it's raining and she looks cute in just about anything! But the rain has ended and she's still wearing the boots :)

So, the story of the balloon....she went to the store with Joe and he got her a balloon and on their way out it somehow got loose and they watched it float over the grocery store and Lily was pretty devastated. "My balloon, my balloon, oh no...." So, of course, you know Joe went back in and got her another balloon. :) But, let me tell you.....we haven't heard the end of the tragedy of the lost balloon. Today she went grocery shopping at Publix with me and they always give the kids balloons and cookies (such a fun store!) but she was so worried that balloon was going to get away. All the way to the car "mommy, my balloon, my balloon, don't let it go" And next stop, Target. She insisted on taking the balloon in the store and she continued to squeeze the string on that balloon for the remainder of the afternoon. Every time I would look over at her those little fingers were clinched TIGHTLY around that string.

And the other thing she's been somewhat fixated on lately is a medley of songs that we play in the car....Jesus Loves Me/Praise Him God is Love/Jesus Loves the Little Children. Out of all the songs (30+) on the cd she wants me to play that one over and over again. And she listens so intently and sings along with it. I think she's working on memorizing all the words??? One time I looked in the mirror and she had her arms crossed and lifted up to her chest kind of squeezing herself and her eyes were closed and she had a big smile on her face saying Jesus Loves Me. So sweet! Those are the moments that just make you all warm inside. Jesus does love her and so do I! Here's our boot wearing, balloon clinching, Jesus Loves Me singing girl -

22 months!

This past month has been a whirlwind! We've had some pretty awesome moments....like hearing the news from the oncologist that Maw Maw is in remission and she only has 2 chemo treatments left!! We have gone to visit family in Olive Branch, started working for a couple of friends (babysitting and cleaning house), spent time with Joe's mom, got to see friends from Pennsylvania and China, put all of Lily's old "stuff" all of our "stuff" in a consignment sale, had a few playdates with Lily's friends, went swimming at the local pool, had many trips to the park, library and Church....and had some really special moments with our girl. I want time to stop so I can savor it more but it's like trying to hold sand....you just can't control it and it slips away. So, the Lord has reminded me time and time again (no pun intended) that I need to stop and enjoy the "small things" - well, what we would call the small things. Rock my baby, read her books, play playdoh when she begs to play AGAIN, remember that the house being clean is not as important as spending quality time with my husband and my daughter. I can't control time but I can control how I will spend it.  So, in the past month I have managed to keep some notes of the sweet/funny/surprising/smart/dramatic, ETC! things that we saw and heard our little girl do. So, if you want to skip my babbling and get right to the pictures of sweetness....you can scroll down :) If not, here's Lily at 22 months:

• Favorite things to do - playdoh, stacking things, finger painting, arts and crafts projects, cooking with Mommy, "helping Daddy" fix things, letting Naaman (our cat) come into the house to "play", watching her shows (Mickey Mouse, Max and Ruby, Wonder Pets, Sesame Street), play the piano at Maw Maw's house and sing while she plays, listening to her cd in the car (with all her favorite songs and she will let you know which one she wants to hear), play hide and seek, reading books, trying to put her clothes on "by herself"
• Favorite foods - hummus, pickles, popsicles, beans, almond milk, almonds, blueberries, pancakes, cheese, apples, and discovered that she likes olives this month
• She is so smart....here are a few "conversations" that we've had recently-
• drove up to the gas station and I stayed in the car while Joe got out and she said "Daddy pay....for gas"
• before bathtime she will take her diaper off and go to put it in the pail and knows how to put her clothes in the hamper (if only I can teach her Daddy to do that :) )
• one morning we were over at Maw Maw's house when she wasn't there and Lily spotted a piece of candy. I told her that she would have to ask Maw Maw about that when she got home. After about 4 hours when she showed up that was the first thing Lily asked her when she walked in the door! How can she remember something after such a long time??
• Wonder Pets was coming on and I said "I don't think we've seen this one" and she said "is it new one?"
• I asked her who made the flowers and she said "God did"
• she does the hand movements for "Where is Thumpkin" and "Wheels on the Bus" and "Eensy Weensy Spider"
• sings (pretty clearly) - Thumpkin, Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, Are you Sleepy, Old McDonald, He's got the Whole World, Elmo's World, Wonder Pets, BINGO, Sesame Street
• reading a book and she pointed out the girl's "polka dots"
• kept pointing to something behind her changing table saying "kite" and I thought I wasn't understanding her....but I was. she was pointing to a yard sign that I had for her 1st birthday that said "Birthday Princess" - calling it a kite. I got it out for her and she held it up and said "can I float on it" while she was holding it in the air
• she was in the bathtub on her tummy and she said "I'm swimming backwards" (and she was!)
• when we were at the playground she was coming down the steps and she said "11, 12, 13, 14"
• met Maw Maw's next door neighbor one time and later that afternoon we mentioned someone being outside and she said "is it Chase"
• has begun sitting on the potty but it's mostly just for play at this point
• started recognizing shapes (circle and triangle)
• knows her colors
• She is so funny and keeps us laughing -
• sometimes when we are eating dinner (usually when we are having dinner with someone!) she has some interesting table conversation....like "are you pooping?"
• Joe was giving her a bath and he said "you have a boo boo on your boody" and she said "what color is it?" and he said "it's red" and she said "take a picture of it"
• I was rocking her to sleep one night and she started singing Jesus Loves Me and when I laid her down in her crib she said "rub back Mommy" and I began to rub but when my arm got tired I started patting and she said "I don't like that"
• I was getting some of my clothes ready for the consignment sale and she came in and looked and said "those Tammy's?" (my sister in law who dresses so nicely....and all the clothes I had laid out to sell were dresses and suits :) Guess Lily is used to seeing me in tshirts and capris and she assumed those couldn't be my clothes)
• I was keeping John Michael and when I laid him down for his nap I took his clothes off and he just had his diaper on. When he woke up Lily was excited to go in and see him and she started saying "he's naked....he needs his shirt on" (and she was adimant about it!)
• Joe was changing her diaper and he said "shoooo weee" Lily: "is it stinky?" Joe: "yes" Lily:"what color is it? Joe: "black" Lily: "can I touch it?"
• when we are cooking and the butter bowl is within reach I can count on her trying to put her hand in it to get as much as possible!
• they have handprints painted on the wall at the park and we were walking by them and she said "they're giving me 5"
• at the splash pad she wanted the water to stop spraying through the tunnel so she could run through it (she doesn't like water in her face!) and she said "open it Mommy" as if I could magically "open" the water
• when she's in the bathtub washing her hair she likes to make different styles out of it and she looks in the mirror and says "like Maw Maw's" (speaking of Maw Maw's wig)
• saw a poodle the other day and she said "is it a noodle?"
• when Naaman is purring she calls it "mou...ing"
• quotes lines from her shows -
• "Perfect" (Ruby)
• "Let's hopscotch" (Ruby)
• "Good eye Tuck" (Wonder Pets)
• "Good idea Tuck" (Wonder Pets)
• "Swiper, no swiping" (Dora)
• And one of the most memorable moments of this month was a few days ago when I sat down in the floor by her chair and she put her arm around me and sighed and said "My mommy" 

We love you Lily....more than you will ever know

her hair is getting so long and BEAUTIFUL! (love those curls) 

and you gotta love the funny "Lily expressions" 

 she makes life a little brighter....a LOT brighter :) 

 enduring the heat on a summer day

 i've got one word....playdoh!

 but it doesn't matter if she wants to play playdoh 20 times a day or she's in to EVERYTHING....she is our little sunshine and we simply adore her!

21 months!

I've skipped my monthly updates on Lily's "milestones" and just those quirky things that she does that I absolutely do not want to forget. So, I looked at the scraps of paper that I've scribbled notes on for the past 3 months and it hit me...she is growing up so much faster than I expected. Some of the things she was saying 3 months ago seem silly b/c now she says EVERYTHING! But, here goes...I want to remember. Oh Lord, let me not forget the precious moments along the way that YOU allow us to experience in this gift you have given us - Lily Josephine Raley.
@ 19 months you:
* count to 10
* know alphabet A-E
* say “hey darlin’” and “hug” when you see a baby
* say “cut it” when we are getting food ready for you
* love pickles and popsicles
* say “thank you my Daddy” (and your Daddy LOVES it!)
* say “yes maam”
* for a couple of weeks you were saying “appy doci” when you looked at a rubber part on the end of a cane and one day we were in Chick-Fil-A and there was a birthday cake with candles and you started saying it and I realized that is what you were saying! You thought the rubber stopper on the cane looked like a birthday hat :)
* say "oatmeal, apple, orange, gape(grape), hipo(hippo), panda, slippy(slippery), coca (coke), delicious
* sing "Maw Maw’s Maw Maw’s going to Maw Maw’s house"
* were so sweet one day in the car...you tilted your head and said “call Nana now”
* say “up down” when you see something that is upside down
* love to see the sunset and when we are driving sometimes you say “move tee (tree)” b/c it's blocking your view
* jump (with your body but your feet never leave the floor)

* love to dance 

* have the most adorable expressions and inflections on phrases (like "Come on Mommy")

* say “thank you God” 

* sings: Twinkle Twinkle, Wonder Pets 

* tell us what you want to watch on TV by saying: Ming Ming, Tuck; Max and Uby (Ruby); Ernie, Gabba 

* say “my pooter (computer) Mommy”

* sweet moment - In the middle of the night I went to get her and had my hair in a bun and she looked up and said “Mommy’s hair…cute” 

* said “my head hot…fevah…check tempatemp…medicine” 

* said “I sticky….lick it…want some Mommy?” 

* strange sounds you make: “ninga ninga ninga”

* want us to mimic you and you say "do it Mommy” 

* have REALLY good hearing! :) at the tiniest sound you say "Listen…what kinda noise" and sometimes you say "I scared"

* like the bathtub and get on your tummy and say "I schwimming"

* one day I told you I was going to feed Naaman and you said "cat food in bucket outside"

@ 20 months you:

* sing Wonder Pets, Twinkle Twinkle, Skip to my Lou, The Whole World, Bluebird, Where is Thumpkin (my favorite b/c you say "Where is pumpkin....here I am"; We have a CD with your favorite songs on it and you make requests - you know exactly what you want and you continue to call it out until we put it on!

* said “naaman icks (licks)” and I said “yes, Naaman takes a bath with his tongue” and you looked at me with the funniest face and said “yucky”
* say “it’s over dare” when we are looking for something
* said “D’agon, Daddy, D’agon”….upon seeing a dragon fly
* call for "Glu Glu" when we pass the neighbor's house (their dog is named Lu Lu)
* when you fall down or hurt yourself you always call for Mommy and oftentimes you will say "tiss it Mommy"
* went through a stage where you wanted Daddy to put you to bed at night and you insist that he holds your foot
* sometimes when I put you down for bed you tell me "rub back Mommy"
* have to give Daddy 3 kisses before bed - on his cheek, nose and head and then he gives you one

* close the book and say "the end" when you are DONE with the story (and it doesn't matter that we haven't made it to the end :) )

* cute story - 1) one day you were driving home with Daddy and I guess you heard a commercial but for the remainder of the afternoon you were saying ww dot come 2) stood by the A/C vent and said "windy day"...."Mommy, is it windy?" 3) we went to Uncle Jeff's church and you met a little boy named Gavin and when we were leaving he came over and gave you a kiss and as we were walking out to the parking lot you said "can we kiss him?"  (I think one kiss is enough! HA) 4) Poppy called on Skype one night and I told Lily "Poppy and Uncle Carter Ray are on the computer and want to talk to you" and she said "Does he have candy?" (when we go visit my family in MS Carter Ray gives her candy, which is not that often, but Lily remembers EVERYTHING)

* love to help me cook or unload the dishwasher

* love to ride in the truck and one day you said "wind feels good"

* say "I race you"

* ask us "are you happy, Mommy?" "are you ok?" "What's wrong?" "What happened?"

* favorite foods: cheese, beans, taco, almonds, bluberries, watermelon, popsicles, spaghetti

* are swimming so great with floaties!

@ 21 months you:

* can say your ABC's and even the end "next time want you sing wiff me"

* know your colors

* love being at home, drawing, painting, playing with playdoh, stacking blocks, playing with Miley (Maw Maw's neighbor's dog), going to Church which you call "Me Me's house" (she is the nursery director :) ), playing with your friends and get really excited when they come over to play, playing outside

* ask for candy alot even though we don't give it to you very often
* love to snuggle with Mommy

* are still nursing (but only a couple of times a day) I'm trying to wein you but it's alot harder than I thought

* favorite books: 10 Little Ladybugs, Curious Kittens, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

* can slide by yourself

Here are a few memorable (cute/funny) moments that show your personality over the past couple of months:

When you watch TV you get REALLY comfortable

I came into the living room and you had my visor on :)

You aren't afraid of people in costumes - we went to "Princess Night" at ChickFilA and I thought you would like to see all the princesses.....no, not so much. All you cared about was the cow! I'm not sure how many hugs he got from you but it was ALOT

When it gets too quiet....I should know

How does my new lipstick look on her?

"want some Mommy?"

She was soooo excited when Daddy surprised her with Tuck (she now has Linnie, Tuck and Ming Ming)

I'm sure all of you are familiar with the Wonder Pets....it's a household name around here!

Playdate with MOPS (mothers of preschoolers)

I have to say as I was uploading pictures for this post Lily came up to me and said "I yuv you Mommy" and I just about fell out of my chair.  She has said bits and pieces of that before and you can prompt her to say it but she said it by herself...just because she wanted to!!  It made my heart melt and I can't help but think about how my Heavenly Father must feel when I love on Him like that.  Not because I'm at Church or in a Bible study but just because I love Him and want to tell Him.

So, I'm sitting here just soaking up the feeling of how much this girl loves me and she'll never know how much I love her!!  And we had the best day together.  I don't know about Lily but I had a GREAT time :)  Here's a peek into our fun...

yep, that's Lily....the tall one with the long legs :)

Her new friend Liza and my new friend Sarah

one of her "boy" friends, Jaden

Smile!!

and more smiles!!

 Lily is constantly wanting Blake's mom, Jennifer, to "hold hand" and walk her around

her and Blake were so cute today...they like to hold hands while they play together 

 does it get any sweeter?

 

 

Jennifer and her sweet boys, Ty and Caleb

I'm not sure what this expression means? 

She was obviously getting tired and hungry so we headed for ChickFilA and all of a sudden she wasn't tired anymore....it was time to "pay(play) Mommy" 

 

and every girl needs an ice cream cone to top off a perfect day :)