Getting in the spirit

This is why my life is so wonderful...

Kute Kylen

MORE COUSINS!

Yesterday Lillianna took a trip to see newest cousin, Kylen.

He is so little and so cute! We are so proud his Mommy and Daddy and know they are very blessed with such an adorable bundle of joy!

We love you!

Cousins galore

Somebody special is turning ONE this week!

We went to celebrate nephew/cousin Bentley's birthday this past weekend.

We had so much fun with him and with his adorable, crazy sisters.

What's the little guy going to do with them?

Beautiful, blue eyes and very strawberry blonde hair...he's going to be a BIG knock-out.

Emphasis on BIG.

He really enjoyed his cookie cake...taking after his Uncle Brad

who LOVES to inhale those as well.

Lillianna was greeted by the most attentive, interested, active, and LOVING welcoming committee anyone could ask for. Ella, Daisy, and Leah are always so sweet to their cousin. Here, they are encouraging her up the slide...

And then to go back down.

Then it was time for some glamour shots...

Beautiful Ella was up first.

Then the Precious Leah.

And finally the Adorable Daisy.

GROUP PICTURE!! CHEESE!

Whew! Modeling is hard work! Time for a snack break!

Thank you Millers for a magnificent weekend! We love you!

Tate Farms

HAPPY FALL!

We celebrated last week - i'm very behind in pictures - by going on our first ever visit

to Tate Farms. Ya-Ya was visiting and we couldn't wait to share this experience with her. There was so much to do...

Lillianna volunteered to be the official greeter.

We concluded she has hope of being taller than her Mom one day.

They had the coolest pumpkins...just look at those colors.

And of course, take note of the beauty in the middle of them.

Lillianna would have made her Papa James proud, jumping behind the wheel of the the plywood John Deere as fast as she could.

Giddy-up horsey!

So this was the best moment. Lillianna froze, truly froze, in absolute adoration of the soft bunny.

She hasn't stopped talking about it and we just went to a pet store this morning so she could see some again. But this was the first time I think she felt that feeling of loving something smaller than you.

"Here you go goat. I don't understand why you don't want to eat right out of my hand."

"Wake up Piggy."

Tate Farms had 5 or 6 "CornCribs" which Lillianna thought were pure heaven.

Actually so did Mommy and Ya-ya. They were alot of fun.

We can't wait to go back next year!

a little break

Last Saturday, we took a break from re-arranging furniture and went for a picnic.

Although it still felt about 90 degrees, we caught a glimpse of fall:

As usual, being outside, Lillianna had a ball.

Spotting some birds, "flying home to her nest to feed his babies."

Throwing rocks in the river,

Shouting, "Hooray, I climbed the mountain!"

And of course, climbing over a mountain.

So much fun.

PARADE

Lillianna's first parade was a week ago. She LOVED it. You wouldn't know it by these pictures but honestly, you wouldn't have known it if you'd been there and seen her. She went into her somber, almost comatose, state where most people think she's unhappy or too shy to blink. Really, she's just taking it ALL in so she can talk non-stop about it days. Of course, she only talks about it after we've left and mainly to just me and Brad.

She loved, "the BAND, the walice (police) cars, and the CHEERWEADERS THROWING CANDY FOR ME."

Her favorite part of the parade was that it took place on her very favorite street in our town.

You know, the one with the largest radio tower on top of one of the buildings. Have I mentioned her OBSESSION with water towers and radio towers? It's intense. So I love that I have a picture to mark her awe and reverence for such a "beautiful" (her word, not mine) landmark.

So as for pictures of the actual parade, they were recorded on the video. I just have

a couple of Lillianna and Bibby eating and sharing snacks as we wait to the parade to begin.

As good as it gets.

I didn't intentionally take a break from blogging this week. We've just been so very busy! Life with Lillianna could not be any sweeter right now. I find myself thinking and telling Brad often that I wish she could stay this age, this stage - just as she is right this minute - for at least a couple of years. I'm serious too. She just couldn't be any cuter. Her little squeaky voice and her articulate words. Her hysterical sentences and her sweet sensitivity. They are what make her irresistible to me all day long. Except when, in a flash, for just a few seconds, all of that disappears as she hits her best friend in the head with a plastic golf club or refuses to move a muscle no matter how many times I ask (BEG) her to Please Come On!

But those moments rush by and my precious two year old is asking me, "You take a walk with me Mommy? We find treasures!" Even when it will make the third walk of the day, even when I really don't feel like it, I can't resist her little question that lets me know how much she loves me and just wants to spend a little more time with me.

Time is just going by too fast, especially now that we're entering the third trimester of this pregnancy and the holidays are approaching. So many other things to think about and do when I really want to be making memories and collecting moments with Lillianna while it's just the three of us. This time just couldn't be more precious to me in so many ways.