1 Step - 2 Step - 3 Step - LAUNCH!!

Hey y'all,
I am thrilled to say that Miss Lilli took SEVERAL unassisted steps this weekend. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch any of them on video, but stay tuned... I'll try my hardest over the next few days!!
Typically, she scales either the living room or playroom sofa, or the edge of our bed... then takes mini steps, turning around to face one of us... grinning from ear to ear the entire time!!
Lilli will take a few steps and then launches herself toward us. She LOVES to propel herself in our direction... so, we gotta work on not doing that!
Toddler proofing the our house has been the order of business this past weekend... and we still aren't done!! Lilli is now into everything and loves to open all our cabinets & drawers. We only completed half of the cabinets, before we ran out of latches... sooooo, off to Walmart to buy more! I didn't realized how many cabinets & drawers we had in our kitchen and bathrooms... 28 total, WOW! Guess what we'll be doing on July 4th weekend?!?!
We also had photos taken of Lilli on Saturday... but honestly, there wasn't a whole lot the photographer could do with Miss Lilli... she REFUSED to sit still!! We will see how they turned out in a couple of weeks.
Have a blessed Monday!!
His,
Jen

Never, say never...

Okay, so here's the deal... lately, when I've picked my daughter up from daycare, Lilli (I use this word loosely) "sings": "Ack-Ack-Ack-Ack, Ack-Ack-Ack, Ack-Ack-Ack"! The when we get home, she sits on the floor playing... "singing" it over & over again: "Ack-Ack-Ack-Ack, Ack-Ack-Ack, Ack-Ack-Ack". This can go on until she goes to bed...To Lilli's delight, I've been "mocking" her. The mystery was solved today, thanks to a few of my co-workers... & I now know what song it is... GULP!!! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would have a "Barney kid". OH MY GOODNESS... Please tell me NO!!! Enjoy the tune. :o)

Lots of love!!

His,

Jen

Fun in the sun, etc...

Hi Everybody,
With the help of Lilli's Uncle Jay, the swimming pool has been officially "blown up"!!! (LOL) Lilli is really enjoying it! These are photos and a video from this past Sunday... You will need to pause the music at the bottom of the blog to hear the sound on the video.
Today, Miss Lilli went to daycare, although she was running a slight fever... I pumped her full of ibuprofen and off she went. We think she is teething again... so maybe we will see a few more teeth soon. So far, she has 2 on top and 2 on the bottom, and may I add... she BITES! Not a good habit!! I think she has learned it from daycare!!!
We were in an accident on the way home from church on Sunday! Not a bad accident & we were all okay, but the van had some moderate damage to the rear driver's side quarter panel! I had the estimates done today. $2,625... OUCH!! Luckily, Lilli sits on the opposite side, from the side of impact and it didn't even faze her!!! :o) Honestly, she could have cared less... For those of you keeping count, that's 2 accidents for me this year... neither my fault. I just stopped driving with my shoulders scrunched to my ears... all tense. Today, I found myself doing it again.
As always, I know I'm very blessed!
His,
Jen

Scenes from Relay...

I am soooo EXCITED to say... Lenoir County's Relay for Life raised over $280,000! This total beats last year's total by over $30,000!!! My heart is bursting with pride!!!The evening was pretty eventful, as a co-worker dressed up for the Womanless Beauty Pageant... he looked great and may I add, was robbed of the title!!!I spent the evening out at the track with my friend and co-worker Jane... this marked Mommy's first night away from sweet Lilli! It was very difficult, but Danny kept her out at the track fairly late on Friday night and then brought her back early on Saturday morning. Everything went well until a huge rainstorm hit... it was like a hurricane!!! The rain came down so hard and the wind was fierce!! We were trapped under the tent, just waiting for it to stop... Guess what?? It didn't!!! Soooo, we had to pack everything up during the storm and head home... ICK!!! We looked like drowned rats... sorry no pics!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, "dry" weekend!!
His,
Jen

Thankful Thursday!

This Thursday, I'm very thankful for my Field Control's Relay for Life "Cure Patrol" team...

I'm thankful for Jane Wynne, JoAnne Dixon, Camille Stallings, Teresa Cole, Bill Jones, Diane McLawhorn, Kathy Moore, Mary Thrasher, Curtis Jackson, David Crawford, Mitch Coble and Patrick Holleran. I am proud to work for a company that so unselfishly donates money to be "Diamond Level Sponsors" of Lenoir County's event, year after year.

Several years ago, a few of us started the ball rolling on raising money for American Cancer Society. It is a organization that is very near and dear to my heart!! I have had many family members, friends and co-workers that have suffered at the hand of this dreadful disease... Just last year, our company lost a very dear friend in our Sales Manager Frank Kata. He battled liposarcoma cancer 3 different times... he also lost a son at the age of 13 to Leukemia. Frank was soooo brave... seemingly unsinkable!! We all miss Frank so much!! I know he's smiling down on us now. One of the last things Frank said to me before he passed away was... "Jen don't worry, I WILL see Lilli, even if I don't live long enough to meet her in person." Not a day goes by that I don't think of my dear friend... a very special angel Lilli has watching over her! Please visit our team's blog at: http://fieldcontrolscurepatrol.blogspot.com/ or visit American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org/ to see how you can help raise money in your own corner of the world.

Lenoir County's Relay for Life is this weekend at South Lenoir High School... Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st. If you are in the Deep Run community of Lenoir County, NC... stop on by and check out all the excitement! We'd love to see you there!!!

Love & blessings,

Jen

A little traveling music...

Hi everyone...
I thought I'd share a little clip of Lilli singing in her car seat. This is such a normal, everyday occurrence when I pick her up from school. She just sings & sways... making her own music! Gotta love it!!
I shot this clip on the way home from the beach this past weekend, while Danny was driving. Lilli's such a happy, happy girl!!! Make sure you pause the music at the bottom of the blog to get a better understanding Lilli's " vocal abilities"! :o) Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
His,
Jen

MOMMY NEEDS A NAP!

Let me begin this post by saying that I LOVE my daughter dearly!! However, Lilli doesn't want Mommy to get any sleep lately. Last night is the perfect example of the last few weeks in the Daughety household... Danny put Lilli to bed at her normal bedtime of 8:00. By 11:00, she was wide awake!! I thought I'd just let her "work it out"... but after several minutes, Lilli's cries turned more desperate. When I went into her nursery to calm her down, she gave me the most bewildered look... she was frantically looking all around the room like she had seen or heard something scarey... the boogie man perhaps! I tried to calm her, but nothing I did worked.
I took her into the living room to rock her for a while and just when I thought she was asleep... her eyes popped back open! This went on for SEVERAL hours!!! Finally, I gave in... I put her in our bed. I have really tired to avoid doing that at all costs during our first few months with Lilli, but sometimes you gotta do, what you gotta do!! She quietly slept on my chest for the remainder of the night. I guess she just wanted to be close to her Mommy...This morning "Miss Thang" was as happy as ever... giggling and full of energy. The lack of sleep didn't faze her! Ah, to be her age again...what a trooper?! But seriously folks... Mommy needs a nap!

Love to all,

Jen

Weekend at the Beach...

Hi Everyone,

What a great weekend! Danny, Lilli and I left on Friday evening and headed down to the beach to our friend's home on White Oak River. Lilli had the BEST time ever!! We knew she "liked" the water but... WOW!!! She is a true "water baby"... She loved every second - from the boat ride... to swimming with her Daddy! She just splashes and carries on!! So cute!

The day was beautiful... not too hot and very few clouds in site. We lathered Lilli up with tons of lotion to prevent sunburn... She played with Daddy for a while and then took a cat nap under the canopy of the boat.After her nap, she had a few cheese doodles and was ready for more swimming. Our friends' son Samuel seemed to have fun too! In a few months, Samuel will have a hard time getting away from Lilli. She adores him... and she'll catch up with him quick! Bless his heart!!On the boat ride back to the house, we came upon some dolphins feeding. I've seen this before, but never this close...It was really neat to see. WAY COOL!!

Overall, I think Danny really enjoyed his 1st Father's Day weekend...

We hope that ALL Daddy's... new & old alike, had a wonderful day!!!

His,

Jenny

MY GIRL... SO PRETTY!!!

We are heading to the coast this weekend with our friends Martha, James and their son Samuel... We always have a blast with them, so we can't wait! It'll be Lilli's first time sand-dollar hunting with Mommy & Daddy! I'd better get the batteries replaced in our camera before we go! Hopefully, we will have some great photos to share.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Father's Day & a blessed weekend!

Love to all,

Jen

Thankful Thursday!

This Thursday I am thankful for my parents...

Not only have they raised me to have strong Christian values and beliefs, but they are the most genuine pair you'll ever meet. They speak from their hearts... they give so unselfishly to their family, their church and their community.

My Father is very "stoic" and "military", yet would get up on Saturday mornings with me when I was young to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons, followed by a big breakfast we'd prepare together. I was always in charge of the toast! (Still am... I can't cook!) I was raised a "Navy brat" of sorts. My Father met my Mother when he was stationed near her family's home in Virginia Beach. After his active duty ended, he remained in the Naval Reserves the majority of my life. I always remember how much pride he had in his naval career. He retired a Captain.

My Mother was a 6th grade Social Studies teacher, but put her teaching career on hold to be a stay-at-home Mommy. She returned to work when I was in 2nd grade. Mom had her hands full with John, Susan, Amy and myself, but rarely raised her voice in anger or distress. She is so very compassionate and kind... very generous with her time! I talk to her EVERYDAY! My Mom is also a wonderful artist. I proudly display many of her paintings in my home... She loves to paint naturescapes!

My parents have taken on such a big role in helping me and Danny with Lilli-bug since I have had surgery. They have driven me to doctor's appointments, made numerous meals for us... whatever was needing to be done, they were there!! No questions asked. It's the way they are with all of their children! Unconditional love.... unconditional support! Currently, they are picking Lilli up from daycare in the afternoons, as I am still unable to lift anything over 10 pounds. Lilli just loves to play with her Papa & Nana! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have them as my parents. My cup overflows... my heart is full!!!

I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will overflow! --John 15:11

His, Jen

Lilli's 1st Birthday Party!!!

Hi y'all!!

Sorry it has been a long time since I last posted.... time flies by so quickly when you are raisng a child... so much to do... so little time to do it all!

We celebrated Lilli's 1st birthday on Sunday and what a fun day we had!! Lots of neighbors stopped in, as well as many friends and family members. Lilli's Birthday was actually on Thursday the 5th, but we thought it would be nice to celebrate on the weekend.

Lilli had a blast and to be honest LOVES being the center of attention. She clapped while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her... and THEN SHE HAD CAKE!! Boy, oh boy!!! We just let her dive in!! Lilli was so messy... covered from head to toe!!! Aunt Susan had to give her a bath!!!Enjoy the pictures of her big day... It was a sweltering 102° outside, so the "outdoor" party became mostly indoors... but much fun was had by all!
Thank you to everyone that came over and made Lilli's big day extra special! Many thanks to my niece Erica for these great photos of the party!
His,
Jenny

Look who's 1!!!

Thankful Thursday is pretty easy this week...
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY SWEET LILLI! Boy, what a difference a few months make... Lilli is growin' like a weed and getting sweeter, smarter and more beautiful everyday!! 4 teeth and well on her way to walking.... it'll be any day now!

Am I blessed or what???

In His Service,

Jenny

What a few days makes...

Hi y'all!
I'm typing from the comforts of my bedroom... my cozy bed actually.
I am feeling so much better today. Each day that passes seems to get easier and easier. I haven't posted since my surgery, but wanted to reach out to those of you that I haven't already spoken with or emailed. My surgery went well... very well! They were able to remove my gallbladder laparoscopically and my total recovery time will be closer to 2 weeks! I am so thrilled that I will be able to pick Lilli up and hold her in my arms soon. Danny already places her in my lap for a few minutes, but beyond that... she gets to be a little wiggle worm! She seems to know that Mommy doesn't feel very good and is so much gentler than she normally is... she's such a good girl!!

We bought her a swing for her 1st birthday, and although her birthday is still a few days away, we have already hung the swing up and are using it. Lilli just loves it. I felt well enough to walk outside for a few minutes a spend a little time with Danny & Lilli... they are the best physical therapy anyone could ask for! I felt 110% better after about 5 minutes of sunshine and Lilli's giggles!! Daddy is such a good playmate!!
Thanks to everyone for your many prayers, calls, meals and get-well notes. They have meant the world to me. I feel so blessed having each of you in my life and feel very special that you care so much. God loves you & so do I!
His,
Jen