A "Gotcha" Celebration!

Before Danny, Lilli and I headed out to meet our friends in Virginia this past weekend, we had a Gotcha Day dinner with some of our family and friends at House of Wang on Wednesday night. Wanted to share the pictures with y'all! We had a wonderful meal, and as always Lilli was the center of attention. Thank you Nana, Papa, Grandma, Unc John, Aunt Chel, Lainey, Martha, James, Samuel and Lydia for making Lilli's big day a memorable one!
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 2 YEARS ALREADY! Time sure does fly when you're having fun...

Pictures of this past weekend in Virginia with Becky and Hannah will come later this week. We had a GREAT time with them!! Can't wait to get together again. The girls had a blast together!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend & had a wonderful Monday! ((HUGS))

IT'S GOTCHA DAY LILLI-BUG!!

...and she understands what it means too!

I asked her this morning, "Lilli, do you know what Gotcha Day means?"

Her reply,"Yes! You became my Mommy and I became your baby!"

Then I asked, "What was your name in China?"

She said, "Shu-Shu (BIG GRIN) but it's Lilli now. We got on airplane & I came home."
You're so RIGHT babygirl... You DID come HOME!!!

GOTCHA LILLI-BUG!!

&

I'M NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO!!

Lots of love to all my travel friends on this magical, unforgettable, awe-inspiring, blessed day!

My Jumpin' Jelly Bean...

She's almost got it... but going in reverse. She swings her arms in the opposite direction that they should go. Leave it to my Lilli!! She's well on her way though and doing such a good job!! So determined...

Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!!

Thankful Thursday!

This "Thankful Thursday", I am so thankful for the health of my daughter. Sure, she's had a bout of chicken pox, share of colds, fevers and a fractured elbow... but nothing major has slowed her down, or at least not for very long.

Over the last few days, I have deeply reflected on how truly blessed I am for my daughter's good health. Last week, a friend and co-worker found out that his newborn daughter had a strong possibilty of having Cystic Fibrosis. On Tuesday, it was confirmed.

Karoline was born last month... the picture of health and perfection. Soooo beautiful and dainty! A true gift from God!! I asked permission if I could share a few pictures on my blog, as I know the power of prayer will work miracles in this sweet little ones' life!!

In my life, I have found that God makes no mistakes. Karoline IS perfect, just the way she is!! God maps our lives out from the very beginnings... ALL our days are numbered. Karoline is perfectly matched with this sweet family and God is going to move mountains in her life! GOD IS AWESOME!!! Cahoon family, you will remain in my prayers!

What are you thankful for today, my friends?

Hey Diddle-Diddle!

Like many 2 year olds... Lilli can have her "moments", albeit so far she has had very few.
The other evening as we were preparing for bedtime, Lilli was in a foul mood and was not interested in putting on her jammies, nor brushing her teeth. It was some of the worst behavior I have ever seen her display... ever!!! When I finally got Lilli into bed, the whining continued.
Finally, I stopped, looked at her and said,"WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU SISTER??"

Lilli says, "Mommy, I have to tell you something. It's IM-POHH-TANT!"

I said, "What is so important sweetie... WHAT is soooo important?"

Lilli looks at me, straight-faced and says:

"HEY DIDDLE, DIDDLE

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE,

THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON.

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED

TO SEE SUCH A SPORT

AND THE DISH RAN AWAY WITH THE SPOON."

Of course, I began to smile... then giggle. Then we both laid in her bed giggling uncontrollably for 20 minutes. I love my girl!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!! ((HUGS))

It's a Dirty Job...

BUT SOMEBODY'S GOTTA DO IT!!

I've been thinking about all the healthy options I had growing up as a kid. My folks didn't keep a lot of junk food around the house. While watching Disney one Saturday morning with Lilli, a cartoon (many of you may know which one) "Tasty Time with Zefronk" came on between Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Zefronk, the weiner dog, made "Ants on a Log". Memories of my favorite childhood snack flooded my brain!!
With both me & Danny dieting, I've tried to keep very few snack foods in the pantry. Helps to not have so many temptations around, ya' know!? We're also trying to primarily eat organic foods. "Ants on a Log" is a great healthy snack for Lilli-bug... and a BIG treat!
Below you can find a link to several healthy snacks from Zefronk's Recipe Book. Many of them, you can have your kids help you with. Lilli loves to help me prepare "Ants on a Log"!!
http://tv.disney.go.com/playhouse/tastytimewithzefronk/ncds/recipes.html
Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!! ((HUGS))

Long time no blog...

I just can’t seem to get my bloggin’ act together!!
Great news to share: Lilli is sleeping ALL NIGHT LONG in her big girl bed. You’d think my night would be free to blog, but not so. I have found that with Lilli going to sleep by herself in her bedroom at night, I have more time for Danny and catching up on odds-n-ends around the house. Lilli is so much happier in the mornings too… but she’s still my 'sassy cat'!!

She cries out a little in the night, but for the last two nights, we haven’t attended to her. She just goes back to sleep. In the past, we have been allowing her to get in bed with us when she wakes (normally around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m.)… but NO MORE! She has gone 6 full nights!! Her reward: 2 jelly beans...that’s it...that’s all she wants!! My sweet, sweet baby girl!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We took things nice & slowwwwwwww…I accomplished nothing, except for laundry & a few good naps. Lilli and I took a 3-1/2 hour nap together on Saturday. It was so AWESOME!

Have a happy Monday all!!!