Lilah Tidbits

Oh my Lilah girl! How I love thee. Over the last few weeks, I took out my older digital camera that has the ability to capture videos and took some sweet tidbits of my Liley-Bo.

Clip 1: Lilah's newest and most favorite thing to do is clean. She's rubbing off on Jaxey too!

Clip 2: Belly laughs from Lilah

Clip 3: Belly laughs from Lilah

Clip 4: Lilah cleans

Clip 5: Peek-a-boo with Lilah and Jaxon

Clip 6: Lilah sings the theme song from Dora, "Back pack, back pack!" She's never ONCE seen the show. I was singing it one day and she completely copied me. What's even funnier is when she wipes her own face in this clip. Watch how abrupt she is. LOL!

Pictures are wonderful, but video clips capture those moments your mind, for some reason, doesn't allow you to recall or hold on to.

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Don't Worry!

Shy Face! Displays it often. It's pitiful.

Be Happy!

A Visit With Nana

Today, Lilah, Jaxon, and I packed up the car to visit with Great Grandma Nana "aka" Darren's Grandmother. Being I have been with Darren since I've been 15 1/2, I've always felt as if she was my grandmother too. She's always treated me with love and kindness and certainly has been good to us during those gift giving times of the year. Nana lives in Roanoke. It's just a hop, skip and a jump from our home. Unfortunately, we do not visit with her often. My hope, after today, is that we try to make it over to her home more frequently, especially now that I know it's manageable with the twins.

Nana, who is 89, still maintains her career at Bolling Steel Company as one of the secretaries and the only "treasurer". She is proud to be titled that way. She has been faithful and loyal to the company for over 25+ years. To her disappointment, she has been out of commission due to a bug bite to her foot, which is ultimately debilitating her. As an elderly woman, who has a hard time getting around due to this bite, she has had to take a leave of absence. Nana enjoys going to work everyday and not being able to work has caused a little loneliness and depression, although she would never admit it. So, I felt it would be a nice treat for Lilah, Jaxon, and I to visit with her.

When we first got there, Lilah and Jaxon were shy. You can definitely tell Nana has much experience as well as wisdom. She knew to walk away and let me introduce the twins to her home and it's surroundings without her standing there intimidating them. After all, her face is not a familiar one. Before long, Lilah and Jaxon strutted their stuff around her home and made themselves quite comfortable.

When the nurse arrived to change Nana's foot dressing, we stepped outside for a little fresh air and outdoor play. When re-entered, I began unpacking their lunch and assembling their booster seats. Lilah and Jaxon were so well behaved. Virtually no food was thrown on the floor and they showed Nana much love.

It was time to leave. After we loaded up the car, we went back inside to say our goodbyes to Nana. You could tell that Nana was sad to see us go. She had tears in her eyes. We promised we'd be back again soon. Lilah refused a traditional kiss, but allowed Nana to kiss her hands all over. Lilah thought it was so funny and giggled a lot. Jax was so jealous of the attention Lilah was getting and reached up for me to hold him. When I picked him up, Jax leaned into Nana and kissed her on the lips. I was shocked because Jax, over all of our children, is the most shy and skittish. I could tell Lilah and Jaxon really enjoyed their time with Nana.

God has put restrictions on our involvement with the Bolling side of the family. We do not know if this "hold" is permanent or temporary. It's been an adjustment and it's been nerve wracking at times, but ultimately we know that God is sovereign over everything. We accept this change in our lives and have embraced it with gratitude. If it is God's will for the family to mend it's broken wounds great. If the wounds are never mended, we are okay with that too. God has blessed us with great gifts (Himself, each other, our children, other family and our family in Christ) and we do not feel we are lacking. We owe that all to HIM ABOVE.

Until next time Nana.... (We promise. There will be a next time.)

PS. Because Ty was unable to visit, he allowed me to give the puppet that he made in Kindergarten to Nana. I know it made her feel special.

Mommy Hair!

Yesterday, I gave Lilah pigtails. Before she went to bed I took the rubber bands out of her hair so that she could sleep comfortably. The next morning, she woke up with BIG hair like mommy. We were so amazed at how much she looked like either a little puerto rican girl and/or looked like me, if not now, then when I was a little girl.

I never appreciated my hair and used to say, "I wouldn't wish my hair on my worst enemy.", but it's something I've just accepted and grown to love in the best way I can. Now that I have a daughter though, I am so glad she has a ton of hair. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. I look forward to french braiding it and doing all kinds of girly things to her hair as she continues to get more of it.

Lilah and Jaxon's 1st Playdate

On Thursday, Lisa Fernandez had a few girls over for a playdate with our kiddies. It was a beautiful day spent in her backyard between 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. We spent three hours outdoors playing with all the luxuries that Lisa provided to us in her backyard: ball bit, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, swing set, a real old fashioned seesaw, a sprinkler, and a baby pool. Each mommy packed a yummy lunch too and we all had a picnic. It was a little tough getting into any type of deep conversation, but it was still nice to spend time with adult women while our kids ran loose in her backyard. This was Lilah and Jaxon's 1st playdate since they've been born. Hard to believe, but I guess normally we do everything FOR brother. Tyson was the one to tag along this time. I think he missed having children his own age there. :) But on the way home, I made certain to tell him, "It's not always about you!"

I wasn't even in the van for 5 minutes and Lilah and Jaxon were out cold. A special thanks to Lisa, Vivian and Kate for sharing their beautiful backyard with us.

Lollipop Death Grip

I love Fridays. Darren gets off at noon and sometimes he surprises us and gets home even earlier...about 11:30 am. Today, we planned a trip to Lynchburg so we could do a little shopping at Kohl's Department Store. If you've never been, make it a point to go. Great stuff for reasonable prices.

After spending 2 hours in the store, we took a chance and ate dinner at Cracker Barrel. If we've been before, it was decades ago, and we don't recall it. We are more of a Carrabas, El Rodeo, or Outback type people. We weren't sure how or if we would enjoy some country cooking. Needless to say and surprisingly so, it was very delicious.

When dinner was over, we took a stroll through the country store. I wanted to reward the kids for being so well behaved at Kohl's, so I treated them to a piece of candy. Lilah and Jax received a lollipop and Ty got GIGANTIC "dots". Remember those? Only you may remember them being tiny.

On the way home, Lilah fell asleep and would NOT let go of that sucker. The ride was 1 hour long and she held it the entire time while napping. Upon arriving home, I was so upset to find out that I picked out a cinnamon sucker for her. My poor baby girl was probably sucking on a spicy sucker and I didn't know it. Either way, she didn't seem to have any complaints.

Demolition Jax

After Church today, all of our children were in desperate need of a nap. They were beyond grumpy. I guess Church did them no good today. LOL! I even made Ty take a nap and he hasn't napped in over 2 years.

I laid down with Ty, until he fell asleep, and I turned down the baby monitor so I wouldn't have to hear Lilah and Jax babble themselves to sleep. Darren was going to be mowing the lawn shortly.

Around 5:00 pm (Late I know. We had a late start getting them down.) Lilah and Jaxon began waking up. I asked Darren if he would run up to their room and get them. He agreed. Through the kitchen baby monitor I hear Darren saying, "Oh Jax! Your mommy is going to be so upset." I was cringing at the thought that he might have removed his name off the wall. I had just rehung each letter on both sides of the room because they have been pulling them off. them. And trust me, it's no simple task. Then I thought, "It's not possible. I moved their cribs out from the wall, so the letters were out of their reach!" Darren continues on, enticing me to have to know what the heck he was talking about. So, I run upstairs, and to my amazement and to much disappointment I found Jax's crib FILLED with rolled diapers. Rolled diapers? Strange right? Why rolled diapers you ask? Apparently, before falling asleep, he took the cutest diaper cake I have ever seen (which was made and given to me by my friend Jenny) off of the bookshelf and tore it to pieces.

He certainly felt my disappointment, but I was VERY easy on him. I was so stunned to be honest. Darren said, "I knew something wasn't right because I didn't go immediately outside to mow the lawn and I kept hearing all kinds of noises through the monitor." I guess not enough noises to go in there and check on the little stinker????
This was one section of the room. I mean he literally had a ball destroying this masterpiece.
The diaper cake was held together with this paper towel holder. The cake board was used for one of the layers of the 3-tiered diaper cake.
His crib was indeed pulled out from the wall and this is what was in between the wall and the crib. Those little paper pieces were precious baby diecuts made with the Cricut machine.
Now, all we have left is the sweet baby girl diaper cake. The nursery is no longer symmetrical. I may actually loose some sleep over this one. Ahhh, what to do!!!