a very merry christmas.

christmas pjs are the best. 

wishing you all a merry merry christmas 

and a very happy new year! 

will see you in 2012. 

bye-bye girls.

the time has come, my day of c cups is officially over.

yes, i am talking about my boobs.

i have relished having a set of these babies, really, i have. things, well, fit better. not to mention the function they maintained- SO convenient.

but lillian has moved on, she is on to bigger and better things and so my poor girls are left behind.

sigh.

honestly though, i thought this weaning process would be a bit harder, both for me and her but thankfully our experience so far has been really natural. lillian has taken to table food SO well (read more about our blw method here and here) and i couldn't be happier to gain a little freedom. i also feel so blessed and thankful that i was able to nurse her for a year, as i know i am among the fortunate who are able to offer that gift to their children. 

we are down to once a day, and think that she will soon drop that (i am guessing right around her first birthday this january) and so we are starting to introduce whole milk. not as a replacement for when she is nursing, but as an additional drink throughout the day. so far, she doesn't dislike it, she just doesn't drink much. thankfully she eats (happily) lots of full fat greek yogurt and cheese so i know her dairy intake isn't at risk!

so thats what we are up to, or not up to around here! 

hope everyone is getting ready for a wonderful holiday!

thursday loves.

this week we have been soaking up the last of the warm sun. crazy i know because it is almost christmas but hey, we live in the south and that is why i love it here!
lillian on the other hand continues to obsess over the leaves. yes, the leaves. she can't get enough so it is a good thing fall lasts forever here. we hit the park and she could care less about the swings or the slides- it is all about the leaves people. i think if she could articulate to santa what she wants for christmas, it would be leaves.

on a completely different note, i have been really loving lipstick.  every time i head to target (which if you ask my husband is far too frequently) i peruse the lipsticks on clearance and have accumulated quite a collection. and, have really been loving them all!

this is moisture renew in rouge by rimmel on clearance for 2.29 from target. i had to layer it a lot to get the rich red i wanted, and so would probably need to reapply fairly often, but really did love the smooth texture and it didn't bleed. this one will be making a christmas day debut :)
second, i have been loving revlon colorburst in carnation. it is such a pretty pink (not my usual to to color by any means) but i had seen a lot of this on pinterest and wanted to give it a go. and i LOVE it. wore it with black eye liner to hank's work christmas dinner and really enjoyed it.
when i am feeling very edgy i reach for my plum perfect by maybelline. it is pretty intense, a rich deep purple- rich but pretty.
lastly, i just found flame by covergirl. it is more of an orange-red and i think i might save this for the spring or so. it is brighter but i still really enjoy it!

so there you have it. thursday loves!
what are you loving as you get closer to christmas? feeling overwhelmed? now is a better time then ever to take a moment to pause, look around and be thankful for something that is really making you smile this week- amongst all the holiday craziness!

love to all.

life with an iphone.

 

um, christmas pjs? ah-mazing.

dear lilly.

dear lillian,

tomorrow you turn 11 mo old. so cliche to say, but where did the time go?
it goes without saying that my love grows for you the more and more you come into your own. this week, you have really started to explore walking and the joy that comes across your face when you take those steps is amazing. it is the beginning of you being able to explore new things completely on your own and as much as that scares me, it also brings me such happiness and excitement for you.
the world is absolutely your oyster, my dear, and i promise i won't ever let you forget that!

thursday loves.

this week, i am really digging the glow of christmas lights. i think it just hit me that christmas is coming and i got all jittery and excited to be with family, give gifts and share the joy of the holidays with lillian for the first time! to me, christmas lights are the perfect example of how christmas makes me feel inside.

sparkly, happy and bright!

also loving this week? lillian's new shopping cart. since we are traveling for the holidays my sister sent lillian's gift here and well, it is a huge hit! (*note: rough ending, i know, but she is a-ok!)

too much.

lillian got her first bike and thought it was pretty much the bees knees. i almost couldn't handle the cute factor as we pushed her down the street to meet our friends for brunch.

still getting over our sickness over here and lillian wants nothing else but to be held all the time so my productivity is at an all time low- hence my lack of posts. sorry!

i am a parent.

growing up my mom would always say she wished she could take the pain/sickness/hurt from us and carry it herself. mom, this week, i now fully understand your love and that you weren't just saying this to make me feel better; you meant it.

this week my poor little baby girl has four teeth growing in, a bad cold and two ear infections. yup, two. i wish every moment i could take it all away but i know i can't.

whew, parenting is tough. and honestly, i appreciate mine more now than ever.
and thankfully lillian knows no better than to love and trust me, and that carries me through because even when she is coughing and crying and upset, she looks at me with such love and content it makes me realize that wow, i am a parent and wow, i am so lucky.

my mom strategy? trust your gut. your instinct was around long before you were and we are all capable of love. something told me that i needed to take lilly to the dr and even though part of me doubted it (she was  only fussy for a day) i went, and i am so glad we did. she needed antibiotics and without me trusting my motherly instinct she wouldn't be getting the medicine she needs.

so, this week i have really come into my own as a parent. i have realized i am so meant for this job- not that i didn't feel that always, but just on a different level. i knew for a long time i was meant to be a mom, that i would figure things out as i went. but now, now i know that i know best. as my pediatrician said- i am the lillian expert.
and ya know what, it feels awesome.

thursday loves.

would love to say this is the sexy late night version of my thursday loves, but this is the my-soon-to-be-toddler-is-not-sleeping-due-to-some-evil-teeth-and-the-imposed-pain-and-fever-they-bring late night version.

in other words, this week has completely escaped me.

but, on to the good stuff.

 this thursday loves is dedicated to nashville.

are y'all sick of hearing how much i love this place yet?

 lilly & i can't seem to stop smiling and laughing with amazing people while we are there.

thursday loves.

happy december!

 

 love breaking out the crayons knowing we will have them in our house now for the next 20 years.

lillian's bath time always brings me the biggest smile knowing i must have done something right that day if we made it to the tub and she is still smiling :)

watching lillian discover the bag o' bows for my christmas wrapping. lets just say i didn't get much done but she picked out all the bows :)

lillian and georgia's bond is growing by the day. i have a feeling some of lillian's first steps will be to go snuggle that dog to death.

hope your having a happy thursday! 

note: i forgot to include this video. watching it made me smile from ear to ear as i remember the excitement of pregnancy oh so well. 

we bonded.

hank & annie went hunting.

so georgia, lilly & i took advantage of some quality bonding time at the park.

this silly girl and silly dog of mine really do bring me such happiness.

bliss.

my favorite part about thanksgiving?

the extended holiday.

having the actual holiday on thursday meant that hank worked from home on wednesday and has been around since.

hence my title, bliss.

cheesy? maybe, but holidays are meant for sentimental blabbering. 

i give you full privilege to stop reading here if that is not your cup of tea.

 we hiked.

 and hiked.

 hank took lilly on a date to the park while i cooked.

 we walked the neighborhood. there was lots of walking, but not enough to counter act all the eating i am afraid.

 and we both got to laugh when lilly woke up from her nap looking like this.

classic. 

and mostly? we just snugged the heck out of our crazy, giggly and altogether amazing daughter.

is this hat not awesome? needless to say it was purchased.

. . .

i really can't get enough family time. i am totally one of those moms who is going to kiss their kids even when it embarrasses them. i am also going to be one of those moms who kisses daddy even when it embarrasses them. i love to be together, to be close and to share everything together. i love that lilly and hank bonded this week, really, i felt it. i feel like these holidays really are here for the healing purpose of putting everything else on pause. all those things we "have" to do to stop for just a moment. and in that moment there is such clarity on what is real, what actually matters and how amazing life truly is.

i needed this more than anyone and i am so thankful. God has blessed me with so much and there are lots of times i take them for granted, that i get greedy for what is not.

this week was pure. it was each moment savored and enjoyed. it was healing to say the least. 

first thanksgiving.

this years thanksgiving was full of firsts.

first thanksgiving as a mom. 

and i couldn't be prouder. this little nugget enjoyed all the holiday had to offer. well, no pecan pie. but she did try some bread pudding! this girl loves her food, from veggies to taters to desert she licked her fingers at the end and slept well with her full belly.

so thankful for my little family and sleeping babies :)

it was my first thanksgiving cooking and i would like to think i did a good job. actually, i am impressed with myself. i will admit it!

mom, thanks for the amazing recipes and teaching me all your thanksgiving tricks. the food filled up lots of happy bellies, mine included. 

and the best part? we are stilling enjoying it :)

amidst all the cooking i forgot to take a picture of the spread. sad face.

this was also hank & my first thanksgiving staying put. but thankfully that didn't mean it wasn't full of family.

there was football, a fire, laughs and fully bellies.

a perfect first thanksgiving :)