Lilia Humor

I just have to write this down so that I don't forget... Lilia said the funniest thing tonight and it may have been her first true intentional joke!  A little background so that you understand...

 Tonight after baths we were gathering all of the kids into Lilia's room for our evening family prayer and of course it was chaos as usual.  Ivy was jumping all over the place, Joel was trying to crawl out of Cliff's arms, and Lilia was running up and down the hallway pretending to be "Elsa" from the movie "Frozen," and making comments about how she "had to keep her power inside, and that she just didn't want to hurt anyone else!"  Pinning her down for a prayer was all but impossible.  We finally got her into the room and she went immediately over to Joel to kiss on him and give him a few cuddles.  He was laughing and drooling up a storm and when Lilia finally pulled away from him her whole arm was covered in drool.  Cliff wiped her up a little and I wiped the rest off and made the comment that "it was a good thing that she wasn't bothered by drool" and she replied "drool never bothered me anyway - COMPLETELY DEADPAN.  Cliff and I were nearly in tears, laughing so hard.  What a little ham! 

 

(This is a reference to the song, "Let it Go" from "Frozen.") 

Lilia is Three!

Disclaimer:  I have no idea how my pictures got so scrambled...  I am not sure about this new blogger layout...  

So this past Tuesday was Lilia's birthday!  Her THIRD birthday!  My little girl is three years old!  Her day was an exciting one too!  We met daddy for lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant and daddy arrived with a surprise!  Aunt Loradona came to visit!  Loradona is Cliff's elder sister and she and Lilia share a birthday.  Lunch was delightful.  The buffet at Milan was even better than usual and Lilia was in heaven with her "pita," (naan,) and raita.  She was content to just eat the raita by the spoonful and I would have let her, it being her birthday and all... but it was a little (LOT) messy. 

We resumed the festivities in the evening with a birthday dinner chosen by Lilia and cake and presents.  Here she is opening presents from mom and dad.  Ivy was just as excited as Lilia was...

  See how much Ivy wants to help?

 Oh boy!!!  Lilia has been so fascinated with doctors lately that we couldn't resist a pink doctor set for her.  She was thrilled.  (Ivy was and is too.)

 Reading a card from Grammy May.

 Grammy May sent Lilia a "Baby Rapunzel" doll.  Lilia was over the moon.  She actually let out a little shriek when she saw what it was.  Ivy is trying to get a look. 

 Rapunzel has slept in Lilia's bed every night this week.  She doesn't appear super cuddly at first glance, but what do moms know?

The birthday dinner was peanut butter and jelly - the birthday girl's request of course.  We used the strawberry jam that I made recently and it was delicious. 

 After dinner we had cake.  I made a cake for Loradona and a smaller cake for Lilia.  Same recipe.  Chocolate cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and topped with a chocolate and peanut butter ganache and chopped Reeses' peanut butter cups.  HEAVENLY.  

 Lilia is pretty excited! 

 Getting ready to blow out the candles while we sing!

 Happy Birthday to you!

 Yay!!

  Stay tuned for Lilia's "Tangled" birthday party!!!

Lilia Says...

Tonight Lilia is not feeling well. She is sitting downstairs with me and coughing up a lung while I try to get her to drink some fluids. For not feeling well she is still quite the chatter box...

Lilia: " Mommy I LOVE avocados! They are my FAVORITE! They are SOO yummy. They are yummy in my tummy. Mommy I can put them in my tummy with a big girl fork. Mommy I can STAB them. They are so special. I love them. Mmmm, avocados are my favorite..."

Me: "Yes sweetie. I love them too. They are good. Go to sleep."

Lilia: "Papa and Mimi are so happy to see me. Mimi loves me THIS MUCH *spreads her arms wide apart." "Mommy are you my friend?"

Me: "Of course I am your friend! I love you very much, but I am also your mommy and I need you to go to sleep."

Then she coughs and chokes on the gunk in her throat and we sip on some more water and I help her blow her nose.

Lilia without missing a beat: "Mommy you are a good mommy. Mommy I have a baby in my tummy!"

Me: "Oh you do?"

Lilia: "Yeah. Baby Ivy is in my tummy."

Me: " I think what you mean is that baby Ivy was in MY tummy. Mommy's tummy."

Lilia: "Yeah."

Lilia: "Mommy, baby Ivy is a good little sister. She is my friend. I like to play with her. Baby Ivy likes to do tummy time. I love her."

Me: "I love her too sweetie. She is a good baby Ivy."

Lilia: "Mommy I have phlegm." "It's coming out of my juice."

Me: " I know sugar bear. It's coming out of your throat. Just cough it up. It's ok."

I have already forgotten half of what she said, but it is so interesting to hear her little brain work work work. Love my Lilia :)

The Best Pet in the Whole Wide World.

Life has been busy for the May family. I guess it is always busy, but these last couple of months have just been crazy. I used to be really good at keeping a journal and then I switched to blogging and that became my journal. Now I just think about journaling/ and blogging, but thinking about something doesn't really count even if you think about it a lot.
The update for now is that the girls are growing. Growing and growing and growing. Lilia just amazes me with the things she says and does every single day. Two year old children can be trying, but most of the time they are fascinating and hilarious. Lilia has such a distinct personality with very strong likes and dislikes. She likes/ LOVES cashews. If I want her to do something I can almost always coax her with the promise of a nutty little treat. She likes to swing at the park and play "Hide and go Seek." She can count... a little. Usually counts to 10 by skipping numbers 4-7. She has all of the numbers in order... she is just in a hurry I guess. She likes to color and to play in her room. She LOVES to look at/ "read" books and her favorites at the moment are the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books and "Curious George." She is obsessed with "Bubble Guppies."
She dislikes dancing. What? What toddler dislikes DANCING? Lilia. That's who. I have tried EVERYTHING to get this kid to move. The pediatrician thinks that Lilia could use some more physical activity so in addition to going outside and to playing at the park I have tried to get Lilia to dance and wiggle around during the day. We turn up the music and I dance around like a lunatic with Ivy watching in awe from her bouncy seat. Lilia isn't impressed and doesn't want to join in. I try ribbons on sticks. What little girl doesn't want to dance around with a ribbon like a fairy or... a gymnast? Lilia. She really couldn't care less. I leap around the house like an idiot and she just watches or worse ignores me completely. I have tried kids' music, latin music, Lady Gaga, and the Scissor Sisters. Nope. No dancing. *Sigh.* If there are other kids around Lilia will at least run and chase around with them, but rainy days are killing us. What kid doesn't like to dance????
In other Lilia news, she is funny. We having been talking about "pets" lately after watching a Sesame Street episode about the "Best Pet in the Whole Wide World." Elmo thought that his goldfish was the best and Telly thought his hamster was the best and Zoe thought her rock was the best, etc, etc. The other day Lilia exclaimed, "Mommy! Baby Ivy is the best pet in the whole wide world!" I guess to a toddler a baby could seem like a pet... As long as she doesn't try to drag Ivy around by a leash.
Lilia has also figured out that we always repeat what she says to us, (just to be clear - sometimes it is difficult to decipher Lilia-speak.) She has taken advantage of this in a funny way. Ex:

Lilia: "Mommy and Lilia go play in my room?"
Me: "Oh, you want me to play with you in your room?"
Lilia: "What a good idea!"

Lilia: "Lilia have a cashew?"
Me: "You want a cashew?"
Lilia: "That's a good idea!"

Lilia: "Daddy hold Baby Ivy and Mommy play with Lilia?"
Me: "You want Daddy to hold Baby Ivy?:
Lilia: " That's a good idea, Mommy!"

Slightly manipulative, no? She's clever. Turn everything around so it's "my idea." I can see her trying this at 16 too.

And finally, the other day I was explaining Santa Claus to Lilia.

Me: He's a jolly old elf that travels around the world on Christmas Eve and delivers toys to good girls and boys!
Lilia: *Puts a finger on her chin in deep though* "Hmm... That's weird."

She keeps me busy and entertained. Lately we have been crafting together. We made a holiday collage the other day and we did experiments with milk and soap and food coloring today. I am always trying to think of new things to do with the kids during the day. It's tough with Ivy being so little and still so fussy, but I am optimistic about the future.
I've been spending waaaaay too much time on Pinterest lately, but I have made some things for the girls and Christmas gifts for friends, so that's not so bad, right??
I wish that Lilia likes to wear things in her hair, but she doesn't. This lasted 90 seconds.
Ivy is getting cuter and cuter, but she is a fussy little thing. She doesn't cry as often as she did a month ago and every month is getting better, but man, when she does cry it's a bloody murder scream. We're talking red in the face, foaming at the mouth, RAGE. Heaven forbid I have to go anywhere during the day. This child HATES her car seat and just bringing her near the thing induces screaming. It's tough to hear, but often I have to tune it out. She is not my only child and laundry and dishes have to be kept in the sanitary "health code" arena at the very least and grocery shopping has to take place eventually. So we strap her in the baby bjorn at home and hope for the best. I'm not going to lie, I am dreading our five hour plane ride to Portland this Holiday Season.

Speaking of Holidays, we went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and spent some time with my family. It was so much fun! Ivy screamed for at least half of the driving time, but thankfully we split the trip up and stayed in Charlotte on the way down and the way back home to minimize chances of Cliff and I jumping out of our moving vehicle. (We are all alive and well, so I say it was worth it.)
We went to the Georgia Aquarium with my WHOLE family. It was great.
Ivy loved looking at the fish. She is actually pretty happy in the carrier as long as she is facing out and can see what is going on around her.
Speaking of Ivy, she is very attentive to the world around her and she wants to be a part of it! Girl has been wiggle scooting her way across the floor these past weeks and she is STRONG. Even the doctor was impressed with her strength and especially her grip at her check up the other day. She is a feisty little thing. She is in the 67% for weight and height. That's nothing compare to what Lilia was, so I always feel like Ivy is really tiny even though she is actually above average.
She loves to be around her big sister. I'm not sure that the feeling is entirely mutual, but alas, that can be the way of sisters for sometime.... Any time that Lilia shows Ivy any attention at all, though, Ivy's entire face lights up. She just adores Lilia.
Lilia does like be with Ivy for "tummy time." and that is always fun.
Even with all the screaming I just love this little noodle. She has the brightest eyes. So pretty :)


In other non-kid related news, Cliff was officially accepted as a student at UVA! He will begin his Master's Degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in January. Even MORE exciting is that he applied for and GOT the Government Education Voucher (Scholarship.) and ALL of his tuition and books will be payed for! Way to go Cliff!! I am SUPER proud of him. He is such and awesome dad and husband. He is holding Ivy right now while I type this. Marriage is all about teamwork and I have to say he really goes above and beyond for this family. I take the girls during the day while he is at work, of course, but when he gets home he takes Ivy from me and lets me cook dinner and clean and just have some time to myself. I love him to pieces and am grateful that we found each other. Raising kids is the most amazing thing that we have ever done together, but it is also the hardest and I am grateful for his patience and selflessness.

I guess that about wraps up our lives for now. We are still loving Virginia and our neighborhood. We love our Church family and all of the friends we have made here. We had a bunch of people over last night to celebrate a friend's birthday and it was great. I feel really blessed that we have encountered so many wonderful people in our travels and moves.

Hopefully my next post will be sooner than later, but for now this will have to do!

Lovely Lilia

Lilia just grows more and more dear to my heart with each passing day. I just love to watch her little personality grow. She is such a sweet sensitive little cutie. Everywhere we go she smiles and waves to strangers. At church she says "hi!" to EVERYONE and even grabbed some random childrens' hands in the hallway the other day for an impromptu round of "Ring Around the Rosy." She ADORES her baby sitter that lives behind us and any girl over the age of 4. She also loves Baby Ivy. She wants to make her smile and hold her hand. She always tells me when Ivy is sad and loves to point out when "Baby Ivy is looking at you!"
Two kids are no walk in the park, but Lilia really does make it easier on me. She has recently become very independent and loves to go and play by her self in her room. She will go lay on her BIG GIRL bed and read stories for 20 min or so and never make a peep. Sometimes I go sit in there with the baby and read with her because I miss being around her! (She will go for 15-20 min regularly throughout the day.)
She is so smart. She learns so many new words every day and REMEMBERS everything. The other day I said something about tuna... maybe I was talking about dinner - I really can't remember, but Lilia said to me " Mimi feed the black kitty tuna?" My mom used to leave a can of tuna out for the feral black cat that lives in her neighborhood. I couldn't believe that Lilia remembered that from like 6 months ago! She is very perceptive and we have to be careful what we say around her because she picks up on everything. I told Cliff one night after he had gotten home from work that that particular day "had really kicked my butt." Lilia without missing a beat said "I kick mommy's butt." Oops!
She is soooo beautiful to me too. Actually I think she is just beautiful to everyone. Everywhere we go people comment on her hair and her doll-like features. I hope that she grows up to know how beautiful she is. A few months ago she started calling herself "chubby" and it broke my heart. While the pediatrician is carefully monitoring Lilia's weight because she has always been on the bigger side, we don't want her to develop a complex. Lilia eats well and we try to get her lots of exercise, but I know that she picks up on the comments that are made in her presence. It was cute for her to be "chubby" as an infant, but we have had to politely ask that our friends and acquaintances steer away from that particular word as Lilia remembers. I don't think she fully understands the meaning, but I hate to see her use it to describe herself. Instead of talking about "chubby cheeks," we say that she has "peaches and creamy" skin. That is a big hit. Apparently mommy and daddy have "peaches and creamy" skin now too - I wish!!

Seriously SOOOOO Blessed

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. That's what I learned from watching "Bambi" as a kid. I think you can take that phrase in a different direction and also say "If you can't say something positive, don't say anything at all." My lack of blogging has been due to the latter. A huge pet peeve of mine is hearing people complain about every little thing all week and all day long. I can't stand it. Probably because I am guilty of this myself often enough. Don;t we always hate in others what we see in ourselves? Well this year I am making a concerted effort to not complain. I decided that if those people on facebook that update their status with a complaint drive me bonkers - then I had better not be putting any of that crap online either. So there! Now you can hold me accountable!

Most of this new attitude was brought on by the morning sickness, but I had an epiphany this past weekend. Cliff and I got some pretty wretched news concerning his career and our future and I have to be honest - I did NOT take it well... at first. The first night I was angry and bitter and physically hurting. I developed a terrible migraine and couldn't sleep at all that night. I tossed and turned and was physically sick. I prayed all night long that I could be at peace with this turn of events and come to accept God's will and our circumstances. The next morning I had an incredible experience. The sun came through our window and woke me up. Cliff and Lilia were out in the front room laughing and playing and "The Messiah" was playing quietly through our speakers. I usually hate waking up early on Sunday mornings scrambling to get ready for church and feeling groggy and queasy, but this morning was so different. I knew it was the answer to my all-night prayer. I felt lighter than air and OPTIMISTIC! God loves me and my family and didn't want me to worry or be unhappy. I decided right then and there that I was going to follow His lead and choose to look at our situation differently. Did I have every reason to be scared, upset, and angry? Maybe. Was anyone forcing me to feel those things? Absolutely not. It was my choice and I felt powerful. Being miserable doesn't change your situation. It just makes you miserable. You can be the victim all your life or you can take charge. Now does this mean I am never going to get mad or upset again? Uhh... have you ever been the Base Health Clinic Atsugi??? The difference is that where you can change your circumstances, change them! Where you can't, you can't and stewing about it isn't going to help anyone.

So now on to the blessings!! This is where I get sappy and annoying, so if you aren't up for it - move along! Cliff and I have been so incredibly blessed throughout our lives and our marriage. So far in his career we have had literally everything work out in our favor. We got to spend the first year and a half of our marriage living in beautiful sunny Florida relaxing and traveling and loving life! After Florida Cliff got his first choice of station leaving flight school and we headed off to Japan! Have deployments been fun? Not really. But we have traveled to Thailand and Guam and China. I have been to Sapporo Japan and Singapore! We have a GORGEOUS daughter and another baby on the way. Have my pregnancies been easy? Not really. But I can GET pregnant and that in and of itself is pretty amazing. I have loving parents both on my side and on Cliff's. I have wonderful friends. Friends that are truly priceless to me. So what if we end up living in hole in Timbuktu with scabies or something... er... we still aren't as bad off as Job! I guess I am just trying to say that it is all about perspective and with a little "spin" you can paint any situation gray or golden. Now for some pictures!!!!!

Pigtails!!!


Lilia makes me laugh every single day. She is just the sweetest little thing and she has been my angel and greatest gift. Her little personality amazes me. She is talking up a storm and says the funniest things. We have been trying to teach her some manners and she is awesome with "please" and "thank you" so we have been trying "no thank you." The other day I was brushing her teeth and she was visibly growing impatient. She pushed the tooth brush away and said "thank you, NO!" ha ha!! (It was more like "dee doo, NO!" but you get the idea.)

Lilia usually crashes on the way home from Church. This is Cliff carrying her in.
Poor little sleepy! Those pigtails just crack me up every time.
She loves hats and shoes. She has so many different hats, because the Japanese make adorable and reasonably priced hats that I can't resist. I usually get a fashion show every day. A large portion of Lilia's vocabulary is devoted to apparel.

She was teething something terrible the other day. I gave her a tooth brush to chew on and she was happy as a clam.
Eh... happy?
Cute shoes from the "Bunny" store! They were only 500 yen!

I think she just looks like a little kid in this picture. Definitely not a baby anymore.
Ok, so my last preachy rant is on happiness in general. Is it attainable? You bet! Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk in conference a couple of years ago about happiness. We are all supposed to be happy, but we have to actively take steps to do so. He recommended creation and compassion. Everyone of us has the capacity to create something every single day. It may be a fabulous work of art or culinary masterpiece or it may be a room full of laughter or a smile. It doesn't matter. We can all create. I made a diaper cake for the first time the other day and I felt so satisfied. It just felt good to make something where there wasn't something before. I am going to make it a goal to try and create something new at least every week. Even if it is just cookies. And then I am going to share my cookies! I may be pregnant, but a batch of cookies for myself each week might have some serious consequences....
Ok... so I can't remember what else I was going to write or rant about, so I will wrap it up. Cliff is talking to me and honestly I would rather go talk to him now that he is home. Life is good.

Who Is That Baby??

It's Cliff!!! People are always asking me where Lilia gets her chubalub. They look at me and say "You're so tiny! Where did all of her delicious rolls come from??" And I reply "she most definitely got them from her daddy." Now strangers seems to accept this and continue on their way, but my friends that know Cliff personally usually pause for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"Cliff?? You've got to be kidding! He is so skinny!"

While that is certainly true now, it wasn't always that way! Lilia DEFINITELY takes after her daddy. See for your self!

Cliff and his older sister. Aren't they cute??
Look at all of that hair he had too!
Aww! It's a mini Lilia!


This last picture totally reminds me of Lilia. Look at those cheeks! Don't you just want to squeeze them? Anyway - now you know! Lilia is her father's daughter!