Fun in Philly

Yesterday I had the awesome opportunity to meet up and hang in Philadelphia with some of my great girlfriends from JMU. We all met up yesterday around lunch then spent the day together shopping, talking, eating, laughing, and basically just having a great time, then we spent the night in a hotel downtown and came back this afternoon. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time! It is really great to have friends who you can always pick up with right where you left off - no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other. Anyway, we had an awesome time, and we'll definitely have to plan another reunion for next year.

Here we are at this amazing restaurant, Tequilas, where we ate dinner.

(I didn't bring my good camera, so this one came out a little dark...)

Seven Years and Counting

Well, here we are on our seventh anniversary, and it's snowing again! I think this is the only time it has snowed on our wedding date since the actual wedding. I still remember waking up that morning to A LOT of snow falling, but that didn't keep us from enjoying an awesome night with our best friends and family. Some of the highlights were our Pastor Jim's talk to us during our ceremony, our first dance to "Someone Like You", the dare Bo accepted to get out and dance with all the ladies during "It's Raining Men", and the very entertaining toast by the best men tandem of Matt and Joe. We left the next morning for a week on the North Shore of Oahu followed by a week slopeside in Lake Tahoe. I wish we were taking a repeat honeymoon to celebrate this anniversary! Instead, we're spending this anniversary with a toddler who wants to play in the snow and a baby with the stomach bug. We had to delay our anniversary outing because Lyla is sick, but we'll be having a belated anniversary celebration on Thursday, so that will give us something to look forward to. So, Happy Anniversary, Mark! I love you!!

Walking!

Unfortunately, I don't have a video to go with this post, but Lyla started walking today. Her longest walk was 12 steps! We discovered she could do it just a little before her nap time, so we'll give it some more time this evening and see how far she gets. Unlike Nina at this age, Lyla is no daredevil. When she feels like she's starting to lose her balance, she just sits down. Thankfully, Mark got to witness Lyla's first steps (if you were a blog follower when Nina was a baby, you know that Mark missed hers). He got home from a trip last night, so he was excited to see her walk for the first time today. I'll try to catch it on video so I can post her in action.

Excuse Me While I Brag...

I normally don't like to brag about our kids, but I was so impressed by Nina this evening that I just have to share it. Many of you have probably observed the same thing and felt the same way with your kids, but I was just so proud of her that I had to ask her to "read" her book again while I got the video camera. Here she is reading a book she got this Christmas called Olivia and the Missing Toy. We probably read this book once or twice a day, so when she remembered it so well, I was very surprised. I'll include the text of the book, so you can "read along" while you listen.

One day Olivia was riding a camel in Egypt...when her mother woke her up. "Time to get up, sweetie-pie. Remember, you have soccer this morning." Olivia's uniform comes in a really unattractive green. "Mommy, can you make me a red soccer shirt like this one? Please?..." "But then you'll look different from everyone else on the team," explained her mother. "That's the point." When Olivia came home from practice, her mother was working on the shirt. "Is it done yet?" she asked. "Not yet," said her mother. Olivia waited, and watied, and watied, till she was too exhausted to wait any longer. So she went out to play with the cat. "Look, darling, it's all done!" said her mother. But something was missing. "Wait a second," said Olivia. "Where's my toy? Where's my toy? It was right there on the bed. I just put it there. I remember exactly. That's my best toy. I need it now! Somebody took my best toy!" Olivia looked everywhere - under the rug, under the sofa, under the cat. She asked her little brother, Ian, "What did you do with my toy?" She asked her baby brother, William, "What did you do with my toy?" "Gooo goo gaa gaaa." That night, and it was a dark and stormy night, Olivia was practicing her piano when she heard an awful sound. The sound got louder and louder. It was horrible, and it was coming from behind the door. So, of course, Olivia went inside. And that's when she saw it. It was the dog! And he'd chewed her toy to bits. "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy! It was Perry!" cried Olivia. "He took my best toy and chewed it to bits, and now it's wrecked." "I'm sorry, sweetie-pie," said her mother, "but doggies like to chew. And he didn't know it was your toy." "My best toy." "Don't worry, " said Olivia's father. "Tommow we'll go get you the very best toy in the whole world." "Oh, thank you, Daddy. I love you more than anyone." Still it was Olivia's best toy. So, she fixed it, adding a bow for extra beauty. All better. Only books about cats tonight, Mommy." But even Olivia couldn't stay mad forever.

Nada Mucho

There is not much new to report from here. Mark has started the preseason travelling with the college combine and draft, so the girls and I are just hanging here at home. We are hoping for some fun this weekend, so check back in with us in a few days!

Goofy Girl

Our goofy girl will be tuning 10 months old tomorrow. These are just a few of the faces of Lyla. With both girls, we really enjoy their humerous side. While we've had the chance to watch Nina's silly side develop for awhile, we're watching it all for the first time with Lyla and enjoying it a lot. At this point in her life, she's into riding on and walking behind her princess car, books, and Puffs. She's officially been named Puff Baby (Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, or Sean Combs - whatever it is these days, move over)!

The Baltimore Aquarium

Today, Mark and I took the girls to the Baltimore Aquarium. It was a spur of the moment decision this morning when we knew we wanted to do something fun with the day but hadn't made any plans. We were both pretty sure that the girls would be interested in the aquatic life, and even though it meant skipping naps (Lyla did nap some in the car, thankfully!), eating on the run, and walking all day for Nina (strollers weren't allowed past the entry area), it was a really great time. We saw some really neat things, and Nina was SO into the exhibits. The aquarium is great for kids because they have a little ledge that runs about 6-8 inches off the ground in front of each tank, and the kids can stand there and have a great view. Nina learned quickly how to squeeze her way through the crowd of adults to the very front of the exhibit where she would stand on the ledge and chat with the other kids about what they saw. Nina said her favorite part of the visit was the dolphin show that we saw while we were there. It was a fun day, and I'm so glad we went! To see all the pictures of our visit, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/amandabeth2/065?authkey=-8D-nPj2i0c&feat=directlink

What a cool fish!
I only prefer to be this close to a shark when there is a thick glass pane between us!

Dr. Nina

In true "kid" fashion, Nina is getting more use out of the packaging of one of her gifts rather than the gift itself. She took the plastic bags from a gift and started calling them her doctor gloves. She has played for several days with the "gloves" and everyone in the house has gotten multiple check ups many times a day. Here she is giving her koala a thorough check up.

Making Strides

Lyla came up with this idea on her own today. Mark and I were watching the girls play when we noticed Lyla crawling over to her princess car, standing up behind it, then walking. We both kind of looked at each other in shock because we didn't introduce her to the concept. She spent the next 30 minutes walking laps around our basement. She will stand without holding onto anything for a few seconds, but then she sits down. We'll see if this newfound activity gives her an incentive to try taking a few steps on her own.

Time with Grandma - Part 1

We were so thankful for a visit from my grandma the past few days. At 93, travelling isn't easy, but that doesn't stop her. We had her over our house for dinner and some time with her two great grandaughters. It had been since last July when she saw Nina, and she had never met Lyla before, so this was a special visit. Lyla took to Gram right away, and sat on her lap more still than she'll sit on our lap!
We think they became good buddies!

Time With Grandma - Part 2

Our second visit with Grandma was today at my mom and dad's house before she leaves to go home tomorrow. Today's visit was MUCH more high energy as the four great grandaughters were there together. There is never a shortage of silliness when they all get together.

I think that Gram is going to have a lot of stories to tell when she gets back home. I also think she's going to sleep for a day! She's been busy and on the move ever since she got here on Friday, and between visits with the girls, dinner at my house and dinner at Shen's house and hanging out with my parents, she's going to be worn out when she gets home! We're so happy she was able to visit, and we are pretty sure she kept entertained while she was here!

We've Been "Efl-ed"

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/81Vx7axG2p2cARoc
My mom elf-ed Bo, Shen, G, Mark, and I...this is a funny one! Make sure the volume is on.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!!!!! We hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating such a great holiday. Christmas really is such a wonderful time, and we really enjoyed ourselves this year. We spent Christmas Eve at the traditional family gathering at my parents' house, then Christmas morning at our house then back at my parent's house. It was an awesome time of enjoying our kids, our family, and everything that God has blessed us with. We really are thankful! To see all the pictures from our evening and morning, click on this link. By viewing the slideshow, you can read the captions of who and what some of the pictures are about.

http://picasaweb.google.com/amandabeth2/062?authkey=gjhnrKGushU&feat=directlink

Winter Has Arrived!

Since winter officially arrived yesterday, we know we'll be spending most of our time inside for the next few months. Thankfully, our basement toy room is a pretty good place for the girls to play and get their energy out. Since there isn't much in our basement right now other than our elliptical machine and the toy room, there is plenty of room to run, jump, and play which is coming in handy during these long, cold months ahead!!

And the Nightmare Continues...

In case you were a little in doubt about the presence of the sex slavery issue here in the U.S., msnbc.com just posted an article this morning you might want to read.

Sex Slavery: Living the American Nightmare

With Christmas right around the corner, and all the celebrating and gift giving that surrounds us, could you imagine being in this wonderful country but in these deplorable conditions?

It's Taken Nine Months...

...but Lyla finally has a tooth breaking through. She's been drooling and chewing for six months, so it's about time! So far, no successful picture of the tooth, but since we've all got them (I hope), there may be no need for a visual on this one.

We Love our Animals

The girls both love the lion and giraffe in the nursery. It's cute watching Lyla do the same things that Nina did at her age. Every morning, Lyla crawls over to the lion to give it kisses like Nina did. Lyla also likes to "ride" the giraffe with our help, and she loves to crawl in the legs and play with it's tail...just like Nina did. It's cute to see that they both love those animals so much.

A Really Great Event

Last night, Mark and I attended the 2008 benefit dinner for the International Justice Mission with our good friends, the Clarkes. It was an amazing evening. The ridiculous traffic, pouring down rain, and running a block in the pouring down rain (in holiday attire, high heels, no umbrella), couldn't detract from the magnitude of the time we were there. Both Megan and I attended the Call + Response film a couple months ago, and we were both really impacted to do more in the area of human trafficking and injustice. During the film, the president of IJM, Gary Haugen, spoke on the crisis of injustice in our world. The information and statistics are startling. Did you know that there are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history? The images will break your heart and keep you up at night, but the fact is that it's all too real and happening all around us (all over the world and HERE in the U.S.). It's almost impossible to be exposed to the reality of what's going on and not want to do something about it. Second only to drugs and weapons, humans are the most trafficked product in the world, and the demand for humans is growing as traffickers realize that once they sell a drug or a weapon, their product is gone, but they can sell a human over and over and over and continue to make a profit. Scary, right? Did you know that children are being advertized for sex on Craigslist? It makes you rethink your use of that site. One could go on and on, but the point is that IJM is doing so much right around the world to bring justice to victims of unspeakable acts. They are dedicated to fighting for basic human rights, persecuting the cowards who buy sell women and children for sex, and those who enslave children and adults against their will and without pay. As Haugen said last night at the dinner, the battle is really one of Good against Evil, and last night was truely a celebration with over 1200 people that a lot of Good really is happening through IJM. We were so thrilled to be a part of the evening, and our hope is that many others will join the fight against injustice because it really does matter to those victims. Haugen made a great point that we may not be able to make a difference for all the people in the world, but we CAN make all the difference in the world for some.

To learn more about IJM or the topic of human trafficking, here are just some sites that might interest you, and there are many, many more out there:

International Justice Mission

Polaris Project

Born To Fly

Season of Light

Not For Sale

Trafficking Sucks

I would also really recommend Gary Haugen's book, Just Courage

To close, there was one quote I read on a blog that really stuck in my head. It's by Dr. Martin Luther King. He said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Something to think about...

Nine Months

Lyla turned nine months old on Monday. I would have posted then, but I was trying to get the Santa pictures posted that day, then we went to the tree farm to get our Christmas tree, bring it home, decorate it, etc. So, for a quick Lyla update. At nine months, she is into everything. She wants to do whatever Nina is doing, and crawls all over the house pulling up on everything she can. She's still a picky eater. I took her to the doctor yesterday for her check-up, and the word is that we need to put some meat on her bones. She's at the top of the spectrum for height but at the low end for weight. She is still a great baby, so sweet, and still has NO teeth and just a little bit of hair! :)

In these pictures, she's checking out her reflection in the trash can (a bit gross, I know, but she's a kid...what can you do?). This first picture is her giving herself a kiss. She gives the biggest open mouth slobbery kisses ever, but we accept them anyway. This one is a must see in larger mode. Click on it to see the funny reflection in the trash can!

A Visit to Santa

Yesterday, we took the girls to see Santa. Our community was having a Winter Wonderland which was supposed to be outdoors. However, it was SO cold and windy, and they thankfully moved the activities indoors. Nina was very excited to see Santa this year.

Lyla wasn't feeling very well, but she didn't seem at all scared by Santa.

Nina loved the reindeer, Santa, and the juggling elf!