Pictures Galore!

There are so many great pictures from the month of November and I wanted to post some of them that didn't get posted! So here is a slew of pics!




I put L in this super-cute outfit to go to the barn. Upon arrival at the barn, she immediately sat in a mud-puddle, thus thoroughly soaking the outfit. So the outfit survived this picture and a car ride. Luckily I got a picture of it!


Whoever's genes kicked in the blue eyes -- THANK YOU! We love Lilah's blue eyes! (from her green-eyed parents!)


BAD BABY!! BAD, BAD, BAD! (Jeez, how did she even get up there so fast?)

Okay, not a GREAT picture but thought I'd post it for comic relief: (I'm modeling riding clothes, can't you tell?)

Lilah taking Daddy for a walk on a grungy Saturday work day!

Lilah helping Mommy get ready for an interview....

Awwww.... How cute is this picture?!?!? Lilah with cousin Tara

A family shot at Nanny Tanny's birthday party

Lilah likes to grab my purse and wave bye-bye, like she's going somewhere. :)

A quick picture 'cause believe or not I even get motion-sick on swings!

Lilah loves slides and....

she loves when Nanny Tanny goes down with her!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I will get pictures up of our fab Thanksgiving soon!

-H

VINTAGE BABY!!

I love antiques and vintage clothes. And even if an object is older or has history behind it, I still like to use it in daily life for maximum enjoyment.

Such as the following:

When I was a baby/toddler, my mom saved some of my baby clothes for me. When Lilah was first born, my mom gave the clothes to me, but I hadn't dug them out until recently. Now Lilah is the perfect size for most of the clothes!

I wore this t-shirt home from the hospital:


Didn't all the "H" girls have a similar outfit to this one??!?

Both hat and jacket used to be mine! Notice the 1980s unsafe strings affixed to baby's clothes. I don't think Babies 'R Us would sell anything like this now....

What a cute dress!

Lilah will continue to wear these clothes are part of her wardrobe until she's too big for them too. Then I will pack these clothes, along with some newer special outfits I am saving for her, up in storage where they will wait for another 25+ years.

The Important Parts of Lilah's Life....

Meet "Cozy", a little blue square blankets sewn with love by Nanny Tanny.


If you couldn't tell from the picture, Lilah is never very far from her Cozy.

Or her "Bo-Bo".

This is Bo-Bo:

This toy came in a bag of hand-me-downs. Nick and I had a derogatory name for it until we realized: 1. Lilah had attached herself to this toy (that's got to be Murphy's Law-- she picks the ugliest toy in the nursery) and 2. She understands a lot more of what we say than we think she does so we'd better find a new name for it.

Hence, the kid-friendly name of Bo-Bo. Plus, Bo-Bo's name is something Lilah can say:

These items go everywhere with us now. I dread the day Cozy has to go through the wash, or god-forbid, we lose Bo-Bo. To be honest, I'm kinda getting fond of him myself. :)

A Moment of Truth Please....

Alright, a moment of truth:

Yesterday, a stranger asked me if "it was a boy." In reference to Lilah. He couldn't tell if Lilah was a boy or girl, based on the above outfit. :( I did have bows in her hair when we left the house, but L already pulled them out by the time we got into the car.

So, what do you guys think? Does she look too much like a boy in this outfit? You can be honest -- I swear!

Meanwhile, to my two girlfriends that are preggers with girls -- make sure your baby is dressed head-to-toe in pink any time you leave the house!

If you can't get enough cute Lilah pictures ...

Here's another one to keep ya satisified!

This toy, by the way, is one of her very favorites!!

Channeling Martha Stewart….

About a month or so back, a student’s family from LOH invited me for dinner. About half-way through the meal, the mother randomly blurted out, “I mean, really, what are you doing with yourself now that you’re not working?” She didn’t mean to be insulting – she just knows I am a person that doesn’t like to stay inactive. Still, the manner in which the question was presented gave away her true thoughts behind it.

I replied, “I cook. I clean. I have dinners ready for Nick every night when he comes home from work.” Then, deciding to poke fun at myself I added, “I’m a regular Martha Stewart.”

To which she responded, “Yeah, I’ll bet you are.”

Okay, now what did she mean by that?!?!?

Anyway, this segues into this post as I blog about the trials and tribulations of learning to sew. (Hence Martha)

Here are pictures of my latest sewing project. My mother-in-law is doing a great job trying to teach me what she knows. Patiently. Repeatedly. In different languages.





It’s a double-sided (Halloween/Thankgiving) quilted table-runner. The Thanksgiving side of the table runner was a little out of my league to sew, and my Mother-in-law and her sister had to step in half-way through the project to save it. Thanks to their help, it is now finished. Thank you Mom T & Judy J – I was pretty close to lighting it on fire.

Now a week and a half to Thanksiving, I am looking forward to my sisters and their families coming in from out of town. One sister has yet to meet Lilah! I can’t wait to kick off the festivities.

Happy Thanksgiving ya’ll!

She's Baaaaaack!

This past weekend I brought Sweet P home from her 2-month vacation with "Kate", on Kate's owner's property near Hood River. She had sixty acres to run and graze on! She kept herself busy by chasing wild turkey out of her pasture -- honest to God. I wanted to get video of it to put on the blog, but wasn't able to. :(

For those of you that don't know Sweet P, chasing animals out of her pasture (that she feels don't belong in her 60-acre pasture) is exactly the sort of thing she loves to do.

Now that she's home, she has settled really well into my reining trainer's barn. I am evaluating her soundness (she left LOH with some lameness issues), and if she is up for it, I want to teach her to drive (pull a cart). I'd also like to maybe try cow-cutting, dressage, and solo trail-riding with just her.

I have had Sweet P in my life for 10 years, but it has been several since I've had her all to myself. I'm really looking forward to seeing what type of horse she'll become with just me riding her. Well, me and Lilah riding her. :)

Secret Mommy Confession - #2

I am a Play-Group Mommy.

Becoming a mother was not going to change my life. When I found out I was pregnant, I told myself I was only going to gain the minimal weight required. 50 pounds later -- well, okay 65 pounds later... Alright, alright, EIGHTY pounds later I delivered a wonderful little girl.

When I returned to work, I would rush home in the evenings instead of lingering and riding with friends. In fact, my riding times per week went from several horses a day, 5 to 6 times per week to 2 or 3 rides per week if I was lucky.

When I quit working, I told myself I would pick up another job right away. Surely I couldn't stay home and keep my sanity! But as the weeks at home with Lilah trickled by, I was surprised myself by being content just being her Mommy.

One day as we were leaving the gym (I've been going almost daily now), Lilah drug me to the gymnasium where multiple kids were playing. Seeing the kids, I randomly walked in and asked another mom what was going on. She told me it was a play group, and we were welcome to stay.

And now I am a play-group junkie. Lilah, who gets cabin fever if she stays inside more than 18 hrs, is also a play-group junkie. We go twice a week religiously, and I am making friends with the other play-group mommies.

I feel like I'm becoming a stereotypical stay-at-home housewife. I drive my one child around our neighborhood in a gas-guzzling SUV, walk my golden retreiver mix dog while drinking coffee in the mornings, go to play groups, and use it as my social hour with other mommies. Maybe I should just break down and buy the mini-van next. :)

It's been a year!!

On November 8th, 2007, I completed my first post. It was something I was gorded into doing by my sisters, who all keep blogs. I wasn't sure I would like doing it, and I didn't know if it was something I would keep going. But, after a year (and minus the last 9 days in which I put nothing up) I think I'm still going strong!

Originally the blog was something I wanted to have the whole family (Lilah, Nick, Simon, ect) partake in, but Nick has opted out of writing. I also originally thought the blog would be a way for people to check in on us. It is a way to check in on us, but I also write it for Lilah. When she is older she can view it as an online diary of her childhood.

So, here's to another year! We enjoy the comments and feedback we get from all ya'll, and thanks for continuing to check it out!

love, Heather