And She's Off!

Our dear little daughter is on the move and quickly. Crazy thing is, she isn't even crawling yet. It has been unbelievable to watch her get stronger and stronger each day. I find myself having to keep track of her constantly because once she starts rolling, she doesn't stop until she is stuck or at a wall. For those of you who know our apartment layout, the other morning we put her down in the middle of the living room and she managed to roll all the way over to the front door where Rocky was snoozing.




She follows Rocky and the kitties around practically all day. Rocky is especially fun because he is so big and fluffy. She loves to watch him and giggles with delight at all of his antics. I find that she has absolutely NO fear when it comes to Rocky's size and that the concept of getting stepped on is completely lost on her. Oh My!


When not rolling across the floor she is snuggling with mom and dad, eating, banging on things and just talking up a storm. She has also started to find a strength that she didn't know she had. The other day Bob and I were just moseying around the house and we came into the living room to find that she had folded up her play mat on top of her.



She was like a little toy taco. It is a good thing that it is fairly padded and soft. Of course, once she got into the predicament there was no getting out of it without Mom and Dad's help so the fussing began!


She is getting better with her sippy cup and more exploratory with foods. Green beans were a big hit, but let me tell you, avocados were NOT. She cannot stand them. Every spoonful that I put into her mouth gets pushed into a cheek and not swallowed until she gets all filled up and spits it back. You can just see the look on her face of "Oh Mom, that is nasty and I refuse to swallow it." Oh well, we will keep trying. Bob and I love avocados so she better get it in gear!

Our Memorial Day Weekend was great mostly because we got to spend it as a family. It was especially nice to have Bob off on Monday.


After a wonderful 4 mile run in the park we headed to the grocery store. The Food Lion has these cute little push baskets and Lily fits just perfectly in the corner. She loves to help me shop by licking and holding everything that goes in the basket. As the top starts to fill up it becomes a game of "Where's the Baby?"





She is so adorable, right? It works great because as stuff piles up in the basket, she stays stable so that we don't have another bonking her head incident.

We are busily trying to get ourselves ready to head to Illinois for another wedding. We are so excited because it will be the first time that Lily will get to meet Bob's Grandparents.


This is their first great granddaughter and they cannot wait to meet her. Since they live on the Mississippi River we are going to get to take Lily in the boat and teach her all about fishing! Should be a wonderful time. Hard to believe that she is going to turn 7 months right in the middle of our trip! Wow.

Sippy Cups and Sunshine

The past couple of weeks have felt like a whirlwind. I have started to realize that Bob and I are slowing down on the baby picture taking. It isn't that Lily doesn't do something cute every day, but it seems like "I have already taken that picture." It's like, really, how many different ways can Lily sit in her high chair? So, I have been trying to take pictures of new moments as well as some good oldies just to keep everyone up on her cuteness.


Bob and I are trying to get out more and actually see this state that we at present call home. It seems so much easier to just sit at home on the weekends. Last weekend we decided to check out the North Carolina Museum of Art. Lily wasn't so sure about the fountains in the front, but what a cool place.



It is free to visit and they have over 80 acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits. I do have to say that when you are in an open art museum and your child screams, it fills the entire building! Might not have been the best thing to do with the baby. Contemplatively observing art is not high on Lily's to do list.

I am thoroughly enjoying this stage of her little life though. Her little personality is starting to show and it is so cute. It, of course, is also slightly naughty. She has learned that she can SCREAM and loudly! The other day we were at the grocery store and she was just as cute and happy as could be. She smiled and engaged with everyone we saw. Well she was sitting in the cart and was not quite stable so I went around a corner and she tipped over and bonked her head on the side of the cart. You would have thought that the world ended. The screaming was unbelievable and just wouldn't stop! At first it was an "Owie, that hurt Mommy," but quickly turned into "I am mad that I got hurt, I am mad that we have to be doing this, and I am mad that you aren't responding exactly how I want, AAAAAAAA." Whoa there little girl, I am not that kind of mommy! I think she was shocked when Mommy's comfort turned into discipline.

This week she really has started to get the sippy cup concept and just loves it. She has not quite figured out that the sippy part isn't on both ends of the cup, but through trial and error she figures it out.



Lily isn't all that convinced that she wants to be drinking water, but I have made it clear that water is what she is getting so it is slowly starting to taste okay. She is doing so great with food. She really eats anything that I put in front of her and lately it has been green beans, carrots, peas, barley, apples and yogurt.

Lily has quickly entered the stage of distraction too. Whenever she starts to fuss we just distract with whatever is near. That could be a hangar, a pen, chapstick, a shirt, towel, paper, keys, phone or gum packets. Who would have thought that two packets of EXTRA gum could provide so much fun.


I got 30 more minutes after her fussing started with those blue and green boxes.

In other news we are earnestly seeking housing for next year. Bob and I have decided not to renew our lease in the hopes of finding a nice house that we can rent. We really want a little more space and a backyard for Rocky. Apartment living is just a bit cramped especially with 3 animals, mom, dad and baby. I must admit that the thought of moving again is very stress inducing, but at least this time I can help. We trust that the Lord will provide, but it is going to be a bit crazy for the next couple of months to be sure. I am so grateful to have a husband who loves and supports our family and I am even more blessed to be able to put my Trust in the Lord. Its nice to have peace even amongst life's chaos.

2:03:12

No, its not a special date, its my half marathon time! Yesterday Bob and I headed out to run our 13.1 miles through the Umstead Park with the Inside Out Sports Classic Half Marathon.


It was a big day for me especially because it was the first half marathon after having Lily. It feels like such an accomplishment to have a 6 month old at home and be able to run all of those miles.


The race was beautiful and the weather was fantastic. The race was much smaller than most half marathons so there were fewer people and more space on the roads. We ran nearly the entire race on crushed gravel which felt wonderful on the legs. Of course the park was rolling hill after rolling hill which was actually kind of nice considering that for every minute I gave up on the uphill I got to recapture on the downhill! It was an out and back course too so I got to see Bob a couple of times during the run, which was a great encouragement!

We finished the race by running on the Black Creek Greenway and then up a hill to the finish line. Overall I felt great, however, I have been having shoe troubles and I ended up with blisters on two toes. Sadly one of them popped at about mile 12 so I had to slow down and compensate. Silly Shoes! Oh well, I just kept pushing and didn't stop once. The finish line came around the corner and I crossed it with pride!

What's New? A Mom Do!

I could never understand why so many mom's would cut their hair once they had kids. It seemed kind of like they were "giving up." To all those mom's out there, I now understand! Lily has been getting so mobile and grabs at everything possible including my hair and she has a death grip. I am so tired of having my hair pulled so I finally decided, chop it! I always love getting a new do because it gives me a whole new lease on life. I have to admit, I haven't done much because I hate to try to find a new hair dresser. I called a couple and found one that I thought would work, left the baby with Daddy and headed to the salon. After a two hour session in the chair I was a changed woman!


Besides pulling hair, Lily also loves the sound that she can make when she hits something. I hear her banging all day long. Her latest discovery is underneath the couch. She rolls on over and plays with the tag on the couch for hours. Hey whatever works right?



She has also made a new friend with a neighbor. Meet Christian! Lily has discovered that there are other people her size and they are super fun to hang out with!

Longmire Wedding Weekend Part II

After crawling into bed at around midnight on Friday, we all slept quick and were up and about early for the BIG DAY on Saturday. Bob and the Groom to be headed out to do what they do best....GOLF, and all of the girls got set up to get hair and makeup done. I cannot even begin to tell you how enjoyable it was to get pampered again. Lily was a doll and happily played on the floor while I got primped and curled. Lynn bought this adorable little flower that I got to wear in my hair and I went from drab to fabulous in just under an hour and a half. What do you think?


Once we were all gorgeous we headed over to the little chapel a little early so that I could run through the music that they wanted me to sing. I absolutely love to sing at weddings, but it was definitely a bit more challenging with a husband who was also in the wedding and a little baby in tow. We got all rehearsed and then I headed down to get dressed in my cute dress and 4 and 1/4 inch heels (no that was not a typo). Here we all are just a few moments from our walk down the aisle.



The ceremony was short, but so much fun. I sang Bruno Mars "Marry You" while we all walked down the aisle. It was fun and creative. The chapel was so small that I didn't even need a microphone. The officiant gave a lovely sermon and before the vows I sang Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" which was Grandma and Grandpa's favorite song. It was so sweet to watch the love they felt for each other so evident in their faces. Through tears and smiles they exchanged vows and rings, became the Longmires and danced all the way out the doors. Such a precious moment and such a joyous celebration. (Since I was so busy being a bridesmaid and a singer ceremony pictures are few, but I will add more later when I get them from the photographer). Oh, I know you were wondering about Lily. Well, Lynn knows a couple of high school honors students who came and watched her the entire day. They were wonderful with her and she was such a good baby! Praise the Lord, because without them, it might have been a very disrupted service.

Following the ceremony we all headed over to Sullivan's Steakhouse for the reception. We got to have the entire resaurant to ourselves and feasted on 4 courses including delicious wine, lobster bisque, filet mignon, calamari, and creme brulee. YUM. We were all uncomfortably stuffed! It was so much fun.





Once we were all topped off and the plates cleared we headed back over to the Longmire house for what else.....wedding cake!


It was delicious even though all of us had to unbutton our pants in order to fit it in! Lily also got to spend some quality time with her new Great Grandpa Lee.


Cake and company kept us occupied until the big limousine bus pulled up to take all of us to downtown Chicago to go to The Second City comedy club. The Second City is a club that many famous comedians came out of like Tina Fey and Martin Short. They did an original play called "The South Side of Heaven" and it was a riot. There was one scene that got Bob laughing so hard he was crying. It was pretty funny.




Of course on the way home I could no longer keep my eyes open and fell fast asleep. All of those younguns burning the candle at both ends. Don't they know that I have a baby that still wakes me up in the middle of the night? Totally worth it though, we had such a blast!

On Sunday morning I got the blessing of sleeping in until 9:30! Whooo Hooo. Of course the baby woke up at 5:30, but so did daddy so.....he got the baby and I slept. It was AMAZING and so needed. For a final hurrah all of the wedding party headed over to the Hilton for their scrumptious buffet style breakfast complete with omelet station and chocolate fountain. I thought it was time for Lily to get her first taste of chocolate and I think that she liked it.


Of course after her taste testing, she completely passed out. We were all laughing about how nice it is to be a baby. All of us felt just like she did and would have loved to have some chocolate and then sleep.



Such a wonderful and busy weekend. Congratulations Grandma and Grandpa Longmire!

Longmire Wedding Weekend Part I

"And the two shall become one"..... (Ephesians 5:31)

I love that Bible verse and I absolutely love weddings and watching two people join their lives. This past weekend we got to watch as Grandpa Longmire married his long time sweetheart Lynn. It was such a joy to be immersed in family and fun. We were busy the entire weekend and did not stop until we got home. Lily exceeded all of our expectations and was such a good baby. She went everywhere with us and everyone loved her and kept telling us how beautiful she was. The whole time I kept on thinking how wonderful it was that she got to be a part of this special event in the Longmire history.

Well Bob, Lily and I pulled into the Chicago Midway airport on Thursday night and were greeted by Grandpa Longmire. Lily was a doll on the flight and made fast friends with the lucky guy who got stuck in the window seat. Grandma and Grandpa had thoroughly spoiled the little dear with a brand new pink and brown pac and play as well as several new outfits and a new fantastic play mat. We headed to bed early knowing that once we started all of the festivities we would be going, going, going.

Friday morning we woke up and I came down to find Bob and his Dad being "techie" and giggling over Lily's antics with the IPAD.


After some time hanging out, they handed me the baby and Bob, Grandpa and Uncle Brent all headed out to the golf course. They got to play Seven Bridges Golf Course which is covered with water. Bob had been practicing for weeks and played really well. He even eagled a par 5.



All of the girls got to spend their morning at the Spa getting thoroughly pampered. I must admit that when I was told that we had pedicures, manicures, massages and hairstyles on the books I was very unconvinced that I was going to make it through half of that with Lily in tow. Oh well I thought, If I can get a pedicure and hairstyle out of the morning I would be happy. Pedicures happened first and Lily got to get her toes painted! Her first pedi! After her appointment, Darcie and I had our toes done followed by Nikki and her mom.




I have not had a pedicure for over 9 months, it was AMAZING! Lily was as cute as could be and kept everyone entertained with her smiles. Next was manicures and aside from a diaper change (thanks Grandma Lynn) and a nursing break she was a dream and kept smiling away in her stroller. When I headed over to get my hair done I thought "Okay, this is where the baby quits on me." Boy was I wrong! She smiled contentedly the whole time. Once done with the hair, I had a couple of minutes before my massage and she started to fuss. Uh-oh! I took her into an empty massage room, shut the lights off and hoped that she would sleep. And sleep she did. She did not make a peep through my massage! Such a good baby!!!!!


Once we were all quaffed and primped we headed over for family photos at a great studio nearby.


Lily looked so cute in a jean dress and black flower band. Getting the little diva to smile proved much more difficult for the photographers than they thought. There were about 15 of us in the photo and the poor assistant had to do everything but stand on his head in an attempt to eek out a smile. I think we got a few, but we were all laughing so hard by the end of the ordeal.

Once the pictures ended, we all headed out in the pouring rain to go to our fantastic family style dinner at Luigi's House.






We had a private room and feasted on Italian food, YUMMY. Lily fell asleep on the ride over and didn't wake up until after dinner.


Bob and I could not believe how awesome she was. We got to reconnect with Bob's Aunt Deb and Uncle John.


Debbie was Grandpa's "Best Man" and it was so great to see them again and introduce them to Lily. Lynn's dad Lee was there and a host of sisters, aunts and cousins.



It was such a great time. Once Lily woke up she got passed around to everyone and enjoyed the Grandma and Grandpa cuddles.



I got to enjoy fantastic wine and have two desserts. It was just scrumptious.

After dinner we headed over to the chapel for a quick rehearsal and then all of the ladies got to go wine tasting at the reception steakhouse. It was so enjoyable and Bob was a dear to take the baby home so that I could hang with the ladies. What a great start to the wedding weekend!