Swing Kids

Life is good. Life is busy. Life is life. Several times a week I seriously just have to sit down and STOP for even just a few minutes to breathe and enjoy the moment. Being a Mom is so constant. Thank Goodness I love the job and the job is so satisfying! Lily gets cuter everyday, but as teeth are coming in, her whole routine is getting thrown off.


She loves to stand these days but has trouble figuring out how to sit down. So, she stands in her crib and cries herself silly until we come and sit her down. It is a sneaky little trick to avoid nap time. Too bad she's the baby and I'm the Mommy. Yes, Lily, we still nap even though you can stand!





Living with Grace has been really great because she and I get to run together. We both really understand how crucial it is to have a routine for our day. Both of us know that getting up in the morning and heading out to run before any breakfast is served or laundry done is the best way to make sure we get our exercise in. Plus, the kiddos are happy and content and usually manage to make it through the miles with little fuss. The other morning we headed over to one of our favorite 3.5 mile loops. It starts at this huge park with swings and slides and all manner of jungle gym fun. After we ran our miles we thought it might be fun to put the little ones on the swings. Both Lily and Jancsi are still far from finding park equipment super fun. We found the chair swings and thought we would give the kids a little experience. Of course, the swings were WAY too big for both of the kids. I mean even with the harness system, Lily looked like a little peanut.


Needless to say we didn't push too hard. As I was pushing Lily I kept on smiling and laughing and telling her how much fun it was. All the while she kind of looked at me with a look that said "Mom, you are way more excited about this than I am, I just really want to be in your arms instead of this swingy thing." Okay, so I took her out and over to where Jancsi was having roughly the same experience. We just couldn't help but put their little bums next to each other. What cute kiddos. Both Grace and I are really excited for the times when they can't wait to go to the park. I am especially excited about watching Lily's face light up when she slides down the slide and into my arms. Some day soon!

My Favorite Things

So I have a confession to make. I have not been blogging very often this month because I have launched a MILA business and have found myself so immersed in it that I forget to blog! This is not to say that Lily Grace isn't as cute as ever and seemingly always doing something worth talking about. Nope, its just to say that this mother has not yet mastered the art of extreme multitasking.


One thing that Bob and I have done really well with Miss Lily is to encourage her to entertain herself with the things around her instead of needing bright noisy kid toys. For the most part it works really well, but occasionally she manages to get her hands on something that is less than "safe for baby." Bob was fixing the baby gate the other day and Lily really wanted to participate. She managed to located the box of nails and realize that they make a super cool shaker.






Of course, it dawned on me that, should she manage to open the box, we were going to have nails in everything. So I took that from her. She then located the zip ties and the wrench. The tool box held incredible fascination for her. It just warms my heart to watch her sit and help her Daddy.

She has also become a bit of a wine-o. Okay, maybe it isn't THAT bad, but now when I am working in the kitchen, the bottom shelf of the refrigerator has become her personal territory to explore, and she has located the wine bottle. The other night I was cooking and managed to leave the door open. I turned around to find this little scenario.



Of course after she licked the cork and bottle she put it down and licked the Steak Sauce bottle too.


When she is not exploring the fridge, she loves this little kitchen stool. Since pulling up on anything and everything is her new favorite hobby, she has discovered that she can pull up and lean on this stool for support.



She has also discovered that she can push it around too. I couldn't help but take this picture the other day.


Her little bloomers were so cute sticking out of her little dress. I find her in this position several times throughout the day. LOVE IT!

Since her attention span is still fairly short, we go through the fridge, tool box and stool pretty quickly and are in need of other occupations. She is just mesmerized with paper and loves to rip it, crinkle it, bend it and beat on it. I found this old red notebook and she went to town with it.



Of course, whenever she gets a piece off she eats it. I am sure that she has ingested far more paper than I would like, but, Oh well, a little paper fiber never hurt anyone.

Lily has a way of keeping herself entertained and keeping this Mommy on her toes. I love watching her find new things to play with and new games to play. Just yesterday she taught me this fun new game: Bathroom Peek-a-boo (I don't think she knows I can see her little feet)

"Where's Lily?"


"There she is!"

Runnin' with the Ducks!

While I was growing up, every time it would rain my mom would always say that it was "Great Weather for Ducks." I have to be honest and tell you that every time she said that I could not understand what she meant. Ducks don't love rain, do they? It then dawned on me that I really was never out in the rain for an extended period of time so, who knew, maybe ducks were out and about on a rainy day!


Well Duck weather happens a lot out here in North Carolina and this weekend is no exception. First of all you have to know that FALL has come for the past couple of days. We are talking temperatures in the 50's and windy cool. It is wonderful, but both Grace and I are discovering that we are a tad short on warm clothes for the babies. We've made do, but we are going to have to do some laundry and soon! On top of the temperatures it has been rainy, rainy, rainy for the past couple of days. Of course, while most people snuggle inside with their hot cup of cocoa and read a good book, the Longmires and the Jessups have other ideas. We go out and run. All I have to say is that it is a good thing we have tough kiddos!


Yesterday, Grace invited me to go out and run a cross country 5k race with her NCSU club team. You all know me, I am up for anything! So we get to the race site and here is the image: 50+ serious varsity runners are out and about in their little booty shorts, varsity jerseys, lightning fast shoes and matching jackets. In the background the announcer is calling the male run with a "There's the lead pack of 8 headed towards the finish. They are going to cross right at 14:50." What?????!!!!???? 14:50 for 3 Miles????? I did the math and realized that that means they were running less than 5 minute miles for 3 miles. Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore.

So I found Grace and we headed to the far edges of the start line. Far away from the hard core ladies.


The gun went off and we all started. Bob took a great video of the start. The entire pack headed down the hill at a lightning pace and then here comes Grace and Bethany.........DEAD LAST. I realized that I was way out of my league immediately, but I decided that I was NOT going to come in last, no way, no how. So I picked it up. Grace and I started picking off the varsity stragglers one by one and just so that you all know, we did not finish last, whoo hoo for the Moms. We pushed and pushed hard even when it started to pour rain on us. Grace and I, for all of our sweetness, are both highly competitive. We pushed and pulled each other the entire race, I took the lead when she needed encouragement, and she took over when I was gettin' tired. The last hill we dug deep and powered up to the finish line. Grace crossed at 24:03 and I crossed at 24:12.


Beating several of the varsity cross country runners. We felt so great considering we were older than all of the runners and the fact that we had two little munchkins waiting at the finish line.


This morning Bob and I had another 5k race and we woke up to pouring rain. You have got to be kidding. Sebron decided that he wanted to run it as well so we bundled the babies and headed out in the rain. For all of our hopes that it would stop raining, it did not and actually got worse. Grace stayed at the finish line with the babies who were SOOOOO good despite their "wet" status.



Sebron, Bob and I headed down the wet soggy trail and were DRENCHED when we arrived back at the finish. I giggled so much though, because all along the greenway I saw ducks! Indeed it was great weather for ducks. Ducks, not People! It was a great run and Sebron came in 2nd place overall, he almost won the whole event! Bob came in at a quick 21 minutes and got great looks because he did it all barefoot.


I came in around 29 minutes. I got stuck behind several "non-runners" just out for a jaunt in the rain. We had a great time and the babies were so cute!




So we have coined a new phrase. Whenever it rains it has become "Great weather for ducks, runners and babies!"

2+2=4

Lily is gettin' her two front teeth! They just popped through the gums tonight and Bob noticed them in the bathtub. She has been working on those for such a long time and for a while I thought they would never come, but they are here!


Of course, she is still dealing with a lot of pain and the poor thing pulls on her ears the whole day while desperately wanting me to snuggle her every second. I love to cuddle with her, but it is so challenging to get anything done. I just keep reminding myself that she is growing up fast and not to miss it! Each new milestone is so great and I look forward to them with so much excitement. Feeling those teeth is so special! What a cutie!

Let the Little Children Come

I am humbled and in awe every day that I wake up to a talkative little girl in the room next to us. While there are mornings that I wish she would be quiet for just a few more minutes, I am reminded of the treasure that lies not 20 feet from me. If it is possible, Lily has gotten more precious and more precocious. She is climbing on everything these days and just loves her new found trick of pulling up on things. Aside from the couch, the bathtub, the ottoman, laundry baskets, stools and chairs, I am ultimately her favorite chin up bar. Somehow she knows that if she grabs onto Mom she won't be so unsteady. It is so precious, she loves and relies on me in such big ways. How special to be someones everything. When Lily looks at me it is with a trust that is so innocently complete. Amazing.

Everyday that I spend in the presence of Jancsi and Lily I am absolutely floored at how the Lord loves us. When I hold both of them the protectiveness and intense love that I feel is overwhelming and I get a glimpse of the depth of love the Father has for us, His children. I love when the Lord talks about children in the Bible. Throughout Christ's ministry he was constantly breaking down walls and pushing boundaries. The image that we get in Luke 18 is one of those times. The Lord is teaching and ministering to people when mothers and fathers bring their precious little children to Jesus for healing and blessing. The disciples seeing how distracting children were going to be, rebuked them. Without missing a beat, "Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ~ Luke 18:16.I can just see Yaweh, the King of Kings, reaching out his hands and allowing every child to crawl, run and jump into his arms. I can see him reaching out to hold each new born baby. Wow.

It got me thinking about the kingdom and why children hold the keys to it. The other day when I was holding Jancsi and Lily, it hit me. It isn't because children are innocent, perfect little beings, or because they are just so cute. Its because of the way they love and the way they trust. It's whole, without strings, and without fear. They don't live in a state of self preservation. They fully love. How sad that life has a way of teaching us to be fearful and to hold love back, what would it be like to become like a child again.Children truly are a gift from the Lord and a constant reminder to look inward and find the areas of myself that the Lord wants to remold. How beautiful to be the daughter of a King who never stops fighting for my heart..

The Perfect 10

10, 10, the Perfect 10, Lily is 10 months old today! She is growing like gang busters and is just so much fun to be around. The other day I told Bob that she was going to be 10 months old and he turned to me and said, "Oh my gosh, one day I am going to come home and she is going to be 30 and I am going to be an old man." Ah how much the perspective of time changes!




Each new step in her life is such a blast and I am continually amazed at how every change brings with it so much new adventure not only for her but for her Mommy and Daddy. She is so engaged in her world around her and aware of everything these days. She loves to be on, over or in everything and is like a magnet to things lodged in corners or under tight spaces. Her little chubby hands maneuver their way into those spaces and bring out all sorts of treasures including old tissues that never got thrown away and dog hair piles. I am waiting for the day when she reaches behind something and pulls out a dead bug. Ah the innocence of youth!

She is talking more these days and just babbling everything she can. We are really hoping that a Mom or Momma is going to pop out soon. She gets the sounds out, but has yet to connect them with me. I feel so silly sitting in front of her pointing at myself going "Momma, Momma." She always sits and looks at me in complete bewilderment and confusion wondering what in the world I am doing. One day little one, it will all make sense.

We have such a great time each and every day especially because she is on such a nice routine. She is officially sleeping through the night. We are talking 7:30PM to 7AM. HALLELUJIAH! Never thought I would get to say that sentence! She still desperately attempts to get me up somewhere around 3-4:30 every morning, but I have lowered the boom and no longer come to visit. There have been a few dramatic mornings where she has had to fuss herself back to sleep, but she is getting better and better at it. What a good little girl! Of course my sweet roommate Grace is still dealing with a 5 month old Jancsi who likes the every hour schedule. I suppose we all have to go through it, but it is wonderful to be on the other side. Now on to the next stage.....

As for everything that Lily has been up to lately, I thought I would let her tell you about it.........

Hi Everyone, Lily here, oh I have so much to tell you about all that I have been up to. The world is such a fun place and I love discovering it.

First of all, have you heard of these things called magnets? They are so cool and they stick to the big white box in the kitchen. I cannot believe how much fun it is to pull them off and put them on.


The best part is that I don't lose my toy! When I get bored with my magnets, I can always do exercises on the big white door.


Second, I LOVE pillows. Mom and Dad have so many pillows on their bed and it is so much fun to crawl in them.


The best part is that when I get tired I can lay down and snuggle in the softness. AHHHH delightful.


Thirdly, helping Mom with the laundry is the most fun.


I think she might have told you about it, but my job is to pull the basket over and get out all of the laundry. I am not sure why mom puts the laundry back in the basket once it is folded. It makes no sense because I just have to pull it out again for her.


Silly Mommy.

Fourth is the DVD Shelf. I could never figure out why Mom and Dad had this big shelf full of these boxes. What do you use them for? Then I discovered how fun they are to pull out. So that's why they have them, so that I can play with them.



Fifth is running with Mom. She used to have to lay my seat down so that I wouldn't bobble around, but now I sit up so tall and big and I love to see where we are headed. Mommy thinks it is so cute because the wind blows my hair and makes it stand up all funny.


Sixth is special Mommy time. I love watching Mommy cook dinner for us.


Seventh is Daddy time. I love snuggling with Dad. Dad is so tall and strong and when he holds me I can see a whole new world.


Eighth is learning that everything, including the dishwasher, is like a built in jungle gym just for me.


Ninth takes the cake because I am learning all about walking. I don't really want to do it yet because it is so hard and I am so wobbly, but when Daddy holds me I feel like maybe someday I will learn the whole walking thing.


And Finally, I love Rocky and I especially love sharing my snacks with him!