Sunny 9 for 2006 March

I just finished painting our crown molding that Aaron and some friends are going to install on Sat in our front room/kitchen and master bed and bath. All 230 feet of it and 3 hours worth. My arm and back are sore. I am also going to be watching 2 children (one of them being an 8 month old) of one of the guys helping out on Sat. I just hope those boys figure out how to cut and install the molding quick. I definitely feel like I am taking part in this project in a real way. I hope it turns out looking really nice, and I will be relieved when I can scratch this project for home improvements off my list.

I checked out at the library Season 1 of Lost. It is a week rental, not to mention free, but with all that has been going on lately this week (Spurs games Aaron has to go to, flag football games, crown molding, and tests) we didn't have a ton of time to watch all 6 DVDs throughout the week. The DVD's were due back Friday with a late fee of $2/day so today, after 8:00 am church; we put Lily down and watched about 5 episodes back to back. We took a breather and then finished up what was left. The show is awesome. I just feel like crap for watching so much of it at one time. It is fun to watch shows when they come out on DVD though because you don't have to wait till the next week to see what happens next, no commercials, plus your life is devoted to the show for a week instead of fall and spring seasons. That part is pretty nice.

Now I am trying to motivate myself to be creative and finish making my dad a mini scrapbook of Lily for his birthday.

So the crown molding thing pretty much took up most of Spring Break for us, however Aaron and I did take time out for a little weekender in Houston. We actually left Thurs afternoon and got to Pearland to see my old roommate for 2 years, Roxanne and her hubby and cute baby Michael and Ethan.

The babies were so cute together, Lily and Ethan, giving adorable hugs and kisses on command. (Yes the moms were already planning the pre-arranged marriage making sure we took pictures of them kissing when they were babies for their future wedding video. Okay, that sounds sick and pathetic, we weren't that bad.) We haven't seen these friends since they moved from Utah 2 years ago. It was a trip put off too long yet well worth the wait. I don't think I have laughed like that in about a year, I don't know maybe longer. It was so fun to reconnect with these friends and re-establish our friendship.

We got to see the Houston Space Center and old command/mission control room and all the NASA jazz. We also went out for a night on the town minus the kiddies to Kemah, a fun boardwalk on the pier and a good ol fresh seafood place. We also made a trip to their IKEA and got a cheap little toddler table with 2 chairs for Lily because she has recently taken up the past-time of coloring. I didn't want to buy a booster seat yet because I won't have her at the table for awhile because the table is on the carpet. Not really friendly for Lily's eating habits.

So we are home safe and recharged to attack the rest of this semester of dental school which is about 10 more weeks.

In other news, Davey (Aaron brother, home from the mish) is here visiting us during his Spring Break. And David, my brother is engaged and getting married May 26ish in San Antonio. Yay!

Aaron and I have been doing things lately that really make me appreciate having a husband. It seriously is so awesome to not have to dig 5 holes in our rock hard ground to plant trees. That task would seriously give me blisters. And when we were doing finishing touches on the crown molding, Aaron got the least desirable task because he was taller than me and could reach better. Not to mention mowing the lawn...hey, I would if I could pull the string thingy hard enough to actually start the lawnmower. And the best part is I never have to assemble or install anything because Aaron is so good at reading instructions and getting it done. I love it. Things just magically happen and appear. It is like whaala. I leave the house and come home and it is done. Or done in 7 hours in some cases (when Aaron cut a hole in the garage ceiling and installed an attic ladder). Even if it takes a long time in some instances, it is still very nice to have a handyman around.

Weight: 20lbs 6.5 oz

Height:30 3/4"

Head Circumference: 17 3/4"

I'm halfway through 24 season 2 now...I'm telling you if you want a good thriller, check it out. I can't stop watching.

Usually when I walk with Lily, I give her some sort of snack to keep her occupied on our trek such as goldfish, fruit snacks, or animal crackers. The couple crackers and crumbs left in her stroller tray I usually just chuck on the ground to feed the birds and ants. The other morning, there were old crackers in her tray that I didn't chuck the previous day, so on the ground they went. When I came back to the car an hour later to my amazement they were all gone.

See, I had thought that over a day or so these crackers were being taken bit by bit by an ant or bird, but little did I know that within an hour, these apparently ravenous animals clean up in a matter of minutes. Except the frosted animal crackers with sprinkles on them...you know the ones. They don't really eat those up. And they take awhile to decompose. Sulfuric acid could not get the grease spots off of the pavement from those babies. So I don't toss those or really buy them anymore. The birds love the goldfish though. Might have something to do with the fish part?!

Only a mother would wipe another human being's nose with her shirt.

This past month has been just a whirlwind of visits. First, Aaron and I went to Houston. When we got back, Davey was in town. Then Aaron's uncle Barrie came for one night. Then Michelle came in town a little over a week. Then Jose and Louise...and they are still here. Now Julie is in town.

I really do like living here because everybody visits and I get to see them. Yay! Time to go play.

I noticed for the first time today that Lily understands when the books she looks at are upside down. Several times today she has picked up a book, looked at it and turned it right side up. Another sign of understanding is earlier she was screaming at me and I told her firmly to stop it now. She stopped and looked at me like I hurt her feelings. Maybe she is starting to understand and is getting to the point where I can reason with her about things. Then again maybe not.

I remember when I had Lily I kept telling my mom, "I just want her to stay this way. I just want her to stay little and precious." My mom's omniscient advice was "no, you don't because then you will never get to be excited about her getting her first tooth, or her first step, or her first words." It is very true because a child's learning and growth are so fun to watch.

Lily has this song and dance that she puts on for all visitors that goes like this..."Lily what does a doggie say? Ruff, ruff. Kitty Cat? Meow, meow. Monkey? Oh oh, ah ah ah. Ducky? Quack Quack. Sheep? Baa. Piggy? tsk (trying to make a snort, yet not getting the inhale) Horse? Neeee. Cow? Neeee. (We are working on that one.) She does a spontaneous repetition of all these things on her own while flipping through her books or just sitting in her chair. The other day we couldn’t get her to quite down from sounding like a cat in labor after seeing a gift bag with a cat on it.

She says tons more words to even remember and will repeat any simple word. She says her own name "Nene" and can say her aunt's name Nahna (Lorna).

Some of my favorites are when she comes up to me and grabs my earrings and says "pedy" (pretty) or when I wipe her nose and she says "goo gurl" because every time I wipe her nose and it is done I say good girl. And maybe potty training is around the corner because the other day I was using the restroom and she comes in and lifts the lid on her potty and sits down. I hope she potty trains soon because she has a bad habit of sticking her hands down her diaper in the back. She does this all the time, and one time too many has pulled out her little fingers with a nice present for me to clean up.