My name is Mili

Mili is learning to write her name. Here is the best out of many attempts. She wrote the green one all by herself.

Just thought I would share the work of our little genius.

Sitting, Sitting, Sitting......Most of the Time!

Sitting without support is our new thing. Sadie is trying hard to keep herself in the vertical position while sitting. She still has her issues when anything is out of reach (you will notice in one of the photos).

We got out the trusty Papasan chair cushion. We used this for Mili too. We did it more for Mili's head since she was very top heavy for a long time. With Sadie, we are trying to give the poor people that live under us a relief from the constant foot banging.

Just wanted to share our growing Sadie Beth's sitting pictures.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, NO It's Super Mili

We rec'd some cute Jammies in a bag of clothes from some friends. I hadn't even shown them to Mili until last night. (Since they are short sleeves and she never sleeps with a blanket I knew it would be battle to tell her she had to wait to wear them until it was warmer in the house at night).

I got them out last night for two reasons....It was going to be warm enough to wear them and mainly because I have not done laundry so they were the only ones clean....smile.

Mili was elated to say the least. She absolutely LOVES them and doesn't want to take them off. We now have a request for some Spiderman "Jamas" as she calls them.

When I put Mili to bed last night she said, "Mommy, I love my new jamas and I wish I had a cape so I could fly high high in the sky." (the shirt actually has velcro on it for a cape so it probably did come with one but we won't tell Mili that). I DO wish these "Jamas" made her faster than a speeding bullet. It takes FOREVER for her to complete something these days.

Just thought I would share the pictures I took of her being "Super Mili" last night.

We've Come A Long Way Baby!

Sadie used to HATE tummy time. She would SCREAM the entire time she was on her tummy and then some afterwards. I have been pushing the issue since her 3 month doctor's appointment (which was really after she was 4 months old) because of the shape of her head. She is starting to enjoy some of her tummy time now but by the time I was finished taking these pictures, she was starting to fuss. By the time I got her bottle ready she was crying. So she still doesn't enjoy it for long periods of time but at least it is better than it was.


Sadie's head has improved but in this picture you can see how flat it still is behind her ear.


Some cute toes and FAT legs. I just want to EAT them!!!!



The Elvis look! (hair and all)


Innocent look (even though everyone in this house knows it is not true)

This is the same way I find Sadie every time she wakes up. She is trying to find someone to pick her up. She thinks if she makes eye contact then she's gotcha.

A wave for everyone back home in Arkansas!!!! I LOVE this face!!!

While I was typing this blog, Sadie just rolled over from back to front for the first time. She has been able to roll from her tummy to her back since 4 months (maybe because she hates her tummy time...smile). She just did it again. Yay!!!! Another milestone down.

Brian is such A LOSER!!!

My wonderful Husband is doing fantastic on our healthy eating program. He has lost a total of 20 lbs in less than 8 weeks. I am so proud of him. He works out daily and I try to plan his meals and snack for the day thru the biggest loser website. It helps me to get the right number of calories for the day and it helps me with recipes for different things we can incorporate into our diet. The whole family is eating this way and we hope that means a healthy lifestyle for both of our girls at a young age.

I just wanted to show off my hot hubby and tell you all what a wonderful job he is doing. It is hard work to get the pounds to drop off and I am very proud of him. He is wearing clothes that he has not been able to wear in a LONG time.

In Mili's words, "GO DADDY GO!" Keep up the GREAT work!!!
WhooHoo, His legs are ROCKIN' these days!
I LOVE YOU!!!

I have posted a lot in the last few days so don't forget to read all the blogs below too.

Love you ALL!!

Our Little Biker Girl

Today was a sunshiny day with the air temperature to match it. There are alot of deceiving days here where you think it is warmer than it is because the sun is shining.

I asked Mili if she wanted to go out and ride her bike this morning and her response was, "No Mommy, the sun is too bright and I can't see." This poor child has her Aunt Aimee syndrome. She can not see in the sun and it actually debilitates her. She will cover her eyes with her hands and completely stop walking if the sun hits her eyes. I guess we need to invest in some good baby sunglasses for her. She ask for her sunglasses everyday that the sun is out.

Mili is getting good at riding her bike. She goes forward and backwards over and over until she gets bored. You know our balcony is only so big and I can't even imagine the funnest home video if I were to try to take both kids and the bike down the stairs for her to ride in the empty parking lot (I think I would pull out all my hair before I got down the several sets of stairs and to the back of the lot, well maybe not since I wouldn't have any extra hands to do so....smile). So for now, Mili just has to be a balcony bike rider.

Our Caged Animal

As I was trying to keep Sadie happy (a full time job), I decided to try the laundry basket. At first she would throw herself backwards and the basket would tip back with her. After a few times of doing that I sat her with the basket against a chair and it worked fine. She was so happy there exploring her new surroundings.


Here is our caged baby....

Feet straight out, it cracks me up.


Happy and waving at Mommy.



Trying to throw paci overboard.


Hope you enjoyed our sweet caged animal.

Letter to Sadie 7 Months

Dear Sweet Sadie Beth,


You turned 7 months old yesterday. Time is really flying by and I love being your mommy more and more each day.

You are trying really hard to copy sounds and form some kind of babble that mommy and daddy will recognize.

Sitting with no help is becoming easier for you. A clothing basket is your favorite sitting place.

I love the way you cock your head to one side and give me the biggest toothy (or gummy) grin.

We haven't seen any teeth yet but you are chewing on EVERYTHING.

Cackling with Mili is one of your favorite activities.

You are EXTREMELY ticklish in MANY places and mommy and daddy take advantage of this often.

You are starting to show love to your Pooh Bears by giving them nice long hugs and big, sloppy kisses (or bites, which ever one it is).

It never fails, no matter what time I am eating it is your poopie time (such a nice aroma while eating).

Speaking of diapers, it is getting extremely difficult to change your diapers these days because you grab everything in sight and are trying to roll over at the same time. This usually results in a kadywampous diaper that will leak....smile.

We are going to start calling you "Rodeo" because you have a habit of swinging anything you get your hands on over your head like a lasso....too cute.

You love story time and would love to eat the book as well.

Eating your fruits and veggies has not yet appealed to you. You are very tight lipped when the spoon comes toward your mouth. I hope you will learn to love them like your sister does.

I love that you are starting to do my one syllable laugh, "HUH!"

When I put you in the bathtub, I love the way your legs stick straight up in the air. You soon relax and have an enjoyable bath time.

You are developing some of mommy's characteristics or quirks. You like the way the sheets feel on your bare feet.

I hope your headbutting will soon be in the distant past. My chest and daddy's arms can't take many more bruises.

The way you move your feet in circles reminds me of when Mili did that with her hands.

There is nothing like being woke up by you lifting both your legs and bringing them down on the bed. The POP is unbelievably loud in the middle of the night.

You are having some stranger anxiety and some separation anxiety already. I hope this will soon be over.

You are starting to recognize the signs for "milk" and "eat".

You are a delight and I am so glad God gave you to me!
I love you all the way to the moon and back and then some!!!
Love,
Mommy

Easter Debut

Mili sang "Jesus Loves Me" on the big stage in the big church today with her "Quarter Note" friends. She is little Miss Bossy these days. When she was practicing this morning I was taking pictures and she stopped in the middle of the song and said, "NO, Not yet Mommy!!"

There are two videos below. The first one is from first service and I took it. It is not as high quality because after almost three years with this camera, I still don't know how to use all the buttons. The one from second service Brian took with higher quality.

In the first video you need to listen for Miss Bossy. She says, "NO!!!" to the boy standing next to her (Clayton) because he is touching the microphone. She told me after the service that Mrs. Kimberly told them not to touch the microphone and he was touching it, Mommy. Then she looks over at James (the little boy on the other side of Clayton, 2 down from Mili) and says, "James, sing with us." So she is not only bossy but nosey, noticing that he was not singing at that present time.

In this one listen for Mili's sweet voice at the end of the song. She starts out soft and finishes strong.

Easter

Here are lovely family Easter pictures. We don't all get dressed up like this often so it is a treat to see both of the girls in frufru dresses.

Hope the grandparents are happy with ALL the pictures. Mili took the last picture of Brian and myself. I didn't even have to crop it (Brian has a funny look on his face because he is telling Mili how to run the camera, "push" is the word).

Hope your Easter was/is Fantastic and that you have reflected on how fortuate we are to have a loving Savior who gave EVERYTHING (including his life) in order to FREE us.

Mili's 1st Haircut

As promised, here is our first big, big girl experience. We have been talking to Mili about a haircut for several months. We have to talk up things around here so we are ready for the event when it takes place.

Mili has been talking about it for a while and we knew she and we were ready. I can't believe I almost cried. I held back the tears but it IS her 1st haircut. This place was fantastic. It is called Cartoon Cuts and they have cartoons playing for them so that they keep their heads fairly still and straight. They also had a little baggie ready for her beautiful locks and a certificate so I could scrapbook her hair.

Mili LOVES her hair but Mommy and Daddy thinks it makes her look to old. When I gave her a bath last night this was our conversation....

Mili : Mommy, I want to keep my haircut.

Me: Ok baby, let's get into the bathtub.

Mili: No Mommy, I don't want my haircut go away.

Me: Baby, your haircut will stay, it will not go away.

Mili: It will not wash way, Mommy???

When Mili woke up this morning she said, "Mommy, my haircut stayed."

Enjoy the pictures.

The JOY of Giving!!!

After Christmas this year we decided to start a new family tradition. We want to pick an organization to give to all year. New Life Deaf Ministries/ Happy Hands School is our focus this year. I found a piggy bank Mili received when she was a baby and we explained to her that these coins are going to children in Honduras so they can learn about Jesus. She was so excited and she always wants to know if I have some coins to put in it. I have to go searching sometimes but I would rather the money go there than lay around the house.

New Life Deaf Ministries is a ministry that is very close to my heart. There are not many days that I don't think about the people there. I went on a mission trip to Honduras in 2003 and have been changed forever. We are truly spoiled rotten in the US.

We were greeted with gifts by the children who go to the Private christian school "Happy Hands".

Here is the sign for the school.

Here are some of the children who attend the school. The only boy in this picture is the family we helped the week I was there. We did repairs and painting on his home (1 1/2 hours away and his mother travels that everyday on a bus with him so he can go to school, GREAT mom

They had a culture day when we were there. They don't normally dress this way but they were learning about their culture (clothing, food, etc).

We are traveling by bus to go to the little boy's house to do repairs. I am in the hat and sunglasses. The lady standing is the director of the program. She is from Arkansas and she is hearing (her Spanish and Spanish sign language are fantastic). She lives their now and has adopted a Honduran girl.

Hurricane Mitch destroyed so many streets and they are still not repaired.

Telling the children from the school GOODBYE!

The sign for the church.

Mili says, "Here is some coins for the shildren learn 'bout Jesus. Jesus loves everyone, Mommy."

There is never enough coins for her to put in the piggy bank. I hope she always wants to give BIG to the cause of Christ.

Making sure the coins are getting in the right place, especially if there are dollars in there and she can't hear the coins hit when she drops them.

Shake, shake, shake to make sure it is getting full and the "shildren" can learn that Jesus loves them ALOT!

I hope that during this time of the year we will reflect on how blessed we are to have a Savior and Lord that gave EVERYTHING for us. We can surely give some of what we have or He has given us (everything we have is from Him anyway). Giving is top on our list of things to help our children understand. The JOY of giving is so GREAT. Watching Mili get excited about the "shildren" learning about Jesus makes my heart SMILE.

Please check out the link above to the New Life Deaf Ministry website. There is information on how it was started and how you can give. If not there, there are many other places that can use your money, time, or talents to further the Kingdom of God.

We love you all and Happy Easter!!!

Coming Posts:

Mili's 1st haircut

Easter