Too Cute!

I just thought that Lillian looked so cute in this little outfit, so I thought that I would share some pictures.


just had just woken up from her nap...big yawn!

The ZOO!

Yesterday Lillian and I went to the zoo with Alli, Korey and Eli! It was such a pretty day and we were so excited because Shaun came to meet us there during his lunch. Of course Lillian loved looking at all of the animals and we cannot wait to go back when the weather is a little nicer.


Lillian reading her favorite book, "Hello Bee, Hello Me"


such a sweet picture of Eli









It's Super Dad!
I love this picture...be sure to notice the sippy cup hooked on Shaun's belt.




Alli, Korey and Eli

Learning to Eat can be Messy!

We have been trying to introduce different "grown-up" foods to Lillian over the past couple of weeks, and so far she has really enjoyed almost everything that we have put in front of her. She only has two little teeth, so we have just been giving her soft vegetables and fruits but tonight she actually had a little bit of roast; her first meat! She also had some corn and cooked carrots as her sides. Introducing real foods to Lillian has definitely been really hard for me as a mom. For so long, I have only nursed her, and now I don't really know where I fit in the menu. I will continue to nurse her for another four to six months, but obviously, now that solid food is in the picture, I probably will be taking a back seat. I guess that this is just one of those many bittersweet moments when you realize that your little one is growing up right in front of you. You are so happy to see that they are growing up strong and healthy but at the same time you are wondering what happened to that sweet 7 pound 2 ounce little baby that you brought home from the hospital.

I have quickly learned that when I feed Lillian to strip her down to nothing but a diaper, because she is going to get messy!







can you see those two teeth?

When does Daddy get home?

It is 12:45 and already Lillian has had one giant poop explosion, two baths, three outfit changes, ingested possibly poisonous foamy stuff, made the dog cry, made me cry, taken a bite out of a candle, has taken a bite out of me-the dangers of nursing a teething baby- , and has taken one forty minute nap. To say that this morning has been a tad hectic would be a bit of an understatement. But being a parent often means finding the fun in the chaos. Sometimes you just have to allow yourself to let go and not worry about the huge mess your child has made while eating, or the laundry you have not had time to get to, or the dog food that your daughter has pored all over the kitchen floor while you where unloading the dishwasher. Thankfully I have always enjoyed the craziness that children bring into your life, and even with days like today all I can think about it how wonderful it will be to have double this fun one day, maybe even triple! Lillian is just at that age where you cannot put her down without her getting into something and you cannot hold her because all she wants to do is crawl around and get into something. An obvious no win situation for either mommy or baby. Today I am just holding on to that glimmer of hope also know as the afternoon nap where I will have time to clean up, pick-up, eat, and hopefully get some kind of dinner plan together before Shaun gets home.

Yesterday was a busy day of trying to keep Lillian out of Moxie's water bowl, away from the fireplace, away from the breast pump-her new favorite toy, and out of the bathroom. She is such a busy bee and constantly getting into things that she cannot have. I can only imagine what it will be like when she is walking in a few months.

Also, last night we babysat Eli for a few hours while Alli and Korey went to a Bible study at their church. It was so much fun to have two babies in the house and of course Lillian had her hands all over Eli. Thank goodness Eli is a really sweet baby and having another baby crawling all over him or stealing his paci does not really seem to bother him to much. Watching Eli and Lillian together though really made me look forward to giving Lillian a brother or sister one day soon.












going for the fireplace


going for the bone

These are just two cute videos that we took of Lillian and Eli~

Just a Few Pictures from Our Day

cuddling before bed


poor Moxie, Lillian is always trying to get her bone







it is baby Shaun with a bow!


all smile right before she pulls everything off the coffee table




she discovered Moxie's water bowl...


now I can't keep her away from it.

This weekend has already seemed extra long. Friday Lillian and I had a long day of shopping followed by a much appreciated long afternoon nap, and then Shaun and I had a date night!! Alli, Korey and Eli came over to babysit Lillian while Shaun and I went to an early dinner at John's City Diner. It is not often that Shaun and I take time for ourselves away from Lillian, but every few months we try to sneak in a quick dinner or lunch date. However, on our way to dinner I did suggest several times that we turn around, and at dinner I more than teared up after calling to check on Lillian and catching the sound of her sweet laugh in the background. We had a nice dinner and were still home in plenty of time to cuddle Lillian and put her to bed.

Today was Hays Family project 2009! Who ever lived in this house before us had the bright idea of removing the garage door to enclose it for whatever reason, but they did a poor job and it was a complete eye sore. So today we installed a new garage door; the first of many 2009 projects on our sweet home. A BIG thank to Ryan and Julia for coming over and helping us. And another BIG thank you to Alli and Korey also came over all day Saturday to help.

I am posting some pictures of the shopping spree that Lillian and I went on this past Friday. I feel like every time I turn around it is time to buy Lillian new clothes. She is growing up so fast, and it is so bittersweet. I do however wish she would just slow down a little bit; and so does our checking account.

she really loved her new socks the most!

Busy, Busy Day

Today, Lillian and I went with Alli and Eli to tour the day school at Trinity United Methodist. Because Alli and Korey are members at Trinity, they were able to register Eli earlier this month, and he will start next September. However, we do not get to register Lillian until next Wednesday, and I am just praying that we get in for the Fall semester. They have such a wonderful reputation. And after touring their facilities, I totally get what the hype is all about.

After Alli and I finished checking out Trinity and asking the poor director about a million questions, we went to eat at Broadway BBQ in downtown Homewood. Then, we did a little shopping for the kids, and I picked up Lillian some new clothes and pair of Baby UGGs. The kids were worn out after a very busy day, and Lillian took a great afternoon nap, which was so nice because it gave me a little time to relax. It is supposed to be VERY cold tomorrow, so I think that we are going to spend the rest of the week staying warm at home.


someone was very excited to see her Daddy today




playing before our afternoon nap






cooking something good


rocking out our new UGGs


getting clean after a busy and long day




this picture is from the other night, but I just thought it was too cute!

The Thudguard

Today I seriously considered purchasing this product for Lillian. And if you could see my poor child's head right now then you would probably give me the money yourself. Lillian's forehead has three bruises on it, another one right underneath her eyebrow, and HUGE lump/bruise on the side of her head! She has been beaten up by the coffee table, the TV stand, our sleigh bed, cousin Eli's dresser, and every other hard surface in our house. I told Shaun that I feel like I should give her some Tylenol; I am sure that she has some kind of headache! And for all of you out there who are dialing DHR as you read this, what else am I suppose to do. I have to let her take her falls, right? Let just hope that I will not be blogging about stitches anytime soon.


*And NO, I didn't buy the Thudguard. I seriously thought about it, though, after bruise number four popped up.


This poor kid my not have any self respect, but I bet you she doesn't have any lumps or bruises either.

Eli and Lillian's Play Date!

This morning Eli came over at 7:15 for an early play date so that Alli could go to her dentist appointment. Lillian was very excited to see her cousin, but she can get a little rough with him from time to time. It was so funny to watch them interacting. Lillian just cannot seem to understand why Eli will not yell back at her, or take toys that she offers him. So instead she just chooses to abuse him and try to climb all over the little guy. Hopefully Eli will still want to come back over and play another day.











*this video is only a second long but I thought that it was really funny...
don't worry the scream you hear is a happy one from Lillian not Eli

Lillian attacks....


here Lillian is playing nicely with Eli...