They Took my Baby and Made Her into a Princess...

Yes, she isn't even 2 yet and she already loves to play dress-up. Sophie got into Lily's princess dress-up basket this morning and put together this outfit all by herself. I think I let her watch Enchanted with Lily one too many times! 

Lily the Animal Activist

I always knew that Lily was a sensitive little girl, but I didn't know just how sensitive she really could be. We were at Petsmart over the weekend and we always make it a point to have enough time to look around and let the kids see the animals. We did the usual: fish, birds, mice, rats and guinea pigs... We peeked into the dog training corral and looked at the lizards... When we approach the cats, Lily knows that we don't step into the room with them. Both Matt and I are a bit allergic to them and we are just cautious with the kids being around them. 

On this particular day, I am willing for a minute to go into the cat room with the kids so that they could take a closer look at them and hear them meow. I can't recall a time where Sophie could have heard a cat meow before, so I thought that this would be pretty fun. There was one kitten that caught Lily's eye. It was all black and had a giant kitten mouth and a giant kitten meow! It also had giant kitten eyes... perfect for melting a parent and child's heart into adopting it. And no, we did not adopt it!

Lily is looking and laughing at this cute little kitten and Sophie is matching the pitch and tone of the "meow!" Suddenly I realize that Lily is staring at this kitten and talking to it. She's not touching it, just having a heartfelt conversation with it. I tell Lily that it's time to go and she asks, "Where will the kitten go until we come back here?" I tell her that it will probably get adopted soon and that it will go to a good home. At this answer, her eyes start to tear up and she starts to get upset. She says, "I don't want that kitten to be adopted! I want to keep her and take her home!" We meet Matt at the cash register and she's wailing about leaving the kitten at the pet store. We calm her down and reassure her that the kitten will go to a family who will love and care for it and it will grow up happy and healthy. She starts to feel a bit better and says, "Someday I'm going to adopt all of the animals at Petsmart. And I'm going to be an artist and a pilot too." 

The whole scenario made me and Matt laugh because for all of the times she snatched toys away from Sophie, for all the times she's waved a bite of her dinner in front of our dogs, there was just something about that cat that made her so emotional. It's nice to know that we're raising such compassionate kids. 

Lily and our one year old Great Dane, Stoney.

Who Ate the Cookie in the Cookie Jar?

Sophie did! And let me just say that I would never have let Lily eat cookies at Sophie's age, but the kid is smart and knows the difference between a chocolate chip cookie and an animal cracker! Whatever big sister has, little sister wants...

My Year in Lists

Me and the girls having fun!

Tick, tock, tick, tock... It's already April! Can you believe how quickly time is passing? It seems as though we just rang in the new year.

I have been reflecting a lot about how I have single-handedly gained back the sense of who I am and in essence changed my frame of mind in order to make peace within chaos. It's all about the power of positive thinking and for this I thank my family, friends and of course, faith. 

It has almost been a year since we have moved away from Florida and I feel like I have done more with my life than I ever did in the 3 years we lived in FL. It must be something that has to do with new beginnings. I guess having to move every few years will do that to you. But this time is different. I am focused and balanced. 

So here was the list I created in my head as my New Year's Resolutions:

1. Take time out for myself

2. Be involved in my community

3. Start crafting (sewing, knitting) again

4. Stay positive (because baby, life's going to chuck a lot of lemons at 'cha)

I feel like I have kept up my end of the bargain and I honestly could not have asked for a better year here than I already have had (other reasons beyond my control excepted: military life). This is not to say that I don't get my fair share of bad circumstances. I constantly have to weed out any negative presence that can affect my mood or well-being.  I say life is too short for drama! Who needs it? Well, admittedly I need it every week when I watch the Hills... But that's another story!

GOAL! GOAL!! GOAL!!!

There's nothing like watching your four year old score her first real goal in a tiny tot soccer game... But THREE!? I am so excited and totally amazed at how, all of a sudden, Lily fully understood the way a soccer game is played. She kicked the ball... she stopped it... she turned it around... she made a goal!

Lily in action!

As with all four year olds, I sometimes feel like I can't get her to pay attention to something for longer than 2 minutes. I try my best to get her involved in the things she is interested in. When one of her friends decided that she wanted to play soccer with Lily this season, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to show Lily what teamwork was all about. Last season she seemed to have issues with not being able to get the ball or to score a goal so I figured that if she had a friend on the team with her, she'd be more apt to pass the ball to a familiar face and in general just enjoy playing together. The season started off rough, but things started to look up last week when she scored the last goal of the game. This was such a morale booster for her and it did wonders for the game she played today. 

THREE GOALS! I am so proud of her. She was tenacious, happy and truly enjoyed being out there. Finally, I was not the parent getting frustrated on the inside because my child wasn't participating! Or (even worse, I think...) the parent whose child was moping around the soccer field, frowning and whining (been there, done that). Granted, the opposing team were a bit smaller and not all that into the game, but I think that this was just what Lily needed to start enjoying team sports more. 

Sophie enjoying the gorgeous weather!