O Christmas Tree!

We made our annual trek to the Christmas tree "farm" (aka, Home Depot) - oh, the weekend after Thanksgiving (but with so much to blog about we are sure to fall behind!) Thought maybe we'd get the pictures up! This is probably our last year (for a while anyway) that we make our trek to the Christmas tree "farm" because Mommy and Daddy are going to probably bite it and *gasp!* buy a fake tree. We always buy our tree Thanksgiving weekend with the best intentions, Mommy usually forgets to water it enough (come to think of it) and really - a real tree is going to set you back about $40 bucks (every year) and this year we had to buy all new lights because all FOUR of our strands pooped out on us (cha-ching! cha-ching!) and you can get pretty darn nice looking fake trees with lights attached for about $70 bucks. So there, in a Christmas and a half it has paid for itself. Mommy loves real trees, though. She always had "faux" trees growing up and hated it. I guess she thought real trees were for rich people therefore when she was young she decided she'd be rich and buy a real tree every year when she grew up. Well, that first part we are still working on (I hear PowerBall is up in the double digit millions again?) but this year, with a little convincing from Daddy (the epitome of "budget conscious") she relented and agreed, it's time to go faux! Better to spend that hard earned cash on diapers, right?

I can't believe we are only 11 days away from the BIG DAY! Last night we went shopping for Miss Mary Lou and I picked out some tea for her. We dined at Jason's Deli (and then ran like hell out the door so the cleaning crew didn't chase us down for the mess Anna made) - (actually, that's a joke. Daddy literally cleaned it on his hands and knees. We just can't be "those people" who trash a restaurant and go. Mommy and Daddy HATE THAT! SO TACKY!!!!) We drove around the neighborhood and looked at lights and sang Christmas songs. The lights weren't that great (I guess its the economy?) Daddy said, "Come on people! This is the rich neighborhood! You've got money!" To which I said, "Come on dudes! You've got money!" You think I'm joking?

These days when we drive around we insist Mommy sit in the back seat with us ("we" being me and Anna). I say, "Mommy! Sit with your two babies!" And then Daddy drives us around like he's our driver. Ha ha. It's so great being a girl!

Get back to work, people! The clock's a tickin'!

Love,

Lilly and Anna

Santa, Anna!

Last week we went to the Bass Pro Shops, like we did last year to see Santa. Of course last year, Anna wasn't around yet. You probably all remember my Christmas card of me screaming on Santa's lap and clutching George for dear life. This year I would not go near the man. Poor Anna is immobile and incapable of (very loudly) expressing her feelings the way I do so PLOP! right on the old man's lap.

Looks friendly, doesn't he? Good news is, Mommy took us to the mall and forced me on Santa's lap there so we still got a picture for our Christmas cards. Be on the lookout for those. Mommy actually has half of them ready to go! Way to go, Mommy! Way to be on top of it!

After Bass Pro Shop Santa Mommy tried (in vain) to get us to take a cute picture by the tree in the store. Well, Anna is too little to balance, so Daddy had to hold her and I was much more interested in breaking the button off the sash on my dress. This is actually the BEST picture Mommy got of the both of us. I tell you, no future career in modeling for me.

Love,

Lilly and Anna

Grampa's of a Certain Age...

Grampa, we hope you are feeling better! Mommy finally got your pictures in the mail to you yesterday so we hope those will put a smile on your face like the one in this picture. There must have been something real funny going on when we took this because we are ALL smiling and that is unusual!
Mommy realized last night when she was writing Christmas cards that the Thank You card she wrote was still in the pile. That makes this the second time Mommy has forgot to put stuff in the envelope she sent you. Mommy is getting DUMB in her old age, there's just no other explanation. But the pictures are in there and that's what's really important!
So to make up for it Grampa and Grammy we wanted to THANK YOU for coming to stay with us a few weeks ago and babysitting us and for our presents. We love you lots!!!
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Happy Birthday, Papa I love you thiiiiiiis much!! We can't wait to see you again in a few weeks. We are so glad to have you in our lives and we love you lots and lots!!
Love,
Lilly and Anna (and Mommy & Daddy, too!)

I Got You, Babe...

I got you, babe...

I got you, babe...

I got you, and you, babe...

I got you, Mully...

I got you, Papa...

I got YOU, BABE!

Love,

Lilly and Anna

What Exactly Do You Do, Mommy?

Doesn't this picture just make you want to smile? Wouldn't it be great if Mommy could figure out how to rotate it? Well she couldn't...nonetheless, still a cute one!
Sooo, funny thing happened yesterday. Mommy came to get us from Miss Mary Lou's. I told Mommy, "Mommy work today!" Mommy, "Yes, Lilly! Mommy worked today!" Then we had a lengthy conversation (Mommy will spare the details) about what Daddy does ("Daddy is a baby doctor!") and what other kids' parents do ("Liam's Mommy works at school!" etc.) Then Mommy said, "What does Mommy do?" I said, "Mommy works!"
"What does Mommy do?"
"Mommy eats cookies!" If only Mommy got paid to do that...
And so on...then it occurred to Mommy that it is pretty hard to articulate what she does when you are 2 years old. It's hard for even some of Mommy's friends and family to articulate what she does. So Mommy thought she would clarify.
Here is what Mommy does NOT do:
- Sell Yellowpage ads
- Sell wireless phones
- Work for the "phone company"
What Mommy DOES do, in a high-level nutshell is:
- Works primarily with government and state/local entities to sell IT hardware and services including but not limited to: phone systems (this is what Mommy used to do exclusively when she actually did the design and pre-sales engineering work), networking gear, security, storage, data center space, disaster recovery, etc. Some of Mommy's customers actually write 7-figure checks to her company for their products and solutions! It's pretty cool, and Mommy LOVES her JOB! She makes a good living, it's flexible (i.e. it accomodates Mommy's perpetual tardiness) she saves a fair amount of money for us little peanuts, we get to wear cute clothes, etc. But how do you say all this when you're 2?
"Mommy works. Mommy eats cookies."
All part of a day's work...
Love,
Lilly and Anna

Fallin' Leaves

Welcome back to our own version of Cyber Monday - the Monday after work when all you want to do is fart around online instead of work. Mommy bets the IT Departments the world over just LOVE Cyber Monday when all of their internet traffic is slowed down due to people shopping and - ahem - blogging this day after Thanksgiving weekend. Mommy has something she can sell ya for that. Just call her.

Anywho, we had some unseasonably warm weather this weekend and it was glorious! We took advantage of it to get outside and pick up some of those leaves in the front yard. The neighbors have people come on a bi-weekly basis to vacuum up their yards and get them all pretty and leaf-free but they are retired and have a. the money to do that and b. the time to care. We have neither. I did quite enjoy my little pile and burying my baby sister. She quite enjoyed eating her way out of it. As you can see, Daddy enjoyed acting like a child (because that's what he does) and Mommy enjoyed capturing it all on camera.

We had a LOVELY Thanksgiving weekend! Mommy did not kill the bird! We ate, we laughed, for the most part no one fought and it was altogether a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! Thank you Babi, Duda, Papa, Uncle Dan, Teti, Grandma and Uncle Matt for coming to the 'Ville to hang with your little munchkins. We love you and hope you had as much fun as we did!

Love,

Lilly and Anna

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Mommy is preparing a meal for 12 (including us babies) at our house! Yay!!! I love big family get-togethers! Aren't they the best?! Everyone watching TV, drinking beer, yelling...oh, wait, I mean, everyone sitting in quiet harmony, right? Not my family! That's what makes us fun! Ha ha. Seriously, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. Everyone we love is healthy, we have another beautiful baby girl, we have a cousin on the way, we have had a good year with our jobs despite the economy (take that! economy!), we have a devoted blog following (fans! we love our fans!) and overall we are quite HAPPY. What's not to be thankful for? We are very blessed and we wish you and yours a blessed holiday season and 2010.

Love to you all! Thanks for keeping tabs on us!

Love,

Anna and Lilly and Mommy and Daddy

Go Blue!

Poopy on you, Ohio State. PFFFBBBBBBBTTTHHHTTTTTTT!!!!

Mommy doesn't really think Michigan has a chance this year. Give us one more year! THEN, MAYBE! It's been tough to be a Blue fan in a Red and Gray world. 'Course my world bleeds Cardinal, after all, I am a Louisville native. So do I really care about Michigan? Really? I've never even been there! I don't know when I will ever even go! Well either way, we are Michigan and Notre Dame fans in this house. This is for my Duda and my Grampa's benefit. And, for Uncle Mark, we are Clemson fans, too. But this weekend, this is a BIG weekend for Blue. So, GO BLUE!!!!!

Love,

Anna and Lilly

P.S. Grammy, I'm sorry. I am. I know you love Ohio State. Tell you what, when you are here this weekend you can hide the Michigan wear and brainwash us into Ohio State fans for the day! We're young, and impressionable! XOXO

Two Babies!

This picture is a shameless plug so you can see how cute my UGGS are. That's it, just see my cute little boots.

I have MANY methods to get things I want. After all, I am two years old and a little girl. I learn quickly how to manipulate Mommy and Daddy and various situations to get what I need (and my needs mostly consist of: being held, being fed, being played with). Mommy sometimes gets caught up in holding Anna. I assume this is because, unlike me, Anna cannot walk yet. She can't even crawl yet (Mommy, incidentally loves this stage, where you can sit Anna on the floor, surround her with toys and she just sits there and puts them in her mouth and can't go anywhere, just happy as can be). So when Mommy holds Anna I like to say, "Mommy, hold Lilly, too? Two babies!" I do, I say this and it is CUTE.

Well, I have two babies of my own now! See? I even named them myself! I have "Old Baby" (she's the one on the left, wearing the muumuu) and "New Baby" (the one on the right, the one that looks almost identical to the one on the right. I picked her out myself on my birthday when Mommy took me to Target and told me I could pick out ANY TOY I WANTED! Then, she said she was joking when I picked out the $200 dollhouse. Real funny joke, Mommy. She then strategically directed me to the $10 and under toys. Cheap, Mommy!)

Here is Mommy's "New Baby" wearing my old Clemson hat. Go Tigers! We are a house divided. We really have no allegiance at all when it comes to college football teams. We love Notre Dame, we love Michigan, we love Clemson, we like the Bearcats because Daddy went to school there, we could not care less about Miami and OU because, well, why? We plan on getting into U of L basketball because, well, why not? Maybe one day when we settle down in our forever home in our forever city we will pick the local teams and cheer for them. Meanwhile, it's fun to cheer for 5 or 6 different teams because usually someone you like will win something! Usually...this weekend coming up though, might be a tough weekend for all our teams.

Have a good, fun one!

Love,

Lilly and Anna - Two Babies!

Calling Dr. Lilly

C'mere, Anna, I want to listen to your HEART!

Hmmm....

Well, Anna, that's very interesting, it sounds like you have...

...Yep, sounds like you have "Duplicate Collecting Systems" for each of your two kidneys. (Yeah, have fun reading THAT web site, Mommy couldn't find anything that describes the condition in ENGLISH for us lay-people who didn't go to Medical School!) Very interesting anomoly. I guess this means you will have to see a Nephrologist and get another ultrasound done to determine whether this is detrimental to you. Don't worry, it is probably fine. Mommy has already consulted no less than 6 different pediatric specialists about your condition. This is just a benefit to having Dr. Daddy in the house. Free, accessible advice from other Dr's. So, Anna, you have been keeping TWO secrets from us! You sneaky sweet little baby. Daddy is going to make sure you have the BEST doctors take the BEST care of you. And in the meantime, Sissie is going to keep tabs on those kidneys, too. Lilly love you, Anna.

Love,

Lilly

Snow Ball 2009

Mommy and Daddy went to the Snow Ball this weekend to benefit the NICU at the Children's Hospital where Daddy works. This is the "Premier Black Tie Event of the Holiday Season" and ooooooooh, oh! Mommy LOVED it!!! I loved watching Mommy and Daddy get ready. I have never seen Mommy and Daddy so dressed up in all my little life! When Mama pulled the dress out of her closet and put it on (I was helping her get ready, of course) I said, "Oh, Mama, pretty dress" and then when she was all ready I said (and this is no lie, I actually said this) "Mama, you beautiful." Let me tell you, my Mommy never felt more beautiful in all her life! I did not want her to put me down once she had that dress on. Mommy said little prayers as she held me before she walked out the door that I wouldn't do something to the dress (I didn't! Neither did Anna! WHEW!) Thank you, Babi and Duda for coming to stay with us and babysit us. Thank you, Duda for driving the Nissan Chariot downtown to pick up Mommy and Daddy when they overimbibed on the free top-shelf liquor/bourbon/wine. What a fantastic, lovely, awesome evening! I just hope Mommy in her tipsy state didn't do anything to jeopardize their chance to go again next year!

Love,

Lilly and Anna

"New" Cousins

We got to meet our cousins, Riley and Ava a couple weeks ago. Their Mommy, "Aunt" Stephenie (she is technically Mommy and Daddy's cousin, but we will call her "Aunt" because Mommy doesn't understand all that "second cousin twice removed" nonsense) anyway "Aunt" Stephenie is from the 'Ville and she was in town with her family and they came over! We had lots of fun!

Ava liked my ducky. She liked to chase me around the house quacking it.

I enjoyed wearing my sunglasses on my head, upside down...

Aren't they cute and well dressed? Mommy can't wait until I'm out of diapers so I can start wearing more tights and skirts! It's just a hassle when you wear diapers to have to pull them on and off 100 times a day. Plus, I love my monkey pants.

Nope, that's not my wine! Here I am with Miss Ava...

And Miss Riley! I hope they visit again. I liked having them over. I love having a big, extended family and lots of cousins! Now it's time for Mommy's side of the family to pony up some cousins! Or more presents to make up for lack of. Ha ha ha!

Love,

Lilly and Anna

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY TETI!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

What a pretty weekend it was. Too bad we had the sniffles and coughs all weekend. Oy, we seem prone to the "daycare colds." So does Mommy, too, she gets it when we do. Here's a cute Lilly story. Last night, I did not want to go to bed. Why? Because Mommy promised me a "big girl" bed and I am a being of instant gratification so when she said, "I'll get you a big girl bed when you are ready to say bye-bye to paci for good" this is what I heard, "Blah blah blah big girl bed blah blah blah."
So I sat up in my crib, REFUSED to lay down for 2 1/2 hours, the whole time demanding the big girl bed I was promised! Not tomorrow, not next week Mommy, "RIGHT NOW!" Mommy and Daddy paraded in and out of my room from 8:00 pm until 10:30 pm trying to satiate me and my needs (to no avail) before I finally gave up out of sheer exhaustion. But I am really into saying cute things these days, cute things that Mommy and Daddy can't refuse which is one way to prolong the inevitable (bedtime)! Some of these things include:
"Mommy! Come back, Lilly want to hold you!" (YOU try walking away from that!)
"Daddy, sit in rocking chair and give Lilly nilky?"
"Mommy, hold Lilly, Anna - two babies!"
"Lilly want big girl bed? Big girl bed? Yes? Right now?"

Poor Anna has got some kind of cough. She sounds like a hoarse seal. Poor baby. She is still just as sweet as can be. Just looks up at you and smiles between coughs and cries. Mommy does not understand it, how could we have gotten so lucky to have such a sweet baby?! She is doing real good with her solid food, too. You have to mix everything with rice cereal - she really likes rice cereal - but yesterday she ate rice cereal with spaghetti sauce and carrots (Mommy's mean trick of sneaking extra vegetables into Daddy and my diets) and on Saturday she ate spinach, broccoli and peas - and LIKED IT! Just you wait until I give her candy, she's really going to like that!

These pictures are actually from a couple weeks ago, but we can pretend it was this past weekend the weather was so nice. I got out and helped Daddy rake the leaves. See? My own little rake. Cuuuute!! I found another use for my rake...

Don't mess with me Daddy! Or I'll bonk you on the head!

Love,

Lilly

More pictures!

Here are some more pictures from Trick or Treating. This was Friday night at an outdoor shopping center. We were with my BFF's Tucker and Makinsey. Glad I got a lot of use out of my elephant costume!

Love,

Lilly