Love Her

Gwen has been getting up a lot lately in the middle of the night. I wake up to whimpering next to my bed and little finger pokes on my face. She wants to get into bed with Jon and me. I don't want to start that habit so I take her back to her bed where she says, "lay down with me". I snuggle her for a few minutes and tip toe back to bed. That usually does the trick. Two nights ago however that routine was not working. I put her in her bed on 3 separate occasions. 20 minutes later the whole scene would repeat itself. On the third time I looked at her and said, "Gwen, this is soo frustrating". She looked at me, started to cry and said, "I not fwusawating, I your sunshine". With that I just smiled, pulled back the covers to our bed and she hopped right in between Jon and me. How could I resist?

I took these pictures of my little sunshine this morning. I couldn't find her in the house so I looked out back and she was just like this... in Elle's nightgown and her very own hello kitty rainboots. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "mom, I'm on a hunt". She was climbing the slope in our backyard and inspecting the bushes. I LOVE this little girl.

Sunshine

The sun came out this morning and it looked so pretty in our kitchen. We switched out our pendant over the island a few weeks ago. I am loving it. I also found these beautiful flowers at the flower stand the other day. Gwen went with me and begged for the pink roses...as usual. They are so nice and always give her a few of the older ones. Elle is off to Kindergarten and Gwen is at playgroup at our friends house down the street. I think Lily and I will head out and run some much needed errands. Happy Wednesday...

More Lily

I seriously can't get enough of this baby. How am I supposed to get anything done around here?

Lily Pie: 6 months

It's official. Lily's nickname is Lily Pie. It fits her perfectly. Someone asked Gwen what her sister's name was in the grocery store the other day and Gwen said, "lilypie". Lily Pie McGee...I like it. It seems impossible but I love this little girl more every minute. It is that way with all 3 of my girls. I think my heart has literally grown larger with each child I have had. I love them all so much. My Lily will be 6 months old on Saturday. Where did the time go? I gave her a bath this morning and Elle and I lotioned her up. Lily loved every minute of it. You can't look at her and not smile. Often I am running around doing dishes or laundry or chatting with Elle and Gwen and then I catch a glimpse of Lily pie from the corner of my eye... there she is just watching me and smiling. So adorable. It stops me in my tracks every time. I have to stop everything and just pick her up. I feel like I can't kiss her enough or snuggle her enough. She is truly a gift from heaven.

Rain

It has been pouring rain for 4 days straight (that's a big deal around here) and I couldn't be happier. Gwen sat in her chair this morning just watching the rain with her bag of pretzels and grapes. On our way home from kindergarten pick-up yesterday I took the kids to get hot chocolate. You would have thought I said we were going to Disneyland. I think they all love the rain as much as I do...especially since it goes hand in hand with hot chocolate and whip cream.

...but better

A few months back, Elle learned how to ride a bike. I know...a little late but that was our fault for not teaching her sooner. Our house is on a hill so it was hard to learn in our yard. Jon took her to a flat parking lot and she picked it up in just about 20 minutes. She was more than ready. I love that I have a picture of her in her UGG boots too. She got those boots for Christmas and I don't think she has taken them off since. She even tries to wear them with her pajamas at night. She feels really grown-up in them. Lately I have felt that we are in a constant silent struggle. Elle wanting to grow-up and me continually trying to keep her my little girl.

I was lying in bed with her the other night as she was dozing off to sleep. We were nose to nose and she was pinching my neck. She has done that since she was an infant. When she was little she would just say, "mama neck". So random and to me, so cute. So there we were lying in the dark and she said, "mama, you're like a best friend or sister... but better". With that one little sentence my eyes immediately welled up. She can be so trying at times and I think how can I be a better mom. I am learning that you have to mother each child so differently. I try my very best each day and on lots of days I just hope that I am giving my girls what they need. I know I am not the world's best mom but I do think that I am the best mom for my girls. I think we were meant for each other so that we can learn from one another. And I hope that I will always be like a best friend or sister to them...but better.

True Love

Today Jon came home from mountain biking and the girls went running full sprint outside to meet him. It is like that any time he comes home. He has his own personal fan club. They hear the garage door opening and I can't contain them. Maybe not for a few years but someday they will realize how lucky they are to have him as their daddy.

My Lily Pie

My brother Jason came into town last night. We were sitting on our front porch this afternoon with Lily watching Elle and Gwen run up and down our sidewalk. Jason grabbed his camera and took these pictures of me and my baby. I love having pictures with my girls. I want them to look back on them someday and see how I adored them. If Lily stayed this age for the next ten years I would be thrilled. I adore this stage. I can't get enough of her. I hope she will always know and feel how much I love her. What a gift to be her mama.

January

January. I love this month. It is like a clean slate. I need order and have a hard time with clutter. We put all of the holiday decor away, went through drawers, cupboards and even tackled the girls' toy baskets. I always have the girls help me. Elle is great at sorting and organizing but Gwen on the other hand...not so helpful. That little girl is a ball of energy and just wants to please. It felt like one step forward and two steps back but I guess that is how she will learn. We ended the day with a drop off at the salvation army and a trip to the flower stand. Elle and Gwen both chose pink roses (of course) and I found these pretty cabbage flowers. Here's to the beginning of a great year!

Just Ducky

This little ducky is now 5 months old. I wish I could slow the clock down. I am enjoying her so much these days. The little outfit was Elle's. We passed it down to Gwen and now our Lily is wearing it. I put her in it this morning and died. Seriously, how cute is she? The rocking chair was mine when I was a little girl and those pretty blue eyes...those are all her daddy's (lucky duck).

McGee Holiday Card

I managed to get our Christmas cards out this year before Christmas. No small feat in such a busy month. It is a lot of work but I started the tradition when Jon and I were first married. I have a special book I put just one of our Christmas photo cards in each year. It makes me get my act together each year so that I won't have any empty pages in our book over the years. I also love that it will be a record of family pictures all in one place.

I love my little family more than I ever imagined possible. We are not a perfect family but we are perfect for each other.

Happy New Year!

We had a super fun night at the Tuversons. Lots of friends, lots of food, lots of sparkling cider and a whole lot of noise. It was a perfect combination. Jon made his famous crepes and we all had way too many. The kids were really excited when we watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV. I have a feeling the year 2010 is going to be a great one. Happy New Year!