Collecting Leaves

Lily and I went to collect some beautiful fall leaves this week during our sunny weather. I tried to find leaves that were deep reds or bright orange. Lily tried to find leaves that would taste good.

Precious Lily

I can't even begin to express how precious this little girl is to me. Lily is now 10 months old, and the time has gone by too quickly. In the last month and days, I have had several friends who have just had their first babies. Visiting with them, meeting their new little ones, has gotten me thinking about Lily's first months. It is hard to remember Lily being so small, waiting for her first smile and giggle. I would lay her on the couch next to me while she napped because
I felt like I missed too much if she was in her bassinet and I couldn't see her. And then she started to react- to respond to toys, to smile with recognition, and to learn she had control of her hands, feet, and tongue. She is so active now, the days of her immobility seem to fade away. How quickly I forget so many things- the many evenings pacing around the kitchen trying to keep Lily happy, or the times in the middle of the night when she would be so unhappy and I couldn't figure out why. And while my heart was bursting with love from the moment I held this precious girl, I love her even more today than I did yesterday. I love watching her discover so many things- new foods, new sounds, new toys, new joys, new skills- she is constantly learning. I love making her laugh (which is easy to do!) and watching her pride as she pulls herself up on everything or escapes up the stairs or discovers a new toy. We have so much fun just playing together. Lily loves to wrestle and laugh...I laugh at her laughing at me and we will both just keep laughing and laughing. Sometimes I just sit and watch her play. It is amazing to watch her mind at work as she explores her world. And I love cuddling. Part of me does wish she slept better so I could get more done or sleep myself, but when she wakes up early from a nap or at night and needs to be held to continue resting it is the most precious time of my day and I cherish every moment. Lily is such an amazing gift to me! She is so full of joy and life and I wait in anticipation to see all the wonder that God has in store for her life. But for now, I am doing my best to enjoy every moment I get with my precious Lily.

Poor Sadie!

During Sadie's last hunting trip, she had a scary episode. Suffering from an allergic reaction, she rubbed her nose and mouth on the ground and sagebrush until she was bleeding. Jeff, on the recommendation of one of the other guys present, gave her a benadryl which helped her calm down. We still aren't sure what she was reacting too, but our best guess is a rattle snake bite. Sadie improved on the trip home and we thought she was going to be just fine. The next morning, however, she started limping. Her paw had swollen to twice the normal size. That night, Sadie must have bitten at her paw, causing it to tear open. The good news was that it released on the puss and gunk that was causing her paw to swell, but now she had a huge gash between her toes so Jeff took her to the vet to get stitches. Her skin was too inflamed for the stitches to hold, so instead she got some antibiotics and a cone. Poor Sadie didn't like her cone very much. Neither did we as Sadie kept running into all of us, knocking us down, as she tried to slip past or come in for a rub. She got hooked on door jams trying to run outside and several times got stuck under the table trying to figure out how to escape.Lily thought it was pretty funny...except when Sadie knocked her over.

Sadie still figured out how to give Lily kisses, but I don't think Lily appreciated it as much.

Don't worry, Lily got her back. Here you can see Lily with a handful of hair out of Sadie's tail.

Thankfully, Sadie is fine now, fully recovered and back to her normal self.

Happy Halloween!

Lily was sporting a lovely ladybug costume for Halloween. Our sweet little girl didn't get to go trick or treating this year- afterall she is already filled with sugar and spice and everything nice so she didn't need any candy.
Lily was kind enough to pose for a few pictures while the sun was still out.
Oh, How I love this little girl!

Daddy decided he liked the ninja outfit Lily wore when she took off her ladybug shell. He found a black hat for her to wear and tried to teach her some ninja moves.

As the night went on she discovered her ninja self. She loved to escape up the stairs and speed into our bedroom, where she would disappear using her black clothes to blend into the dark room. Of course she would giggle with delight when she was caught.

I ended the night with a batch of pumpkin spritz cookies. Next year maybe Lily can help dunk the cookies in the frosting.

Pumpkin Patch

It is not fall without a trip to the pumpkin patch!

Lily and I went with some moms from our MOPS group to Scholz Farms, a small family run farm with great activities for younger kids. Lily watched in wonder and is excited to go back next year when she too will big enough to run up the sawdust pile, explore the corn maze, and pick out her own pumpkin. Riding the horse pulling Cinderella's carriage.
Chatting with one of the seven dwarfs.

But of course we needed a pumpkin patch visit with Daddy! So this Saturday we waited for a short sun break and then braved the crowds at Spooner Farms.

Even I am not scared of these friendly spiders.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere!

Lily and her pumpkin.

On the hunt for the perfect pumpkin.

Look Mom, I found one!

Yum, yum!

Check out these bunnies!

Lily made a new friend...

As you can see, we all had a great time.

Lullaby

One of my mom's acts of love for each of her grandkids is making them a quilt as she prepares for their arrival. "Lullaby" is the quilt she made for Lily. Many prayers and great love are sewn into each piece and seam.

Lullaby

The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Lillian Tish Melvard

December 23, 2009

6lbs 5oz; 20 inches

Absolutely perfect in every way.

Lillian: melodious, harmonious, peace maker, steadfast heart

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music. Psalm 57:7

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

Made with love by Grandma Paulette Gledhill

Snoqualmie, WA 2009

The quilt hangs over the back of the chair in her nursery and Lily loves to feel the fringes and look at all the fun fabrics.

Lily loves her quilt and her grandma!

Summer Pics

I know that it is well into fall, but these summer pictures were just too cute not to share even if they are are two months old. Here is Lily at 7 months old.