She Might Have Stayed Out Too Long...

What do you think?

First Snow

We had so many important things we were supposed to get done today...

Then it snowed.

All day.

And we were forced, FORCED I say, to stay home

play in the snow

throw snowballs

discover hiding places under pine trees

catch snowflakes on our tongues

drink hot chocolates

eat Grampa's famous homemade chili

take a walk in the woods

and enjoy this day with every fiber of our being.

Daddy's winter walk in the woods resulted in bringing home an

EIGHT POINT BUCK!

He is SO proud of himself!

(Lily said "have fun killing deer!" as he left the house this morning,

then she was devastated to see a dead deer in the yard this afternoon...

not sure she fully understood the process.)

Look who's a big boy now!

Believe It or Not

Phoenix is officially past the 6 month mark

he is really not a baby anymore

I am so NOT ready for him to be this grown up

but he just keeps getting bigger

and brighter

and bubblier

and babblier

(I know that's not a word, but it IS what he does!)

He makes the cutest dah-dah-dah and raspberry sounds you've EVER heard!

Oh, and did I mention that he sits up by himself....here's proof!

Feelin' Crafty

I have been really diggin' homemade, crafty, far-from-perfect, filled-with-love, memory-making and family-gathering decor this season.

Here are a couple examples of my efforts to make that dream a reality in my home:

Lily and I decorated the Thanksgiving table with every Autumn craft she'd made up to that point including pinecone turkeys, foam decorated leaves and even a felt mouse in a yarn nest. We also made these turkey placecards and, okay, so we never got around to actually adding the names -- we still loved them! -- and there were only four of us at the table...so the confusion was minimal.

Lily and I also made these adorable muffin tin advent calendars for our family and ourselves this season. Lily loved helping me decorate them and add the treats to the cups under the decorated magnets. Big thanks to my mom who helped cut and paste til the wee hours of the morning and to Frank who supervised like a pro!

What makes Lily happy...

Need I say more?

Princess Shoes and Pumpkins

Even if you

WEREN'T

looking for

the perfect princess shoes

....how could you resist THESE?

I know Lily feels like a princess,

but I can't help but think of Glenda the good witch.

In other news...HOW HUGE IS THIS PUMPKIN?!?!?!

My Dad grew this monster!

And I, I mean, WE carved it.

Honestly,

do you think a princess gets pumpkin guts on her fingers?

No.

The Big Three-Oh!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Frank!

(Do you see the disbelief on his face as he counts the
candles?)

Welcome to your thirties my friend!

I LOVE YOU!

The (NEW) View from the Kitchen Window

As sudden and unnerving as this move has been for me,

I find myself daily

giving thanks

for the opportunity to live on this amazing farm

where my family has lived

for generations.

Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love

SHE plays with him all day: shares her toys, reads him stories, includes him in her imaginary play (he gets to be the handsome prince while I continue to receive the bad guy roles).

HE follows her every move, cries if she is crying (even when its fake) and laughs if she laughs.

THEY are the best of friends.

Their bond makes my heart swell with joy -- the overwhelming, teary-eyed kind of joy.

Lily recently discovered the art of photography. She has taken some great still life photos and I love seeing the world from her point of view. She also takes great people pictures; of course her favorite subject is Phinn!



Phinn just acquired his first tooth, has learned to "stand" in his round-about toy, now rolls from his front to his back, has killer abs from all doing crunches all day (he's going to be sitting up on his own in about 3 more seconds), talks up a storm to the whole family's delight and is fascinated by his toes, his fingers and anything he can stick in his mouth.

Lily turned FOUR in September! Her butterfly party was rescheduled several times since we were all recovering from the flu (OINK, OINK), but actual day and the eventual party day were happy, balloon-filled, chocolate-cake eating, happy-birthday-singing days!

Last month we all went on a camp-out...in the backyard!

It was AWESOME!

Daddy and Lil set up the tent and built the campfire while

I prepped bed rolls and boiled hot dogs

...on the stove

...in the kitchen.

It was tough, lemme tell ya! :o)

Afterwards, we had s'mores.

Everyone else slept soundly while I stayed up keeping watch, listening to the world and the sounds of my family slumbering peacefully.

Lily reminded us that next time we are supposed to tell scary stories,

you know,

like, "once a little girl heard a noise in the dark and it was a

...... CAT!"

Augh!

The next morning we hiked (I am using that word loosely) the C&O Canal at Lily's pace. We had a great time trying to trick the spiders on their webs. Frank would throw a little stick into the web and then we'd watch the spider go see what he'd "caught". I am sure the spiders were disappointed, but they each shook the stick loose to clean up the web before heading back to the middle to wait again...tidy little boogers!

We had snacks by the river where we saw minnows, crawdads, geese and, apparently, the "Ariel rock" from The Little Mermaid. Lily was overjoyed!!!!!!

Cute Kid Update

No big topic on this post,

(you may have noticed the title is
"small and simple...")

just acknowledging how great I
think my babies are.

Lily continues to love all things "princess" and reminds me EVERY day that she does NOT like to wear pants! I have to explain in great detail the practicality of pants on days that we go to the park and even then...let's just say I am very grateful to the person who created the "skort"! I have to admit that she is lovely and acts very ladylike in her princess dresses.

Phinn, our short version of Phoenix, (and PS I KNOW there is no alphabetical or grammatical connection in that nickname...but that's just the way it is!) anyway, Phinn is growing like a weed. He is a wiggly worm and, at least judging by the above photo, likes to show off his guns! :o)

We are enjoying his toothless grins, his first little coos, and teaching him sign language...okay, so basically, Lily is spearheading the early sign education program. She is convinced that Phinn has already learned how to sign "milk" (see last photo) and she is moving on to "more", "eat" and "flowers"...she is a great teacher!

ANY day

Over dinner the other night Frank (the man who has repeatedly stated that he only wants one kid...oops!) says to me,

"Hilarie, you can have a baby ANY day!"

Why, you ask, did your sweet husband say these beautiful words to you?

Is it because of the undying love that he feels for you?

Is it because you produce such genetically remarkable offspring?

Is it because he just won the lottery and you can now afford to feed, clothe, and educate any number of children?

No, no and, sadly, no.

The answer, my friends, lies deep within...

his STOMACH!!

We have been treated to the most wonderful meals these past few days and Frank figures that if he can get 2 weeks off work and eat like a king just for having a baby, then we should definitely take advantage of the system.

Anywhoooo...seriously, thank you to all the wonderful ladies who have shared their delicious dishes with us: Shauna, Barbara, Sister Vitale, Christine, Aundrea, Mom. I cannot thank you enough for making my life easier and providing amazing dinners (and leftover lunches) for my family and myself! I kept trying to remember to take a photo BEFORE devouring the food, but I was not always successful....

FOOD, Glorious Food!

ziti pasta with corn and the most amazing chocolate bundt cake I have EVER tasted!!!! (and I am not just saying that because you are the only person who reads my blog Shauna!),
barbeque sandwiches, fresh strawberries and perfectly soft ginger cookies,



one of my favorite comfort foods: broccoli and chicken casserole, green beans, pineapple, and for dessert: pound cake with fresh strawberries and blueberries -- YUM!

fettucine alfredo with beans and strawberries (I LOVE berry picking season!!!)

Beef and rice with cheesy broccoli and a strawberry CASTLE cake (specially made for our princess, Lily -- how sweet is that?!?!) with strawberry frosting!

And, last, but not least...penne pasta with meaty marinara sauce, caesar salad and french bread -- I totally spaced the picture taking on this last one and, needless to say, there is nothing left to take a picture of!

Thank you, again, to all my wonderful friends! I hope to have the privilege of returning the favor to all of you someday.

Nine Pounds

Who knew that a NINE POUND BABY would be considered a "small and simple thing?"

But, oh my, all I can think about as I gaze at him and hold him in my arms is how small he is -- and how simple and how precious and wonderful!

(Of course, three short days ago I was feeling slightly different...)

Phoenix Elijah was born Sunday, 24th of May at 4:03pm.

He weighed in at 8 lbs 15.3 oz; he is 20.5 inches long.

He has a head of black hair with a widows' peak, chubby cherubic cheeks, ten fingers, ten toes and everything in between.

He is lovely!

Frank was a superb labor assistant -- he applied pressure to all the right points, gave lots of encouragement, lovingly and patiently helped mom through every stage of labor and delivery. Most exciting of all, he caught Phoenix as he entered this world! Daddy then cut the cord, weighed, measured, finger- and foot-printed the baby, took his temperature, bathed him, etc. No wonder he fell asleep around 7:30pm and didn't wake up til the next morning -- he must have been exhausted!

(Yes, you may have sensed a small grain of sarcasm there, but in all honesty

Frank was AMAZING!!

and, he didn't have all the hormones flowing through his veins and boosting his energy.)

Big sister, Lily, is in love with her new brother.

For months, she would wake up in the middle of the night to ask me, "is it May yet?" (knowing he was due in May); then the question became,

"ISN'T it May? Then why isn't my baby brother out yet?"

(I, of course, was as perplexed as she was... )

Anyway, apparently the answer is because he wanted to share the same birth date as his big sister (AND his maternal cousin); is it just me or is that a little unbelievable!?!?!

Lily, my mama's girl, looked straight at me as she entered the hospital room and then ran PAST me to her daddy (who was holding the baby) and said,

"MY BABY BROTHER!"

She is a natural. She loves holding him, kissing him, talking to him. I think that secretly she wants to take over the show and I am beginning to think that she might be capable of handling it. Lily has been surprisingly, wonderfully patient with her recovering mom, her rough-and-tumble teasing dad, and a sleepy, hungry baby. She has an upbeat nature. Most of the noise generated in this house is from her singing and dancing happily --

and THAT's another small and simple thing!

Aren't they great!?