Family of Four

Check out this amazing machine!

2010-06-24T15:51:00.001-07:00

Just came across this on a blog I follow....wouldn't this be great to own!!!

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/

December & January

2010-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

I thought I would finally try and get a little caught up on the blog. We've had so many neat events & things happen since December started, I thought I should try and get a little caught up on giving you a glimpse of our lives.

The first weekend in December kicked off the annual Christmas Tree program at our church. This year Billie was an angel that road in the sleigh. She absolutely LOVED this and the program!! She still begs to go to church and see the "animals."

We had a fun time one Saturday at a local Snow Day in Salerno. Our Florida "snow" consisted of several tons of ice chips trucked in the northern lands, but the kids loved it!!!! Billie had a fantastically good time gleefully throwing snowballs at me.
We decided to save up and instead of giving each other gifts and tons of little gifts for the girls we splurged and gave them a play kitchen set. Cliff & I have never been so excited for Christmas to arrive! The gift has been a huge hit!!

On Christmas day morning we winged our way across the many miles toward the frozen barren land for our annual pilgrimage up to the frigid and frosty land of Ohio. :)

We had a fantastic time! My entire family and extended family on my father's side of the family gathered for Christmas. It was one wild crazy fun party!

My parents took us out to all the local tourist shops. We had lots of fun playing at tourist, even though I grew up visiting these stores for necessities! :)

My crazy wonderful husband decided it would be fun to have my siblings bury him in the snow! He was pretty chilly when he came back in!!! :)

Billie wanted a "buggy ride" in the worst way! So my mother kept offering to ask some of her Amish friends in the area. Before she had a chance to do that we spotted this lady driving her pony cart down the rode, my Mom pulled up next to her and I bravely asked if we crazy tourists could have our daughter go for a ride with her. Seemingly thrilled to death she agreed. Billie was in 9th heaven for the rest of the day! Thank you mystery lady!

When we, Jp & Jolie got back home from our annual pilgrimages to Ohio we had our Churchill Christmas "day." It was tons of fun and as you can see the girls loved the gifts, even the ones that were not theirs! It was hard convincing Lily that Uncle Jp's push lawn mower was NOT for her riding pleasure! :)

The girls were having so much fun happily emptying my flatware drawer, but when I spotted them on their little stepstool standing side-by-side on their tippy toes, I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures despite the mess on the floor! ;)

They looked so cute and cuddly in their pj's sitting there watching their ABC video I just had to snap a picture!

They sit in this little chair by "their" section of the bookshelves and "read" all the time, so this is an "everyday" picture into my day.

Poppa & Grammy came to visit one evening, well several evenings actually, but this one was caught on candid camera. You'll probably see many more pictures of Billie in her "Snow White" dress. She adores dressing up now! And she is very aware of the disney princesses!

Billie & Daddy go on regular daddy/daughter dates. Billie has even gotten quite particular about picking out her own outfit. I love seeing how much these two love and enjoy spending time with each other!!!

This month in Hobe Sound we had our very own "Greek Festival." They had lots of kiddie rides and the girls had so much fun! Of course we had so much fun watching them have fun!!!

This was Daddy's idea of a really cool hair do! It was pretty cute and she seemed to know she was the center of attention for the moment!

Today, January 30th, is my father's 48th Birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! Since we are seperated by so many miles we couldn't be together, but I thought of you alot Dad!

We also spent a good portion of this day down on Palm Beach Island. It has such a charming albeit wealthy european village feel to it! We had tons of fun and snapped some really cute pictures of the girls in the process!

This picture of Billie is my absolute favorite shot of the day! She's just such an absolutely sweet and loving child and turning into an adorable little girl so fast it makes our hearts hurt just a little bit!

I love these two pictures too! It looks so much like Lily's is slightly horrified that Billie is All the way up there!! :) And then she's off to join her!
This as a parting shot of our day on our way back to our car to head home. I'm so blessed to be married to such a wonderful husband and fantastically amazing father!

Grandmpa's 100th Birthday

2010-01-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

I know I'm VERY late in posting these pictures, but better late than never! :) Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Lily Walks!

2009-11-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Mom,

This post is especially for you! :)

The Rest of the Vacation Photos

2009-10-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Disney Vacation 2009

2009-10-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

We arrived Friday night and just as we left the check in gate, Billie started urgently insisting she needed to potty, (keeping in mind she had gone not more than an hour before!) Being that we had a less than 3 minutes drive we continued on. “Mommy Go potty grass!” She repeated. We reassured her we were almost there! Opps! Cliff missed the sign for the “comfort station” and it was too late. I was soaked from above the waist down. I mean dripping!!! She and I were both a little horrified but I just couldn’t stop laughing….I know, covered in pee and giggling while trying to help Cliff back the camper in….I’m sure the “neighbors” thought we were crazy people. (For those of you who are reading this who do not have children, trust me when I say your opinion of totally gross things WILL change after having children!)
Cliff was stuck trying to set up camp, and watching Lily while Billie and I headed off to the comfort station for a shower. But all in all, we had arrived safe and were just happy to finally be on vacation!!!

Saturday we took things a little easy until after the girl’s afternoon naps! We took them on bus rides around the campground and then took Billie for the much anticipated (I mean weeks we’ve endured “Mommy/Daddy I want to ride a pony requests!) pony ride!
Saturday night found us in Magic Kingdom of course! Billie has decided for this vacation, Dumbo and the carousel are her favorite rides! And when I say favorite, I mean repeated rides with begging and pleading for “another” ride! And who can resist? So we go again…again…and again!

We decided that we’re always glad for mandatory “rest” days on vacation! Sunday’s here, we usually spend sleeping, napping and napping again, but we also took Billie to ride on the boat to another resort and then the monorail system. (Think train in the sky). We kept telling Billie, “Look up! Look up!” So she would see it when it went overhead….today…we were talking and she starts shouting “Look up! Look up!” And sure enough, one was zooming by overhead! J

Today we went to Epcot, and got to ride in the “big ball” (space ship earth), and Nemo, but by far the most exciting thing we got to do was meeting some of the characters. Now, don’t get me wrong, but our idea of fun isn’t necessarily waiting in line to take pictures standing beside some big animation turned real character. But…..that was before a certain little girl turned big pleading eyes on us. Our hearts melted, and despite being told we would have an hour wait (it turned out to be about 25 minutes) we found ourselves waiting in line to do just that.
It was well worth our time!!! It turned out to be the highlight of everyone’s day. Despite the normally shy reaction (See the Goofy picture) Billie literally ran to meet some of the characters. And fell in love with Donald duck! She was adorable and so excited we couldn’t help but feel elated that something so easily done had made her such a happy and excited child!
So that’s probably why when tonight she asked to go ride dumbo we nearly killed ourselves (not literal) in a race against time to get her over to Magic Kingdom and onto the dumbo ride before closing time. *sigh of relief, we made it! J
So yes, in case you’re wondering we’re having a great time! :)

PS....sorry about the underline, not sure why when I copied this from ms word it did that!

2009-10-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

2009-10-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

2009-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

In Gratitude

2009-07-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've been reminded recently of how many blessing I have in my life. Lately I've been pausing to thank God for those Blessings.

One of those blessings is Lily's Smile. Last year at this time we found out that we might never see our daughter's precious smile. Gazing at her sweet face now, my eyes often fill with tears remembering that difficult time.

Last July I was often reminded of one of my favorite scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." And we did call out to Him with everything in us.

But I have to admit it was very difficult to trust in God in such a difficult time and my faith was not as strong as it should have been. Although we knew in our hearts that no matter what the outcome we could trust in God to perform his perfect will.

I often wonder at how blessed I am to now hold that sweet baby in my arms and the fact that God chose to place her in our arms. It is truly by the Grace of God that she is with us now and I treasure each day. In gratitude I continue to thank Him for his blessings, great and small. And for the lesson of trust God used to strengthen my faith.

July

2009-07-08T08:05:00.001-07:00

Cliff no longer has to make a weekly Friday afternoon pilgrimage to Fort Pierce, so the "Daddy dates" were placed on hold for a while. But last week they resumed this time on Tuesday Evenings. This date is highly anticipated by both Daddy and daughter!!!

Pizza is Billie's favorite food. So naturally it's out for pizza and then playtime! Here are some pictures from last night's expedition.

July...

2009-07-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Uncle John-Paul was out traveling with one of the HSBC summer groups but Aunt Jolie invited everyone over for Sunday lunch. Everyone had a great time and hopefully by now Jolie has "forgiven" me for doing the dishes when she wasn't looking. ;-)

Lily looked so cute sitting on the floor and playing I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures. When Daddy came in a few minutes later the world came to an end until he picked her up! Lily is very much a "daddy's girl!!!"

My husband loves to be adventurous, evidenced in the fact that he would attempt to touch a shark in open waters, while snorkeling alone. Or by attempting to touch a rather large alligator while bicycling in the Everglades with his brother.

So it should come as no surprise to those that know my husband, that he would enjoy skydiving! So for Father's Day I gave him a gift certificate to skydive once again.

Cliff & I got up early on Saturday the fourth of July to make the journey out to Clewiston for his skydive. I should be saying that we enjoyed the chance to be alone together, conversing and enjoying each other's company over the course of the 1 3/4 hour drive out, but in reality I just slept most of the way out and back. :-)
We were their first customer's for the morning so while we waited in the hanger I was able to log into their wi-fi and get some work done on the website.
I got more video than snap shots, but suffice it to say, he came down with one huge grin on his face, so I'm thinking it won't be too long before we make another trip out to Clewiston again!

Thank you to my MIL & FIL who for taking care of the little munchkins!

Cookies Anyone? Billie was "helping" mix up a batch, by helping I mean making sure the batter tasted yummy enough! I forwarned anyone who ate them that they had been thoroughly pronounced yummy before they went into the oven! :-)

A very busy house continued....

2009-06-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

The next week, after my brother's visit, we had plans to drive to Virginia. We left on Wednesday night and drove all night. We got their about 10am, and by the looks of things, one could be fooled into thinking the girls didn't sleep. But the Lord answered our prayers and they were little angels and slept almost the whole way and never cried!
Magnus enjoyed practicing being a "big" brother. He did a great job!

Joe took some fun pictures of Cliff and I

We took some fun pictures of Joe and Calista

Billie loved the cowboy boots!

Magnus and Billie loved having someone their own age to play with. They entertained each other non stop!

Billie loves anything to do with horses or kitty cats as she calls them. So the highlight of her trip was the horse rides and almost unlimited access to petting the kitty cat.

Even Lily sat on the horse long enough to snap a pictures, although she was far less impressed! :-)

As always, we had a great time and we can't wait to visit again!

When I said busy house I wasn't kidding!!! Stay tuned for the coming Father's Day weekend. We're making another family trip to Disney for that!

A Very Busy House

2009-06-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I posted last but I'll try and briefly update you all.

A surprising twist...I clepped a test that allowed me to "officially" graduate simaltaneously with a AS degree from HSBC & a BA from IWU. I walked in the HSBC graduation with my cousin Kristel who was salutitorian.

The same weekend our good friend Stephen Kuo came to visit, he took Billie to the park so she adored him!

Cliff and Stephen have been friends since Kindergarten! Stephen now lives in Dallas, so we don't get to see him as much as we would like!

The following weekend was Cliff's 31st Birthday. We celebrated by taking a family picnic to the Lock's in Stuart. We had a lot of fun, clearly though, Billie had the most fun!

The next weekend my brother Joe came. We were so excited that he was able to visit, as it was his first time to meet Lily. Joe is owns his own company(s) it's very tough for him to get a way so we were especially happy he could make it! Billie adores company so she was thrilled to have one more Uncle Joe to play with!

Traditionally Sunday nights are spent at my In-Laws house, so we snapped a few "every day" shots.

My great grandfather, my daughter's great great grandfather is turning 100 years in September!!! We are submitting his picture to Good Morning America's Birthday special and needed a picture. Both Billie & Lily absolutely love my grandfather so it seemed fitting that we submit a photo of the 3 of them.

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Easter 2009

2009-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

More on Billie & Lilly....

2009-05-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist snapping these pictures. Billie wanted to "hold" Lily.

Also at my Grandma's suggestion, I brought out Billie's walker. As you can see Lily was pretty happy about that!

Now maybe I'll get a little work done! :-)

Photo Shoot

2009-05-01T17:51:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to see what kind of pictures I could get on my camera if I took the initiative to dress up the girls and make good use of the morning sunlight.

I used the Blue pillows with Lilly to emphasize her Blue eyes. We've been pleasantly surprised that her eyes have remained blue seemingly permanently.

Billie was especially mischievous, but she cooperated wonderfully! I was very proud of her! In the past pictures of Billie were difficult to get because she seemed to pick up on the idea that she could misbehave and we were reluctant to take much action since the point was to catch her smiling. Hard work is paying off though because she was all smiles and ready to cooperate with my (to her) strange requests!!!

THE End...

More on Billie and Lilly!

2009-04-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

This morning Billie was sitting on our bed "reading." When Lilly woke from her morning nap Billie wanted "baby" to sit on the bed so that she could "read Rella" (Cinderella) to Lilly. It was so cute I had to take some pictures! Afterwards Lilly decided this would be a good day to start sitting up!!! At least 3-4 of these pictures were taken in quick secession before she toppled over. The last picture is of Billie at about 2-2 1/2 weeks older when she first started sitting up!

Our Weekend In Photographs!

2009-04-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Billie...Our own little Photographer! Look out Uncle John-Paul and Aunt Jolie you might be in for some competition! :-) Last night Billie figured out how to use the camera to take pictures. She was more excited than I have seen her in a LONG time! It was So cute too, she kept saying "mile Daddy, mile Baby, mile Mommy" (mile = smile in Billie language!) And snapping pictures! These pictures of Cliff and Lilly sitting together are compliments of Billie's photography! (she had NO help for these pictures, I was in the kitchen making Lilly's bottle!) For anyone who was wondering! :-)

Yesterday afternoon we had thunderstorms. Whenever it rains, puddles form at the bottom of our driveway. After dinner (My Mother-in-law started it when she left to go home. :-) Cliff and Billie were outside jumping and splashing in the puddles. They recruited me for the pictures! Oh, the things we dare to do for those giggles and smiles! As you can see Billie had a BLAST!

My Mother-in-law's birthday was Sunday. To commemorate the day we had a breakfast lunch (as requested by the birthday girl, the actual celebration was 2 weeks ago when my father-in-law was home). John-Paul and Jolie gave Mom a lovely framed photograph that they took themselves, of course! We were so glad we could make the day a little special for her. (*hopefully!)

We Love you Mom!

Saturday Evening we were enjoying sitting quietly on our bench together...enjoying the breeze, talking and watching Billie running in circles yelling happily. Suddenly Cliff jumped up and started climbing the tree in front of our condo. Of course Billie had to join him!

Billie and Poppy

2009-04-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Billie LOVED having my father visit us!!! And she also loved his motorcycle!!! Here they are posing for a few pictures...and then riding around in circles in our driveway! Later on, Dad and Cliff took Billie down to campus where she got to ride around the little streets on the motorcycle with Poppy. It all made her one very happy little girl!

Personally though, I almost cried when I realized about 10 minutes after my father left, (of course)that despite carrying the camera around while he was here we had failed to get ANY photos of my father with Lilly! I was very dissapointed, and it wasn't as if he hadn't given us any photography opportunities, he spent a great deal of time holding Lilly! But Cliff assumed I had taken the pictures and I assumed he did!

But anyway...Lilly loved Poppy too! This morning before his departure, they sat together on the couch with Lilly frequently grinning toothlessly at her Poppy. We are very glad Dad was able to visit, and just dissapointed you couldn't stay longer! It was very nice to see him!

Poppy Comes To Visit

2009-04-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

My Dad flew in to town this morning. He had purchased a motorcycle here last fall. So now that the weather is a tad warmer he flew back to drive it home. Billie is very happy to see her Poppy especially since her came bearing gifts!!! She took one look at her new dress and stripped off her skirt so she could put the new one on. Billie had LOTS of fun modeling her new dress for these pictures! I had trouble getting her to look up at the camera though, all she wanted to do was admire it! Here she is... gleeful impish looks and all. Thank you Poppy, Nana and any Aunts who had helped buy the new dress!!! It is a BIG hit!

Our Doggie, Billie With Her Bone :-)

2009-04-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Doggie with a Bone...

We originally bought this Bumbo seat for Billie as an infant. Now that Lilly is trying to sit up, we went up and got it out of the attic for Lilly.

But...Billie got all excited when I brought it out. She informed me that it was "mine," sat in it and has been ever so reluctant to let "baby" use it! Anytime I suggest that we let Lilly sit in it, Billie runs and sits down on it...and remains there for an extended period of time. (once for almost 2 hours!) She has very sweetly allowed Lilly to sit in it about twice, for approximately 30 seconds before nicely asking that "baby git out!?!" I decided not to force the issue of sharing this particular item as we already have a swing/bouncy seat and boppy for Lilly. Anyway I thought it was cute enough to take a picture of anyway! Here she is diligently guarding her "bone". :-)

Another Update....

2009-04-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

This morning, Cliff was holding Lilly on his lap before going to work. Lilly wasn't a bit interested in Daddy! She was too busy searching for Billie!!! She arched her back, pushed her head back in this position, (all by herself!) just so she could lay and watch Billie! Lilly adores Billie!!!

Several nights ago Cliff was busy...working...***cough...I mean playing computer games. :-) Lilly was contentedly sitting on his lap...or so Cliff thought! Until she flung herself forward in an excited attempt to touch the keyboard! It was pretty funny to watch! She was shaking she was SO excited when we moved it close enough for her to touch! She desperately wanted to get one of the keys in her mouth though.

Several evenings ago, it was quite chilly, but Cliff was out giving our dog a bath on the back porch. Billie wanted to help, but she hates getting wet! So she promptly removed the offending wet items and strolled into the kitchen where she decided she needed to help with the dinner dishes! Cheerio Dad!

I ended up giving her a bath in the kitchen sink when we were finished, which just made her night!

Billie loves helping take care of "baby" (Mastering the art of saying Lilly has still eluded Billie). This past week Billie learned the joys of feeding Lilly her bottle. Here was her first "real" attempt. She loved it, and Lilly did too! She was SO distracted by her big sister's attention she could hardly eat!

Nana Visits

2009-03-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

My mother came down this past weekend to visit. It was so much fun having her here for a few days. Although it was over much too quickly! Billie loves having "company" so she was especially happy Nana was visiting! Billie enjoyed pretending to be Nana, trying on her glasses and raiding her purse for gum.

Another Update....

2009-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

Billie came to where I was sitting holding Lilly this morning and oh so sweetly asked to "push baby!?!" I couldn't resist those pleading eyes, so we gently and carefully seated "baby" Lilly into Billie's doll stroller. Billie had a ball pushing Lilly around the house (with Mommy hovering too

close in her estimation!) Lilly certainly didn't seem to mind the attention! At one point Billie leaned in to inquire, "baby okay?" And I managed to get the moment on camera!

Our Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty busy day on Valentine's Day. We had an impromptu picnic at the park. But spent less time eating and more time playing! I loved the one picture of Cliff...! I caught him glancing over at me while pushing Billie, although it looks a lot more like she's about to fall out of the swing! :-)

Lilly enjoyed the park ringside, fast asleep tucked safely in her stroller!

We ate at Chick-Fil-A for dinner. Billie loves the play ground so we spend a considerable amount of time watching her play. She gets a little frightened if she's in the tunnels by herself, so we kept hearing her say, "Come! Come here!" to the other kids.

Cliff has a tradition. Each year on Valentine's Day he buys us (Billie & I) Kilwins Chocolates. Last year Billie loved it so much he let her eat all of it at once! I believe this was her first experience with chocolate...but certainly not her last!!! She was probably on a sugar high the rest of the night, but she loved it and we loved watching her enjoy it. This year she made slightly less of a mess! But she still loves it!

Believe it or not, Lilly was actually "standing" on my lap for these pictures. She's got some pretty strong legs and she likes using them! She's also gotten very good at holding her head and shoulders and is enjoying this new perspective on the world!

After the chocolate feast Billie had some fun playing with Bart (our dog) and Daddy before bedtime.

Mommy and Daddy posing with Lilly

All in all I'd say we had a pretty fun Valentine's Day enjoying our daughters! Happy Valentine's Day to the world's sweetest daughters! Mommy and Daddy love you!

2009-02-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Grandma & Grandpa Glick came visiting last week! It was so nice to see them again, and for them to meet their newest great grandaughter!

They also joined us for lunch on Sunday. Grandpa got a chance to read to Billie

Billie wanted to hang out with Daddy on top of the counter top the other night. Daddy obligingly climbed up!

Our Daughters

2009-02-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

We are huge fans of Churchill's Photography! It's hard not to be when the photos are of your own children! But aside from that we are blessed that my brother-in-law & sister-in-law, John-Paul and Jolie own their own photography business! They take beautiful photos of our daughters!
I've been thinking about it, and pretty much each memorable milestone in our life so far has been documented by Churchill's Photography. Thank you John-Paul and Jolie! Not only for documenting those moments but for being a part of them as well! We love you both!

Please visit their blog or website:
http://www.churchillsphotography.blogspot.com/
http://www.churchillsphotography.com/Site/Home.html

Sisterly Love

2009-02-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

Worth

2009-02-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

What are things worth?

Dinner out with family...$60.00
Stickers to entertain your daughter on the way home in the car...$1.25
The expression on the face of your neighbor's guest...when you exit your vehicle with a friendly smile...completely forgetting the 6 stickers still stuck to your face? ...Priceless!

Something To Be Said For A Quiet Playtime!

2009-01-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last night, I attended a training seminar for some volunteer work I will be doing at our local Crisis Pregnancy Center. I was able to take Lilly with me. However, after eating dinner with Grammy and Poppa, Daddy and Billie spent the evening at home together. Daddy got a little busy with several long phone calls to two of his good friends. So Billie was left to amuse herself for quite some time. Daddy discovered Billie contentedly playing on the bed, not so neatly arranging and rearranging his wallet. Daddy reported that this quiet playtime lasted no less than 45 minutes! He was very proud of her...hence...the pictures!

2009-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

It's clear to see, Lilly already is very aware of the presence of her older sister. Lilly even grinned at Billie today while I was shooting some of these pictures. I missed the shot, but it was a moment worth mentioning any way!

Dress Up

2009-01-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Billie absolutely loves Loves LOVES Mommy's shoes! The higher the heel...all the better! I heard her clomping around the other day so I grabbed my camera for a few shots. Believe it or not she can keep these 4" heels on very well!

Lilly Smiles

2009-01-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

Meeting Tiger

2009-01-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Billie used to get so scared of the characters when we'd visit this restaurant. As you can see, it's not longer Billie who gets scared! And I think poor Tiger felt bad for scaring the baby because he then felt obligated to play peek-a-boo, which I must say didn't really help matters any! :-)

And Then There Was Dinner

2009-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

We ate dinner at the Crystal Palace. It features a Character Dining experience. The character's come around while you're dining and you have the chance to take some pictures with them.

The Crystal Palace is our favorite restaurants at Magic Kingdom!

Magic Kingdom

2009-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Cliff and I have been joking lately. We're going to have to have a 3rd or 4th baby before we're "allowed" to hold any of our children. No seriously, as any parent knows, it's Wonderful to have grandparents around to lend a helping hand and give Mommy's and Daddy's a little break!
On the train...

...The Carousal...again...and again....and again...

...Riding Dumbo

2009-01-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Cliff's parents had plans to drive the camper back up to Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground and spend the week at Disney. So on Monday afternoon we drove over to the campground to see them. The plan was to spend the late afternoon and evening at Magic Kingdom. Here we are again on the boat on our way to the place where "Dreams are made!" :-)

Billie and Poppa were enjoying the sights together!

Poppa and Grammy were laughing at Billie's antics!

You Know You're Crazy For Disney When....

2009-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

We have never been to the Palm Beach Zoo, so Cliff and I started thinking we would take the girls to the zoo since we had planned to take Billie to her other favorite Disney Park, Animal Kingdom, on Monday. But....we decided, why not just go for the gold and drive back to Disney and take them to Animal Kingdom.

So that's what we did! Early on Monday morning, we packed the sleepy eyed babies up and drove back to Orlando!

We had a great day and Billie got to see some of the Animals up very close on the African Safari Ride. She especially

enjoyed the petting zoo too! Unfortunately we failed to take any snapshots of the petting zoo! But Billie spent about an hour running from animal to animal petting and brushing them with the provided accessories. It was way past Billie's lunch time but she was so excited we couldn't interest her in any lunch. So when we left the petting zoo we bought her a hot dog at one of the stands. She wolfed the hot dog down, like a hungry little bear! We've never seen her eat so fast or be so concentrated on getting food down! It was an extra long hot dog and she ate all but two bites!

Home Again, Home Again

2009-01-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday evening when we returned to our campsite, we discovered that whatever circuit the heat & lights was connected to would switch off whenever it was turned on. (Cliff knows all the technical jargon, I do not.) Translation? We had no heat and no lights in the camper. Not exactly what we had in mind with a 23 month old and a 6 week old baby.

Cliff bravely worked for at least 2-2 1/2 hours before we realized that night was very quickly approaching, the temperature was dropping and the battery now only had enough juice to dimly light the camper and the lights were swiftly becoming even dimmer. So despite our disappointment over what was turning out to be a VERY short weekend, we made a decision.
It was time to go home! By the time we got home it was after 1AM! We were all pretty tired, Especially Cliff, because the girls and I slept the whole way home!

Sunday morning we all slept in, and as seen here, the girls played on our bed for a time, while Mommy and Daddy discussed what we would do to get over our disappointingly short weekend. Cliff had Monday off work because of the Holiday so we wanted to do "something" special on Monday.

Family Pictures

2009-01-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

Overall we had a great day! We rode "Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, The Carousal (at least 4 times!), and the People Mover" before deciding we were tired and cold enough, so we headed back to the camper for dinner and some rest and relaxation.....little did we know!

On Our Way

2009-01-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

a few pictures on the boat to Magic Kingdom

Back To Disney World!

2009-01-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, we know, we probably love Disney too much, but it's just such a magical place for us, we can't stay away! We were at Disney (specifically) Fort Wilderness Campground the day before Lilly was born! So of course when the first opportunity presented itself we felt it very necessary to take Lilly back as soon as possible.

Last Thursday morning, Cliff had a brilliant idea, we should take the girls to Disney for the weekend. Amazingly we were able to get a reservation at the campground for the entire weekend, Friday evening through Monday. When we got to Orlando, we discovered things were quite cool there! Pictured here: Cliff, Lilly and Billie lounging in the camper bedroom after setting the camper up on Friday night. Also pictured: Saturday morning after our delicious breakfast at Trails End Buffet (also a tradition on Saturdays) we prepared to journey to Magic Kingdom by way of the direct boat transportation.

"Uncle Joe" Visits

2009-01-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Billie always LOVES company! And this weekend was no exception! We were so happy to have a visit from Cliff's cousin, and our good friend Joe Smith, Jr. and or otherwise known to Billie & Lilly as "Uncle Joe!"

As you can see here, Billie loved spending time with Uncle Joe!

Although Mommy really missed not getting to see Calista and Magnus!!!

Chick-Fil-A Friday Night!!!

2009-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do not have the opportunity or choose not to routinely visit a Chick-Fil-A....You are missing out!!! :-) And for those of you who don't know....Chick-Fil-A (simply put) has the best "fast food" chicken you could possible ever eat!!! In my opinion, you couldn't find better fried chicken anywhere, fast food or otherwise...but now that I'm done with my free advertisement.... :-)

We frequently take advantage of Chick-Fil-A's "Family Night" and other activities. In fact Cliff will be one of the performers on their "Magic Night" coming up the evening of January 27th, from 5-8pm! Anyway...this past Friday night after the "Daddy Date" Lilly and I met Cliff and Billie at Chick-Fil-A. Billie Loves the indoor playground and for the VERY FIRST TIME, she came down a slide all by herself! We were very proud of her bravery! Here she is beaming away at her accomplishment!

And...we all enjoyed our family night out!

More on "The Daddy Date"

2009-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

This pond is outside across the street from Cliff's office building. As I mentioned last week, each Friday when I drop Billie off for her "Daddy Date" they start by walking the boardwalk bridge, gaze at the fountain and try not to join the fish!

Here are a few pictures from last week's date.

Billie is always very anxious about this particular part of the "date!" From the moment I park the car (the parking lot faces the pond) Billie will start pointing and attempting to "escape" in the direction of the pond. Once Daddy arrives in the parking lot, Billie all but dances in excitement. She Very eagerly tells me "bye, bye," (repeatedly!) in an effort to make me leave so they can walk to the pond.

A Walk In The Park

2009-01-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Billie absolutely LOVES to swing. So as often as possible we walk down to our little neighborhood park to go swing. Yesterday was a gorgeous and Very breezy day. I managed to wear Lilly in her sling and push Billie in the stroller. I'll tell ya what! Being a Mommy of two is a lot harder than it looks! But twice the fun! I even managed to remember to take along our camera and got a few pictures.

We've been working on not becoming too traumatized when Mommy says it's time to go home. :-) Yesterday Billie did the best she ever has. She sat still for a few moments, two little tears leaked out, but then she "stood" up and let me lift her down from the swing. After we walked over to her stroller she looked back at the swing,blew a few kisses and told it "bye bye." This seemed to lift her spirits because she then looked up at me smiled and as we walked away continued to glance back at the swings while yelling "See Ya, See Ya swing!" It was very cute! And her reaction guaranteed a trip back to the swings as soon as I possibly can!!!

Sunday Afternoon

2009-01-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well I must say...last Sunday Cliff and I were Really looking forward to getting a much needed afternoon nap. But....our two daughter's had a different idea, by the time the second one went to sleep the oldest one was just waking up.

I volunteered to keep Billie occupied so that Daddy and Lilly could get their nap.

Billie and I decided it would be a great time to bake some cookies. Billie had never before discovered the pleasures of licking the mixing beaters before. She knows it now!

She is also modeling her new handmade by Uncle John-Paul, apron!!!

Billie's Friday Afternoons...

2009-01-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Each Friday afternoon Cliff is required to personally deliver some not-so-important paperwork to the main company office, which unfortunately is located in Ft. Pierce, about 45 minutes north of his office.

There is one HUGE upside to this added gasoline expense. Each Friday afternoon Billie gets to have a "Daddy Date!" Shortly before Cliff is to leave his office, I drive Billie up to see Daddy! Billie now recognizes Cliff's office building, and so excited cries of "See Daddy! See Daddy!" start sounding from the back seat! Traditionally, much to Billie's delight, they spend a few moments across the street at the "local" pond, staring at the fish (trying not to join them in the water) before hitting the road together. All I know is that round about 6 (ish) PM, they both come trooping in the house wearing bright smiles and (Shhhh...) sometimes feeling a tad sticky! I'm not sure if it's the ice cream, cookies, or candy But they both seem to relish the time spent alone on their "Daddy Dates!" And I have to say...I couldn't be happier for them!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve we had a "party" at our house. My whole family (minus my brother Joe) and (plus) Andrew's girlfriend Nina were in attendance, as well as, Mom and Dad Churchill, Grandma Sanders, Grandpa Carroll, my cousins Shirl and Missy Rosengreen from Wyoming!

We laughed, played games and ate WAY too many cookies. But it was lots of fun!

Lilly of course was the star of the party! She loves being held and so she spent the evening being passed from person to person. We managed to get a lot more video than photographs (it seems like it's always one or the other, not both getting done! :-) But at least we did manage to get a few photos with my father holding her!

Billie enjoyed stealing the show from her sister whenever possible as well as sneaking drinks and food off family member's plates when she knew they weren't looking! See that mischevious look!?!

And of course my beautiful sister Rachel as she hones her game playing skills.

A New Baby In The House

2008-12-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Something to talk about, something to do, Something to laugh at the whole day through, Something to look at with pride and with glee, Something for friends to come in just to see; Something you can't sum up all the wonderful things Of joy and delight which a new baby brings. ~Edgar Guest

My Own Photography

2008-12-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

Tell me, what is half so sweet As a baby’s tiny feet, Pink and dainty as can be, Like a coral from the sea? Talk of jewels strung in rows, Gaze upon those little toes, Fairer than a diadem,...Little feet, so rich with charm, May you never come to harm. As I bend and proudly blow Laughter out of every toe, This pray, that God above Shall protect you with His love, And shall guide those little feet Safely down life’s broader street. ~ Edgar Guest

Loving the Loot

2008-12-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

3 Peas In A Pod

2008-12-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Somehow I managed to find matching sweaters for the girls and I a few months back. So here we are on Christmas Day...Proud Mommy and my precious babies.

Lilly

2008-12-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Lilly enjoyed being held and cuddled by the family. But given the expression on those holding her, I'm not sure who enjoyed the holding more!

Christmas Presents

2008-12-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Daddy got so excited giving Billie here presents we sort of forgot to take any "pictures" although we did manage to get quite a few video clips. Billie clearly had her "favorite" gifts. This is one of them! She also received a set of 3 "horsies" for Christmas, which she even slept with in her Crib last night!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Traditionally on Christmas Eve we (the Churchill's) have a fondue dinner. This year it was such a pretty evening we ate on the backporch, however no one remembered to take any pictures. Afterward, two very sleepy babies spent some time cuddling with their Uncle and watching a Christmas movie.

Christmas Kick-Off

2008-12-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

Most of all my family is here visiting for Christmas (WE MISS YOU JOE!) So Christmas started out early on Christmas Eve, for us. As you can see Billie LOVED her presents, especially the tunnel from Nana & Poppy!

Sunday

2008-12-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

I needed some pictures of Cliff with the girls for one of his Christmas presents. Billie wasn't quite as cooperative as we would have liked, but we did manage to get a few! I thought the one of the girls with Cliff was especially sweet, Billie is attempting to "share" her flower with Lilly.

Discovering the Joy

2008-12-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

Debuting A New Look

2008-12-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Cliff and I have been talking, it seems like everything is happening faster with Lilly than it did with Billie. Time just seems to fly by, faster and faster with each passing day.

Last night Lilly decided to debut a new look. So we decided to celebrate by taking a picture of her "brand new" belly-button!

Enjoying Our Newest Present

2008-12-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

As always it melts my heart to see Cliff holding & caring for our daughters. After Billie goes to bed for the night Cliff takes some extra time to enjoy Lilly.

Lilly seems especially infatuated by the bright lights on our Christmas tree, so last night Daddy was showing Lilly his favorite place to lay and look up through the tree at this time of year.

Grandma time

2008-12-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Being that I had a C-section this time around I have certain lifting restrictions for the next couple of weeks which has meant lots of extra Grandma time!

I don't hear anyone complaining! Billie has loved having Grammy around, and I'm sure Lilly would express her enjoyment too, if she could! I am certainly feel very blessed to have such a wonderful Mother-in-law & Grammy for my daughters! Thank you for all the help during this especially busy time of year Mom!!!

Sunday Afternoon

2008-12-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

After lunch on Sunday Uncle John-Paul and Aunt Jolie used the time to relax and cuddle with their newest neice!

First Family Outing

2008-12-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

On the first Saturday of December, it is traditionally the Hobe Sound Christmas Parade Day. Lilly and I came home from the Hospital on Thursday afternoon, so as you can imagine, I was thrilled to be able to go with Cliff, Billie and Lilly for our very first family outing.

I was still pretty sore, so Cliff packed a lawn chair for me and Lilly & I got to enjoy the parade from a slightly more shaded area. The weather was gorgeous, bright blue sky, puffy clouds with the temp in the high 70's.

I kept Lilly under a blanket to avoid the bright sunlight, and we enjoyed occasional visits from Billie and Cliff at our background seating area. Billie was thrilled with the horses and dogs that participated, and loved waving and cheering for each parade float as they drifted by.

We were pleasantly surprised by a visit from Poppa, who stopped by on his way to the grocery store. I'm not sure who was happier to see who. Billie to see Poppa or Poppa to see Billie!

Billie & Lilly

2008-12-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

It was also with great pride and joy to see our daughter Billie and her apparent adoration of Lilly or as she calls her "babee."

The first words our of Billie's mouth each morning so far have been "see babee!?! see Babee!?!" While she races through the house searching the bassinet, our bed, or baby swing until she "finds" Lilly.

When she finds Lilly she immediately stretches out both arms and anxiously awaits Lilly's arrival in her arms. Whereupon she immediately begins gently kissing and stroking Lilly's head.

Our Miracle

2008-12-11T06:08:00.001-08:00

On December 1, we welcomed our second daughter, into this world. Lilly Grace weighed 6lbs. 8 oz and was 19 inches long.

What many people didn't know was that her birth was a very special miracle for us. In the fifth month of my pregnancy, Lilly Grace was given a fatal diagnosis and we were told we would be "lucky" if Lilly survived much past birth. As you can imagine many prayers and tears were shed on her behalf. We were so very blessed to find out that our daughter was perfectly healthy a few weeks later.

As such her birth brought us indescribable joy and happiness. And we continue to marvel at God's Grace each time we gaze upon the face of our precious daughter Lilly.

Vacation!!!

2008-11-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campgrounds...The morning sunlight filtering through the trees at our campsite.

Billie loved the playgounds at the Campgounds. This was on of four of her most favorite activities. I think she was content for nearly an hour while myself, Cliff, Dad and (mostly) Mom gently pushed her! And she wasn't ready to leave after an hour either!

Welcome to Magic Kingdom! Thank you to the random stranger who offered to take a family photo for us!

2008-11-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

Kisses for Mommy

2008-07-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Billie and I were "posing" for Cliff to take our picture, just as Cliff took the picture Billie leaned in and kissed me! She's such a sweet baby! She definitely comes by her temper honestly, but most of the time she's sweet and loving. :-) Her Grammy (Churchill) taught her how to "blow kisses" so whenever she tells someone bye bye, strangers or not she accompanies her goodbyes with a kiss now too!

Sunday's with Billie

2008-06-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

Billie looked so cute this morning after we got her ready for church we couldn't resist snapping some pictures. We told her to smile for the camera, she sat still and beamed at the camera, then proceeded to clap for herself!

Camping Activities

2008-06-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Billie discovered on our camping trip that she LOVES steak! Here she is chewing on a steak bone, playing with a stick found in the dirt and on an outing to the Riverside.

Weekend Camping Trip

2008-06-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our weekend camping last weekend! We also used the weekend as an excuse to celebrate Cliff's 30th Birthday! ButBillie had the most fun of everyone because she spent the entire weekend getting spoiled by everyone, especially Grandpa who taught Billie has to wipe her dirty hands off on his pant leg!