Forts

Forts! Aunt Jenelle built a fort for the girls. Lil's bed makes a great fort. They played and read books. They had a great time. Fort building is one of my favorite memories from my childhood. My mom let us turn the living room and dinning room into huge forts. Hence, I have a basket of old sheets for this reason downstairs with the toys.

Lilia 22 Months

Lilia is 22 months old!  You are growing up so quickly!  We love you so much.  You are wearting the night gown that Grandma H made for you for Christmas.

Lilia, you are amazing.  You are so smart.  You loving giving kisses and make the sound as well.  You jump, hop, skip, and march everywhere.  You play with your dolls and kitchen set.  You are saying, "thank you", "please", "ball", "car", "drink", and so many others.  You love to read to me and for me to read to you.  You love your daddy and want to be in his arms all the time.  You can not wait for him to get home.  You wave good bye to everyone who leaves and watch for daddy at the window.  You do not sit still for pictures or smile when I ask you too!  We love you so much!

Cinnabon Rolls

I made a double batch of Cinnabon Rolls for Asher to take to work. His teams work very hard and needed a special treat. I started last night and got the filling and topping ready. This morning at 8 am I started the dough. It has to rise twice and then make the rolls and then rise a third time. Bake time is only 20 minutes. I just finished and Asher took them to work. They will be hot when they eat them!
Cinnabon Rolls
Rolls:
2 packets of active dry yeast (2 Tbls)
1/2 warm water
2 Tbls sugar
1 package of Vanilla pudding (3.4 oz) make according to directions.
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter melted
1 tsp salt
6 cups flour
Filling:
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter
Cream Cheese Topping:
1 package 8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbls milk
Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
See the link below for the complete directions.
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/354/Cinnabon_Rolls1576.shtml

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I love Christmas trees. Ours is on a little end table. Lilia loves looking at the tree. She does not know about the gifts underneath, yet. Yep, see the clothes on the couch, yet to be folded. Just want to let you know that this house is normal! :) the laundry never ends!

Jingle Bells

Lilia loves the jingle bells, we have them everywhere. A little friend at church gave her a jingle bell. Grandma R gave her one last night. She has bells everywhere, on the tree, two doors and in the toy box. They are the bigger jingle bells.

Painting with water colors

Grandma R taught Lilia how to paint with water colors. She loved it and caught on quickly. This was her first time painting. Thanks Grandma she loves her paints.

Rocking Horse Ornament

Lil' loves the Christmas tree. I put ornaments on her level that she can not break etc. Last night she found the rocking horse ornament. She took it off and showed us the horse. She showed the grandparents who were visiting. I can get her to say Grandma and Grandpa. She then put it on the ground and went to sit on the rocking horse ornament. She squatted over the ornament. This was so cute and funny. We all laughed and she thought it was great. She figured out the ornament is not like the rocking horse she has in her room. Great memory.

Hat

Grandma R and Lilia wearing a "hat". They were playing and being silly. Later they played Patty Cake and London Bridges. She loved playing with Grandma.

Daddy's Little Angel

I told Lil' he was coming home and she gave me a smile and said, "Dada". Daddy came home for lunch and Lil' was finishings her lunch. She wanted him to hold her. She loves her daddy so much! She fell asleep on his shoulder. She is going to be sad when she wakes up and he is not here.

Olives!!

Lilia loves olives! She especially loves eating them off her fingers. If she gets too many in her mouth she spits them out. She only gets two olives at a time. She puts them on her fingers and then eats them.

Let it SNOW!

Yesterday we got snow. It is very cold (21 degrees F) but the snow is beautiful. A friend stopped by and we all played in the snow. Lilia loves throwing the snow. The snow does not stick together. The roads were slick because of black ice. We are staying home and enjoying the view of winter wonderland.

Our little town displays a street banner every year. It is on both ends of the main road, "Seasons Greetings". We have an inch of snow and more is coming down. Yeah! Let it SNOW!

Close Your Eyes

When you say close your eyes this is what Lilia does. So funny!
Update: Lilia says the following words: thank you, please, car, drink, help and all the other words she has mastered.

Cookie Party!

I have been going to a cookie party for a lot of years (5 years). Thanks Momma for asking me. Camilla is a great host and has become a good friend.
I made chocolate candy cane cookies with white chocolate drizzled on top. The last couple of years I have made the nutter butter Santa cookies.  I decided to change things up and make it a little easier on me and Lilia.

Momma's Christmas Tree

I love Momma's Christmas tree! Lil' is going to really love it. I can't wait for her to see it. I love Christmas!

Here are some great ideas for keeping Christ centered Christmas.
http://glittermagic.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/how-to-have-a-christ-centered-christmas/

Nap Time

She took a nap in her bed and then decided I was better!

Christmas Wreath

We made this yesterday as a family. It is our Christmas Wreath! Lilia watched as I traced daddy's hand prints and then she was ready for hers to be traced. I traced mine and got busy cutting. Lilia colored while we cut the hand prints. We arranged them on the card board square and glued them in place.
Here is the link to make your own.
http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2010/12/handprint-christmas-wreath.html
We had a great time making the wreath!

Piano and Friends!

I watched some kids the other night for a friend. It was a lot of fun. The kids were great. Everyone was in their pajamas! We played with play dough and then watched Cinderella and ate popcorn. We played with all the toys while we watched the movie. Then they found the piano! They all played nicely and had a great time. I love watching Lilia interact with other kids. She was very concerned for the little guy. He cried for a bit. She gave him toys, blanket and tried to cheer him up. So cute to watch. She is going to be a great big sister!

Baking, Lava Lava and First Presidency Devotional

Lilia and I got some baking done.  We made cookies and brownies.  We are getting ready for the First Presidency Devotional.  The Young Single Adults are coming over to watch it.  Lilia and I are wearing matching aprons but hers look like a lava lava.  I love her socks as well!

Lori, Thanks for the socks!  I need to get some more!

Everyone had a great time drinking hot chocolate and cookies.  The message was great!

I love the red sock!  Can you see it?

Pancake Puffs

I made these Sunday morning. They were easy and yummy! I topped mine with peanut butter, banana and chocolate syrup. See previous post for recipe.

Lilia's First Movie: Beauty and the Beast

Daddy and Lilia watched Beauty and the Beast. I was taking a nap and did not know. Asher told me that Lilia loved the movie and watched. I got after Asher for watching the movie with Lilia because I thought it would be scary for her. I thought Lilia would be scared of the beast. The scene where Belle switches places with her father in the dungeon and the beast shows himself is scary. Lilia was sitting edge of the couch and when the beast appeared she growled at him. She was more afraid of Gaston than the beast! She watched the whole movie and played a little. I am sure most of the movie went over her understanding.

Leisure Reading

Lilia got the pillow down from the bed and climbed down from the bed. She found herself a book and the situated herself on top of the pillow. She loves to read her books, the newspaper, The Friend and anything we are reading!

21 Months

Lilia is 21 Months! A few things she loves to do are hop, jump on the bed, read, laugh, smile, sing (Itys Bitsy Spider) and dance. She loves saying Mama, Dad, ball, balloon, ice pop, NO, car, quack, and moo. She is about 24 lbs of wiggles and love. We love her so much!

Show Mommy What You Have Done.

I hear Asher say from the bedroom, "Go show Mommy what you have done." Lilia comes hobbling out looking like this. She is so cute. When did she learn how to undress herself! She is still wearing her bow and bracelet! I love being a Mom because you never know what will happen next!

Pop Up Pancakes | Make and Takes

http://www.makeandtakes.com/pop-up-pancakes
I am so excited to try this yummy recipe! I love breakfast for dinner! I think we will make this for dinner.

Doing What Lil' Wants To Do...Coloring!

Here daddy is doing what Lil' wants to do. They are so cute. I was able to vacuum the kitchen (yes, we have carpet in the kitchen but not for long), dinning room and living room. She loves her daddy!

Sleeping Beauty

I got a picture of Lil' sleeping.

Spoon Mustache

Lil' was playing with some plastic spoons she found in her kitchen drawer. We played swords and such. I showed Lil' how to balance a spoon on her nose. It worked on my nose! Her nose is a little small. She changed the game and put the spoon on her upper lip. She did this all on her own. She looked so cute! Everyone should try spoon mustaches!

Finger Paint

I just made finger paint! We are going to make a big mess this afternoon!

http://www.recipestar.com

Need the following:
3 T of Sugar
1/2 C Corn Starch
2 C Cold Water
Food Coloring
Dish Soap
Containers with Lids

Directions:
Cook over low heat until it thickens. Let cool a little and put into jars. Add few drops of dish soap to each jar. Add food coloring to each jar till you get the color you want.

I am hoping it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
We are going to have a lot of fun!

Orson Scott Card: Sabbath suggestions for dad | Mormon Times

Orson Scott Card: Sabbath suggestions for dad Mormon Times

I loved this article. When I was talking with my Mom she mentioned this article. She encouraged me to read it. I would encourage you to read it as well.

Asher loves spending time with Lilia. He comes home for lunch and he plays with Lilia. She loves seeing him. I try and tell her when he is coming or if he is home. He comes in downstairs and we usually are upstairs. She runs to the stairs and meets him. When he comes home from work. They will play while I finish cooking dinner. They chase each other and wrestle. He also will help her cook on her play kitchen.

This article talks about how we can learn more about our children by playing with what they want and doing things on their level. Benefit number four in the article is amazing to think about.

Take a few minutes and read the article.

Ward Christmas Activity Shopping etc.

We went to three different stores this morning! Found a lot of what we need for the ward Christmas activity (church). She could not stay awake any longer! Everyone kept saying, "How cute!" and "ahh". I think she is adorable as well!

Warm Again!

We are outside exploring and playing. We found a huge leaf! Lil' loves to run down the hill and plow through the leaves.

I love seeing this...

I love seeing this! Yep, my refrigerator is covered with Lil' art work and toys! I have waited to see my child's art work and toys on the refrigerator. In the past I have had friends kids art work on my refrigerator.
Here is a few things on the refrigerator. She went to nursery at church last week and stayed without me! The picture on the right is the one she colored two weeks ago. It talks about what we pray about. We sent last weeks picture to her birth mom. It was about how Heavenly Father loves all his children. I had that picture up as well. Lil' did a great job coloring the pictures.
She has stickers to play with and her picture of Christ we got at Nathan's wedding in Colorado.
~~~
You will notice an orange thing in the water dispenser. The orange drink cozy is to keep Lil' from getting water and dumping the water on the floor. She loves water!