My Handy Dandy iPhone

Continuing in the spirit of graphs, I couldn't find a graph to accurately portray my iPhone useage so...I made one!

When I Look at my Cell Phone

I think this graph was made for me. I made two small modifications.

Lily's First Christmas Program.

Lily had her very first Christmas Program, recently. I think we were more anxious/excited than Lily; she took it all in stride! Of course, we think she was the best little performer there but I'll let you be the judge.

Toddlers: the Same in Every Species

There are some days when I REALLY relate to this picture.

3 Fashionable Trends -by Lily

Christmas stockings are Stockings!
Lily was helping me unload Christmas decor recently. It was such a blast! "What's this", "ooo prettty!", etc. All in all, a very fun experience. Lily spotted the stockings and said, "SOCKS!". She then proceeded to put them on. You can imagine her confusion when I tried to tell her, "Noo- they actually go above the fireplace." To offset the confusion, I let her wear them a bit longer. Momma needed pictures.




Princess Clothes: Always in Fashion!
I found a cute "Princess Set" on clearance after Halloween a while back. For a $1.25, I hit the jackpot! Lily loved all the accessories (earrings, tiara, pearls, sceptor).





Pirate Wear: Never Gets Old!
As far as Lily was concerned, she dressed as a Princess Pirate.

The Worldy Adventures of Pancho

A member of our family has traveled more miles than most travel in a lifetime. His name....is Pancho. Here's a good picture of our beloved Pancho.

Pancho was originally a gift for my dear (now departed) chihuahua, Hondo. Hondo loved Pancho. Thus, we love Pancho, as well.

This is how he rides...


Incidentally, this backpack has seen many miles too (college miles, as well).

We have a family tradition of taking Pancho with us on various travels. It all started with my mission trip to Cairo, Egypt. I wanted to bring a little piece of home with me. After much thought and consideration, I decided who better to fit that mold than, well, Pancho. Sadly, our photo tradition of taking pics of Pancho On Location didnt start until recently. BUT, the miles still count. Here are a few pics of his many travels.

Slightly altered picture of Pancho in Egypt.

Next, Pancho traveled with Dale to Ghana, Africa (again, slightly altered).

More recently, Pancho traveled with Dale and I to Clearwater, Florida for a glorious vacation.

Here he is on the beach, stretching out his legs.

And here, taking in the view from our room (he thought Krisha did a great job picking a very tiny-horse-friendly hotel).

Lastly, here he is getting in some much-needed sun (tiny horses need Vitamin D too).


We look forward to taking Pancho on many more, photo documented, adventures! To be continued!

Lily Doins 11-08-09

Here's the latest list o' Lily doins...

1. Stating her full name + Princess at the end. Like it's a job title. I can only agree.

2. Tee-Tee-Toya's: Tortillas

3. Ebidence: Elephants

4. Trashcane: Trash can

5. Ooo-got: Forgot

6. Eee-pee: Tiffany, aka Dancing with Tiffany, her dance instructor.

7. When wearing a dress, she assumes she's: 1) a Princess and 2) about to dance with Eeepee.

8. Emernensennen: Emerson, a class mate (she trails off as she says her name and it always makes me laugh)

9. Did it mySELF: Said yes, when she does something herself but also if she has parental assist 99.9% of the way.

10. Mahlow: Tomorrow

11. Mommy/Daddy is a Kurkey: Mommy or Daddy is a Turkey. Also substitute Kurkey for Kinker (stinker). I would tell Lily this when she was being goofy. Now, Dale or I will be mid-sillyness when Lily stops, leans over to Dale and says in a whisper, "Daddy, Mommy is a kinker." I love it!

12. Gocktor: Doctor; anytime she even barely grazes the skin, she immediately tells us she needs to "go to the Gocktor mahlow for band-aid". Doctors have their starts somewhere- I'm not complaining! :-)

13. Saying NO at the dinner prayer: This is the best illustration of subtle toddler stubborness. Usually we list "Mommy, Daddy, Lily" and others for prayer at dinnertime. If Lily is in the "right" mood, she'll omit praying and just say "no" after each person. Dale and I try not to laugh as it really is funny. "Please watch over Mommy...no...Daddy...no...Lily...noooo...In Jesus' name...no...Amen...no".

14. Pocket Surprises!: On 10-19, my sweet girl proudly emptied her pockets of ROCKS. She was so happy! She even exclaimed, "No cubby, pocket!" I still have the rocks.

That's all for now!

The Good, the Bad and the Strange Kitty Cat

I would like to dedicate this post to some of Lily's fascinating art projects.

First: The Good

This was from Art Time at Home. She drew a smiley face, complete with hair, ears and legs. She also signed her name- as seen by the mountain peaks with a meaningful DOT slightly above. I am quite proud of this one.

Next, The Bad

This showcases a subtlety that made me laugh. For the not so subtle, apparently our family is best represented by a bunch of squigglys and angry dots. What I found funny is she went to the effort of marking out her name and "My Family" at the top. My sweet little passive aggressive child. She gets it honestly.

Finally: The Strange Kitty Cat

I'm not entirely sure what is wrong with that kitty cat; I AM sure that whatever is going on with that kitty cat *can't* be good.

The Winning Yam Pics (2009)

Each year, Karla, Dad and I (sometimes Mom, too) have a battle at the Yam Photo contest. It's not for the prize money. Oh no. It's for the GLORY. It's a tradition that several photos will be entered per family member, threats of Sharpie drawn mustaches are made, and winners gloat and brag for 12 months straight, if not longer. Yes, it gets vicious.

This is the first year I haven't placed (in 5+ years) and please know, I maturely move past my resentment and grand plans of Sharpie Mustaches in 2010 to proudly display Karla and Dad's winning photos. I'm so happy for them. Blah blah.

The 2009 Yamboree

We attended the 72nd Yamboree recently. Simply put, it was a blast. The weather was perfect, lots of family visitin', and some serious photo contest winnin's were to be had. So, to start off, here are a few pics from Yamboree Past...

When I was on the front of a float (I was 5, hula girl on the left).
My family still remembers this!
The other 2 hula dancers are on my FB friends list
(naturally I graduated with them- gotta love small towns!)

Memaw (in the beige coat) and I (even with her, white and orange shirt).

Karla and I (9ish yrs old)

Pre-parade when Karla and I both were in the parade.
Look at my hair!!


Now for Yamboree Present...

Memaw and Lily- Yam Duchess Past and Future.


Perfecting her wave technique


The Yamboree Queen!!


Riding the Carousel


The Yamboree Photo Contest as it is with my family in a nutshell.
For the first time in 5ish years, I didnt place (insert gasp!).
BUT, Dad recieved a 3rd place and Karla cleaned house!
She won 2 first place ribbons, a 3rd place, an honorable mention
and the giant orange ribbon is Most Unusual, the HIGHEST honor.


One of my favorite parts of the Yamboree: the Yaminals.


Yammed out (holding a toy bought by Grandma Laura).


And finally, saving the best for last....I give you....


Abraham Lincoln!
Sure he is in more modern garb (as is expected) -but wow.
Even the famous ex-President acknowledges Yamboree Awesomeness.

Mark your calendars as Oct 22, 2010 will be the Save the Date for the 73rd Yamboree. Abraham Lincoln will be there. Will YOU? (haha!)

The Trekkie That I Am

Yes, this is technically a Lily Blog. I deviate from time to time to accommodate the massive bit of randomness I wrestle with daily, but all-in-all, mostly Lily Related stuff will be found here. Please know, this post started off Lily Related then went, well...horribly awry. You have been warned.

I'll start with the Lily-Related stuff. Inspired by a previous "beaming-in" picture on this blog, I realized I had a couple more funny Beaming-In/Beaming-Out pics from the ole iPhone (notorious for blurred pics, the curse of most camera phones). Curse? Or Gift? I appeal to you: it is the latter. Case in point:

Lily beaming in (LOVE John John's face...)

John John beaming out (or maybe In from a previous Beam-Out).

Not so much Star Trek as just some cute hugging.

Now, here's where things starts going awry. I found this picture and it truly made me "LOL":

Talk about hilarious! Going further, oh yes, further...you may not know this but I know the original Star Trek intro by heart. Not only that...getting scarier here...I know how the intro deviated from the original series to the Next Generation series. Oh yes! Here goes my memory recall of the Original Star Treks series intro (not Googled nor copy/pasted!):

"These are the voyages of the Star ship Enterprise, it's 5 year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to reach out to new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Deviations with the Next Generation Intro: "5 year" = "continuing" and "man" = "one". Deadline more vague and a wee bit more politically correct. Bless that sweet next generation.

Saving the final scare for last (it gets worse): for Halloween, I dressed up in a Star Trek dress in High School and later again post-college. The official Star Trek dress is in my closet now. I will resist putting it on now and taking a pic (lots of resistance I might add) as I know, digital photos never die. Plus, as this is a Lily Blog, I have Lily to consider. Even at 2, she may never forgive me. BUT, I do have a pic from high school which totally doesn't count (I'm in blue, Karla in yellow).

Check out our inspecting-the-earth-vehicle pose! Well, that is if you can look past that awesome perm. Ahhh the 90s. Side note: my dad took the picture. This was probably one of his most proud moments. See, I get it honestly. You know what? On second thought, I may not show this to Lily just yet.

Enough scaring has been done for one post. Live long and prosper.

Little People & Little Daddy's Logical Locale

Lily has a Little People house. I've helped Lily associate where to put things in the Little People house. Examples include: bed upstairs by the baby's bed, couch and chairs downstairs in the living area. You get the idea. As a joke, I'd always place Daddy People in the same spot. Now, Lily always places "Daddy" in the exact same (albeit jokingly placed) spot. See if you can find Little "Daddy". It always makes me laugh.

Complete with flushing sounds, I should add. I love Little People!

Lily Doins 09-23-09

Here's the last set of Lily Doins!

WHAT?!: When in doubt, use the word "WHAT?!". It applies, even if ever-so-slightly rude, to most situations (as Lily has discovered). "Where's your shoe?" Lily: "WHAT?!", "Lets go to the store." Lily:"WHAT?!" See- works in almost all scenarios.

Has-Cups: aka Hiccups; I remember when, what seemed like yesterday, a little Lily in my tummy constantly had hiccups. Hearing her description of them is even more sweet.

Igg-Tails: aka Pigtails

Laya MO-er: aka Lawn Mower

Lily Roof: or Lily Ruth. Also- everything in creation has the middle name Roof (Maxy Roof, John Roof, Audrey Roof...). It does have a nice ring.

Bumpies: what happens to your fingers when left submerged in water too long (also known as pruny or raisin fingers to some).

Counting Limits: Lately- Lily counts into the TEENS. It sounds like: ur-teen, mo-teen, fi-teen, teen, mm-teen, nn-teen.

Peeeza: aka Pizza. It has been a meal-time staple at our house lately. What can I say- we get a hankerin' and eat it nonstop until we are SICK of it, aka Guacamole. Though, ever getting sick of Luigi's pizza truly sounds UnAmerican (and simply impossible). Well...at least right now.

Hey wheatie: A good example of the little parrot our toddler has become. She will attempt to pronounce most anything. I said, "Hey sweetie" to Dale recently and heard, "Hey Wheatie!" all day. It's another phrase I hope she never learns correctly.

Poopies: aka...you know what I mean. They vary in size too which Lily so happily announces via play-by-play commentary. I'll spare you the specifics!

Tewt: aka Toot. Its a favorite worth mentioning again. I'm guessing I already mentioned it but why research it, eh? Know thyself, right? It always makes me laugh no matter the circumstance. Now, my precious little girl snickers when she tewts. I am so proud.

Silly: Lily often informs me, "Mommy silly" or "Daddy silly." I am actually quite proud of that, too. Hey- it could be worse, right? WHAT?!

That's all I have for now. The List of Lily Doins is constantly growing with our little Parrot. I hope to have an update soon!

Phone Pics - Aug and Early Sept

For the first time, I had more new pictures on my phone than my camera. Translation: I am lazy. Not that using the phone for picture-taking is lazy- no, that is not lazy. BUT, not using my regular camera? Just plain lazy. Regardless of my lazyness, here are some phone pics!

To grandmothers (aka Memaw's) house (aka Hospital) we go!

Stylin with her new Barbie Sunglasses.






Ah! Its an Alien!


Hanging out with John John after church.


Lily decided to Beam-In to this photo (Star Trek shout out!)


This counts as riding a bike, right?!


Checking out the rides at...the Outlet Mall.


You all look like little ants!