It’s been a while and we’ve done a lot, so just be warned that this post will be full of pictures!
I’m going to start this post by answering a few questions I’ve been asked numerous times regarding being a SAHM:
Absolutely.
No. I’m not just hanging around the house in my PJ’s eating Cheetos while Lily watches Dora and Elmo all day. I didn’t quit my job so that I could babysit my child. I quit my job so that I could be an active part of her life, which means we DO and LEARN things together. Does that mean we leave the house
everyday? No, and I really like what that does for my gas tank.
Am I going back to work next year?
Lily will be almost 3, which means she is still young and not in school. So, no I don’t plan on going back to work next year. And by the time she is in school, I will hopefully have other children that are young and I will stay at home with them as well. I don’t know when, or even if, I will go back to work. If I do, it will most likely be part-time, but that’s so far into the future right now that I’m not even entertaining the idea.
Do I miss teaching?
Absolutely. More than I thought I would. But I plan to visit and volunteer at my school frequently. I actually went to visit last Friday and enjoyed it very much!
Here are my favorites about Lily lately: the way she eats an apple, the way she feels her eyelashes when she is sleepy, the fact that she can now repeat simple prayers and bless our meals, she knows who made her (God) and she knows who made everything else (God), she doesn’t forget anything you tell her, she is a high-energy girl all the day long, she can walk on her tippy toes, she recognizes places when we are driving (Chick-fil-a, Brent’s office, “shopping” which is Kroger or Publix) and is a little navigator, the songs she asks us to play in the car are the Veggie Tales version of “Our God” and “Mighty to Save” and she sings random words/phrases, occasionally she will sit long enough for us to read to her–her current favorites are the Bible and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, she has an immediate attachment to any and every character (Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Dora, Bob and Larry, Thomas the Tank Engine, Mickey and Minnie, Curious George, etc.—this is why we DON’T watch Barney!), she loves to play in her crib with all her stuffed animals, she loves to wear hats, she goes “night night” when she doesn’t want to do something, she is a picky little girl and has to have things a certain way (no clue where that came from), she is just absolutely hilarious!
I’m sure every parent feels this way, but I’m convinced she is precious in His sight and He is going to use her in a mighty way. I pray that she will one day reflect on her life and not be able to recall a time that she didn’t know her Creator. May He always be a welcome, invited, spoken of, feared, adored guest in our home.
How to eat an apple according to Lily: ask Mommy or Daddy to start it (take a bite out of it); slowly, and I mean s l o w l y, bite all the skin off the apple and hand it to Mommy, feed it to Sanibel, or just leave it right where you are; by this time it will be good and brown and you can eat it.
After nap time at the beach, rubbing her eyelashes. She has been doing this since she was about 3 months old when she first discovered her lashes. To this day does it every time she goes to sleep.
Having a GRAND time in the pool at the beach in her Dora float and Elmo hat.
Playing with Will’s toys in the baby pool. Will is a precious 3 year old who stayed in the other side of our duplex. He is from Kansas City, MO. Will had a TON of pool toys and generously shared them all with Lily.
Eating an apple at the beach, complete with Granny Rosie’s Mickey hat.
Sorry attempt at a family pic…camera fogged up.
First ride on the ferris wheel…despite the look on her face she really enjoyed it!
Snack time on the ferris wheel!
At the hospital bright and early for her tubes. Holding her eyelashes, of course, because we had to be there at 6am!
Cutie pie in her hospital gown, playing with all the toys.
Lily and Aubie (who HAD to get tubes as well) with Nurse Ebony, headed back to the OR.
Lily and Mommy in the post-op room. Just before they called me back, Brent and I could hear her screaming through 2 sets of double doors. Lily Boo did NOT feel well and was very disoriented.
The ride home…Lily and Aubie recovered quickly and were back to normal after a 3 hour nap!
This is a huge no-no and the reason why the Dora chair had to hide in the guest room for a week, but I had to get a pic first 🙂 She did this on her own in record time.
Eating chocolate chip pancakes (for dinner…shh…don’t tell). She has been eating with utensils for about 2ish months now and actually prefers to use them instead of her fingers. Except the few times she has lathered yogurt on like lotion…
Fort turned into a parachute…here she is bouncing puppy up and down with Daddy…
…and it’s pretty hilarious! Love the expression on her face…she was CRACKING up!
Taking a break from playing in her fort
Reading her ABC Bible verse book
This is a face we see A LOT!
Lily wanted to share her granola (lalala) with Sanibel, so she dumped the bag on the floor.
Then, she wanted Sanibel to share her food, so Lily dumped the bowl of dog food on the floor.
Then, mean ole Mommy made Lily help her sweep it up. Good thing she likes to sweep!
Lily and Daddy working on their laptops.
Mismatched outfit with beads and a toboggan she found in Uncle Ben’s room while he was packing to go back to college
Intently looking at the Babies R Us ad we got in the mail, with milk and an apple on the floor for when she needs a break from all that reading she is doing.
Hard to believe, but I’ve already started getting ideas together for her 2nd birthday! Time flies when you are having fun 🙂
A Merry Heart 
Sweet post 🙂 I am missing teaching too- but I think mine is because I don't have someone at home to take care of…. Love you! Let's talk soon!