Lily Jane turns 3!

Our little Lily turned 3. I know, it's hard to believe. I wanted to pick a few of my favorite pictures, and went a little overboard, since I couldn't narrow it down. Lily was a very, very difficult baby. She was colicy and fussy and pretty much a jerk and unfortunately I didn't handle it very well. Even though the first few months were so hard, in retrospect I realize that they were a blessing. It was that struggle that made us so tightly bonded and I wouldn't give up that time for the world, even though she did almost get drop-kicked a few times.Lily is hilarious. We laugh all day. Just about everything she says is funny, whether she knows it or not. Last night Jamal, our cat, or as she calls him "Mall-cat", slept on her bed and warmed it up for her. Jared said that he was like our corn-bag (which you put in the microwave and heat up) and she said "No, he's a Mall-bag. Hahahaha!". A while ago there was a little green fly on the screen, and she asked "What kind of bug is that?". I told her I didn't know, and she said "Maybe that's a Prayer Fly." After a little while I realized that she meant that it was a Praying Mantis. Lily loves her kitties. She feeds them, and brushes them, and takes care of them. She also loves spraying them with water, pushing Ruby into the full bath, and putting things on top of them while they sleep. She has a wicked little snicker that she saves especially when doing something to the cats.

Lily loves America's Funniest Home Videos and passing gas.

Lily had to go to the bathroom during dinner, she got up and started to walk out of the kitchen, turned around, came back, looked at me, tilted her head to side and said "Do you know where the bathroom is?" I said "Ya, down the hall and to your left." She nodded and said "oh, ya." and left. Hehehe.

Lily still loves her bears, especially the one on the left that she's had since birth. She has a big basket of animals that she sometimes sleeps in.

Lily loves birds. She loves all animals and bugs, but mostly birds. Lily is a great big sister. She always helps Jack. She'll fish stuff out of his mouth that is not supposed to be in there, sometimes at great risk to herself. One time Jack bit her, but she still tried to help him anyway. She shares her food and her candy, and most times her toys. If he's sad, she'll cheer him up by laughing, making noises, or singing to him.

Lily has started calling Jack "Jack-Goose". Not sure why, I think it might have to do with the term "Silly Goose." Jared has shortened this to just "Goose", so I think we should start calling Lily "Maverick", or "The Mav". I'm going to be "Ice Man". Jared's "Slider". (He has informed me that Slider has a big following in the gay community due to the volleyball scene.)

Lily's animal is always a tiger. Whenever we're pretending to be animals, or if I call her a silly goose, scaredy cat or a lucky duck, she always says "No! I'm a tiger!"

When we were in Utah we were driving an overpass that had pictures of Geese flying on the walls. I said "Look Lily, ducks!" and she said, so seriously "No Mama, those are Geese." Lily loves to bake. She also cleans up sometimes without even being asked. She is very good about saying "Thank You", "Please", and "Sorry", sometimes without even being prompted. Lily asks me crazy things, or to do something, and if I say "no", or "I don't think so" or something, she'll say "Maybe!" or "We will see!" in a cute, hopeful tone.

Lily is so funny and weird and sweet. We love her so much, more and more every day.

"Children are entitled to their otherness, as anyone is; and when we reach them, as we sometimes do, it is generally on a point of sheer delight, to us so astonishing, but to them so natural" Alastair Reid

(Don't miss the post below, I'm posting a bunch all one after another to try and catch up.)