Friday, March 20, 2009

Fashionista

A birthday package arrived in the mail today for the Ladybug's birthday from her cousin S., and Auntie and Uncle. In it was an absolutely adorable ladybug themed outfit (how totally appropriate!). Being the quick-change artist that she is, she immediately stripped down to her undies and tried on her new threads. Below are some pics that I quickly snapped up of her new duds. Enjoy.

Our little dancing queen, boogying up a good groove.


The happiest little girl on the block!


Checking out her new ladybug sunglasses.


Smile for the camera (you can see mommy in the her shades).




"Thanks for my new threads!"


Looking toward the heavens.


~~Aloha

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Happy Birthday Baby!

Hard to believe, today is already Liliana's 3rd birthday (we actually think she is 3 going on 13!). I cannot believe how quickly time has passed us by. We feel so blessed to that we are a family, and just wanted to share our joyous day. Below are a few pictures from each of her birthdays.

Liliana shortly after birth, in Guizhou, China, March 2006.


Liliana 1 year old, now in the United States, March 2007.


Liliana 2 years old, March 2008.


Liliana 3 years old, March 2009.



Happy Birthday little girl. I love you to bits and pieces. Thank you Lord for bringing her into our lives.

~~Aloha

Saturday, March 7, 2009

A Cherished Moment

Every day, Liliana naps for about two hours. She is pretty easy-going about taking her naps, making little or no fuss about her mid-day slumber.

A couple weeks ago she was "supposed" to be napping, having been in her room for about 15 minutes. She quietly opened her door and crept out. As it turned out, I caught her in the act of attempting to avoid her daily respite. This seemed a little uncharacteristic of the Ladybug since I know she usually quite enjoys her naps.

She made her way over to me, where upon I told her in a rather stern voice that she needed to go back to her room and go to sleep. This parenting move left her feeling pretty distraught as tears welled in her eyes. I immediately started to feel a little guilty for scolding her because she really didn't deserve my stern reaction.

Feeling a bit tired myself, I asked her if she wanted to nap with me on the couch. She eagerly agreed. We curled ourselves up on the couch with her laying across my chest, and I, snuggling her close to me. She fell asleep immediately.

Before I fell asleep I thought about how special this moment really was. How amazing is it that this little girl and I share such a special relationship. Every little think about her makes me smile...
She is so cuddly.
She is really funny and loves to make people laugh.
She has the cutest giggle in the world.
She can put a smile on even the grumpiest person.
She is fiercely independent and rather self-sufficient.
She is really easy-going.
She is absolutely brilliant and amazes me daily with what she knows and remembers.
She knows the power of negotiation.
She is really good at reading people and knows the exact moment when someone needs a hug.
She loves to be a helper.
She loves to tuck us into bed.
She thinks that a slumber party with her parents is one of the best things in the world.
She eats just about anything and loves broccoli.
She squeals with excitement whenever lunch or dinner is served at a restaurant.
She loves to organize.
She thinks that cooking is really fun.
She is really color-coordinated, a fashionista in training.
She makes sure that her sock toe-lines are absolutely perfect, yet she cannot seem to get her shoes on the correct feet.
She loves to dance.
She loves to sing.
She absolutely loves to read books.
She loves her family with more love than I ever thought possible.

As we were laying there, I was reminded so easily how incredible this little girl is. This fragile, precious, gentle, strong, sweet little girl makes me smile inside and out. She has so blessed my life. As I laid there listening to and feeling her breathe, the warmth of her skin, and her occasional grunts or twitches, I realize how blessed I am to be her mother. Her life has made my life perfect. Thank you Lord.



And now... this is how we enjoy napping at least once per week.

~~Aloha

Thursday, March 5, 2009

My Go Animate Creation

This is what I wish happened every day in my classes. A girl can dream... right?

GoAnimate.com: ExitSlips


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

~~Aloha

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sunday Morning

While out on the town yesterday, the Ladybug bumped into a friend of hers from school. The two giggly girls were excited to see each other and started discussing their weekends thus far. It was at this point that said friend proudly showed-off her freshly painted sparkly fingernails. Well, that was all Liliana needed to see to make her decide what she wanted to do this weekend... transform all of her nails and make them nice and sparkly too.

When we arrived home, she immediately went to the downstairs pantry, procured the box of manicure supplies and brought them to me. Having attempted to paint her nails a few months ago, I knew that doing so now would likely result in smudged fingers and several paint splotches left throughout the house. But, the Bug was insistent, so I succumbed.



After painting her finger nails last night, and actually making it through the event almost totally unscathed (she did smudge two fingers that we quickly fixed), the Bug awoke today demanding that her toe nails now be painted. Well, Daddy came to the rescue and fulfilled her request. Who knew... it seems that Daddy has an alter-ego, and a possible fall-back profession as a manicure and pedicurist.



Liliana absolutely loves her freshly painted fingers and toes, and is now in the process of color coordinating her outfit to perfectly match the paint color. Yes, you heard that right. According to the Bug, her toes must perfectly match her shirt, and her fingers must match her pants and socks. Since we painted her fingers and toes with the same color this shouldn't be a very difficult task, but she is insistent on which particular nail must match which article of clothing (she is excited because her nail color very nicely matches her favorite Polka Dot dress). Thus is the mind of an almost 3-year old.


--Update-- It is not even noon yet, and the Bug is on her third outfit change, all of which nicely match her nails. She is now dressed as Tinkerbell, and insists that her nails are sprinkled with pixie dust. All I can think of is what is life going to be like when she is 6, 10, or even a teenager. Oh, life is going to be fun with this little girly-girl.

~~Aloha