Sunday, January 31, 2010

"the postman did it!"

Here's evidence of how a word can get totally misconstrued, ...by a 2 year old!

This morning (while I was getting ready for Church) Colin notices and mentions that I have a bruise.

I hadn't noticed it myself, but I knew exactly where and how it happened. So I said "Oh yes, I banged into the post at the top of the stairs a few days ago". I then launch into the full version of how it happened.

While I'm explaining how it happened, Lilah comes running over to inspect it, because well, she doesn't miss a thing and she's nosy like that! She even rubbed and kissed it, sweet girl!

About a minute later she's of playing again and I hear her say to herself, "The postman did it".

Huh? I look questioningly at Colin. He shrugs his shoulders and says something like, "You never know what she's going to come out with next".

About five minutes later Lilah and Colin are downstairs and Lilah is again saying to Colin how "The postman did it".

And it suddenly dawns on him.

When I arrive downstairs he says to me, "You know, you mentioned you banged into the post and the only post she knows is the postman!".

Friday, January 29, 2010

that is so cool!

"That is so tool (cool)" is Lilah's new expression of the day.
First she told me, "I'll show you how it works", and then followed it up with "That is so tool"!
Yes indeed, I did laugh out loud!

that is so cool!

[ more pictures here ]

Thursday, January 28, 2010

puzzle or pizza?

puzzle...or pizza?!

The boring 32 year old thought we were building a puzzle.
The imaginative 2 year old thought we were eating pizza.

I just love the 2 year olds perspective!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

her little imagination

stickle bricks

stickle bricks

stickle bricks

I think it's obvious which stickle brick items she used to play each of the three parts below:

1. She put the 'plug' into the socket. (Looks like a UK plug too!)
2. I was told to stand on the 'mat'.
3. And then she brushed my hair with the 'hairbrush'.

Her little imagination is wonderful! It makes me smile so much.

Let me also admit that it's making up for a lot of 'lovely' phrases I've been hearing in the past few days/weeks, like: "It's mine", which is usually backed up with, "It's not yours"!

Oh, and here's something else she told me last night at supper time: "That’s my knife. Don’t touch my knife. It’s a dangerous one."

Indeed, I bragged for far too long that my Lilah girl was good at sharing and not at all possessive. I'll just have to go and eat my words now!

stickle bricks

stickle bricks

[ more pictures here ]

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

shaving her beard!

In the last little while Lilah's imagination has taken off.

She has always been infatuated with beards. I think Vinnys' was the first beard she touched. Next came Uncle J.D.s' and on and on.

So it should have come as no surprise to me this morning when she was in the bath, she made herself a beard with the bubbles and then proceeded to "Shabe it off" using the pink ladybug bubble wand, AND after it was all over she "Wash the shaber" with her wash cloth! In case you were wondering, the 'shaber' is the 'shaver'! I just adore how she says some words!

a beard & shaving in the bath

a beard & shaving in the bath

a beard & shaving in the bath

[ more pictures here ]

Sunday, January 24, 2010

we're home again

The old saying 'time flies when you're having fun' still stands true! We arrived home last night after a really wonderful holiday. It was so great to spend so much time with family and friends. I feel this trip made some big changes in Lilah, she really got to know her grandparents and close family so well. She also has more confidence than I've ever seen her with before.

On the other hand Lilah was pretty excited to be going home again. She told us all she was "Going to Tanada (Canada), see Baba". She did absolutely wonderful on each of the flights and even sang 'Jesus loves me' the whole way on the flight from Dublin to London. I've never truly appreciated all that my husband does until I had to handle three flights and navigate four airports (with a buggy and coats and carry-on baggage) AND little Miss Lilah, alone. Phew! I think I lost those few extra pounds I may have put on at Christmas!

After being apart from her Baba for almost three weeks Lilah was thrilled to see him. She ran straight into his arms and now I'm not sure if she'll ever let him out of her sight again! She did great without him in Ireland though. I was worried as it was her first time apart from one of us, other than her 45 minute Sunday School class every Sunday.

This morning she came into bed with us and as she lay in between us she turned to Colin with a big grin and said "That's MY Baba", and then she turned to me and said "That's MY Mama".

roses for mama, or maybe lilah!

Baba brought these roses to the airport for me and also a Tinkerbell balloon for Lilah.
Lilah decided they were both for her! Did I mention she has a lot of confidence?!

[ more pictures here ]

Thursday, January 21, 2010

blowing bubbles

This is what she was doing with her breakfast milk this morning.
It happens to be another trick she was taught by her Papie Boy!
Needless to say, she is very very proud of herself!

blowing bubbles

blowing bubbles

[ more pictures here ]

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

papie boy is sixty today!

What a special day! I haven't been home for my Dad's birthday in 10 years. And this year was extra special, because little Lilah got to celebrate it with him too. We had a lovely evening; including a yummy meal in The Brontë Steakhouse, a cute piggy birthday cake, (kindly supplied by my sweet friend Sonia and her family, thank you!), and then there was the opening and unwrapping of all the cards and gifts. Oh we all had a great time!

One thing's for sure, we sang the happy birthday song and relit the candles more times than enough! Lilah was getting lots of practice for her next big day!

Happy birthday Papie Boy! And as Lilah would say, "Love you sooooo much". We are so thrilled to be here and share this special milestone with you.

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

Papie is 60 today!

[ more pictures here ]

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

the things she's learned (while on holiday)

eating cake

She can wink now, something (I think) she learned from Na. And it is so very cute!

She tells me all the time now, "Don't worry Mama".

She's discovered 'lost'. And any time she or I can't find something, she instantly claims it to be 'lost'. She also doesn't believe in looking very hard to try and find it!

She continually tells me to "Be tareful (careful) Mama" when I'm driving the car. (My Dad tells her to say that, and it's stuck!)

She's turned into a story teller. Nono taught her the art of story telling and she's caught right on! Her stories go on and on and can be quite colourful; including characters, happenings and sometimes places.

She constantly sings around the house, especially if she finds a Bible sitting around. She'll start flicking through the pages and singing heartily.

She says "Oops a daisy" a lot now.

She mimics a lot of her grandparents expressions. For instance, how Pa says "tut tut" and how Na holds her face in her hands with her elbows on the table. When Lilah copies, she'll say, "Pa/Na does dat (that)" and grins!

eating cake

eating cake

[ more pictures of Lilah finishing the leftover birthday cake here ]

Monday, January 18, 2010

Sunday, January 17, 2010

celebrating a birthday, or two!

It's Papie's birthday this week. Yep, he turns the big 60 on Wednesday!

Tonight, our good friends David & Sharon (and their sweet girls Amy & Alyson) put on a spectacular spread for my Dad's birthday. He had no idea about it until the cake arrived in front of him! There was even a cute chocolate caterpillar cake and gift for Lilah's birthday, even though it's not until May. How kind is that! Lilah got her first 3 year old birthday card and present, eek! I'm so not ready for her to be 3. Oh well, I guess I have another 4 months to come to terms with it! Papie, on the other hand, he only has another 3 days to come to terms with being 60! Oh not to worry, he seems to be taking it all in his stride!

dad's birthday

dad's birthday

dad's birthday

dad's birthday

dad's birthday

lilah's cake

dad's birthday

[ more pictures here ]

Saturday, January 16, 2010

a variety of wheels

Today Lilah got to try out two unusual forms of transportation!

This morning Papie pulled the old moped out of the garage that belonged to my sister and I. (Actually, my sister will probably argue with that and say it was hers...and probably rightly so!) Lilah has always had a fascination with mopeds and motorbikes. In fact, when we went to visit Lilah's orphanage, it seemed that all the nannies and workers in the orphanage had a little moped. There was a little row of them just inside the gates of the orphanage. At the time we visited there must have been a shift change, because all of a sudden all these little engines started up and several little mopeds started whizzing off, out of the yard and down the street!

Lilah loved the moped. I don't think she wanted to get off!

Then this afternoon we went to visit Pa and Na. Pa kindly rigged his horse (Tyson) up with the cart. And off we went down the road for a jaunt!

on the moped with papie

on the moped with papie

on the moped with papie

on the moped with papie

on the moped with papie

in the cart with pa & na

in the cart with pa & na

[ more pictures here ]

Friday, January 15, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

belfast (aka 'the big smoke')

Today we spent the day in Belfast, shopping of course! Our little 'China Stroller' was put into action once again.

We arrived in Cregagh at noon where we got a fish box from a little chip shop on the Cregagh Road. It was some delicious fish, chips and onion rings, I tell ye. It reminded me of the times when we used to get a 'meal-in-the-box' when we went to visit our Uncle G, Aunt D and Cousins on a Saturday night, the only difference was that this one didn't have the mushy peas or battered mushrooms!

Another thing on the menu in that little chip shop was a battered Mars bar. One of the school girls ahead of me got one. Actually, over here almost all the Chinese restaurants serve battered and deep fried pineapple or bananas as a dessert. I might add that they are absolutely yummy! Somehow deep frying fruit doesn't seem nearly as gross as deep frying a Mars bar!

After Cregagh we worked our way into the new and fabulous Victoria Square, which is right in the heart of the downtown shopping district. It is an amazing new state of the art outdoor shopping mall, although you wouldn't know it from the glass roof overhead, definitely a good idea for the rainy days! It also has an elevator that goes up to a viewing tower where you can see all over Belfast city.

Lilah and I had a super day shopping with Nono and we ended it on a high note, in Nando's...mmm, yummy!

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

belfast

[ all our pictures from today are here ]