Here are my contributions to the seventh month of Project 365.
I really feel like I'm losing a little bit of interest in this project. I just feel like I don't get outdoors nearly as much now. And well, I feel bored with my photography at the moment, predictable and boring. Eek, and it's only November yet! Hopefully Ireland next month will help pull me out of this dull photography funk!
I'd love a flash for my camera and I think that'll be my next purchase. I really want it for more indoor action shots of Lilah playing - now that she's got her new playroom! We have very low lighting in our house and unless I'm next to a window, I get a lot of blur. I refuse to use the pop-up flash on my camera, it just doesn't do my photos any justice, at all!
Anyway, does anyone else have a Canon and use an external flash? If you do, I'd love to hear what you think of it. Or even if it isn't a Canon, I'd still like to know how much you use the flash and how much better your pictures are from using it. Thanks so much!
She didn't go for the 'less is more' look when she decorated this cake today!
I can't believe the changes this past six months have made on you, since you turned three, Lilah Grace. You've become more independent, anything baby-like that you had left in you, is gone. You crack us up with all your funny little sayings and speaks. You're such a social girl, loving Friday Playgroups and anything that is associated with our Church - you feel right at home there. You also love Sunday School and you learn Bible verses on a weekly basis now, with vigor. And let me tell you, you are very proud of yourself and so are we. You never stop singing and it does our hearts good. Singing has changed our once quiet house and we adore listening to you sing beautiful happy songs. You love to eat anything and everything and your supper plate must be identical to ours, you can enjoy a good steak dinner as much as we can! So far, the only food item you have turned your nose up at is watermelon, and when you didn't like it your exact words were, "I don't care about that!". When we laughed at what you said, you told us Bear says that to Franklin! You are 39 inches tall now and weigh 28lbs, and you, sweet girl, are very much the entertainment in our house.
And Lilah, never ever forget, that we absolutely love you.
We're going to be together, forever and ever.
Happy three and a half, baby girl.
I bought this tartan dress for Lilah for a special event we are going to this coming Friday. We are going to see the Alberta Ballet at the NAC (National Arts Center)
perform The Nutcracker. And I don't know about Lilah, but I couldn't be more excited to see this production!
However, you can't buy a dress for one event... as if! So she wore it to Church today. When she put it on, she immeditely did a hands-above-her-head tippy toe ballet twirl and exclaimed, "I'm the tooth fairy!"
I don't know where she's heard about the tooth fairy, but I have a funny feeling she is also going to love 'The Nutcracker'. And she might even gain a few new ballerina or fairy or even princess dance moves from it!
I have decided, that you have to be a child to appreciate and enjoy snow!
Whoever invented these pint sized snow shovels, is genius.
Ours came from the dollar store.
Hmm, and these, should be in the garden shed, by this stage in the season.
In case it's not obvious, she's in her absolute glory.
And has no idea why her parents complain so much about this white stuff.
She eats these. I know. Gross. You wouldn't think we still have a freezer full of summer ice-pops.
I guess I shouldn't let her eat them, but then again, who am I to steal her fun.
And that cute little pink nose. I love it. I love her.
Well, I went through all my pictures from last year and I don't know, but none of them are springing out and hitting me as 'The Perfect Christmas Card Photo'.
To be perfectly honest, I have something in my head and I don't even think it's possible to accomplish! It's like I want this one photo to show every single adorable little side of her, that I know and love. And well, that just doesn't happen in one photo. Maybe I should just send everyone a whole album of photos! Haha!
I pretty much gave myself a pep talk this morning, that I should just get over myself and use one of the ones I already have - stop being so darn fussy.
However, I didn't stick to my pep talk and ended up taking a few more shots this morning. Lilah even scored a massive lolly out of it, so I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind the endless stream of picture taking.
"The Gift"
Winter snow is falling down
Children laughing all around
Lights are turning on like a fairy tale come true
Sittin’ by the fire we made
You’re the answer when I prayed
I would find someone and baby I found you
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more everyday
You saved my heart from being broken apart
You gave your love away
And I’m thankful everyday
Can’t find the words to say
Thank you for the gift
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{ see more black & white pictures at 'The Long Road to China' }
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We got our first freezing rain of the season, this morning. Lilah decided to test drive it and pretended to slip and fall even before she got herself off the porch, because she's just so full of the funnies!
I just love her little pink nose.
This evening we went downtown for supper with our friends. And since the 'Help Santa Toy Parade' was happening in the city, we decided we'd take a walk over to watch the remainder of it. Lilah was super excited and taken in by all the shiny lights and music on all the floats, little girls dancing in the street, dressed up princesses, larger than life mascot teddy bears, candy canes galore, snowmen, elves... Oh my, I could just see her little mind just racing and recording it all.
The highlight of her night though, was when the larger-than-life teddy bear mascot hugged her. Oh, she was so so thrilled. She was also pretty happy when a fireman gave her a yummy candy cane.
Santa, on the other hand, totally disappointed her! After he said "Ho-Ho-Ho. Merry Christmas. I love you all.", and passed on by, she looked up at me rather startled and said, "But he didn't give me a present?" Oops - I guess she was hoping for a present!
My favourite 'Lilah quote' of the evening was when she asked me: "Are those goats real?" She was actually talking about the reindeers on santa's float! I know, I am so bad, but I totally laughed out loud!
There's a lot of role playing going on around our house. Our little sweetheart has been acting out the whole santa claus thing and I'm finding little stashes of 'presents' in many little hiding places around the house. It's funny, because I don't talk about Santa at all really - I'm trying to keep it that way. Last year we told her that it was us that bought her the presents she got. However, last week we went to the mall and the second she saw santa's grotto, she got wide eyed and immediately exclaimed...
"Ho-Ho-Ho, MERRY KISSMAS! Let's give presents to EVERYBODY!"
I think it's funny how she says "kissmas". She knows how to say Christmas, but totally chooses to say it like kissmas. In fact, for over a month now she's been totally messing up lots of different words (on purpose) while singing and talking. It's her new funny thing to do and she thinks she is quite hilarious!
Here's a little movie clip of something she's been doing this past week and again, thinks herself very hilarious. In this movie you'll see she wears her peaked hat backwards, because Franklin and Bear wear their baseball hats like that, or so I'm told! Oh and if she's role playing Franklin, well dare I call her Lilah or Sweetie or even if I say something to her without addressing her first as Franklin. Phew. A lot of barging and bossing ensues! She's cute and it's pretty obvious that I'm her biggest fan!
Three weeks today, we'll be boarding the plane to Ireland. Lilah is beyond excited and this morning when I told her it was just three weeks, I got the expression in the picture above.
Of course, that expression could also just be the fact that I mentioned the number 3. As you can well imagine, in a three year olds mind, there is nothing quite as amazing as the number 3. Really. Truly. She points out every single number 3 while in the car, in the mall, in the Bible and dear helps us all, the whole way around the grocery store. In fact, Colin was wearing a shirt yesterday that he's had for years and neither of us noticed it had the number 3 on it, but Lilah did!
I'm not sure what's going to happen when she turns three-and-a-half in another 11 days!
She has also caught onto the days of the week. Almost every day has a special signifigance, some of the highlights are: Tuesday is Bible Reading, Friday is Playgroup, Saturday is Family Day, Sunday is Sunday School, etc. And at night time when we're putting her into the crib, she'll ask us, "What day will it be when I wake up?" So cute!
By the way, have I ever mentioned her love for candy canes? She roped me into buying her a box of strawberry flavour yesterday and the head band a few weeks ago. She is such a sweetheart and I love her beyond words. I took this picture of her this morning, even though it's out of focus, I look at it and see my girl, it's so her, happy happy happy and busy!
I took these pictures almost two weeks ago, on November 2nd.
I'd kinda bypassed them thinking I'd already overdone the Fall pictures this year. Hold on, can Fall pictures even be overdone? I think not! Anyway, when I took a look through them again recently, I found a few keepers that I just couldn't give up. So now I'm taking the time to post them!
It was one of our last Fall day trike rides to the park. There aren't too many trees with leaves now. And I'd say the number of 'park days' left, are few and far between, unfortunately.
