2020 here she comes!

Lily continues to be a dynamic young lady!  I am so incredibly proud of her!!!!  In early November, I was invited to our former church Monocacy Valley Church to do a book reading and talk, and one of the questions was directed toward her, and she answered it with such beauty and grace!  Truly amazing!  I think overall she has enjoyed the attention of the book publication. 

Lily speaking

She continues to well with her sports.  Breaking personal records in swimming and constantly improving with her soccer.  She played indoor soccer for the first time.  I think she really enjoyed it!  I know I really enjoyed watching it.  She really wants to make the high school soccer team. 

On Black Friday I took Lily to Ulta to try some makeup. Thankfully she didn't love how she looked in blush, bronzer, and eyeshadow.  The mascara looked nice.  She got some makeup for Christmas, so yesterday she explored using some eyeliner to create "eye wings".  So grown up.  Personally, I think she looks beautiful without makeup, but I know it's the age!  At least it's not bright blue like I did when I was her age!

eyeliner wings

For Christmas, she got the new cell phone she has been wanting and some overpriced "holy" jeans from American Eagle.  I think she was a little sad when her brother got a gift from his biological father for Christmas, so when we went shopping and the expensive ripped jeans with holes from American Eagle were buy one, get one 50%, I figured what the heck... I know she so badly wants us to find her birth family and I so want to do it for her, but I just want to know that it's the right time.  I don't want to cause her any undue heartache.

 

 

 

The much-coveted cell phone

I pray that 2020 is an amazing year for her.  Full of great friendships and a deepening and personalization of her faith.

Non-Stop Action

It's been an eventful couple of weeks!

This past weekend, Lily's co-ed U15 soccer team played in the FSYCL tournament.  During the season their record was 1-6-1, but during the tournament, they really worked together as a team and ended up securing a place in the semi-finals.   During the semi-finals, they played their little hearts out.  And won the game in triple overtime with the first to three-point shoot-out. I was so proud of Lily.  She really wanted it and gave her all on the field.  The coach never took her out!  He must of seen how great she was doing!  The final game was tough, so they didn't win the entire tournament, but they took 2nd place!!!  What an awesome accomplishment!

Champions!!!!

Earlier in the weekend, we had two attempts a trick or treating.  On actually Halloween Eve, they were forecasting nasty storms with threats of tornadoes, so we laid low and simply visited the houses on our immediate street.  Even though she hit up only 3 houses she collected a bunch of loot.  The following evening, we went trick-or-treating with Nanna and her family.  The kids had a great time!  I was wondering if Lily would give it up this year, so I was glad she still went out this year!

My flying squirrel and loot llama

Flying Squirrel

Got Candy?

Fun with friends!

She also went to a Halloween party with her soccer team.  She had a blast!  She looked so adorable as a scarecrow!

Beautiful Scarecrow

We also enjoyed two fall festivals with some friends and family!

Five hands tall at Gaver Tree Farm

My beautiful girl

Hanging with Aly in the Pumpkin Patch

Lastly, the book I wrote for Lily finally became published on November 1st.  I really hope she knows how fiercely she is loved!

Advanced Reader Copies

Getting asked out by a boy!

Earlier this month, on a school field trip, a boy in Lily's class asked her if "she would like to go out with him sometime?"  Too cute!!!  I think she enjoyed the attention, but wasn't quite sure what to do with the question!  Good for us, there was never any follow-through.  So not ready for that yet!

Last year of middle school!

How can it be that I have an 8th grader!!!!  Lily began her final year at Carroll Creek Montessori this week.  She's been rocking the athletic wear look recently so she dressed to impress in her new Under Armour all-black athletic outfit! Of course, her hair had to be naturally gorgeous as well!  I love her confidence! I hope she has an amazing year.

Rocking the sporty look

Loving her little bro

Recently we had to get Lily a dress for her cousin Brian's wedding.  Talk about gorgeous!  But what really threw me, were the high heel shoes!  I am so not ready for her to grow up!

Rocking the dress and heels (with Daddy in the background trying to be silly)

We also enjoyed our bi-annual camping trip with our Guatemalan friends.  Lily always enjoys seeing them. I love these photographs of them!

Are they not the cutest!

The family

The Guate Crew

a few more rites of passage for this young lady

In early August Lily got her eyebrows threaded.  She had been asking me to teach her how to pluck her eyebrows, but being a blondie, who never plunked and only rarely waxed her eyebrows was clueless.  So we asked our dear friend to help us.  She suggested that we go have her eyebrows shaped "professionally" by a threader and then my friend would help her with the plucking to maintain their shape.  And so that is what we did!

In other news, Lily informed us on Friday night that Kobi, her "boyfriend" of more than one year broke up with her.  She said she was so relieved and she's never been so happy!  LOL  Glad to know it wasn't heartbreak.

Non stop party

Life in the Gjerde family has been one big party since Lily got out of school in June!

On June 24th we headed out to Utah for a family vacation.  There we visited Zion, Bryce, Grand Escalante, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Goblin State Park, and Moab.  It was an awesome family time filled with lots of adventure!

In Zion, we rented bikes and rode them down the canyon, took a few mini-hikes, and hiked up the Virgin River into the slot canyon called the Narrows.

Along our bike ride route in Zion

The family at Zion

In Bryce, Lily and I went horseback riding down into the base of the canyon.  Lily's horse wasn't interested in going anywhere quickly no matter how much he was encouraged by the guide or Lily.

Lily and her stubborn horse

Lily and me riding down Bryce Canyon

In Grand Escalante, the family humored me and went on a 6-mile hike (3 miles in and 3 miles out) in the hot desert to a waterfall.  It was a lot more difficult than I imagined, hiking in the sand and rocks and the heat!  But everyone was a trooper.  It ended up taking us 1:40 minutes to hike in 3 miles, and then 1:40 miles to hike back out and we all drained our water packs!  The waterfall was unexpectedly freezing.  Probably around 50 degrees...brr...but Lily braved it and went the furthest in!

My hiking troopers

Lily at the freezing base of the waterfall

At Capitol Reef, we saw a one-room school house and some petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs at Capitol Reef

One-room school house

We took a little side trip, at a recommendation of a friend from work. to Goblin Valley.  The kids enjoyed climbing the hoodoos but I think we were all super tired from the Grand Escalante hike the day or two before!

Climbing the Goblin's

By the time we got to Moab, the kids were "rocked" out.  But we dragged them to Arches and Canyonlands because we were so close.  They enjoyed them, but I am sure they were glad we didn't spend all day there and only made them do little hikes of .5 or less!

Kids at Arches

Lily near double arch

Family picture under double arch

Scenic Overlook at Canyonlands

Family at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands

On our last day in Moab, we went four-wheeling on a famous rock called "Hell's Revenge".  Lily really enjoyed it!  Daddy has a new 4-wheeling sidekick.

Four Wheeling on Hell's Revenge

We returned home for one day only to hit the road again, this time to Ocean City for an impromptu day visit with a group of our friends who are moving away.  The Best family to Tennessee and the Helmick family to Texas.   That evening we went to my sister's beach house in Bethany where Lily got to hang with her cousins Aly and Hannah.

A day at OC with our friends who are moving

At Bethany Lily tried surfing and I got to give her credit.  Out of all the girls that tried, she definitely showed the most perseverance.  She tried several times and almost was able to stand up.  I was super proud of her!  Plus with a storm coming in the water was really choppy and rough that day!

Getting a lesson

Preparing

Lily and Hannah headed out

 

She almost stood up

I think Lily enjoyed her time with her cousins, but there was another young lady there as well, so I think she was ready to come home and have some quiet time.

Friends, Cousins and Ice Cream...the Best

We leave for the beach on Monday with Abuelita and Carter, hopefully, a good time will be had by all!

This girl rocked 7th grade!

I am so proud of this girl!  She totally rocked 7th grade.  It was a big adjustment going from no grades and accountability to full-on grades and accountability, but she totally pulled it together and had a great year!

Wrapping up a GREAT soccer season!

Lily has really blossomed this year with her current soccer team.  Her coaches have been fabulous and the girls have been awesome.  This year they played their hearts out and made it to the 2nd round of the tournament!  Lily was so happy, she couldn't stop crying tears of joy!  They played the number one-seeded team that had own allowed four goals all season.  They gave it their all.  Unfortunately, they lost in overtime 0-1.  I am super proud of her!

Identity and coming into her own

I really enjoy watching Lily find her place in this world.    First, I see her trying to find her identity.  Who am I?  Where do I fit in? She gravitates towards other girls who are of Latino descent.  Some of her closest school and soccer chums are Latinos.  It's also fun to watch her realize the power of her person.  I think she has always known she is beautiful, but this weekend when we went camping, I think she realized for the first time the attention that might bring.  Normally we can't get her out of the camper, but when one of the boys from the campground came looking for her,  she popped right out!  It was so funny!  We had a great time camping with our Guate friends!  It makes my heart so happy that they still connect with one another even 9 years later!

April craziness!

April typically is a crazy month for us!  We have three birthdays, Passover, and Easter, and usually lots of out-of-town visitors.  This April was no different!  Grandpa Bob and Ginger came up for Easter and Passover and brought up Hannah and Collin.  Yolanda came and stayed with us for two weeks. It was party, party, party!

Birthday flowers and balloons from Bubby Patricia

Cousins at Easter

Cousins ready to hunt for Easter Eggs

Friends and family ready to hunt for Easter eggs

Celebrating April birthdays

Hiking with Yolanda at Cascade Falls, Patapsco State Park

Rock Scrambling at Cascade Falls