A new year!

I so want to post some new pictures. Unfortunately, if I continue to wait to post until I have new pictures I likely will not post for a very long time as my home computer is ancient and doesn't like it very much when I download new photos!

Anyway, it is a New Year,  2010 and I wanted to update Lily's world!

Lily is growing like a weed. I don't think we will make it out of this winter without having to borrow or buy some 4T clothes! I haven't gotten her recent height, but I was able to check her weight at the gym a few weeks ago and she is almost 34 lbs.

She has been super fiery lately. I find myself praying a lot! I know we prayed fervently for her and I know God gave her to us...I guess he thinks we are the perfect parents for her....but man...lately, I feel so overwhelmed. I try not to fast forward to her teenage years or "go to the end of job" as my mom would have said, but I admit sometimes it is hard. She is so strong-willed and sometimes just downright defiant. I just pray that God gives us the tools to shape her into the woman He wants her to be.

I do think her little girl side is slowly peeking out! She has always been sort of tomboyish, but for Christmas, she got pink sparkling shoes and now she wants to wear them every day! Though she has NEVER been one to let me put anything in her hair, she will occasionally come out with one of my headbands. Now mind you, it doesn't stay on long, but man it sure looks cute when she had it in! She also loves to wear necklaces. Very frequently she asked me to put a necklace on her. Yesterday she even let me put a ponytail in for a few short seconds! Of course, she pulled it out immediately...but it was adorable for a few short seconds.

She continues to make us laugh! She loves working out with me and the other day I was lifting some hand weights (3lbs each). Of course, she wanted to lift like mommy. I told her to be careful, I didn't want her to hurt herself or drop them on her feet. She said, "Don't worry Mommy, I'm hard". We always joke that Daddy is ripped, hard, and tough.

The other day Olav told Lily he was going to see Mr. Rusty. Lily said, "You are going to see the snowman?" She had thought daddy had said Frosty...not Rusty

Around Christmas, we were talking about Christmas Eve. Lily says, "I know Christmas Eve and she pulls out her children's bible and shows us Adam and Eve. Oh too cute!

Lastly, she loves flashlights. Well, one night she was in her bed and she was playing with her flashlight. Daddy had warned her that it was time to go to bed and that she had to turn her flashlight off or he would take her from her. Her response was, "Well I will just hold it tighter!" The tenacity of a 3.9-year-old!

She also is so amazing in how she is trying to make sense of her world! She has very often begun to talk about being adopted asking many questions and making many statements. Poor daddy is having a hard time with it...he didn't expect it to start so soon. I think cognitively she understands that she was born in another woman's tummy (we refer to her as her birth mom) and that she was poor and could not afford to give her food, clothing, or education so she chose to give Lily to us so we could love her and take care of her. We talk about how even though she wasn't born in my tummy she was born in my heart. But I so don't look forward to the day when she grasps it emotionally. I do hope it is not too painful or traumatic for her.

She also loves letters! She loves to sound out letters, put letter sounds together, and on occasion write letters. I wonder if she will learn to read before kindergarten. That would be so cool. She loves books. On the other hand...numbers....no interest really. We've been working on it...but I think she may not choose to be an accountant:). Although I guess you never know!