...Third Is The One With The Treasure Chest

Chris and I have been married 3 years and 5 days. Our anniversary was last Wednesday, March 7th. We were both horribly sick on the day but had already planned on going out to dinner the Friday after to celebrate. We went to The Peddler Steak House. It's a Greenville landmark where they cut your steak any size you want and cut it right in front of you. We found out the largest cut they've made was a 72 oz. steak AND all of it was eaten by one person. That is crazy and gross, anyhow we had a lot of fun and the food was delicious.

We took a pic before we headed out the door.

The past 3 years...well, I'm at a loss of words. Chris and I have asked each other if we thought this is how life would be. The answer is NOPE, NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED. Our life together has been full of so many miracles. We have been so blessed and there is no way we could have planned things to be this good. Sure, we have trials, but the good moments definitely outweigh the trying ones.

Our last 3 years have been amazing and I look forward to many more:)

Our Poor Baby

Lila broke her arm earlier this week:( She fell off the couch and landed on her arm. It was obvious it was broken because of how deformed it looked. Lila cried intensely at first but she calmed down and stayed calm through most of the ordeal. I panicked at first and called Chris. He rushed home from work and we went to the first hospital. That's right, first. We had to go to two hospitals that day because the first one didn't have a pediatric orthopedist. The first hospital x-rayed her arm and confirmed it was broken, both bones actually. Then they transferred us to the hospital downtown. She broke her arm around 11am and her arm wasn't reset and bandaged until 5pm. There was A LOT of waiting! They had to put her to sleep and so she wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything while she was waiting. My poor baby had a terrible day but she was so tough. She stayed calm until they put the IV in. By then, she had enough. However, she woke up happy after the procedure. Some of the first few things she said after waking was "eat", "bacuum" (She loves to clean up her toys and watch me vacuum. She asks to do it every day and multiple times a day), and of course "daddy". She will get a cast put on her arm in a week and it will stay on for 4-6 weeks. So far, this injury has not slowed her down one bit. We are so glad she is happy and not in pain anymore. Here are some pics we took from our phone.

Even though it was a trying experience, it could always be worse. I'm so grateful she will heal and be good as new:) We love you Lila!

Lately

I don't have a picture but Calvin attempted to climb the stairs.

Lila loves puzzles.

I made these kale chips for the first time.

Lila liked them.

I thought they were alright.

Calvin wasn't a fan.

Chris didn't dare put them in his mouth.

2 years and 9 months

Lila and Calvin just had a check-up and here are their stats.

Lila

22 lb 7 oz (25th percentile)

33.8 inches (50th percentile)

Calvin

20 lb 15 oz (55th percentile)

31 inches (off the chart!)

I'm sure Calvin will pass Lila in height and weight soon. He LOVES to eat and she...well...not so much. I'm grateful they are both so healthy and happy!

On a funnier note, here's videos of their early morning dance party:)

See, What Had Happen Was...

Our New Years Eve started out with my brother and sister-in-law getting sealed in the Columbia, SC temple at 7am. Well, it actually didn't happen until 7:45am because most of us got lost driving from the campsite to the temple. Oops:) They didn't have another sealing scheduled until 9 and the temple workers offered to babysit so everyone could attend. Unexpected but nice huh? It all worked out, as it usually does.

It was a beautiful ceremony and I'm grateful I could be there.

It's hard getting everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time. Especially with kids and this many people. Sheesh!

Then, we came home and Calvin took his first steps while holding onto the edge of the couch. He's also improved with his crawling from dragging his body to actually lifting it up and using his hands and knees.

Here's a video of this exciting milestone.

He's also been saying words such as goo, ga, ma, and oh. He's so cute!

In the evening, Chris made this delicious bbq grilled pizza.

It was sooooo yummy and Martinelli's sparkling cider washed it down perfectly. You can't ring in the New Year without Martinelli's. We had a great night to end 2011.

It's been a great year. Hope 2012 is as good if not better.

Happy New Year!

I Can't Believe She's 2!

Lila turned 2 on December 28th. We celebrated while camping in Columbia, SC with my family. She opened presents and had cake. What more could a kid ask for?

Lila has changed so much in such a short amount of time. She is talking more and more and her understanding of things is increasing daily. I need to be careful what I say now because she repeats everything she hears. This is such a fun stage and I love watching her learn and grow.

She is very loving. Always ready to give hugs and kisses. Also, loves to help around the house. She'll be running this place in no time:) My Lila is just amazing and we love her dearly! Especially her daddy and she is still a daddy's girl. I'm sure she always will be. The words we hear the most are: okay, water, daddy, momma, play, oh buddy, go, no, I done. Her favorite food is ravioli or anything momma and daddy are eating. She loves bath time. She loves her brother, Calvin and takes good care of him. Lila asks to color everyday and multiple times through out each day. Her newest thing is helping me cook. We both enjoy that.

I feel incredibly blessed to have her as my daughter.

Happy Birthday Lila!

Love you:)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

For Christmas Eve, we had our friends, Holly, Brad, Eva, and little Thomas, over for dinner and games. We stuffed our bellies so full of the delicious ham dinner that we needed to wait a little bit before eating dessert.

The guys played some ping pong,

while the girls made some graham cracker houses.

Calvin and Thomas were already sleeping at this point. Then Chris and I taught Brad and Holly the game of Citadels. It was a great night and we had a lot of fun!

This was Calvin's first Christmas so Lila showed him the ropes by opening her stocking first.

She loves bananas!

Calvin looks excited doesn't he?

Then we opened presents. I thought these next few pictures were funny.

Let's open this.

Ooh, paper.

Is this mine?

You can have it. I want the paper.

Then we went to church. We heard messages about Christ, His birth, and His example of service. It was a great way to feel the Christmas spirit on this wonderful day. I also love singing Christmas hymns and we sang one of my favorites, 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day'. This time of year is my favorite and I look forward to it all year long. There is just something magical in the air:)

I also love the feeling of a new beginning that comes when January rolls around. Here's to the ending of an exciting year and looking forward to what lies in store for us next year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!