More Christmas Spirit

Here another outtake..this one is the best of these poses..again Mark was talking in them..Zack did such a great job and he just took them at his Mama's house.

Here is Lydia being a cutie. Here is her super cheese smile. This is the only picture where you can see her matching sparkle headband and shoes.

and of course more with the reindeer.

More Sneak Peaks

Here was more pictures of our Christmas/Family/Lydia' 4 year old photo shoot..can you tell how much we like taking photos??? Mark actually does love taking candid photos of Lydia but under pressure, Lydia does not do so great and put her and Mark in a photo together ugh!

So I am lovin this new store in the Meadowbrook Mall called Crazy 8's. Lydia picked out this outfit on her own. She told me from the beginning that she wanted to wear a red sweater for her photos. I had just asked her what color sweater to kinda prompt her. And of course in true Lydia luck..she found a red sweater DRESS. She still asks every morning if she can wear a dress and tights with no holes (she hates leggings??? don't ask, I have NO idea why)

I cannot complain though, I wanted a girly girl to dress up and I got one. Now if she would grow some hair for me to play around with all will be right with the world.

Isn't this the sweetest picture? This dress is her annual gift from her Aunt Mary Gay and Uncle Frankie..but the awesome headband is from Crazy 8's again.

She is totally into watching Christmas movies. After years of watching Mickey Christmas she has moved on to Frosty Winter Wonderland (were Frosty gets married) and a Scooby Doo DVD where there is three or four Christmas episodes on it.

Here are a few of the family outtakes..not the really funny ones..I am saving that for whole separate post. I like this one because it show all "four" of us. We have been slacking on the whole belly shot thing so it was nice to have one..too bad Mark is talking in it..He has a horrible habit of doing that..he thinks he is being sly and talking to Lydia out of the side of his mouth but you just goofy pictures.Plus Lydia is using my boobs as a chair but I still like it.

Can I say that Lydia picked out our outfits. She and I went shopping and I had two other sweaters picked out for Mark but she begged me to buy this one. Mark was very hesitant about the color and pouted for days when I showed it to him but I though it looked awesome on him. Then I wanted a different color sweater for myself but she kept telling me this one was beautiful so I went her gut. Honestly, she has never steered me wrong yet. She also helped with pants. Motherhood finally started carrying petite pants so I picked up a few pair. I have pants but I get tired of looking sloppy and having them drag the floor!Hi Hatten twins...who is that weird outcast sitting with the two of you...sigh..maybe I have some hope with number two.
I know there are little things I can do that make her look a little more like me...like when I put her hair in pigtails or when she is giving dirty or evil looks at people..but seriously folks..my chin and lips gets lots in all that Hatten.

Sneek Peek

Photo by Zach Gouzd other wise known as the the patron saint of patient photographers

10 on Thanksgiving

1. I am thankful for Lydia. I never understood the love between a child and mother until her. I did not think there could be a more powerful connection than the one between yourself and your spouse. I could not have been more wrong.

2. I am thankful for how much Lydia is a daddy's girl. I am a daddy's girl and I am so happy that my daughter has such close relationship with her daddy!

3. I am thankful that Lydia not only looks exactly like her daddy she acts like her daddy too. She is creative, musical, loving, tenderhearted, and funny. She also gets her love of outdoors from him (not me).

4. I am thankful that some of me did sneak in there..I love that she loves to snuggle with me on the couch and watch TV. I don't care if we are rotting our brains.

5. I am thankful that, although frustrating at times, she is very verbal and strongminded. She is NOT easily swayed into doing something she does not want to do. My dream is that will turn her into a good leader at school and in life..not a follower.

6. I am thankful that she loves preschool and that she is doing great there. (or at least not bad enough that they ever call home..only one phone call and thankfully she was upset at the teacher not the kids)

7. I am thankful that Lydia seems to bring out the best in folks. I have seen family members do complete 180 degree personality changes since she has been in our lives. Especially with the men who have done diaper changes on her, played dress up, got makeovers..it is amazing.

8. I am thankful for everyone who has helped us with her. It really takes a village folks..

9. I am thankful that Lydia is excited to be a big sister. She already talks, sings, kisses, gives it a bath and puts lotion on it, hugs it goodbye when she is leaving and has already named the baby. She has done all this with absolutely no prompting from us. I know that this love seems to be one sided with her really wanting a baby sister named Ella...but I think things will be ok either way.

10. I am thankful that Lydia tests me everyday on being able to control my emotions by coming home singing "Frosty the Snowbutt" then when I don't laugh she follows that up with " You get it mom? you get it? Snowbutt? you get it?" Like I am just the idiot with no sense of humor, not a mom is who showing displeasure about her daughter singing about butts. Seriously folks..I don't know where she comes up with this stuff!

The Gang..

Here is the gang...Daphine, Shaggy and Scooby.

Trick or Treating Mike and Donna

Great Aunt DJ and Great Uncle Mike

and Vickie and Jack's house

Preschool Halloween Party

Here is our Scooby psyched up to go to her party at preschool. Still pretty happy to be there...

and this is the face that our princess gave us when the whole party did not stop and stare at her during her entrance...

She is absolutely too funny.

Smallest Church in the 48 states

We stopped here on our way to Davis on our Leaf Peepers weekend back in September.

Picnic at Morris Park

So Lydia has been on the hunt for some binoculars since she saw someone using them at the Pirates game. Of course her Great Uncle Mike A (she has two Great Uncle Mikes) had a "extra" pair laying around that she gave her. So then we HAD to go to the forest and look for wild animals. So I picked some supplies and we had a picnic at Morris Park so Lydia could try out her new binoculars.

When we first left she said she wanted to find ghosts and bats. I did not know that ghosts were wild animals but whatever. She did find some "wild" dogs that she got pet after spotting them. And she did actually see a bat when dusk was setting in..I was off getting the car so I missed that little touch with nature.
Here is another picture from the funny pictures of Mark file.

Here is Lydia eating her picnic dinner. I actually picked up one of those roasted chickens from Walmart and it was really good!

Wordless Wednesday

Italian Festival

This year my birthday fell on the Sunday of the Italian Festival. So I got to celebrate with outdoor mass and yummy food. After the festival we went down with my parents to the Winery in Weston. It was such a pretty day we decided to take some pictures...here are the outtakes..meet Forrest Gump and his daughter Forrest Gump Junior. Now I am not saying that I am miss photogenic but Mark has to be one the hardest person to take a picture of..maybe I will do a whole post of outtakes one day! and yes, although not in these photos his eyes are usually closed.

Here she is showing off her Italian Princess shirt and her crazy hat she talked Nonni into buying for her and her Pooh stamp on her face that she also talked Nonni into getting for her...

Here was was dancing around playing with the shadows.

This was her special "kingdom" with all her animal friends...too much Disney Princess maybe??

Daddy was allowed in and the only way we could leave is if we loaded up all her animal friends with us.

It was a pretty fun day. Everyday is a new adventure with her. Her imagination is so wild and active right now.

Church Picnic

Our church had their annual church picnic this year on Labor Day. This was Lydia waiting her turn to take a whack at the pinata. She is super thrilled can't you tell??
Here again, trying to wait but she could not have been any less interested. And when it was her turn she barely made it move. She did put a little pep in her step when the candy burst out but really only ate one piece of that.

Bubbles was where it was at.

Again, just hanging out by herself blowing bubbles.

It is crazy to think about how last year she could not blow bubbles...

I cannot wait to watch her at preschool and see if she actually plays with kids. I will say this weekend at my Pampered Chef show, She and another little girl dressed up and sang songs for us. I was impressed. She normally wants to be by herself or with other adults. I am hoping this is the positive change that I was looking for by sending her to preschool.

WVU tailgate

While Chris, April and Max here visiting, we attended the WVU game and had a tailgate at my friend Wendy's house.

This is Jack. We had to call her Jack and a little boy the whole game...

Aunt Wendy and Lydia

The threesome. We are trying to plan a girls getaway if our schedules will ever allow it!

"Jack" and I

She kept putting her necklace around Mark and saying they were twins.

That is Mark's buddy DJ in the background. It was a such a nice day that day and the Mounties shut out Coastal Carolina! Great day all around.