Loving Lydia

8

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you know every year we take a picture of Lydia with an 8. In her referal photo our girl held a lucky number 8 so we carry on the tradition.

To see some other eight's follow these links:

2008

2007

2006

2005 (The Original)

Family Day 2009

Every year I say it and every year I mean it. It feels like we've been a family forever...but it also feels like just yesterday. Four years ago we saw that angelic picture of the most beautiful girl in the world. And while we wouldn't hold her until October 11th and she wouldn't take my husband's name until October the 12th; on July 28th 2005 we became a family. This year we went to Ya Ya Island play and party center. We got our traditional cookiecake and Lydia received gifts. Later we went to dinner at Red Lobster where baby and I had crab legs and Russell sampled Jeffery Saad's (from "Next Food Network Star's) smoke grilled tilapia. Too spicey for me, but Russell liked it a lot.

Thunderstorm

Shhhhh....both of my babies are sleeping right now. I set Lydia up a little bed on the couch in the living room because there is a thunderstorm. Neither she or my other baby, Perry, like thunderstorms. The lights went out for about 10 seconds so Lydia is holding a little flashlight in her left hand and she has her right hand deeply buried in the fur of her faithful friend. Both feel safer having the other nearby. Totally sweet.

Found my camera

Fourth of July this year was good, but strange.

We all went to Freedomfest, tons of fun--but marked by Confederate flags flying more prominantly than the American. (Does that seem wrong to anyone else, or is that "just me"?) We played games, ate snowcones, had bbq and rode rides. Hot and tired, we left around 2pm to put Lydia down for a nap and then do "daytime" fireworks. Lydia played with poppits while we did snakes and coloured smokebombs. Afterwards we had grilled shrimp, corn on the cob and dumplins with homemade strawberry lemonade and apple pie. As we neared fireworks time that's when the storms began and we ended up spending time in the hallway as four tornados formed around town. The town's firework's display was postponed until the next night but we played with sparklers and fountians until Lydia was too tired to continue.  

The ultimate sin

I have misplaced my camera. I'll be posting photos soon...well as soon as I find my camera anyway.

This has nothing to do with Loving Lydia

But it's brilliant! (I love vampires!!)

Happy 4th!!!

Here are our previous 4th's as a family!

2008

2007 

2006  

Classic moments in parenting

Yesterday at dinner Lydia jumps up and says I gotta pee! So up she goes, like a big girl all by herself--completely able to handle the task at hand on her own. Russell and I continue to eat our spaghetti. A few moments pass when suddenly from the hall comes a child running frantically with her pants around her ankles and her panties around her knees. "There's a bug in my panties!!" she shrieks. Russell (our bug champion) throws down his fork and jumps into action. The bug--apparently a fly--no longer there had made it's escape. So dinner resumed its normal schedule, with the small exception of my hysterical laughter.

More Busch Gardens

I love theme parks, so one of the big things we did this year was go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. I grew up on this park--having had season passes most of my formative years..so I was excited to take Liddy. I've been to a bunch of parks; Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Opryland (before it's demise), Six Flaggs, Kings Dominion and many other smaller amusement parks. But Busch is my favourite. Yeah...Disney puts on a much better show, and Universal has the universal monsters and the King Kong ride. (LOVE the King Kong ride!) But Busch is so relaxing and beautiful. If you go during the week the lines are managable and you have a great time. I always felt like with Disney it was me verses the park. You have to have a "battleplan for fun" But at Busch it's easy. And isn't that what fun should be? Pure ease.

Ohme-Ohmy

We took Lydia to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and discovered she is a roller coaster junkie. I'm not overly fond of coasters, but I got on the kiddie coaster with her in "Elmo Land"...only to swear NEVER AGAIN. I'm a wimp, but not her, she rode six times and would have gone more if we had let her. Then she proceded to try every other thrill ride she could talk us into. Except for the Big Bad Wolf--she was afraid he might blow her house down so she was okay with skipping that ride. She was under the size limit for all the adult coasters...and let me tell you, we heard about it! But she did get on several other rides that made my knees shake. Our girl definately has that need for speed!
Ohme ohmy!

P.S. By the 5th or 6th go round on the coaster she was holding her hands over her head like a pro!