Sister Mary Lillian

Watching Lilly learn has been such an incredible experience.  She is the definition of a sponge, and I'm constantly amazed at all of the things she picks up on without me realizing it.  She will repeat words to me - sometimes immediately, sometimes a week or more later - and I am constantly astounded at what she hears and can regurgitate (watch your words, Mommy and Daddy!).  It has for sure been a good reminder to watch what I say as well as how I speak.  Anyway, I've started calling our girl "Sister Mary Lillian" because a few weeks ago, she got the hang of folding her hands and saying "Amen."  Behold:

The thing that makes this hilarious is that now that she's gotten the hang of it, she folds her hands and says Amen ALL THE TIME.  Playing with toys and accidentally drops one?  Amen.  Sitting at the table taking a million years to eat?  Amen (Between EVERY bite.  No I am not kidding.).  In the bath tub?  Amen.  At the doctor's office checking in with the receptionist?  Amen.  A few weeks ago at nap time L was in her crib talking to herself, and I guess she wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet.  This happens sometimes, so I wasn't concerned, but honestly I should have gotten my phone to record, because this is what I heard from the monitor:  "Mommy?  Layla?  Amen.  Up.  All done.  Elmo.  Abby.  Layla?  Amen.  Up.  Upppp.  UPPPPP!!!!  Amen."  I DIED laughing.  I wish I had a camera going at all times so that I could show you a video montage of all of the random Amens.  Hilarious, this child.

It seems like things have been crazier than ever around here lately, and I have so much blog catch-up to do.  I was thinking to myself earlier tonight that the good thing about Dan being so busy with work is that I'm often bored after L goes to bed and I'm all alone which motivates me to get a lot accomplished.  For example, today, I worked all day.  I got home around 5:30, played with Lilly for an hour, got her dinner ready, fed her, played some more, bathed her, and had her in bed by 8:00.  Between 8:00pm when she went to bed and now (10:00 pm), I have done the following: cleaned up dinner dishes and Tornado Lilly (I think she took out every toy in the whole house and threw it in the living room floor before bed), made home made blueberry muffins for a breakfast treat for L (she loves them as does my husband), did two loads of laundry, got tomorrow night's dinner started in the crock pot, ran the dish washer, and made L's applesauce for the week.  I am exhausted just re-reading that.

Anyway, I really just wanted to drop in to announce that we're still alive.  More to come...sometime.  

Sarah