christmas week recap

So let's see if I can remember the rest of christmas week that I didn't blog about.... But before I do that, is this not the most precious picture of Lily?!
On Friday we headed off to Lowe's to pick out paint and carpet for our house that we will have in Virginia Beach! Let me tell you how much I was loving that. You always dream about having your first house and the time has finally come!! We're just going to do a neutral tan/beige color throughout the house but then a brighter blue in the kitchen. The cabinets are white in the kitchen so I thought the blue would make it pop. That afternoon we went over to Calie Garrett's parents house to hang out with them for awhile and meet little Hannah. She was adorable even though she liked Ms. Phyllis better than me! :) It's so amazing how babies change so much in just one year. Then that evening we headed to Longhorn Steakhouse for a delicious dinner with both sets of our parents. I've never seen Lily eat so much in her life that night!

On Saturday morning my mom watched Lily so we could go check out the house with one of the guy's from church. It's going to be really great once they finish all the remodeling they are doing. All new carpet throughout, paint, redoing both bathrooms, etc. And the best part is that we're going to have more room and a designated "playroom" to keep all of Lily's craziness in! The weather was gorgeous that day so we went out for a walk that afternoon. Then my best friend from childhood, Sarah, came over with her mom to hang out for a little while and see Lily. I'm glad that I'll hopefully be able to see her more often now since we'll be back in Virginia Beach. That evening I stayed at the house and Matt went out with his brother for awhile.

Sunday morning was church of course, a quick lunch, and then we hit the road for home. I love coming back home after a long trip (except for vacation!). I miss just being in my own place with my own "quiet."

Matt's off again this whole week!! It's been SO nice having him home and someone else to entertain Lily. Plus that means if he's home I have a car and can go places and get things done!

In Lily news, she's still walking a lot. She's getting better now at standing back up on her own to walk once she falls to the ground. She knows now as soon as we take her shirt or pants off in the evening that it's bedtime. Last night Matt took her shirt off, she climbed down off the sofa, walked to the bathroom door, and said "ba" for bath. So cute!

I uploaded all our pictures from christmas on to our picture site that you can check out if you want... (http://bruns924.shutterfly.com).

my little walker

I can't believe how in the past just 2 days how much Lily is walking now!!! She has been like half and half today - half of her time crawling, half of her time walking. It's SO crazy seeing her walk across the room now by herself. And it's so cute how she looks all wobbly when she's doing it. I can't believe my little baby girl is really turning in to a "toddler!" Check out this video clip I got of her the other day:

Had a great time in Virginia Beach for christmas. We are back home and now get to start the process of getting ready for our first move as a family! I will blog more later about the end of our week in virginia beach. Oh.. and our camera crapped out yesterday. I rely on my camera for a lot too!! Matt's parents are letting us borrow their old one until we can afford to get a new one.

Bailey Anne Tyler

My bf Tara had her baby girl last night! Bailey Anne Tyler was born at 9:23PM weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces, 20 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing good after a long labor and c-section. Vicky and I are going later this week to visit her!!

name that garmin

Matt and I got a Garmin GPS for christmas from my parents and I'm trying to come up with a name for it. Matt wanted to call it "Garmin" - how original is that. Anyways.. anybody have a good name suggestion?

Christmas

We had a wonderful christmas even though Matt and Lily were both sick. On Christmas Eve, we took Lily to Coleman's Nursery displays. My parents use to take me to this when I was young and it apparently burnt down or something a few years ago but everything that survived, they kept for a museum in Portsmouth. We had lunch and Lily got to look at all the christmas stuff, plus see Santa! Then that afternoon Lily "helped" me make cookies for Santa before it was time to head off to church for the christmas eve service. Of course the night we're gonna be out a little later, Lily either didn't sleep for her afternoon nap or it was very short. I basically heard her jabbering in there almost the whole hour. On the way to church she konked out so she got a little power nap to last her through. She did great during the service all things considered. And she was just the most gorgeous little girl in her beautiful christmas dress! That evening we played our new game, Monopoly. I decided to use one of my sister's traditions in their family - every christmas eve they get to open a gift and it's always a new game. Obviously Lily can't play games yet, so Matt and I got a game we had been wanting. My mom won - anyone that knows her knows that's amazing for monopoly!


Christmas Day Lily was up at her normal time - 8am. We came down and gradually opened presents, taking a break for breakfast. Lily made out! It's SO fun having a child and getting to buy them gifts and see how excited they are about them. Even though Lily doesn't get the concept yet, she still lights up when she sees a new toy she likes! Let's see if I can list some of the stuff she got: Disney princess ride-on, mega blocks, spin and bounce zebra, crayola tadoodles, new books, clothes, her first baby doll, little people school bus, leapfrog caterpillar, big new tug boat bath toy, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. WOW! And NO, this was not all from us. The grandparents went nuts!


Matt and I got some fun new stuff too. The most exciting one... my parents got us a GPS!! Yeah!! We had mentioned how we wanted one back when we went to Myrtle Beach in September and my dad remembered. I got some house stuff I wanted - new shower curtain liners, bowls, serving spoons. Then 2 Seasons of Friends to add to my collection, puffy vest, several gift cards, and a bunch of scrapbooking stuff.


Matt went and laid down for a nap after presents (which ended up being 4 hours long!), but he didn't feel good so I gave him a break! :) Then that evening we had christmas dinner and my parents had invited a friend couple of theirs whose children were gone this year. They are from the church and were really nice. Then after dinner Matt's parents came over to do presents with us. Lily went to bed, and then all the adults got to play some games.

Today was a fun day. After Lily's morning nap we went to Lowe's to pick out carpet and paint for our first house!! Yeah!!! The church is doing some renovations to the house we will have and told us we can pick out carpet and paint. They are redoing both the bathrooms too. It was SO exciting. I love "house" stuff and could watch HGTV all the time. And I finally get to have a house and be able to do things I've dreamed of!! Yeah!!

This afternoon we're headed to visit with some friends (Calie and Daniel) and their baby girl. Then we're going to a delicious dinner with both sets of parents at Longhorn Steakhouse. YUM! Hope everyone had a merry merry christmas. We'll be heading back to Lynchburg on Sunday.

youth pastor's wife

Yes... that is what I'm going to be!!! We got the GREAT news this morning. The chairmen of the search committee called Matt to tell him that pending the congregation vote on January 11th, they have chosen him to be the youth pastor of Suburban Christian Church!!! Can you tell I'm a little excited? The vote passed the board so it just has to go to the congregation before it's official, but most everything goes through that the board approved. Plus we know a large majority of the congregation and they have all been routing for Matt. I can't believe that it's finally "our time." We've been waiting and praying for so long for this! We've seen so many other people and friends obtain goals and dreams they have and God finally brought one of our big dreams to reality!!! We're so incredibly thankful to God and know that this wouldn't be happening if it weren't for him. Nothing we have done would ever be good enough. Thank you thank you thank you God!!!!

Anyways... I will blog more later but just got to the parents house for christmas so need to get settled. But had to share the wonderful news with everyone!! By the way, it won't be until probably early February that we will be moving. So don't worry Lynchburg friends, I'm not leaving town all of a sudden! :)

ear infection and baby vicks

I am a new believer in Baby Vicks! I remembered that my mom use to put Vicks on us when we had cold stuff and I also had heard that putting it on a baby's feet too helps them. So I figured I would give it a try. I rubbed it on her chest, back, and feet before bed last night and she didn't cough hardly at all! I might have heard her once or twice just for a minute. I couldn't believe it! I also had given her the teaspoon of honey and gave her nasal spray. So either it was the baby vicks, the combination of everything, or she just had a better night for none of those reasons. :) Anyways, it made me a believer in Baby Vicks! If you have a baby/toddler with a cough or cold, I highly recommend it!

Yesterday afternoon was just the pits and Lily was crying and crying. So I decided instead of waiting until Monday to take her in, I got an appointment for today. Thankfully, our pediatrician's office has weekend hours for sick appointments! I love that place (except for the awful wait times). Ended up (after 2 hours of waiting at the office), that she has an ear infection. The doctor said her cough/runny nose stuff should just play itself out, her lungs sounded fine. But she gave us an antibiotic to help clear up the ear. So hopefully Lily will be feeling some better in a day or two!

standing on her own

And how could I forget.... Lily stood up on her own for the first time today without holding on to anything! She's still been taking a few steps at a time too. She just gets better and better everyday. It feels like this past week has really been a big jump for her.

update on sick Lily

Lily's still sick. Last night was a very rough night for her. She coughed her little head off until probably around 10:30 and then I finally didn't hear her again until morning. Today was a ROUGH day. She just cried and cried. It's so sad because I know she doesn't feel good and nothing I do for her makes it better. :( And then all the crying gets to me because I can't fix it. I bought some Baby Vicks at the store today and rubbed that on her chest, back, and feet tonight before bed and thankfully I haven't heard any coughing!! So maybe the baby vicks has really helped or God knew I really wanted her to feel better! :) Anyways.. hoping tomorrow is a better day for her. I feel so bad for her when she doesn't feel good.

That's pretty much been othe past day or two for me - taking care of her and trying to be as entertaining and comforting as possible. Matt's off for the next week. Yeah!! And then off again for like 3 or 4 days the following week. It's SO nice to have him home!! We're just hanging out here at the house until Tuesday and then we're leaving that morning to head to Virginia Beach for christmas with the extended family. Hope everyone is having a wonderful merry christmas!! I'm enjoying the last few days of it!

sickness and an ornament

So, my little Lily is sick. I'm pretty sure she caught whatever Ava had while we were down visiting in NC. She has the same exact symptoms - junky cough and a runny nose. Thankfully no fever or anything. She's been pretty clingy and irritable today but I'm sure she's probably not feeling so hot. This morning after she got up she sat with me on the couch almost the whole time until her morning nap! Hopefully she'll get better soon and will feel good for christmas (which is in only 7 days!).

I might have mentioned this before, but every Wednesday my friend Vicky comes over to hang out with Lily after work, have dinner with us, and then the two of us go get coffee and dessert at Starbucks. I look forward to that night every week! I know it does me good. Anyways... Vicky came over last night and had this for me for christmas....
a ceramic Starbucks cup ornament! Isn't it great?! Thought it was so fitting for our relationship. By the way, tried the cream cheese chocolate muffin last night and it was incredible!

first official steps

Lily took her first real steps today!! I was SO excited. I was sitting at the computer and I saw her get out of her chair, stand up, concentrate for a second, and then she just walked out. She took about 2 or 3 steps and then went down to the ground to crawl. I've gotten her to take a few steps a couple of times today too! Yeah Lily!!

Now if I can just catch it on video....

weekend in NC and new 2nd cousin

So we had a GREAT time in NC with my sister and her family. Having 4 kids in the house actually wasn't as chaotic this time as it previously has been. I think that's because Lily is more self-sufficient now. Ava and Lily have a love-hate relationship still. Sometimes Ava is the little mother hen and takes care of her and other times (namely when Lily's playing with her toys) she doesn't think Lily's so great. Ava called Lily "Lil" a lot this weekend which was really cute. Sometimes Matt and I call her lil for short. One time Ava even called her "sweet lil." So adorable! My sister and I actually got a picture together with our kids!Friday evening the husbands stayed home with the babies and me, Dawn, and Ava got to go to the christmas play at their church. It was gorgeous even though the baby was fake. :) Saturday morning we opened christmas presents. Lily got a fun new Little People airplane and a new book. Lily loves books! We got Ava a dvd she wanted, Barbie Diamond Castle. So you can guess what we watched a lot of the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday, we went to the Carters Outlet. That place is so tempting. Buying clothes for Lily is definitely my weakness!! Then, Matt helped Ava make and decorate christmas cookies to give away to her teachers for presents. With what was left of the cookie dough we didn't eat beforehand! :)
Saturday night we got to watch The Black Knight. Good movie! It's not really my type of movie but Matt wanted to see it so bad that I agreed. Aren't I a sweet wife? It was actually pretty good. I still think it's odd that Matt doesn't like clowns yet he will watch a movie that has a scary looking clown in it (the joker). Go figure!

Sunday afternoon Dawn and Chris took Ava to Disney on Ice. So Matt and I got to babysit Cecilia and Owen while watching Lily too of course. They did great and we survived. :) I am always reminded when I watch them what a supermom my sister really is with having twins and a 4 year old! She does such a great job. Here's Lily with her Aunt Dawn:The twins are adorable. Owen's the little social butterfly and will smile and laugh at anything. Cecilia is the more serious one but when you can crack a smile and a little laugh your heart just melts.Lily LOVED the ride-on at Dawn's house too. She rode that thing around everywhere and thought she was hot stuff. Who knows..... maybe Santa will bring her one for christmas too. :) And the play kitchen was also a huge hit! Lily was so cute playing. Maybe Santa can bring one of those next year!Ava with her favorite Aunt Amanda:In other baby news.... my cousin had her little baby girl, Sophia Bostian. Sophia was born Sunday the 14th at 10:39pm. She was 8 pounds 14 ounces and 22 inches. Mom, Dad, sister, and baby Sophia are all doing great!Now just waiting for Tara's baby to get here! Come on Bailey! I told Tara that I have predicted Bailey will be born on December 25th, 4 days after her due date. I had Lily 4 days after my due date so that's why I chose that date.

nc and my cousin's baby

Today we're leaving to go down to visit my sister and her family for the weekend. Yeah!! I don't get to see them as often anymore as I did in college for obvious reasons. Lily was 8 months the last time we were there (4 months ago!). That might not seem like a long time for some of you but for me it is! Tonight I get to go to the christmas play at their church with Dawn and Ava. Hopefully Lily will do well with Matt in a new place and go to bed okay! And sleep until her normal 8AM in the morning. Cecilia gets up VERY early in the morning so I'm hoping Lily's sleep pattern doesn't get messed up. Anyways.. looking forward to a fun weekend with 4 kids in the house!

In other exciting news... my cousin is scheduled to be induced on Sunday! They are having their second little girl, Sophia. Her blood pressure is staying pretty high so they wanted to go ahead and induce. I'll post a pic if I can get my hands on one after she's born! We're hoping that sometime in early 2009 we can get up to see all of my extended family there in Maryland. My other cousin just had a little girl too a few months ago, Catherine. So we have two new baby girls to meet in the "sittig" family.

a step and "book"

Just had to share this exciting news (at least to me) for the day even though I already posted once.....

1) Lily took one step today!!! It was really out of not knowing it though. She was standing on her own holding something in her hands and took a step to the side to get to something near her. I know it's not her really walking yet but even those little things can get a mom excited! She's been standing on her own a lot today I've noticed. Could still be awhile before she really walks but that's okay - means I can keep up with her better! Although she is the fastest crawler I think I've ever seen!

2) I think she really has a first official word... "book." Or rather in her language "boo" with no k at the end. Lily absolutely loves books. She would be content with me reading to her all day. She will throw the book at me to get my attention to read to her. Then she always climbs in my lap. It really is cute even though I have to do it a LOT. I'm glad she likes reading. Anyways... seems appropriate for that to be her first real word. I noticed it first this morning when I said "you want to read the book?" And she said it once. I didn't think much of it at first just cause I figured it was a coincidence. But she's done it several times today when she gets a book to read.

Yeah Lily!!

for your viewing pleasure

I realized today that I can easily upload video clips of Lily to my blog. I knew this before I just didn't ever really think to do it. So here's Lily pushing her walker from her Aunt Dawn:



Lily laughing her little head off:

purple

Who likes the new background? Can't decide if I like the purple better or not... Can you tell I'm a poor decision maker?

30 Random Things

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 30 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 30 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. Have fun and enjoy!
1. I can make my pinky toe move all by itself.
2. I am 7 pounds lighter than I was before I had Lily.
3. I LOVE coke. Especially fountain coke from Chick-fil-a.
4. On our honeymoon, the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night in our hotel building (while we are on the 21st floor)!
5. When I was little, my best friend Sarah and I use to play with these plastic cabbage patch mini dolls underneath the covers when we woke up in the morning from a sleepover.
6. My favorite part of school was getting to buy school supplies and organize all my notebooks!
7. I peed in a diaper during my college years (and there was no alcohol involved)!
8. I really want a minivan.
9. Matt always buys me a new christmas cd on November 1st each year when I start listening to christmas music.
10. I took piano lessons for probably at almost 10 years when I was a kid.
11. I wish I lived in the same town as my sister and my best friend Tara.
12. I love to clip my fingernails.
13. I think peanut butter is disgusting.
14. I want to go on an overseas missions trip with Matt someday.
15. One of my favorite times of day is going in to check on Lily sleeping and praying over her before I go to bed.
16. I don't like my food to touch on my plate.
17. I use to work for an otolaryngologist where I had to clean the bottle of people's sucked out ear wax. Gross!
18. Christmas Eve service is my favorite church service.
19. One of my stupid moments: During the ultrasound to determine if Lily was a boy or girl, the technician said "look that's the labia." And I said "that means it's a girl, right?"
20. I think Canada ketchup is far superior to United States ketchup.
21. I celebrated my 17th birthday while on a missions trip to Ukraine.
22. I will never grow out of childlike amazement when I go to Walt Disney World. It really is the most magical place on earth.
23. I cried at one of my birthday parties when I was a kid because everyone wasn't doing the things in the order that I had planned them.
24. I tried out for one sport, volleyball, and didn't make it. Go figure!
25. Everyone says I looked Chinese when I was a baby.
26. I sleep with a fan going for the noise.
27. My friend and I use to play "Saddam Hussein" when we were in middle school with our Nerf guns. One of us would be Saddam and the other would have to "kill" him.
28. I got one detention my whole school career. Chewing gum in middle school - I was devastated!
29. My mom use to put chocolate ensure in my stocking every year because I loved it.
30. My sister and I both have back dimples. And both our girls do too - must be genetic!

I will tag people on facebook. :)

new hiding place, my explorer, and baby excitement

Lily has found her new favorite place to hang out....

behind the rocking chair in her room. She keeps going back there and getting her books out to look at them. What a cutie!

Lily has also turned in to my little explorer. She use to be MAJORILY clingy when we were out with other people or in loud places - especially at playgroup. She officially is much more of an explorer now! We went to playgroup yesterday at Kids Cove and I couldn't keep her near me! She took off and wouldn't even stay in the toddler area - she kept heading over to the big kids area. I decided to try and take her up to the big indoor slide. That was a big mistake. :) She hated it and so did I. It was high up and a bit scary! Once back on the ground though she was fine!

And just a final note of something that's been on my mind... my best friend Tara is having her baby soon!!! I can hardly believe it's so close - less than 2 weeks until her due date now. It feels like just yesterday she told me she was pregnant. I'm SO excited for her because she is going to be a great mom. Plus I can't wait to meet Bailey and hold her! It's so great holding the babies of friends you really love. There's just something so incredibly special about your best friend or sister's babies. There's this attachment and love that you feel for them unlike other people's children. Granted Tara hasn't even had her baby yet but I already know I will feel that way about her baby girl too! I'm praying for you Tara and your little baby girl too!

jeans, Santa, snow, nursery, and 1 year molars

We had a good weekend at home finally! It always seems like we're gone doing something on the weekends. Saturday morning Matt watched Lily so I could go to Old Navy. They had a bunch of their jeans on sale for $12 again! I love Old Navy jeans and since I've gotten smaller I don't have hardly any that fit anymore. The last $12 sale they had I got my 2 pairs that I wear all the time! I also got Lily some stuff on clearance for the summer.

After morning nap we headed to the mall. Lily got to actually see Santa and sit on his lap! She was SO cute and LOVED it! That probably won't always be the case so I was loving it. She was giving him all these big cheesy grins. We got a picture from it but our scanner isn't working so I can't upload it yet. Then we had a chick-fil-a lunch and I found her some black leggings I'd been trying to find at Macy's. Matt also got his tux fitted for his friend's wedding in January. Lily also got to wear her first tennis shoes! Her "auntie vicky" got them for her a little while ago and she fits in them now. They're SO stinkin cute. You can see them in the picture below.

Saturday afternoon brought us SNOW! Yeah!! It was the beautiful kind too - big and falling slowly. It actually did coat the ground and roofs. I love snow when it doesn't make the roads messy! I took Lily outside so she could examine it.

This morning was church. Lily had a great time as usual in the nursery. When we went to get her today she was out in the main foyer check-in-area. All the adult greeters were passing her around just talking about how cute she was. :) She's that one in the nursery that all the workers want to watch! She's just so adorable they can't resist. :) Here's her adorable outfit for today:

Now I'm off to relax and watch the Eagles. Tonight Vicky is coming over to babysit Lily while Matt and I go on a date. Yeah! It's been a long time since we've been out and we have a restaurant gift card so we can afford it. :)

Oh.. and almost forgot! Lily is getting 2 molars! I always though that teeth came in gradually from front to back and never did different. Apparently I was wrong. She still has only had her front 4 teeth until now. The past 2 days she was EXTREMELY irritable. Finally last night I was playing with her and the big bright light was on. She had her mouth open real wide laughing and I saw this white thing on her gum. I just figured it was food but when I reached in there to touch it, it was a tooth! So she has 2 coming through - one on the top right and one on the bottom right. Crazy!

belly button, forks, and phones

Lily has figured out where belly buttons are. It's so cute! I ask her where her belly button is and she pulls up her shirt.

She knows how to use a fork - kind of. If I put a piece of food on the end of it she will pick it up by the handle and eat the food off of it! Yeah Lily! One step closer to using utensil and less mess to clean up!

And she loves phones or things that look like them. She's figured out that you "talk" in to phones and put them to your ear. So when she gets one she holds it up to her ear and babbles.

My little cutie seems to figure out new things every day!

God's in charge

It's so easy as humans to worry about life and not put things in God's hands. As you can probably guess, worrying is on my mind tonight. Anyone that is probably reading this knows about the position at our old home church in Virginia Beach that Matt has interviewed for.

Well, we're still waiting. We found out today that they're going to be interviewing a 3rd person for the job. I think either this weekend or the next. In my mind, that was a setback. It meant to me that's one more person that potentially could get the job. And the weird part is, we kind of know the guy. Back when we were in youth group, we hung out with a bunch of kids from another church in the area. And that's where the guy is from. I can't really describe it but it just feels weird.

There is so much riding on this decision for our family. It's Matt's dream job. It means I won't have to go back to work and can stay home with Lily and out future children. The list could go on and on. This is huge for us.

The timing is coming down to the wire for us financially too. But God always teaches us to trust Him in the hard times and when things aren't secure.

We've prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed about this. I really honestly don't think I have ever been SO consistent about praying for something in my entire life for so long. This whole thing started back in March when the former pastor announced his retirement. It's now December. It really has been a long while.

And even though we're probably only a few weeks away from knowing, it still feels like it will be forever. Almost everything in my gut makes me feel like he still is going to get it. But that worry part has started to set in.

Matt has such a heart for that church (and of course so do I) and such a desire to lead and grow that youth group. I just have to keep praying that God will grant us the desires of our heart. I believe that if we are praying and "in tune" with God that those desires we feel are from Him.

Well... don't know if any of this made sense. But it's weighing heavily on my mind tonight and just had to share. So for now I will keep on praying and waiting just like I have been. And try to put my worries in God's hands knowing that He's in control and has our lives in His hands. He is our provider.

1 Year Professional Pics

Here's some pics from Lily's 1 year and christmas photo shoot. Isn't she ADORABLE?!

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and fun Lily things

We had a great time in Virginia Beach with Matt's family for Thanksgiving. Lily and Aaron are so cute together. He was even feeding Lily her snacks! Thursday was just bum around the house and eat lots of delicious food day.

Friday we went to get Lily's 1 year and christmas professional pics at the Picture People. Plus we got a cute one of Lily and Aaron together too. Lily was being such a little model that day! All the pictures turned out SO good. If you have the money (in our case matt's mom thankfully paid), then Picture People or someplace like that is SO much better than the Sears ones we've had done. Anyways, I tried to scan in them in last night to post them but for some reason our scanner isn't working. So once Matt's mom scans them in for me at her house I will put them up. Then that evening Lily got to go for a ride in Nana's wagon. She loved it! Her new warm hat is SO cute too!

Saturday we went to Macarthur Mall in hopes that Lily and Aaron could see Santa. Plus they had this really cool Polar Express snow globe display. The line was REALLY long though and then Santa went on break so we didn't get to. We're gonna take Lily to see him hopefully this weekend at our mall. I think she'll do okay with him this year because every time she sees him she points and smiles. She'll probably like touching his coat. Oh and Lily got to ride forward facing for the first time on the way to the mall! She legally can ride forward facing now since she's over a year and 20 pounds but I hadn't switched her yet in our car because it's supposedly safer to keep them rear facing as long as possible. Matt's mom had Aaron's seat in her car though and so we just took hers. She loved it!

Sunday we went to church and then headed back home. Today was decorate the christmas tree day! Yeah!!! I usually do it on the weekend after thanksgiving but we were in Virginia Beach. Matt started with sinus stuff and wasn't feeling well so he stayed home today. He was able to get my christmas decorations out though for me so I could put them up. Lily LOVES the christmas tree. She has been really good with it so far. I think she knows for some reason she's not supposed to touch it.

Some fun new things that Lily does... She learned how to make kisses with her mouth. She won't actually kiss on the lips but she puckers up. It's SO cute! She's been clapping away. And this past weekend she figured out how to point with just her pointer finger. So she's been pointing at everything! Sunday she figured out that she has this thing called a tongue. She's been playing with it and sticking it out all the time.

My sister got Lily one of those push walkers for her birthday and Lily can now use it! She loves walking around with that thing. It's so cute seeing her push it everywhere!

Lily also gets very upset very easily these days if she can't get something to do what she wants it to do. She's at that stage where she knows a lot about what toys are supposed to do but sometimes doesn't have quite the ability to make it do that certain thing. If that happens, she starts whining/crying until we help her out. She's going to be a very passionate little girl - just like her cousin Ava!

Well, that's the news from our world. Off to do some grocery shopping! Here's a cute pic I finally uploaded of Lily with her cousin Ava and Aunt Dawn:

thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!! For thanskgiving dinner today, we are all going to share something that we are thankful for - and not allowed to just use a cheesy typical answer. As I've been thinking about it, there are so many things that I am thankful for and I thought I would share a few....

1. Jesus. Okay so this can be a typical cheesy answer but let me go on. I am nothing without God. I believe that my life would be serving no real purpose without Him. I live and breathe because of Him. I can be a good wife, mother, and friend because of Him. I have something to look forward to beyond this life because of Him. I don't have to worry because of Him. He is everything that I need. I couldn't be thankful for anything else if I didn't have this to be thankful for.

2. My husband. He makes me a better woman. He goes to work everyday to provide for our family. He loves me unconditionally. He loves God. He makes me laugh. He's the most wonderful man I could ever have asked for.

3. My daughter. I never knew how much love you could have for someone until I had Lily. I get the privilege every day of being a mother and raising her the best I can. She brings a smile to my face everyday.

4. God's provision. I worry a lot about money. And really I shouldn't because God has always proved faithful and has provided for our needs. We surely aren't the richest of families in financial terms, but we are a loving happy family. God continues to show us that he's faithful to us even when we aren't faithful to Him all the time.

5. The hard times. If I didn't experience hard times, how would I really enjoy and appreciate the good times? How would I become a better person? I am thankful for the struggles and difficulties this past year because they have taught me so many lessons.

I hope everyone takes time out today to really think about what they are thankful for. We are so blessed. Even if you might be in the darkest of times, there is always something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

Lily's 1st Birthday Celebrations

Wow has it been crazy busy around the Bruns' household the past few days!! As everyone knows by now, my baby turned 1 on Friday! So here's the run down on the celebrations...

Friday morning Matt was able to go in a little late to work so he could be here when Lily woke up to sing her happy birthday and give her her big present. She was so smiley when both of us came in to say good morning and we sang to her. Then she got to go out in the living room and see her big present from mommy and daddy: a big girl chair from Pottery Barn Kids with her name on it! She has since fallen in love with this thing. She knows how to climb up in it and sit and will watch her baby einsteins in it with tigger. It's SO stinkin cute! She also loved her peek-a-boo card from mommy and daddy.

Then after morning nap, grandma and grandpa arrived. They took us to lunch at Bob Evan's and then we picked up Lily's birthday balloons. I have found out that she loves balloons!! Ever since we have had them at home she always wants to go over and hit them.

Then that afternoon, my sister and her family arrived so we went over to the place they were staying at to hang out with them for awhile. Can I just say that her kids are just the cutest (besides my own that is)! Cecilia and Owen are turning in to real lively little babies and Ava is just adorable and fun as always.

Then it was back to the house for dinner. Lily's Nana, Aunt Missy, and cousin Aaron arrived next. Her Papa and Uncle Jake couldn't make it because they were sick. After dinner, we did cupcake time. We got to sing her happy birthday and blow out her first birthday candle. My wonderful creative hubby made Lily's cupcakes for her. She had a little bit of cake but wasn't really that much in to it. Then we did presents. She, of course, was excited about all her new toys and books!

Saturday morning was very busy. Basically getting ready for Lily's big birthday party. We had it down at our clubhouse thanks to the funding of the grandparents. MUCH more room and it worked out really great! Her cake was absolutely gorgeous!! My friend Alicia's friend does cakes on the side and she agreed to do one for me. I had seen Andi's birthday cake and loved it! It turned out so great!!

We had pizza for lunch and then did more presents. Lily is well stocked now and got lots of really fun neat toys! Then it was cake time. Everyone sang her happy birthday again and she dug in. Okay well she didn't dig in... she was VERY gentle and nice with the cake surprisingly. She didn't eat very much of it again - I don't think she's very in to sweets oddly enough. The cake was delicious though!!

During the party, Lily and her bff Andi migrated to each other and were just sitting in the floor sharing their snacks with each other. It was so stinkin cute:

Here's who came and made her party special - my parents, Matt's family, my sister's whole family, my best friends from college Vicky and Tara, Tara's mom, Alicia and her family, and Kathy and her husband (my good friend from work).

Everything went so incredibly well and Lily had a great birthday overall! The rest of the weekend was just spending time with family. Well, want to get off of here and go watch our movie. We're headed to Virginia Beach tomorrow for the thanksgiving holiday. To see all the pics from her birthday you can check on our picture website.

the ticker

and if you're reading this blog today (the 21st), look up at Lily's ticker. It says "Happy 1st Birthday!" Yeah!! Even my ticker is celebrating. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Lily!!!!

I went back in my blog posts to find where I had written about Lily's birth story. And in the midst of the craziness of having a baby, I realized that I didn't blog about that! So in honor of Lily's 1st birthday today, I will retell Lily's birth story. Here's what I wrote in her baby book:

I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday November 21st but ended up going in to labor on my own that morning at 2:30AM. I woke up to contractions that were about 10 minutes apart. I at first couldn't believe that it was actually happening! By 6AM they had been coming every 4-6 minutes for awhile so we called the midwife and headed to the hospital about 6:30AM. They hooked me up to all the monitors and did a cervical check. I was only 1-2cm. I thought for sure I was at least 4 by that time! So they didn't want me to get the epidural yet until I was a little farther along. I got in the bathtub for awhile which really did help some but it was still the most incredible pain I've ever felt! I finally got the epidural at 10:30AM which was a breeze and not painful at all. DEFINITELY glad I went that route. It was wonderful not having any pain at all! Around 5cm I slowed down and wasn't progressing so the midwife broke my water. That didn't help so they started me on just a little bit of pitocin. That did the trick and started making things progress really quickly. Around 6 or 7PM I was fully dilated but my midwife was delivering a baby next door so I had to wait for her to get done. I was starting to feel pain again so they sent in the anesthesiologist to give me a booster shot and that got rid of the pain really quickly. I started pushing around 7:45PM. Matt and a nurse held my legs up for me to push and they had a mirror which helped me to see my progress and Lily's head starting to emerge. Since I had the epidural and didn't feel the contractions the mirror helped me to know I was pushing good. I pushed for about 45 minutes and she was out! I tore (level 2) because Lily's arms were crossed across her chest. Matt got to cut the cord and then for a minute they let me have her up on my chest before they took her to clean her off, do vitals, etc.

She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. No words can describe how you feel in that very moment. Here is my beautiful baby girl when she was born and now at 1 year old!

this time last year

This time last year I was spending my last day as pregnant with Lily. Little did I know a year ago how much love you can have for your child and how holding her for the first time could be the most amazing incredible feeling you can have in this life. It really is true that when you have a child your heart is walking around outside your body. I always think back to when she came out and they laid her up on my chest. I was in awe and overwhelmed at the love I felt for her in that moment. I hope I never forget that moment and I don't think you can when it's that emotional.

How in the world did my little 6 pound 4 ounce beautiful baby girl turn in to a 23 pound beautiful toddler so fast??!! It's true that a lot of days seem to go by VERY slowly but in the scheme of things - time flies!

I may or may not post tomorrow seeing as it's Lily's 1st birthday and it's all about her tomorrow! But I guess every day is now, isn't it?

new Lily news

Before I write anything else, I just have to say that this time last year was my due date! I was very pregnant and ready to meet beautiful little Lily! Where has the past year gone?

Now some new fun things about Lily:

She knows where to go and what "bath" means. Every night I say "you wanna go get a bath Lily?" The past few nights before I even go anywhere she makes a beeline for the bathroom door. It's SO stinkin cute!

I *think* she knows the word duck and dog but not sure yet. When she's in the bath playing with her ducks she says "du" and whens he saw her laugh and learn dog today she said "dog" but with a VERY faint g. I'm definitely not sure yet if she really knows it or not but I can tell she definitely comprehends a LOT of what we say to her now.

Tonight in the bathtub she ends up ingesting some soap water - YUM. I use this thing to pour water over her hair and I think she's just looking in it. Nope, it was full of water and she was drinking some. Gross!

She LOVES to stack and sort anything. I think I've already said this before but just in case I haven't for records sake.

Final news, I think my sister's family and Tara and her mom will be coming to Lynchburg for Lily's 1st bday party this weekend!! I'm SO excited that they'll both be able to be here for this big event!! I will leave you with a few cute pics of my beautiful Lily:

Lily having fun with her "auntie" vicky:

4 days until Lily's birthday!!!