when did i become so domesticated?

....oh right. when i got married and had a baby. I'm actually loving this new lifestyle of mine. Not that I didn't expect to, but I thought at the very least that I would miss all of the partying and spontaneity. I really don't though. If anything, I value my time spent with my friends more. Since its not an everyday or every weekend occurrence, anytime I am able to get together with my close friends, I really take advantage of those moments. As for the late night drinking...we'll have our nights here and there, but I'd much rather spend a full day hiking, shopping, cleaning, cooking...anything but dealing with a hangover. A few weeks ago I woke up at 7am and met a couple friends at Great Falls for a 6 mile hike. 

I was back home by 10:30am and still made it to church. By noon I felt so accomplished! Back in the day I would have still been sleeping and coping with all of the shots I took the night before. So last week, I went hiking again and this time Brian and Lily came along with some of my fam. Even though this hike was intense and had me questioning why we brought Lily to such a steep hike, I felt so refreshed and happy to spend that time with my family. 

I know Lily has changed me. I just hope it's been for the better! Sometimes I'm scared that I'm losing myself and becoming this different person. One who actually enjoys making and freezing big batches of soup. One who has been watching Martha Stewart make the perfect turkey so I can learn for this year's Thanksgiving. One who sings Mickey Mouse Clubhouse tunes because it's Lily's favorite show. One who's idea of a night out includes going to Target then picking up Pei Wei to go. So, yes, maybe I am slightly different than before, but I don't care. I love learning to cook and I love watching Lily dance when I sing her favorite songs. I love nights out with our little family even if its just to Target. I truly love everything that has come out of being married and having a child. Maybe I have lost a part of my old self, but from what I've lost, I've gained so much more and I'd never trade that for anything. 

a great reminder

Today I came across this post from a blog I follow. This was a great reminder for me today that I need to stop worrying about life's uncertainties. I need to live life to its fullest as God intended me to!

what's new??

I feel like lately I have nothing to blog about. Well, nothing interesting. Do I write about my 12 hour work days? Or about the Skins and how they aren't even mediocre this year?  I'm tired of long work days and sick of the Skins losing. That about sums it up. Although, not everything has been quite so bad. There have been a lot of great things that have happened lately:

• Lily turned 9 months old! At her check-up, Lily was 28.75 inches, 18 lbs 5 oz. Still no teeth, but she's loving real food that she can mash with her gums, like pieces of cooked carrots & chicken. She's also standing on her own for brief moments and when she drops something on the ground she is starting to say uh-oh...and when you ask her how big she is she raises her hands up high over her head. It's amazing watching her learn new things every day! 

• My best friend Sarah got married! I am so thankful to have been a part of her wedding. Despite the rain, it was a beautiful fall day and Sarah made a gorgeous bride of course!

• My friends Tiffany and Kris got married. It was so nice to see friends that I haven't seen in ages and the keg stands that took place at the reception definitely felt like old times again! 

• New cars!! Brian and I are officially the proud owners of 2 new cars! It was definitely time for me to trade in my clunker for a car that could actually fit Lily and 3 additional passengers. As for Brian's car...well it was OK...but we wanted an SUV to take to our snowboarding trips this winter. So, last Friday, we went up to Nissan and stayed from 6:30pm to 12:45am...and happily left with a 2010 Xterra and 2009 Altima. 

• HALLOWEEN! Lily's first Halloween was great. She was the cutest cow and it was fun being able to take her trick-or-treating with her cousins. Surprisingly she didn't mind being in her costume for hours!

Autumn

I ♥ ♥ ♥ Fall.

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. I'm loving the cool weather and the bright colors of the changing leaves. Whenever I think about how much I'd love to move out of Virginia, I always think about how I'd miss the change of seasons. This weekend we went to Cox's Farm. I forgot how much I loved that place! Sometimes I wish I lived out in the country or on a farm. There's something so peaceful about it. Granted there were a million people there on Sunday, but still, the scenery itself was enough to make me want to invest in a farm house.

cutie pie

8 months, 1 week, and 5 days old!

Yikes! I'm so behind... with a lot of things, but mainly with posting baby updates. Lilyan is all over the place these days. She can crawl all the way across the room in what feels like 5 seconds and loves to stand up and bang on everything in sight. There's no stopping her and the pseudo baby gate we made out of couch cushions just doesn't do it's job anymore. She barges through the cushions like she's on a mission!

 







To help distract her from the t.v., anything plugged in, the kitchen trashcan, basically everything, I went out and bought her this cheap sit-to-stand activity walker at Babies R Us. She loves it! Sure, it occasionally tips over and the music can be annoying, but if it can keep her attention long enough for us to finish dinner or get ready for work then I'm all for it!

I'm also loving the baby babbles she makes now. She's saying dadadada and mamamama and pop pop pop. Of course, I like to think she knows what she's saying. Then there's the possessed growling noise she makes. Which can be cute at times, but when we're at church and she's looking over my shoulder at the people behind me and growling....not so cute. It's actually kind of creepy..especially when she's making this face:

She's also trying a lot of new foods lately. She reallyyy loves her Yo-Baby yogurt, puffs, and yogurt melts. The best part is watching her concentrate on picking up a puff or yogurt melt with two fingers. Then when she finally gets one, she slowly brings it up to her mouth only to completely miss and stick it to her cheek. The worst part is watching her apply that same concentration to bite-size pieces of trash or coins that she finds on our floor. Ughh..it stresses me out! Now I'm constantly on the look out for anything that didn't make it to the trash or piggy bank.

My little baby is getting so big. She seems so tall to me now! Although as fast as she's growing, she has yet to sprout any teeth. I swear the past few months she has had all the signs of teething, except for the teeth. Oh well, they will come when they are ready! I'm loving this fall weather and can't wait to get her out to the pumpkin patch and in cute hoodies and fall outfits. Hopefully our busy schedules will actually allow us to get out and enjoy the fall before winter comes!