Today is My Birthday!!

 It is very hard to believe that it was just one year ago that I arrived here at my new Mommie and Daddy's home for the very first time!  In case you don't remember, click HERE for that story!  

This is a picture of me when I first arrived:

My Mommie was so excited she could hardly get her fingers to work to get me out the big box I came in when the post office lady delivered me.  And then, once I was out of my box and so happy to meet my new family, they had to come up with a name for me!!  If you read that story again, you will remember that my Daddy actually came up with my name, Lily, but it was because he wanted to name me after his grandma "Lillian".  And Mommie also wanted to add the name "Grace", because I was a special and "unexpected gift", which is what the meaning of the word "Grace" is...unmerited favor of God. And so, after talking it over, I became "Lillian Grace"....but we all decided that Lily Grace was easier to say and better suited to who I am.  And so here I am, "Lily Grace"....one year later!

Of course, if you've been keeping up with all my adventures this past year, you will know I've been to a lot of new places and have done lots of fun things! You may want to go back and re-read some of my stories on my very own blog so you can see some of the things I've done. It's been a wonderful year full of surprises and fun and meeting lots of new people and most of all, learning all about Jesus and how much He loves me! We just recently celebrated His birthday on Christmas, and that was quite a happy and exciting time!

But now, today, Mommie says we are going to celebrate my birthday!!!  I didn't even know it! She wanted to surprise me!  But some of the things she wanted to do had to be postponed because Mommie and Daddy have been kind of sick this past week with that mean old virus that's going around, and so they couldn't invite anyone over to our house to help celebrate.  But Mommie said we weren't going to let that keep us from having a party right here with our friends and family who live here with us. And so she let me help her get some special things ready for our own little party.

You all know how much I love to help Mommie make things in the kitchen. So she said it would be okay for me to help mix up my own birthday cake.

My sweet sissie "Baby Elva" wanted to come out to the kitchen and help too:

Mommie didn't want Daddy to take her picture because she's been sick all week and she said her hair needs to be cut and she's not fixed up pretty for the picture...but Daddy said making memories with us was more important than being all prettied up for a picture...so she allowed this one picture. 

I said I wanted to have some cupcakes so my friends could each have one too, and so Mommie said I could put the pretty little colored papers in the cupcake tin to get it ready for the batter.

After the cupcakes were all baked and cooled, Mommie let me help her put the frosting on them! I asked if I could please have chocolate frosting on little white cupcakes,  and so that is what I am getting!!

So now they are all ready, but we just have to wait for our "guests" to arrive before we can have the party.  

They finally all came and we had so much fun playing some games and just laughing and talking and having a real party, all for me!! I was so excited.  Oh, did you see I am wearing my cute little poodle outfit that I got for Christmas?

But because it is so cold today, I put it over my pajamas to I can keep warm! 

Then it was time for the birthday cake.

Mommie said we could use these very special little plates if we were very very careful.

These little "Buster Brown" dishes used to belong to my Mommie's Aunt Margie, way back when she was a little girl. Mommie says there is a date on the bottom of one that says 1910! Wow! That makes them 112 years old!!! I'd say that's very old, wouldn't you?

So I said "Yes, we will be very very careful".  Aren't they so cute? I love the puppy dog, don't you?

And I love how the children and the puppy dog are having a little tea party. That looks like so much fun.  I think it would be fun to have a little doggy, don't you?

Well, anyway, we finally got our cupcakes, and Mommie put a candle in mine and lit it up with fire! That was kind of scary!

But then everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and told me to make a wish and then blow out the candle!  So I did make a wish,  but Mommie told me not to tell it to anyone or it wouldn't come true, so I can't tell you what I wished for, but maybe if it comes true then I can tell you.

So I huffed and puffed and blew really hard,

and the fire went out on my little candle.  

So maybe my wish will come true!

And then Mommie had a little announcement to make.  She had been waiting all afternoon for the delivery truck to bring something special that she had ordered for my birthday.  She kept waiting and waiting and watching for him to come, and he never came. Then she got a message on her computer telling her the delivery was going to be delayed until tomorrow (maybe).  Mommie was very disappointed, because she said that was going to be my special surprise for my birthday! Well,  I didn't know I was supposed to be getting any special surprises anyway, so I really didn't mind at all. I thought having my friends here and having these cupcakes was special enough! And then Mommie said since my birthday surprise didn't get here in time, we will just have to continue this party tomorrow, and that my friends could all spend the night with me tonight and we could have a "slumber party"!!!

That sounds pretty special to me, doesn't it to you? I'm not sure where we are all going to sleep, but Mommie said not to worry about it. We'll just put blankets on the floor and get lots of pillows and things and we can all sleep on the living room floor tonight!  Wow! That sure sounds like a lot of fun!!

And so, with that announcement we are all excited and running around finding blankets and stuff and getting ready for  our slumber party, so I will say good night to you!

I think this has been a pretty exciting first birthday, don't you?  And Mommie said we will continue this story when my special surprise arrives.

So until then, here's some things to think about:

"Here's to being a child again.

To laughing without a reason,

smiling so that others will do 

the same and believing the best is all around us."

(zox)

"But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; 

for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:2-4

Thank you all  for being a special part of my first year!  I hope you have enjoyed my little adventures as much as my Mommie has enjoyed helping me have them.  We hope to keep posting new adventures as often as possible and as time and energy permit!

I love you all!

Love,

Lily Grace

xoxoxoxoxo

Ice Cream Sundaes and Magnolias Blossoms

Matthew 18: 2-5

"2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3. and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."

Mommie is feeling kind of "punky" this morning, so she said I should write the post for today 'cause she didn't feel up to it.  

So I said I would share our pictures from this past weekend and try to tell about it instead.  So, to start out, that picture above is me having my first bowl of ice cream! It's been pretty hot here in Florida where we live, and ice-cream seems to be the best way to cool down ever! Especially if it has some chocolate syrup, chopped walnuts, and whipped cream on top! Mommie said they call that an "Ice Cream Sundae",  I don't understand why it is called a "Sundae". I think we ate this on Saturday, not Sunday!  Well, because I like to learn new things, we looked up the history of ice cream sundaes on the computer, and we were really surprised to see so much information. HERE IS a LINK to the History of the Ice Cream Sundae. You might find it interesting too.

Speaking of Sunday, Mommie and Daddy went out to lunch after church on Sunday with their church friends. They went to a different place than where they usually go, and they had these two signs (along with some others) on the walls.  Mommie said they say some really good things, so she wanted me to share them with you.

On Saturday morning, Mommie and Daddy took a long ride, about 30 miles away, to the town where they used to live before they moved here to this house.  They wanted to go out to breakfast and then go to the flea market down there because it is a bigger one than the one we have here.

Anyway, they went to this little restaurant for breakfast, which used to be a favorite place to go when they lived there.

Here's a sign that was on the wall next to them:

While they were waiting for their food to be cooked, Daddy was uncomfortable in the booth seat he was sitting in because the cushion was worn out and too low, making him sit in a kind of a hole. So he was going to get up and move by Mommie, because she had chairs to sit in on her side of the table. Anyway, when he tried to get up he put his hand on the table to push himself up since he was so low, and the table legs were not level and the table tilted and their hot coffee and hot tea spilled and got his pants all wet. Thankfully it wasn't boiling hot, but hot enough and WET enough to make him very uncomfortable. He tried to dry off with paper towels and they moved to a different table to wait for their food, but it was taking way too long and he was miserable, so they paid for the coffee and tea and left the restaurant. They never did get to go to the flea market.  Sadly they did not get to enjoy that little ride very much. 

Now on to some pretty stuff: This big beautiful magnolia tree across the street from us is starting to really blossom:

Mommie took me over to see the magnolia blossoms and to smell them:

Look how big this flower is! It's as big as me!

They are so pretty, and they smell like a sweet lemon!

Mommie cut one and put it in a bowl of water on the table so we could enjoy it. However, the smell was so strong we ended up having to put it out on the back porch! It smelled good, but just too much of it!! 

Remember when Mommie wrote about "Puckery Persimmons" HERE last year?

Well, Mommie said she never remembered seeing any flowers blossom on the Persimmon  trees before the persimmons developed. And so she wanted to check the trees where we walk because they just got their spring leaves back real pretty, and she wanted to see if they had some kind of flower.

Well, when we got up close to the tree and looked under the leaves, there were these pretty little yellow flowers blooming and forming little tiny persimmons!

So now we know why we never saw the flowers blooming last year! They were hidden under the leaves! But aren't they cute and dainty?  However, Mommie said remember, don't eat those wild persimmons until they are really really really ripe!  

Mommie said it's been kind of lonely out on Still Waters Pond since the Canada Geese and their little goslings all went away.  But she looked outside yesterday afternoon and saw something big in the Secret Memorial Garden.

It was that Sand Hill Crane family that we saw a couple of weeks ago out on the little marshy sand bar in the pond:

Here's the Daddy Crane:

Isn't he so "handsome" with his bright red head?

And here's the whole family, Mama, Daddy and Baby Crane:

They were trying to figure out how to get back to that marsh island:

And they made it! They stayed there all afternoon eating whatever is good on that mucky marshy sliver of land.

Mommie said it's time to close this post and go fix some lunch. I guess I am getting hungry thinking about ice cream sundaes and food at restaurants (or not!), and watching these Sand Hill Cranes eat.  So I will close this post and say bye bye for now.

I hope you enjoyed visiting with me today. Mommie sends her love to all of you and she'll try to get around to visit you soon.

Here's a little verse in my devotional book that Auntie Opal gave me:

"He gives food to every living thing.

His faithful love endures forever."

Psalm 136:25 NLT

Bye Bye!

Love,

Lily Grace

My First Day in My New Home

Dear Aunt Debbi and Cousin Tracie, 

I am so excited and happy here in my new home! There is so much to see and so many people to meet! My new Mommie introduced me to so many new friends but I can't keep them all straight in my mind yet! She said that we will try to do special things with each one individually soon so that we can get better acquainted on a more "personal level" and that way I won't be so confused with so many new names and faces!

These are some of my new friends: Rebecca, Valerie, (me), Margie, and Anne of Green Gables! Oh my! Isn't she famous or something? I can't wait to ask her more questions! Maybe later!!

Wait until you see how pretty my new friends are! They gave me a little tea party to welcome me, with cake and everything! I entertained them with my guitar and taught them some fun songs. I think they really liked it. At first they didn't seem too sure about me because I am dressed so differently than they are and I like to do so many fun things. But after we sang some songs and got to know each other better I think they are wishing they could be a bit more lively like me! Oh, Aunt Debbi...I do hope they like me!

My Mommie said we will just send a few pictures at a time so as not to overwhelm you with too many pictures, but Oh! I wish you could come here and bring Tracie and meet all these special people. I know they would love you and Tracie too, just like I do.

Oh, Aunt Debbi, guess what? We had pizza for supper! And guess what else? I got to meet my real new family! My big brother Benton and his sweet wife Rose and her sister Sherrie came over and brought the pizza so we could have a party and they could meet me! My Daddy was there too. They all were so much fun and we laughed and laughed and they seemed to really like me. Especially "Aunt Sherrie". 

 We all decided that I look a lot like her. Guess what, Aunt Debbi? "Aunt Sherrie" sometimes likes to wear her hair in long braids just like mine! And she sometimes wears boots just like mine! I think "Aunt Sherrie" just might be another "Kindred Spirit". I liked her a lot, but she will be going back to her home in Minnesota in a couple of months, so I guess I'd better not get too attached to her! Maybe she will write to me when she goes and we can be friends.

My other big brother Scott wasn't home yet, so they said I will get to meet him later. I do hope he will like me too. He's never had a little sister before....well except for "Baby Elva"...

Oh, Aunt Debbi and Tracie...do you see the picture of me with my new "baby sister", "Baby Elva"? She is the sweetest and cuddliest baby!

 She was so happy to have me come and guess what? I actually SLEPT in her buggy with her last night! Mommie thought we might enjoy sleeping together because Baby Elva's buggy sits right beside Mommie and Daddy's bed, and that way they could hear me if I was having bad dreams or something in the night. But, oh Aunt Debbi...they don't have to worry about me having bad dreams! I slept like a "baby"! I am SO happy here, and I can't wait to see what kinds of adventures we will be having together!!  Oh, and guess what else! Mommie told me that "Baby Elva" is also named for a grandmother...her "paternal grandmother". I wasn't too sure what "paternal" meant, but Mommie said it was her Daddy's mommie's name.  She also said that "Baby Elva" has some special stories written all about her and also about Grandma Elva.   It's really neat to know that I am living in a home where everybody likes to remember the special people in their lives,  like Grandmas who are now in heaven.  That's pretty special, isn't it Aunt Debbi? I feel really special to be named for my Daddy's grandmother Lillian,  who was my Daddy's Father's mother!

Guess what else, Aunt Debbi and Tracie! My Mommie just said that she is thinking she may have to start a new "blog" all about me! I am not sure what a "blog" is, but Mommie said it was a special place where she writes stories and that she thinks I might be just special enough to have my very own story written! Isn't that wonderful, Aunt Debbi? She said she's just "thinking" about it right now, but she will let you know if she decides to do it. What do YOU think? Do you think that is a good idea, Aunt Debbi? Maybe Tracie and I could write letters to each other and share our adventures! Wouldn't that be fun? It might be like a special book for children to read! Maybe your sweet "fairy granddaughter" and her dolly "Daisy", who is also one of our identical cousins, might like to join in and visit with us there! That would be such fun, Aunt Debbi! I hope Mommie will do that!

Well, Mommie says she has to stop writing right now and take care of some other things. So I will say good bye for now. I do hope you will write back to us and let us know if you can see my pretty pictures. If not, Mommie says we will have to put our pictures in her "blog" so you can find them there!

OH, by the way, Mommie says it is important to share something special from the Bible when we write our "blog".  So she said she would let me think about what verses were particularly meaningful to me and then we will include them in our story.  So I am thinking about that and saying a little prayer that Jesus will help me say the right thing.

I like this one:

Matthew 19:14

"But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Bye bye for now! XOXO
Love,
Lily 
Lillian Grace