Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Miss Lydia

As I was getting ready to blog about a field trip we took this morning, I noticed that there were a few random pictures of Lydia that didn't seem to fit any particular catagory. These pictures, however, are a far more accurate glimpse into her personality than any of the other pictures I have taken recently, so I thought I'd dedicate a post just to her!



Every Wednesday when we get ready for ballet, Lydia begs for piggy-tails. Since we're usually running late, I never have time for them. Last Wednesday, I did, and she was so proud of her hair-do!


Lydia loves to take pictures. She started with a Fisher-Price camera that we got her for her birthday, and has moved on to asking if she can borrow my camera to make pictures. This is one that she took of our kitten sitting on the kitchen windowsill.



Oh, how silly she can be! I have probably spent a hundred dollars on hair clips and barrettes, none of which will stay in her super-fine hair. I finally gathered up all of those clips and told her that she could use them to fix her doll's hair. She had other ideas and spent all morning giving herself a fancy new look. Of course, she needed to wear the red sequined dress to match her hair!



After reading a book about King Tut's tomb, Lydia decided she was afraid of mummies. She insisted that she could not possibly go to sleep on her own in the dark--she just kept thinking about those mummies and she was so scared of them. Could we please let her leave the light on and have books in her bed? Now, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that this was a ploy to get to stay up later and read. To Lydia's credit, she was smart enough to try it on a night when Daddy was home, and he fell for it! She read her Bible storybooks for well over an hour before finally falling asleep with the book open on her lap.






Back to the pig tails and ballet! These are the rest of the pictures I took of her before we left for ballet practice. She loves her ballet class. At the end of each class, her teacher lets the girl who has worked the hardest that day wear a fancy princess crown. Occasionally when I pick her up, another girl will have it on, but most often, Lydia is the one wearing it. She knows all the fancy French names for the steps and positions--there are some days when I feel like she really is speaking another language!



She is also excelling in school this year. Last year, we really struggled with a lack of focus. Some days it would take me twenty minutes just to get her to write her name at the top of her paper! Imagine my surprise when, this year, she completed an entire math assessment in 20 minutes and made a perfect score!


I hope that these pictures have given a glimpse of Lydia's personality. She is such a wonderful, unique little girl. I am looking forward to seeing all that God has in store for her in the coming years.





Monday, October 12, 2009

Beach Pictures, Part 1


It's been a month since our trip to the beach, and I'm finally getting around to posting pictures!

Lydia has been to the beach twice before, once as a baby and once as a toddler, but this was Nathan and Lily's first trip. It was also the first time that my side of the family has gone on vacation together since David and I were in high school.
Between the pictures that I took and the ones that I copied from my mom's camera, I have well over 200 pictures to sort through, which is why it's taken me so long to get these online!

These are in no particular order, by the way!

Nathan had a great time playing with his Uncle Dave!

Lydia and Lily


Lydia, Papa, Kayla, and Nathan

Nathan loved the sand, but was not too sure abut the ocean itself. He like to dig in the wet sand, but would take off running if the waves got too close!

Uncle Matt is not as crazy as Uncle Dave, but I think Kayla had fun playing with him anyway!

This is our first day at the beach. Lydia and Nathan couldn't wait to build a sand castle!


Dad and Nathan walking on the beach--they had just stepped off the boardwalk when Nathan had to stop and play in the sand.

There were red flag warnings the first two days we were there. The waves were as big as I've ever seen them at Orange Beach. Lydia was not taking any chances--she was holding on tight!

Lily sees the ocean for the first time! I'm not sure she was impressed, although she did try to eat some sand.