Lily tries to go to Kuwait

Lily tried to pack herself in the box we were sending to Daddy. She said she wanted to give him a real kiss instead of sending them over the phone. Sweet baby!

Poem for Daddy

It's only been a month now Daddy,

Still have 5 more to go

I've gotten a little bigger Daddy,

But have a lot more to grow

We talk a lot on the phone

But your face I never see

Mommy shows me a picture of you

And I remember all the fun we had, just you & me

I see you Daddy, in my dreams

Where we can play & twirl

For now, its the only place I can have my Daddy

And my Daddy can have his little girl.

I'm counting down the days

Till my Daddy comes back to me

But for now I will be happy

Seeing my Daddy in my dreams

One day my dream will come true

And you'll come home to me

And you'll have stories to tell me

Explaining that freedom is not free

I will run into your arms Daddy

And never let you go

And tell you how much I love you

My Daddy, My Hero

1 month down, 5 more left

until Daddy can come home

where he is loved best

Bed Time!

Lily was so excited to get ready for bed tonight because she got to wear her new Ariel nightie! (Thank you Grammy!) Ariel is her new favorite princess & she loves anything that has her on it. If it helps her want to go to bed I'm all for it! :oP

Vader was getting ready for bed too & he tucked himself into his bed with his blankie...

Hot Air Balloon Festival

Grammy & I took Lily to the hot air balloon festival at the Elks. We were a little disappointed when we got there because there were no balloons! We waited around for a little while & watched a demonstration they had on police dogs. Then we took Lily on the train ride, let her bounce in the bouncy castle, got an ice cream & FINALLY the hot air balloons starting setting up. We had to wait a LONG time, but it was worth it! Seeing the balloons fill up & start to fly away was really something. Lily was amazed by them. (love Lily's little poses...)

God Bless my Daddy

In our family, Daddy doesn't just protect us, his job is to protect our country as well. Daddy is being deployed to Kuwait today. We're so proud of him - he is a brave & amazing soldier. We are all lucky to have soldiers like him fighting for us & our freedom. We are grateful that he will only be gone for 6 months, but we are going to miss him soooo much! We will be strong for him while he is away & will be waiting for the day that he can come home to us. We'll be praying for him every day & hope that you will keep him in your prayers as well. We love you Daddy!!

God Bless my Daddy

Who is very far away

Fighting in a country

So others can be free

God Bless my Daddy

And bring him home safe

So Mommy won't worry

So Mommy won't cry

God Bless my Daddy

Please keep him safe

So I can grow up knowing

Just who my Daddy is

God Bless my Daddy

And all soldiers gone

Please keep them all safe

And bring them all home

To Daddy, Love Mommy

The day you left I felt so empty inside

As we held each other tight and said our good byes

you gave me one last kiss and said

"Honey please don't fear

for I will be home soon

Please no more tears"

I ask myself how I can go on

when the love of my life isn't with me

where he belongs

a mommy & a daddy I must be

for Daddy is gone

fighting for our country

because it's a job he must do

not just fighting for me

but also fighting for you

I'll pray for you night and day

because my soldier I LOVE YOU

in every single way

do your duty, fight your fight

so when you return

your arms can hold me tight

The pro fisherman

Daddy took Lily fishing & she caught her first fish!!! It must have been beginners luck, or maybe the princess fishing pole, because Daddy couldn't catch any - but he tried pretty hard! She was so proud of herself. She must be her Daddy's kid, because she had no problem touching the worms & saying they were "slimy!!". Mommy wouldn't go anywhere near them - yuck!

My first fishing pole

Daddy bought Lily her very own Princess fishing pole & was teaching her how to cast in our yard! She was a natural (inherited from her Dad I'm sure!). Daddy can't wait to take her on a fishing trip with him.

I'm a BIG girl now!

Daddy bought Lily a big girl bike this summer, and at first she LOVED riding it, but then she took a couple tumbles & from then on she refused to ride her bike. We tried everything we could think of to get her back on, but she was terrified. One day we were shopping I saw these princess elbow & knee pads & had a brilliant idea...I showed them to Lily knowing she loves anything with princesses on it & explained to her what they were. I told her they protect her elbows & knees in case she falls off her bike while she is riding. Because she always wants anything to do with princesses, she asked if we could take them home to try them. I had her promise that if we got them she would try to ride her bike when we got home & she agreed. Well, my idea worked & she has been riding her bike ever since! YAY!!! We are SO proud of her!!

Fun at Mimi & Grants house

We all had such a fun trip to Texas before Daddy had to leave for Kuwait. Here's Princess Lily at one of her infamous tea parties...and Lily & Daddy playing in the speed boat in the pool. Lily always spends hours in the pool whenever we visit - we can hardly ever get her out! Swimming is one of her favorite things to do.

Lily hiding at the beach house. We found this boogie board in the garage at the beach house, but had no idea how well it would go over. Lily spent the majority of the day playing with it. She had Mommy & Grant pulling her along the shore & Mommy held the boogie board so Lily could ride over the waves on it.

We all posed for a family photo - but we're missing Lily!

(There are more pics I would like to post on here, but they won't load on here for some reason...Sorry!)