Happy Anniversary to me! (:

              So today is our 3rd anniversary! 3 years married and 5 years together. Wow time flies. This evening we had an errand to run before heading back to Columbus tomorrow, and afterwards decided it was as good a time as any to stop at the beach. So we did. Lily got to see the beach for the first time! We held her hands as she stood up with her feet in the sand, just close enough for the waves to wash over them. She loved it. She was chatting and giggling and SO tickled with all of it. It was the best anniversary gift I could have asked for, and now I get to always remember, Lily's first time at the beach was our 3rd wedding anniversary. (: 

             In other news: I am losing my mind in this hotel room for several reasons. The most stressful of course is the lack of space. Which makes everything seem so much messier than it probably is. We also have a TON of stuff in this tiny area, and that adds to the clutter. LILY is not helping with that either. She is going through a phase where her favorite hobby is destroying otherwise neat and orderly areas. Opening drawers, and pulling out clothing one by one. Opening diaper bags, and pulling out and scattering each item. She does the same with toys, books, anything. Its going to be such a relief to get out of here tomorrow and head to Gramma's for a relaxing Thanksgiving. Wait what am I saying? Thanksgiving is only relaxing for men and children. Ah how I long for the days when nothing was expected of me on thanksgiving but eating and visiting... This next few days will be pretty hectic, so I doubt I will get a chance to post, but Happy Thanksgiving!

Lily 11 months

Every baby needs a messy 'sghetti' picture, right?

Lily's Birthday is less than a month away!

Well, Lily Claire is going to be ONE next month. That is simply unfathomable to me. I cannot even handle that it's already been a year. Its going by so fast it's breaking my heart. As someone who doesnt work and has been blessed to be able to be home with my daughter since day one, I didnt expect it to go by this fast. That old saying about not blinking or you'll miss it comes to mind. If I could rewind and do this year all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I wish she could be a baby forever. She's been teething and waking up nights lately, and last night I got up with her around 3 and as I was rocking her back to sleep it suddenly occurred to me that pretty soon she was going to be too big to rock to sleep, and I sobbed for half an hour. Im sure if Josh had woken up and seen me he'd have thought I was crazy, but I couldnt help it!
Anywho I am planning her birthday part for December 18th, and it is going to be Queen of Hearts themed! Thats right, our little stinker is going to be the queen, and I am SOO excited about it. While, internally I'm sure I will be having a mini breakdown that my baby is a year old, Im hoping to distract myself with a great party! I have been recreating this costume for Lily to wear:

I also got her some black and white leggings to go under it, and a longsleeved red shirt so the tulle wont itch. Im also going to attempt to make this crown:

Although, to be honest I'm sure it will be a waste of time, considering our little nugget throws an absolute FIT if ANYthing is on her head- hats, headbands, bows- you name it. We will try to get a picture of her in complete attire. (:
Now does anyone remember the famous 'painting the roses red' song from the original Alice in Wonderland? Lily's fabulous uncle's have agreed to dress up as her 'card minions' for her, and I've even gotten white silk roses, I plan on splattering red paint on and making centerpieces out of.

I have a lot of ideas for decorations, and have been trying to make some from this tiny hotel room. Anyway, Im SOOO excited about her party, and wanted to put up a little preview!

About us

As I'm assuming most who read this will know, I'm Jessica, and my husband Josh is in the Air Force. We have been stationed at Edwards afb (our first duty base) for about 3 years and are from Columbus, Mississippi. We miss it terribly, but have been blessed to be able to come home a lot this year. We had a beautiful daughter Lily Claire on December 21, 2009 and 2 weeks later Josh was deployed to Qatar. We got to come home to MS for his deployment through May, and be around family and friends while he was gone. We are currently back in MS while he is TDY at keesler for a training class for his job. We are getting to be here through Christmas and are SO excited to get to spend the holidays with everyone again. We have been driving home (4 hrs from Biloxi) on weekends and staying with Josh in an extended living hotel during the week (That part sucks) So that explains all of that.
I am loving getting to be around all of our family and friends during the holidays, but hating living out of a hotel! We have a 2 burner stove, a microwave with a plate that DOESNT rotate (who came up with that brilliant idea?) and mini fridge. Its not much- but its home till Christmas. I am trying to count my blessings though and constantly counting the days till the weekend! We go home this Wednesday for Thanksgiving and the weekend. We will be doing thanksgiving dinner for lunch at Gramma's and then Thanksgiving for dinner at Josh's Nana's in Mayben. Im making an apple pie for each, and Gramma's famous deviled eggs for both as well. Im also considering making a really great recipe for spinach and italian sausage stuffed mushrooms I've done a few times for parties, but not sure how full my hands are going to be Thanksgiving day.

Happy Fall Y'all

This is Lily Claire, on her first Halloween. I had a fit over this costume! She wasnt very excited about the hat- but we were able to distract her enough to get a few good shots.

Hello empty room. I thought I would get a headstart on a new years resolution, and attempt this whole blog thing. I am infamous for abandoning projects, and I am going to try really hard to keep up with this. So there goes my first post. Happy Monday.