Lili Mei turns 3!

September 16th our Lili Mei turned three years old.  Today she has been with us 20 months.  

"Gotcha Day" Jan.17, 2011

I can't believe how much she has changed from the crying little 16 month old we first met, to the energetic, happy, loving, beautiful little preschooler she is now.  Still as stubborn as ever, though.

Lili last September (2011)-2 years old

Lili Mei this September (2012)-3 years old

Our fairy is flying!

Preschool.  I can't believe I have a preschooler.  And a Freshman.  Huh?

Anyway....

first day of school, 2012

Lili Mei is learning to read! She asks to "do preschool" and fetches the book we are using to teach her reading--she sits in her little desk she picked out at Sam's Club for her birthday for about 2-3 lessons (which is literally about 2 minutes), and is doing great with the first four letters (a, m, s, long e).






Since "preschool" consists of those lessons, cutting, glue-sticking, play dough-ing, coloring and drawing, reading books, reinforcing shapes and colors, counting and generally learning about life as it comes, I'd say we are having a pretty good time with it. Once I reminded myself she still has about three years before I *have* to do school with her, I relaxed a little rather than adding a burden to our homeschool day. She got a sand table for her birthday from the grandparents, as well as some flannel letters, numbers, and a Bible story, so we have some new distractions for her when Lauren is doing school or studying. Lili Mei is notorious for getting out ALL of her musical instruments and playing them all at once at just the right time. She can be quite the pest!

Lili Mei loves Sundays because she gets to go to church; every day she wakes up and asks, "Is it Sunday?  We go to church?"  But other than her Sunday School class, we have purposely not put Lili in any activities here in our new location (we moved to another state in June--you may not have known about that)--no dance, no gymnastics, no AWANA, no kids choir at church, no MOPS, no music lessons, no Pre-School co-op, nothing.  My mantra here is "just because we can do it doesn't mean we have to."  Poor kid, but mommy needs a break from over-scheduling for a bit.   Lili's time will come. Lauren is the one who keeps us running around to TaeKwonDo, fencing, Zumba, youth group, volunteering, and let us not forget the teen-age necessity of frequent visits to the mall (what is with the smell in Aeropostale, by the way?  eesh.).  So, yeah... Mommy's tired....

But I love my girls.  Probably wouldn't trade 'em-- hmmm.... Nope.  Wouldn't.

Happy birthday to my sweet three year old monkey.  May it be a blessed year. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.