Lissi Lu's Lulicious Take On Just About Anything.

LONG time!!! Quick update...

2009-04-27T11:15:00.005-04:00

Okay, I know, you never thought I was going to blog again...but you were wrong! Here I am, trying to squeeze a quick one in while Tyli naps. Wow, alot has happened in these months since I have blogged last! Let's see...my Tyli Belle turned the big 1 on February 19th!!! I've had two LuLoops! shows that went well, one at Tovi's house and one in Mt. P, SC at George's house. My Mom got engaged to George, yay! We are thrilled about that (-: Dad and Melissa came to visit during Spring Break. Ty and I went to Puerto Rico, just the two of us. We had an absolute blast! And my sweet Kenz turns 4 today...Happy Birthday little lady...I love you to the moon and back and back again. So in the midst of our day-in, day-out routine, I've been keeping pretty busy. Spring has sprung, the weather is warm, my family is happy and healthy and all is right with the world. Enjoy these pics and have a fabulous week! Oh, and I'll make it a point not to let so much time slip between my blogs!

Oh goodness...Tyli just woke up, so I'll post those pics during her afternoon nap or tonight when both girls are down (-: More likely, the latter. XO!

Fun with Carina and Gunnar!

2009-02-16T10:16:00.005-05:00

Two weekends ago, (better late than never) Carina and Gunnar came to Wilmington for a visit. We had the best time! We had everyone over to our house on Friday night for Ty's delicious, homemade, Eggplant Parmesan...it is to die for! On Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful, warm weather and went to the park/playground for the afternoon. What a fun time we all had! And picture this...Tovi and I rode the boys' scooters around the pond...hilarious, but oh so great! Sorry, no pictures this time (-: Saturday night, we ate a scrumptious, gourmet meal at the Heffalumps. What a perfect weekend...we love you Rina and Dunna! See you soon.

A Snow Day!

2009-01-20T14:38:00.016-05:00

Well, it really happened...it did what it said it was going to do...it snowed today! Not alot, of course, we do live in Wilmington, NC! But it was enough to cover everything with a nice, white dusting. It started coming down heavily this morning around 9:30 or so. It was beautiful! Kenzie was sooooooo excited to see her first snow; she immediately wanted to go outside and play. So we bundled up and headed out into the blizzard (-: Daddy braved the cold with Kenz, and I ran to WalMart (nothing can stop me from going there!) to grab some groceries.

After lunch, Daddy and Kenz bundled back up and went outside for some more fun. They made the world's smallest snowman named Frosty the Snowduck. Ty was laughing so hard, the carrot popped out and rolled across the sidewalk! They then used Frosty the Snowduck as the first two snowballs for a good ole' fashioned snowball fight! Finally, they went on an adventure in the backyard behind our fence. What a fun, fun day!

I Love Facebook!

2009-01-09T09:42:00.009-05:00

I have a confession to make...I am totally addicted to FACEBOOK! A friend from Richmond invited me to "be his friend" a few days ago, and the rest is history! It's very hard to peel myself away from the darn computer. And I got Ty to join as well. He's getting addicted too (-: We were both up last night until 11:30 messing around on FB...it's alot of fun! A total blast from the past! I have already reconnected with a few very special friends from the good ole days. So now, along with keeping you updated through my blog, I will be Facebooking it too. Laundry, errands, beads, kids...what are those??? Check me out, but beware...once you enter, you won't get out! Here are some pics of my little ladies...Have a good weekend!

New Year's Eve!

2009-01-08T15:54:00.012-05:00

Here are some pics from our New Year's Eve at the Heffron's house...what a fantastic way to ring in the new year (at 10:00pm...perfect!) Thanks guys, we love you tons! And thanks Dad and Melissa for coming to town to celebrate another new year...such a special tradition (-: I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and AWESOME 2009!!!

HAPPY 2009!!!

2009-01-08T15:06:00.013-05:00

Hey everyone!!! Again, so sorry for the lapse in my blogs. Happy 2009! I hope your holidays were wonderful and filled with lots of yummy food, laughs and love. My family had an awesome Christmas and New Years. Kenzie, being almost 4, was at such a fun age to really enjoy the opening presents part. Last year...too overwhelming, not interested; this year...a whole different story, so cute! Tyli Belle will be there soon enough (-: Having two little angels this year was really special for Ty and I. Enjoy these pictures from a few different of our Christmas celebrations...

3 More Days!!!

2008-12-22T14:22:00.010-05:00

I can not believe Christmas is in 3 days...where in the world does all the time go??? Anyway, Ty and I are and have always been last minute shoppers, wrappers, and well, just about everything else you can think of! But we always get it done by the big day. We had so much fun last night hanging out in our room, wrapping presents, listening to music, eating cookies, laughing and just being together. We finally called it a night around 11:30pm. I love you so much T...thank you for all of your help each and every day! We certainly are a perfect team!

We have only a few more things to get together tonight after the girls are asleep, because tomorrow we head to Charleston for the night. We'll eat dinner at Ty's parents house, spend one night, have Swedish Christmas brunch at the Janssons on Wednesday and come back home to Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon. What a whirlwind trip, but we are looking forward to it!

Christmas Eve night (again, Swedish Christmas) we will go to Mom's house for dinner and gifts. Christmas Day brunch will be at our house and dinner is at the Heffrons! We cover all three households (-: and have a good ole' time eating, drinking, and being merry! I hope everyone will have a wonderful holiday and will think positive, happy thoughts for 2009! Love to you all!

Kenzie's gingerbread house and Christmas tree made by Desha!

Big Night Little Lady!

2008-12-19T14:37:00.008-05:00

Last night was such a special night for us, especially my big girl! Kenzie, Mama, Daddy and MorMor started off the evening by going to our favorite restaurant downtown...Circa! What a treat (thanks MorMor!) and what an awesome meal (as always.) Kenzie had a small crush on our waiter, Bill. She would follow his every move and when he wasn't in sight, she asked us where was Bill and why wasn't he helping us. It was hilarious...too cute! When Daddy asked her if she thought Bill was cute, she answered with a quick No! and he said, "That's my girl!"

Right when we sat down at our table, MorMor gave Kenzie the prettiest silver bracelet. I believe it was made just for her wrist, and she absolutley loves it! She hasn't taken it off since last night...she even wore it to bed. Mom, that was such a nice, grown-up gift for a perfect occasion.

After supper, we rushed to the church for Kenzie's Hope Christmas program. What a cute job all of the teachers did, especially sweet Mrs. Janice and Mrs. Debby. Kenzie's class sang four songs, and she did such a great job singing and playing her instruments in front of so many people. We are so proud of our little lady! Kenzie, Mama loves you to the moon and back, and back again!

Those Crazy Rabon Girls!

2008-12-19T10:13:00.015-05:00

I'm so sorry for the delay in my blogs! Right after Thanksgiving weekend, I was sick for two whole weeks...no fun at all! But I'm good to go now and have a few random, pretty darn cute pics to share of my girls...enjoy!

2008-12-06T14:40:00.013-05:00

Last weekend, the Traywicks came for a visit. Kenzie loved hanging out with her "Charleston cousins!" She especially loved that one night Mary spent the night in her room and the next night was Janie's turn. She felt so special having two big girl slumber parties in one weekend!

Friday was warm and beautiful, so the guys surfed, we played outside and the girls (and Patch) shopped the rest of the afternoon. We had a wonderful supper at the Heffron's house that evening.

Saturday was cold and rainy, so the girls (and Patch) shopped, the guys watched football and we had a good time hanging out at our house that night. Thanks, Traywick family for making the trip...we had fun and will see you soon!

As you enjoy these pictures, you may say to yourself, Wow, that's alot of kids! With the 4 Heffalumps, 3 Traywicks and our 2, that's a total of 9! Yeah, I'd say that's quite a crew!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T20:28:00.008-05:00

Today, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our dear friend Mrs. Mary. She invited all of us to eat an 11:00am feast at The Country Club of Landfall. We had such a wonderful time! The food was fabulous...everybody went back and forth to the buffet for more and more and more! All of the kiddos were on their best behavior and sweet Mary was beside herself seeing all of us so happy. My favorite picture is the one below of her telling Kenzie something wonderful and Kenzie just looking up at her, holding on to every word. Mary, I am so thankful for your wisdom, your wit, your thoughtfulness, your sincerity and everything you do for us. We love you so much and will always remember this special Thanksgiving with you. Thank you...

2008-11-27T14:48:00.025-05:00

The birthday boy and Monkey Joe!

On Tuesday, the day before Patrick's "real birthday," we celebrated at all of the kiddo's favorite place to jump, laugh, release energy and go wild...Monkey Joes!!! It was the best party ever, because all of us adults just sat back and watched the kids have a ball. No worries! Thanks for having a such a fun birthday party P-Pie...we can not believe you are the big 9!!! We love you so much and are so proud of you. Here are a few pictures for you all to enjoy...

Lily, Kenzie, Riley, Livi and Jack

Thomas, Mathis and Tyli making her new scrunchie face!

Monkey-n-around!

Sweet Lainey

Andy Roo, Lainey, and Tyli Belle

Patch blowing out his 9 candles!

Kenzie and Patch

Thomas, Jack, Mathis, Patch and Ben

Fisher and Monkey Joe

The Heffron bros...Fisher, Patrick and Thomas

Birthday Oyster Roast!

2008-11-24T17:57:00.012-05:00

I turned the big 32 on Friday, and we celebrated at the Ervin's house! Every one bundled up and headed outside for some AWESOME oysters! Thanks Mom, for that big treat (-: Inside their cozy, warm home, we ate yummy appetizers, delicious chili and mouth watering berries and chocolate for dessert. What a feast and what a super fun time we had! Thank you so much everybody for making me feel so special on my birthday! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

2008-11-07T14:25:00.004-05:00

It took Tyli Belle a while to settle down today for her afternoon nap, but after about 45 minutes, it was finally quiet in her room. So I went in to check on her and found her sleeping like this...leaning/sitting up with her head propped up on her bumper pad! Looks pretty comfy, I guess. So, of course I thought I had to move her (big mistake) and she woke right up! So, here we go again, a restless, fussy baby who should be asleep (sitting up, laying down, standing on her head, I'll take anything right about now!) (-: Good job Mom!

To the Zoo!

2008-11-03T16:00:00.008-05:00

On Sunday, before Mimi and Buddy headed back to Daniel Island, we went right up the road to the zoo/animal park. Kenzie had been asking numerous times to go before it "closes for the season," so we thought yesterday was the perfect day. It was another beautiful, warm day, and we had such a good time seeing all of the animals. Jack the giraffe, seen in the background above, was our favorite! Thank you Mimi and Buddy for a great weekend...we love you!

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-11-03T15:08:00.009-05:00

Ty's parents (Mimi and Buddy) came to visit us for the weekend, and what an awesome time we had! It was non-stop fun, starting with Kenzie's preschool Halloween parade on Friday morning. You can't miss her...she was Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Her day at school was filled with lots of fun and lots of treats! Below is a picture of her cute class...

Friday afternoon, after the girls napped, we headed over to the Heffron's house for a fun little Halloween party. The Heffron's, the Ervin's and my little Tigger and baby elephant (a.k.a. Buddaboo) looked so great in their costumes! We all had fun taking pictures, eating, and playing. We headed out after a short while to do some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

We had a cul-de-sac party at the Carter's house, complete with a lot of food and a jump castle for the kiddos...what a hit! It was freezing cold outside, so after lots of jumping and eating, we decided it was time to go home and snuggle up in front of the fire. Halloween falling on a Friday this year was such a bonus; we all had so much jam-packed fun all day long!

The Clean Plate Club Goes Plateless!

2008-10-27T19:30:00.008-04:00

On Saturday night, the Risley's (a.k.a. the Rizzo's) hosted the Clean Plate Club's fourth dinner party. This night, however, we all went plateless for a fantastic oyster roast! The festivities took place in their beautiful backyard, and the weather could not have been more perfect. The oysters were delicious, the desserts so scrumptious and Kathy put together the most unique, beautiful flower arrangements for our party favors (-: What a night! Thank you Steve-O and Kassie for an absolutely fabulous oyster roast under the stars! We love you!

The Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-23T14:14:00.008-04:00

We went to the "Pumpkin Patch" on Monday and had the best time! I put "Pumpkin Patch" in quotes because it's not a true pumpkin patch, like the one my family always went to growing up. We would drive about 35 minutes from Richmond, VA to Ashland, VA to go to the Ashland Berry Farm. We took the hayride out to the pumpkin patch and spent 30 minutes finding the perfect pumpkins. We would get as many as Dad could carry in both arms for one set price. It was always such a challenge to see if he could pass the test at the end of the hayride! Of course, he always did (-: I also remember a creepy, haunted house they had there with scary, chain saw armed guys running around, but I never did experience it first hand...no thanks!

So fast forward lots of years to my family's outing on Monday afternoon. We went to a church where they have hundreds of already picked pumpkins everywhere. Kenzie loved running around seeing all of the different shapes, sizes and varieties of pumpkins. And her very particular Mama spent about 45 minutes trying to find the perfect pumpkin. We went home with one pretty, front porch pumpkin; a funny shaped one (Ty's choosing) to carve and three baby pumpkins, one in the shape of a heart! Next October, I am going to take my family to the Ashland Berry Farm to show them one of my favorite things I did as a kid!

2008-10-11T09:57:00.008-04:00

Once again, sorry about such a lapse in my blogs! I just haven't seemed to have the time to write lately! But all for good reason...which I'm not going to let you in on quite yet (-: Really soon though! Don't you just love surprises!?! Anyway, here are just a few pictures for you to enjoy in the meantime...

Tyli Belle, almost 8 months old, loves playing with lots of toys, puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and will be crawling any time now!

Kenzie loves school and ballet/tap class!

Kenzie, Tyli and Livi...last night was girl's night at our house...so fun!

Fisher's COOL party!

2008-09-25T14:46:00.012-04:00

Two blogs in one day...it's a miracle! Both girls are sleeping, so I'm playing catch up while I can! Yesterday was Fisher's 7th birthday! Wow, every time one of our little munchkins has a birthday, it makes me realize more and more how fast the time flies by and how fast they grow up! It's a mixture of both (-: and )-: but mostly (-: So we celebrated his special day at the Ice Palace, a very COOL (pardon the pun) ice skating rink. The kids (and Chris) had a ball skating around while we adults (and Tyli) had just as good a time watching and staying warm in the party room. Thank you Fish Wish for having such an awesome party!

Two Sweet Peas in a Pod!

2008-09-25T14:18:00.004-04:00

How priceless are they!?! Meet Lainey...she is our sweet little friend and next-door-neighbor (pictured on the right.) She and Tyli Belle are 7 weeks apart, Tyli being the older of the two. They were absolutely hilarious hanging out together the other day. They would look at each other and just smile away. And they both love to do the "fish out of water," as Ty and I call it. It's when they are on their tummies and they kick and squirm and look like well, fish out of water (-: It's the best! I know that these two angels are going to be great friends...you can already see it in their twinkling eyes and amazing little expressions. We love Lainey and her wonderful family! We are thankful each day to have you in our lives!

Bluegrass Birthday Bash

2008-09-21T14:37:00.015-04:00

What a fun weekend! Yesterday was my Mom's birthday, so we went to a bluegrass festival at Kure Beach and had a big time! Kenzie had a blast dancing and hula hooping with friends, getting her face painted and picking little yellow flowers. Tyli Belle was so good and definitely enjoyed the perfect temperature and great music. Mom and George loved feeding her some of their yummy blueberry pomegranate popsicle. As you can see, she loved it too!

Also yesterday, all of the Heffron kiddos won their soccer games, and Ty won his game today! Way to go guys! Last night, we did some more celebrating Mom's birthday at the Heffron's new house, which by the way is TOTALLY awesome! We had a delicious dinner and desert and loved hanging out with Carina, the Ervins, the Heffalumps and Mom and George. Happy birthday Mom...we had a wonderful weekend and love you so!

2008-09-12T10:27:00.009-04:00

This is simply just a random blog to say Happy Friday and show off some cute pictures of my girls. This morning Kenzie said that she thinks she's too big for her booster seat that she sits in at the kitchen table. I told her she certainly is a big girl, but not quite just yet...almost! Tyli still loves her Bumbo seat and eats Gerber baby food three times a day! Yummy! Kenzie is our little cook who always wants to help with whatever we're doing in the kitchen...what a great little helper she is. Being from a family who loves to cook and rarely eats out, we definitely encourage it! Start 'em young (-:

Ty often says how Kenzie is a "Mini-Me," meaning a small version of her Mama...which of course I love and for the most part, agree with! The picture below shows Kenz doing one of her funny poses, which I swear I have a picture of me in my childhood album doing the same thing. Too funny! The things she says, her facial expressions and her drama keep us rolling each and every day.

The next silly picture is of Ty washing Kenzie's green chlorine hair with tomato paste, then shampoo...yes it worked! Her hair is once again that beautiful yellow/white color that I hope she'll always have.
And last for today is Ty carrying Kenzie around in my oh-so-loved-when-I-was-pregnant body pillow! She calls herself a burrito...I call it a giant diaper. And Tyli Belle playing in her new exersaucer...what fun!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

2008-09-08T21:00:00.004-04:00

Hey everybody...I'm still here! Sorry, it's been a few weeks since the last blog; time is merely flying by these days. The beginning of fall is always so busy for us, and it never really slows down until after Christmas. But it's all good and lots of fun! Kenzie started back at her preschool a couple of weeks ago and is loving it! Her two teachers are great, and they just love Kenz! It was the best feeling dropping her off the first day with no tears...what a difference and how far she has come since last year at this time. My big girl is growing up (too fast) in front of our eyes. We are so proud of her and Tyli Belle every single day.

Our supper club, The Clean Plate Club, met again at the Ervin's home last month. We ate delicious lasagna, salad and bread, and I made a seashell cake for Sean's 40th birthday! We all had a fabulous time hanging out in the backyard, eating, drinking, laughing (alot) and watching, Tovi and Ty jump on the trampoline! Thanks Sean and Melissa for such a fun night!

My sweet hubby got me a new digital camera for our anniversary...I love it! I finally had some time to figure out how it works, use it on the computer, etc, so now I'm back in business! Oh, and I really like this colorful text thing...you know that from now on, my blogs will be full of color!

Seashell Cake 8-23-08

Kenzie at Camp Rabon!

2008-08-24T14:52:00.007-04:00

I have to brag about my big 3 year-old in this blog! Two weeks ago, (better late than never!) Kenzie went to Charleston, SC to spend five nights with her Mimi and Buddy. Daddy took her on a Saturday, spent one night and headed home solo on Sunday. And so Kenzie's awesome week at "Camp Rabon" began! They had her doing fun things the entire time...pool, parks, shopping, museums, great food, movies, scooter rides, special time with her cousins...wow, too much to list! And Kenz did not get homesick one time! Mama and Daddy are so proud of her and thank Mimi and Buddy so much for having her! That was such a special trip for her, and she's already talking about next summer (-:

Mimi and Buddy brought her home on Thursday. We were SO happy to have her back...we sure did miss our little lady so much! Mimi and Buddy spent two nights with us before heading to their mountain house. We had such a great time with them...as always! We hope to see you guys soon, love you lots! I forgot to send my camera with Kenzie, so there are no pictures from her trip, but here are some pictures from last Friday's Airlie concert evening in Wilmington...

Happy 7 Years!

2008-08-18T09:46:00.005-04:00

Seven years ago today, Ty and I got married at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, SC. It was the most beautiful, most perfect wedding in the whole world. And I am the luckiest girl to have a husband who loves me more than anything and makes me feel like I'm on top of the world every day. Now we have two amazing little girls who we love more than life itself. I am so thankful to be living a life filled with so much love, laughter and joy. Thank you sweet T for everything you do for us. I can not believe it's been seven years..time flies when you're having so much fun! I love you so very much and can't wait to celebrate tonight. Have a wonderful day my love!

Jack Johnson 8-12-08

2008-08-18T08:41:00.007-04:00

Last Tuesday, Tovi, Chris, Ty, Tyli Belle and I headed to Raleigh to see Jack Johnson! Tyli had a babysitter hang with her at our friend's house while the four of us went to enjoy the music of the world's best-known surfer, turned filmmaker, turned singer-songwriter, turned green activist. Jack is my all-time favorite and seeing him live for the second time was INCREDIBLE! He played for 2 1/2 straight hours, the weather was great, we had perfect seats and all was right with the world (-: Chris and I tried to take some pictures during the concert, but all we ended up with were some shots of Jack looking like a dot. You can kind of see him in the picture below. He's the one on stage with the red shirt on. Rock on JJ! We hope to see you again soon...thanks for a wonderful night that we will always remember!

Check out www.jackjohnsonmusic.com

Jack Johnson's Been Here

2008-08-13T19:55:00.001-04:00

Classy Birthday Cake!

2008-08-06T15:06:00.007-04:00

Here is the cake I made last week for my final Fondant and Tiered Cakes class. And because we celebrated Livi and Lily's birthdays the next day, it got to be enjoyed by many! The two tiers were covered with light green fondant, and I piped green icing grass for the borders. I made all of the daises with fondant, so yes, they were edible too! This was a fun cake to make, rewarded with lots of great response and happy tummy's!

And because Livi and Lily love butterflies, I added a special touch for their day!

Happy Birthday Seaside Lulu's

2008-08-06T14:19:00.011-04:00

Last Thursday evening, we went to the beach to celebrate Livi (5) and Lily's (9) birthdays. Their Moms, Tovi and Melissa, did a fabulous job putting on such a fun party...no surprise there! Melissa made each birthday girl the cutest shirt that said "seaside lulu's" with a 5 for Livi and a 9 for Lily. It's so funny, Livi and I are nicknamed Lu, and now we have great friends that call Lily Lulu! Too cute (-: Anyway, I wish I had taken a picture of the sandwiches that they made. I know, why the sandwiches, right? Because each was wrapped with a strip of wax paper and a fun label! They were so yummy as was the whole spread. All the kids had a ball running around and playing games on the beach. A huge storm rolled in (after we all had cake!) so everyone packed up and headed home. We missed the 9:00 fireworks show, but that was okay...we had so much fun partying with the seaside lulu's!

The Clean Plate Club

2008-07-29T15:47:00.007-04:00

Most of you know that funny little song you sing to your kids after they have finished their meal, the Clean Plate Club song, right?! I had it sung to me quite a few times back in my day, loving every minute of it. And now, Kenzie just eats it up (pardon the pun.)

Well, here I am, 30 years later, in a supper club called The Clean Plate Club! Ty and I hosted the very first dinner party at our home on Saturday. We all had the best time meeting and getting to know each other. Seven out of the eight couples came and the evening turned out to be so nice that we got to eat outside on the deck, which was perfect!

We served shrimp on the grill for an appetizer, pork tenderloin, wild rice, asparagus and a spinach salad for the main course and of course, I made a cake for dessert. I piped pink, orange and yellow lines and dots around the border and placed fresh daisies on top...what fun and so, so yummy too! After eating and hanging out for a while, the guys (all at the same time) headed into the garage for some Foosball and ping pong. Later, everyone left with their adorable, personalized wine bottle that Tovi and Melissa Ervin were sweet enough to have done! Thanks CPC for kicking off the festivites at our house...can't wait until next month!

Livi's Almost 5!

2008-07-29T15:30:00.004-04:00

Livi Heffron, AKA Livi Lu, will be the big 5 on Saturday! As an early birthday treat yesterday, Tovi, me and all of our kiddos went to the mall. The kids had Chick-Fil-A (of course!) and Tovi and I had our favorite...Japanese! After lunch, we headed to the store Claire's (a young girl's paradise) and Liv got her ears pierced. She did fantastic...a couple of tears and that was it! We all ate ice cream to celebrate. We are so proud of her, and oh my, how she certainly looks like an almost 5-year-old kindergartner! Way to go Livi Lu!

2008-07-24T15:09:00.006-04:00

Our niece, Mary, came for a visit this week. She stayed with the Heffrons mostly, but spent one night with us. She and Kenzie had so much fun playing at the pool and our house. She's a great eater too (-: We had fun with you Mary...thanks for being so sweet to our girls! And Happy Birthday, Janie! We can't believe you are the big 10 today. Have so much fun on your special day, and we hope to see you soon! Love you!

What's new in Tyli Belle's world? Well, this morning, she rolled all the way over for the first time! She was lying on her back and the next thing I knew, she was on her belly. I love the days when these kind of "firsts" take place...they make my heart skip lots of beats! And being 5 months old now, she is loving her exer-saucer! She grabs the loud, little gadgets and loves to spin the one with the tiny balls! Mostly, she is just one HAPPY, sweet-as-can-be baby who smiles all the time. And her huge smile will light up your life any day...it is truly priceless!

What a Treat!

2008-07-19T14:49:00.004-04:00

I believe this cute little package is good enough to eat, how about you? Yes, it's a cake! And it's my very first creation working with fondant. I am taking another cake class this month, called Fondant and Tiered Cakes. My instructor put it perfectly, fondant is adult playdoh, but edible! I am loving this class and am excited to create more fondant beauties. The first picture is shown without curlicues and the bow in the next picture has them...which do you like better? While I'm taking a break from beads at the moment, my creative juices are still flowing with cake decorating! I am lucky to have an artistic eye and be talented in more than one area. If you ever need a cake...I'm your girl!

Memories!

2008-07-19T10:11:00.009-04:00

My Dad and Melissa came through town on their way back to Tallahassee, FL last Tuesday. We were all at Echo Farms for the kids swim meet when it was cancelled because of thunder. It was a shame, because no storm ever came. So Dad and Melissa came to our house to hang out for a little while. And the fun began!
Dad started pulling out his old tricks from when Tovi and I were little. He pretended to take his thumb off, he made his nose click really loud, and the coolest one...he pulled money out from behind his and Kenzies' ears! Now, when you're little, these things are out of this world! And let me tell you, Kenzie absolutely ate every minute of it up! And like Dad said, she is the perfect age to believe!

Kenzie will always remember this fun night with her Daddy Daddy. And I guarantee the next time we're all together, she will find alot more coins behind Daddy Daddy's ears. Thanks, Dad, for being a funny, silly, not-your-ordinary Daddy! We love you!

Beach, Surf and Smiles!

2008-07-14T14:30:00.007-04:00

We had a really fun weekend! Kenzie was in Vacation Bible School last week and loved it! On Friday, we had a picnic in the big room and watched the older kids sing songs. She brought home a bag full of wonderful art work that we had fun looking at together. Her favorite thing she made was the crazy headband! She can't wait to go back to VBS next summer!

On Saturday morning, I had a Mixed Doubles tennis match. Sean and I lost 7-6, 7-6, but what a super fun match it was! Ty took the girls to a friend's birthday party at Scooters. Kenzie had a lot of fun riding her red scooter and eating blue cupcakes! Ty, the girls and I then went to Wrightsville Beach for the afternoon. We visited with sweet Mary and then walked down the beach to watch a surfing tournament. We ate a yummy lunch, saw some great surfers and listened to Kenzie say she wanted to go back to Mary's house about 125 times. Nevertheless, we had a really nice family day at beautiful Wrightsville Beach!

On Sunday, we spent another half day at Wrightsville Beach. Our friends, the Stevens, invited us to hang out with them at the Surf Club...so nice! Ty caught lots of fun waves, I caught a few rays, Kenzie had fun playing with friends in the sand and Tyli Belle took it all in. What a fun-filled weekend...perfect weather, tennis, beach, birthday party, hanging out with my family and friends and lots of surfing = happy Ty!

Kenzie and Jack having a ball!

Chance Made Us Sisters, Love Made Us Friends

2008-07-11T10:06:00.006-04:00

What a fun photo shoot we had this morning! Out of about 8 pictures I took of Kenz and Tyli together, this is the one I loved the most. It's been really neat lately seeing how much these two love each other. Whenever they are in the same room, Tyli watches Kenzie's every move, smiling from ear to ear. And there are no words to describe how Kenzie feels. This morning, the first thing she said to her sister was, "Hey baby girl...you got prettier in the night. I love you so!" I will cherish these moments and know that they will forever be best friends, just as my sister and I are. I love you so Tov! I'll end with a saying that's on a magnet Tovi gave me a few years ago...'Chance Made Us Sisters, Love Made Us Friends.' Here's to sisters...Cheers!

Good Ole Holden Beach

2008-07-07T13:26:00.018-04:00

We have returned from our vacation at Holden Beach, NC. And what a great time we had! Our home for the week was on the canal off the Intracoastal Waterway and was just a short walk to the beach. The cousins loved to swim, crab, fish and kayak in the canal each day. And how nice and convenient that the Heffron's boat was right there anytime we wanted to hop on for a cruise. We had also borrowed a wave runner that pulled the big tube...what a hit!

Besides going to the beach everyday, which is a treat in itself, we ate great foods, had fun drinks (Pina Colodas with whip cream, yummy) played games, did a puzzle, read, watched fireworks from our deck, went to the local water slide (-:, and had outdoor showers each afternoon (my favorite.) Oh yeah, and we did some talking and laughing too! My Mom's friend, George, hung with us most of the week. He lives in Charleston, SC and was the sailing instructor at the College of Charleston for many years. He's a great guy and makes Mom so happy!

Well, I wasn't going to mention our last evenings' events, but I can't resist. So all 12 of us hop on the boat to go for an early dinner at the Provision Company, a local restaurant on the water where you order your meal at the counter, grab a cold beer from the cooler, and sit outside to enjoy the view and some live music...perfect right?

During our visit; however, a drunk man came stumbling down to where we were tying off the boat, yelling/slurring at us because he did not want it anywhere near his boat. Ty and Chris got splattered upon from another drunk guy puking over the deck. Tyli had an enormous explosion all over me while we danced to the music of a Hawaiian man singing 'Browned Eyed Girl.' That same mad, drunk guy from earlier started taking pictures of our boat, just to try and scare us (BOO!) and the topper...As we were pulling out to leave, the U.S. Coast Guard decided to escort us the entire way back to our canal turn off, leaving us with a hefty fine for having too much weight on the boat...I knew I shouldn't have eaten that last crab cake!

All in all, we had a great week filled with lots of special memories. Thank you so much Mom, for a fabulous vacation at good ole Holden Beach! We love you and can't wait until next year!

Tennis Win and Fun with Friends!

2008-06-29T10:46:00.005-04:00

What a great day yesterday was! First of all, my Mixed Doubles partner, Sean, and I won our first match of the season...yay! Despite the heat and the wind, we pulled it out and won the tie break (-: It's such a nice feeling to win!

Around 5:30, a group of us headed out to the North End of Carolina Beach. This is a favorite spot of ours, because you drive out on the beach with all of your gear and unload it right then and there! So convenient! Well, the wind I just mentioned played a big factor last night...

It looked and felt like the Sahara dessert on the beach, with the strong winds blowing the sand everywhere. Needless to say, it was pretty miserable, so we all packed it up and headed to our house for the festivities to continue.

It was us, my Dad and Melissa, the Heffrons, the Ervins, Melissa's sister and family and the Risleys. What a fun, fun group! We had a great time eating, drinking and catching up. And the kids (11 plus 2 little squirts) had a ball playing and running around the yard. Here they all are...

Nothing says summer like eating watermelon! Kenzie and Desha loved theirs, priceless! My family, Mom and the Heffrons are off to Holden Beach for the week. I'll have lots of great pictures and stories to tell when we return! Happy Sunday!

My Very Own Blog

2008-06-27T15:02:00.009-04:00

I am so excited that I have my very own blog spot! I have been keeping up with a few of my friends' lives through their blogs, now you can keep up with mine! Thanks so much Dad for setting me up!

Gosh, where to begin...Well, first of all I absolutely LOVE being a Mom to my two beautiful girls. Tyli Belle is now 4 1/2 months old and Kenzie is 3...the time sure does fly by so fast! Tyli looks so much like her big sister did when she was a baby. She's such a sweet girl, and Kenzie just eats her up! I could brag about these two all day long, but for now, on to the next thing (-:

Being a Mom to two little squirts now, I am still on my "baby break" from LuLoops! I will be for a while and wish I could give you an exact time when I'll start up again, but as of right now, I'm just not sure. I'll keep you posted, don't worry! However this leads me to the next facet of my life right now...CAKES!

I am taking a cake decorating course this summer and am really enjoying it! When the girls nap or have gone to bed, I bake, ice and decorate (the fun part!) I had my first official order this week from Miss Mary, a dear friend of my Mom's and all of us. It was so much fun to make and it put a huge smile on Mary's face, which made it even better! I also make the chocolate seashells as well...so much fun! Let me know what you think...

So as you can see, I am keeping busy being a Mom, making cakes and chocolates and playing tennis. Oh yeah, and frequenting the Wal-Mart quite often (-: I love my life! I will leave you with this sweet picture of Tyli Belle sitting in her purple Bumbo. Happy Friday!

Here you go, Lissi Lu ...

2008-06-21T20:07:00.000-04:00

This is kind of like tennis.

I am serving the ball to you.

Once it's in your court it's yours to do as you please.

Hopefully, you'll have loads of aces up your sleeve.

So, have fun!

In fact have a ball!

This is your blog, so go for it.

After all, there is only one Lissi Lu, and that my dear daughter is YOU.