The Christensen Family

2012-01-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

There has been a roller coaster of events since 2012 has started. It has been such a wonderful year so far with Aaron's CSO graduation on January 6th, our big move to Arkansas on January 9th, and now our surprising news on January 22nd that we are expecting another baby. It is interesting how life turns out sometimes. Life comes with planning and surprises. During our years of marriage, we have learned to take things as they come and plan accordingly. One thing that we have made a plan for was our children. It took us 6 months before we were able to get pregnant with both Lilie and Marlie. We had actually come to almost a full consensus that we weren't going to have any more kids. That choice is obviously not what is in store for us. We are definitely thrilled and a little shocked that one time of not being careful resulted in a big surprise. This experience has just confirmed that Heavenly Father knows what is in store for us and his plan is far greater than our plan. When I took the pregnancy test, as I sat it down on the cupboard to wait for the results, I could see no sign that it would show up positive. Aaron pulled me away from it and sat with me for the full 3 minutes. He asked if he could look at it first and see if I could guess by his expression. I thought, 'of course I'm going to guess that it's negative because that's where I saw it going'. After the 3 minutes, he went over and picked it up and stared at it blankly not trying to give anything away. I told him it was negative, then I noticed his eyes were welling up with tears and I said, "NO WAY!". I ran over to look at it and it was clear as day POSITIVE! I could feel the rush of emotion hit me and we both hugged each other a cried. We couldn't believe it, how crazy! We are super excited and can't wait for another baby in our family!

Lilie's prayer today

2012-01-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

Lilie said the prayer at dinner and in it she said some pretty funny things..."I'm not bery happy about the thunder and tornadoes, they scare me" (in a concerned and stern voice)"Thank you that my mommy is going to have a new baby brother and sister.""Thank you for me to be nice to my baby sister""Thank you for me to not wet in my bed.""Thank you for helping me to get up and go to the bathroom."Her prayers are the best! When she finishes, we are all in tears either from holding in our laughs or because she touched our hearts. We love hearing her pray!!

OH CRAP...

2012-01-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

So.... this was not planned. We're pregnant.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here is to another Christmas with the Christensen's! This Christmas was so fun and we loved it! Aaron's mom was able to come out and spend Christmas here in Florida and also to meet Marlie for the first time. We started out Christmas Eve with brunch and making ginger bread houses. Thanks to Joel and Jen for bringing and sharing them with us.

Santa came to visit

Lilie and Hunter exchanging gifts. He got her a Sleeping Beauty night light.

Santa's elves brought Christmas jammies that night.

Christmas morning.

Went to church.

At Joel and Jen's for Christmas dinner.

Aaron's class 12-04 drop night

2011-12-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight we attended Aaron's class drop night, which is the night that all of the active duty people in his class find out what aircraft they will be navigators on and where they will be assigned to move to. With Aaron being in the Air National Guard, we already knew that we are heading to Reno, Nevada to fly C-130's. It was very exciting for us to see what all of our friends, that we have made here, will be flying. It was a fun experience and kind of sad because we already knew where we are going. Aaron and another one of his classmates created a slide show for their class that included their "call sign" and a little friendly banter along with a theme song chosen especially for them. Aaron's call sign is "Thor", which was picked by his classmates because of his big muscles. His theme song was "I'm a barbie girl, in a barbie world" because he is known as the "pretty one". His friendly banter said: "Here's to you, Mr. Way to concerned with how you look, man-pretty guy... Only you would make the ladies wait for you to get ready." Here are some pics of his night... some of them didn't turn out well because the flash wasn't working very well :(

Lilie and Marlie

2011-12-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

Besides the fact that Marlie is now walking (for the most part), she has been having a hard time going to bed when we put her down to sleep. She cries and cries. Sometimes we give in a go get her and let her cuddle with us until she calms down and then we put her back in her bed. We have been trying not to give in to her crying because we don't want her to think that all she has to do is cry and we will go get her. So, we have been trying to just let her cry it out. She shares her room with Lilie and the other night, I guess Lilie just got tired of her crying. We could hear her singing to Marlie. She started with "Twinkle twinkle little star", and then she started singing Disney princess songs, and then some of Aaron's songs he likes to listen to. It was so cute to hear her sing to her baby sister. Marlie actually stopped crying while Lilie sang, but as soon as Lilie would end her song she would start crying again until Lilie sang another one. I just love my girls!

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

We have all been so excited for Christmas this year. We set our tree up the day after Thanksgiving and everyday Lilie... and Aaron ask if they can open their presents early haha. Of course I say no way! We have really been in the Christmas spirit because Aaron is home to enjoy it and get excited with us. The last few years he made it home from his trainings a few days before Christmas, which didn't give him much time to get into the Christmas spirit. We always have Christmas music playing and have most of the presents bought, wrapped and put under the tree. Here are some pics of us setting up the tree. We bought a pre lit 9 foot Christmas tree this year for a great deal at Wal Mart! Our small little 6 footer would have looked funny in this house because of the tall ceilings. We started a tradition this year of having everyone pick out their own ornament. Can you tell which one Lilie picked out? haha

Lilie cheering

2011-12-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Lilie cheering at the football games. She is so fun to watch and does such a great job! She loves it! Her first game was pretty cold, but she handled it pretty well. Her last game was last night and in the high 60 degree weather, so it was pretty comfortable for all of us. They have a football season and a basketball season. Unfortunately we will be moved to Arkansas by the time basketball season starts, but at least she was able to participate and cheer at the football games.

Marlie 11 months

2011-12-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

Marlie is now 11 months! She is growing so fast, I cannot believe it. Here are a few things about her this month:

This past month she has gotten two more teeth on the top, they are her incisors. Her two front teeth are starting to come through as well. Right now she looks like a little vampire. She has taken four steps by herself, then she will sit down because she gets scared. She stands by herself all the time, working on building those muscles. She is so full of smiles and such a happy baby. She loves bath time, especially with Lilie. She adores Lilie and gets so excited when she sees her. She loves to climb up on the stool. She is so full of personality. She loves to play the piano (or more like pound on it). When she gets hurt, she will cry to me as if she is telling me all about it. She will then calm down until Aaron comes over, then she will cry all over again as if she is telling him all about it. It is the cutest thing. She loves to be around people.She loves Joel and Jen's dog, Bella.Whenever we open the fridge, she crawls so fast to try to climb up and look in there too.She loves to ride in the big part of the cart at the stores with Lilie.She is so funny and tries to mimic us.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Joel, Jen, and the girls this year, along with a few of their friends. This Thanksgiving was special for me because it has been 2 years since I was able to spend it with Aaron. The past two years, he has been at some sort of training for the Air Force. It was also nice to spend Thanksgiving with Joel and Jen, since the last time we had it with them was when we were first married. Of course Jen makes such good turkey and other food. We really enjoyed spending time with family.

Marlie 10 months

2011-11-20T12:36:00.001-08:00

Marlie turned 10 months this last Thursday on the 17th. She is growing so fast! Here are a few updates on her:She has 2 upper teeth that have broken through, so she has been a little fussy this last week.She has also taken her first couple steps this week! She pushes her little car as she walks with it. She can say "mamamama" when she wants me or Aaron to pick her up.When we ask her where daddy is, she will look at him. When we ask her where Lilie is, she will look at her.When she wants us, we tell her to come to us. She will start to crawl as she is whining and then she will stop and put her head down and cry pitifully, and then she will get up and start crawling towards us again. She will do this about 2 or 3 times as she crawls to us. We had our neighbors watch Marlie and Lilie yesterday while Aaron and I went to a movie. The lady told us that Marlie sat by their front door for the first half hour crying, and every time her husband would come by Marlie, she would start crying. Poor baby. Her personality is really starting to show. She is a little sweetheart!

USS Alabama

2011-11-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Today we traveled to Mobile Alabama to tour the USS Alabama. The USS Alabama was a battle ship in WWII. It was confirmed to have shot down 22 enemy fighters and was awarded 9 battle stars. It was used for several movies including Under Siege with Steven Segal. It was very interesting and cool to see inside an actual battle ship. It was decommissioned January 9, 1947. It was like its own town with a post office, stores, a bank, and a hospital. The ship is open to explore all levels of it. We also were able to tour USS Drum submarine also used in WWII. This submarine was awarded 11 battle stars. It is credited with sinking 15 ships and a total of 80,580 tons of enemy shipping, 8th highest of all US submarines in total Japanese tonnage sunk. It served in a total of 13 war patrols, and on the 8th war patrol is when it sunk a cargo ship and attacked a combat of 4 freighters and during that attack the freighters dropped depth charges and the USS Drum was severely damaged and had to return back to Pearl Harbor. It had a crew of 7 officers and 65 enlisted men. It was decommissioned February 14, 1946. Being in the submarine gave us a claustrophobic feeling because of the tight quarters. I couldn't imagine over 70 people running around in there. It was such a great experience to visit these historic sights. We love exploring different places and are grateful for the opportunity to be in the military to have that chance. Aaron took a lot more pictures, but I just posted a few. Enjoy

NAS Naval Aviation Museum

2011-11-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

It always so fun to go to the naval museum here on base, unfortunately Aaron wasn't able to come with us, but we still had fun.

The Park

2011-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is the park across from our house. As you can tell Marlie loves the swings and she went down the slides for her first time! Lilie loves the park as well and she is learning to pump her feet back and forth in the swing.

My sister's visit to Florida

2011-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

This last week I was so happy to have my sister and her family come visit us! We had fun all week with celebrating her 31st birthday, going to Pensacola beach, going trick or treating, going to the park, the sea wall, of course the Naval Aviation Museum, Mcguire's Irish Pub, and lastly the USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Her and her family also went on an alligator boat tour, buying alligator heads, and visited Ponce De Leon's Springs. We all wanted to go to the forts from WWII, but couldn't fit it in. We enjoyed having her and her family here for the week. It was nice to have family in town. It was hard to say good-bye knowing we won't see them again until August of next year.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween was so fun and exciting! We were able to trick or treat in Florida on base and also my sister, her husband, and her kids came to visit during that time! We went to a church trunk or treat on Saturday the 29th. I had never been to a trunk or treat and it turned out to be a lot of fun. The kids just go around to all of the decorated trunks until everyone's candy ran out. Once their candy ran out, they would close their trunk so the kids would no they had no more candy. Lilie's friend Hunter and Sage came with their family and also Lilie's cousins Abbey and Hailey came with their parents too. It was a lot of fun to dress everyone up. On the actual Halloween, Aaron was pretty busy getting ready for his pre check ride in the T-1, so we just went to a few houses down our street and around the block. The kids had a lot of fun and I'm glad Lilie had her cousins here to go trick or treating with!

Turkey Sandwich

2011-10-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Lilie: Mom, will you make me a turkey sandwich?Me: sureLilie: Ok, I want turkey, and pickles, and tomatoes, and lettuce, and cheese!I looked at her because that was a great description of what she wanted... and she was holding the pickle jar in her hands looking at a picture of a turkey sandwich. I laughed and made her exactly what she described... she didn't finish it though. Maybe not quite what she expected. Maybe it looked better than what she thought it.

Marlie 9 months!

2011-10-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Marlie turned 9 months on the 17th of this month. I took her to her 9 months well child check up and she is 18 lbs 10 oz and falls in the 50 percentile for weight and height and 62 percentile for her head circumference. At almost 8 months she became uninterested in breastfeeding, so it was formula and baby food from then on out. I was pretty happy I was able to nurse her that long, with Lilie, I only last 3 months before my milk was completely gone. Marlie is crawling, pulling herself up, and walking along things. She's had a few bumps and bruises, but she still does it anyway. She has started squishing her nose at us and sniffing loudly like a dog. It is the funniest and cutest thing ever! She can also stand for about 10 seconds once she balances herself and then she will slowly sit down. She doesn't quite know what to do next. She loves patty cake and will clap her hands now. She also got her first tooth the week before Lilie's birthday! I noticed something was in her mouth, so I stuck my finger in to get it out and I felt something sharp. On Lilie's birthday, I realized her second tooth was coming in also. We didn't even notice she was teething because she wasn't fussy or anything. She is such a happy baby and so much fun! We just love her. Lilie was an early walker at 9 months, so we'll see if this month will bring another early walker for us....

Lilie's 4 year well child check up

2011-10-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

I took Lilie in this week for her well child check up and she is very healthy. She is 43 lbs and in the 92% for weight and height. Here in Florida they have a preschool program called VPK for children who turn 4 before September 1st that is free. Unfortunately, Lilie missed the deadline so I have been working with her at home. She knows her Alphabet and can write them. She can write her name all by herself. She knows her numbers 1-20. She is showing interest in the piano, so I have started to introduce her to some of the piano keys and their names. The other day she was in the bathtub and yelled, "Mom, Dad!! I have a brain!!! It's in my head!". It was so random and funny!. One night, Lilie was being snotty and Aaron said to her, "Can I have my sweet Lilie back?" Lilie replied, "But, there's no more Lilie's... there's just me!". Aaron replied, "Okay, can I have you my Lilie be a good girl?". Lilie, "Sure!". I've been trying to write down funny things she says, but I forget sometimes. A few weeks ago, my little sister got let go of her job. I told Lilie that her aunt Bay got fired from her job, and she asked why. I told her that her boss didn't think she worked very hard. She started to cry and pleaded to me that I call Bay's boss and tell them not to fire her and that Lilie will go work hard for her boss so she can not be fired. It was so sweet and cute. She asked if she could call her aunt Bay, I said of course. When Bay answered the phone, Lilie started crying to her about her getting fired and she will go work hard and take water so they don't fire her. I can only imagine what was going through her mind when she said she will take water so her aunt Bay wouldn't get fired. Oh my sweet Lilie is a sweet tender hearted little girl and we adore and love her so much!

Happy Birthday Lilie!

2011-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

On October 15th miss Lilie turned 4 years old... although we have been thinking she was 4 a long time before her birthday. She acts older than she is with her wittiness and intelligence. Aaron and I were super excited for her birthday this year because we weren't so busy that we could plan and enjoy it, and because it was her first friend party. She was so excited knowing it was coming up! The night before her birthday she asked us if we would wish her "happy birthday in the morning". We said of course we would. She ended up coming into bed with us in the middle of the night and the next morning we wished her a happy birthday. She was so happy and excited as she said "Thank you so much!". Aaron and I decided we wanted to make her a castle cake (our first cake!) We watched a video on Youtube to help us in our indevor along with phone calls to my mom and phone pictures we were able to put the castle cake together. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be! The video on Youtube made it look sooo easy. It turned out pretty good though. We had her party at the Perdido Kids Park which is a huge castle with slides and swings and all sorts of fun stuff. Her party was Repunzel themed with decorations. There was a covered area with 4 picnic tables, but that spot was already being used by another birthday party. We had to use an uncovered table, but luckily Aaron picked up a canopy when he went to pick up her balloons. Her friends that came were Abby, Hailey, Casey, Jojo, Philip Jr, Sage, and of course her prince Hunter. The party turned out good and it was so fun to see Lilie so happy for her birthday.

Family photos October 2011W

2011-10-09T17:35:00.001-07:00

We had our friend Collin, from Aaron's class, take our family pictures. There were so many we liked so enjoy!

Delirious Lilie

2011-10-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved here to Florida, Lilie started wetting her bed at night. We took her to the doctor thinking she had an infection of some sort because she had been potty trained for almost year with very rare accidents to all of sudden wetting her bed at night. The doctor checked her out and did an x ray and ran a few tests, which all came out negative. They asked if there had been some major changes in her life and we said that we had a big move and she got a new little sister so quickly. The doctor said, that was most likely the reason for her new night accidents. We would try different things to encourage her not to wet the bed, but not much seemed to work. We would have to wake her up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom at least once and sometimes twice to avoid any accidents. It was frustrating for us for sure. After our trip to Utah, she came back and all of a sudden she wasn't wetting her bed anymore. We thought she was cured and just needed a little bit of home and familiarity to comfort her and cure her. Well gradually she has started to revert back to wetting the bed. We have been putting diapers on her (which she hates), and it has been interesting that when she wears the diaper, she wakes up dry, but if she doesn't wear the diaper, she wakes up wet everywhere. See how that might confuse us. We have started to wake her up again during the night. It is so hilarious because she is so delirious that she doesn't know what is going on. One time she tried climbing in the toilet, we had to grab her before she fully went in! Other times she'll not know where she is going or where she is supposed to go and will walk around randomly trying to figure out what is going on. Another time she has walked into her closet after we told her to get back in bed and tried to lay down on the floor in there. She's totally fallen off the toilet face first! The other night, Aaron was trying to put her back to bed and she wasn't responding to him at all. When he got her back into her bed she said 'Daddy I love you'. It made him feel good that even though she had know idea what was going on because she was so delirious, she recognized he was there and told him she loved him. She always says the funniest things and catches us off guard and all we can do is laugh. She told Aaron the other day, 'dad, don't worry about me!" in a sweet little voice. Even though her wetting the bed is frustrating, it is still entertaining for us to try and help her out. She is so excited for her birthday next week, and is always talking about it. She keeps naming all the family she thinks is coming, but unfortunately not all will here this year. We are probably just as excited for her birthday as she is!!

Random Pics from my phone

2011-09-19T13:15:00.001-07:00

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Wow! I didn't realize how many there were! Enjoy

Speaking in church

2011-09-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Early last week Aaron received a call from the second counselor in our branch asking if he would speak in church, he of course said yes and then passed me the phone. I thought to myself "Oh Great!". I said, "Hello" in a not so happy voice. The counselor on the other end of the line chuckled at me and then proceeded to ask if I would play a musical number at church for the next Sunday. I laughed and with relief, I replied that I would be happy to! He said that Aaron would be speaking about Joseph Smith's first prayer and I had the perfect song called "Oh, How Lovely was the Morning". Yesterday in church the first speaker spoke on repentance, which was such a good talk. I then played my musical number and then Aaron followed. Aaron was blessed with strong communication skills in public speaking, I could hear him speak anytime. It amazes me every time I hear him speak, because he does such a wonderful job! The spirit was so strongly felt during that meeting and as he spoke I had goose bumps on my arms and emotion was strong in my heart. There were a few investigators in the congregation, and I felt those were perfect talks for them to witness. After the meeting everyone told us how beautiful and touching and spiritual it all was. A young mother came and told me that I played so well and asked if I had been practicing because the first time she heard me play she thought I was nervous because I didn't play so well and that I had improved so much. I laughed to myself inside and thanked her for her compliment although it came out oddly. I thought to myself that playing hymns compared to musical numbers are very different and if I don't know the tune of the hymn it is a little more difficult to play.

Air Force Military Ball 2011

2011-09-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we attended the Air Force Military Ball 2011 held at the NAS Naval Aviation Museum. It was a very fun night and to be able to get all dressed up. There was an elegant dinner, with a few speakers. They also had a tribute to former POW's (prisoners of war) and Veterans from WWII and the Vietnam War. I got emotional and teary eyed as they honored those gentleman by telling their stories of capture and endurance. It was such a neat experience and being there with several other military officials was honoring. After dinner, they had arranged for us to get our pictures taken for free if we wanted to, which of course we did. Afterwards, we were waiting for our other friends to get their pictures taken and the chaplain that offered the opening prayer tried to squeeze behind me. All of his metals on his jacket got caught in my hair and he kept walking before he realized it, dragging my hair and head with him. He stopped as I untangled my hair from his metals and asked if I was okay. I laughed and could feel my face go so red with embarrassment, when the next thing I knew another lady was standing on the back of my dress! Another girl from our group came to my rescue and tried to get the lady to move.... which she did not. I was stuck there for about a minute or two until she was ready to leave. Again I was embarrassed and moved quickly away from large groups of people. It was actually pretty funny and everyone got a good laugh, even myself. We took group pictures in front of an airplane, and one of the workers was standing nearby to make sure we weren't going to climb all over it. All in all it was a wonderful evening with good friends.

Marlie 8 months

2011-09-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Little Marlie is now 8 months! I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by. I took her to the doctor's last week because I thought maybe she had an ear infection because she kept rubbing it, coughing, running nose... or to find out if she was just teething. The doctor said she didn't have an ear infection and she wasn't teething and she probably was just experiencing some allergies. She now weighs 17 lbs 4 oz. She is crawling all over the house and pulls herself up on everything she can. She is so much fun and we are enjoying her so much!

Bye Bye "War Met"

2011-09-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

When we were living in Utah, we lived right by a Target. Lilie would always yell "Mom, There's our Target!!!!" every time we would drive past it. Since we have moved here, we have been closer to Wal Mart. She had the hardest time saying "Wal Mart" and would said "War Met" instead. We thought it was so cute that we didn't try and correct her. Well, the other day she tried so hard to say "Wal Mart" instead of "War Met".... she deepened her voice and pronounced it slowly. She now calls it "Wal Mart" and gets better each time she says it. Although we are happy that she can say it correctly now, we will surely miss her saying "War Met"! Bye bye "War Met".

Marlie is crawling!!!!

2011-09-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Marlie started full on crawling this week! Yikes! She is now mobile! It is such a fun milestone and keeps us on our toes. She has also started pulling herself up to things and has gotten a few bumps and bruises along the way of this new discovery. We have to keep a watchful eye on her and make sure no small objects are around. Lilie is doing so well at being a big sister and she protects Marlie pretty well. She is in such a fun stage and we are enjoying it so much!

Grandpa Cliff and Nanna Sherri's visit

2011-09-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to finally have visitors out here in Florida! Cliff and Sherri came out to visit our family as well as Joel and Jen's family. Despite all of the rain from tropical storm Lee, we made the best of it and had a fun time. We went to the Naval Aviation Museum, the fresh fish market, and of course the beach. It was so nice that they were able to be here for 4 birthdays (Jen, Aaron, Abby, and Hailey). We really enjoyed having them here and Lilie was pretty upset to see them leave.

Happy 30th Birthday to Aaron!!!

2011-09-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Aaron's big 30th birthday last week on September 1st. It was during a really busy time in his training and so we didn't have a big party like I wanted. He was really happy that his dad and Sherri could come out during his birthday. He received a lot of airplane stuff and was very happy about all his gifts! Lilie wanted to be a part of it and helped Aaron open his presents and blow out his cake candles. She has gotten very anxious for her birthday (which isn't until next month) while attending 3 different birthdays in 1 week. It was a fun day for all of us!

Happy 7 year anniversary

2011-08-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our 7 year anniversary. We had a nice couple from church ask us if they could watch our girls so we could go out. We had a nice evening, we went to Chili's for dinner and then went and saw Cowboys versus Aliens, which was actually pretty good. It was fun to spend time together just the two of us, which doesn't happen too often. Every year that passes, I can't believe it has been another year. It feels like we just met yesterday. It is fun to think back on that time and see how far we've come. I am so happy to be married to my best friend, my sweetheart, my love! I love you Aaron more than I can say! I put together a little video of pictures from when we first met and dated for the 3 months that we did. Enjoy!

Church

2011-08-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while now and am finally getting to it.

I have a new calling in our little branch of about 20 to 30 people. I am the pianist for sacrament meeting. I love our branch and the people in it. It is only 2 hours long, 1 hour for sacrament meeting and a half hour for Sunday school and a half hour for priesthood/relief society.

I haven't ever really paid attention when going to church in the past and never really listened to the talks. I don't know why, but it just wasn't that important to pay attention. There is one talk that I can remember and that was when I went to the singles ward. I remember the speaker talked about a guy who went partying over the weekend and showed up at church on Sunday and everyone had known what he did that weekend and couldn't believe that he would dare show his face at church after participating in drinking. Well, I guess word got to the bishop and he showed up in one of the Sunday school classes and talked about how that he and heavenly father are very happy that the young man showed up to church and that is where he should be regardless of what he has done. He was upset that so many people judged him that he was there. He said church is for sinners and no one on this earth is perfect and that is why we have church and the gospel. I know that I am not perfect and I remember feeling that church was where I needed to be.

A while ago I had thought that I didn't need to go to church to be a good person and that I could be good without going to church. I was so stressed with my life at that time with Aaron being gone all the time to his military trainings, I was in school full time, work full time, single mommy with Aaron gone, and pregnant on top of it all. I just thought that church was just one less thing that I wanted to worry about. I told my visiting teaching companion that I just couldn't be her partner anymore because I just didn't have any spare time for it. I told myself that I wasn't a bad person and I didn't need to go to church anymore. I could feel myself caring less and losing my strength in my testimony, but yet I felt like I wasn't a bad person so therefore why did I need to go. I remember having a conversation with Aaron one night while he was gone and he said when he got back he would like to start going back to church. I thought to myself, 'yeah you can go back cuz I don't need to'. He was such a wonderful husband and didn't push me at all. He knew that I would go when I was ready. During that conversation though he pointed out to me that I shouldn't become so strong willed that I wouldn't allow the spirit to direct me in what I should be doing. That hit me pretty hard and the more I thought about it, the more I realized what was happening to me. It was so true what Aaron had said to me and I needed to change my attitude.

Although it didn't change quickly, it has now. After moving here and going back to church, I have had a change of heart. I actually listen to the talks and get so much out of them. After each meeting I feel so much emotion and have a huge lump in my throat waiting for me to cry, is how strongly I feel. I have not ever really felt that kind of emotion from going to church, but I can also notice a change and the constant reminder of how to be a better person is there. I have now realized the importance and the strength that going to church gives me. I was a good person before, but now I am becoming a better person and can feel the difference. Our branch president is so spiritual and I feel that when he speaks, it is meant for me, although I know it is meant for everyone, but I get so much out of it.

I bore my testimony a few Sundays ago during fast and testimony meeting, which I haven't done since I was engaged to be married. I felt that I should tell my story of building my strength in knowing the importance of going to church. Aaron also bore his testimony which is amazing and always so touching. He is my strength that I need and am so happy that I have. He builds me up in every way and I couldn't imagine going through this life without him. He is so amazing and important to me and I love him so much. He never hesitates to be there for me and will drop anything to do things that I ask. I couldn't ask for anyone better to go through this life with and continue on into eternity.

Marlie 7 months!

2011-08-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

Marlie turned 7 months old on the 17th of this month. She is becoming more mobile as she can now put herself into a sitting position from laying on the floor. She pushes herself up on her feet and sticks her butt in the air and pushes her head into the ground as she tries to go forward from this position. She loves Lilie and laughs at pretty much anything she does. She is so happy and content. Still no teeth yet. She is very interested in food and growls at us if we don't share with her. We give her baby food or baby puffs that dissolve in her mouth instead. She gets especially upset if Lilie eats pop cycles in front of her and tries to grab at it and screams. Aaron will tease her with the pop cycle and she WILL grab it from him and shove it into her mouth as quickly as she can. She is so funny to watch and her facial expressions are the best. She has a huge smile every time she sees any of us and sometimes will just stare at us until we look over and then she gets a big huge shy smile. She is rolling over anywhere she is, so we have to make sure to watch her closely. I can't believe it's already been 7 months! Each stage is so fun and I'm so grateful that I'm able to stay home and enjoy every minute!

Lilie needs a paper towel!

2011-08-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

This video was taken almost a year ago. One of my favorite of hers!

The funny things Lilie says

2011-08-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Lilie makes us laugh every day with the things that she says. I wanted to share some of them and hopefully someday be able to share them with her.

Today at the doctors office, she was coloring on the chalk board and she says, "Look Mom! I'm chalking... see this is chalk, so I am chalking!".

The other day our neighbors watched her and she showed me some sign language and I asked her if the mommy taught her some sign language and she replies, "No, the big daddy did!".

Aaron was tucking her into bed, and she said, "Go get mommy to give me hugs and kisses goodnight!" Aaron said he would tell me in a little bit and she replies, "No, right now please."

One day she said, "Josh said he eats cockroaches... I don't think he eats cockroaches." I asked her who Josh was and she said, "Bay's husband!"

Today she said randomly, "Mom, your feet are so perfect!"

One time she asked, "Mom, what's an idea?"

She was watching the movie Twilight with me and one of the girls on the movie, Lilie always says, "I love her teeth!"

Whenever Aaron leaves the house she screams, "DADDY, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE MY SWEETHEART AND MY BEST FRIEND I LOVE YOU!" and she cries if she doesn't get to give him hugs and kisses and makes me call him on the phone so she can cry to him and tell him that he didn't give her hugs and kisses. He either comes back inside or makes her run out to the car.

She always says to me, "Mom, you're so wonderful"

A girl from Aaron's class asked her who she was going to marry and she replied, "I'm going to marry Hunter in the Oakland temple... I can't marry Justin Bieber anymore cuz he has a girlfriend."

We were at the splash pad with her friend Hunter and she asked him, "Hunter will you marry me in the Oakland temple.... Fine Hunter! you broke my heart!"

One day she said to me, "Mom, I'm talking to your heart.... can your heart talk back to me?"

The latest thing she keeps saying to me is, "Mom, I will be so sad when you die in the cemetery."

After going to Utah, she started saying "like" all the time. "When Bay's dog like jumped up on me... can we like go play with Bay's puppy?" Since we have been back here she doesn't say it anymore.

That is all I can think of for now.

Marlie 6 1/2 month well check up

2011-08-03T21:50:00.001-07:00

Today I took Marlie in for her 6 month well child check up. She is really healthy and growing well. She was 26 inches in length which fell into the 45th percentile. Her weight was 15 pounds exactly and falls into the 30th percentile. Her head circumference was 42cm and falls into the 40th percentile. Her lower gums are swollen and the doctor said to expect teeth in a few months...although that is what she said at her 4 month check up so I guess we will see. She did pretty well with her shots, just cried for a minute. Overall, she is doing wonderful! She will be back to see her doc at her 9 month check up. I can't believe she's already almost 7 months. Crazy how time flies and I sometimes wish time would stand still. Some of the things that Marlie does is when she is falling asleep, she will cover her face with her arm or with a blanket or even bury her face in the corner of her bed. We can tell when she gets tired when she rubs her eyes or her ears. Auntie Dayna sent her a cute little purple bug that she loves to cuddle with! When Lilie doesn't try to steal it away she likes to sleep with it and Lilie has named it Buggy! When we feed her her baby food, she grunts until you put it into her mouth. Aaron will open his mouth and make a sound and she would mimic him. She can hold stuff really well and loves to put anything she can get her hands on in her mouth. I feel so bad when we are eating in front of her and you can just tell how much she wants to eat it to. Her eyes are locked on whatever food item you have, and apparently she realizes her baby food is not that great. Oh well, she just has to wait a few more months.

The amazing and talented Aaron!

2011-07-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Aaron has been working the last few months on these 3 drawings. They are the airframes that he is flying during his training here in Pensacola and then in Arkansas. The bottom left one is the T-6, the bottom right one is the T-1, and the top middle one is the C-130 which is the air frame he will be flying when we get to Reno. He has such an amazing talent! He is even surprised at how good he is once he's seen the finished product. He has decided to get his Masters degree in either landscape architecture or fine arts. In the state of Nevada all tuition, fees, and books are waived for all military in undergraduate and graduate programs. He is definitely going to take advantage of that opportunity for schooling and complete his masters. I'm so proud of him and all of his accomplishments!

Future Cheerleader!

2011-07-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Lilie has always been observant throughout the last few years as I was teaching my little sisters cheers and helping them prepare for cheerleading tryouts. She knows about three cheers and will show me her cheer moves. She is very coordinated for a 3 year old and I'm excited to be able to put her into classes when she gets a little older. I hope she follows in my footsteps and one day becomes a cheerleader. Cheerleading taught me to have confidence in myself and it encouraged me to be athletic, in shape, and progress academically. Cheerleading was so much fun and provided me with so many fun memories.

Vollyball

2011-07-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Aaron plays volleyball every Thursday evening and me and the girls went to watch him play. I have never got to see him play before, but I hear from all his buddies how great he is. He is an excellent volleyball player and we were excited to be able to watch him and take some pictures.

Lilie

2011-07-17T19:17:00.001-07:00

Our girls!

2011-07-17T19:12:00.001-07:00

Marlie 6 months

2011-07-17T19:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Marlie is now 6 months old today! She is getting so big too fast! She can now sit up on her own for a short period of time. She is rolling over and has started scooting and pivoting. We have started her on baby food, and she loves it. She is just so fun and her little personality is really starting to show. She grunts when she doesn't like something and laughs at funny sounds we make. She also loves peek a boo! She is such a joy! We are taking her to her well baby check-up this week and will post her stats later.

Trip to Utah

2011-07-16T12:24:00.001-07:00

Me and the girls went to Utah over the 4th of July. We had so much fun! Lilie did not want to leave. Everyone would ask her if she wanted to go back home to Florida and see daddy and she would start crying and say no and she wanted to stay in Utah forever. She loved playing with all her aunts, uncles,cousins, and of course grandma and grandpa. It was so good to see everyone! I didn't realize how much I missed Utah until I went back. It will always be home. Thank you everyone for everything and the fun times! Love you all

To my Dad on Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Daddy,

I wanted to express my love for you on this Father's Day by letting you know how much I love and appreciate you. You have always been so encouraging and supportive of our dreams and goals. I remember when I was young and you told me that I had a talent of being a fast runner, and I had told you that I wanted to go to the Olympics like Jackie Joyner Kersey. You encouraged me and told me I could do it if I worked hard. You came to all of my track meets and cheered me on. I felt you were so proud of me. You came to my powder puff games and cheered me on there as well and also when I cheered, you drove out to California to see me compete. All of that meant so much to me, I want you to know that I really appreciated everything you did for me. One of my proudest moments was when you walked with me on stage when I was nominated for Homecoming Queen. I always wanted to impress you dad and make you so proud of me. I have always been so proud of you and admired your strength in your beliefs. Thank you for always encouraging me to be the best that I can be in everything. Thank you for your guidance when I fell astray. You are such a strong example to me. I love you so much Dad!

Happy Father's Day to the father of my children!

2011-06-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

My dear Aaron,

You are such an amazing father to our girls. I really couldn't ask for a better father to our children than you. I love how you are so good with them and how you love your girls so much. I love how you play with Lilie... when you pretend to be her prince charming, how you sing Little Mermaid with her, how you pretend to be Mother Gothel from Tangled, how you have gotten her to scream your name when she sees or hears a jet, when you tuck her into bed at night, and how you love her so much. She adores and loves her daddy with all her heart. You are her hero, her prince, her best friend, and her sweetheart! You two are so funny together, two peas in a pod haha. Marlie lights up when she sees you and when you hold and play with her.

Thank you for being such a good daddy, my best friend, my sweetheart, and my wonderful husband. I love how we have the same taste in everything and how we understand and read each other so well. Thank you for sharing the at home responsibilities with me without complaining. You are so amazing and I love you so much! Again, Happy Father's Day to you my love!

Sisters

2011-06-19T21:04:00.001-07:00

These cute sisters just melt my heart! Lilie is such a good big sister and very helpful... sometimes a little too helpful when she wants to try and pick up Marlie. I let her help give Marlie baths, and she is helpful with getting me diapers and other things I need. She always wants to pick out Marlie's outfits, and gets upset with me if I don't put on what she picked out. Marlie just adores Lilie and will just stare at her with a huge smile on her face. Lilie cannot wait until her little sister is big enough to play with her. They will be best friends and best sisters forever!

Lilie girl

2011-06-19T20:54:00.001-07:00

Lilie girl is so funny and such a sweetheart! The other day she asked if I wanted to take a nap with her and the next thing I knew, she was in my bed with Aaron's ear plugs in her ears asleep. She cracks us up so much! She loves princesses so much, and her favorite at this time is Repunzel. As you can see from the pictures, she has 3 princess babies and calls them her kids and she is their mommy. We made a deal with her that if she doesn't wet her bed, then she can have her princess babies, but if she does then we have to take them away for the day. She has had 2 accidents since we made that deal with her, and she gets so upset and cries for her baby princesses. She claims that they are crying for her and want her and that she needs to take care of them. She also does pretty well at obeying us and replies "Yes Daddy!" or "Yes Mommy!" when we ask her to do something. She always says the funniest things. We love her so much and she makes life entertaining for us all!

Marlie 5 Months! June 17, 2011

2011-06-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Marlie is now 5 months! Wow, how time flies. She is such a fun baby and not to mention a sweet cutie pie. She smiles so much and gets wide eye'd and opens her mouth like she's screaming when she sees us, followed by a huge smile. She has a little bit of a shy demeanor when people smile and talk to her. She is cooing quite a bit and loves to suck on her fingers, hands, toes, other peoples fingers.... pretty much anything she can get into her mouth. She also growls and grunts at us when she is hungry or tired or wants to be picked up. She definitely lets us know when she doesn't like something. She has also started to roll over both ways. I can't believe she is getting so big....as you can tell from her cute little thunder thighs.

My birthday.... from May 28th

2011-06-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

I had a great birthday with friends and family! We went to Chili's and I was able to get my favorite dessert in the world, Paradise Pie! Thank you Aaron for putting it all together. It was a wonderful birthday, I love you!

Sunday morning

2011-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we were rushed in getting ready for church so tensions were a little high. Lilie had had a nightly accident and she didn't clear her dishes from the night before. Aaron was letting her know that he wasn't happy about her night accident and her dishes she left out. Her response to his frustration towards her was, "Daddy just give me a big smile because we are going to church today!". He couldn't help but smile and instantly he was not upset anymore.

The Fatty Christensens

2011-05-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

There's an app that makes your picture look fat haha. Thanks Joel!!

Our little diva

2011-05-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Lilie is such a little diva.... and has attitude to go with it. She is constantly being reminded that it is not all about her. She is great fun nonetheless and keeps us entertained and on our toes at all times. She has made some new friends here in Florida including a new little boyfriend (move over Justin Bieber haha)named Hunter. Hunter will be 4 in June and they play so well together. We were at the park the other day and she didn't want to go down the slides because there were a few bugs on the slide, so Hunter came up behind her and put his arms around her to protect her from the bugs while going down the slide.

Marlie 4 months

2011-05-17T17:20:00.001-07:00

Marlie had her 4 month well child check up yesterday and she is doing very well. She now weighs 12 pounds and 4 ounces and is 24.5 inches in length. She falls in the 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length and 25th percentile for head circumference. The doctor said that her first tooth is coming in and may pop up either in a couple weeks or a couple months. Her doctor also said she can now start eating baby rice or oatmeal and juices.

Marlie Karen Christensen's blessing day!

2011-05-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Marlie Karen Christensen,

Today your father took you in his arms and gave you a name and a blessing in our NAS Pensacola Branch. Today he blessed you to be able to discern between right from wrong and to be an example to all by standing tall in your beliefs and what you have been taught. He blessed you to be a leader by humility. He blessed you with health and strength and to choose paths of righteousness. He blessed you that when the time was right that you would find a worthy young man and be sealed in the temple. He blessed you to teach your children to grow up close to you and close to the lord. He blessed you to be an example in our home and to our family. He blessed you to be positive and happy regardless of all the turmoil in the world. He blessed you to pray often and have the strength to fight for what is right.

Today my heart was full of love and emotion. I couldn't hold back the tears while your father gave you a blessing and later as he bore his testimony. You are a blessing and sweetheart to our family and we are so happy you chose to come to earth and be apart of our family. We love you with all of our hearts.

Love,
Your Father, Mother, and Lilie

Lilie at the fair

2011-05-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

We were invited to go to a fair in Fort Walton Beach with Joel and Jen and their family. Lilie loved it! Here are some pictures of our fun time at the fair.

Lilie wants a baby brother.... already

2011-04-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

So the other day Aaron and I were discussing if we wanted to have another kid and when would be a good time. We hadn't come to a firm yes or no and were leaning towards possibly being done, but decided to talk about it later. Last night Lilie told Aaron that she wants a baby brother. Aaron asked her why she wants a baby brother, Lilie replied "because he will be so cute and be so fun!". Later that night after Aaron had gone to bed, Lilie and I were up watching T.V. and she tells me that she wants a baby brother Maddux when we get to Reno by the mountains. It was so weird because when Aaron and I were just discussing it a few days ago Lilie was asleep, and she randomly brought it up. We took her to Reno twice, once when Aaron got sworn in at Reno Air National Guard, and the second time at one of his guard weekends, but she knows we are moving there eventually and remembers there were mountains.

More Easter fun!

2011-04-27T12:59:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun celebrating Easter with Joel, Jen, and the girls. Lilie loves her cousins and they all had a blast with their Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T20:00:00.001-07:00

We had fun making Easter cookies (maybe a little too much fun). Lilie did not enjoy the flour fight and got a little upset until we explained that we were playing as Aaron allowed himself to be the next target. Oh fun times!!

Marlie Karen

2011-04-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

mommy's big helper

2011-03-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

I've been having Lilie help me clean and do the dishes and she has been such a big help. I heard the water in the kitchen on yesterday, and I asked her what she was doing, and she replied, "I'm doing the dishes mom!"

Lilie's clubhouse

2011-03-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Aaron asked Lilie to put her toys away and she replied, "I can't, it's my clubhouse!". She was trying to build a clubhouse comparable to Mickey Mouse's clubhouse.

Marlie's 2 month check up

2011-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Miss Marlie Karen had her 2 month checkup (which was also her first checkup since she was born because of moving to Florida and switching doctors). She weighs 10 lbs 9 oz which puts her in the 50% percentile for weight. She is 21.5in in length putting her in the 25% for height. Her head circumference was in the 30% percentile. She is healthy and doing very well. Lilie has always been in the 90's percentile, so this is a change. Lilie and Aaron decorated her with blue angel stickers while we waited for the doc haha.

Marlie Karen Christensen's Birth January 17, 2011

2011-02-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

We had scheduled Marlie's birth with my doctor for January 17th so Aaron could be there for the birth. He was scheduled to leave for Pensacola, Florida on January 19th for navigator school. Luckily the hospital allowed us to deliver two weeks early. We arrived at McKay Dee Hospital at 7:30 a.m. and were taken to our room. After getting settled in, the nurse checked my dilation progress and I was dilated to a 4 almost a 5. At 9:00 a.m. they started me on the pitosin to help increase my progress while we waited for my doctor to arrive to break my water. I didn't feel like I was making much progress between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. with the pitosin. My doctor arrived at 10:00 a.m. and checked my dilation progress. I was dilated to a 5. I asked the nurse to request for my epidural to be given as quickly as possible after my water was broke. My doctor broke my water and I immediately could feel a change. While waiting for the anesthesiologist to arrive to give me my epidural, I had a few strong contractions. When he arrived and he started the epidural process, I was getting contraction after contraction with the strength increasing on each one. I was in tears by this time as I waited for the epidural to kick in. My nurse checked my dilation progress again after I got the epidural and I was dilated to a 7. She was surprised at how quickly I was progressing. She went to call my doctor to come back. As they were getting everything ready, the epidural still hadn't fully kicked in and I was in a lot of pain. My mom was in the room holding my hand and I was trying to concentrate on breathing during the painful contractions. The anesthesiologist noticed the epidural was taking a longer time kicking in and he gave me another dose. Another nurse had come in and asked me if I wanted a Popsicle and told me she was Carly's mom. I had a hard time concentrating on what she was talking about. It finally occurred to me that she was the mother of a former co worker. My nurse advised me that I needed to start taking deep breathes or she would have to give me oxygen. When my doctor arrived again, I was dilated to a 10. I was calm and ready to go. Aaron was nervous and pacing back and forth. He had put tissues under his arms to avoid sweat puddles on his shirt. My doctor and the nurses and I were all ready to go. I felt more numb than I had when I delivered Lilie and my legs were dead to the world, so I was nervous I wouldn't be able to tell if would be able to push good enough. When it came time for my first push, I gave it all I had. During the break between that contraction and the next contraction, my nurse ran and got a tissue and told me to spit out my gum. Everyone broke out in laughter. My next contraction came and I pushed again with all I had. The next contraction, my doctor told me to just push a little... Marlie was out and as they pulled her out, I felt my tummy drop. I could hear her crying and my heart filled with emotion. They cleaned her off on me, which was a new thing they were doing to help with the bonding. After they cleaned her off, they gave her to me skin on skin contact, which they said helps calm the baby. It was such a great experience. I was so happy that Aaron was able to be there. Marlie is such a joy.

Grandma Karen and Aunt Dayna's Visit

2010-03-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to have Grandma Karen and Aunt Dayna come visit us last weekend. Thank you for coming!

LIlie

2010-03-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

Lilie

2010-03-12T21:48:00.001-08:00

My sister is getting married in May and Lilie gets to be her flower girl. These are some fun pics we took of her in her new flower girl dress. She thinks she's a princess!

Happy Valentine's to Aaron

2010-02-27T22:17:00.001-08:00

This is Aaron's Valentine's gift. He has wanted a curio forever to display his model jets. Happy Valentine's babe, I love you!

So Cal Trip

2010-02-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here are pics from our recent trip to Riverside and San Diego. It was good to see everyone!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-21T18:23:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was so much fun to see Lilie get so excited! When she realized what opening presents was all about, she wanted to open ALL the presents. She loved all the presents she got and was excited all day! The day was so fun. On a side note, a funny Lilie story: Aaron gave Lilie a bath and when he took her out, he told her to go in her room and get diaper. The next thing he knew, she was calling out "Daddy!!" "Daddy!!"... Aaron went in her room and she said "Daddy I spilled!" Aaron asked her what she spilled, and she said, "I spilled from my bum!" as she pointed to a puddle on the floor.

Lilie dancing to Frank Sinatra

2009-12-20T16:26:00.001-08:00

Lilie and I were getting ready to go deliver banana bread to our neighbors for Christmas and I had Frank Sinatra playing in the background and she was dancing to it while eating a swedish fish. She is such a good dancer and has good rythmn. Someday I'll figure out how to put video's on here and we can see a live version of her dancing skills.

Lilie's first Ginger Bread House

2009-12-20T16:17:00.001-08:00

Lilie made her first ginger bread house made from graham crackers. She was more excited to see all the candy then to actually decorate the house with it. When I had her hold it and pose for the picture she accidently dropped it. Here it is in cronological order. She was kind of upset, but put it back together as best she could as you can see.

nap time

2009-12-20T16:11:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Aaron came home for 2 days. As you can tell he was pretty exhausted from his SERE Training. Lilie and Aaron fell asleep together on the couch for a nap and I couldn't resist this precious moment.

Aaron's SERE Training

2009-12-06T21:13:00.001-08:00

Aaron has been at SERE (Search, Evade, Resist, Escape) training since November 19th for part of his Air Force training. You can kind of think of it as a more intense scouting trip. He will be done with this training on December 11th and then he will be off to Florida for his water survival training til December 21st. Lilie and I miss him like crazy, and excited for him to come home soon!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Lilie and I went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Aaron has been at training since November 19th, so he wasn't able to make it to Thanksgiving, but luckily he will be home for Christmas...just like that Christmas song:)

Hollywood her she comes...

2009-12-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

Lilie is already for Hollywood with her cute shades and amazing poses!

Our trip to Sacramento/Coloma, CA

2009-11-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

We went to Sacramento/Coloma CA last week. Here are the pics from our trip. Lilie adored her great grandpa Parkinson and her aunt Dayna. She kept saying "Lilie's papa! Lilie's papa!" She kept following him around everywhere haha. She warmed right up to Dayna and Julian and had so much fun with them. She loved Dayna's dogs also, Oscar and Isabelle. Ever since we got home she keeps asking to go to Dayna's house. We had a great trip and it was so good to see everyone!