My Son the Famous Shoe Kicker!

Jesse had Field Day this past Friday and so I went to cheer him on. But more importantly he came home w/ a blue ribbon for 1st place. He's so proud of it. He carried it to the supermarket and everywhere else we went all day. At what event did he win? The Shoe kick of course.

The PE teacher explained, you will untie your shoe & pull your heel out and just have the front of your foot in the shoe & then toss it as far as you can, blah, blah, blah. I say blah, blah, blah, as after she gave her explanation of the event - they heard no more. Instead like Graduation Caps soaring through the air - so it was w/ shoes flying everywhere. I was giggling so hard as I was texting the scene to Scott. I said - they so need video of this - she's lost all control and it's so funny.

Then it happened. Right before Jesse's big win, the 2nd grade boys stood on the line preparing to kick - I said, "Jesse," and then looked to the boys around him, too, & said - "you guys know - kick out - not up!" And they smiled agreeing.

So I watched from the sidelines like any proud Mom as my son's shoe flew through the air over the teachers' heads (he says he hit one - which makes me aware it could have gone even further) and by no question at all - his shoe went the furthest by a long shot. And I cheered and he smiled from ear to ear as those kids always beat him in the races and he was so proud!

It was so funny! I love that a Graubard won such a silly event! Sketchers. That's the key. I knew they were shoes that rocked!

Tiny Dancer Busts a Move

I've had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to being a mostly stay at home mommy w/ a baby again so I decided to try out this play group thing. It wasn't intimidating as it's held at a community center as opposed to someone's house. The first 1.5 hours is just free play & they have a craft table where they have a craft they can make. Lilly made a frog w/ my help. Therefore, I had fun. They also have little kid food & coffee for grown-ups. A nice touch. But the best time for both Lilly & I was the last half hour when they put away the toys & replace them w/ instruments. At that time they do music time playing songs such as the Wheels on the Bus. In case you didn't know, Lilly loves to dance thus her nickname Tiny Dancer. Anyway, so she started out shy sitting on my lap and sort of shaking the bells they gave her. But it didn't take her long to get up & go into full routine taught to her by Josh where she points her fingers & pumps her arms. She marched to the middle of the room to perform her little dance. It might not have been quite as funny to everyone else, but I had the picture going through my head of Josh dancing w/ her. It was sort of like the end of Little Miss Sunshine - only not as rude. Very, very funny. Josh calls her Mini-Me. I assure you, Mini-Me made him proud today.

Out w/ the Old

I need to start out by telling you a story of how my New Years Eve began this morning. This morning Lilly was kind of grumbling in her crib, but I was still in that half asleep state until I heard this sound "ssssssssssss" - Lilly had removed her diaper and was peeing on her crib mattress. Out w/ the old. Scott tells me this is funny. Sort of - or at least now. As she was very proud of herself. He said, look, she's that much closer to potty training, she didn't like being wet. Yep. Good perspective . . . now that I'm awake that is.

So let me leave you on this beautiful sunny New Years Eve w/ these thoughts that I shared w/ my E-Bible Study group. We are studying the book "The Shack" which I highly recommend you read this coming year. Here goes as I wrote it to the group this comment by God in the book:

I also highlighted on page 187 "So when you don't hear me the first time, I'm not frustrated or disappointed. I'm thrilled. Only forty-six more times to go. And that first time will be a building block to construct a bridge of healing that one day - that today - you will walk across."

Isn't that how it is even w/ us when we are planting seeds of faith. So maybe our neighbor doesn't get it right away. Doesn't understand why we follow the Lord, but they see something in us that turns into a seed that is planted in them. And then w/ each seed planted we bring them closer to knowing the Lord. It is so true in our faith walk and bringing others to Jesus.

I thought that paragraph was cool. As it reminded me just like God - we need to be patient and let God's work fall into place and try not to be discouraged when we don't get instant results. - just keep walking the walk and let the Lord use you and others to keep planting seeds in people's lives day by day as it's all worth it. Like my friend Jillian who came to the Lord through befriending me, her silly Bible thumping neighbor - cause that's how she saw us. To her Scott & I were these people always having churchy friends over and her husband, Kevin, told us later that they always hoped that they didn't get invited to our pizza gatherings. Then one day after Jillian and I both had small babies she started taking walks w/ me and started realizing I wasn't just a freak and she wanted to know more about my faith and then she ultimately had some other stuff happen w/ others speaking into her and her husbands lives as well and then they came to the Lord and their ministry is huge now. Meanwhile at the same time I was trying my best to plant seeds in my other neighbor who was very much against my pushing my Christianity walk on her. She was a friend who I was and am very close to so I had this sense of urgency for her to have what I'd found in Jesus. Eventually I realized through the Jillian experience that I may have planted a seed or two in my friend, but someone else would probably be the one to plant the seeds that seal the deal and eventually bring her to the Lord. I'm still waiting, as Christianity is something we don't talk about anymore but I do believe the Lord will use someone else to plant the final seeds that draw her close. Anyway, I learned this from the Jillian experience. As here is how the Jillian story played out. Jillian and her husband did start coming to church and ultimately accepted the Lord. So later one day one of Jill's closest friends said to me - we were so glad you and your husband came into their lives -we've been trying to speak into their lives forever. But God used you guys. Scott & I got to plant the final seeds. So you see - it doesn't matter where you are in the seed planting business - You just hope and pray that you are leaving seeds behind in your walk and they are taking people one step closer to the Lord. Even when we don't see it.


Happy Seed Planting in the year to come!

Blessings,

Julie & Scott & the gang

Miss Lilly has been w/ us for 6 months!

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A Ta-Da Moment

I can't believe I forgot this great Ta-Da Lilly Moment! Scott just reminded me of another Lilly story.

One day we were at our church. It was after the evening service & Lilly was crawling around. And our friend, Ingrid, was making all over her. Well, at one moment I was busy talking to someone else and Scott was nearby Ingrid & Lilly. Lilly kept crawling up the carpeted steps to the stage (about 4 or 5 steps) when all of the sudden Lilly started to fall down the stairs. Ingrid caught the flying baby in a single bound by throwing herself through the air. Even though Ingrid caught Lilly mid air thus keeping her safe - Lilly still was wide-eyed and began to cry (but honestly I think Ingrid was even more wide-eyed and shaken). Scott quickly jumped in to crying Lilly and said "Ta-Da!" And Lilly went from tears to a big smile as she threw her arms out in the air & said, "Ta-Da!" And all was well again in her world.

So in our family Lilly has taught us when life gives you lemons a Ta-Da is needed is needed indeed. And Ingrid taught us how to fly through the air at the drop of a hat if needed. Honestly I think the Ta-Da Moment belonged to Ingrid. But Funny Girl got the laugh.

Anything For A Laugh

Lately, I find myself doing what most new mother's do w/ their friends & family. I find myself telling people all the stuff Lilly is doing. But in that Scott & I find humor in the midst of everything - it's the humorous I tend to share. So I was just writing to my friend, Lynne, and I said - Lilly has done so many funny things that I should blog about it. And so here I am.

Lest you wonder if God is in control - let me tell you a little about our Lilly. I was telling my sister a funny Lillyism the today & commenting on how much she does that is just like the rest of our family, so I know God picked her out just for us. My sister responded w/ something along these lines. "God's in control . . . imagine that. :) I think it took God so long to bring her to you as he was trying to find the right wacky child to fit into your family. "

I must tell you I fully agree w/ those words. Lilly is (Bianchi)Graubard through and through. She will do anything for a laugh. Sound familiar.

What prompted my sister's comment was my comment about Lilly biting my port. You heard me correctly. First, here's a port lesson. A port is that bump I have on my chest that was surgically put in and leads directly to a major vein so when I was having chemo my veins wouldn't collapse. This particular port I had put in this time was ugly. You know how I know - if I didn't already think so myself - many an ignorant soul has felt the need to tell me. I'm not holding grudges. It is particularly ugly - they had to put it up very high on my chest wall up near my collar bone this time due to not wanting to mess w/ my reconstructive surgery from 2006 from my last round of this when they hooked me up and fixed things following surgery on that side. Anyway, so I have this ugly port. And I don't hold grudges because when people say stuff like "that's uglu" to me - I think - they must have just had a stupid moment - no one can possibly insult like that if they are thinking. So most times it just made me laugh later at the ignorance due to the stupid gene we all have from time to time. Rabbit trailed - supposed to be talking about Lilly. I'm getting there though - promise.

So Lilly and the port. Lilly is particularly good at cuddling and giving hugs & kisses. So just the other day she leaned in close to me for what unsuspecting me thought would be a hug and next thing I know I'm yelling "OWWWWWW!" and yelling at Lilly to stop it. She had leaned in and bit the skin covering my port. I didn't laugh in front of her, of course, as she'd have certainly done it again for another laugh at another time. But I did laugh. I laughed because I'd have done the same thing. In fact, if I could reach it w/ my mouth - I might have tried to bite it. Kidding. I think. Anyway, as a kid for sure I would have done it - she was just curious - it is odd. A girl after my own heart. Curiousity got the best of her.

Other funny Lillyism.

Many of you know the story of Gideon putting out a fleece to see if God was really w/ him. Well. If we had put out the fleece - this would have been our kind of test and let me tell you - God is w/ us. Lilly took a domino and place it in her mouth w/ it sticking out like a T from her mouth. Stop it worriers - I am the Queeen of worry and the dominos are way too big for her to swallow & not made out of lead paint or anything but plastic. Back to the story. So Scott being Scott took more dominos and placed them going the other direction making a cross and stacked 3 more on the first domino. Lilly kept her lip out the whole time letting him do it. And it wasn't a one time deal - she'll do her trick for anyone who wants to see it. Lilly is one of us beyond a shadow of a doubt. Oh and for those who know her . . . my friend Judy, who I am staying w/ while I go through my radiation treatments, can stack up to 4 dominoes on her own original domino when she does the same trick as Lilly. Yay Judy!!!!!!! Now Judy just needs to get down the "ta-da's" that Lilly does after a trick.

Whom. What else. Words. Josh teaches her very funny words for a baby. She pronounces the words and says them in a voice you'd have to hear yourself words like - excellent, onion, Garbo, and whatever else Josh can think of which he feels will sound funny coming out of her mouth. Gramma Kay also got in on the scene by teaching her "yellow." Very funny as it's a trick for her tongue to say that one. Lilly is a copycat for sure. You say it and she repeats it. You do it and she will do it. Very smart little one. Her language skills are right there w/ any 16 mos. old, so no worries there. Although sometimes I do think she speaks some Chinese words. I pray she's not swearing at us, but I do think she speaks Chinese occasionally. Not a stretch . . . she's Chinese afterall.

But my favorite Lillyism now may be the one to bite me in the port in her teenage years. Whenever I tell her no she stops what she's doing, doesn't even really get mad at me - jus tlooks over and scrunches up her face until I laugh out loud. This is going to be my challenge. I must stop laughing in front of her. Yeesh. And Scott, Josh & Jesse are no help at all as they all egg her on.

Lilly "Anything for a laugh" Graubard. Graubard through and through.

Chemotheropy Complete!

Hi all,

This is a quick blog - but I wanted you to know Chemo is done - finished - complete! I made all six treatments w/ God's grace & now I am recovering rather nicely I might add. I start radiation in October for 28 treatments & will head into Christmas w/ my nice boyish style rockstar hairstyle & can move on to just loving on Lilly & the rest of the family for that matter! Just checking in as I know many worry when you have not heard from me, but suffice it to say I was just resting and getting better. Most side effects behind me at this point - just still a little tired.

Love & Kisses & Bless those around you today,

Julie