It's just that...

So I've been horrible at keeping up the blog. There are many reasons for this ...
WARNING: This part is about business. I'll admit that first and foremost, it's just that I cannot stop Stella & Dotting :) It's going so well, and I'm so thrilled with the gift it has been in my life. It really wouldn't be taking up as much time as it has, but I've been working my tail off since October to reach a sales goal that would enable me to attend a leadership conference in Dallas in January. I really believe S&D is the best way for me to have a 'career' until Imogene is in kindergarten and doesn't require so much driving around because she may be getting more of her therapies in school. (I love to you to pieces Imogene - not blaming you at all!)
So I'll put this out there - if anyone is looking for a wonderful gift for a woman or girl in their life - you know where to find me (www.stelladot.com/laurensigler). No, I do not have any shame at this point. I have made it my goal to get to Dallas and I don't want to fail!

So enough of that stuff ... the other reason that I haven't blogged. It's just that I feel like I would not have much positive to say about Lily. There. I said it. She's driving me insane. We have had some good mornings, but a lot of mornings are just so excrutiating it's like I'm being tortured ... seriously it can be that bad. And then she turns around and does this ... I went around the house one night looking for "lamby" who she usually doesn't even care about sleeping with, but it had been one of those days. As I was leaving her room that night at bedtime she whispered, "Thank you Mama for finding lamby for me." Oh the heartstrings.
But most of the time she's so whiny and argumentative ... and CONSTANTLY asking for things for Christmas. We did go yesterday out shopping, the four of us, for the family we 'adopted' through church, and the boys we adopted from the Angel Tree at school. She had some trouble in Target not getting anything for herself, and again at the mall, but she seemed to understand what we were doing and why (as best as she could) we were doing it. She really enjoyed making a gingerbread house yesterday with Bill and me. Especially the part where we had to lick the icing off our fingers all the time.
I just want so much for her not to fight me on every last thing we do during the day (that doesn't involve the TV!) Lily can be such a dear, sweet soul, and I truly believe she'd rather not be like she is most days, but she just doesn't have the skills within herself to handle it all right now.

Imogene is so stinking cute these days. (When the girls read the blog one day it will really sound like I'm pitting them against each other, won't it?) She is running all over the house all the time and talking about "Ehmo" on the Christmas tree. She says "annta" for Santa and "o-o-o" for "Ho-Ho-Ho." She is so loving and sweet - giving out hugs and letting people hold her a lot more these days. She is still impossible to get to sleep, but that's just part of our life since she was born!

Bill and I have even been on two dates this month. That's more than we'd been on this entire fall (I think!).
Have I told you how much I love Christmas? We will be making lots of baked goodies soon to share with our friends and neighbors. Lily gets to celebrate at school on Thursday and we are taking her to a Nutcracker tea on Sunday!