Princess' debut as Donkey from an adapted Shrek The Musical

Princess is going to Junior High this year, and she decided that she was going to try theater. I am so excited for her, but she is such an ambivert. The question to that label is WILL SHE BE AN EXTROVERT ON QUEUE, OR WILL SHE BE AN INTROVERT.

Well, our wonderful studio (A Body In Motion The Studio) offered Musical Theater Camp, and she tried it out for the first time. Now, she says that they act out things at school all of the time, but IMO it is not the same as a full blown performance.

Here is her wonderful performance after 9.5 hours of practicing this week with a wonderful teacher, Mr. Joe Strohl. He adapted the play to fit 109 random kids aged 5 to 12 with only a 10 minute performance, and he pulled it off.

Watch the Video

The Twizzles 7th Birthday Party

We Love our Cool Kids!

We love our Cool Kids! 

Recently, a new song has come out called Cool Kids by Echosmith. Of course, the hook is nice. My kids took to it immediately. Then, I started listening to the words. I don't know about you, but that is the most disturbing song that I have heard in a long time. I am not even posting a link here because I don't want to give it more publicity.

Part of the lyrics: I wish that I could be like the cool kids cause all the cool kids they seem to fit in.

I know that all of us can relate to that part in our lives. When we think about that time reflecting on how hard it was (for some), then we really don't want our blessings going through those same self-esteem struggles. I immediately turned the station in the car and explained to our blessings that they are exactly like God made them. They are perfect in His eyes, and that they don't have to be "like the cool kids" because they are cool in God's eyes.

A few days later, we were listening to our favorite channel "KLTY 94.9", and the Cool Kids song started to play. Then, it faded into the background with someone saying on top of the song "You are exactly how God created you..." Then, they went on to say exactly what I told our blessings. It's not about what others think, it is what God thinks. I was so happy to get a confirmation of what I was feeling about THAT song and about our blessings.

Then, we heard a new song by Francesca Battistelli called He Knows My Name. Her lyrics go like this:

Spent today in a conversation

In the mirror face to face with

Somebody less than perfect

I wouldn't choose me first if

I was looking for a champion

In face I'd understand if

You picked everyone before me

But that's just not my story

True to who You are

You saw my heart

And made

Something out of nothing

I don't need my name in lights

I'm famous in my Father's eyes

Make no mistake

He knows my name

I heard the chorus, and nearly started screaming right there! That is what we need to be sure that Our Blessings know about themselves. They are famous in HIS eyes, not the world's eyes.

What makes my Cool Kids even better is that THIS IS THE SONG THAT I HEAR THEM SINGING WHEN WE ARE RIDING IN THE CAR TOGETHER, PLAYING GAMES AT HOME, AND GOING TO SLEEP. God is always their for all of us. We just have to seek Him.

Please be sure that your blessings know they DON'T HAVE TO WANT TO BE THE COOL KID, THEY ARE ALREADY COOL!

Happy New Year - The Lilly Blessings

Um, can we get a real smile :-)

The Twizzles and Princess Liyah had so much fun taking pictures at The Picture People that I had to share their fake smile picture with you.  Sad to say, this is the best one out of so many shots of them that day.  If one really smiled, another one was making a crazy face.  Whew! Three kids and one photographer is just so wrong :-)

Princess Day 2012

We had Princess Day at our house with Chloe and Kiana over the Christmas break.  It was so much fun playing with the girls, painting nails, cooking with the Easy Bake Oven, and playing games.  

I let them try to paint themselves!  It was too funny.

Um, since when did the Easy Bake Oven ingredients become so small?!?!?!?!

Upgrades :-) and Downgrades :-(

I have been so excited the past few weeks because Twizzle #1 has officially started the process of being upgraded from Defiant Twin to Reluctant Twin.  He has worked so hard to be a good boy, and I have been so excited in praising him for his upgrades.

Well, what goes up MUST COME DOWN, right?

As of today, Twizzle #2 has been DOWNGRADED from Mischievous Twin to Twinice the Menace. Whew! is about all that I can say.  What makes it worse is that he is the quietest thing in the house.  That does not help when he IS A MENACE!  He has caught hubby playing combat games on the X-Box.  So, that has really taught him how to be quiet.

Goodness Gracious!

Summertime comes to an end...

We started the summer with a splash park on Memorial Day, so of course we had to end the summer with a splash park on Labor Day.

A Child with a Compassionate Heart

Princess shared with me over the weekend that there is a new student from another country in 2nd grade at her school. She told me that he plays by himself, and is very quiet. I asked her what country, and she said France. And she asked how can she talk with him. 

Hello First French Lesson: "bonjour, je m'appelle aaliyah." Then, she asked how to ask him if he would like to play. Hello Second French Lesson: "voulez-vous jouer" (short and sweet). 

The part I loved about this whole thing is that she remembered this morning, and practiced from the time she started eating breakfast until she got out of the car at school without prompting from me. I am so proud of her and thankful to what God has given Future and myself. 

A child with a compassionate heart! Amen.

Twizzlemosis in action!

Dad: Future it's your turn to pick a movie.
Frederick: Chronicles
Dad: No Frederick, it's Future's turn to choose.
Future:  Umm Umm
Frederick: Airbender
Dad: No Frederick, Future chooses or I will choose.
Frederick: Future says he wants to watch Chronicles.


NOTE: Remember that Future only said Umm, Umm.  So, did Future tell Frederick by Twizzlemosis, ESP, or what? 


Twins, Gotta Love 'em!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy 4th Birthday to Future Angelo Lilly III and Frederick Douglas Lilly III! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

First thing in the morning, they had to have a present yesterday instead of waiting until their birthday. I am so happy that they picked the same book at the Book Fair this week, and they were not together when they chose them.