22 Months Old!

Today we celebrated Lily's 22nd monthly birthday with a family pool party! We took a trip to Target for new swim wear and beach towels before heading to our neighborhood pool. The evening was just perfect and we had the place to ourselves for the first thirty minutes!

The water was already warm and after that initial shock of realizing it was okay to get wet with "clothes" on, Lily was ready to swim away!

Yikes! Is she really 22 months already?! It's all happening so fast! Sometimes it seems like she's going on five years old, and other times (thankfully) I see that she still is a baby...well, my baby at least.

Recently she called herself "Lily" for the first time. I was asking her what different items are called and then I asked her what my name is. She didn't answer at first so I asked her if I was Lily, and she pointed to herself and said, "No, I Lily!" It really felt like a "big girl" moment for her, although I try not to use that phrase with her.

Surprisingly, she is not oblivious to the differences of a "big girl" and a "baby". A few days later she crawled in my lap and wanted me to carry her in a cradle hold. Distracted, I tried to prop her up, how I normally carry her around the house, but she kept pushing her body back and horizontally. When I finally had her in a cradle hold, she cuddled close to me and said, "baby, baby". I have to admit, it made me soooooo happy and I said, "Yes, Lily, you are mama's baby!" I just love all our close moments and I'm dreading that day when she doesn't want me to carry her anymore!

Happy Father's Day!

I want to recognize my WONDERFUL husband for the INCREDIBLE father that he is! Although I always knew Eric would be a GREAT dad one day, I could not have predicted how well the role would suit him! Thank you for being the leader of our home and loving us both so much!!

Off to Kansas

Poor Lily, she spilled water on her original outfit at CiP and when I rushed to change her, I put her new dress on BACKWARDS!! After an inning or two at the game, I finally noticed and flipped it around!

Notice that her "pack pack" had to come along!

Tonight we headed over to the Legends shopping area for a family night out and I have a few personal recommendations I wanted to share:


First, we had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Next time you're there, order the Teriyaki Broccoli instead of the fries--you won't regret it! I don't even like teriyaki OR broccoli...but together...with a little garlic (which I also dislike) they blend together to become something amazing!!


Next, we attended a T Bones game. I hadn't been there since a Cerner family fun day in 2006, but I was pleasantly surprised tonight! It is a GREAT place for families and everything costs a lot less than it does at Kauffman! There was so much for Lily to see and do here! We really enjoyed our night out!

Peek A Boo!

Today during Hide & Seek, Lily actually surprised me by finding a new place in our guest bathroom! Her other hiding spots are usually out in the open, just around the corner from where I am counting! This choice makes me believe that she is understanding the game better! I had to laugh when I finally found her--She certainly is creative!!

Loose Park

Today we took a family trip south of the river. Coffee Girls (near 75th & Wornall) is one of my favorite local places so we stopped by for sandwiches and fresh squeezed juices before heading to Loose Park for a stroll.

This visit was especially fun because Lily was excited to see all the ducks and Koi in the pond! She wouldn't get out of the car without her backpack which was a funny sight...sometimes she seems older than 21 months! It actually made us sad to think that she's growing up and will be in Kindergarten in only 3 more years!!

A rock collector's dream!!

Tonight on a family walk Lily came across her greatest discovery to date--a neighbor's landscaping rock pile! The avid collector that she is, you can only imagine her elation! We had to physically remove her from their driveway, but not before she pocketed two of those shiny, smooth stones (Which we later returned).