First thunder storm of the year

Today we had the first thunderstorm of the year. It was nothing compared to the big ones we'll get later this spring, but it was still fun to enjoy. Lily was never bothered by the noise as an infant, but this evening she was hiding out in her blanket pretending to be scared.

She must get her flair for the dramatic from her father. :)

New jammies!

It's been a tough week in the Smith house because Lily is a little...backed up. We tried fresh, home-made juice, prune juice, and new pajamas to help her out...no luck yet. I think she is holding it in because she's afraid it will hurt, and that is only making things worse.

Even though she's been miserable, she is such a little sweetie and has kept a great attitude!

Lily is officially 2.5 years old today!

I took Lily to Lemon Tree today to celebrate that she is officially 2.5 now!

She picked cupcake flavored frozen yogurt topped with kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, and a few marshmellows.

She really enjoyed picking out her toppings and we had the place all to ourselves!

I just can't believe that she is growing up so quickly!

Update on La Petite Academy

Lily has been at La Petite for eight weeks now and we could not be happier about it!! She just LOVES her teachers, Miss Melinda & Miss Sierra, and we do too! So many things about La Petite have impressed us, but I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff!

Lily attends three days each week and has blossomed immensley during these last two months! The first week she was there, she came home singing new songs (complete with choreography) and she adjusted really well to the new meal & nap routines. Knowing Alexandria was in her classroom was such a relief for me as well because I knew Lily would have at least one little friend right away!

Each day we recieve a report of what she ate, what projects they completed, and how many times she went potty. What's incredible is that Lily wears panties at school and has not had an accident yet! She brings home so many crafts--we do not have enough magnets for everything!

I am so glad we enrolled her in La Petite...I know it was the right decision!

Field trip to Union Station

Today we took Lily to Union Station to see One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure (http://www.unionstation.org/OWOS.html). It's a 25 minute movie in the planetarium and is the PERFECT activity for families!

This is a picture of Lily as we headed downtown...we got those Strawberry Shortcake glasses in the dollar section at Target and she just adores them! Best dollar I've spent in a long time!!

Red Robin

I love this picture because Lily still has her same little Charlie Brown profile from our ultrasound images!

Tonight we had dinner at Red Robin--We love this place because it's kid-friendly and they make the best strawberry milkshakes ever! Thanks to advances technology Lily can enjoy Super Why while waiting for dinner, which gives Eric and me a chance to catch up!

Lily & Alexa

Last night we had a little Valentine's party for Alexa and Lily, while Eva & James went to dinner. We had pizza, baked cookies, took a bubble bath, built tunnels & forts with couch cushions, danced, sang...it was a very busy evening!

Happy Valentine's Day

Last night I made three dozen cupcakes for my coworkers to celebrate Valentine's Day. Lily really likes to help out in the kitchen, so I waited until after her bedtime to decorate them all. But really, I look forward to the age when she can help me with projects like this!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! XOXO

Valentine's party

On Monday, Lily has as Valentine's Day party at her school. To get ready, we made valentines for her classmates and decorated her mailbox. Lily just LOVES stickers so this was a fun and easy project for us to do together. What makes Lily's mailbox extra special is that we used the Valentine's stickers her Auntie Marissa sent!

Next WNBA star?

For Christmas Lily got a new basketball hoop from Grammy. We figure with all the athletic ability in the Smith family, Lily may be the next WNBA star! This week in the mail, Lily got a Blazers jersey from Andrew! Now we just need to get her some warm-up pants and she'll be set!

Hair cut

This week I noticed that Lily had been using scissors at school during her cut & paste projects, so I had the genius idea to buy her a pair of round-tipped Fiskars to use at home! Normally, I cut up little pieces of paper for her to glue on to cardstock...but this way, she could cut out her own little pieces of paper!

Friday evening went well! I showed her how to cut away from her fingers, I demonstrated that we only cut magazines and construction paper--not books, and we had hours of practice without any hang ups. We cut so many little squares of paper, we didn't even need to glue them to the cardstock anymore...we were having fun just cutting!

Saturday morning, Lily asked if we could do a project together. I got my huge craft box down from the table and set it out on the living room floor. Eric was laying on the couch, two feet from Lily, when I stepped away for 30 seconds to use the restroom. Upon my return, Lily stood triumphantly, a chunk of hair in her hands, proudly declaring, "I cutted my hair. All by self. I cutted my hair. Look!"

Of course, I immediately responded inappropriately--shocked and yelling, "Lilyyyyyyyyy!! Nooooooooooo!!" Which caused Lily to drop the handful of hair on the carpet and start crying. Waking Eric up from his drowsy state, panicked. Making me feel horrible for scaring Lily over something that wasn't her fault...

Needless to say, Lily's bangs now start further back on her head to blend the missing pieces, her scissor priviledges have been temporarily revoked, and I learned a valuable lesson!!

A bit too cold

This morning when Lily woke up, she couldn't wait to play outside...but it was freezing! So I tried to explain that it was too cold and windy to be outdoors..."we would need to be dressed VERY warmly!"

A few minutes later, she came strutting* out of her bedroom...What Lily understood from my statement was that she would need to bundle up--she put on a fleece zip up, under her winter coat. What she didn't understand was that flip flops (on the wrong feet) would not be appropriate! She is sooooo funny!

*Maybe you witnessed this during our last trip home...she has a bounce in her step, sorta pushes her chest out, proudly showing off what she's wearing?? Yeah...that's what she was doing this day!

Birthday!

In 2002 Eric brought me a single rose on my birthday...this year, he sent me these beautiful flowers at work, took me to a fantastic dinner at Piropos, and planned a spa day (complete with chocolates and champagne) for Eva and me!! He's definitely improved over the last nine years!

Dress up

It's a paid holiday for me, so I get to be home with Eric and Lily!! That means lots of cuddle time, Raffi, and playing dress up!

Lily, the Ladybug Princess

Lily, the Ladybug Princess...hoping the Sorting Hat places her in Gryffindor!

Snow day!

School was cancelled today due to snow, which means I get to be home with Eric & Lily!! Does it get any better than being paid to be with the two people you love most?!

Here's a picture of Lily playing in the bath. I can't believe how big she's getting--She can even shampoo her own hair now!

First day in a new school...

I just wanted to let everyone know that Lily's drop off went really well this morning! We prayed on our way to school and I tried to be as confident as possible, so Lily would feel good about the experience. I know she is going to have fun there, but it make take a few weeks to adjust.

She was apprehensive at first and didn't want to leave my side, but right away one of the girls in her class came up and took Lily to wash her hands before breakfast...that seemed to help Lily feel more comfortable. She actually was able to wander around the room without me, inspecting her new environment.

As I was leaving, Lily started to fuss, but the teacher came over and reached for Lily. Surprisingly, Lily went right to her without any tears. I watched through the class windows before I left and Lily was still laying on the teachers shoulder.

After we registered Lily at La Petite, we found out that Eva's neighbor girl, Alexandria, also just started in the same classroom. Now, if Alexa joins, the girls can all be in the same pre-school class together in a few months! How fun would that be?! :)

Please keep Lily in your prayers today!

La Petite Academy

After careful consideration, we have decided it is time for Lily to leave her in-home care center and transition into more of a pre-school setting. Thankfully, we found (and fell in love with) La Petite Academy (http://www.lapetite.com/). Now, Lily will receive focused, age-appropriate socialization and education and we couldn't be more excited!

Her first day is Wednesday. I'll be sure to post an update on her experience.

Heading home

Today we headed home after another wonderful trip to Washington! Like always, feel sad to leave our family and friends, but look forward to our next visit!

Saying goodbye

Lily and Baby Sophie, out cruising...again!

Halle's birthday

Carli was kind enough to plan Halle's birthday party while we were in town and I have to tell you--it was amazing! She planned, cooked, and baked for it in one afternoon and the party was so much fun! The kids had a little scavenger hunt, decorated cookies, played games...

The party itself was perfect for toddlers--lots of activity to keep them busy, in a comfortable setting, without too many people. But what was most impressive to me was Carli's composure! She put her kids down for naps, went shopping, came home to cook, did all the party prep...calmy, efficiently, stress-free, in only a few hours...It was unlike anything I've seen before! It was such a great lesson for me to watch her work!

Merry Christmas

Lily and Halle, the best of friends

holding hands

watching their daddy's playing football

Grandpa and Grandma with their grandkids

Happy Holidays!

Great grandma Reinstra with her great grandchildren

Staying with the Grants

Dinner time!

Bed time!

Hide & Seek

Lily and "baby lukie"

Aunt Carli's homemade breakfast!

Lily, the jet setter

We are heading to Washington for the holidays. Traveling is a little easier now that Lily can carry her own luggage! We made sure to pack movies, snacks, books, art supplies, and extra clothes. That first trip home, when I had babypoop all over me, seems like ages ago!

Mommy's dress

We tried to get pictures of Lily in a dress I wore as a toddler, but she just didn't feel like modeling tonight. Hopefully we can try again another time...

Mini celebrity

Being so stylish is exhausting!

I know her poor little neck is all kinked, but I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.