"Omaha...somewhere in middle America"

Today we took a trip to the Omaha zoo. Lily is still a bit young to appreciate seeing so many different types of animals, but I think she enjoyed doing something new. We took a trolley ride around the park and visited almost all of the exhibits. It was a long day, but we had a great time!

A visitor!

Welcome back, Auntie Marissa!!

Today my sister arrives and we are super happy about her visit! It's been a beautiful week and we look forward to having her here!

Penquin Park!

Lily is quite the little dare devil!

"This is how the big kids do it--No hands!!"

Today we had a play date with our friends, Missy and Raegan. It was their first visit to Penguin Park so Lily gave Raegan a tour. As you can tell from the pictures, Lily loves the swings and has gotten very brave! She's a tiny acrobat in training!

Rain, rain, go away...

There are so many wonderful parts about a rainy day, but unfortunately, it also means we can't play outside. Today Lily spent the afternoon by her window, watching the storm go by. She loved feeling the scattered rain drops carried in by the breeze!

Journaling

This afternoon I gave Lily a pencil and notebook to play with. Instead of drawing on the walls (which is what I expected) she actually began to write! She took the notebook to a corner in the hallway and truly appeared to pour out her deepest thoughts on the pages!

Oh, I wish I knew what she was thinking!!!

Feeding the birds

Spring pictures

Spring pictures

19 months old today!

Lily is 19 months old! To celebrate, we bought her a new tent & tunnel. We thought it would be a fun gift, because she really likes to sit under blankets with her books and dolls. After setting the tent up, we played inside for three hours!! She really enjoyed the tunnel, but wanted me to join her inside...It was a tight squeeze, but worth all the effort to see her so pleased!

Lily is still not a fan of milk, but Doc Hollywood encouraged us to keep exposing her to it. I'm not sure exactly how we're supposed to change her mind, so Grammy suggested chocolate or strawberry flavor may help. I was able to find these organic "juice boxes" of milk and Lily has finally started drinking a few ounces at a time. I'm not sure if the pros of calcium outweigh the cons of sugar in these things, but I guess its a starting point.

This just in!

More pictures from Grandpa & Grandma's visit!

Visit with Doc Hollywood

Today was Lily's 18 month check up and she's healthy & happy! She weighs 26.4 pounds and she is 33.5 inches tall!

Our little artist!

So Lily found a pen today and colored on every pillow and cushion of our couch! Although it was initially shocking, it wasn't upsetting--Actually, it was hilarious! Thankfully, with Resolve carpet cleaner and lots of scrubbing all the ink came out and the couch looks better than before!

Imagine this: At first glance, something looked different about the couch, but it was hard to identify exactly what that difference was. As you sit down, you notice a few pen lines on the white pillows--Lily is clearly the guilty party. You knew this day would come, so smile to yourself, but you do wonder if the ink will stain. Either way, it's not that big of a deal, the pillows can be replaced. And then you see a few lines on the tan couch cushions and brown pillows--now you get a little panicked! In a quick survey of the furniture, you see that not a single part has escaped her creativity! She even colored on the rocker and her matching baby chair! The couch is almost three years old, but you certainly weren't ready to replace it yet! You are speechless, but you have to laugh! "EVERY cushion and pillow, Lily? Really?!"

The best part about this whole discovery is that Lily then wandered into the living room and seemed thrilled to show me all that she had accomplished in only a few minutes. She babbled on, as if explaining her inspiration for designs. When Eric and I took apart the couch for cleaning, Lily lounged on the pile of pillows and admired her artwork!

New words!

Recently Lily added a few new words to her vocabulary!

Some words she pronounces very well--dinner, up, baby, woof woof, and okay.

Other words are missing a letter or two:

For "please" she says, "peas!"

For "thank you" she says, "tank-ooh!" (all one word, said very quickly)

For "bless you" she says, "blessie!"

It is so exciting to hear her using more words--I dream about all the talks we'll share together as she gets older!

Goodbye to Grandma & Grandpa

Lily's a little somber because Grandpa & Grandma are leaving!

Ed and Christy returned to Washington today. We really enjoyed having them here and Lily loved getting to know them more! She spent lots of time jumping around and climbing up grandpa. And she was so happy to have grandma around to swing and cook with!

Having grandparents around is nice for so many reasons! Sadly, it always leaves us feeling a little empty once they leave.

Grandma & Grandpa's visit!

Ed & Christy arrived today and we look forward to a relaxing visit with them! Lily was well rested and had lots of energy to play! After playing in her kitchen and with her stuffed animals, Lily spent time showing everyone how high she can jump! Here are a few pictures from their first few minutes together:

Lily just woke up from her nap and was waiting patiently for grandma & grandpa to arrive!

We brushed her hair and put on the valentine's dress that grandma sent so she looked her best!

Lily was happy to show grandma around her little kitchen and cook something special for her!