Guy Trip

April 29, 2008, 3:11 pm

Noah and Nathan spent the weekend in Kansas City with Uncle Preston and cousins Lauren and Evan. They went to an indy car race which Noah thought was the coolest.

Noah returned with a black eye, exhausted, and without his special blanket. Noah got the black eye from his 3-year-old cousin Evan who knocked into him on the trampoline. I was so sad to discover that Noah left his blanket (which he has slept with every night since he was a baby) at Preston's house, but Noah seems o.k. without it. Perhaps I'm more attached to it than Noah.

Here is Noah sporting his black eye:



Yesterday he said, "I just can't decide what I want to be when I grow up now. It's between two things. I'll either be a professional football player or an indy car racer."

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1st Dentist Appointment

April 28, 2008, 9:39 pm

Lily had her first dentist appointment this morning. I was afraid to take Lily to the dentist because she wasn't a very compliant child at 2 1/2. But after she started preschool, Lily matured quite a bit. So she went for her first dentist appointment today, and she did a great job. She sat very still and enjoyed having her teeth counted (she has 20) and cleaned (she didn't want to eat afterwards and mess them up).

Of course Lily likes to talk, and when the receptionist asked her how old she was Lily said, "I'm three and a half! Then I'll be 4 and then 5 and then 6 and then 7 and then 8 and then a grown up and then I can drink BEER!"

Oi.

Someone, get me a drink.

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Hay is for Horses

April 26, 2008, 4:16 pm

Lily has been very excited for her "Horse Field Trip" at preschool. I drove Lily and her friend Taylor (they were "buddies") to the farm stables for a tour.

Taylor and Lily:



Each preschooler got a chance to pet a horse. Lily started to back away from the line of children, but I wanted to get a picture of her and a horse so I told her to get up there and pet the horse. Lily walked up, pet the horse, and glared at me:



Lily did enjoy the wagon ride around the farm. She also got to feed a raccoon cheese puffs. Apparently raccoons don't make saliva, so they dipped the cheese puffs in water and then ate them. Lily and the other children found this very entertaining. I noticed the raccoons were obese from all of the high fat snacking.

Lily also climbed on a bunch of hay bales (my nightmare as I'm allergic to hay). Here's a picture of her class (notice the specks of dust in the air from the hay):



Lily was happiest back in her classroom having a snack and sitting next to her friends...


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First Hair Cut

April 22, 2008, 9:40 pm

Surely I've complained about Lily's hair on this blog. Her hair is always a mess. I brush her hair and 2 minutes later the back is a ratty mess. I have a friend whose mom is a hairstylist, and she suggested getting Lily's haircut to thicken it up and reduce the tangles.

So today I had my hair appointment and finally talked Lily into going with me. My hairstylist, Corie, is very sweet, and I knew once Lily met her she would like her.

Lily quickly warmed up to Corie and talked to her nonstop for over an hour. Then she willingly got in the chair and sat very still with a big grin on her face. Corie found a cape with pink dots on it and promised Lily candy if she sat still. Pink AND candy? Corie's good.

I'll let you know if it helps with the tangles...

(Click to enlarge)



I love Lily's expression in this one:



All done:

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Sunny Day at the Zoo

April 22, 2008, 4:39 pm

Today I had my heart set on taking Lily to the zoo after preschool, but it was raining when I woke up. After preschool the sun started to come out, and I asked Lily if she would like to risk it and go to the zoo or stay at home. Lily picked the zoo, and she was especially excited about having a picnic (she's obsessed with picnics right now). We packed our lunch together. When I got to the zoo I noticed all of my baggies of food had much smaller portions than Lily's did.

We saw a new baby pig at the zoo, and Lily had fun feeding the ducks, goats, sheep, and pigs. Lily was scared when the elephant walked right up to us.

Picnic:



Baby pig:



Lily on a hippo (taken for Papa):



Lily said she wanted to actually pet this water monitor. I don't understand the girl...

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Lily's Last Storytime

April 22, 2008, 4:33 pm

This week Lily had her last storytime for the school year. Lily requested that we wear dresses for the "Mother's Day Tea." Monday was a warm, beautiful day, so Lily wore her new sundress from Rosie (thanks Rosie!). She also wore her butterfly wings.

Here is Lily all ready to go:



Lily and Miss Cathy, the librarian:



Lily and Mama (she gave me a flower during the tea):

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The Goodest Day

April 20, 2008, 10:02 pm

Lily brought home the following painting from school last week:



I was impressed that she painted a rainbow. She also painted a flower, the sun, and her name. Lily explained that she painted "The Goodest Day."

I moved Lily's easel into the family room because she loves to draw with chalk. So now we draw our interpretation of The Goodest Day on her easel. The day is always beautiful with the sun shining and flowers blooming. Sometimes there is a rainbow or a tree or even a house. Lily also enjoys drawing butterflies and birds:



Here is Lily at the Earth Day parade with butterfly wings and a decorated tricycle:



I'd say today was definitely The Goodest Day...

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Fitness Fanatics

April 12, 2008, 4:31 pm

Lily still takes a nap during the week, but on weekends I like to keep her up as we're often out doing activities and it's hard to stick to a nap schedule. As a result, I don't get a break to do aerobics. Last weekend I asked Lily if she would like to do aerobics with me. Lily was so excited (mainly about the water bottle and the workout clothes). The next day Noah joined us. Nathan couldn't help but capture these moments of grace and coordination on film...

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Fun with Food

April 12, 2008, 4:28 pm

Enjoying some of their favorite foods and drinks...

Green bean guy:



Hot dog with spray cheese and sprinkles??



Don't mess with their Mango Lassi's:

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A Sunny Weekend Vacation

April 6, 2008, 11:02 am

We went on our first mini vacation this weekend to Springfield, Illinois, to watch Papa and Matt run a half marathon. We stayed at a hotel with a pool (always a hit with the kids).

While in the city of Springfield, Noah informed us that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president and that there is a monument to him with a tomb in both Springfield and Washington DC. We weren't sure if his information was correct, but then during the race Nathan ran right past Lincoln's tomb.

Nathan after the race with Lily and "Lincoln":



Nathan and Matt enjoying some healthy post-race food:



Proud kids:



Swim time:



We had a tailgating party at Sonic and enjoyed lunch in the back of Nathan's truck:



Then we headed to Saint Louis to the zoo. We were very excited to see the hippos (Papa loves hippos). The zoo also had polar bears, a little sun bear (adorable), penguins, and sea lions. Noah and Lily seemed to enjoy the little prairie dogs the most and spent a long time watching them eat.



We ended the day at the Saint Louis arch which Noah and Lily were very excited to see up close:


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Getting Clean

April 2, 2008, 10:44 pm

AND getting along...

What could be better?



As I took these pictures I realized these days won't last.

(Man I sound old and sentimental)

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Marshmallows

April 1, 2008, 1:33 pm

As the weather is slightly improving (although it's still too cold in my opinion), Lily and Noah like to play outside whenever they can. They had Emily over and ended up in their favorite outdoor spot, the sandbox. Lily was very excited that the big kids were including her in their activities.

I was inside folding laundry when Lily ran in, out of breath, and said very seriously, "We need 3 cups, water, and marshmallows!"

I was so happy to see Lily playing nicely with Noah and Emily that I didn't even ask what the marshmallows were for. I filled her order, and she was very pleased.

Later I went outside and Noah gave me a very strange look and asked, "What were the marshmallows for?"

Turns out Lily just ate the marshmallows while playing in the sand...


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Lily's imagination

April 1, 2008, 10:27 am

So you know that Lily had a baby named Linda in her tummy for many years (I think 7 years), and she recently gave birth to the doll Linda. Well now Lily talks about two babies that are currently in her tummy. They are named Lily and Noah (don't know where she comes up with these names), and when she is big like in 10 years they are going to come out. Papa and I get to hold the babies, but Noah can only hold them if he's nice to them.

Lily drew this picture of her pregnant self:



Lily is very concerned with being a big girl. She talks about growing up and getting a big bottom like her Mom (that's basically her goal right now) so that we can go to yoga class together and hold her babies and shop at the mall and wear big underwear and bras.

At her babysitter's house, the kids call Lily "little" and she argues with them. She tells them that she is a BIG GORL who goes potty and poop in the toilet and sleeps in a big bed. I think the kids laugh at her.

Poor Lily. I promise you some day you will have a big bottom just like your Mama...

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