The Lily Log

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Lo hicimos!

April 28, 2009, 8:48 am

I was at work sitting in my 12:30 meeting when one of my coworkers strongly suggested I get tickets to see Dora The Explorer that night. She went to the show the night before with her 4 1/2 year old daughter, and they loved it. So I got tickets for Lily and me. I'm so glad I did!

Lily loves the show Dora The Explorer. We watch the show and read the books, and she has many Dora dolls.

Lily wore her fairy wings (like she did to Disney on Ice) and lots of pink, and we set out for the show. I bought her a Diego Rescue Pack (I couldn't resist). Lily was mesmerized the entire show. She participated whenever the actors asked the kids to, and she laughed and laughed at Swiper the Fox.

Here are a few of my favorite things she said during the show:

"Papa could not have come to this! You have to be quiet like in a movie theater, and Papa would be way too loud and excited!" (I love the image of Nathan out of control at a Dora show...perhaps being escorted out of the theater).

"I hope that Dora and Boots are the REAL Dora and Boots but they may just be Moms and Dads who are very brave!"

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Our Lola

April 19, 2009, 9:41 pm

4 years ago Nathan and I lost our first baby, Sammy Woofus Brown. She was a black mutt from a shelter in New Bern, North Carolina, and we’ve never met a better dog. Sammy would woooo at the most comical times. She always licked my tears away when I was sad. She knew when I was in labor with Noah, and she would sleep under the babies’ cribs when they were newborns. She was the best family dog. I talk about her to this day and have my office and home still filled with pictures of my first girl.

So Nathan and I had no plans of getting a second dog. Over the past year we have really grown to love Jack, our neurotic dog. He is almost 10 and finally settled in. He no longer nips too much, and he is a sweet companion for us and the kids.

On Saturday I worked at Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA. I brought Lily with me as my assistant. Some people from the Milan Animal Shelter showed up with some cats. Then one walked in with a dog that resembled Sammy so much that I had to send Nathan a text message. An hour later Nathan showed up with Noah, and we decided to adopt this beautiful black dog. She was so sweet during the health fair, and she let all of the kids pet her.

So I called our friend Dawn who works at the shelter, and she stayed at the shelter until we adopted the dog. Nathan brought Jack out, and they got along pretty well (he was a little cranky when she wanted to play). We adopted our second black mutt from a shelter and brought her home.

We let Lily name her. Lily picked the name Lola. Lola is a character form the Diane DeGroat books that Lily is obsessed with right now, and the name seemed to fit.

When we brought Lola to our home and let her run in our big backyard, my eyes filled with tears. Nathan said he was brought back to the year 1994 when we adopted Sammy Woo. Finally our black girl got to enjoy a big backyard in the prime of her life.

Dawn figured out that Lola came from a litter that we all met in November at Emily’s birthday party at the shelter. I held one of the puppies and whispered in her ear that she looked just like my Sammy and I wished I could bring her home. You know what they say…the dog picks the owner.

This morning I called my parents and told them about our new dog. I talked to my Dad first and told him to guess what Lily named our girl. He thought for a while and then asked, "Lola?"

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Lily's Future

April 12, 2009, 10:21 pm

As a parent I often wonder what the kids will choose for careers as adults. When I think of Lily, she is extremely creative and empathetic. She is very concerned about any injuries and offers to clean off wounds and put on band aids. I went to have blood drawn last week and had a bad experience (it took 4 times to get a vein), and I came home and showed Lily my bruised arm. She asked to look at my arm throughout the day and offered me band aids, ice packs, and even massages. She asked me at least 100 times how my arm felt. After the Illinois marathon, Nathan had some blood on one of his toes. Lily was so concerned and upset she didn't bring her first aid kit (which she keeps packed with alcohol swabs and band aids).

So as you can see, Lily is already a caregiver. I think she would make a wonderful doctor or nurse. I tell her this and she says, "No." Lily is also incredibly feisty and stubborn. I should suggest she NEVER be a doctor and that just might work...

So what does Lily want to be when she grows up? Her answer is always the same, "A nail painter or a cooker!" she will say with a smile.

It's true. Lily absolutely loves to paint fingernails. I'm her canvas, and she paints my nails daily (and her own). She often does every other nail a different color and then adds white polka-dots on top. She's quite good. I have never known a 4-year-old to paint nails with real fingernail polish so well. She's already better than me.

Lily also loves to cook. She helps Nathan make dinner almost every night. She also loves to help me bake. She can crack eggs like a pro and is very careful when adding ingredients and stirring.

So today we had a very special day for Lily. I let her paint my nails AND she made a bunny cake. She decorated the cake on her own. It was a dream day for our future nail-painter-cooker...

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Let Race Season Begin...

April 12, 2009, 10:08 pm

Spring is here, and so begins Nathan's race season. He does some races in the colder weather, but we go along when the weather is nice. Noah, Lily, and I love to follow Nathan around the country to cheer him on (and I'll be going with him to Mexico for the Ironman competition in November!).

We traveled to Champaign this weekend for the Illinois marathon. Nathan ran the full marathon along with our friends Chad and Scott. Uncle Jason and his friend Marile ran the half marathon. Nathan, Jason, and Marile formed the team "Feisty Rage" and wore matching shirts.

The kids love traveling to a hotel and swimming. We swim as soon as we get to the hotel. We enjoyed hanging out with Jason and his friends the night before the race. Noah and I have a tradition of staying up "late" (that's 10:00 p.m.) and swimming and sitting in the hot tub. It's a great bonding time for the two of us while Nathan and Lily get some sleep.

Noah, Lily, and I slept in and then swam before making our way to watch the race. We got there in time to see Papa finish a marathon in under 4 hours. Noah watches for Papa the whole time and is so excited to see what medal or trophy he has won.

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The Party Girl

April 10, 2009, 8:16 am

Lily loves dressing up for parties. She had her last party at preschool for Easter yesterday, and she picked out her dress and sweater the night before. I found a matching dress and sweater, and I woke her up in my dress. She got the biggest smile on her face as she loves to dress like her Mama.

Last year Lily cried during her parties at school. She couldn't handle having her Mama at school with her, so I had a talk with her about enjoying her parties and being a big girl. This year Lily can handle my presence so well. She loves to point out kids in her class and tell me their names (mainly the boys), and she always shares her treat bag chocolate with me.

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Outdoorsboy

April 10, 2009, 8:11 am

As the weather warms up, Noah spends all of his time outside. We have two large pine trees in the backyard, and he is working with his friends to make the dream fort. They work back there for hours and have big plans for a play area this summer.

Noah also loves to climb trees. I often look out the back window to see him up in a tree with a big smile on his face.

Click here to see Noah Jumping from the swing

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The great saver

April 5, 2009, 5:00 pm

Noah turns 8 next month. He asked for a Wii for Christmas last year, and I had to explain to him how much a Wii costs and that he needed to save up for it for his birthday. Noah started saving his allowances in December. Every time he gets money from anyone ($5 from Aunt JJ for Valentines Day or $10 from Deb for earning his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts), he puts the money in his Wii fund. He even put the 5 dollar bill for completing the library reading program this winter towards the Wii.

Noah has sloppy handwriting because he writes so quickly at school. He always gets A’s on his report cards and all “Excellents” except for handwriting where he gets a Satisfactory. Nathan told him that if he manages to improve his handwriting and get an Excellent in the 3rd quarter then he gets $50 towards his Wii fund. (Nathan knew this would never happen). Noah came home on report card day with a great big smile on his face. He couldn’t wait to show Papa his Excellent in handwriting.

So Noah is almost there. He is going to ask for money from his Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles for his Birthday, and he will finally own a Wii. He told me that after he gets the Wii he’s going to start saving up to buy me a Wii Fit. I told him that he could save up for something else because I work and will use my money for a Wii Fit. I think he’s an awfully sweet son for offering…

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March Madness Part 3: Kansas Again

April 5, 2009, 9:26 am

After returning home from Kansas, we enjoyed a week with Grandma Tackett visiting. We had fun dinners sitting around the table and chatting. Lily thought it was fun to have Grandma do the “highs and lows” of the day with us. Lily and I enjoyed having Grandma home on Tuesday and Thursday with us to go shopping and to the library. Noah enjoyed having Grandma get him off the bus and play basketball with him.

On Thursday we received news that Grandma’s brother, Uncle Charley, was very ill with pneumonia. Uncle Charley died on Friday, March 27th at the age of 61. While in Salina the week before, we visited Charley at the nursing home. He loved Lily and reached out to give her a hug.

I talked to the kids about heading back to Salina for the funeral, and Noah started to cry. He did not want to be in the car for another 18 hour trip. We left Noah with Matt and Dawn, and we set out on a second trip to Salina with Uncle Jason and Grandma Tackett.

Lily was amazing during the trip. She loved having all the attention and riding in a rented minivan. We stayed at a hotel with a pool, which was Lily’s high of the trip.

Uncle Charley’s funeral was very touching. He loved Elvis, so the songs at the funeral were Elvis singing “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace.” Grandma Tackett gave a wonderful speech about her big brother and all of the great memories we have of him.

Here are some pictures from our second journey to Salina:

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March Madness Part 2: Kansas First Time Around

April 5, 2009, 9:02 am

For Noah’s spring break, I drove the kids to Salina, Kansas, to see Grandma and Grandpa Hottman , the Spencers, Grandma Tackett, and Granny. Nathan talked to the kids before the trip about behaving in the car (and not fighting), and I was so impressed with them. They behaved and cooperated all 18 hours in the car! Noah was especially helpful and worked hard to get along with Lily.

We started our trip in Shawnee with the Spencers. Lily sure loves her Cousin Lauren who painted her nails polka-dotted. Lori and I had a very relaxing sister spa date. Steve played lots of basketball with Noah.

Then we headed to Salina and stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Hottman. Noah wanted to play basketball all week all the time, so we spent a lot of time at parks playing bball. We had a fun day in Abilene at the park, chocolate factory, and Pizza Hut. Noah and Lily stayed in my old room on the trundle beds and enjoyed talking about when I was little.

The weather was very nice during our visit (especially compared to home) , and one day Lily exclaimed, “I want to move to Kansas! It’s always warm and sunny and there are lots of Grandmas and Grandpas!”

At the end of the week, we headed back to KC with Grandma Tackett! We spent another night with the Spencers and then headed home. Again the kids were great in the car, and I enjoyed having an adult with me for support. Grandma helped me get out of KC without getting lost.

Here are some pictures from our first journey to Kansas:

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March Madness Part 1: NYC

April 4, 2009, 8:52 am

I would like to apologize for my lax blogging last month. March was a crazy month for me with lots of travel. For my die hard blog fans (a.k.a. Aunt JJ), I will recap my NYC trip for you:

My month started with my yearly visit to New York City for my beloved nephew Huck’s birthday. Huck turned 4 on March 7th. When I stepped out of the taxi cab, Huck ran right up to me and showered me with lovin’. I didn’t even notice my sweet sister standing next to him. This was the first visit where Huck needed no warm-up time. He was all over me all weekend. I have never been around a more affectionate child. He kissed me on the lips to the point that I felt I was cheating on Lily…and Nathan.

Some highlights of my weekend in NY include: a trip to the Bronx zoo (and lots of rides on the bug carousel), evenings staying up talking with JJ (and watching American Idol), playing in Huck’s room with his great toys, walking outside while Huck rode his bike like a pro, painting the bathtub and Huck with finger paints, eating spray cheese on Ritz crackers with Huck (and using way too much cheese), perfecting the chopping off the finger trick with Huck, watching Huck enjoy his superhero party with his best buddies, and going to Time Square and Toys R Us.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the trip was during dinner at an Indian restaurant with Huck’s grown-up friends when the waiters blasted “Happy Birthday”, put on a flashing siren, and brought out Huck’s cupcakes complete with a sparkler. The look on Huck’s face will forever be in my memory.

I went through some Huck withdrawal after my return to Illinois. Sometimes I even guilt the kids into kissing me with a, “Man, I sure miss Huck! That kid can kiss!” (Ok, that only works on Lily.)

Until we meet again, Huck...

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