I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Chirstmas

So Hannukah and Christmas are over and Lily has cleaned up. We are back from a couple of nights at Grandma Gail's and Grandpa Tom's and we are off to Florida tomorrow for a little vacation.

It was a busy week with Lily's winter lights celebration at school - all the kids in her class dressed up as snowmen and had a fun party on Friday.

On Saturday we went over to Grandma Phyllis' and Grandpa Maurice's house for dinner and some Hannukah presents. Lily met the TMX Elmo and was more than a little afraid - we think she will have to grow into it.

Sunday and Monday were spent at GG and GT where the Chrismakah spectacular continued. Christmas Eve was spent at Great Uncle Carlton and Great Aunt Jenny's house, and Christmas Day was spent at the grandparents house. Lily visited with her Aunt Kelly, Aunt Tracy, Uncle Stan, and all of her great aunts and uncles. She also saw her cousins Alli, Davis, Alex, Sarah, Valerie, & Bill. Along with spending lots of family time together, Lily received some fun presents such as an infant cabbage patch, bath toys, and lots of materials to dress and doll herself up.

Anyway, on to the pictures.


Dressed as a snowman.


Lily coloring with her red snowman nose.


Meeting Elmo.


With her pearls.


Playing with Cousin Allie.


Opening presents.


Helping Great Grandma Katie open presents.


Playing on her new bean bag chair.


With Aunt Kelly.


This is what happened every night after we finished lighting the Hannukah candles.

Great Indoors

Happy Hanukuh!! It is the fourth night of Hanukah and Lily has been lighting her very own menorah (assisted by Dad, of course) - she loves the candles although was a little confused that she wasn't supposed to blow them out.;) Lily has opened four presents, courtesy of Aunt Donna and Uncle Stephen. So far she has received lots of fun presents such as books, a Dora purse, bracelets, stickers, and a Dora magnet puzzle - obviously there is a very specific theme and we suspect that will continue through Christmas.

Earlier in the week, Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom came over to babysit so Mom and Dad could attend some holiday parties - she apparently got in some playground time and ate like a champ.

Friday, Lily finished her swim lessons, and is looking forward to showing off her skills in Florida - she is getting pretty good at floating on her back.

Saturday night Mom and Dad went to a Christmas party, and it was a big first as Lily was babysat by a non-family member, a local au pair from Brazil. It only took a few minutes for Lily to warm up to Regina, and the rest of the evening was spent with Lily showing off all of her toys and books. Apparently she went to bed pretty well with only a few calls for "Mommy." Mom is happy that the babysitting venture went well as there were definitely some nerves on her part leading up to the big night, but we are encouraged and look forward to some more adult nights out in the near future!

Sunday brought beautiful weather, so we took a long walk with Gypsy, and spent a good amount of the day on the playground, kicking the ball, and playing in the sand.

This evening, it continued to be pretty warm, so we ventured out to the playground and Lily surprised Mom by hopping onto the first monkey bar all by herself and hung for about 30 seconds before Mom ran over to catch her. Lily did it a second time and actually requested that Mom step aside and not hold onto her - suspect she doesn't understand yet what it feels like should she let go, but hopefully we won't find out right away. ;)

We anticipate a big post next week as we are finishing up with Hanakuh, Lily has her holiday party at school on Friday, and of course Christmas, so until then...

P.S. Potty training continues to go well and Lily is definitely enthusiastic - as Zoe (Sesame Street) and Lily both say - it's 'POTTY TIME'!


Playing with blocks.


Post nap relaxation watching Diego.


Showing off new jungle gym tricks.


Lil is still working on the fact that you don't blow out the Menorah candles.


After the candles come the presents!


A sweet Dora purse with lots of Hannukah gelt inside.

What Will You Say?

The week was pretty uneventful, she had a fun week at school playing with all of her friends and preparing for a holiday lights celebration next week. The weather was pretty mild so we did get out for a wagon ride earlier in the week.

On Friday, she did a lot of kicking and playing at swim class, and swam a bit with her friends, Brooks and Isabelle. Saturday, we went to visit with Cole and Hayley and took a car ride to see the holiday light show sponsored by the local hospital.

Although we won't go into specific details (as we don't want to embarass her too much when she looks back at this in her teenage years), potty training is moving along slowly but surely. Lily has used the potty successfully three days in a row at home, and made an attempt today at school. Lily has specifically requested that we close the door so she can have a little time to herself - so we end up having to peek through the door to check on any progress.

Until next week...


Getting ready for a walk.


Not looking too happy.


Back home.


Watching Diego -- tv is so mesmerizing - this was earlier tonight.


Dancing to Jingle Bells - accompanied by Auntie Donna on the phone - this was also today.

Out In The Cold

As some of you may remember Lily balked (no pun intended;)) at wearing her chicken costume for Halloween, and refused to wear the hood...well times have changed!! Last Monday, Lily and her cohort Emma apparently dove into the dress up clothes for the first time since they moved into the new classroom. Lily began the week dressed as a unicorn, the next day she dressed as a princess with a purple felt hat, and ended the week as a frog. Although Emma and Lily love the princess dresses, apparently they don't always have their pick as the boys also love the dresses!!! Needless to say it is hilarious to walk into school each day because you never know what each kid will be wearing - today Lily was back to being a unicorn.

Friday brought another round of swim lessons - she is the first one in the water and the last one out. This week she wore goggles for the first time, and we are working on the concept of looking at objects underwater.

The weekend was relatively quiet, although she did get a chance to visit with Grandpa Maurice and Grandma Phyllis Saturday night, and attended her friend Ian's 1st birthday party on Sunday.

As you will see from the pics below, Lily enjoyed playing dress up with her hats and gloves this weekend, thus she was ready to bundle up for the chilly weather today.


Lily in her new hat and gloves.


Lily really liked wearing them.


Playing around with the frog chair.


Lying around in the ball pit


Have a good week.

Cold Turkey

Gobble, gobble, gobble...the feasting has finally ended.

Earlier in the week, Lily had a Thanksgiving feast at school, although she wasn't too interested in sampling the fare, fortunately Mom was game! ;) Wednesday brought in cousins Emilie and Stephanie from NYC to help prepare turkey dinner and hang out with Lily. Thursday we cooked and ate lots of food for lots of family including both sets of grandparents, Aunt Tracy, Uncle Stan, Uncle Carlton, Aunt Jenny, and cousins Alex, Valerie and Bill. Needless to say Lily was exhausted by the end of the night. Fortunately she had a good night of sleep because it was off to swim lessons Friday morning, accompanied by Dad, Emilie and Stephanie - she had fun showing off her expertise in the water. Friday was warm and beautiful so we hit the park for some swinging and sliding. Emilie and Stephanie eventually left to head back to the city by Saturday, and Mom, Dad, Lily and Gypsy decided to tackle a 5 mile walk/stroll to work off some of that turkey. Sunday, we headed over to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom's to put up the Christmas tree. After some playground time with Grandpa, Lily helped decorate the tree.

An extremely busy weekend filled with lots of family time has come to an end, and we are gearing up for Hanukah and Christmas!! Enjoy the pictures.


At her school feast with pal Emma.


Prepping for Thanksgiving dinner with Cousin Emilie.


Clowning around with Aunt Tracy.


Checking out the pond with Cousin Stephanie.


It's a hard knock life - we make her scrub the floors.


Walking around with the woods with Grandpa Tom.


Picking out ornaments for the tree with Marcy.


Playing around.

No More Keeping My Feet On The Ground

Despite the fact that winter has officially arrived - brrrrrr - Lily has kept very busy indoors and even a bit outdoors. Lily had her second swim class on Friday, and loves dunking her head underwater and kicking her legs. Friday afternoon we headed over to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom's house for a sleepover, while Grandpa and Dad went to see Bob Dylan. Lily loves calling for "Gramma!" demanding her attention, and is working on replacing the "m" with a "p."

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. As you will see a neighbor had a moon bounce for his birthday party and invited Lily over for a romp - she definitely could have spent all afternoon bouncing.

Getting ready for a big Thanksgiving feast this week at our house, so I'm sure we will have lots of family pics to share next week. Happy Turkey Day!!


In the pool with Mom.


Lily doing the "Wheels" in the pool.


Horsing around at Grandma and Grandpa's house.


Rolling with Sparkles.


At the playground.


Bouncing on the moon bounce.


Bouncing around.


Playing with mega blocks.

Autumn Leaves

Lily finished her first week in her new classroom and she loved it. The new room is bigger with lots of toys and she seemed to have a great time. I think the new bigger room tired her out also because she seems to be sleeping better at night. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning she slept in until 8:00 - it was fantastic.

On Friday, Lil and Marcy had their first Mommy and me swim lesson. Lily taught Marcy all she knew. Apparently she had a great time and did not want to get out of the water. She is looking forward to the next few weeks of classes and for our big trip to Florida in December when she says that she is going to live in the pool.

On Saturday we had the birthday party of Lily's classmate Nicholas. At Nick's party Lil chowed down on pizza and cupcakes and had a great time in the Tumblebus. Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Maurice came over for dinner and Lily had a chance to hang out and play.

Sunday was a quiet day at home. The weather was cold and rainy and we just did stuff around the house adn watched some really bad football.

That is all. See you next week.


Lily in the foliage.


More romping around.


Checking out the river.


Lil with Nicholas on the Tumblebus.


In the ball put with Ncholas, Emma and Gavin.


Playing with Gramps.


Lil with the dancing dog. She is still a little afraid of it.

Laughing Out Loud

So it was a quiet week once the Halloween hoopla settled down. Lily is off of her sugar high and back normal now.

We had a pretty quiet weekend here. On Saturday we visited with Lily's Great Grandma Kate who is celebrating a birthday this week. Lily also saw Grandma Gail and Grandpa Tom and her Great Aunt Jenny and Great Uncle Carlton along with Cousin Alex. She came home exhausted from a busy day and took a nice 2.5 hour nap. Ahh, the good ol' days

On Suday Lily and Marcy were busy running errands and playing at the playground. LIke I said, it was quiet weekend.

Anyway, today Lily started her first day in her new classroom at school. She is officially in the two year old program and now she and her classmates have more room to run around. Soon there will be more classmates too, as six more kids will be combined into the room. It is hard to believe that Lily has been going to school for almost two years. She is very busy these days as you can see from the pictures and she is talking so much.

That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures and video.

Oops, almost forgot to wish Aunt Donna a belated happy birthday.


Concentrating hard on play doh.


Hamming it up for the camera.


Diapering her babies.


Lily started drinking juice this week ...


you can tell from the dazed look in her eyes. Either that or her shoes really smell.


Here she is yucking it up.

Monster Mash

Update:

An extremely busy week has come to an end with a grand finale of Halloween fun!!

The week began with Lily coming down with a cold, resulting in her staying home from school on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, she was well enough to go to school on Friday for fun in the school pumpkin patch. She came home with a pumpkin, and multiple handmade decorations, including a spider.

On Saturday, we went to see friends Tiffany, Steven, Amy & JJ, and Lily got to play with Jack and Grace. On Sunday, we went to the local pumpkin patch, and also visited with some calves and goats. Later that day, Grandma Gail, Grandpa Tom, Aunt Tracy, Uncle Stan, Grandma Phyllis, and Grandpa Maurice came over for some pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and a belated birthday dinner for Dad at the local Japanese steakhouse. Needless to say, Lily was not a fan of the chef or the bursts of flames.

One funny story from the weekend ... Lily really loves having her books read to her but sometimes it is just not the right time - like Sunday monring at 7:00 after waking up at 5:30 (due to daylight savings). So, after finishing her breakfast, Lily really wanted her Dora books read to her but neither of us had finished eating breakfast yet. I suggested to Lily that Gypsy could read her books to her so she gathered them all up and brought them over to be read. Gypsy wanted no part and ran upstairs but Lily would not be deterred and slowly followed her upstairs with her books. I am not sure how story time went as by the time I got them up the two of them had moved on to other games.

Over the weekend we attempted to have Lily try on her chicken costume but she had absolutely no interest. We even made a last minute trip to Target for a Plan B fairy outfit. The chicken suit was sent with Lily to school this morning, and by the time Mom and Dad arrived at school for the parade, Ms. Heather and Ms. Sandy had managed to get her into the suit, albeit without the chicken head - we won't question the methods used.;) Initially, she did not appear to be the happiest chicken, but by the time trick or treating began around the school and neighboring stores, she really got into it. She was at the front of the pack asking for a treat, and seemed to finally understand what all this Halloween madness was about. As her parade at school was so successful and not wanting to risk having to make a second attempt to get her in the chicken suit, we kept her in the suit and began trick or treating promptly at dusk. She made out with lots of candy, and even some playdoh. In the end, we think Lily had a fun Halloween.

Next week brings a move to her new classroom, and swimming lessons!!

Enjoy the pics!!


With Jack and Grace and some giant pumpkins.


Checking out the baby cows with Marcy.


On the super tall haystack.


In search of the great pumpkin.


Success.


Decorating Halloween cookies.


Not liking the chef at the Japanese steakhouse.


With Gavin and Nicholas at the Halloween parade.


Walking around.


Collecting loot.


Chatting with Emma about trick or treating.


The family pumpkins with Lil's scarecrow in the background.


Out collecting candy from neighbors.


We finally got the whole costume on her.