November 2015

Lilly went to her first Home Depot kid workshop at the start of the month.  We really didn't know what to expect, but it was a lot of fun!  There were a lot of people there, so we just grabbed a spot on the floor and started working.  Darren would help put a piece together and then Lilly would hammer it in.  She loved using the hammer and the wood glue.  I was impressed by how well she did and that she showed a high level of patience making this somewhat complex project.

Chad, Michelle, Allie, Ryan and Kristin met up with us and started making their wooden jets as well.

I think everyone's favorite part was painting when they were done! We turned over some 5 gallon buckets so Lilly and Kristin could reach the table and then we just let them go to town!

Here is Lilly's finished jet!  Once the paint dried, we were able to put some stickers on it.  She doesn't look it, but she was really proud of her creation :-)

Maggie absolutely LOVES car rides, so when I ran out to get coffee in the morning, I took her with me.  The barista at Starbucks asked me if I wanted a "pupp-a-cino" when she saw Maggie in the car.  I had no idea what she was talking about!  She explained it was just a cup of whipped cream for the dog.  I let Maggie have a few licks in the car until I realized it would probably be a huge mess.  So when we got home, Lilly wanted to give it to her.  Watching her hold this cup while Maggie completely devoured it was absolutely hilarious!  Lilly had the biggest smile on her face and was giggling the whole time.

It was a big cup and we felt like Maggie had enough, so we told her no more.  When Maggie turned to walk away, her tail whipped the cup out of Lilly's hands, the cup hit the floor and whipped cream splashed all of Lilly!

It was a perfect end to this strange and hilarious family moment!

I am not sure at what age a kid can actually whistle, but if this is how Lilly's whistles for a while, I will not complain!  I heard her doing this in the car and turned around because I wasn't sure what she was doing at first.  She told me she was whistling and then I grabbed the camera :-)

My friend Cindy gave us some art supplies she no longer needed, including some great sparkly stickers.  When Lilly and I got home from school one day, we decided to put them to good use.  We used them to dress ourselves up as clowns and then...we clowned around!

Lilly and I were reading a book that went through a bunch of different movements throughout the story.  One of the things you were supposed to do is to stand with your legs apart and look between your legs.  Lilly did it and sort of accidentally did a somersault!  After that, we practiced how to do a somersault on purpose.  She loved learning a new trick!


Michelle and I took a trip to NCCAT for a few days for professional development and a nice getaway.  Marcy came to help Chad with the kids and they invited Darren and Lilly over for dinner one night.  Lilly absolutely loves Bubby, so she was extra excited to go to Uncle Chad's house that night.

Darren sent me these pictures while I was gone.  Lilly was playing outside with her friend Ryley on a beautiful afternoon and they also took a trip to Kohls to go see some books and toys.  It sounds weird, but it surprised me a little bit how much I missed Lilly and Darren while I was gone.  Don't get me wrong, I knew I would miss them, but I was looking forward to a break.  But once I was gone, I remember looking forward every night to talking to them on Skype and getting to see my little girl.  My eyes would tear up as I said goodnight to her and my arms ached to hold her.  It wasn't a bad feeling though.  It was almost a way to reinvigorate me as a Mom and remind me that even when things are frustrating, I am tired, Lilly is having a moment...etc, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.  My family is the center of my world and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I think Darren sent me this picture to assure me that they were eating while I was gone...and that there was fruit to go along with the pizza!  Haha!

Lilly loves to draw and write; it's a special bond she has with Darren.  One day Darren worked with her on writing the letter L and in about 10 minutes, she had it down!  She covered an entire paper with Ls to show me!  It was so exciting!  It's amazing how these little things seem like the best thing in the world!

We are so fortunate to have beautiful weather in NC so even after school at 4 o'clock we can go outside and play together!  Lilly never tires of playing on her swing set, playing chase, telling stories in the "tower" and running around after Maggie.  I love how much she loves being outside.  Can you tell from these smiles how happy she is??  ;-)

Zoey's birthday (take 2!) was so much fun!  The kids all played outside together and had an absolute blast.  I got Lilly a drink and she wanted to write her own name on it.  I told her what letters, but I never touched her hand or the cup.  This was Lilly's VERY first time writing her name completely by herself (and on a cup no less!)  I was so excited!

I love seeing Lilly with her best buddy Zoey.  Lilly was so excited to sing Happy Birthday to Zoey, and she was so polite when it came time to getting cupcakes and opening gifts.  Sometimes you sit back and watch your child and think, "I guess I did something right."  Parenting is tough!  You can pick apart every decision you make and worry yourself silly; it's nice to feel like some of things you are trying so hard to teach your child are sticking!

Lilly was very eager to help Zoey with her shoes ;-)

I have been blown away lately by how dexterous Lilly is and how great she is at coloring.  I know that is strange to say about a 3 year old, but she really is!  She stays inside the lines, draws shapes, draws figures with features, creates stories from her pictures...it's truly incredible for me to see.  I am not saying she is a savant or anything, but as a first time parent, seeing this just brings a sense of awe.  I feel like every new thing that Lilly does is amazing!  She and Darren will sit at her art table for 20-30 minutes at a time and just draw together.  I love it!

I took Lilly to the dentist over Thanksgiving break.  It was her first visit ever, and my first time at this new dentist.  I was getting my teeth cleaned first and the hygentist did an amazing job of talking Lilly through the process so she knew what to expect and she was so patient and kind.

When it was Lilly's turn she was excited to get to sit in the big chair!  She had lovey with her just in case, but she was not scared.

When they started to raise the chair, she was excited that she got to go for a "ride"

She had already seen me get a drink from "Mr. Squirty" so she had no trouble there!

I loved the big Dora sunglasses they gave her to wear.  She looks so big here!

She let Dr. Campbell check all of her teeth and we were both excited to find out she has beautiful teeth and no issues!  Lilly was very excited to get a brand new toothbrush and "sparkly" toothpaste before she left.  She also got to pick a prize from the treasure chest.  Afterward, I took her to the dollar store to pick a prize as well.  I love taking her there as a "treat" and letting her pick whatever she wants :-)

Thanksgiving was wonderful!  The Stotts came over and it was an absolutely beautiful day!  The girls were able to play outside and the adults enjoyed some outdoor time while the food cooked.  I am so glad that we have amazing friends to spend Thanksgiving with!

I always get excited for the day after Thanksgiving because that means it's time for CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!  Darren wants to have a "pure" Thanksgiving because it's favorite holiday, so he doesn't want to think about Christmas yet, so I am patient, but as soon as it's over, it's time to think about CHRISTMAS!  Darren started to set up the tree while Lilly and I laid all of the ornaments out on the table.  We agreed that we didn't want Lilly to feel like she couldn't touch her own Christmas tree, so we let her decorate however she wanted and she is able to touch and even play with our ornaments.  We make sure any that are special to us are placed up high, and we always keep a close eye in case something breaks so we can clean it up before she gets hurt, but she LOVES playing with the ornaments!  I wouldn't change that for the world.

Grandma Barb sent a package with a beautiful nativity scene and each piece was wrapped in poppy paper.  Lilly was so excited!  She had a blast jumping on it and her giggles were absolutely contagious.

Lilly loved that she got to set up the nativity and she continues to play with it and move the pieces around.  I had been looking for one for a while, but I am so glad Barb sent this one to us.  Darren's dad made the manger, so it's very special.

We went out to brunch at Bagels plus on Friday morning.  We hadn't been there in a while and were overall very impressed by the food.  Lilly loved her pancakes, but she was mostly excited to get to ride the carousel outside.  She had been so good all morning, I wanted to reward her.  Her smile made it well worth it!

It was absolutely beautiful on Saturday, so we decided to try out the new playground at South Park.  It was pretty crowded, but Lilly has become a lot more confident, so she just did her thing and didn't mind the big kids running around.  I love watching her play on playgrounds because she gets into a pattern sometimes will go up a certain way and slide down over and over as if it's the first time she has ever done it.  I even join in on the fun a few times.  She loved making me a part of her game and giving me directions on what I was supposed to do.  I love that she is emerging as a leader :-)

It seemed like a perfect day to take some photos of Lilly and Darren has developed such a great eye!  He captured some amazing shots!  We immediately knew what we would be using for this year's Christmas card!

It was our last day of break before heading back to school, so we tried to soak up the beautiful weather and play outside all afternoon.  We went on a nice bike ride and then Lilly worked on her chalk masterpiece.  Being able to play outside in t-shirts the weekend after Thanksgiving is still something that boggles my mind sometimes.  I remember growing up, my brother and I would always go sledding on Thanksgiving morning while my mom was making Thanksgiving dinner.  It's amazing how things have changed!  

I think Lilly used every piece of chalk she had at least once to create this masterpiece.  Watching her work on it diligently for 15-20 minutes was amazing.  She was so proud of it we had to take a picture.

We got another package in the mail from Grandma Barb which included a dancing Santa Chicken that sings the Chicken Dance.  Lilly loved it!  We thought this might have been a little pay back from Grandma for all of the times that Darren has tormented her (which is a lot!) since this chicken is not exactly quiet...but if it makes Lilly happy, we'll deal with it!  Lilly was also sporting her adorable hat that Darren got her when he was in DC.