Playing Dress-Up

What a pretty princess!

Playing Outside

I know it looks like a beautiful, warm, sunny day in these photos, but trust me - it's cold. We were probably only out there for 15 minutes because the wind is so cold. Brrr! Lily didn't mind one bit, though. She had fun and would have stayed out much longer.

So Sweet

Khyean is a little bit protective of Lily, and he always helps take care of her. He likes to go with me to put her to bed and to get her up, and he even tags along for diaper changes. But the best part is the kisses. These two kids are so sweet together!

Cookies with Kids

A couple of visits ago, I suggested that my nephews, Brayden and Khyean, bake a cake with me. They had so much fun that they remembered and asked me to bake another one with them the last time I was in Iowa. And you guessed it, they wanted to bake something this time, too! I guess it's become a tradition, and this time even Lily got to help. I had so much fun baking these cookies with the kids!

More Animals

Wrangler

And Ella

(Ella got herself shut in the closet)

Moody Gardens Photo

I don't think I ever posted this group picture of our trip to Moody Gardens in August. Can't believe how much Lily has changed in these few short months!

Shopping Trip

We went shopping one day last week, and Lily had fun. We stopped at McDonald's for lunch, where there was a really great Playplace with lots of tunnels and slides. There weren't very many other kids, so Lily was able to go at her own pace. And she liked Ronald's big shoe.

There were motorized rides at the mall, and Lily loved the school bus.

Uncle Mike

Lily had lots of fun with my little brother last week. She calls him, "Uh Mike!" Sometimes when she sees him she says, "Puppies!" because she likes to go out with him to play with the dogs. Whenever he was sitting at the table eating, she wanted to be on his lap so he would share with her, even if it was just a yucky protein shake. They played with play-doh, colored, watched tv, and really just had fun together.

More Pictures

Lily carried this chair all around the house.

And she loves the giant teddy bear. She carries it around, lays on it, feeds it her snacks, and gives it baby bottles.

Puppies

Well, they're not really puppies anymore. They're great big dogs. But Lily doesn't care, she still calls them puppies, and she is fascinated by them!

Shadow had a run-in with a pick-up a couple of weeks ago, so he's sporting this hot pink cast. Poor guy is stuck lying down and resting most of the time, so he was very excited to be playing with Lily.

Buster is a little more rambunctious than Shadow, of course, but Lily had a great time chasing around the yard.She has been giving them treats every night, and she has learned to tell Buster to sit when he jumps up. Then she tells him Good Boy when he listens (ok, he's really listening to the adult in the room who has also told him to sit, but it's still really cute).

Dusty recently set up a fish tank ("for Lily"), but we don't have a dog in our house anymore. Pepper lives with Lily's cousins, Reagan and Rayden, in Iowa. I am wondering if she will remember him if we get a chance to see him in a couple of weeks.

Yummy!

We've had some very yummy treats lately!

Apple with caramel dip.

Popsicle. Poor little girl is getting her second set of molars.

Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie, still warm from the oven.

Miniature blue Tootsie Pop

Ice cream sandwich (no, not the whole thing!)

Don't worry, we're feeding her vegetables too!
As much as Lily has enjoyed these sweet treats, she is definitely a veggie lover. Peas and broccoli are probably her favorites.

Play-Doh

We've been having a Play-Doh extravaganza around here! I knew Lily would enjoy Play-Doh, but I didn't realize just how much she would enjoy it... Hours and hours of fun!

We're in Iowa!

Lily and I arrived in Iowa on Friday, November 7th, after a busy morning of travel. We left home around 4:30 that morning, for our 6:30 flight. Unfortunately, the check-in process was very slow that day, and we had to run to our gate after we got through security - they had already made the final boarding announcement. Once on board the plane, we found that there was an empty seat in the middle of our row! I can't tell you how excited I was about that empty seat for Lily's first plane ride. She did well overall on the plane. She alternated between being happy and being antsy, but what can you expect from a toddler? We had a layover in Denver, where Lily was able to run around, and then she fell asleep and stayed asleep for the first part of our next flight. That flight was full, but it was only an hour long, so it was ok to have Lily on my lap the entire time. We landed in Omaha, where Grandma and Grandpa picked us up. We arrived on the day of the first snow of the season; not enough for a snowman, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. As I'm sure you're expecting, I already have tons of pictures that I'll be posting periodically while we're here. I managed to leave my own memory card in my computer at home, though, so I don't have any photos of Lily on the plane or at the airport. Use your imagination - busy little girl running all over the place, with her mommy chasing after her.

Having a snack.

On Saturday, we invited lots of extended family to come visit at my mom's house. Lily loved playing with everyone!

Lily enjoyed playing with Taylor. She kept saying, "Baby!"Tickle tickle!

Sharing a snack with the rabbit and Baby Sally.

Pony Ride at the Renaissance Festival

We visited the Renaissance Festival last Saturday. We watched a few shows and spent time browsing in the shops. It was a really fun family day!

Lily enjoyed her first pony ride! She kept pointing to the pony's head, saying "Horse! Horse! Horse!"

Trick or Treat!

Visiting with friends... The monkey is Gideon, and the princess is Ande. Trick or treating...

Once she figured out what we were doing, she would run back to the wagon and try to climb in after getting candy from each house. Then she would get out at the next stop, and we would say, "here is your bag," and she would take it and say "Thank you," as she headed for the door. It was very methodical, and so cute!

Lily wanted to ring the doorbell herself.

She preferred to be allowed to choose her own candy from the neighbors' bowls, and put it in the bag herself. She didn't want to let them put candy in the bag for her.

All done trick or treating.

Tuckered out, waiting to put on pjs and go upstairs to bed.