"O" What a Ride

father/daughter date

2012-02-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

"Daddy, is this heaven?"

"No honey, it's Dunkin Donuts."

Ryan was out of town a few weeks ago, and Lily punished him by favoring Mommy for over a week.

So to make them best buddies again, he took Lily on a Saturday morning date.

Donuts, chocolate milk, and then the park with her best friends.

Suddenly, Mommy is no longer the favorite whenever Daddy is home (thank goodness!)

many thanks

2012-02-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all the well wishes!

We are of course beyond thrilled with our growing family.

Lily is excited for a new baby in the house.

She is adamant that the baby is a brother, and definitely not a sister.

Though she says the baby is not in my tummy yet, as it's too small.

She also says the baby better find it's own Mommy and Daddy, because she isn't sharing hers.

I have been feeling good, and am lucky to have minimal pregnancy symptoms.

With the exception of extreme exhaustion, of course.

But I am starting to see the light at the end of that tunnel.

Due date is August 6th.

Anyone willing to relocate with me to the mountains for the summer?

Too hot in the valley, I think!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I can't have a post without pictures, below are a few random happenings...

Lily's school hosted an Art Festival a few weeks ago.

We had such a fun evening, and Lily had a blast showing off all her pieces!

Nanny and Aunt Kristin came for a visit while Ryan was out of town for work.

We had fun shopping and eating (what we Saylor women do best!), but I took absolutely no pictures...

...with the exception of Lily cruising on her new scooter.

Nanny sure knows how to spoil our girl!

belated Christmas gift

2012-01-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

(arriving early August)

January update

2012-01-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a little quiet around the ol' blog lately. A case of post holiday malaise, I suppose. Anyway, a few Lily updates for the grandmother(s) who are not so patiently waiting on pictures!

~Lily has become quite the pro at riding her tricycle. She begs and begs to play on the 'front backyard' (ie driveway). Her favorite thing is to start at the top of the driveway, petal as fast as she can, fly down and over the bump. We've had to enforce a helmet rule as she's gotten so fast.

~Her sayings are just hilarious right now. A few favorites:
*"It's not fair Mommy!" Which I find myself replying "life isn't always fair Lily." One of those things I swore I'd never say when I had my own children.
*One day after school, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She started singing "Alleluia, Alleluia, Crazy Lord!" I asked if she meant "Alleluia, Alleluia, Praise the Lord" and she said "NOOOOO Mommy, it's CRAZY Lord". Apparently her preschool worships a pretty entertaining God. :)
*We went out for Mexican food a few weeks ago. I was chowing down on chips and salsa when Lily said "Mommy stop. No more chips or it will hurt your tummy. Just chips for Lily and Daddy." Apparently I needed to be cut off?

~We have started potty training. Oh boy. Have I mentioned how strong willed and stubborn our girl is? Poor girl comes by it naturally and my mother likes to tell me I deserve every bit of payback.

In an attempt to motivate her, Lily picked out her own 'big girl pants'. Her favorites? Buzz, Woody, and Lighting McQueen. Yep, she's got herself some boy underwear.

We started with the three day potty bootcamp. However, it took us almost three days to figure out what bribes would even get her to sit on the dang potty! Candy? Nope. Stickers? Nah. Begging, pleading, ignoring? No way. Finally, Daddy tried some reverse pyschology (thanks Grandma O for the suggestion), telling her he didn't think she knew how and that she wouldn't be able to do it. What did that little bugger do - ran straight for the potty to prove Daddy wrong. Whoozah, we are in trouble with this one!

~We've been spending as much time outside as possible, enjoying the beautiful winter weather. Thank you Nanny and Papa Kurt for our new swing and slide! Lily loves to play and Mommy loves to bask in the sunshine while our girl is happily entertained.

Christmas recap

2012-01-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas at home in Kansas.

What a treat to be with all our family for the holiday!

SAYLOR FAMILY RECAP
Once again, we were able to get the entire gang together.
What a fun, loud, energetic few days we had!

We had a sick toddler throughout the week of Christmas.

She kept falling asleep in my arms, and a part of me absolutely loved it!

Mema, and her husband Woody

Darby and Aunt Kristin

Uncle Tom, Aunt Soni, and Auntie M

Auntie M, Nanny, and Uncle Tom

Who put these two in charge of putting together Lily's wagon??
Uncle John and Papa Kurt

Lily was more into presents than I expected.

I assumed she open one or two and then get bored, so I didn't wrap much for her.

I was wrong.

She loved opening, kept searching under the tree for her name, and when those ran out, insisted on helping everyone else with theirs.

Reece, Luke, Cooper, and Darby

Helping Uncle Matt

OSTERHAUS FAMILY RECAP

Lily loves being around big girls!

Liam got an huge red barn, which kept him entertained for hours!

A game of baseball broke out in Grandma basement.

I'm impressed nothing was broken - these kiddos can hit hard!

Lily (2 1/2), Aynslee (6), Liam (3)

Thank you for such a lovely Christmas and visit back to Kansas.
We miss you all already!

Let it snow!

2011-12-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Kansas welcomed us home with a light snow.

Lily kept begging to play outside, while Mommy said "no way, it's too cold!"

Nanny came to the rescue, bundled Lily up and outside they headed.

(Mommy then felt guilty so bundled up too.)

Pure joy during her first little snowball fight.

Brrrrrrr. We're not in Arizona anymore!

Zoo Lights

2011-12-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Zoo lights at the Phoenix Zoo was a success!

Lily loved all her favorite animals decked out in lights.

We liked the monkeys and giraffes best.

She also enjoyed singing 'Jingle Bells' over and over again.

Mom and Dad would be ok if they never had to hear that song again!

Such a fun event. I believe we have a new Christmas tradition!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

A new tradition we started this year was an advent calendar using Christmas books.

Each night of December, Lily opens one book to read before bedtime.

Not only is she warming up for Christmas morning with her present opening skills,

she is also learning about Santa, the meaning of Christmas, and the names of every reindeer (her favorite!).

It's been so sweet seeing the excitement on her face as she opens the book,

and even sweeter, seeing her cuddled in Daddy's arms!

Good friends

2011-12-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

What a treat we had last weekend.

Lesley, Tyler, Alex, and Drew came for a visit!

Such a fun weekend just catching up plus keeping three kiddos entertained.

While Lily was at school on Friday, we took the boys to the Children's Museum.

Their favorite was the "fake food."

On Saturday, we treated ourselves to Dunkin Donuts.

These three kids were never as quiet as when they were shoving sugar into their mouths.

(Don't you just want to squeeze little Drew? He is flipping adorable!)

Followed by a (cold) visit to the train park.

(Thanks for dragging the winter weather to AZ guys!
And you forgot to take it back with you!)

Thankful for good friends, good conversations, and good times.

Thanks for making the trek southwest...

...our turn to head towards Arkansas!

Post meal hike

2011-12-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

To work off our yummy meal, we spent Friday morning hiking Pinnacle Peak.

Thanks to our neighbors for loaning us Lily's backpack.

She LOVED it and had a great time!

And what's a hike without chips and hamburgers immediately following!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

We have lots to be thankful for this year. Mostly that Lily actually made it to the dinner table after her first two attempts here and here. And the fact that my parents and sister joined us for our first Thanksgiving away from home.

'helping' Mommy cook

1st time using my wedding china. 6 years later.

thankful for these two gals who are my best friends

and these two who constantly keep me laughing

and these two for being such great examples

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family far away.

We are so thankful for each of you too!

Turkey day warmup

2011-11-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

What better way to warm up for a Thanksgiving meal

than a little soccer playing in the beautiful Arizona weather!

love your sense of style, Lily!

We then ended with a little parade...

"march Nanny, march!"

Now we are hungry and ready to eat!

Soccer

2011-11-21T17:28:00.001-07:00

Lily started soccer practice a few weeks ago.

How cute are those little shin guards!?!

To wear both the dog and the daughter out we spend

lots of time 'practicing' at our local soccer field.

one favorite game - Daddy kicks the soccer ball 'far away'

Lily then runs as fast as she can and retrieves it

with a big celebration hug when she gets back
so basically, we play fetch with our girl

sometimes all three fetch the ball

Lily loves showing off her dribbling skills

her trapping

and scoring a goal

pretty cute lil soccer players!

Swings!

2011-11-15T14:05:00.001-07:00

Yay for cooler weather!

Yay for revisiting our parks!

Yay for the swings providing endless fun!

And yay for sweet friends!

Halloween night

2011-11-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

We spent Halloween night at a friends' house.

The boys took the kids Trick or Treating.

And the girls, well, we skipped and answered the door instead.

But at least we dressed up!

So did the boys...hilarious!

Dr Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Lily's preschool hosted Trunk or Treat last Friday night.

It took our girl less than a minute to figure out how to get candy.

She had a whole system down, ensuring she stopped at every single car.

Sometimes twice. We could barely keep up with her!

We stopped by to see her teacher, Mrs M.

And played with our good friend's TowMater...

...and Spiderman.

What a fun night!
We continue to feel so lucky for Lily's preschool and all the great events they host!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Lily and friends made costumes for their preschool party

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

yay, the pumpkin patch!

and my BFF's are here too

ya'll are crazy if you think I'm riding a horse

what are George and Henry doing?

dang, I can't let those boys show me up!

if they can do it, so can I

conquering fears...

that pig is one ugly dude

but even scarier...the bunny!

next, the corn maze

catch me if you can

enough games...where are the pumpkins?

come on George, show me the way

hay ride with George, Amy, Henry, Lily, Lindsay, Kelly, and McKenzie

this one is mine, don't you be trying to steal it

hey look, it's like a soccer ball!

my perfect pumpkin

Uncle Tom

2011-10-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute favorite people in the world came for a visit.

Though it was a short two days, we had a blast hiking, eating, and just catching up.

Tom never had children of his own, and therefore his nieces and nephews have been the lucky recipients of all his attention. And extra special for me, I directly attribute my love for running to him.

So for he and Pam to take time out of their vacation to visit us meant so much to Ryan, Lily and I.

We love you guys!

Random weekend fun

2011-10-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

charity walk with our best buddies

trampoline fun

hula hooping with Daddy

great neighbors who share dress up clothes...
plus Daddy's 'perfect pushup'!

play time in the cul-de-sac

Cheers to 6 years

2011-10-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Credits: Joy Photography of Arizona

Happy Anniversary to my best friend, and the best Daddy I know.

Go State!

2011-10-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Boys and their toys

2011-10-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

We feel so fortunate to have an awesome group of kiddos living next door. Though a bit older, they are so good with Lily and treat her like a little sister. We spend hours each weekend outside playing soccer, baseball, riding bikes, etc, together.

Last weekend, our neighbor was doing routine maintenance on his son's mini motorcycle.

I've never seen two people run so fast!

Not sure who was more excited, Lily or Ryan.

While taking a short ride, we discovered a new way to wear out the dog!

Ryan was like a kid in a candy store cruising around the cul-de-sac.

Poor guy. I have a serious aversion to motorcycles, and Ryan really wants one.

I've been teasing him that this will be his only ride for many years to come.

G&G Visit

2011-10-17T07:22:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun weekend with Grandma and Grandpa.

So much fun, that I was absolutely terrible taking pictures. :(

Lily showed Grandpa her favorite summer activity.

Daddy and Grandma had a little race through the splash pad.

Lily loves to "win!"

We spent lots of time cuddling and playing, eating out, showing Grandpa around our new city, plus a quick road trip north for a break from the heat .

Lily was one happy little girl and misses her Grandparents already.

Thank you for visiting - we can't wait to do it again!

Going to Kansas

2011-10-05T19:50:00.001-07:00

Lily is really into pretending, make believe, and role playing.

Anything from playing mommy to her dolls, pretending her school friends are home with her, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, etc

Any day now, I expect her to come up with an imaginary friend.

Her new favorite make believe game is "going to Kansas."

Last week we spent an hour and a half walking around our neighborhood "going to Kansas".

When asked who she wanted to visit, she said Grandma and Grandpa, Nanny, and Miss Amy (George

and Henry's mom...we are a bit obsessed with our friends!)

Lucky for Lily, she had a bit of Kansas come to her.

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit!

And of course, she had to introduce them to her favorite game...Lily insisted Grandpa

push her around in this box while announcing they were "going to Kansas!"

More pics with our fun visitors soon...

3 peas in a pod

2011-09-27T08:36:00.003-07:00

How cute are these lil munchkins?

(Don't let their innocent smiles fool you. Moments later they were involved in a turf war with three older girls who kept calling them babies and took over "their" playhouse. I'm proud to admit the "babies" held their own!)

A visitor

2011-09-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Guess who came to visit us last week?

Nanny!

Lily had the best time.

Especially when Nanny whipped out some new dress up clothes from her suitcase.

Nanny has a bad habit of spoiling our girl.

At one point, Lily turned to Nanny and said "I need a toy now please."

Smart kid.

We gals had a fun, busy week.

Our first stop was the zoo.

Because it was a cool 95 degrees...feels like fall! :)

While visiting the elephants, the zoo keeper stopped by.

She let Lily throw a few treats to her favorite animal.

We also spent one morning at Imagination Avenue.

Lily first played nurse and then fireman.

(Side note: At one point on our San Diego trip, Lily got very tired of being in the car and started begging to take her seat belt off. Since she doesn't know what a policeman is, we told her the fireman would come and we'll get in big trouble if we took off our belts. That scared her, and since then, will often say, "I leave my belt on, or the fireman will get me." Good parenting, I know...)

Nanny and Lily spent some time in jail...

...played trains and dress up...

...but the favorite was making a building to hide in.

She is a bit obsessed with hiding right now.

Such a fun week that went by way too fast.

Thanks Nanny for coming to visit!

(And thanks for babysitting so Mom and Dad could have a date night...

even though we were home by 9pm...lame).

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

2011-09-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

A trip to San Diego wouldn't be complete without a visit to the world famous zoo.

Our favorites were the koala bears...

the monkeys....

and the elephants.

We loved all the other animals too!

This was our family's first vacation, just the three of us.

We truly had the best time together.

Multiple times, Ryan and I would look at each other and say "today has been the perfect day."

Can't wait for many more family vacations in our future!

Take me out to the ball game

2011-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Another destination during our vacation was the Padres baseball game.

A friend recommended buying $5 tickets to the park and sitting on the hill.

Perfect idea for a crazy, busy toddler!

We were surrounded by numerous families with small children and Lily was in heaven.

Mommy was pretty happy too. She had beer and hotdogs. What else does a girl need?

After a few innings, Daddy had to run back to the hotel for sweatshirts and blankets.

Apparently one year in Phoenix has made us weak. We were freezing!

Our view into the stadium.

Lily didn't seem to mind the chilly temperatures one bit.

She loved the game and can't wait to go again!

The Beach

2011-09-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend, we took a family vacation to San Diego.
Six hours from home, it was an easy destination for a long weekend.
Our first major stop...the beach!

Though we were only five minutes from our hotel, our girl crashed on the drive over to Coronado.

But when she woke up, she was thrilled to see the ocean!

We've been reading "Wave" and Lily loved seeing the real thing.

We also saw a group of dolphins right past the break!

One little fin, but there were six to eight dolphins.

It was a little cloudy, windy, and cold at first.

So we decided to rent a bike and explore the area, while waiting for the sun to shine.

Ryan and I had fun searching for our dream home (once we win the lottery)!

After our ride, the sun was shining and it was time to hit the water.

Building a "city" with Daddy.

Family vacation was off to a great start!

What was your good day?

2011-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ryan typically does Lily's bedtime routine, and they have the sweetest conversations after turning out the lights. He starts out by asking if she had a good day. To which she always replies 'yes Daddy'. They then spend a few minutes talking about her favorites activities from her day.

Apparently these conversation have made quite the impression on our girl.

When she wants to have an intimate one-on-one conversation, she will ask "what was your good day?"

And wants you to respond with a favorite thing from your day.

She often asks this question at the dinner table.

We then take turns answering, starting out with "my good day was...."

I love hearing her answers.

Most of the time, she tells us her good day was coming home.

Sometimes she'll ask me what Daddy's good day was, if he isn't home yet.

I ask her what she thinks and she'll say "Daddy's good day is coming home to see me."

These sweet conversations have quickly become my "good day".

Love our girl so much!

Sweet friends...

2011-09-01T18:14:00.006-07:00

Lily and I paid a visit to our neighborhood splash park for a little water fun.

It's hot right now (ha, that's an understatement).

So we spend as much time as possible in the water.

We were joined by our sweet friends, George and Henry.

Lily loves these boys.

She often asks for "my George and Henry" first thing when waking up.

And talks about them all day long.

Henry is in her preschool class, but George "not in my class. He go to big boy classroom."

We spend lots of time together being ornery and having tons of fun.

Very thankful for such sweet friends!

Favorite spot...

2011-08-30T14:01:00.009-07:00

Lately she insists on eating and reading here, as well as "helping" me cook.

She is growing up way too fast.

Under the weather...

2011-08-23T14:46:00.004-07:00

We've been spending the past few days here...

...recovering from what seems to be the flu.

So it might be a little quiet around the blog for a few days.

1st Day of School

2011-08-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Lily had her first day of preschool on Monday.

I can't believe how big she looks.

Grandma sent her 1st day of school outfit.

Unfortunately we didn't get to take our Dora backpack that Grandma also sent.

The school provides a canvas bag so every student has the exact same thing.

Ryan had a good laugh at me trying to creatively decorate it.

I ended up ironing on her name, a butterfly, and a bird...that is the extent of my creative abilities.

As this was exactly how she acted when we walked into her classroom.

Look at all these toys!

Dance party, round 2

2011-08-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our girl got her groove on at a local outdoor mall.

Unfortunately it looks like she might have inherited the Saylor dancing curse.

A response

2011-08-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

I am overwhelmed. By the amount of emails, voicemails, facebooks, and texts I've received over the past week after writing this post. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and families.

From the friend who talked about her own miscarriage and how she not only felt heartbroken due to her loss but also guilty for feeling sad even though her 2 year old daughter is absolutely amazing. (When she sent me that email, I read it in tears thinking "yes, that's it, that's the part I haven't been able to verbalize. I also feel so flipping guilty for being sad. Lily rocks, yet I want, I really really want, more.)

Or the friend who had a miscarriage and was devastated but also realized if it wouldn't have happened, she wouldn't have her son whom she loves more than anything (actually two friends, very similar stories).

Or a new friend who talked about her own trouble with infertility who said she not only felt like a failure but that no one was willing to talk to her about it. She now has five children. :) (Thank you, thank you, thank you...I think you should start your own blog. Seriously, your thoughts really touched me and hit home.)

This same new friend talked about enjoying the time you have with just one child, as it will never be the same. (I especially took this to heart, enjoying my alone time with Lily, as I tend to forget how special it really is).

Or my oldest friend whose job it is to fight cancer, talking about how hard the loss of control over our bodies is for us women (talk about putting your life in perspective!).

Or the friend who decided to wait to have a baby, spent so much time and energy fielding questions as to why they weren't ready to start their family, only to find out it actually took longer than anticipated (foot in mouth...shove).

I have probably twenty more stories to tell, but let me stop and just say...THANK YOU.

Thank you for supporting. Thank you for loving. Thank you for just being there. And most of all thank you for sharing. I love you all and wouldn't be the person I am today without you.

Two Lily's

2011-08-15T18:39:00.002-07:00

Aren't these two Lily's cute!

Lily has a good friend, Lily S, whom came over for a playdate last week.

I really enjoy her mom, Tuuli, and feel so lucky our girl's enjoy each other so much.

Plus I get a baby fix with her eight week old, Mimi.

Tuuli is from Finland and it's been really interesting to compare cultures.

Especially when it comes to having and raising children.

Plus she is super sweet. I love our adult conversation while the girls play!

Thank you girls for coming over. Can't wait to do it again soon!

Date night

2011-08-12T18:08:00.002-07:00

Here's a little story for you...

I had preschool orientation last night, so Ryan met us at school and took Lily home for dinner.

Or so I thought.

As I pulled into the driveway, I see Ryan and Lily cruising down our street. Apparently he decided they needed a father/daughter date night at our neighborhood restaurant. He told me they shared one side of a booth and at one point, Lily put her arm on Ryan's back and said "Daddy, you are a good friend."

Melt my heart, she can be such a sweetie.

Ryan has been working longer hours the past few weeks, and often gets home only to put Lily straight to bed. So she has been punishing him by not wanting anything to do with him. Hurts a Daddy's feelings!

However, date night was apparently a huge success. When I opened the back door to help her out of the car, she said "No Mommy, you close the door. I need my Daddy to help me." And when Ryan went to help her, she said "Daddy, I don't want her (and glared at me)."

Don't have to tell me twice, this mama went on break!

Afternoons

2011-08-11T08:00:00.002-07:00

Someone woke up early from her nap.

And someone else was too lazy to leave the house for a fun activity.

So outside to the water table we went.

Mommy, it's too bright. I need glasses!

I struggle with mid to late afternoon activities.

We almost always have a big activity or a bunch of errands in the mornings.

But after nap time is my tired time of day, and I often don't have the energy to head out the door again.

And bubbles. I need lots and lots of bubbles.

Lily has this figured out and will wake up from her nap begging to watch TV.

While she does get a fair amount of screen time during breakfast or while I'm cooking dinner, I try to make a rule of no TV during the day.

So it's a daily struggle for me. Leave the house, come up with an at-home activity, or resort to Dora the Explorer.

Lily, no drinking the bubbles!

Hour and a half later, our girl was exhausted and ready for a bath.

And Daddy was on his way home.

Afternoon = success!

How do you get through the late afternoons?

At the car wash

2011-08-08T16:05:00.005-07:00

Not exactly a fan, as evidenced by the closed eyes and number of comfort items required...

Strawberries...

2011-08-05T20:33:00.003-07:00

After hosting the baby shower last week, I had a ton of strawberries left over.

Ryan kept snagging a few while I was cleaning up.

Declaring these were the best strawberries.

No seriously, they are so good.

You don't understand how good these taste.

Ummm, are you hinting that you want me to make your Mom's strawberry pie?

Oh, I mean, if you have enough.

If it's not too much trouble.

Strawberry pie isn't too much trouble.

But these two are!

It's a baby shower!

2011-08-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

My sorority sisters will enjoy this post...say hello to Mo! Bet you gals are as happy to see her smiling face as I have been!

Since our big move, I've been reacquainted with a great college friend, Maureen (aka Mo). We've had so much fun catching up and she's been a sweetheart to include me in girl's night out as well as introducing me to her friends in the valley. Lily calls her 'my Mo' and tells everyone she has a baby in her belly. Yep, Mo's pregnant, due with baby boy Logan in September.

Doesn't she look beautiful?

I was honored to co-host a baby shower last weekend and we had an awesome time spoiling the mama-to-be.
Plus I of course had a blast preparing a few recipes I've found on Pinterest.

(I'm addicted! Are you??)

So excited to meet baby Logan in a few short weeks. And Lily is pumped to show him the ropes (probably boss him around a little bit too). Congrats Mo!

Playdate

2011-08-01T19:35:00.004-07:00

When Daddy's away, his gals will play.

Ryan had an overnight work trip to Vegas last week.

So we gals invited a few of our friends over for a fun evening.

Lily went to bed early, absolutely exhausted, and I enjoyed a quiet night to myself.

Win/win for all of us.

Except for Ryan, who didn't touch a single slot machine while in sin city.

Lame.

Potty time

2011-07-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

This gal, who normally shows very little interest, asked to sit on the potty after her bath.

Who am I to argue with that kind of request?

And who can not love those baby blues?

Thoughts

2011-07-28T19:29:00.004-07:00

When I was pregnant, I desperately wanted our baby to be a girl. I don't know why I felt so strongly. Maybe mother's intuition? Maybe just being silly because I'm a girl? Maybe imaging having one and then another girl and loving the idea of sisters? Who knows. The day we found out we were having a girl, I was completely over the moon with the news. And the day Lily was born? Indescribable.

At this point, I am just desperate to have another baby. I could honestly and truly care less if it's a boy or girl. Though I LOVE the idea of Lily having a sister because I could not imagine my life without my own sister. And I also LOVE the idea of her having a brother to love and protect, like my brother always did for me.

I am often asked if we'd like to have another baby, and I always respond "yes, we hope to." Without going into any details.

We are in a situation where we have to just wait and hope for another baby to come along. We've had some trouble with round two. It's not too serious and hopefully not permament, but it's definitely a setback in our "plan".

But taking from a friend, I've been thinking about why pregnancy/infertility is such a taboo subject? Why the need to keep it to ourselves? Why not seek love, support, guidance from those we love? Why not reach out for a little hug when we most desperately need it.

Our situation is apparently an easy medical fix. A benign tumor on my pituitary gland that is causing some crazy hormonal imbalance. I know it's silly and there are so many women/families out there with a lot worse situation, but it's been a bit of a blow for me. I am used to 100% control over my body. I'm a runner, I've ran six marathons, one of which I was 16 weeks pregnant. I am used to reading my body, knowing when I've done too much, when I should cut back, when I need to eat more, or lay off the fast food. I know when I'm not sleeping and the exact cause for it. I know the physical signs of stress and exactly what I need to do for myself to talk myself off that proverbial ledge. I know my body. And now that it has 'failed' at what I'm asking of it, I feel a bit off and a bit lost. Which makes me miss home and my girlfriends more than ever.

And though I absolutely love my husband and think of him as one of the most sensitive, lovely people I've ever met, he can not relate. He does not understand what it feels like to have no control of your body. Or what it feels like when your own body fails you. Or how inadequate you feel when you can not 'produce' when you feel perfectly healthy and happy. Or how you can go down that dark tunnel of blame and pointing fingers. At yourself.

So my girlfriends. Who's been through this? What advice can you share?

Phone call?

2011-07-27T20:04:00.003-07:00

"What are you two crazy kiddos doing?"

"Nothing much. Just hanging out. Making a few phone calls."

"Sounds fun. Who ya calling?"

"Ellie dog needs to call Ellie Rose."

"We love you Ellie Rose. We miss you Ellie Rose."

True story.

Guess we need to plan a trip to Seattle soon.

New kicks...

2011-07-25T18:42:00.003-07:00

Daddy bought me my first pair of sneakers.

Daddy has a thing for shoes (and sunglasses).

Me too!

I am oh so cool!

Ways to beat the heat

2011-07-24T07:43:00.011-07:00

Avoiding the heat with lots of indoor fun...

We have weekly summer movie tickets with Kristen and Kayl.

Not too surprising that Lily will sit through an entire movie.

As long as she has popcorn and 'candy' (fruit snacks), she is one happy camper.

Ice cold popsicles are another secret to beating the heat.

That, and no pants.

Daddy wants a motorcycle and Lily wants to drive her own car.

This is as close as they both will get as long as I have a say in the matter.

We celebrated a friend's birthday and the theme was 'Minnie Mouse."

Our girl loves her dress-up, so thought wearing ears was awesome!

Straight home from the library.

I asked if I could read her a book.

She said "No Mommy, go away. I read by myself."

Her stories start with "Once upon a time, there was a..." and then she points out the objects she can name.

Walking home from dinner, enjoying a cloudy evening and a 'cool' breeze.

It was only 103.

How have you been beating the heat this summer?

Fountains

2011-07-12T20:00:00.003-07:00

Less than a mile from our hotel was the Tlaquepague, a small outdoor village with art galleries, restaurants, and fun shops.

Plus many, many fountains.

While we shopped, Lily made it her mission to play in every bit of water she came across.

We had an awesome time exploring Sedona but mostly enjoyed the great company. Thanks Mom and Dad for including us in your mini vacation! We miss you already.

Bell Rock

2011-07-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

One of our days, we stayed around Sedona, wanting to explore Red Rock country.

After asking around for a stroller friendly hike, we decided on Bell Rock.

We hiked a little over three miles and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

It was a fairly toasty morning, but shortly after getting back to the hotel, a storm rolled in.

To say we were excited for a thunderstorm is quite an understatement.

Lily loved feeling the rain from our balcony and was not a happy camper when told it was naptime.

Such a treat to enjoy a relaxing, rainy afternoon!

Flagstaff

2011-07-07T19:53:00.004-07:00

From Sedona, we took a daytrip further north.

We drove through Oak Creek canyon, with it's a narrow, winding, climbing road between Sedona and Flagstaff.

We then drove through Flag and headed for the Arizona Snowbowl.

A ski resort located in the San Francisco peaks with a 11,500 foot summit.

Our original plan was to go on the sky ride.

But once we arrived, this mama wasn't so sure.

Have I mentioned my fear of heights?

Lily got a kick out of watching the 'chair' go around and back up the mountain.

When asked, Lily said she wanted to "ride the chairs."

I was way too nervous due to the open nature of the chairs.

But after much discussion, we decided she would be fine riding up with us.

(Can you guess who was on the losing end of this one?)

Lily thought it was hilarious and was so excited to go on the 'ride'.

Mommy was in her own personal hell.

Made worse by a toddler who kept saying "Daddy, let me go. I stand up!"

Seriously shoot me now.

But the view at the summit might have been worth my significantly raised blood pressure.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the ridge in the far distance (middle right) is actually the Grand Canyon 70 miles away.

I faked happy and posed for a few pictures at the top.

While muttering to myself "how can I get down without riding that thing again!?!?!"

Down was worse....but I survived and would do it again.

But only because Ryan and Lily had such a great time.

On second thought, you two are on your own!

You can instead find me at the base with a cocktail and good book.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-06T19:49:00.002-07:00

We spent the holiday weekend out of the valley.

Up north, hoping and begging for a short break from the heat.

Sedona, Red Rock country, was every bit as beautiful and amazing as I expected.

Lily was super thrilled that Nanny and Papa Kurt came to AZ for a mini-vaca.

However, she was less than thrilled with the overly packed back seat.

We gals drove up a day early and spent some time exploring Sedona.

And of course checking out the swimming pool.

The boys came the following afternoon.

We spent multiple relaxing evenings enjoying the views from our balcony.

And of course subjecting Papa Kurt to our evening dance party session.

We would sit outside, soaking up the gorgeous weather, after dinner each night.

And every single night, a family of javelina's meandered below us through the brush.

Complete with a mother, father, two kiddos.

And this old guy.

Who wandered behind, looking lost, trying to keep up with his family.

Cooler weather and entertaining wildlife, that's all I've got for you.

Just kidding.

More posts to come - including wine tasting in Jerome, a trip north to Flagstaff and a hike through the Red Rocks.

Check back soon!

A Lesson

2011-07-05T20:13:00.001-07:00

Annie came to visit a few weeks ago.

One reason was for a little Mom's only getaway.

To give Annie a break from her five month old twins(!!) and 3.5 year old.

But apparently the trip was also to introduce Lily to the game of golf.

(You might remember that Annie played for KSU back in the day)

As any serious golfer knows, you absolutely must dress the part!

She's just about ready for the LPGA tour, don't you think?

Big Mistake

2011-06-21T09:04:00.005-07:00

Hey mom, what's this round, purple thing on a stick?

It's a lollipop. I was starving when we walked by a candy store, so used you as an excuse to go in and get myself a little sweet treat.

Then felt guilty, and bought you one too.

Me, the afterthought? I just can't imagine. Rude, Mommy.

Whatever. I'll try this little 'treat' as you call it, but I'm sure it won't be anything special.

Boy howdy, was I was wrong!

Big mistake by Mommy as I now hear daily "I need my LOLLIPOP!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day, Ryan!

We love you!

Family day trip

2011-06-17T19:50:00.009-07:00

Last weekend we took a little family day trip.

Lately, we have been traveling extensively.

Or having lots of awesome, fun weekend guests.

But now have a little time as a family to explore our new city.

(By the way, when do you think I will stop talking about our new city,

our new house, etc?

When does it actually start to 100% feel like home?)

We are in a lull between our own travels and visitors.

Seriously, what kind of crazy people want to visit Arizona in the summer?

(Can not wait to see you on Friday, Annie!!! )

(Hi Mom and Dad, see you the next week! :)

I bought a book on day trips from Phoenix.

With our free Sunday, we took advantage.

We headed about an hour and a half north of us.

When we left town, it was almost 100. When we arrived in Payson, it was 82.

What a relief!

We brought Lily's lunch and stopped at Ryan's former employer, Subway.

Yes, he was a sandwich artist back in the day.

Then headed for Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

First, we had an awesome outdoor picnic.

And Lily saw her first grasshopper.

She wasn't a fan and would not touch it.

No matter how much coaxing Daddy gave her.

This was a close as she got.

We then went on a little walk over the 'natural bridge'.

The largest natural travertine bridge in the world.

Such a treat to see pine trees instead of cactus.

Though Lily sitting on the rail over an almost 200 foot drop did not make this mama happy!

We then decided to take a hike to the bottom to see the bridge from below.

Despite all the warnings that this was an intense, serious, hard hike.

Lily said she could do it "all by myself!"

And, for the most part, she did!

Mommy and Daddy were more than proud of her stamina.

And stubbornness.

Because you know we fight over which sport she will excel at.

I say swimming and running.

He says basketball and lacrosse (full ride to Ivy League education, ha!)

I'm sure she will hate sports and decide on something equally wonderful.

Like opera singing. Just because we know nothing about it!

Sorry, I digress. Back to our hike.

I did carry her a bit on the steep parts.

We need to invest in one of those cool hiking backpacks.

Anyone have a suggestion or advice?

At the bottom, we stopped for a rock throwing lesson.

Daddy decided our girl has a great arm.

Maybe a softball player?

Above is a small waterfall from a little stream.

Water, no matter how small, is an awesome sight after months in the desert.

The hike back up, Lily once again said "I do it myself".

And she did.

Except Daddy picked her up for the steep steps and ran.

Which she thought was hilarious.

He almost had a heart attack.

We loved our little adventure outside the city.

And into cooler temperatures.

We are already planning our next weekend getaway, so stayed tuned!

Train please!

2011-06-15T19:58:00.002-07:00

Lily woke up Saturday immediately begging to see the choo-choo train.

So we thought, 'why not? and headed off to the train park.

Lily loved showing Daddy around.

All aboard, she says!

Guess who rode the carousel!?!

We are all a little braver whenever Daddy is around.

He gives his girls an extra boost of confidence!

We've spent lots of time at this park.

But with Daddy, this visit was our favorite so far!

Funny sayings

2011-06-13T19:43:00.002-07:00

Our girl keeps us laughing every single day. Here are a few of the latest:

"This is my favorite." Said with a sheepish grin to whatever her current favorite is. A toy, a person, a show, or most often a splash park or pool.

"No Daddy, I don't want a tickle. I want PRESENTS!" Said the morning of her birthday when we both went to get her out of bed. We had opened presents a day early and obviously it made an impact, huh?

"I have a Grandma! And I have an Aunt Mary." Said after Daddy read a book talking about how much a grandmother loves her grandchild.

"Hi Casey! Do you like my hair? My ponytail's pretty! Tell my Auntie hi from Lily!" Said while talking into her hand, pretending it was a phone.

"I need to go home. I need my Ellie-dog." Said almost every single time we are in the car.

"Daddy, you're beautiful." Said when Ryan was fixing his hair one morning.

"Mommy, I miss Daddy" to which I said, 'I miss Daddy today too, but he'll be home soon." To which she replied "Noooooo Mommy, I miss MY Daddy. And MY Nanny. And MY Grandma. And MY Aunt Mary. And MY Papa Kurt. And MY Auntie. And MY Casey. And MY cousin Kayl. And MY Ellie-dog. And MY (you get the point. She listed every single person she could think of...)

We've got ourselves quite the handful. And we are loving every single moment with her.

2 years

2011-06-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2011

Weight - 25 lb, 8 oz. 35 percentile

Length - 36 inches. 94 percentile

I can not believe you are two years old.

I know it's so cliche but it really does seem just like yesterday that you joined our world.

It was just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital, and were near panic the first night we were alone with you.

You were so small I hated giving you baths in case you slipped out of my arms (I made your Dad do it for months and months while I sat and observed).

It was just yesterday that you woke me up in the middle of night and we spent an hour together nursing, snuggling, singing, smiling at each other. I hadn't sang one particular song since you were just a few months old, but recently added it back into your bedtime playlist. You sang along and knew all the words. It made me tear up and I was amazed how much you remembered.

As an infant, you rarely fell asleep in our arms and preferred to be put down to play on your own. You are much more affectionate now, but it must be on your terms....when you are in the mood. Your daddy and I love those cuddles more than you will ever know.

You are hilarious. And you know it. You know exactly how to use your humor and charm to get out of trouble. Wonder who you could have gotten that from (hint, not your mother, who has absolutely no sense about the "art" of kissing up).

On that same note, you are one smart chica. You realize you rule our lives and play every card possible to get your way. Unfortunately (for us, at least) it often works.

Your favorite activity is playing at a splash park. You tell me it's your favorite almost every single day. If someone asks what you did today, you often tell them you played in the water, even if it's not true!

Your favorite foods include yogurt, 'Daddy's crackers' (honey wheat pretzels), and 'cookie bars' (Kids Cliff bars) plus any kind of fruit.

You sleep 12 hours each night and take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap. You wear size 5 diapers and 2T clothes (for the length, since you can still fit into 12-18 months shirts). Our little skinny mini gal.

You add such joy to our lives. As I (try to) tell you each day, you make your Mommy and Daddy so very happy and we can't imagine our lives without you. Your smiles, your sense of humor, your sweetness, your orneriness, we love it all! Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Distractions

2011-06-10T15:13:00.004-07:00

Poor Ryan has been trying to watch the NBA finals.

With a two year old attempting to wrestle all the attention away.

(Yes, we have a TV on a chair with a baby gate. Ghetto, I know.

Still in the process of getting settled in the new house.)

I think she won.

I don't think he minded one bit.

Birthday recap, part 2

2011-06-03T20:40:00.001-07:00

Lily and I spent her actual birthday together.

Just the two of us. Doing all her favorite things.

Including Starbucks - chocolate milk and a donut.

Seriously addicted.

After work, Daddy brought home a balloon.

That sings "Wild Thing" when you hit it.

She absolutely loves it.

Thanks a lot honey.

We then enjoyed ice cream cake.

I had talked to Lily earlier in the day about blowing out candles.

She just looked at me like I was a crazy woman.

But when we lit her birthday candles, girlfriend knew exactly what to do.

Daddy, you'd better get away from my frosting!

Happy birthday, baby. We love you more than words!

Birthday recap, part 1

2011-06-03T07:02:00.001-07:00

Auntie M and Casey joined us Memorial weekend.

To help celebrate Lily's second birthday.

We pretty much spent our time eating.

With a few breaks to hit the splash parks and pool.

Another highlight of the weekend (for Lily, at least) was opening presents!

A new kitchen with pots and pans just her size.

A water table to beat the hot Arizona summers.

And lots of fun, new bath toys.

We had a good laugh at the amount of technology needed to record the event.

Camera, video, cell phones, and of course Skype with Nanny back home.

We had such a fun weekend with Auntie and Casey.

Thank you for celebrating Lily's special day with us!

The best two years...

2011-06-01T15:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday

2011-05-31T12:10:00.006-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet, ornery, hilarious two year old!

A fun week

2011-05-26T07:16:00.003-07:00

I just received a few snapshots from Lily's week with Grandma and Aunt Mary.

Looks to me like she had a great time and was all smiles.

Grandma and Aunt Mary seem pretty happy too.

Which makes this mama all smiles as well.

Kristen and Kayl met the ladies for brunch.

I would not say these two girls are huge cuddlers.

So I thought this photo was pretty sweet.

Someone has a birthday next week.

Looks like Grandma gave her an early birthday present.

She tells everyone she sees "Grandma gave me my bike!"

(I love that cheesy smile!)

Thank you for sending us these pictures.

I loved having a sneak peek into your week with Lily.

And thanks again for spending such quality time with our girl!!!

Birthday party

2011-05-24T08:51:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd birthday Cruz! We spent Saturday morning celebrating with Ryan's co-worker, Jason, and their family and friends.

One of my favorite things about Arizona is all the splash parks.

Such a fun, free, easy activity that the kiddos love!

Lily had a great morning splashing around with her new friends.

Thanks for including us in Cruz's big day!

Extra special play date

2011-05-21T14:27:00.002-07:00

What a fun trip to the train park!

Ryan's cousin Leann is in town visiting her sister Kristen.

Though she is his cousin, she is one of my best friends from high school.

So it was an extra special treat to see her.

The sisters invited Lily and I to join them for a park date.

Kayl (5), Lily (almost 2), and Letty (18mths)

Poor Kayl had to play with the little girls. But she is always such a good sport.

Lily kept calling Letty a baby even though she is just a few months younger than her.

And Letty was probably tired of both bigger girls tugging on her all afternoon!

(By the way, Lily is super jealous of the cousins' heads full of hair!)

Who would have guessed after all Leann and I's fun memories growing up, that years later we would be cousin-in-laws (is that a word?), watching our little girls play together.

What special, new memories we are creating!

After many visits to this park, Lily finally sat on a horse.

She would still not do it when the carousal was moving, but it's at least progress!

Can you tell someone was excited for the choo-choo train?

All abroad, she says!

Thanks for including us in your park date. Looking forward to many more in our future!