Elevator

Embracing apartment life, Lily and Ellie dog have come to love our time on the elevator.

fighting over who gets to push the button

trying to push the alarm button while we scream "no no no, we don't want to get kicked outta the place, move away from the button!"

to which they give up and take a seat for the remaining ride

after the ride, both take off running for the car, while yelling "ah ah ah, ecccchhoooo" in the parking garage

Yea for apartment life. And yea for only a few more days of carrying a 16 mth old and groceries through elevators or up four flights of stairs.

My daughter...

signs my girl has been here.

slightly obsessed with shoes around these parts.

and books.

definitely my daughter.

ART!

In my plea for inexpensive ideas for a busy toddler, Annie suggested a little art project. With very minimal mess (my kind of project!).

Colored construction paper, small bowl of water, and a paint brush.

Miss Lily was thoroughly entertained while I cooked dinner.

My little Picasso in the making.

Added bonus that her 'paint' is just aqua!

Thanks for the suggestion. Keep the ideas coming!!!

15 months

August 31, 2010. Time flies when you're having fun….

Weight – 22 lb, 12.5oz. 50 percentile

Length – 31 1/2 inches. 85 percentile

Head – 18.5 inches. 80 percentile

~ You run, not walk, everywhere you go. You started walking right after your first birthday and haven't slowed down since.

~ You are extremely verbal, speaking 15-20 words, and starting to put together words into short sentences. Your doctor says you were advanced in this department...or as your Nanny says, you are "gifted". I think you've just inherited your father's gift for gab.

~ You are becoming a very independent little girl. You prefer walking by yourself instead of being carried. You prefer running the aisles of the grocery store instead of sitting quietly in the cart. You prefer feeding yourself all the time instead of accepting help with tricky foods like yogurt or hummus. While you are a bit stubborn with this new found independence, we love this trait about you!

~ You love your puppy dog. Your favorite word is 'doggie', which you call every animal you see. Your two new favorite games are holding onto Ellie's tail while she tries to get away, and chasing Ellie with wooden spoons and spatulas. You completely crack yourself up. It's so mean, but I am normally laughing too hard to make you stop.

~ You love to explore. We often find you deep into kitchen drawers, grocery sacks, purses, closets, etc. Subsequently, you hear the word "no" quite frequently these days.

~ You are taking this move in true laidback 'Lily' form. It took you just a few days to adjust to the new time zone, and our little apartment. You have been much more resilient than your parents, and we are so proud of you!

You have changed so much since your first birthday. You are becoming a strong willed, independent, but very sweet and giggling little girl. We love you more than words!

Splash!

Lily and I have spent the last few weeks exploring the city....and enjoying any 'free' activity I can come up with. I keep joking with Ryan that I better find a job just to support my shopping habit....apparently when I run out of things to do, I head straight for the closest Target or clothing store!

Last week, we found a splash park at an outdoor mall, and had a blast playing in the water. Lucky for me, I always keep an extra change of clothes in the car...

Any great suggestions for inexpensive activities for a 15 month old?!?!?!? If we don't stay busy, Lily and I are going to be the best dressed mother/daughter duo in the state of Arizona!

My maid...

This girl needs to earn her keep, so she's been put to work!

These pictures might have concerned Ryan a bit. He already thinks I clean too much, and now it looks like his daughter is following in my footsteps!

Elmo

Ryan's cousin, Kristin, lives here in Phoenix, and has been so generous to invite us to her home twice since we've been in town. Her daughter, Kayl, got to meet Lily last night and was such a great entertainer, even though all Lily wanted to do was steal Kayl's toys. Thanks guys for the great company and yummy food!!

I was telling Kristin a story about how we were in Barnes & Nobles, and Lily saw an Elmo display. She raced over, and started yelling over and over again "E-mo, E-mo, E-mo". I have absolutely no idea how she knows who Elmo is, but can only assume daycare somehow introduced her. Anyway, Kristin dug around in Kayl's old toys, and produced a Tickle-Me-Elmo. The girls had a blast dancing and giggling, until we parents insisted Elmo was tired and needed to go to bed!

However, we are a little grumpy at Gabe. He insisted we bring home the Tickle-Me-Elmo. Lily loves it....her parents, not so much. :)

New Digs

We've been getting settled into our new digs - temporary housing in the form of a two bedroom, two bath apartment right off ASU's campus. With a sweet swimming pool. We gals are two happy peas in a pod!

Living room, dining room, and kitchen (that's the front door behind Ellie dog).

One of the two bedrooms

Lily enjoys her view of Sun Devil stadium and is excited to watch the college students tailgating before Saturday football games.

Each night after Dad's gotten home from work, we've hit up the swimming pool - it keeps our little girl awake while she adjusts to the time zone. She loves it!

We are slowing unpacking our suitcases and getting used to our temporary home while we shop for a more permanent residence. Until then, we plan on enjoying the 'college atmosphere' (we've had a good giggle when going to bed and hearing the students heading out for an evening on the town...we're officially old!)

Game Day

It was a good day to be a Wildcat with our season opening win against UCLA.

Lily was so excited to watch the big game....

but still took a few time outs to snuggle with her mama.

GO STATE! We will still be cheering loudly from Arizona!

Road Trip 2010

Auntie M, Ellie dog, and I went on 'Road Trip 2010' to Phoenix. In two days, we drove through five states, saw some fantastic countryside, and had lots of laughs. After 19 hours in the car, we sisters are still talking to each other, so I'd say the trip was a success!

Favorite quotes from my crazy passenger...

Travel plazas are cool...they have some good shopping!

I like truckers. Interesting people.

Does your car have a name. I need to tell her to hurry up!

That girl cracks me up.

A few highlights of our trip....

5 fast food restaurants. 3 boxes of candy. 1 box of spicy cheez-its.

And 8 lbs heavier.

Goodbye Kansas

Hello Oklahoma

and Texas.

New Mexico might be the most gorgeous state I've seen.

We made it to Albequerque the first day. 734.50 miles (plus 30 miles or so bc I forgot to start counting until we were into our trip).

Day two - more New Mexico. Beautiful!

and finally Arizona!

Our very first Phoenix sign. We're almost there! We were more than excited.

1154 miles.

99 degrees.

Ryan said a cold front came through the night before.

Thanks Auntie M for being my wingman. I've got myself a pretty good little sister!

*Disclaimer. All pictures taken from the passenger seat. While driving quite a bit over the speed limit. So please excuse the quality as well as dead bugs on the windshield.