Big Mistake

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

Happy Father's Day, Ryan!

We love you!

Family day trip

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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...