Recent News

Lily and Ryan had a Daddy/Daughter Date Night last night. They both really enjoyed themselves. Ryan took Lily to Veni, Vidi, Vici for dinner which is an excellent Italian place. He said the hostess seemed surprised to see a 3-year-old there, and even told him they didn't have a children's menu or a booster seat. Luckily, Lily is a pretty well behaved little girl, so she did great. She LOVED the breadsticks they brought out. They were long and skinny, and she told Ryan they were "kinda spicy." Ryan tried one and said they were covered in black pepper; she ate several of them though. Lily ate some penne alfredo while Ryan enjoyed his lamb risotto. They split some cheesecake for dessert. After dinner, they went to Chuck E Cheese to play for a bit. Overall a very successful date! Here's a picture of Lily outside the restaurant. Doesn't she look cute in the little dress we brought her back from Alaska? It has a moose on the front. Mia has a similar one that is blue and brown with a bear on the front; they both look adorable in them.
While they went out on the town, Mia and I picked up Meme and took her to Ted's for dinner. Mia won over the hearts off all the staff while we were there. She smiled at everyone, waved across the restaurant to them and enjoyed her salmon, green beans and gravy. She wasn't a fan of the mashed potatoes, but she loved dipping her green beans into the gravy! After dinner, we went back to Meme's apartment with her for a little bit. I always enjoy getting to catch up with Meme so this was a very nice evening.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that Ryan and Lily also made a visit to Samford while in Birmingham last week. Lily loves school, so she was excited to see where Mommy and Daddy went to school. If you have ever been to Samford, you know it's a beautiful campus; we always love going back to visit. They walked around the quad, visited the library to look out the windows (and you know Lily loves books), and went to the Bookstore where Lily was thrilled to purchase some Gummy Bears. Here's a picture of Lily with Mr. Beeson's picture in front of the library.

We took the girls to the ENT today for their follow-up visits to check on their tubes. They did a visual exam and then used a tympanometer to see if the tubes were clear and working. Lily came through with flying colors. Mia's results weren't as good. They look for a reading of at least 1.0 to determine that the tubes are clear and working. Lily's scores were 2.7 and 3.2. Mia's scores were 1.4 (right ear) and 0.8 (left ear). With that score, they wanted a closer look in her left ear. We laid Mia on an exam table, I held her arms down and a nurse held her head still while the NP used a big microscope to look in her left ear. I was amazed, but Mia didn't cry. She just listened to the nurse and me talk to her; she even laughed a few times. This precious little girl never ceases to amaze me! After the exam, the NP said it appears the tube is just clogged up with wax, so she prescribed some drops to put in. She said as long as Mia doesn't develop a cold in the next few days, the drops will most likely clear everything up and help the tubes. We go back in two weeks to have her retested; Lily gets to wait 6 months for her next exam.

They weigh the girls before the exams which I love; I always like to know how big they are. Granted they were wearing the clothes and shoes, but that shouldn't add too much. Lily weighed about 37 pounds while Mia weighed 25 pounds. Always good to know.

On the way back, Lily absolutely cracked us up. We were listening to some Cedermont Kids' songs on Ryan's iPod, and Lily asked me the name of a song. I wasn't really sure the name, but Ryan said it was "God is strong." He then told me that is actually what Lily told him the other day. Lily said "No, it's called...God is strong and God made everything and then God said oh look at that." We just busted out laughing...I guess that's one translation! We then realized right when she said that we drove past a water wheel in front of an apartment complex that she had never seen before. We still thought it was really funny though as we imagined God in all His wisdom saying "Oh look at that" after creation.

Lily also had us laughing after her shower tonight. Ryan was helping her dry off, and she out of nowhere said "I had a rough day today." Really, watching Monsters Inc in the doctor's waiting room, getting a sticker from the nurse, coloring at Mommy's desk, napping for a couple of hours, reading books, playing with Mia, running in circles, eating dinner and getting ice cream for dessert made for a hard day? Interesting. Not a bad life if that's a rough day!

Quiet on the Homefront

It's been a very quiet week here at home. I have two big projects at work going on right now, and I needed to get some extra time to work on them. Also, we had the house REALLY cleaned last Saturday because I hosted a baby shower at our home yesterday. In order to keep the house clean and give me more time to work without feeling guilty about not being at home, Ryan took the girls to Birmingham on Tuesday morning. I really appreciated it! Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was able to stay at the office until about 10:30 or 11:00 and then come home to a clean house. Friday, I spent a couple of hours at a client's office for a meeting, and then took the rest of the day off to run errands and get things ready for Saturday's shower. Everything went really well on Saturday. Our friends, Wendy and Wendall are expecting their first baby in October, and we are so excited for them! Lisa, Kara and I had a good time planning the shower, and everything went really well. I have to say, it was really odd to have so much quiet and not constantly have to clean things up around the house each evening. It was nice for a few days, but I certainly missed them and was so glad when they came home yesterday evening!

Ryan and the girls had a really good time in Birmingham. Ryan was very thankful that Liz was able to take care of the girls so much, so he was able to catch up with lots of old friends that we don't get to see nearly enough. I loved getting to hear each day who he had visited with. The girls had tons of fun at Star Lake where they got to feed the fish, ducks and turtles. I have also heard lots of stories about a new playground that is built like a castle. It had a tire swing, and you could walk across the top of the castle; according to Lily, it was pretty cool! Kendall and John came to visit from Tuscaloosa on Friday which everyone loved. Ryan took Wednesday to drive to Fort Payne to visit with Josh for the day which he really enjoyed. Unfortunately, Ryan left the camera here, so I don't have any pictures to upload from their "mini-vacation," but I know they had a great time.

I had a couple of hours downtime Saturday afternoon before they arrived back home. I finished a great book, Radical, which was very insightful and left me with a big challenge; I highly recommend it. After that, I took a little nap, and then they arrived home. We ate an early dinner at Taco Mac, and put the girls to bed early. Mia went down at 6:45 and Lily was in bed by 7:30. They were both exhausted from such a fun week (and a very small nap in the car). While Lily woke up about 7 this morning, we had to wake Mia up at 7:30 to get ready for church.

After church we enjoyed lunch and then a nice long nap time; both girls slept for about 2.5 hours. We played for a bit, and then had dinner. After dinner, we talked to Grandpops in Chicago via Skype. This was our first time to use Skype, but we loved it! We both have video cameras hooked to our laptops, so the girls loved getting to see him and their dog, Taz. Grandma Jan is currently in Florida, but hopefully we'll get to talk to her soon too. Mia just kept staring at the screen, and then pointing and saying "Pops!" Lily enjoyed talking to him though. When it was time to say "night-night" though, Mia got so sad; she didn't want to hang up! She stuck out her lower lip and asked for Glow. She was finally comforted when we told her we will talk again soon. After that, it was bath time and bedtime. I'm glad we're all back together again, and things are back to "normal." We're ready for a new week!

2 Funnys

1. Mia usually likes to imitate what she hears. You can often say "Mia, can you say (fill in blank)?" and she will try. We often say things just to see if she can repeat them. Grandpops picked up on this too while he was here, and he would say "Yabba dabba do!" like the Flintstones. Mia tried her best to say it and we would hear "Daba daba dooooo!" The look on her face when she says "doooo!" cracks me up!

2. While watching her princess sing-a-long DVD last night (or "Princess Cedermont Kids" as she calls it), Lily noticed how long Jasmine's hair was; I agreed it was past her bum. Lily said "I guess she needs to go see Ms Joannie sometime soon." I take it as a good sign that she is referring "new clients" to Joannie for a haircut!

Weekend Visit!

We were so excited to have David and Jan visit this weekend! David flew in on Thursday to have some business meetings, and Jan joined him on Friday. Ryan and David were able to have lunch together at The Georgian Club on Friday before Jan arrived which was nice. I was actually there too at a networking luncheon so I got to run in and say hello very quickly. We all enjoyed their delicious buffet lunch. I know Ryan enjoyed having a little bit of time to catch up with David without two little ones running around!

They came straight from the airport on Friday afternoon. Luckily the girls woke up a little bit before they arrived. Lily was so excited! When they called to say they were on the way, we told Lily and she said "I just can't wait!" She asked several times "Are Grandpops and Grandma Jan here yet?" and also would say "I'm so excited!" When they arrived, she turned shy for about a minute, and then brightened right up when Grandma Jan agreed to see her and Mia's rooms with her. From then on, it was hard to pull her away from Grandma Jan!

We spent Friday evening just hanging out at our home. Lily and Jan played tons of games together, and Mia had a great time showing David her tricks of jumping on Lily's bed. We all enjoyed talking and catching up and playing. About 5:30, I fixed dinner for us because that is simply easier than getting the girls ready and trying to contain their excitement of seeing David and Jan. After dinner, we played a little more, and then it was closing in on bedtime, so they headed to their hotel and we put the girls to bed.

On Saturday morning, we all met up at The Georgia Aquarium. See the picture below we took just before walking in.

We had a lot of fun visiting the Aquarium! The girls had a lot of fun running around and seeing the different type of fish. Mia is really good at saying "FISH!" (sounds like "FEESH!"), so we heard that a lot. Mia also got really good at saying "Pops!" ("Grandpops" and "Grandma Jan" are a little difficult right now) which was super cute. Both girls enjoyed seeing the fish, but to be honest, I think they liked it best when we sat down to eat a snack, so we let them run around, dance and jump since no one else was around us. It was a good way to get their energy out. We loved seeing the beluga whales, whale sharks, humongous grouper, garden eels, jellyfish, seahorses, penguins, sleeping sea otters, albino alligators and lots of other fish. It was really interesting. Finally it was time to go, so we headed out through the gift shop (don't you love it when places force you out that way?). Lily was beyond thrilled when Grandma Jan agreed (after getting my permission, thank you!) to get her a rainbow lollipop. Grandpops and Grandma Jan also surprised the girls with a few other souvenirs: a book, two puzzles, an adorable sea otter harness to use when Mia is out walking around in a crowd so she can't run away (this was our suggestion!) and a snowglobe which Lily calls a "snowblow." Both girls were fascinated with the lollipop when we left the Aquarium, but once it was gone, they have played nonstop with their other new toys. Lily has asked to take the "snowblow" to school for Show and Tell tomorrow.

After a good nap when we got home, we met back up with David and Jan at Atlanta Fish Market. Mia enjoyed her broiled salmon, some sticky rice, a few of my veggies and lots of mashed potatoes; Lily thought her chicken fingers and mashed potatoes were really good. They both loved the bread too. I hadn't given either of them an afternoon snack thinking that would help them eat a good dinner; I didn't think about the delicious bread that comes out before dinner that would fill them up! Lily asked David several times "tell me a funny joke." She has gotten really into jokes recently, and she knows Grandpops can always come up with a good laugh! Overall, they did really well at dinner which I was grateful for, and we all appreciated such a wonderful treat. After dinner, the girls wanted to show Grandma Jan the huge fish out front while David and Ryan got the cars from the valet.

When the cars arrived, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Grandpops and Grandma Jan who were heading back to Chicago on Sunday morning. We had such a fun weekend with them! I know the girls absolutely adored them and loved spending time together. I know I can safely speak for all four of us when I say I hope they can come back soon!

Mia's Words

I love how much Mia is starting to talk these days. My very favorite thing is that she is saying "Mommy" and "Daddy" now instead of just "Mama" and "Dada." It's so sweet to hear. If you read this regularly, you probably know that Mia loves to eat. It shouldn't surprise you then one of her favorite words is "Bite." She'll see something she wants, point to it and say "Bite! Bite!" It makes me laugh when she does that.

Other words we often hear:
-For food: snack, waffle, anana (for banana), fish (for goldfish), peach, go (for mango) and "more" which is often coupled with the sign for more.
-For family: Lila (for Lily), Mama (for Bama), Nana (for Granna), Papa, Meme and Zac (my nephew).
-She is good at these animals' sounds: ducks, dogs, sheep, cows, pigs, lions, tigers, snakes and "three singing pigs" (from a Sandra Boynton book to which Mia correctly responds "la la la").
-Other general words: Jeez (for Jesus which she says while we're singing "Jesus Loves Me"), Boo (when playing peek-a-boo), boo-boo (when she falls down), Uh-oh (when she throws something down on the floor), Mine (we often hear "mine" very loudly as Lily tries to take a toy away), No, Bow, Ooes (shoes), Duck, Dog, Toodles (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), Ook (for book), Eez (for please), Thank You, Eyes, Nigh-nigh (before going to bed), Too (her response when you say "I love you"), Glow (for her favorite toy - Glow Worm) and Up (when she wants us to pick her up).

Of course, we hear a lot of laughter from her too. Mia is such a sweet, happy girl. We adore her! I know there are more words than this that she can correctly say, but I am just not thinking of them right now. It is amazing how her speech skills are really starting to take off. I have a very strong feeling that once she starts talking, she won't slow down for quite awhile!

First Dentist Trip

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you take a child to see a dentist by the time they are 1. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine trying to get Mia to sit there and let them look at her teeth? Ha! Well, at Lily's 2 and 3 year old check-ups, Dr. White asked me if she had been to a dentist yet to which I sheepishly replied "no." It recently dawned on me that we have her 4 year-old check-up in just a couple of months, and I really didn't want to admit again that I hadn't taken her. I didn't expect the visit to go well, but I knew it had to be done. So, last week I called Pediatric Dentistry of Smyrna and made an appointment for Lily at 8:30 this morning with Dr. Aaron Schwartz. This office has been in Smyrna for many, many years (though the two dentists are fairly young), and it is just down the street from us. You may know that Dr. White's office is really close to our home; at the end of the street, there's a gas station and then Dr. White's office. Well, Pediatric Dentistry is before the end of the road...seriously, a minute drive away. I have been talking to Lily about going to visit the dentist since making an appointment. I told her they will look at her teeth, count them and clean them to make sure they are healthy. She didn't really seem sold on the idea, but she didn't fight it. So this morning, we get ourselves ready and off we go with major nerves in my stomach as I envision a massive meltdown coming. If you're wondering what would make me think a meltdown was in the future, check out this previous post of Lily's 3-year-old check-up visit with Dr. White...you'll understand.

I have never been so happy to say I was wrong. Lily did an awesome job! I was so, so, so proud of her! As we walked in, her eyes got really big as she saw the waiting room. They have a carnival theme going on, so there were lots of fun animal paintings on the wall (monkeys, giraffes, elephants), a climbing hole to go through, a stop light that had buttons where you could change the colors, an airplane with a propeller that spins when you push the button and several bead games (see picture below) which Lily really liked. She had a fun time while I filled out paperwork. Then we used the potty (I'm telling you, she is a Smyrna potty connoisseur), and then we were called back.
Ms. Stephanie was the hygienist, and she was very nice. They have a few private rooms on the side, but most of the brightly colored chairs are sitting in row facing a big window; Lily climbed up into the yellow chair when asked. I handed her a toy that she was fascinated by; see the picture below. It was filled with water and beads, and when she pushed a button the beads went flying through the water.

Ms. Stephanie showed Lily the tools she would use to clean her teeth; a tiny spinning toothbrush with toothpaste (Lily chose cotton candy toothpaste over grape toothpaste), a small water squirter and a "silly straw" to drink up the water. She let Lily feel the spinning toothbrush on her finger, watch the water squirt and the straw suck up the water which I think helped Lily feel better about using them (it's as if Stephanie has worked with kids before...). Then she told Lily she was going to lay her down a bit which made Lily's eyes widen a bit and she gripped my hand. Then Ms Stephanie showed her mirror she would use and asked Lily to open wide so we could count her teeth. Lily briefly paused (I really think she took a deep breath) and then opened up. We counted all 20 teeth which Stephanie said looked really good. I was so relieved because I just had this fear she would tell me we weren't brushing good enough...whew! Next, she cleaned Lily's teeth. Lily held the water toy but stared at Stephanie the entire time. Then it was time to floss her teeth which I have never done with Lily; thankfully that went well too. Lastly, she applied a fluoride treatment (or "princess paste" as she told Lily) to her teeth. The hard part was over!

Lily told her thank you and then Dr. Aaron came over and introduced himself to both of us. He asked if I had any concerns, so I mentioned her thumb sucking. He asked Lily to bite down and we could both see her front teeth coming forward as a result of the sucking. He looked inside her mouth and pointed out it was only the front teeth currently affected; the back ones are still in the right place which is good. Lily started getting a little fidgety so he said he would finish the exam and then we would talk more about this. He looked in her mouth again, said he could feel her 6-year molars developing, and declared no cavities. Awesome!

Ms. Stephanie then handed Lily a goody bag with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, stickers and princess wand in it. She also helped Lily down to go over and pick a prize for doing so well; she picked a pink bracelet that says "princess." While she did that, Dr. Aaron and I talked more about the thumb sucking. He said that 3.5 is really the critical time to stop the sucking because of what it is doing to the shape of her mouth before the permanent teeth come in. He recommended a specific nail polish like substance that he said his patients have had great success with, especially when coupled with a rewards system. They have a special "treasure chest" that kids can come by and pick a toy from once they stop sucking their thumbs too. He said how the habit of thumb sucking can be just as strong as cigarette smoking; the chemical changes it makes in a child's brain to calm them are amazing. It won't be easy to change this habit, but I know we need to do it. I would rather do this now then have her endure teasing from other kids; it would be nice if it kept braces out of the picture too. We're going to start this process soon; I'll be sure to keep you updated.

When Dr. Aaron and I finished talking, Lily told him thank you and we went out front to pay. They have 3 or 4 really cool tracks set up for the kids to play with while the adult checks out. Ms Stephanie gave Lily a marble, and she had a blast letting it roll down the different tracks through the various tubes. As we were leaving, I told Lily how very proud of her I was and told her we would come back to see Dr. Aaron in a few months. She immediately said "Yea, and I'll play with the marbles again!"

This was a MUCH better experience than I ever imagined it could be. I am so proud of Lily, and I am so grateful at how great the professionals worked with her. Maybe we won't wait quite as long for Mia to visit (maybe...). Check out this sweet picture of Lily with her goody bag just after climbing out of the chair. She's showing off a mouthful of clean, beautiful teeth!

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school for the girls. Okay, so "school" is actually Parents Morning Out, but the girls were still very excited! Ryan and I went last Thursday to meet their teachers while Lily went to dance class. Lily will be in Ms Mollett and Ms Amanda's class. Ms Mollett was her teacher for the second half of last year (she was moved up an age group at Christmas), and she loved her. She knows she will enjoy her time with Ms Mollett again. Mia will be with Ms Jodi and Ms Alieta, and I'm sure she'll love it.

Excited to start back to school!

Showing off their school bags. You're not seeing things...Lily was jumping up and down because she was so excited!

We started out the day a little earlier than we wanted this morning because Lily woke up after a nighttime potty accident. She and I got changed into something dry and then came out to the living room. We tried laying on the couch together for awhile, but by 7, Lily was wide awake. I decided to put on a cartoon so she would at least continue to lay there and maybe rest a little. After some Curious George, we got up to make breakfast. As a special treat, we made Banana Bread Muffins (mini-sized) together. Lily loves to cook, so this was a fun way to start a special day. While they cooked, Ryan and I got ready, and the timer beeped just as Mia woke up. We all enjoyed the muffins for breakfast, and then it was time to get the girls ready. They looked so cute! We took a few pictures before heading out. You can't see it in these pictures, but the girls both loved the new lunchboxes I bought them at the recent consignment sale (they were brand new!). Mia's is blue and has Cinderella on it while Lily's is pink with Aurora, Belle and Cinderella on it.

Ryan and I walked the girls into school today though usually we'll just go through the carpool line. We arrived at Mia's class first; she started to get a little nervous, and she became clingy with Ryan. At that moment, Mary Jane (the preschool director) walked by and said "Hi Lily! Do you want me to walk to class with you?" Lily said "Sure!" and took off. Glad we gave her hugs and kisses at home! Just then, Mia noticed one of the cool toys inside her classroom, so she started pointing to it. That made it easier to hand her off to the teacher. No tears from either girl! When we picked them up at 1:00, both girls were so happy, and it was easy to see they had great days. Lily was thrilled that her friend from last year, Sierra, was there again, and she kept telling us about the rainbow and clouds project she made. You could see Mia was worn out from a big day, but she smiled really big when we asked if she had a fun day. I love that the girls love going to school so much. I think it's going to be a great school year!

Happiness

Last Sunday after church we went to Phipps Plaza. We decided to eat at Johnny Rockets in the food court and then head down to Frontgate to check out their big sale. On the way there, we knew we would pass River Street Sweets which has all sorts of delicious goodies in it. I really wanted a piece of chocolate, and I thought it would be fun to get the girls a little treat; I was able to talk Ryan into a quick stop. Mia ended up with some mini M&M's which she loved. The small cell phone picture below shows Lily's choice. She was thrilled with her selection!

She loved this huge lollipop. She licked on it for over an hour. It was also really funny because after finishing her mini M&M's, Mia wanted to try Lily's lollipop, and thankfully, Lily was willing to share. Mia would say "Bite!" then stick out her tongue. Lily would stop walking and rub the lollipop down Mia's tongue for her. This went on for quite awhile. It was pretty funny to see, but also so sweet. I love it when the girls are sweet to one another!

"So You Think You Can Dance" Season 43 Preview

Lily is so excited about her new dance class at The Little Gym! They teach ballet and tap while there. Last Saturday morning, she and I ran a few errands which included stops to purchase ballet slippers, tap shoes and leotards. The pictures below are her showing off her new outfits to Daddy when we got home.

Yesterday was her first day of class. Bama took her and was a little surprised when Lily was the only one in the class; how's that for attention?! She asked the director about it, and she said two sisters had canceled their spots the night before. Hopefully some others will sign up in the first few weeks, but if not "we will discuss our options." I am really hoping that a couple of other girls will sign up soon because Lily loves this class!

How precious is she?

Mia wanted in on the dance action too, so she put on Lily's Cinderella dress. What a cutie!

Mia's First Haircut!

We decided it was finally time to get Miss Mia a haircut. For 20 months we have let her hair grow without cutting it...it's time. I called Joannie (one of my mom's best friends who also cuts Ryan and my hair) and asked if she had any time available for the girls before they start to school next Monday. Luckily, she had this morning at 9:30 available. Lily said she was going to be a big girl and sit in the chair all by herself this time instead of sitting in my lap. We weren't really sure what Mia would think. I knew she wouldn't like being forced to sit for awhile though so I packed a couple of toys and a snack to hopefully keep her occupied.

Both girls walked happily into the shop and said hi to Joannie. Then Lily gently pushed Mia in front of her and declared "Mia can go first." So I put her on the little stool in Joannie's chair; Mia immediately stood up and said "Uh-uh." We tried putting the big plastic bib on her; "Uh-uh." Okay, looks like I will be sitting with her! I put her in my lap, and she tried to get down. When I held her in place, she started crying and reaching out Ryan while crying "Da Da!" Joannie put a big bib on me and said "We won't go for accurate, just a cut!" I told her I wanted to make sure we could still pull her hair back in pigtails because we're growing her bangs out. Mia was still sobbing and refusing to "help" by holding a brush, comb or plastic curlers. She stopped crying after a few minutes though once we handed her a big mirror to look at, and she realized we had a snack for her. From then on, she did great. She held pretty still and smiled really big several times at Joannie which was such a relief. It looked so good when Joannie finished!

Then it was Lily's turn. I want to note also that Lily spent most of Mia's turn talking to a complete stranger who was sitting nearby; I couldn't believe it. She was a very nice woman probably about our age, and Lily just talked up a storm to her telling her about Disney World, Animal Kingdom and Mia. Anyway, Lily came and sat on the stool. Joannie put the bib on her, and Lily asked if I would stand right next to her and hold her hand which I was happy to do. She winced a little when Joannie squirted her hair with water, but she didn't complain or cry. Then she started talking to Joannie and having a good time. At one point, she started making funny faces in the mirror which made us laugh. I think Joannie cut about 6 inches from Lily's hair which was desperately needed! Overall, this was a good experience, and we have vowed not to wait this long for their next haircut! Here are a few pictures documenting the trip...

A recent picture of Mia. She really needs a trim!

Watching herself and Joannie in the mirror while enjoying a snack. She also was holding a Costco receipt from the car; she wouldn't let go of it for some reason. A little odd for a comfort piece, but hey, whatever works, right?!
Oh that baby is so cute!

Look how good this looks!

Even more precious!

Yea Mia...you did it!

Lily intensely watching Joannie in the mirror.

Making a funny face to the mirror.

We played "beauty shop" after both their cuts were finished, and Ryan was getting his hair trimmed up. Lily also liked pretending the dryers were our rocket ship outfits that took us to outer space; I can see where she got that idea! This picture also makes me realize we need to work on sitting a little more lady-like in the future!

A big thank you to Joannie for showing such amazing patience with the girls and doing such a wonderful job on their hair!

Melt Our Hearts

It's stories like this that just melt our hearts.

1. For dinner tonight, I made balsamic chicken, brown rice and a fresh fruit medley (cherries, strawberries and blueberries for Ryan, Lily and me; watermelon and blueberries for Mia). As we were putting it on the table, Lily looked up and said "Mommy, you make the best chicken ever!" I love to cook, so this made my day!

2. Lily and I were having a tough time finding Minnie Mouse tonight before bed, so I asked Ryan to see if he could find her. When I told Lily Daddy would look for Minnie Mouse, she said "Yea because he is a good man." So true, so true.

Where He Leads

Yesterday Lily was standing on the ottoman (her stage so she claimed) singing a song she learned from the Cedermont Kids that has these lyrics:
"I'm gonna sing when the Spirit says sing. I'm gonna sing when the Spirit says sing. I'm gonna sing when the Spirit says SING and obey the Spirit of the Lord."
It then repeats using "pray" in a verse and then "preach" in a verse. After singing the "preach" verse, I heard Lily sing:
"I'm gonna go to the beach when the Spirit says beach. I'm gonna go to the beach when the Spirit says beach. I'm gonna go the beach when the Spirit says BEACH and obey the Spirit of the Lord." She sang this verse with just as much enthusiasm as all the others. I couldn't stop laughing. We'll go where He leads!

End of Gymnastics

This past Wednesday was Lily's last day of gymnastics. I am so glad we signed her up for these classes at Little Gym. She has really blossomed since starting these classes. She seems so much more confident in herself, and physically, she can do so much more - balance, somersaults, etc. I know she has loved these classes. Liz took her to class this time, and she called to say that the instructor announced that halfway through the class, spectators could come in so the kids could show off their skills. Since the class is just a couple of minutes from the office, I headed over and surprised them, and I'm so glad I did. She was very excited to see me, and it was so cute to watch. They broke the class into groups of about 6 kids and went to different stations to show us what they learned. They flipped, rolled, hopped, turned, balanced and had tons of fun. Here are a few pictures taken with my cell phone.

Flipping over the bar.

Coming back up from her flip.
Mia wanted to get in on the action, so Bama helped her walk across the low beam.

Lily walking across the big beam. They learned to walk forward, sideways and backwards on it. Lily now likes to use our foot board on our bed as her practice balance beam. Today she was practically running across it.

Jumping off the beam onto the mat. In the past, she has always asked for my help when she jumped down from things, but here is she is doing it all by herself and loving it!

Towards the end of class, they had free play with balls for a few minutes. Lily had fun throwing her ball in the air and then bumping it with her fists like a volleyball. This came from their "beach week" theme a few weeks ago.

Our little monkey wanted to try the uneven bars too. She loved it, and I'm sure she'll take classes here someday too!

They ended the class with all the kids getting together (that's Lily in the little circle on the right side with the white outfit on). This was their drum roll time where they all pounded on the mat; first loudly, then quietly then loud again. Kids love to make noise! This was a fun way to end the day.

I so pleased with Lily's progress through this class. The instructors at this Little Gym are awesome, and they do such a great job with the kids. I know Lily will miss her gymnastics class, but she is very excited about her dance class that starts next Thursday!

Other Hooks Happenings

Here are a few other things happening around our home these days...

Lily is not much of a veggie eater. Well, we were at Lowe's the other day and saw these Sesame Street vegetable growing kits. We settled on the Oscar the Grouch Green Beans. It took a minute to sell Lily on the idea, but soon she got on board with growing and eating her own veggies. Here's a picture of her excited self showing off the box before we planted the seeds.

The kit comes with 6 little pots to use, dirt to put in the pot and the seeds. Here's Lily putting the water into the pots so the dirt could spread out.
Putting the seeds in and mixing the dirt up.

Of course, we had to put the Oscar the Grouch stickers on the pots too. We'll see how this little experiment works out. I'm not known for my ability to grow things!

Sweet girls watching a cartoon together.

I love when the girls play nicely together! Here they are coloring together.

Popsicles are a special treat after dinner.

On Tuesday evening, Lily and I went on a Mommy Daughter date to Atlanta Fish Market for dinner. We had a $20 coupon, and since Ryan doesn't really enjoy seafood too much, we thought it would be fun for me to take Lily. I told her it was a special meal, and we would need to be on our best manners since it's a little bit nicer of a restaurant than what she's used to. She did great! When we got there, she fell in love with the huge fish that is out front; she named it Phylo. She couldn't get enough of it! She kept wanting to walk on this little bridge to see it. They also have rocking chairs on their big front patio that she enjoyed. We had a really nice meal. She enjoyed her fried shrimp while I enjoyed my broiled red snapper. I look forward to more Mommy Daughter dates with Lily and Mia later on!

Beach Trip, Part 2

We decided on Wednesday morning we wanted to do something a little different; we thought the girls might need a little break from the sun for a bit. Since there's not a lot to do in New Smyrna (it's a very residential area), and Daytona didn't sound too appealing, we decided to head to Orlando. The plan was to go to Downtown Disney for lunch at Rainforest Cafe then just play around there until nap time when the girls could fall asleep in the car for the ride back; it's about 1.5 hours away. That was the plan...

The girls were so excited to be at Rainforest Cafe! We had about a 20 minute wait, and they absolutely loved walking around the gift shop, playing with the toys, looking at the huge fish tanks with gorgeous fish and watching all the "animals" inside the Cafe. They couldn't wait to sit down and eat. Ryan and I both enjoyed our sandwiches while the girls each had a slider. Twice while we were eating, "the show" started up where the lights dim down, it starts to thunder and lightening and the animals all start talking to one another. At first, both girls were a little nervous and wanted to sit in Daddy's lap, but then they loved it. It's about all Lily could talk about, and Mia just kept pointing to all the animals. They were having such a great time! Well, Ryan and I are suckers for Disney, and we started wondering "would it be worth it to just go to one of the parks for the rest of day?" We decided, yes, it is worth it, so we stopped at a customer service area and bought tickets to Animal Kingdom.
Unfortunately, we didn't have our regular camera with us since we had planned on just lunch. We had our small camera with us but we didn't use it a whole lot. We got to Animal Kingdom, and rode the tram to the entrance. I told Ryan that next time we could save a bunch of money if we just paid to park and then rode the tram around; the girls loved it!

When we got in, the girls were immediately taken by the little pond with ducks in it. Seriously, we can see this down the street from our home! We managed to talk them away from it, and we realized Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade was about to start. We also realized it was blazing hot! We bought one of those little fans that also sprays water to help cool us off while we waited. We waited about 10 minutes, but then the parade started, and both girls really enjoyed it. It was pretty cute and lasted about 20 minutes; what a fun way to start our time at Animal Kingdom.

When the parade was over, Ryan and Lily headed to see the 3D bug movie while Mia and I headed back to the lockers to get a clean diaper on. When we caught up with each other a little bit later, Lily came running up to me while crying. She was not a fan of the bug show. Apparently about 5 minutes into the show, a very thick fog comes into the theatre and then a mean grasshopper comes out of the wall. This really scared Lily, so they headed out of the theatre. I heard about the fog and grasshopper for several days!

After this, we went and stood in line at Kilimanjaro Safari for about 40 minutes. The girls did pretty well while we waited, and then loved the ride. After that we went to meet some of the characters. Here are the pictures below, but they loaded in reverse order, so you'll see the characters first and then the safari.

Each of the major characters have a little hut where you can stand in line and meet them. We decided we would try it for Mickey because it was about a 15 minute line. We figured Lily would be shy and nervous, but we didn't know what Mia would think. Turns out, both girls did great! Mia led the way and gave Mickey a high five and then knuckles. When Lily saw how well Mia did with him, she broke into a big smile and also gave Mickey a high five. It was so great to see her break out of her shell! This was the cute picture Disney took for us. As we were walking away, both girls waved and said "bye-bye!"

Minnie Mouse was in the hut next to Mickey, and her line wasn't very long. Given how well the girls did with Mickey, we decided to see her too. I'm so glad we did! The girls were thrilled with meeting her too though Mia was a little concerned about Minnie's hat. Lily even gave Minnie a hug which I simply could not believe. I wish the Disney photographer had been paying better attention and taken a picture of that!
Well, Goofy was next and again the girls did great. I am loving how well they are doing with the characters!

Last but not least was Donald Duck. Again, the girls loved him and did great with him. It was awesome to see them get so excited to see the characters.

Before meeting the characters we went on Kilimanjaro Safari. The girls loved the "truck ride" because you get to see so many great animals. This is a pretty cool ride. Check out this huge hippo!

They have lots of elephants, and here are a couple of them.

A big ostrich.

Look at all the flamingos!

We also had time to grab a quick bite of dinner, but we stayed until the park closed. The girls did amazingly well given they only had a short nap on the way over to Orlando many hours earlier. As we left the park, we decided to stop back by Downtown Disney so I could run into their candy store. I know that sounds ridiculous, but they have the best peanut butter cups there. I couldn't be that close and not stop. I also picked up a Rice Krispie Square for Ryan and two cookies for the girls. We decided to save them for a surprise for the next day. The girls were thrilled when they saw them! See my cell phone pictures below...

Mia enjoying her Dori cookie.

Lily showing off her Nemo cookie.

Our lunch side trip turned out to be quite a day! We had such a great time, and I'm so glad we made the decision to go to Animal Kingdom!