A Hard Worker

So what do you think of the picture above? Any guesses? Well, here's what happened...

As I was putting Mia's clean clothes up this evening, she asked for her cup of milk which I told her was on the counter; she went to get it. A minute later I hear an odd noise and "Uh oh Mommy! I (couldn't understand) it!" I look out her bedroom door and see her standing in the kitchen and she repeats herself. I still don't understand, but I know something isn't quite right, so I walk in to the kitchen. I see Mia holding the barely used bag of slivered almonds which is now empty as they are EVERYWHERE on the floor. I didn't really know what to say other than "Oh Mia." This bag was sitting very close to her cup of milk, so I am guessing in trying to get her cup, she grabbed the bag and it spilled everywhere. It was clearly a total accident, so I didn't get upset. Instead, I thought quickly. I reached for our handheld broom and dustpan and said "Lily would you like to help me by sweeping up the almonds?" Lily immediately jumped at the chance to once again prove her big girl skills. She couldn't wait to start sweeping! Mia sat down near her and said "My turn Lily! I sweep now!" to which Lily replied "No Mia, I will do it because I am a big girl."

She did a really good job too; she is such a hard worker! How long do you think I have before cleaning isn't so much of a game as it is a chore for her? Right now, I am loving it!

A Needed Day

I really needed today. This tax season has been extra demanding thus far (70 new clients and counting means more work, but that's a good thing too!). I have worked late nights a lot over the last few weeks; in fact, I was there until 1:15 this morning. It's very draining - physically, mentally and emotionally. Typically our Sundays are very routine, but we decided today would be a little different. First, we decided we would let our natural alarm clocks (aka Lily and Mia) wake us up. Depending on what time that was, we would decide our church schedule. We usually leave about 7:50 to get there for the 8:30 service and we're there until about 11:30. Lily came in a few minutes after 8:00, and Mia woke up a few minutes later. We all cuddled up in bed to watch cartoons for a little bit, and then the girls started playing. Ryan and I had thought about this possibility last night, and we decided then to forgo church for the morning (even though the girls were really excited about it), so we could have a day of rest and family time.

We all got dressed and went to J. Christopher's for breakfast which was so delicious and filling. After that we went to a nearby playground for about 45 minutes. It was a little overcast outside, but a great day to be out in the fresh air. From there we went to Target because we realized Lily's tennis shoes were literally falling apart; we found her a great pair of shoes that she loves. After this we went back home. Ryan and the girls cleaned up the living room and playroom while I went to take a relaxing shower. Ryan then needed to leave to get to a meeting for his upcoming mission trip, so the girls and I had a small snack (we were still pretty full from breakfast) and played for awhile before nap time. Mia went to sleep at 1:30, and Lily went down at 1:45. They were asleep until about 3:15, so I had some time to rest and unwind. When they woke up, we went to Publix which was actually pretty fun. I tell you what, when we're all rested and well-fed, we always have a ton of fun together! After bringing the groceries in, I started cooking dinner. I am ashamed to admit it, but this is the first meal I have actually cooked in probably a month. It was good too; cheesy chicken, green beans with almonds and jello (okay, Liz actually made the jello but we cut the shapes out!). Nothing gourmet, but it was nice to sit around the dinner table together for a peaceful meal again.

We all played together for awhile and then Ryan headed up to the church. He is in the church's prayer room once a quarter from 8-9. Soon after he left, it was time to put Mia to bed; Lily and I then played for about 30 minutes before her bed time. After that I looked around the house and thought of all the things I could do...laundry namely...but I decided to just relax. It has been an absolutely wonderful day. I needed this.

Happy Birthday to Me

This past Monday was my 32nd birthday, so happy birthday to me! I have tried to take my birthday weekend off from work the last few years, but unfortunately, that couldn't happen this year. I was able to sleep in a bit, but then I had to head in to work for awhile. When I came home, Lily came running up and said "Guess what I bought for a surprise for you today? A surprise party!" She cracks me up! I had a feeling that she and Mia had gone shopping with Bama that morning to pick up a little birthday something for me, but I also knew no one would dare tell Lily a secret like a true surprise party! Secrets aren't exactly her strong point right now. Anyway, Ryan and I got ready for our dinner date out to celebrate. See our picture below:

I also wanted a picture with my sweet girls. I love them so much!

Ryan and I met our friends, Brian and Jill, at my very favorite restaurant, La Grotta in Buckhead. It is always amazing, and it didn't disappoint this time. Neither Ryan or I need to bother with a menu when we go; we will never stray from "our usual" here. For me, I start with their house mixed greens salad, followed by a filet with a mustard and gorgonzola sauce, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables; a nice glass of wine accompanies the entree. Ryan has a prosciutto appetizer with the same filet entree. We then both order the tartufo dessert. Tartufo is basically ice cream dipped in chocolate which I know does not sound special at all, but oh my goodness, it is one of the best food items ever. I absolutely refuse to share this dish with anyone, so Ryan knows if he wants a bite, he better order his own. This is consistently the most fantastic meal which is why we like to go for special occasions. Three particular occasions stand out to me. In time dated order, first my dad took me there a few days before Ryan and I got married which was so special. Second, Ryan and I celebrated there when I passed the CPA exam; what an amazing feeling! Third, he and I went after we learned that I was expecting our sweet Lily. So, it's a special place to us, and to be there with great friends for my birthday made it even more wonderful.

Obviously I had to work on Monday since we're in the heart of tax season right now, but I intentionally blocked off some extra time to make it a little bit of an easier day. My mom came at lunch, and brought food from the Chinese restaurant that we love. I don't have much one-on-one time with her these days, so it was a great treat to hang out with her. I have an amazing mom!

I left work just after 5 (what a treat right now!), and when I got home, what should greet me but a "surprise party" that Ryan and the girls had set up for me. Lily and Mia were so excited, and it was so fun to see their excitement! Bama had taken them shopping on Saturday and they bought decorations, paper products and party horns, and Ryan had helped them decorate earlier in the day. My mom had babysat them that afternoon, so the three of them made a big cookie cake for me. They had put in candles that spelled Happy Birthday, and then written Mommie on the cake; typically you would write Mommy, but they wanted the letters to be even so they went with Mommie instead. Lily found this hilarious! They wanted to dig into the cake, but I told them we had to eat some dinner first (though I would have loved to dig in too!). Liz came in right about then, so we all went to Zucca's and enjoyed a delicious dinner. When we came home, everyone sang happy birthday and then we enjoyed the fabulous cookie cake. What a great way to celebrate!Just as we finished up the cake, we had a delivery man come by and bring me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers sent by David and Jan. I had to have a picture made with the flowers because they were so beautiful. Here we are a week later, and they are still looking great on our kitchen counter, so we get to enjoy them everyday.

This was such a great birthday celebration. Of course, it was so much fun to see all the birthday wishes that rolled in on Facebook too. Many thanks to everyone who made this birthday so special!

Playing Catch Up

Wow, it's been awhile since I have updated our blog! There has been so much going on the last couple of weeks that I haven't found the time to sit down and write about everything. More than anything, work is keeping us very, very busy. I was at the office past midnight three times in the last week alone. I feel like I am so far behind schedule right now, and I just can't keep up with everything. Regardless, here are a few pictures of things going on around the house the last couple of weeks:

We have had the most amazing weather recently, and we have all loved it. The girls always love to go outside to their playground, so here are a few pictures from those fun times. Mia is such a little adventure-seeker. She will try anything that Lily does, and she usually succeeds. We haven't found an ounce of fear in this little one yet!

They really have so much fun playing together!
Grandpops had some work in Atlanta earlier in the month. We were so glad he was able to come spend an evening with us! We all enjoyed a dinner at Figo, and then we just played at the house for a bit. I couldn't convince the girls to take a "formal" picture with Grandpops, but here they are having fun in a tickling game with him!

Lots of laughs!

Hopefully he will be able to come back soon and bring Grandma Jan with him. Jan sent down the sweetest little matching navy Polo dresses for the girls. They are going to look so adorable in them this summer! She also sent pretty hair bows which you know they loved, but most of all, they were THRILLED with the fun band aides she sent! Jan remembered how much the girls loved the cute Halloween band aides she sent in October, and she found adorable Princess and Sesame Street band aids to send this time. My girls have had more "boo boos" than I can count over the last two weeks; Mia has learned "band aide make it better." It's amazing what makes them happy! Once again, Grandma Jan found a hit for a present!

This picture was just too sweet for me not to include it.

On March 5th, Lily's Parent Morning Out class sang at the church's evening service. Here is a picture of Lily and her friend, Sierra, before the show. We hear about Sierra all the time. It is pretty cute to see the friendships Lily is developing with other kids her age.

This is a picture of the whole class onstage with Ms. Mollet directing. Lily is actually all the way over to the right, and you can just barely see her head above Ms. Mollet's shoulder. When we arrived, the kids were sitting in the middle of the auditorium, so Mom and I sat on the left (Ryan stayed home with Mia). When Ms. Mollet told the class to line up, Lily went darting to the front to be the "line leader" (a big to-do with the 4 year old set); she led them up to and across the stage which put her as far away from us as possible! Because of this, I didn't get many good pictures from the performance.

Lily showing off her light during "The Little Light of Mine." They also performed "Jesus Loves Me" and "The B-I-B-L-E" which is one of Lily's favorite songs. This was a cute performance.

This past Thursday was Lily's half-way point in gymnastics, so all the parents (and Bamas!) were invited to watch them to see what they have been working on. I cannot tell you how amazed I am at Lily. The Little Gym has been so good for her over the last year. Her coordination, skills and confidence have shot up as she has gone through these classes. She has so much fun with them too, and it's fun to watch her.

Here she is with the noodle as they pretended to ride their horses as cowboys and cowgirls.

Getting ready to roll down the mat. She can do really good forward somersaults now and is working on backwards somersaults, handstands and cartwheels.

Ms. Maria coaching her through a flip on the low bar. She loves the low bar!

You know Mia wasn't going to be left out even though this class is meant for kids two years older than her! The classes are small, and the teachers are always very gracious to let Mia play during events like this. During regular classes, Mia and Bama go for walks, go to the library or playground, etc; she doesn't go in on every class.

Lily showing off her pirouette skills on the beam. She has really good balance!

So there you have some of the pictures taken over the last couple of weeks. In addition to work, here are a few other things that have been going on:

-Lily and Mia had Pediatric ENT check-ups, and both came through their hearing tests with flying colors - woo-who!!! Dr. Baktha noted that both tubes are coming loose in their left ears, so they may come out soon; this is normal since tubes are meant to last about 12-18 months (it has been 14 months so far). The real test will come when they come out. Neither girl really ever had ear infections, but we noticed drastic differences in their hearing abilities. Hopefully their ear canals have grown now letting the fluid drain out, so their hearing won't be impacted. Only time will tell on this one.

-We have gone to interviews at two different schools. One of the schools has already accepted both girls into next year's program, and we know Mia will attend there next year. The other school starts at Pre-K (meaning Mia is too young to apply). However, we took Lily there last Friday, and went through a 1.5 hour interview. It went very well. They will call this week to schedule a time to come back though for her to take standardized tests. That's right, this is all for Pre-K! A little crazy to do all this for a 4 year old, but we really like this school, and we can see Lily thriving in it's environment. We should know by the end of the month if she has been accepted, and if she has, we have to decide which one of the schools we want her to attend.

-Ryan is taking a fascinating class at church on Wednesday evenings. However, it is considered a seminary graduate level class, so there is a lot of homework and projects involved. He is managing to get all this done along with working and being with our family. I think he is like Superman to get all this done!

-I participated in a consignment sale last week where I sold a lot of the girls 0-12 month clothes and toys. It was fun to go through everything and remember all the fun times we have had so far with them. It just took some time to get everything into inventory, tags safety pinned onto the clothes, clothes hung up and secured to hangers and delivered to the Cobb Fairgrounds for the sale. Their things sold well though, so yea! Oh yeah, I may have bought a few things for them to grow into now too!

-Lily went with my parents last Friday night to see Molly and McKayla in their schools' talent show. McKayla sang with her whole class, and then Molly performed a dance routine with two of her friends about the changing of the seasons. Mom said Lily absolutely loved it. When everything was over for the evening Lily exclaimed "That was great!" Mom said she sat forward the whole time watching everyone and everything. I know she loves to be around Molly and McKayla, so she was thrilled to be there.

-While Lily was with my parents, Ryan, Liz and I spent an evening with Mia. We took her to Steak and Shake for dinner. I tell you what, that little girl cracks me up! She says the funniest things, makes the cutest faces and is just all around adorable. It made me realize just how much of her thunder Lily steals from her. What a precious little angel!

-In saying her prayers tonight, Lily said "Dear Jesus, when I get older, will you make me a hat seller so I can sell the birthday party hats for Mommy's birthday tomorrow? Thank you. Amen." So thoughtful. Yes, my birthday is tomorrow. When I came home from work on Saturday, Lily said "Guess what I got you for a surprise Mommy? A surprise party!" When I said something about that on the way to church this morning, she became very upset and said "Mommy, you aren't supposed to know about the surprise party! Let's call it...dinner instead!" When I asked her later if she was going to give me a present for my birthday, she said she was going to make me a card and give me one of her toys, whichever one I wanted. Such a sweetie!

-Of course, last but not least, today was Daylight Savings Time, so in addition to feeling like I am way behind schedule and don't have enough time in the day, we actually did lose an hour!

She Knows

This time of year is always a little hard on Lily. She hates when I have to work so much. Here are a couple of her recent comments:

Me on Monday: Hey Lily, do you know what today is?
L: Monday!
M: That's right, but you know what else? It's the last day of February. What does that make tomorrow the first day of?
L: April?
M: No, try again. January, February....
L: March!
M: That's right!
L: And then April and that means you can stay home again!

The other day Lily was talking to Bama and Bama asked what season it was. Lily's response was "Tax." We added a 5th season to the year apparently!

About a week ago, I told Lily I needed to go to work that day. She sighed and said "Is it April 15th yet?" I know how she feels.

In case you are wondering, Mia doesn't seem to mind one bit. She just waves, hugs me and says "Bye Mommy!" each day. I guess that's a good thing. I can't win for losing here...I'm sad that it makes Lily upset, but I'm also sad that Mia doesn't seem to care. What's a mom to do?

Ringling Brothers

Ryan and I decided on Wednesday to buy a 4-pack of tickets to the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus show which was at Philips Arena on Friday night. Since it didn't start until 7:30, we knew we couldn't take Mia. Instead, we invited our just turned 6-year-old niece, Molly, to join us. Lily absolutely adores Molly, so we thought it would be a lot of fun to have her join us. We decided to surprise Lily with this on Friday morning; she was so excited! Molly got to our home about 5, and all three girls had fun playing together for a few minutes before we left.
We parked across from Philips and headed in to the CNN Food Court for dinner. Ryan picked up Chick-fil-a for the girls and a philly cheesesteak for himself while I chose a Gorins sandwich. We happened across a table at just the right time, so we enjoyed dinner before heading in the arena. We got inside a few minutes after 7, and they were letting people onto the floor to get up close to some of the acts, but the floor was absolutely packed. We decided it wasn't really worth the hassle to try getting down there, so we headed back out to get the promised dessert and souvenir. Each girl was thrilled to get a necklace that lights up and flashes lots of bright colors (they look pretty cool in the dark) and a multi-color slushy in a white tiger cup. I also got a lemonade because I am a sucker for fresh-squeezed lemonade.

We headed back in about 10 minutes before show time. Both girls were excited though Molly was already a little tired. Lily however was nothing short of giddy. She kept asking so many questions, even during the show. What's that big block for? What's going to happen next? Why are they doing that? Can I have a sip of your lemonade? Who is going to come out? Why is that so many different colors? Do you think there will be clowns? Can I have another slushy after I finish this one? Can I have popcorn? What do you think their costumes will look like? Will there be elephants and zebras and giraffes? It just made me laugh though because I could see and hear her excitement! Here's a picture before the show started of her asking one of those many questions.

The nice lady in front of us snapped this picture before everything started. You can see the girls had their necklaces flashing away and were enjoying their slushies.

We had pretty decent seats that gave us a great overview of the whole floor. Here's what the entrance looked like to the floor.

Finally, the ringmaster came out and the show began! Lily sat forward in her seat almost the entire show taking it all in and asking about all of it. She was loving it. Of course, the opening number brought out almost all of the acts to walk around and wave; this made Lily even more excited as she saw all the costumes and her imagination went into overdrive about what everyone would do.

One of the very first acts up was the circus classic tiger tamer. I think Lily liked this because of her tiger slushy cup (which she affectionately named Tiger Lily and has held tightly too ever since Friday night). There were eight tigers in the ring with one brave man, and he made them do some pretty neat tricks. I kept noticing he would pull raw meat out from a little pouch on his hip to reward them. All I could think was how nervous I would be to have raw meat on me in a cage full of tigers. Thankfully, all went according to plan!

One of the next acts was both Ryan and my favorite of the evening. They have this little globe that comes out and motorcyclists do cool riding tricks in it. They started out with four riders, but they had up to seven (7!) in there at one point. This picture is pretty blurry because they were going so fast, but they were awesome. It looked really cool too because their costumes lit up as they drove around. I remember this act being really loud when I was a kid, but it wasn't at all this time which I was thankful for because Lily doesn't like loud noises. She said later she really liked this part too.
Last act before intermission was the trapeze artists. They were on the other side of the floor from us (we had a motorcycle on a tightrope right in front of us later in the show), but they were pretty cool to watch too. The girls needed a potty break in the middle of this part so we didn't see all of it. We liked what we did see though.
The girls during intermission. I really think they were having so much fun together.

Also during intermission, we caved and bought popcorn. Molly didn't want any, but Lily tore into it. What a night of treats for her!

Opening back up after intermission. They brought out a lot of the side show type acts at this point...man walking on glass and then fire, snake charmers, strong man, woman twirling in the air while being held up by her hair, lots of clowns coming out of a little car, etc. A little hokey, but entertaining nonetheless.

The trapeze artists were up after that, and they were amazing to watch. I think it would be so much fun to be a trapeze person...well, as long as the safety net is under me.

Hands down, this was Lily's favorite part of the night. She talked multiple times about the elephants coming out while holding each other's tails. She thought this was the coolest trick ever. Molly said she liked this part a lot too. It was pretty fun to watch these big animals perform their tricks!

I liked this part of the elephant show. Look how much bigger the elephant on the left is to the trainer standing in front of him. These elephants were HUGE. On a random side note, when Ryan and I were almost to the Port of Tampa on our cruise a few weeks ago, we got stopped at an intersection by a policeman directing traffic. We were wondering what was going on, and then all of a sudden, all of these circus elephants came walking down the street followed by all the other animals. The circus was in Tampa that weekend, and the animals were out getting their exercise! Anyway, the elephant part of the show was really fun.

The next part of the show was really cool too. They had see-saws out. One person would stand at one end and then either one or two people would jump on the other end sending the first person flying into the air to do tricks. At one point, Lily asked me about what they were doing, so I explained the concept. She then said "I wish we knew how to jump on a see-saw like that cause then we could be in the show." She was very serious by the way. I really think her mind was trying to figure out to do that. These are some seriously talented people.

The last act up was the trampoline. There were six trampolines of various sizes, and the people did all sorts of cool tricks on them. Again, this picture is a little blurry because of how fast they were moving, but I wanted to put it in because it shows how precise they were. Their costumes looked great in the dark, so it was pretty fascinating to watch.

The closing ceremony brought out all the acts (except for the tigers and snake charmers) and confetti rained down from above. The girls were clapping and we could see what a great time they had. We headed out just before they brought the house lights up, and we were in the car and out of the parking garage within ten minutes. Awesome.

The girls also had a lot of fun on the car rides. They were excited on the way down, but you could hear them getting tired on the way back home. They were laughing and having fun, but you could just tell; it was coming up on 10 which is way past both their bed times! They were playing a game where one would pretend to fall asleep and the other would drop a little trinket in the tiger cup; the other girl would "wake up" to see what was inside. They were both cackling with laughter at one point, and about 30 seconds later there was extreme silence. Molly then says "Um, Allison? I think she's really asleep." Ryan looked back and sure enough, Lily was out! She just couldn't wait any longer. About 2 minutes later, Molly was sound asleep too. We got home, we opened and shut car doors, car lights came on, I unbuckled Lily, removed her seat belt, picked her up and carried her all the way to the kitchen door before she woke up in my arms. She immediately asked where Molly was, and I told her Daddy was taking her to her house; we would see her again soon. She fell right asleep that night.

About 6:30 Saturday morning, she came into our room, but went right back to sleep against me. About 7:15, she stretched, said "Did you tell Bama all about the circus?" and promptly fell back asleep before I could answer. She stayed conked out in our bed until about 8:30. When she woke up, we immediately started talking all about it again because she wanted to relive all the details. I love doing fun things like this that I know give great family memories for all of us!

Thumb Sucking

Both of our girls are expert thumb suckers. At Lily's first dentist appointment, Dr. Aaron told me she needed to stop sucking her thumb before it caused any permanent damage, but there never seemed to be a good time to try what I was sure would be a long, drawn-out, emotionally tiring process. However, Ryan took Lily back to Dr. Aaron this past Thursday for her 6 month check-up; he said it was starting to really effect her, and we needed to make an effort to stop the thumb sucking. So, I took a deep breath and said okay.

On Friday morning, we painted a clear, bitter-tasting polish on Lily's thumbs that was recommended by Dr. Aaron. Liz said she didn't even try to put her thumb in her mouth once during the day on Friday; it wasn't that she put it in and immediately pulled it out; instead, she never even put it in. I told her yesterday how proud I was of her for not sucking her thumb, and she replied "Yea, I think it's working!" She is so proud of herself. I promised her too that she could go pick a prize out of Dr. Aaron's treasure chest once she learns not to suck her thumb; she can't wait! Dr. Aaron also explained how her wrinkly thumbs will become pretty princess thumbs once she stops; she has said multiple times how she can't wait to have princess thumbs!

I feel like it might be a little early to celebrate, but so far, this is going really well. I can't believe it!

Recent Pictures

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures from the last couple of weeks...

For Valentine's Day, we gave the girls new plates, cups, a reading book and a sticker coloring book. Mia loves Elmo and Mickey Mouse, so these were for her. I thought the incredibly adorable monster cup was appropriate too.

Lily enjoys the Ladybug Girl series, so we gave her that book. She loves all things Tangled (the story of Rapunzel if you're not into Disney movies these days), so that was her sticker book. Oh, she loved her new cup too which has a straw wrapped around the outside; she thought that was pretty cool.
My parents gave Lily a rocking horse she named Dusty for Christmas when she was 2. We kept it out for a long time because she loved it so, but then we moved it downstairs when Mia started walking. She kept trying to climb on and would fall down, so we decided to take the temptation away. Ryan had the fantastic idea to bring Dusty back up a few days ago. It has been a huge hit all over again! Mia absolutely loves Dusty. This morning, Ryan went in to pick her up and Mia immediately started squirming to get down. When he put her down, she ran into the living room to climb on!
Mia "sharing" her water with Dusty.

She also made Dusty breakfast while I made Mia's breakfast. Here she is feeding him an egg from the girls' toy kitchen.

We had loaned our baby swing to our friends, the Powells, when baby Brody was born. They gave it back to us last week, and I just thought to take it out of the car this morning. Both girls have enjoyed using it for their babies. Lily especially is having fun. She loves playing "mommy" to her babies. For about an hour today, she rocked them in the swing, turned on the music, etc. At one point she said "Mommy, I have a new baby. I just took her out of my tummy. Look how much she likes the swing." She couldn't believe it when I told her she used to be small enough to get in the swing; I had to show her a picture to prove it. I love her sweet "motherly" nature that is coming out while she plays with this!

Tuesday

Ryan stays home with the girls most Tuesdays. He is such a great dad, and we are both so glad he gets this time with the girls. The girls love it too because they have so much fun with him! They often go to Chuck E Cheese which they both enjoy. However, this past Tuesday was extra special. We were rewarding Lily for staying in her bed for 5 nights; she has been coming in around 2 in the morning, and it was driving me crazy! So, we gave her a sticker each morning she stayed in bed all night and promised a reward when she collected 5 of them. It took 7 nights, but she made it.

So, on Tuesday, Ryan took the girls to the Children's Museum first. After a little bit though several school field trips showed up, so they left there and went to the Atlanta Zoo (the benefits of having annual memberships to both). They walked through because it was a beautiful day, ate lunch there and had fun playing on the zoo's playground too. Towards the end of their field trip, they stopped in the gift shop. Meme had given each girl a few dollars for Valentine's Day, so Ryan told them they could each pick out a toy that fit the price range. Lily picked a little giraffe puppet while Mia picked a neat sounding rain stick. They both loved having their "own money" to buy these. When they left the zoo, Ryan treated them to ice cream ("ice cream by Mellow Mushroom" per Lily's request). Here's a picture of Lily enjoying her treat.
When they got home, Ryan pulled out our inflatable jumpy and let the girls have a blast jumping all around. I know they were excited to pull this out; it's been awhile!

Not too surprising, both girls took great naps after all this fun! Isn't Ryan such an awesome dad?!

Daddy Daughter Valentine's Dance

Last Friday was our church's Daddy-Daughter Dance for 4 year old through 3rd graders. Ryan and Lily were both very excited about going. They had a great time! Lily was excited to get dressed-up and have a special date with her daddy. The church was beautifully decorated, and they sat a table with several of our friends. Lily told me about eating chicken nuggets, cheese, crackers and candy, and Ryan filled me on the other details; they also had baked chicken, rice, veggies, etc. All the girls had a blast dancing with their daddies and one another. Here are some pictures from the evening.

Ryan putting a corsage on Lily's wrist.

Isn't this a sweet picture?
Lily was so excited about this dance!

Lily dancing with her friends Anna Claire and Anna.

Lily and Anna have become really good friends recently. We adore both of these little girls!

Shane and Brooke having fun.

Greg with the precious Anna Claire.

Ryan and Lily were both having a great time!

Lily and Anna Claire having fun.

Chad danced with Anna and Lily (and his older daughter, Sophia, who wasn't in this picture). Lily has talked about dancing with them a lot. She loved it!

These are several of the little girls of our friends who were all born within a few months of each other. From the left, you see Riley, Annie, Anna Claire, Lily, Claire and Anna. Lily has really come out of her shell over the last few months, and she has developed sweet friendships with these girls. We think they are all precious!

Ryan and Lily left the dance about 9PM, and Ryan surprised her with a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick out a new book. She picked out a cute little pop-up book called "Everyone Says I Love You" which pops up pictures from scenes around the world (Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, African Savannah, Venetian river, Dutch windmill and Japanese tea house) and the way they say I love you. It's a sweet little Valentine's book that Lily has really enjoyed.

Lily has talked about this dance for days now. She had a blast! I know Ryan had a great time too. They are both looking forward to attending this dance for many years to come!