Sweet Summer Day

This nice gentleman was kind to offer Lily the opportunity to pet his dog Lucy but sweet girl was in complete shy mode

Trying out the Kiddie Pool....Kinda

Last night we filled up Lily's kiddie pool in the backyard.  Here's what she thought of it.....

 Skeptical.

Warming up to the idea

 Maybe?

 Protest!

We'll try again after the water's been out in the sun and isn't so cold!

Story Time

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to a Dad that:

Is the best at getting loud squeals of joy to come tumbling out of our daughter

Can cook a mean burger

Works hard to provide for our family and still delights in doing housework when he comes home

Stays fit and healthy and (ALMOST) inspires me to work out too

Sings, dances, reads books and acts silly just to put a smile on our faces

Prays with his family every day

Would really like an Irish Wolfhound but still loves our Cavapoo like no other

Inspires our little girl to say "Dada" for almost everything

Prefers the golf course or basketball court as a means for blowing off steam or for just plain fun

Makes his wife and daughter feel like the prettiest girls in the world

Is quick to forgive

Is the embodiment of overcoming great obstacles, drawing a line in the sand and choosing to be all that God has called his life to be

We love you honey and are so happy to be celebrating your third Father's Day with you!

Farmer's Market

Lily and her pal Scotlyn had a fun time strolling through the Farmer's Market this morning.

It's neat to me that Jessi and I grew up together and now our little girls are only 6 months apart!

Scotlyn had such a great time riding the train.  I asked Lily a couple of times if she wanted to ride it and she profusely shook her head NO.  She was content just watching Scotlyn go for it. :)

SO precious!

Pool Days Are Here!

Yesterday Lily and I went to the splash park here in Ankeny (free from 10-noon each weekday = awesome).  She was definitely not into the idea of trying anything out on her own so I held her the whole time while we stuck our arms and legs in all of the little fountains. :)  Today we headed over to Ames and went to the aquatic center there with some friends.  It took Lily about an hour to get used to the water and then she decided she wanted down to go explore on her own.  I was so proud of her!  Her favorite area was in the zero entry part where there were little fountains of water.  Every time she'd walk through them or stick her arm in, she'd start clapping with a big smile.  Waaaaay too cute!  Our last fun of the day was going in the Lazy River which was the highlight for me.  I think I could float around in there all day.  Tonight we purchased her a little kiddie pool for our backyard so I'm thinking the more she gets used to being in the water, the more she'll love it.  I'm praising God for all of these super fun moments I get with my sweet girl!

The look on her face cracks me up.  This snack cup goes with her virtually everywhere.  She was not very happy that she couldn't take it in the water with her!

Water play makes for one very tired little girl

Coloring

 Lily coloring her worksheet from Story Time

We had fun going to the library for Lily's first ever Story Time.  I took the camera but Lily was either sitting in my lap or we were clapping & singing together so no opportunities for picture taking today!  I'll try to catch some next time.

Oh, and coloring today was a great activity because it made me realize that our dining room table is still a wee bit too tall for her to reach in her highchair.  I'm going to be on the lookout for some little people chairs to use with our little person table in the basement (which used to be my makeshift TV stand in college - gotta love it!).  Hopefully more happy craft times in the future!

Lily @ 15 Months

At the Dr. for her 15 month visit

Weight: 20 lb. 4 oz. (24th percentile)

Height: 29 1/4 in. (10th percentile)

Head: 18 1/4 in. (74th percentile)

This was the first visit in quite awhile that Lily has been out of the 10th percentile.  We know she has been growing just fine but it was nice to see it reflect a little more on the scales!  She's still a very healthy little girl and will smile and wave at Dr. A and the nurses.

What Lily's doing:

• Takes (2) two hour naps a day
• Sleeps 11 hours at night
• Has 10 teeth, including 2 molars which were a little rough coming in!
• Running....and falling
• Knows most body parts and is currently very fascinated with belly buttons
• Current favorite food: PB&J sandwiches
• Can mimic the sound of a cow and a puppy
• Mimicked praying at dinner one night....so we're not sure if it was a fluke or not!
• Likes to read books
• Plays pat-a-cake
• Getting better at petting Jax gently :)
• Says "Dada" when pointing at any framed picture or when she hears a car go by
• Says the same 10 words as last month's update plus "Bible" and one phrase - "Up Mama"

Watching the Ducks

Wedding Weekend Getaway: Part 3

On Sunday morning, we left St. Charles and stopped at the Chicago Premium Outlet mall, which we had heard about thanks to our friend, Nicole.  We shopped at just a few stores but guess who was the only person in the family to come away with something?  Justin and I both had one item in mind for ourselves but we didn't find anything we liked so instead we bought Lily some new clothes for her wardrobe.  Carter's was having a huge sale with lots of items 70% off and it's hard for me to resist a bargain!  Plus since most of her clothes are from garage sales or borrowed from some dear friend's of ours, it's fun to get her something new every once in awhile.
Once we left the mall, Lily fell asleep shortly after and didn't wake up until we stopped in Iowa City for a late lunch!  I'd say she thinks her new carseat is pretty comfy.  After lunch, Lily enjoyed her second carousel ride.  You might remember the first ride from last year.  She was a little more hesitant on this one since it was so much bigger - she had a death grip on my arm the whole time! :)
Before we left Iowa City, we decided she'd been in the car long enough, that she would likely get restless on the last stretch so we were proactive and switched her around to front-facing.  It was fun to catch all of her sweet little smiles as she read her books.

Wedding Weekend Getaway: Part 2

The weather was very nice on Saturday for an outdoor wedding.  It started to rain just as Tari came down the walkway and someone ran over to her and her dad with two umbrellas. They didn't even make it all the way to the Pavilion where we were all seated and the rain stopped, so they tossed the umbrellas off to the side.  It was so cute and quaint!  Then it opened up to sunny skies for the rest of the afternoon.  Justin and I were saying it was a good thing that all of the festivities were outside because there's no way Lily would have lasted 4 hours, running on one nap if they hadn't been.  There was plenty of space for her to roam around in between the ceremony and the meal so we enjoyed the scenery and took advantage of all of the photo ops.  See for yourself!.....