Turning Two

I'm just going to assume from here on out that you know these posts are always behind. These things obviously happened on Lily's birthday, in August, and it is obviously October. With that being said let's move on and talk about BIRTHDAYS! Lily's second birthday was a really great one, but that's just my personal opinion. I woke her up by throwing balloons in her crib, which she loved playing with, as shown below. 

Afterwards we had our traditional pancake breakfast with hers cut out in a "2." I added candles to everything she ate and she thought it was so fun to blow them out, plus I figured she needed some practice before the big party. 

 We had a pretty laid back day because we were getting ready for her party the next day and I didn't want her to over-do it. Memaw sent a BIG package of gifts that we opened right after breakfast and that kept her occupied for the rest of the day. 

 Popsicles for lunch, she was a little excited...

 When Brynt got home we let her open her present from us. I found a baby doll crib with high chair and sink because her baby dolls are her favorite things to play with right now. She loved pretending to feed her babies and rocking them to sleep singing, "rock bye baby, rock bye baby."

La Fiesta

We are so incredibly blessed to live by our family and friends. We were not blessed, however, with a house to accommodate them all so we kept the party to close family this year. There were a few very important family members who weren't able to make it this year, but they were there in spirit. Our neighbors helped us set up a tent in the backyard and it was such a nice day we were able to eat and visit out there almost the whole time. I have to admit, I could never ever be a party planner. Don't get me wrong, the party was awesome and everyone was impressed, but I never realized how much work goes into something like this. I am lucky to have such wonderful family in my life- if people weren't bringing things to the party, they were helping me in the kitchen or reminding me to stay on track. We decided to have everything be centered around Lily and her favorite things. The theme was Hello Kitty, we did a hot dog bar for dinner (with fancy toppings, buns, and different types of dogs for the adults), and donuts and cupcakes for dessert. Here are some of the highlights from a truly awesome "Hello Kitty" 2nd birthday party.

Thanks to Uncle Shawn for frosting cupcakes!

Thanks to Auntie Em for blowing up all the balloons!

Thank you forever to my amazing kitchen helpers!

 

Special shout-out to my mom who spent a loooong time making these veggie cups, and putting together these vases to put around the yard. It really made the party special, thanks Mama!

The biggest thank you to Brynt, for volunteering to grill hot dogs and donuts for Lily's special day. You kept me sane (well, as sane as I was going to be) and cooked amazing food. For that I love you. 

The gifts for the guests were Hello Kitty temporary tattoos because we're classy like that. 

This face makes me laugh so so much. 

 Presents!

Such a big thank you to everyone who brought gifts. I truly believe she loved them all and even though I asked that no gifts be bought, I am glad she has them so she can think of you when she sees them. 

Overall I am really proud of this party, my family and my baby girl. I can't remember the last time I felt so much love in one place, and even though it went by in a flash I will always remember it in my heart. 

To be two

Dear Lily,

Besides the fact that my computer crashed the day of your birthday party and I am just now getting replaced, I think I have been putting off writing this blog because I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around the fact that you are already two. You look two, you act two, but the idea of you having been on this earth for two whole years is something I can't quite accept yet. So for now, I think, I will just focus on how amazing you are right at this moment, numbers aside.

You are smart. So so smart. I know I'm your Mom and I would think that no matter what, but I am genuinely amazed at how quickly you catch on to things. You surprise me every day with something else you've picked up along the way. You can count to eleven, usually you start at four and if you don't you sometimes skip one and three (who has time for those numbers anyway??), and sometimes you just start at seven. The wonderful part is, I know you know how to do it, and you know I know you know how to do it, you just love to do it your own way. You can also sing your ABC's, and much like your numbers you will usually start in a different spot (usually around H) and sometimes you leave parts out, but I've heard you sing the whole thing and I secretly love that you only do it for me and Daddy because that makes us your very special audience. We're the only ones who get the real, whole, live version. You know all of your basic colors, only getting red and orange mixed up occasionally.

You are starting to sing. And it's beautiful. And unique. And gloriously funny. The ABC song is probably your favorite, but you also get a kick out of singing Baby Beluga (just repeating Baby Luga, Baby Luga) and you will sing Rock-a-bye Baby to your babies. You know the chorus to Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" which is probably what I am most proud of :) You nail the "Ohhh, ohhhh trouble, trouble, trouble" every time. The most special time is when you sing your own song, with your own words that only you know. You'll grab some spoons and bang on the floor belting a tune that I can tell comes straight from your heart.

I love that I get to have conversations with you now. One of my favorite from today went something like this.

Me: Guess what we're going to do today?

You: See ephant (elephant), see tiga (tiger), see oo aa (monkey), see quack quack (ducks).

We went to the zoo this weekend and you were amazed at all the animals, with those mentioned above being your favorite. You were just able to spout them off all in a row without hesitation as though you had been waiting for me to ask the question.

I love that you say "lub you mama" when you're in a really good mood. I love that you laugh at funny things. I love that you ask "why" all the time, even though you don't quite understand when to use it yet. I love that you love to paint. I love that you LOVE Curious George (I mean really really love him!) I love, love, love when you smile. It's one of the best smiles I've ever seen (you're tied with your Daddy). I love so many things about you I'm sure I couldn't list them all in one sitting even if I was here all day. 

Love you forever,

Mama

Let's Get Physical!

I have been meaning to become active again for quite some time- since my high school track days I have really only "worked out" when I was pregnant with Lily and that consisted of alternating yoga and walking, but quickly ended as soon as she was born. Then one night Brynt got a text from our little cousin, Xander asking him to run a 5K with him. To give a very brief background story, Xander and his brother Sebastian were like my kids before I had a kid. We would take them to the zoo, the playground or just hang out and play zombies. These boys have a very large part of my heart and they always will, so that text from that very special boy gave me the motivation to finally start becoming active. I found a Couch to 5K program and got to running. I will admit it was hard, then easy, then really hard, then a little less hard, then incredibly hard. Running with the dog and pushing Lily in the stroller did not help ease me into it, either. Long story short, I conditioned myself to running for 20 minutes straight then found out that the run we were doing (the Color Run) was a really casual race, they don't even time you. Once that pressure was off I decided to work on my speed for my mile instead as it was becoming increasingly difficult to run for such a long time with a two year old strapped in a stroller. 

Then the day of the race finally came and we had a blast. The boys were so much fun and I never felt pressured to run (thanks Aunt Shel for being my excuse to take lots of breaks (because her ankle was hurt, not because she is slow and lazy like me!) but probably ran about half of the time. This picture is clear evidence of how much fun we had:

I can't lie, my initial feelings after the race were of disappointment, because I wasn't able to run the whole time. But then I remembered how far I had come in being active and how much better I felt physically and mentally. Plus running with these guys was so rewarding because we had such a wonderful time together. I can not even begin to describe how much love I have for these people, especially when I think about the fact that they are only a small number of the amazing family I have. I will forever and always thank God for putting this amazing family in my life.

 Also (because it feels too weird to write an entry that isn't about Lily in some way) we had another big event when Lily having her first sleepover at my parents without me there the night before the run. Of course she had an amazing time (and needless to say Pop Pop and Boppee did too!) I can't believe my little girl is big enough to have a sleep over without her Mommy :') 

My Imagination

Once upon a time, before having a child, I had imagined the day I would let my daughter pick out her own clothes. I wanted to instill in her a sense of self. I wanted her to be proud of how she looked and what she wore. In these elaborate imaginings, she would look unique and very "Ann Arbor." Perhaps a tutu with polka dotted socks and a striped shirt. Maybe a beret and some glitzy beads to set it off.
Then the day came when this scenario actually played out, she was really excited about these specific clothes she wanted to wear today and like most of the scenarios I had concocted in my imagination pre-baby, it turned out completely different.

It was nothing like I had pictured it to be, not even close. At first all I could do was shake my head at how different parenthood is once you're actually living it. But then I was watching her play and couldn't help but feel completely in love with this child and therefore with this outfit she created. The ensemble was something she picked out herself, it made her happy and confident and there is nothing more I could ever want for my baby girl. 

Honest Mom Moment: I sometimes get caught up on the fact that things didn't turn out how I had imagined instead of appreciating what is happening in that moment because that is how it was meant to happen based on a million other things that have lead me to that point. 

So my goal for today, even if it's just for today, is to enjoy every moment with my daughter. Especially if it's not how I imagined it.

Silly Lily

One of Lily's new fun things to do: sitting in the recycle bin outside our door. I have no idea why, but this pleases her to no end. Silly Lily...

The Best of July

Here are the highlights and other random bits from July:

My sister, Emily and her husband Kyle got a puppy! Not just any puppy either, this little squirt is a Great Dane and her name is Myla. I have always wanted a Great Dane and a puppy so being able to experience the wonders of the two without being responsible for the actual being is a refreshing new experience. It has also been nice to bond with my sister over the joys and turmoil that is parenthood, it's comical to think that the same emotions a newborn brings can also be brought on by a puppy. 

At any rate, this is the precious little girl. Lily is interested but a little leary as Myla is just a puppy and does puppyish things like jumping and nipping, except she is huge for her age. She has learned to tell Myla, "No, no, no" when she does these things, though, and they do enjoy one another. 

 Sophie has the honor of being Myla's favorite. As soon as they met Myla couldn't take her eyes off Sophie and follows her almost everywhere. These two will definitely be good buds once Myla gets through her puppy phase of chasing and biting. The picture below shows their potential for friendship blossoming. 

4th of July
This is me ruining what could potentially be a really amazing picture with my silly faces. Bless my child who has not picked up on that habit yet...

One of my favorite things about Lily: her kisses. She gave me such a good one here as evidenced by her scrunched up face and balled up fists. She will sometimes even hold on to the sides of my face to give me a real good one and has even picked up the habit of giving me a kiss on each cheek. Must be all those french films she's been watching. (Side note: we don't really let her watch french films, I have no idea where she learned that). 

We spent the day of the 4th at my parents house hanging with my wonderful family.

Then kicked it over at the Winter's where the children were given ice cream sandwiches. The perfect summer-time distraction.

Lily's bud, Isaiah. 

We also spent the rainy weekend of the 4th at Aunt Shel's and Grammy Sharon's where Xander got some bonding time with Lily. After a long day of swimming and running around she conked out next to her new favorite guy. This moment made my heart swell as I remember doing the same thing with this little man when he was her age and it makes me so happy that he gets to experience that with my little bean. 

Brynt spent a few days in North Carolina with his Mom helping her look for a house and I got to revel in the glory that are my friends and family. I spent each evening with someone different and didn't even get to see everyone I had planned on. I was overwhelmed with the support from everyone and even though we missed Brynt terribly, we were very well taken care of. It can sometimes feel pretty hectic and overwhelming trying to keep up and visit with our loved ones, but it's times like these where I have to sit back and feel nothing but grateful to be surrounded by such loving and wonderful people. Thank you to Holly, Peter Aaron, Mom, Dad, Kelsey, Jordan, Emily, Kyle and the rest of you who offered to take me in and feed me during my husband's absence. You will never know how loved it made me feel. 

This is Lily enjoying her first corn on the cob. When I say enjoy, I mean enjoy! She devoured the whole thing with ease, picking off the stragglers leaving her cob bare. 

While Brynt was away Lily enjoyed her first sleep-over at Pop Pop and Boppy's. She slept through the night on her new cot, but woke a few hours earlier than usual which resulted in her falling asleep during a mower ride at about 10 a.m. 

One of the fabulous dinners hosted by my amazing sister.

Summer Nights

It finally started to feel like summer about mid-July. We enjoyed the 90 degree weather as much as anyone can and spent evenings eating popsicles and escaping mosquitoes. 

This is my summertime baby, stripped down, eating a popsicle with her banged up knees from falling at the pool. This is the essence of a childhood summer. 

This photo was taken after a long day of visiting the Ann Arbor Art Fair, doing dinner with Uncle Shawn and Sandra, then playing by the river at a nearby park. She was up about an hour past her bedtime and we didn't even realize as we were having such a great time enjoying the beautiful weather watching the puppies play in the water. You know it's been a fun summer day when you end up looking like this:

Summer Days

Right after the 90 degree weather it cooled down to high's of low 70's. I was nothing but grateful as this enables us to actually enjoy the outdoors. We spent one perfect, cool and sunny afternoon at the park with Auntie Em and Myla having a picnic and enjoying the shade under a big tree by the river. These are the moments that make a perfect summer. 

We're easing into this, so wish us luck!

 My Aunt Lori, Uncle Bernard and Uncle Wayne came to visit the last weekend in July. They are all such awesome people so we had a good time with them. I didn't get many pictures but here's Lily helping Boppee and Aunt Lori clean some corn for dinner. 

 And here she is looking slightly dumb-founded. About what, I'm not sure but it was too funny not to share. 

We ended July on a sad note with Brynt's Mom and brother (Memaw and Uncle Chad) moving away. Cindy is moving to North Carolina and Chad will be in Kentucky. While this gives us many great vacation spots we will all miss them terribly and are sad to see them go. We pray that God grants them safe travels and an easy transition into their new lives. This is the first time Brynt's family has lived so far from one another and will take some time to adjust to for all of us. We love you, Memaw and Uncle Chad and we'll be seeing you soon!