First comes First

Today was the first day of school for little Miss Lily! She was very excited, to say the least. We have been talking about her school since the Spring. Whenever we drive by she is sure to point out the school with the blue door, and she tells me that she wants to go there. I was able to deliver this morning as she marched her little self right up the stairs and...wait, that door was locked so she marched back down the stairs and went in another door which wasn't blue at all. You get the idea. Here are a few pictures of Lily's big, big day!!

Getting ready to go

She looks mad that we're holding her back

Last picture, right?

Yeah, I don't have time. I've gotta get inside!

Work for Change

This summer is about change. One big change, really. It is time to potty train the stubborn, blond, curly-headed child. Paul is out of town for 4 weeks teaching in exotic, far away places, so Lily and I are tackling what may be the most challenging part of parenting so far - the potty. I will admit that this is totally parent driven. This little girl would happily continue relieving her self in her diaper until she could no longer be classified as a little girl. I, on the other hand, am tired of changing, and more importantly, BUYING diapers.

So far we have managed to get some pee in the little musical potty. Of course, in order to accomplish this feat, the orchestral waste collection device was placed in front of a never ending stream of Nick Jr. and Disney movies. She also has a small table, tons of crayons and coloring books, and a never ending supply of apple juice. The reward right now is one silly band per pee. We have had a few accidents. It usually goes like this -

Lily - "Uh-oh"

Me - Do you need to use the potty?"

Lily - "No"

Me - "Are you peeing in your panties right now?"

Lily - "No" (as the pee is running down her leg)

Lily - "I need dry panties"

This may be a long process...

Sum, Sum Summertime

We are now about halfway through the summer, although we really have just about a month of time off left. June brought about the end of the school year for Paul and I and a trip to Dallas for Paul's Orff course at SMU. While he slaved away in the Texas heat, working hard for the money, the rest of us went to the beach. Karen, Luke, Abby and Nana were with us, and it was the first time the girls saw the beach. I do believe that Lily is hooked. Annie was less impressed, but she might just need another trip to win her over. We are all back in Denver now, and settling in for the rest of our time off. Annie is getting bigger all the time - not surprising, and Lily just keeps getting smarter. She regularly reveals to the world just how much Nick Jr. we let her watch by quoting different characters or listing all the shows that she knows. Will that win us any parenting awards?

Lily and Abby playing on a sand bar

Happy 4th of July!

So darn cute

Beach baby!

Ready for her Miss America debut!

The last month has been busy as we have rocketed into Spring. The weather has mostly changed, but we are still getting a few cool days here and there. The girls are growing like crazy and Paul and I are just trying to keep up. Lily continues to improve at just about everything. We have been trying to tackle potty training, but Lily is adamantly opposed to the idea. She is already in almost the biggest size diapers come in, so we may have to switch to Depends soon. Annie is adorable and delicious. Good thing since she's kind of a crank. She definitely has a temper. Which grandfather did that come from? Probably both. She is almost 5 months old and getting cuter by the minute. Here are a bunch of pictures!

Hip Hop

I hope everyone had a nice Easter! We had a really great day and Lily had a blast. It was pretty much just another day as far as Annie was concerned. Both girls got baskets full of good stuff. Annie's was full of pacifiers, socks, mesh feeders and some shoes. Lily got crayons, sandals and loads of candy. We had an easter egg hunt at the neighbors' house, then at our house and one more at Uncle Joe and Aunt Pam's house. At the last one, each kid got one orange egg with a dollar bill inside. When Lily pulled hers out Paul asked her what it was. Her reply - "Trash." I guess that means that I should take her piggy bank money to Las Vegas so that I can throw it away for her. Pictures...

Beautiful Baby

Picture Update

I haven't been posting much lately because life has been a little crazy. Paul finished his doctoral exams on April 16th. Since then he has looked up, rubbed his eyes and realized all of the things that he could be doing. Boy has a hard time sitting still!

The girls are doing well and growing all the time. Lily gets more verbal each day, and while I don't always like the things that come out of her mouth, it is great to see her growing and learning. Annie is getting bigger by the minute. I get a little sad whenever she outgrows something because I know that no one will wear those cute little clothes that were so much fun to pick out. Paul wanted to move the cradle out of our bedroom - which no one sleeps in - but I'm not quite ready to let it go yet.

As for me - school ends in about 7 weeks, so it's time to just buckle down and get through the rest of the year. Here are a couple of pictures of the sweet baby girls!

Look what I drew!

Lily was blown away by the flowers at the Dallas Arboretum

Something tells me I need a haircut...

Sisters!

The perfect little smile to brighten your day