Summer 2012 Superpost

Hi there. It’s been a while, huh?

We just had a really fun, but really busy summer. Mommy was off of work for the whole summer! So we spent a lot of time with mommy and had a great time.

But it didn’t start out so great. On my fourth birthday, a very strong storm blew through Washington. We lost power for four whole days! And it was 105 degrees outside. And I was sick (so was Daddy). So it wasn’t the best. But Pop and Mimi were up here to celebrate my birthday, so that helped. And then Grandmama came up to see me as well.

The summer did get better, though. Right after my birthday, I got a kitten! Here’s Butter:

My kitty, Butter

And a bunch of my cousins came by later for a makeup birthday party:

All eight of us!

We joined a pool and Mommy, Lily, and I spent a lot of time there. It was awesome:

Mommy loves the pool

Our cousins even joined us at the pool some days!

Swimming makes you hungry

Lily is still the cutest thing IN THE WORLD!

See?

Watch out. She’ll wink at you.

This is nice.

But sometimes, the backyard pool is all you need.

We didn’t take any big trips, like to Georgia. So we missed our cousin Adam. But we did get to go to the beach with our other cousins!

This is what happens when you mix cousins with a big beach and plenty of shovels.

Lily is still a fan of the beach.

I like it, too.

The beach

We did some other stuff, of course:

I rode a bike!

Here’s Lily with our friend, Maria.

Down at the very nice park along the river in Georgetown.

Ice cream close to our house in downtown Silver Spring.

Look at Lily’s face! She got it painted at this great birthday party we went to.

I also got a new bed. It’s a bunk bed! I made Mommy and Daddy buy it, and I LOVE sleeping on the top bunk!

Mommy is reading to us in the bottom bunk, in a poorly taken picture from Daddy.

 

A Day at the Park

Mommy is not working, so Lily and I get to go on all sorts of adventures with her. Today, we rode the train at Wheaton Regional Park with our friend Maria.We had a great time!

Choo Choo!

 

 

Our Last Day with Nani

A few days ago we said goodbye to Nani.  We are going to school in the fall, so we will not go to her house for daycare anymore. Nani has taken care of me and Lily for more than two years. She is amazing. She is patient, loving, and full of joy. We are going to miss her so much.

Hannah, Marisol, and Lily

 

School’s Out for Summer

I am looking forward to lazy days by the pool with Mommy this summer. Now that her work is over for a few weeks, Lily and I will be hanging at home until we start school in the fall. I will take swimming lessons and we are going to go to the beach. And don’t forget- I have a birthday coming up at the end of this month! It should be a fun few weeks.  Mommy is particularly excited that my hair has grown out enough to tuck behind my ears now.

Sharing a laugh in the backyard

Lily is checking out the vegetable garden

 

Spring has Sprung

Well, we’ve been missing again. It happens. But we’re back now to share some of the highlights of our Sping with you. It all started when we went to the Beach for Spring Break with Angela, Jason, Caroline, Marlo, and Jimmy. The beach is like a huge sandbox where the ocean come to visit. Here are some pictures from the beach:

Here I am with my cousin Marlo sharing a beach chair

Lily and I played in the giant sand chair that Jason made

Lily ate a little sand while I built a sandcastle

I finally tested out the ocean. In a crazy twist, the only person who I let take me to the water was Jason. He’s great.

Lily was not so in to the ocean. But she was excited for the Game of Thrones season premiere.

I was tickled when the water came up to our beach blanket and got everything wet. Mommy and Jason decided to handle it by continuing the beach hangout anyway. Daddy and Lily left.

The grownups tackled this 1500 piece puzzle. It was awesome.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was this frozen custard. See the love on my face?

The beach kicked off a fun season of warm-ish weather. Mommy and daddy get us out the the playground as often as possible.  Here are some pictures from out outside adventures over the past few weeks:

Down by Sligo Creek

Lily in her pigtails

1…2…3..go!

Swingin’ Lily Style

Mommy gets a hard time from other parents for pushing me so high on the big girl swing. I think it’s awesome.

Sometimes we get to play with Maria, which is great

Other times we play with our cousin Lucas. He’s such a big boy!

The playground is great, but we’ve had fun doing other stuff, to.  Here are some of our other exploits:

Picking daisys in the front yard

Loving mommy’s azaleas

Making pizza with big Hannah and Zoe, who babysat us one night

Riding high on Uncle Matthew’s shoulders

Tiptoe-ing through the buttercups at the May Fair

I rode a pony…again! (Mommy still can’t get Lily to take a ride)

Easter Sunday at grandmas

There are more. Lots more. But here’s a taste of my favorite pictures from the last few months. Can’t wait to see what summer brings!

 

Lily Turns Two

Lily is growing up really fast! She has a super fun second birthday party. I really liked it because grandmama came all the way from Georgia to be here. Our grandma and grandpa and uncles and aunties came, too.  Plus a buncha cousins. It was really great. Check out some pictures from the day:

Lily is making a funny face with Mommy and Daddy

We all love cake!

Especially Lily

There was a lotta yummy food

Lily posed for some pictures with her grandpa. She has a special bond with grandpa.

I wanted in on this fun

Uncle David read the Dr. Seuss birthday book to everyone. He's so funny.

Lily loves her some Uncle Zack

 

Flamingos?

Yeah, flamingos.

Here is Lily at Zoo Atlanta. We’ll have many more photos of our holiday trip soon. But in the meantime…flamingos!

I bet they were cold

 

Lily Likes the Bath

We took a bubble bath the other night, and Lily was smacking herself around. It was pretty funny. Here, watch:

 

Playdate

My friend Maria is so much fun!  We go to the playground together from time to time and it’s always a blast.  I like to hold hands with Lily and go down the slide, so we had Maria join us for this fun little game.

1-2-3 Go!

 

After Dinner Antics

Enjoy this goofy video of me and my sister dancing to Octopus’ Garden.

 

Happy Halloween

I have been waiting for Halloween since November 1, 2010. It’s my favorite holiday by far. So many magical things happen in the month of October, and I’m just now starting to remember them from one year to the next. So even though this is my fourth Halloween, it’s the first year I’ve gotten excited. Because I remember. I remember what happens.

There’s candy. Lots and lots of candy.

But it’s more than just the candy. This year, I got to go to a Halloween party at Nanny’s house and I marched in a Halloween parade. But I must admit, the highlight was the trick or treating. I continued in the tradition that has been going on every year for my entire life– all three years– of trick or treating with my cousin Lucas, Uncle Jonathan, and Auntie Amy.

This year, I showed Lily the ropes. Did Lily love trick or treating? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Here we are getting ready to march in the parade. Lily insisted on getting whiskers to be like me. She doesn't realize that pumpkins don't have whiskers, but that's okay.

She's still the cutest pumpkin of all time. By the way, check out the pumpkin hat grandma knit for her. Grandma rocks!

A little love between sisters, then we're off to the parade

I found my friend Eamon and marched with him. Lily was mocking us. Stinker.

Here I am with all my friends from Nanny's. She throws killer parties!

On to the main event. Meow!

What did I tell you? Cutest Pumpkin ever. And yes, that's my cousin Lucas giving me the business end of his weapon in the background.

So okay. The video quality isn’t great on this (I blame daddy– his “smart” phone really isn’t that smart).  However, you can get a glimpse into our Halloween night, however grainy and dark.

 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Mommy and daddy took us out to Butler’s Orchard for the fall festival, which includes a hayride to the pumpkin patch.  This year was extra special because we got to bring my cousin Savannah with us. Butler’s Orchard is super fun, and the day we went was amazing because it wasn’t too hot or too cold.

But it sure was crowded.

Fortunately, daddy is a genius and knew exactly when to arrive and take off, so the crowds weren’t much of an issue for us. We found two perfect pumpkins and had an amazing day. Check it out.

I took a nice stroll through the pumpkin patch with Lily. She's too young to remember being here last year.

Lily found a good pumpkin...

...while I took a load off.

Lily frolicked amongst the pumpkins

And she made some funny faces

She obviously had a good time

I tried to pose with mommy for a picture, but Lily snuck into the shot.

It was a perfect day to be out enjoying the harvest season

I loved riding this giant slide on a burlap sack. (What's burlap?)

But the best part by far was the haystack

We jumped and laughed and payed for a long time in the hay.

Lily in particular loved the hay

I mean, she REALLY loved the hay

 

Apple Picking

I am learning about healthy foods and where they come from. Apples come from trees!  Mommy and daddy took Lily and me to see the trees where apples grow, and we got to pull the apples off by ourselves!  Then we ate the apples. I love apples, but only when I can eat them whole.  Check out some pics from our adventure.

Mommy helped me reach this apple

Daddy helped Lily

Apples are delicious!

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum....Deliciouso!

Daddy posed for this one. He's so silly.

Mommy likes the green apples best

 

The Beach

This summer, Mommy, Daddy, Lily and I went to the beach.  We joined Uncle David, Uncle Jonathan, Auntie Amy, Uncle Matthew, Grandma, Grandpa, Lucas, Violet, Joseph, and Savannah for a really fun time! Here are some pictures from the week.

Funland was one of the highlights of the trip. Check us out! We're driving!

I flew a kite!

Lily played with her friend Kingston

Mommy and Lily had a little cuddle on the beach

Lucas pretended he was surfing! He's so brave. I didn't go in the ocean this year.

We had fun on the beach even though the ocean was too scary. Lily really liked this inner tube.

World's biggest sandbox? Whoa.

Catch that tube!

Smile! You're on vacation!

 

Memorial Day– Hello Pool

We got out to the pool for the first time this year on Memorial Day.  We had a great time visiting with our friends Gianna, Bobby, Josie, and Carlin. Mommy and daddy had some fun with the grownups, too. It was super duper hot, so the pool was a perfect activity. We put on lots of lotion to stay safe, but mommy overlooked her own shoulders and now has a funny sunburn.  That’ll teach her.

Yes! I approve of this activity.

 

Now, how does this wet noodle work?

 

I dare you not to smile back at me.

 

Big girl

 

 

Goodbye, Winter. Hello Spring!

This winter was long and cold.  Lily and I wore socks and shoes for a long time. But now, it’s time to break out the Crocs and shorts.

We’ve done some pretty cool stuff this Spring so far. We went to the Lake House with Marlo (and Angela, Jason, Caroline, and Jimmy). We went to the Flower Mart.  And of course, we go to the playground all the time. Lily is braving ever-more-dangerous playground apparati and learning more and more complicated words.  I am adjusting to my big girl bed and thinking about the potty.

Here are some Spring pics– enjoy!

Lake House. Chill.

I've loved boats since I was born

...And Lily does too.

Proud Face

Sisters in the hammock

We've been to lots of playgrounds

Sometimes we play together

We take our sandbox very seriously

I'm planting some flowers here

We rode the merry-go-round at the Flower Mart. Lily sang "Weeeeeeeee" the whole time

I dug it too

Love getting dirty

Love helping mommy in the garden

Love daddy

Born to run

Don't mind me. Just eatin' a little sand.

 

We’re Baaaaaaaack!

Mommy and daddy talk about how busy they are, but  I don’t see what the big deal is. Yeah, we play a lot, we go places, we hang out, but seriously. How come I haven’t had a chance to update you on our awesomeness in, like, three months? It’s a little ridiculous. So I’m back to give you the lowdown on 2011 so far.

I’m talking now. A lot. I tell mommy and daddy everything, and I have some of the greatest expressions in the whole world. For instance, when daddy tries to feed me something gross, I tell him, “I can’t like it! I can’t WANT it!”  But he doesn’t feed me yucky-yuck stuff very often. Usually, I help him cook the food by sitting on the counter and “stiggering it up.” For dessert, I love “pocksicles.” One of my favorite toys right now is my white whale, which I have named “Baby Abruga.”  (Mommy keeps trying to tell me ‘beluga,’ but I know what his name is.)

I am excited for the Spring because I am a total playground junky now. Swings, slides, climbing, and especially getting down near and/or into the creek. I am drawing and painting a lot, and I can write most of my letters…remarkably neatly. I can write my name and Lily’s name. I am learning to use the potty and I can’t wait to wear my Dora underwear everyday like a big girl. I’ve already taken my first step toward this elusive “big girl” notion…I am on day eight of NO BOBBI, even when I go to sleep! It was hard at first, but I still have my bahnken, Elmo, and Baby Abruga to sleep with. Mommy and daddy are proud of me. Lily still gets a paci, though.

Speaking of big girls, Lily is getting HUGE! She is almost 14 months old! Sometimes mommy calls her Godzilly.  But usually, just Puff or Puffin.  She is walking…I mean, running. Her hair is finally growing, too.  She loves necklaces and mommy fears she will be a real girly girl. But she sure is cute, and she loves to laugh.  She says a lot of words now, too.  Some things she can say: I did it, up, Hannah,  nanny, again, no, happy birthday to you, all done, hello, hi, buh bye, nite nite, apple,  baby, and of course, mommy and daddy.

She had an awesome first birthday party. Sorry, not a lot of pictures, but it’s out of our control. Mommy plans to make up for the lost pictures this spring by keeping our growth and fun well-documented. So sit back and enjoy these pictures taken with mommy’s new camera yesterday and today.  More  coming- we promise.

Loving Sunday with the family

Lily is learning to climb

She's already figured out the tunnel

This is a bizarre piece of playground equiptment, but I'll master it

Ridin' this horse is serious business

So is hugging Lily

Goofing around with Mommy

Being sweet with Grandma

 

Peek-A-Boo

 

Harvest Season

Autumn is great. There’s so much to do and see.  This fall, I learned that I love having my face painted and I love Trick-or-Treating!  My cousin Lucas taught me the word candy and I think I’m in love.  My favorites are Kit Kat and Skittles.  I like to remind Lily that she’s too young for candy. I’m a big girl so I get to have it!

Here's our whole family on a hayride at Butler's Orchard

Lily helped us pick out a good pumpkin

I got a really cool sun and moon painted on my face. I have been talking about this non-stop ever since it happened.

Lily loved the fall festival

And I got to ride a pony again.

After I selected a pumpkin...

...I opted to do some calisthenics

I dressed up like a panda bear for Halloween. My grandma made my costume and I loved it

Even though Lily couldn't trick-or-treat this year, she dressed up like a Kitty cat and had fun at Nanny's Halloween party.

I went trick-or-treating with very little help from mommy and daddy.

But I did have some help from my cousin Lucas.

Out of all my loot, I chose "scarrots" to eat first. Mommy and daddy think I'm so weird sometimes.

Lily is growing so fast. Here she is at her 9-month check-up.

 

Playing Together At Last

Not only can Lily crawl, she’s becoming more fun to hang out with. We play together a lot. I like to do peek-a-boo with her because it makes her laugh, and she’s cute when she laughs. Mommy and daddy are so happy when we play– I don’t know what the big deal is, but they seem to think it’s the most awesome thing in the world. Yeah, Lily’s alright.