Pumpkin News

Love, love, love

2012-02-14T17:05:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Snow day!

2012-02-13T21:40:00.003-06:00

Well, snow afternoon may be more accurate than snow day. William, Emilia and I went to a fun WUMCHA Valentine's party this morning, and when I returned home, there was a message on the phone that Lily was getting out of school 2 hours early. Yay for an unexpected afternoon together!

Tackle time

2012-02-12T21:47:00.002-06:00

More choo choo!

2012-02-06T15:09:00.002-06:00

We met Carl for lunch at his work on Friday. William was mesmerized by the lights in the fountain in the lobby.

Carl took William to the bridge between Barnes and Children's Hospital where they have a running choo-choo train! William was in love!!

An up-close shot of the train. I love that they have iconic St. Louis establishments set up around the train track. I had to get a picture of the Ted Drewes building of course!

We happened to run into one of the therapy dogs for Children's Hospital. We even got her trading card! Between the train and the dogs, I think William would like to go to work with his daddy every day.

We decided to take William (and Emilia) on the Metro train so that he could ride on an actual train.

Here it comes - all aboard!!

We took the train to Union Station which was just 2 stops down the track. There, we got lunch and then rode the train back to Barnes. William thought this was about the coolest day ever.

That is, until he got to go to the Train Expo at the Convention Center with Grandma the very next day. Mom said that the place was filled with trains, and boys (young and old) were in heaven. I just love this conductor's hat that my mom got for him - so cute.

Choo choo!

2012-01-31T13:32:00.003-06:00

Okay, it's the last day of January, and I've already failed at my attempt to be on the computer less this year. Today we visited my mom at her work (where she works maybe 10 hours per month), and then we all went to the Whittle Stop Restaurant together. It is a really cute concept, and William liked looking out the window at the choo choo trains.

There are a couple of trains just down the hill that William was able to see up close.

A choo choo train!

Last week we visited the mall by my mom and dad's house. They have a little train that goes around the mall that kids & adults can ride - a perfect activity on a cold day for a boy that loves his trains. We've just become cuckoo for choo choo trains around here! We are planning a little excursion on a real train for William in the near future - should be fun!

Tee ball with William

2012-01-30T22:56:00.003-06:00

Here's our little man playing tee-ball after 5 pm at the end of January - so loving this weather!

Good times

2012-01-30T13:39:00.003-06:00

Carl left a very sweet note for the family before leaving for work on Friday; so Lily decided to make a book for Carl while she was at school. She is pictured here with her book of cells since he "likes to look at books with cells". Too cute.

Lily got in some snuggle time with Emilia after school.

We had a pretty snuggly weekend all around. Nothing like spending mornings together, just hanging out. Angela was also in this weekend, and I can't believe I didn't get any pictures with her and the kids! We'll have to be more on top of things next time. I got to have a girls' night out with my mom's side on Saturday night which was super fun, and then Lily had a birthday party to attend on Sunday. Overall, it was a really nice weekend.

Today we had our awesome friends over for a playdate. We decided to head to the park since the weather is so beautiful (mid-60s!)

It was a bit of a crazy hair day for William, but he is still such a cutie pie.

The two Williams together. You would never guess it by the picture, but William's friend is exactly one year OLDER than him - crazy!

Baby, baby, baby

2012-01-25T10:56:00.002-06:00

Lillian

William

Emilia

Lillian

William

Emilia

So I'm about 2 months late with these pictures. Lily and William were both around 1 month old while Emilia is 3 months, but it's still fun to compare their baby pictures.

The homestead

2012-01-24T17:32:00.002-06:00

Carl has been working late recently so we've had to amuse ourselves in the evenings without tackle time with daddy. We have been trying out some new recipes - above is zucchini sticks and sweet onion dip. William loved it! I'm obviously joking; I was definitely the only one who thought this was worth making.

A new chocolate chip recipe. No surprise that the kids were into this one, and I enjoyed it too - the dough to chocolate chip ratio was perfect to me.

William and I have had a vehicle theme going on lately so I decided to make a car wash for his vehicles. I was pretty excited that this only took me about 45 minutes to set up (during his nap time) with very minimal cost ($6)...that was until he played with it for about 5 minutes. Good news is that Lily thought it was pretty cool. Maybe William was too young to understand the concept?? Oh well. Back to the drawing board we go.

Today was Emilia's first time in the swing. This is a classic "Emilia face" that prompts Carl to reassure her, "Not concerning" every time.

She likes it! This is becoming a very common expression for Emilia as well. She likes to show a little tongue with her smile. Adorbs.

Sisters

2012-01-24T17:30:00.002-06:00

100th day

2012-01-24T08:54:00.002-06:00

Lily is off to school, proudly wearing her 100 pictures of William. She was very particular about how she wanted them attached to the hat. To me, it resembles dog ears, but that is exactly how she wanted it. Happy 100th day of school, Lily! As always, we are so proud of you!

Baby Emilia

2012-01-23T22:26:00.002-06:00

I feel awful that I have not updated appropriately on our latest addition. Coming right before the season of birthdays and then all the holidays made it difficult to carve out some time to just talk about our sweetest baby girl. She is truly one of the most pleasant, easy-going babies I have ever been around, and I've been around quite a few babies. She makes my job as a mother almost too easy. Two days before she turned 8 weeks, she started sleeping through the night, usually going down around 10 -11 pm, and then I would wake her up between 7 and 8 am to eat. Now she has done a few nights of sleeping 7:30 am - 7:30 pm. We always lay her down completely awake, say our good-nights, and she falls asleep on her own. Like William, when she wakes up, she does not cry so I have to listen very closely on the monitor for any sounds in order to determine if she is awake or not.

When she is awake, Emilia is often smiling and cooing. She loves, more than anything, to interact with other people. She has the biggest smiles, but she saves the very best of them for her brother and sister. She seems to be pretty tickled when Terra dog gives her kisses too. She's had great head control pretty much from Day 1 (just like Lily). She can now intentionally grab her toys, but doesn't show much interest in rolling. She did, however, move from under the Gymini onto the carpet so it seems she's mastered the scooting move while laying flat. She really likes to look out and see the world so she spends much of her time in the bouncy seat or in the swing where she can see more. She definitely likes to be held facing out so she can see everyone as well.

Like William, Emilia is a thumb-sucker. I think this is a large part of the reason that she started sleeping through the night so early. All signs seem to point to Emilia being more like Lily in terms of height/weight and eye color. She is definitely steadily gaining weight, but doesn't seem to be particularly light/heavy or tall/short. In my estimation, she is probably somewhere around the 60-70th percentile for both height and weight. We will see in February when she goes to the doctor for her 4-month check-up.

As I've stated in previous posts, William is very taken with his baby sister. He even told Emilia that he loved her the other day, and he has never said that to anyone ever. He is mostly gentle with her but just wants to be as close to her as possible, which sometimes means being directly on top of her. Although, I do remember Lily being worse when William was born in terms of just constantly wanting to be right in William's face. Lily definitely loves Emilia too, but I think it is different because she does not spend the entire day with her. She interacts with Emilia and shows her plenty of affection, but the truth is nothing can detract Lily from her one true love, William. I'm not sure that I can adequately portray how much Lily loves William. She insists that they hold hands each and every time they are in the car together. Almost every story that Lily writes at school involves William, and she writes a lot! Writing workshop is her self-reported favorite activity at school, and she finds any excuse to write when she is at home. As a prime example of Lily's affection for William, Lily's school is celebrating their 100th day of school tomorrow. Lily's class was instructed to bring in a hat with 100 things attached to it. What did Lily choose? One hundred pictures of William. No joke. Not 100 pictures of her, our family or both siblings....just William. Luckily, William adores his sister as well. He follows her around, goes along with all her antics, dramatic play, and games, and can quite often be heard emphatically saying, "Okay, Lily!" I don't think that developmentally William can quite match Lily's attachment to him, but as much as a two-year-old can be attached, he is...to both sisters.

At this point in life, I think that we are at an almost surreal place. Sure, it will be nice when Carl is finished with residency and fellowship so we can live a bit more comfortably, but to have our entire brood here, all together is amazing. To see all those years of dreaming, wishing and hoping for this family come to fruition is overwhelming. I love living in St. Louis and being close to (most) of my family and Carl's sister. I love being able to get together with my friends from high school and also my new friends through WUMCHA. I love Lily's school and the neighborhood we live in. We are so close to so many amazing resources, including the Transportation Museum, the train store/playroom, and the Magic House, all of which William adores - not to mention all the great parks. We have a house that I never dreamed of at this stage in our lives with a backyard that makes all members of the family (even the furry one) thank our lucky stars. And most importantly, I have a partner in life that I love and respect that I still sometimes can't believe has agreed to share this journey with me. As our children each sleep soundly in their rooms, wrapped up in warm blankets with full bellies on this winter evening, I realize how profoundly lucky we are and will never take this for granted.

William's ways

2012-01-19T23:47:00.004-06:00

I had several moms tell me that my stories and posts about William make them feel better about their own little ones and make them think that maybe their kids aren't so bad after all. Well ladies, this post is for you. Prepare to feel a whole lot better.

Quite honestly, things like sitting on the table hardly phase me anymore. Sometimes I truly don't even notice it because it is such a minor offense, relatively speaking. William has recently taken to climbing onto the air hockey table. This I don't like because it is much more unstable, and he has the chance of hurting himself or breaking the table, most likely both.

It seems that Emilia is the sun to William and that there is a gravitational pull toward her. He just can't seem to leave her alone. When William wakes up in the morning, he inevitably goes into her room and attempts to climb into the crib with her. Fifty percent of the time he gets in the crib before I can stop him. When he does get in, he is always curled up next to her saying, "Hi, baby" over and over again. Most of the time William is quite gentle with her. However, today he got into the swing with her in it and also sat on her in the bouncy seat. You may wonder how he is able to do these things with me watching. I can't explain how fast he is or how constant his indiscretions are. The other day we had a playdate with friends and within 2 minutes of us entering the house, he had found the side door, unlocked it and was on his way out. It's really too bad that I can't drink right now.

When I leave and re-enter the bathroom during bath time, it is always a game of where in the room is William. For some reason, this is William's favorite time to challenge me. As you can see above, he goes into the sink, but also can be found standing on the side of the tub, or in the shower, and a new one just yesterday: soaking his feet in the toilet. Lovely.

I promise that I really do try to keep him entertained in other ways during the day. One of his absolute favorite activities is playing with this homemade "cloud dough" and his construction trucks.

Terra, however, is not amused.

I've been trying to do some more educational activities too. His language has really taken off in the past few weeks, and he seems to be adding several words each day. This makes it so much easier to work on concepts like shapes and colors, etc. (And I did make him get out of this "W" sit, Ang.) We also did some push-ups today to burn energy. I will try to get a video of this because it is hilarious...and William's push-ups are pretty funny too.

This is a completely gratuitous picture of my lovely Lily

Ditto for my sweet baby Emmy

So I survived to tell the tale, and to think, we get to do it all again tomorrow...

Snow days

2012-01-19T14:05:00.004-06:00

The snow came last week, but thankfully we didn't have any days off school yet. Maybe some lessons were learned from last year's knee-jerk reaction to close schools at the mere hint of impending snowfall? The picture above shows the kids in some post-school play. Every time I bundle up the kids (especially like William), I can't help but think of the younger brother in the movie A Christmas Story. "Oh, well. You'll put your arms down when you get to school." Love that movie.

Lily working on some snow art

No, we don't have an extremely talented dog. This is colored water.

Most people can just go outside and play in the snow. I am not one of those people. I have to have something to do, some sort of game or activity to distract me from the fact that I am freezing my buns off in the cold snow when I'd much rather be inside wrapped in a warm blanket, drinking hot cocoa and sitting by a toasty fire. So my kids are subjected to my outdoor activities. Above, you can see the colored ice "eggs" I made for a wintertime egg hunt.

Lily collected her ice eggs in this "basket". William whole-heartedly supported Lily collecting the eggs and putting them in the basket.

The videos below show the kids making one of their bird feeders after we collected the pine cones and sticks from the yard. The videos do not show it, but Carl and I were both surprised when William called his pine cone an ice cream cone, just as Lily did 4 years ago at his exact age.

http://calabasa.blogspot.com/2008/02/on-our-rides-to-workschool-in-mornings.html

January or June?

2012-01-17T16:24:00.006-06:00

It seems that January 2012 in St. Louis will go down in the history books as the month that could not make up its mind, weather-wise that is. We have had several days in which we could play outside with just a light jacket and then freezing temps roll in with some snow followed by more beautiful weather. Just yesterday, the high was in the upper 60s while tonight is supposed to drop to 19 degrees! It's no wonder William has caught yet another cold. :(

This is the face that I don't trust - the calm before the storm. You can just see that he is plotting in his little mind.

Hi-ya!

And hi-ya!

Sending the love out to daddy.

Baby Emilia is all smiles at the park.

Get ready...

Whee!!

Checking out the pond and the ducks

Boy, what a difference just a few months makes:

http://calabasa.blogspot.com/2011/09/beautiful-days.html

More playground fun

This was on a Saturday when daddy could join us at the park. Lily (and William and Emmy and I) love our daddy time!

Again, Emilia takes it all in from the pumpkin seat, content as always.

Gym playgroup

2012-01-17T13:50:00.003-06:00

Just a couple pictures from the playgroup we had last month at my Aunt's gym. My mom met us there and played reindeer for William's sleigh ride.

In our playgroup, there is always someone who is pregnant, just had a baby, trying to have a baby, or thinking about trying to have a baby. :) From September 2011 to March 2012, we had/have no less than 15 babies due!! At last month's playgroup, Emilia (in the blue outfit) got to hang with baby Helen (born about a week after Emilia) and baby Charlie (not pictured - born about a month & a half before Emilia). Go babies!

Countdown to noon

2012-01-17T13:21:00.005-06:00

We hosted our annual children's new years eve party this year which is my favorite party to host. The theme this year was good luck or good fortune in the new year. It provided a good end to a really great year.

William can't get enough choo-choos. Aunt Ingrid read this book to him at the party, and he pointed to the black and white dog in the book and said, "Tuesday!" (Ingrid's black and white dog).

At the party, we had the usual fun. There were games....

crafts....

eating...

catching up with "old" friends...

...and of course, plenty of yummy desserts.

Mexican wedding cookies, cake balls and red velvet cheesecake brownies. Oh my!!

The noon celebration

Thanks to Molly for some of these pictures (the better quality ones in the second half of the post!)

Deetz Christmas Gathering

2012-01-17T10:51:00.003-06:00

We didn't want to travel for Christmas with little bits this year, but fortunately we were able to spend some time with Carl's dad and brother along with Ingrid and Ryan before Christmas. I didn't attempt to take pictures because of my broken camera so just as I had to steal pictures from Angela for the celebrations with my side of the family, I have to steal pictures from Ingrid for the celebration with the Deetz side. You can see those pictures here. We are looking forward to a March trip to Indiana to see Carl's Grandma Deetz and Grandma Murphy!

Christmas morning

2012-01-16T21:54:00.005-06:00

Finally. Here are some pictures from Christmas morning. They were taken with our broken camera so they are not the greatest, but it was a great morning filled with surprise, magic, happiness, love and grateful hearts which no camera can truly capture.

The scene after Santa came

Lily's self-reported favorite gifts from Santa were this little cradle, the hamster stuffed animal and some little doll clothes.

Emilia's pretty clothes

Thomas was the theme of Christmas for William this year. We now have just about every Thomas-themed item including a place setting, an umbrella, a toothbrush & toothpaste, a football, bath toys, bubble bath, a "laptop", pajamas, books and more. This boy LOVES Thomas and can name about 20 different Thomas trains by sight.

Lily was pretty excited about this holiday Barbie set. She already had the book and loved the focus on 4 sisters.

One of William's favorite toys - a giant garbage truck.

Emmy took it all in from Carl's lap.

Lily with her beloved Calico Critters

Yay for new books!

Santa's special surprise - an air hockey table. I can attest to the fact that Santa's helper had a wonderful time putting this little baby together.

The aftermath

Delinquent blogger

2012-01-11T15:06:00.003-06:00

I know that I have not been up-to-date on my blogging lately. One might assume that it is because I have a newborn or just the fact that I now have three kids, but one would assume incorrectly. My lack of blogging can be attributed to one reason and one reason only: the fact that I have a two-year-old boy. Emilia is a dream of a baby, and I would really like to provide some updates on her, but let me fill you in on why that has yet to happen.

Here are the activities that I had planned for William today:

And here are the activities that William had planned for me today:

Saving the baby swing from total destruction

This needs no words, for I have no words for this

I failed to pictorially capture William climbing into the dryer, into the oven, and climbing the shelves in the pantry. So someday I will have those updates on Emilia for you, but today is not that day.

Christmas with the Pelleritos

2012-01-06T20:20:00.005-06:00

The day after Christmas we typically get together with my mom's side of the family, the Pelleritos. They're a wild and crazy bunch.

My big Italian family. This is most but definitely not all of us!

Three things you can count on at the Pellerito Christmas: 1) A reenactment of the nativity by the kids 2) A big family performance 3) A puppet show for the little ones. Thanks to my Aunt Kathy for organizing this production each and every year. Above is the reenactment of the nativity. Emilia even had the leading role this year.

Angels...hmm....

This and the following pictures are from the Twelve Days of Christmas. Why just sing the song when you can act it out too? Clearly, we have no shame, but we do have a good time! Above is my almost-90-year-old Grandpa as the Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Seven swans a-swimming...

Three French hens (note the berets)...

I think these guys were the Lords a-Leaping...

Nine "ladies" dancing...

Enter the maids a-milking....

Carl really wanted to partake, but he was on baby duty...

The little ones always get a big kick out of the puppet show. In fact, when Lily had to write about her family's holiday traditions, she chose to write about the Pellerito puppet show.

Nick and William watching the show

Look at those handsome guys!

As a general rule, we like to be as close to one another as possible :)

Taking in the show

Seriously, could you get any cuter?

Christmas at mom & dad's

2012-01-05T23:13:00.004-06:00

We had a very unusual Christmas week. It started on Wednesday with me waking up around 6 am with discomfort in my lower back on the right side. By 7 am, the slight discomfort had morphed into the most unbearable pain I have ever felt (childbirth included). To make a long story short, I ended up in the ER where it was discovered that I had a kidney stone. The pain medication I was given was truly lovely and allowed me to pass the kidney stone in relative comfort. Otherwise stated, Morphine rocks and sent a very willing me to la-la land. The good times continued on Christmas day when my dad went to the ER after feeling pretty miserable for a couple days. My dad has been dealing with some heart issues for about the past month now and finding the right medication, adjusting to the medication, and getting much-needed sleep has been difficult for him during this time. With a recent diagnosis of severe sleep apnea, he is being fitted for a sleeping mask (hopefully in the next couple days) which should provide significant relief for him. All of this naturally altered our Christmas day plans, but we are very thankful that dad is starting to feel better.

The gift-opening chaos

Love this picture of Evil Dr. Angela. Don't mess with her. She's got scissors and can free any imprisoned toy from its tangled cell.

Katie loving on baby Emilia

William enjoying his new chair from Aunt Suzanne - he loves it!

William has become so expressive lately. His language seems to develop in spurts, and Carl and I both believe that his recent strides in the language arena is largely due to Lily being home over the past couple weeks. William really looks up to Lily and wants to do everything she does. Luckily, she's an awesome kid and great role model. William has recently started speaking in full sentences (not all the time but more and more), and his vocabulary is really expanding. The first full sentence I think William uttered was completely unsurprisingly related to his train set. He was attempting to put 2 pieces of track together that were not cooperating, and he came to me and said, "It's too hard". One of my favorites is when William is looking for me in the house and just calls out, "Mama, where are you?" Usually I'm hiding in the closet, but that's another story. ;)

Meyer Family Christmas

2012-01-05T22:20:00.004-06:00

So I know I've been MIA lately. Although I really like blogging, part of my resolutions this year is to spend much less time on the computer. Less documentation of living equals more time spent just living! And living (it up), we have done lately. Of course, with the recent holiday season, I have an absurd amount of pictures to post. As fair warning, these posts will not be in chronological order. I'm starting with pictures taken by Angela. Believe it or not, we have killed yet another camera so all the pictures taken with my camera are pretty bad (although I'm impressed that the camera still takes pictures/videos at all - it's a real trooper). The pictures below are from Christmas Eve with the Meyers. As always, good food and good company.

Our Christmas gatherings keep getting bigger and bigger. Some people just can't seem to resist the urge to procreate... ;)

Uncle (Fr.) Tom performs mass.

Unfortunately, this was our last gathering with my Aunt Dee's husband Tom (in the grey sweater). Tom passed away from medical complications on Christmas day. Our hearts go out to my Aunt Dee and family.

William disposing of evidence related to parents' charges of alleged candy thievery.

Good family times

Mary and child

Sisters much?

Love one another.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T16:17:00.006-06:00

Tis the season for sharing, so I thought I'd share a little bit of my past week and a half with you, my friends. Let me start by saying that when you have multiple children, it is generally recognized that they will be different in their own right and so in raising multiple children, you must expect that you will encounter new experiences and new challenges with each one. This certainly has been the case with many things when it comes to William and Lily. In her younger days, Lily was a bit more challenging when it came to sleeping but was and is generally a very good eater whereas William is just the opposite. To say that William is a picky eater doesn't quite capture the the essence of William's eating habits. I hesitate to even mention it here because each time I do, it seems to get significantly worse. It's as if he knows that I've been complaining about it, and he decides to show me how much worse it can be. The reason that I'm discussing it anyway is that I truly don't think it could get any worse. William currently reliably eats absolutely nothing beyond candy, cookies, pudding, and ice cream (none of which we can keep in the house anymore due to his relentless begging when we have them on hand). Given the right mood, William will eat pretzels, popcorn, crackers, yogurt, pizza, Cheerios, pancakes, or chips with melted cheese. On rare occasions, we may get a little fruit in him. Of course other foods are offered, but he won't even touch (and oftentimes will not look at) them. If you try to force him to just taste something, he will gag and sometimes throw up. [Insert here at visual of me banging my head against the wall.] Many people suggest, and believe me I've tried, hiding healthy foods in the foods that he will eat. But, unless you know a way to get something healthy into (not on top of) a Cheese-It or pretzel stick, it's not happening. (And if you do happen to know a way to get something healthy in these things, please don't tell me; I don't want the guilt that will surely result when I don't attempt to make a healthy version of Cheese-Its from scratch.)

So, eating is a daily struggle in our house, but that is not the reason for this post here today. The thing I really want to share (read: desperately need to vent) is the force of destruction that is William. Lily really neglected to prepare me in any way, shape, or form for what I would be dealing with when it comes to William. Lily was the typical two to three-year-old, getting into the usual trouble that two to three-year-olds get into. Nothing is typical about William's ways. I honestly believe that left to his own devices, William could level our house in one day. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I'd like to share a common Christmas song with a William twist.

On the first day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...pink acrylic paint spread on our table, chairs and floor.

On the second day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...a bathroom makeover with his very own poop.

On the third day of Christmas, my wild child gave to *his sister*....a bath filled with now-all-too-familiar little brown floating nuggets.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me....an overflowing toilet stuffed with toilet paper.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...broken glass.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...a seat belt wrapped around his neck while I'm driving down the highway. [This little gem involved me immediately exiting the highway and pulling over to rescue my choking child.]

On the seventh day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me....rejection of all food but constant chewing on his own shoes.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...relocation of his baby sister.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...throwing up during our family photo shoot. (Granted, this one was not his fault but fun nonetheless.)

On the tenth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me...a brisk run through a retail store and out the door.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me....a 20 pound bag on dog food dumped on the floor.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my wild child gave to me....snuggles and smiles that made it all worthwhile.

This little diddy does not include many, many near-misses such as taking an entire pitcher of grape juice off the counter and carrying it around the kitchen or climbing the shelves in the pantry. In sharing these experiences, I do have an ulterior motive in maybe creating some understanding and forgiveness of my recent fails as a mother. Among the highlights are:

Getting the entire family ready for an on-site photo shoot 30 minutes away and then freaking out when our photographer did not show up at said photo shoot only to learn that I was 24-hours early.

Wondering why Lily's bus was so late only to discover that I had starting waiting for her at 3:05 instead of 4:05.

By far my biggest fail: Forgetting the baby was in the car for a full 60-seconds before remembering and going back to retrieve her.

So in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, if you should see a woman attempting to find an ounce of sanity in a pound of Christmas cookies, just kindly ignore and look away and know that she is likely the mom of multiple children, hanging on by a very small thread. Happy holidays everyone.

Baby Emilia

2011-12-14T23:17:00.002-06:00

We've been fortunate enough to have a few photo shoots lately with us and the kids. The pictures above were very generously taken by my long-time friend, Molly Kelly. There were many good ones, but I don't want to post them all just yet -- there has to be some surprise at Christmas! :)

Baby, I love to see you smile

2011-12-12T14:21:00.002-06:00

Offering gifts of peace

2011-12-12T14:15:00.002-06:00

Maybe not...

Smiles for Santa

2011-12-04T17:31:00.001-06:00

Let the holiday festivities begin!

2011-12-04T17:17:00.002-06:00

Holiday function #1 was held today. We attended Breakfast with Santa at the Magic House with WUMCHA. As always, it was a great time with a fantastic crowd. In keeping with tradition, Carl got a morning at home alone while Grandma joined us for the breakfast.

Who's ready for pancakes? We are, we are!!

Before seeing Santa, we did some exploring around the museum. Here our little scientists are experimenting with bubbles.

The Magic Tree House exhibit is now at The Magic House, and we love it! Definitely one of their best special exhibits to date.

Lily with her good friends, Amelia and Anna.

More Lily & William

2011-12-04T17:05:00.002-06:00

Where the wild things are - in my backyard.

On their way into Monkey Joes for a birthday party. Let the wild rumpus start!

Happy ThanksLiving!

2011-12-03T10:02:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day at home with my parents and my grandpa. Although we hosted, 75% of the food was prepared by my parents - not a bad way to host Thanksgiving!

So, so much for which to be thankful

Lily's birthday party

2011-12-03T09:41:00.006-06:00

Lily's 6th birthday party was probably my favorite yet. We went with an Alice in Wonderland theme, and I think our little guests had lots of fun.

Treats for the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Treats featured for the party: rainbow fruit platters, oreo cookie flower pops, marshmallows dipped in melted chocolate and covered with sprinkles, cupcakes and the teapot cake.

The tea party room

First activity: The Mad Hatter's hat decorating station

Our fancy party-goers

Activity 2: The tea cup races (Lily's idea)

Ready for the tea party!

Guests enjoy being served by the serving wench, Suzanne :)

Time to blow out the candles!

Gifts galore!

The clean up crew takes over

Lily's birthday morning

2011-12-03T09:29:00.002-06:00

While Lily was sleeping the night before her birthday, Carl and I snuck into her room and filled it with balloons. We hung them from the ceiling and covered the ground. She was so surprised when she woke up, and it made for the perfect beginning to a very special day.

Lily loves all things American Girl. Here she is with her special present, the Kit doll.

Lily with her girls: Kit and Rebecca.

William loved the balloons too!

Transportation Museum

2011-12-03T09:23:00.002-06:00

On the weekend after Ingrid & Ryan's wedding, we went to the Transportation Museum with Ingrid and Carl's dad. The weather was perfect for a day outside.

Emilia

2011-12-03T09:13:00.003-06:00

Big eyes!

Emilia with Great Grandma Murphy

With Aunt Angela

So comfy cozy in the swing

Emilia's first real bath

At Sammy's birthday party

With my Aunt Chris

Fancy girl

At the Jewel Box

She slept right through it, as she does for most of our outings right now.

Lily & William

2011-12-03T09:01:00.003-06:00

For the most part, Lily and William are great play partners. When Lily was off for Thanksgiving break, my days were significantly easier. Even when they are not playing the same thing, they just are more content and play longer when they are in the same room together.

Carl was on a difficult rotation a couple weeks ago, so I tried to come up with some more creative ways to entertain the wild ones at night. They LOVED this activity - colored shaving cream (using food coloring). They both got their own muffin tin with a paint brush. Then I put them in the bathtub, and they painted to their heart's content. The clean up was a simple running of the water and then bathtime began - lovely.

Happy together

One of Lily and William's dancing sessions

William - Fall Pictures

2011-12-03T08:40:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago, William, Emilia and I visited the Jewel Box in Forest Park.

This picture is from the playtime at my Aunt's gym. William is in the tan shirt and jeans.

Carl loves to take the kids on walks and play in the backyard. William is turning out to be a pretty good soccer player. Maybe not totally surprising since his Papa was on three soccer teams when he was in school and captain of two of them!

William immediately says "mine" when the breast pump comes out. He then holds the breast pump to his belly button. So cute.

William loves to bust a move, as shown in this video.

Lily - Fall Pictures

2011-12-03T07:50:00.004-06:00

I've been busy for obvious reasons and so have not had a lot of time to blog. We've been on the go this fall and are really enjoying our time as a new family of five. I'm not going to try to put the pictures I have in any particular order but just post them quickly so I can get caught up. The picture above is from a birthday party for my cousin's 3-year-old little girl, Sammy.

I still can't believe that Lily is in Kindergarten. (Here she is in the morning before getting on the bus.) She is growing so much every day. We had her parent-teacher conference not long ago, and she is doing so well in school. My favorite comment was from her gym teacher who wrote that Lily is "like a breath of fresh air".

We have been going to playtimes at my Aunt's gym with our playgroup. On this particular day, Lily was off school and able to join the group. She did a great time climbing the rope and showed some impressive upper body strength.

Ingrid and Ryan took Lily to the zoo one day. William could not go because he wasn't feeling well so Ingrid and Ryan got to experience how much easier it is without the 2-year-old. It really does change the entire experience!

This picture was from Lily's field trip to the pumpkin farm on the day that Emilia was born. Lily is on the end to the right.

It was a rainy, wet day, but they had fun anyway!

All smiles.

This video was from our day at the gym. Lily was demonstrating her "hanging bat" move.

Baby baby

2011-11-27T20:10:00.001-06:00

Emilia - 2011

Lily - 2005

Two years

2011-11-08T15:46:00.005-06:00

William went to his two-year check-up last week. It comes as no surprise that William is off the charts (and I mean way off the charts) for height. At 24 months, he is a whopping 40 inches tall. A common rule-of-thumb is that children are half of their adult height at 2 years old. This would put William at about 6 ft. 8 in. as an adult. I don't really think he is going to be that tall, but I do think that he is going to tower over everyone else in our family by the time he's done growing. Carl and I were joking that we are most likely going to have two girls that are about our height, with brown hair & brown eyes and then a very tall, blue-eyed, blond-haired boy....no one is going to believe that he's really ours!

William is growing in all kinds of ways lately. As you can see in the video below, William has really gotten into naming letters. I had only pointed out the letters on his wall to him a couple of times, so I can't really take credit for teaching him his letters (even if I'd really like to take the credit). He just seems to be really "into" letters and can identify a good portion of the alphabet. He is also talking a lot more, and although the actual words can be a little difficult to understand, he almost always gets his point across. William continues to be a wonderful sleeper and an absolutely horrible eater, but I guess you just can't win 'em all.

Happy birthday, Papa!

2011-11-08T15:44:00.000-06:00

A boo-tiful halloween

2011-11-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Lily was so excited Halloween. And who could blame her? With Halloween parades, parties and trick-or-treating, it is a kid's dream come true. I packed her a special spooky lunch with jack o'lantern peanut butter sandwich, ghost and pumpkin-shaped cheese, witch's brooms, and mummy juice box.

They had a parade at Lily's school with the younger grades marching in the parade and the older kids cheering them on.

I volunteered to bring in some snacks for the party. This is the vegetable platter with hummus.

These "pumpkin" rolls were a big hit with the adults. They are super easy to make - just cream cheese mixed with dry ranch dressing, spread over a sun-dried tomato tortilla shell, topped with chopped ham and shredded cheddar cheese - roll and slice.

I also made some witch's brooms for the kids in Lily's class.

One healthy class - these kids attacked the veggie platter!

Trick-or-treating at mom & dad's house: Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit.

Lily even talked me into being the Queen of Hearts!

Party of Five

2011-10-28T13:12:00.002-05:00

The Deetz Family - now complete!

One of my favorite sayings from Carl's Grandma Deetz is "Three is what separates the boys from the men". I suppose Carl has now manned up! :)

Snuggles with Emilia

2011-10-28T12:44:00.003-05:00

Sisters

Cousin Katie

Cousin Mary

My cousin Kelly

Godmother Angela

Aunt Susie & Uncle Jeff

Angela, me, my Aunt Alice, cousin Kelly and Suzanne

Aunt Ingrid & Uncle Ryan

Halloween Party

2011-10-28T12:31:00.003-05:00

WUMCHA has its annual Halloween Party on Saturday which was really great, as always. This year Lily decided on an Alice in Wonderland theme for Halloween costumes. Emilia is the White Rabbit.

Sweet snuggle bunny

William is our Mad Hatter.

Mischievous little man

Lily, of course, is Alice. Everyone was in town this weekend for William's birthday party/the birth of Emilia, so Mary & Katie joined us for the Halloween Party. Here, Mary is dressed as the lovely Princess Belle.

Halloween costume parade. Here you can see Katie as a beautiful blushing bride.

Lily enjoying a snack while listening to the singer/storyteller.

William's birthday

2011-10-28T12:05:00.002-05:00

After we got home from the hospital on Friday, Ingrid & Ryan stopped by and brought a birthday present for William.

William has been enjoying his remote-controlled train ever since. Thanks Ingrid & Ryan!

On Saturday, my mom hosted a small birthday party for William with our family. The theme of William's party was "Choo Choo - William's 2!" since his one and only love right now is trains. The buffet table contained all his favorite foods: pizza, popcorn, pretzels, apples (with a toffee dip) and white chocolate covered oreos which were a big hit with the kids.

I did not attempt to make a birthday cake like I normally do. Instead, mom made a cake, and I borrowed a Thomas the Train cake topper (that really goes around the track) from a friend. William was way into the moving train.

Of course, as most of our gatherings go, the night ended in a dance party. We also enjoyed watching the Cardinals in the World Series that night. We're looking to clench the victory tonight after the amazing Game 6 last night - GO CARDS!!!

Aunt Suzanne and family got William a riding Thomas the Train toy that has balls that pop out of it. William has enjoyed this very much, and the sparkly conductor hat just completes the look. :)

All that partying left one tuckered out boy. Here William is sleeping next to one of his other favorite presents - a soccer ball from my brother Jeff and family.

Our little nugget

2011-10-28T09:13:00.001-05:00

Ruffle butt

Emilia's sleeper reads, "I am so loved". Nothing could be more true.

Going Home

2011-10-24T09:30:00.002-05:00

Visitors

2011-10-24T09:13:00.003-05:00

Mom was with us through delivery, then watched William for us on Thursday, and then brought Lily & William to meet their new sister Thursday evening. Thanks mom for all your help!

Angela surprised us by coming in from Memphis on Thursday night. Angela and mom hung out with Emilia and me at the hospital on Thursday night while Carl stayed at the house with Lily and William. It was so nice to have company at the hospital - thanks Ang & mom!

Ingrid stayed with Lily and William through the night on Wednesday. When my mom came to relieve her on Thursday, Ingrid stopped by the hospital for some snuggles with Emilia.

My friends Sara and Kathryn stopped by for a visit on Friday. Kathryn was in town from Colorado to go to the World Series game - go Cards!!

The kiddos

2011-10-24T09:09:00.001-05:00

Turns out that it's difficult to get a good picture of 3 kids 5 and under. This is the best we have of the kiddos so far.

Lillian meets Emilia

2011-10-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

William meets Emilia

2011-10-24T09:03:00.003-05:00

"Baby!"

Hospital Pics

2011-10-24T08:57:00.003-05:00

The story

2011-10-23T21:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was certainly a full day for the Deetz household. It started off with Carl attending Lily's field trip which, as it turns out, was in Illinois. A bit of a gamble, as Carl went on the bus with the kids with no way to leave if baby decided to make an early appearance that day, but it worked out okay. I was able to teach my class from 12-2, and Carl and I met back at the house just after 2:00 pm. Ingrid came over at 3:30 to watch William and get Lily from the bus stop (big thanks to Ingrid!) while Carl and I made our way to the hospital for a 4:00 induction.

I had tested positive for Strep B at an earlier doctor's appointment so I knew that I would have to get 2 rounds of antibiotics before delivering. After getting settled, we finally received our first round of antibiotics at 5:45 pm. They also started the Pitocin at the same time. Apparently, I had been having contractions already at about 5 minutes apart, but they were so slight that I didn't even notice them. The contractions definitely picked up after that, and I labored until 10:15 before opting to get an epidural. Luckily, I had the first game of the World Series to distract me. My mom and dad came to the hospital around 9:30, and we were able to watch part of the game together. At around 9:45, I received the second round of antibiotics. My doctor came at 10:45 and did an examination which showed that I was 8 cm dilated but she was still high. He broke my water at 11:00 and said that he would stay close by and just let him know when I felt the need to push. About 10 minutes later, I felt the need to push. So, the doctor came back, suited up, and about 4 pushes later, Emilia arrived at 11:22 pm.

As with Lily, it turns out that the ultrasound I had two weeks prior to delivery was way off in regard to baby's weight. They said that Emilia was 8 lbs. 8 oz. two weeks ago, but she was just 8 lbs. 1 oz. at delivery. Everything went really well after delivery. Emilia passed all her tests, and besides when they made her cry right after birth, I did not hear her cry until about 24 hours later, and she has only cried briefly a handful of times since.

We left the hospital at around 2:00 pm on Friday and had a bit of a rough first night trying to figure out Emilia's preferred sleeping style, and William caught a cold and had a restless night's sleep. But last night was fantastic. William was exhausted from a day of partying - a Halloween party in the morning followed by his birthday party in the afternoon - and Emilia did GREAT, waking up at 1:00 am, 4:30 am and then 8:00 am for feedings.

It may be crazy, but I absolutely love having a newborn again. I love the way she falls asleep so peacefully on my chest, I love how she gazes up at me and spontaneously smiles, I love how tiny and cuddly she is....I'm truly enjoying this so much. I just can't get enough of this baby girl. I know how quickly the time passes, and I'm trying to soak up every moment of this incredible time.

Emilia Jane

2011-10-23T20:56:00.002-05:00

Emilia Jane arrived at 11:22 pm on October 19th.

She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 21 inches long.

And we are in love....again.

Annual train trip

2011-10-17T10:08:00.002-05:00

There is a miniature steam engine train not too far from us that makes about a half-hour trip through the woods. The surroundings are so pretty, and the weather yesterday was just beautiful. We try to do this around William's birthday as a treat for him, but it is also the perfect time of year to enjoy the colors of the season.

We met some of our favorite friends there which made the train ride much more fun for Lily. Lily and her friend tried out their silliest Halloween jokes on Carl during the journey.

Such a friendly little guy

If you can't already tell, we really tried to keep busy this weekend so as to not sit around thinking about the baby potentially coming. We really had a great time during our last weekend as a family of four and definitely looking forward to next weekend as a family of five!!

Pumpkin Patch Day

2011-10-17T10:02:00.001-05:00

Halloween event #1

2011-10-17T09:53:00.002-05:00

The train store near us had a Halloween-themed Family Fun Night so we decided to take the kids and check it out. Lily's Halloween costume for this year has not arrived yet so the kids both wore outfits from their dress-up box. Lily decided that she wanted to be a rock star.

Our little pirate

William was all for the cookie-decorating station, especially the frosting part

Lily and her friend Anna solving some truly complicated puzzles together

"When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong"

2011-10-12T15:12:00.003-05:00

So for the title of this post, I had to steal the line from Baby's dad when he's talking to Johnny in the movie Dirty Dancing. When transitioning William to his big boy bed, I was very concerned about William having a hard time and wanted to make this transition as painless for him (and us) as possible. Carl had the notion from the beginning to keep our normal routine and let him work it out while I, of course, wanted to be with him to help him through this change. The first two nights, Carl conceded to doing things my way which was pretty much disastrous, leading to a very prolonged amount of time going to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night for two hours or more, and little sleep for me or Carl. Yesterday, I decided it was time to try Carl's plan which resulted in maybe 2 minutes of crying while going to sleep and then William sleeping the full time on his own for both nap and through the night. Looks like I caused more distress for William in my attempt to protect him. So yes, Carl, you can mark it on the calendar - I was wrong. I am so happy that William seems to be doing okay with this transition, and I just want to hug and squeeze him and tell him what an incredible little boy he is at not even two years of age. I really am so, so proud of him.

The other arena in which I seem to be very off concerns the arrival of our latest addition. I had HIGH hopes that my doctor would be able to "encourage contractions" (as he put it) today. It turns out that our little baby girl is VERY high right now, and he could not even reach her to do anything to get us closer to delivery. This was so disappointing to me. I really had it in my mind that he would be able to get the ball rolling and that she would be here sometime within the next few days. Doesn't look like that is in the cards for us. We have scheduled an induction for 4 pm on Wednesday, October 19th. As my doctor said, this is just a certain deadline, but she could still come anytime between now and then. I think he just sensed my disappointment and was trying to make me feel better. I'm not holding my breath and fully expect to see him for the induction next week. And while I know this is certainly not horrible news, I am just getting anxious to see her....and to not have to get up four times per night to go to the bathroom. ;)

Baby girl's nursery

2011-10-11T09:53:00.002-05:00

I haven't gotten all of the little accessories for the hutch yet, so I'll have to wait on that picture. But, this is the transformed crib area. We are very excited for our little one's arrival and looking forward to bringing her home to her new room.

My beautiful flower girl

2011-10-11T09:41:00.001-05:00

Weekend report

2011-10-09T21:25:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of pictures from the weekend...Lily went to her friend's pirate party on Saturday which was super cute and fun. We went out with my mom's family after the party to celebrate the life of my Grandmother who passed away 10 years ago. I really enjoy spending time with them, and looking around the room, it is amazing to think of the number of people that are now in this world because of my Grandmother. I suppose that comes with having 6 children, but it is still a wonder to behold.

Pep talk with daddy before riding

We spent the morning at the Magic House today, and when we came home, my parents came over to give Lily an early birthday present! Lily has been talking about her birthday non-stop and was so excited to receive an early gift. We noticed this summer that Lily's bike was too small for her, and it was time to do away with the training wheels and go for the real deal. So mom and dad got Lily her first "real" bike. Carl practiced with her today, and it is just amazing to watch her growing and learning so many new skills. This is an incredible time of change for her.

And away they go!

Speaking of change, William started sleeping in his big boy bedroom last night. It was a really rough night, but it was significantly messed up by William coughing until the point of throwing up. So we are still waiting to see how this is all going to play out. We were a little concerned about moving him out of the crib too soon, but our reservations were put to rest when William came walking out of his room last weekend. Yes, he had crawled right out of his crib. So clearly he is ready for this next step (even if we aren't). It is hard to change things when William goes to bed so easily and sleeps through the night with no problems. But, it has to be done sooner or later anyway. William now has a twin bed with a trundle, and we are currently laying on the trundle until he falls asleep. This might not be the "right" thing to do, but experience has definitely taught me that you can't worry about what is theoretically right but to instead use your best judgement in deciding what is right for your child and your family. William did an excellent job for his nap today, and I just hold on to hope that he will continue his fantastic relationship with sleep despite this transition.

Post-wedding Brunch

2011-10-07T14:48:00.004-05:00

The morning after Ingrid & Ryan's wedding, Carl and I hosted a breakfast/brunch for Carl's family. We have been to Indiana so many times and enjoyed his family's hospitality, so we were really happy to finally be able to host his relatives at our house. The picture above shows the fare: yogurt parfaits, blueberry & dutch apple muffins, the meat platter (Carl's favorite), mini quiches, potato casserole, and fruit kabobs.

The dessert, a caramel nut pastry, did not come out of the oven until later.

Good company: Carl's mom, Aunt Narda, Grandma Murphy and Uncle Randy.

Carl's Uncle Dave, Aunt Lisa, and dad

Carl's Grandma Deetz and brother, Zander

Carl's cousin Roger and Aunt Pam

Lily with Lainey and Lucy. The girls played so well together the entire time they were here - it was great to get to see them!

Exciting times

2011-10-05T15:30:00.002-05:00

Today's doctor's appointment was a long one due to an ultrasound to measure the weight of the baby at the beginning and monitoring of the baby's heart rate and movement at the end. It seems that little miss isn't quite so little. The ultrasound suggests that she is currently 8 lbs. 8 oz. There is a 1 lb. margin of error with these things which means she technically could be anywhere from 7 lbs. 8 oz. to 9 lbs. 8 oz (let's hope not!). This information combined with an elevated blood pressure means that induction is definitely on the table. However, the doctor feels, and I'm almost inclined to believe, I'm going to deliver on my own before the induction. There is a very small chance that he would induce on Friday, the 14th, but we have to wait until the next appointment on the 12th to see if that would be necessary. If things are holding stable enough at my next appointment, his plan is to induce on Wednesday (the 19th) afternoon or Thursday (the 20th) day. So, the absolute latest that the baby will be here is the 20th - 15 days from now! :) But, my doctor clearly thought that these induction days were a back-up plan, and she would likely already here by then. He said that I could go into labor anytime from tonight onward. That's such a crazy thought, but I know that it is the reality at this point. So, I guess I'd better finish packing that hospital bag, and let the waiting begin!

Parenting

2011-10-04T14:00:00.003-05:00

I stumbled across a blog yesterday that has had me in tears for the past 24 hours with just the thought of it. I feel compelled to share this link with everyone I know, especially parents with young children. Sometimes the day-to-day with young ones can be...um, challenging. I try as best as I can to be patient with my little ones because, after all, someone had to be patient with me when I was their age as well. Sometimes it is very easy to get caught up in the details of life....rushing to different events/activities, making dinner, doing laundry, cleaning up, worrying about family expenses or far too often for me, questioning whether or not I'm being the mom that these kids deserve. Sometimes I forget just to be. To not think about the dishes when Lily wants to play me to play My Little Ponies with her, to forget the e-mails that need to be sent when William wants to read the same book for the 10th time in a row, to soak up the moments, good and bad, with them because those are the moments that won't last. Guaranteed the laundry, dishes, and unwritten e-mails will always be there. Reading this blog has reaffirmed my commitment to my kids to just be there with them, to follow their lead in play, to be silly and make fun a household priority. I think that is the best way I can honor the Taylor family and pay tribute to their devastating loss.

www.aniandmatttaylor.blogspot.com

Flower girl & Ring bearer

2011-10-02T22:25:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Carl's sister, Ingrid, and her new husband, Ryan! Ingrid and Ryan were married on Friday night. It was a fantastic evening with beautiful weather and a good time was had by all. I got embarrassingly few pictures of the evening, as it was a whirl of merriment all night long. I did, however, get a video of our little flower girl and ring bearer cutting a rug on the dance floor. Hopefully we'll get some pictures taken that evening by others who were more on top of it, and I will post them as soon as I get them.

My kiddos

2011-09-28T16:12:00.002-05:00

Lily and William dancing at the bus stop this morning.

Yesterday morning, watching some cartoons before school

I had my weekly appointment today for Kiddo #3 (we are now just under 37 weeks), and things are looking surprisingly good. My blood pressure is holding stable, and all tests are coming back within normal limits except for the Strep B test which did come back positive. Apparently about 1/3 of pregnant women test positive for Step B, and it's not a huge deal. We will try to get in 4 hours worth of antibiotics administered through an IV before I deliver, if possible. If labor & delivery go quickly, and I can't get in the 4 hours, it still should not pose any real danger to the baby.

My doctor seemed very happy with the moves my body is making toward delivery. I'm almost 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced with a soft cervix. All very good signs. Unfortunately, what I think this means is that the ultrasound is going to show a normal-sized baby, and since I'm not having any real issues and my body is naturally moving in the direction of labor, no induction is in my future. It's not that I'm anxious to have the baby right away; my nagging problem is that I think I am going to go into labor sometime immediately before my class begins. If I had to place a bet on a date right now, I'd say Monday, the 17th, making it impossible to be at my Wednesday class. Carl is betting on Monday, the 10th. I think he thinks this because it would be the most inconvenient time in terms of his schedule, as he is on a tough rotation to rearrange that week. Is it weird that we both think the baby will come when it will pose the greatest amount of work-shuffling for each of us? The ideal time would probably be Friday, the 14th. (Truly it would be Saturday, the 15th but knowing a little bit more about the ins & outs of hospitals, you are not exactly getting the best hospital staff during the weekend.) So, that's where we stand right now. Only time will tell, and it is going to be great and wonderful and perfect no matter when she comes!

Like father, like son

2011-09-25T22:58:00.003-05:00

We had a super-productive weekend with lots of family outdoor time - a perfect Fall weekend. Above is a picture of William assisting his daddy in his cleaning escapades. Lily had Apple Day at school on Friday and made the hat you see in the video as part of the apple activities that day. William loved the hat and wore it on and off all weekend. Maybe it brought us luck because our VERY finicky eater, William, ate 3 whole apples today! Yay!!

Pregnancy update

2011-09-21T20:39:00.002-05:00

I haven't updated much about the pregnancy because there has been so little to tell. All appointments to date have been rather boring. They are the 5-minute, "How are you feeling?, Any questions?, Let's check your blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat...See you next time" kind. But today was the first of the weekly visits that are bit more exciting. First, he checked for dilation...1 cm, thank you very much. He said that she is very high and definitely moving and shaking in there (not that I needed him to tell me that!) Surprisingly, my blood pressure is holding steady - just slightly high but still falling in the normal range. They did the Group B Strep test today, but I won't get those results back for a couple days probably (those Pathologists, always holding things up...).

The biggest news of the day is that he wants to do an ultrasound in two weeks (Oct 5th) to check the size of the baby. Because William was so large at birth, he wants to check and see where we stand at (just under) 38 weeks. I asked what it would mean if the baby measured big, as in, would he induce? He said that if the baby measured big, it would mean we would have a discussion. Okay. I'm up for discussions. I only wish he would have considered this with William when I was practically begging him to induce so that I would not miss my sister's wedding! The other thing he mentioned was that if I went into labor from this point forth, he would not try to stop it. Even though there is little to no chance of that happening in the next couple of weeks, it is still nice to hear that you are in a safer zone for delivery. So all around, pretty good things.

Of course, there are other things happening in October from minor - Halloween parties - to major - the beginning of a hybrid course I'm teaching starting Oct 19th. A hybrid course means that it is half online and half face-to-face classes (once per week for 8 weeks). The first face-to-face class for this course is Oct 19th, just 3 days before my due date. I was well aware of this fact when I agreed to teach the class, but the Chair of the department really needed someone to teach it, so I agreed. A full-time professor in the department very kindly offered to teach the first class if I was in the hospital at the time, but I would hate to miss the very first class. Of course, this is not something that I wanted to worry about right now, but so it is.

The other October event I've been focused on is William's birthday. My due date is on William's birthday, and while I'm not worried about having the baby on his birthday, I still want there to be a celebration on his birthday (which is a Saturday) and to make his day special. So, I planned a little family party at my mom and dad's house on that day. My plan is to get all decorations and as much food as possible there beforehand so that everything will be set and go on regardless of whether or not I'm actually there. It's just very important to me that this happens even though I know he doesn't know the difference.

So that's what is going on right now. We are super-excited to meet our little baby girl - and excited to reveal her name! Speaking of which, with just about 4 weeks to go, I think it is time to place your bets!!

Good weather, good fun

2011-09-17T15:24:00.002-05:00

Today is a perfect Fall day so we spent the morning at the Transportation Museum. It was Carl's first time going there, but now that we are members (thanks to Groupon!), we will probably stop by there a lot more often. Today we explored lots of trains, rode the trolley, the tram, and the miniature train. William was loving life! And Lily got to see the Lion King with daddy this afternoon while William slept and I graded. A very good start to our weekend!

Everyone loves a good basket

2011-09-17T13:04:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what it is about kids and baskets, but they sure do love them! I have several pictures of Lily in baskets (the one above is from when she had just turned one), and it looks like William is going to have a few of his own. I love these weekend mornings and being entertained by their cuteness.

Baby love

2011-09-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

Sibling love

Finally Fall

2011-09-15T23:17:00.003-05:00

Can anyone really dispute that Fall is THE best season of the year? The calendar may not say it's Fall quite yet, but all the things that count scream Fall is here! And, we could not be happier for it. For the past couple of weeks, Carl has been on a good rotation and getting home in time to enjoy some time outside with the kids before dinner. As if the gorgeous weather were not enough, not having to contend with mosquitos, bug spray and sunscreen is just heavenly. Bring on the cozy sweaters and comfy jeans, apple orchards, pumpkin patches, the changing colors of the landscape, delicious baked goods, nighttime fires, morning snuggles under the blankets with the kids...and of course, the arrival of our sweet baby girl. Life is good.

Hangin' with William

2011-09-15T14:09:00.004-05:00

I really miss Lily during the day, but it has been nice to spend one-on-one time with my little guy. Yesterday was a rainy day so we spent the morning at the Magic House. I had my camera on the wrong setting so all of the pictures came out a little blurry, but I'll post a few anyway. The fishing area was by far William's favorite of the day.

This ball area was a close second.

Another ball game

Yet another ball activity - sensing a theme yet?

Today was William's first Toddler Fun class at our school district Early Childhood Center. This is set up pretty much exactly like the class he took here this summer. They have free play time, circle time, art/table activities time, music & movement time and then snack with a story. William was mostly focused on riding the cars or playing with the balls the entire time but did allow a few minutes for some of the other activities.

Weekend pics

2011-09-12T07:33:00.002-05:00

We've had a series of weekends lately that have been just awesome. This weekend was filled with kiddie fun and some adult productiveness to boot. On Friday, we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese which was a big hit for both of them. On Saturday, I had to work on my online class which opens today so Carl took the kids on one of his epic walks. We then had a date night when the kids went to bed (completed exhausted) with a movie from red box - gotta love those $1 movies! On Sunday, I redecorated the nursery to prepare for our little one's arrival - just 5 1/2 more weeks! We then went to the annual Homecoming Fair for our town. The pics in this post are from that fair. I'll have pics of the new nursery up sometime within the next few weeks.

I'm not sure that Lily was convinced that this slide was worth the long walk up to the top ;)

A little horse for my little boy

Daddy had to go on all the rides with the kids because of my current status. However, this one I would not want to go on in normal circumstances - these twirly rides make me so dizzy.

William was so, so excited about this helicopter ride. In fact, he really enjoyed every ride and wanted to do some of the rides that he is not old enough for yet. He is our little thrill-seeker.

Good fair food

The Optimist Club of Layfayette was at the fair (I'm not exactly sure why), but Carl and I agreed that you would have to be an optimist to eat the things they were serving up, especially the deep fried twinkies.

Hugs before school

2011-09-09T09:06:00.002-05:00

There's nothing better than seeing William and Lily partaking in spontaneous acts of affection. They clearly miss each other during the day, but we are all adjusting to this new lifestyle.

2011-09-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

As stated in the Labor Day post, Carl's calculated assault against the poisonous copperhead snake he spotted in the pond is a post unto itself....so here it is. Carl initially spotted the snake but did not have a tool handy to catch and kill it. So my dad & Carl rigged up a spear by attaching a large knife to a wooden stick. Carl then monitored the area carefully and snagged the snake in the water when the opportunity arose, bringing it on land for its final minutes of life. What happened after that can only be fully appreciated if you envision the scene in "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson in which he is freeing his son from captivity and uses his tomahawk to REALLY make sure his enemy was eliminated. From my vantage point, the only thing I could see was large, sweeping hacking motions from Carl and bits of mud and snake pieces flying up all around him. It was truly a sight to behold, and it makes me laugh every time I think of it.

The decapitated head latches on to the stick.

Remains of the day

Labor Day

2011-09-08T13:43:00.008-05:00

On Sunday, we went to my mom & dad's cabin (now with partially complete pole barn!). It was a perfect day with perfect weather. For some reason, in my pregnant state, I have not been very good with making decisions lately. So, sorry in advance for the vast number of pictures in this post!

The watermelon ceremony

In the loft of the cabin

Jeff and family

Tim's rocket show was a big, big hit

Hike on the property

The bonfire

Who says you can't be stylish while fishing?

Carl tried to help me, but there was just no hope of me catching a fish that day.

Everyone else, including my 22-month-old son, caught a fish that day.

Jeff snags dinner for everyone.

Carl spotted a copperhead snake in the pond (yes, that would be the poisonous kind). Of course, it was his mission thereafter to catch and kill it which he did successfully (luckily without injury). His hunt and kill tactics is a post unto itself.

My first lattice-work blackberry pie

A surprise shower! This is the same saying that was on a cake for my mom when her family gave her a shower when she was pregnant with me. Incidentally, my mom is also the third-born in her family.

My little helper

A grow-with-me snuggie for the baby - love it!

Mary with her dog, Sandy. My brother's dog, Oscar, can also be seen in the background.

Angela with all the grandkids

Mom with all the grandkids

Grant's Farm

2011-09-07T23:29:00.002-05:00

Both Angela and Suzanne's family came into town this weekend for Labor Day. I love when we get to all be together. Some day maybe Zach will get to come too! We took Mary & Katie to Grant's Farm on Saturday (the last hot day of the season). There is no doubt about it - it was hot - but the kids had such a great time, it was well worth it!

Come and get it, goats!

Katie looks like an old pro even though this was her first time at Grant's Farm!

Carl and William after going through the sprinklers - a very welcome relief in the heat!

Yay for snowcones!

Best friends.

Yay for the coolest grandma around who braved the heat to spend the day with her grandkids! The kids love grandma so, so much. William will gladly speed past me and reach out for grandma, saying "mama mama" which is fitting - grandmas are like super-moms!

Beautiful days

2011-09-07T22:31:00.002-05:00

I can't begin to explain how much we have been loving the weather lately. It feels so wonderful to spend our days outside soaking up the sun while enjoying the cool breeze. We have spent our much of our time outdoors lately at various places around town, at different parks, and in our own backyard - so wonderful!

We loved having Lily home for a 4-day weekend! On Monday, daddy was off as well, and we got to go to the park as a family. Love those days.

We went to the Museum of Transportation last Thursday. This was actually one of the last hottest days of the season with temps over 100 degrees, but William didn't mind. This boy loves him some trains!

My beautiful boy lights up my life.

All aboard - William rides the train with Molly's boys, Jack & Patrick. Little did Molly know that she only had 5 more days of pregnancy left. Molly and family welcomed little Charlie into the world yesterday morning. Congrats Kelly family!!

Hi-ya!

2011-08-29T22:27:00.002-05:00

All of William's actions are currently accentuated with a "Hi-ya!" I think this is a product of the play tackling that Lily and William love to do with their dad. In the video you can see William's major contribution to our fruit picking experience - entertainment.

Clue #6

2011-08-29T14:30:00.002-05:00

The first name shares something in common with both Lillian and William.

The second name is the name of someone that Carl admires at his most "primate" level.

Great weekends

2011-08-29T09:03:00.002-05:00

The past two weekends have been so, so fun. We're still in summer mode but with slightly cooler weather so that we can actually enjoy the outdoors. We've been hitting the pool especially hard since we only have one more weekend to enjoy this great family activity. This past weekend, we made the trek to Eckert's Farm in Grafton, IL to pick some fruit. Since we are right at the transition between summer and fall harvests, we were able to get blackberries, peaches, and apples. And man are they delicious! The best part is that William loved picking the fruit and readily ate his fill and then some while picking. It was so nice to see him gobble up nutritious foods without a struggle. Great family times!

Monkey see, monkey do

2011-08-22T13:41:00.002-05:00

William loves his big sister so much and basically wants to do everything she does. Below are some pictures of our little monkey trying to be like his big sister.

Lily has the best ideas when it comes to riding the swings.

If Lily has important things to draw or write, so does William (although he is definitely right-handed).

Showing William the proper technique when it comes to oral hygiene.

If Lily is touching the snake then it must be okay. Daddy seems to think otherwise.

So, our biggest news of our ultra-fab weekend is that William went poo-poo on the potty!!! We are by no means in the process of potty training, but William has been telling us lately that he needs to go before he actually goes poo-poo. So, purely for the practice of understanding what the potty is all about, I have been putting him on the potty when he tells me. We had only done this about three times when he actually went! I could not have been more surprised! I still don't plan on actually potty training any time soon, but we will definitely continue this practice while it lasts just to get him used to the concept so that it will be easier when he's actually ready for the real deal. My favorite part of William practicing on the potty is his "make a try" face - cracks me up! I can only guess that William's understanding of the potty concept has something to do with having a big sister as an example. Yet another reason why siblings are great!

William does in fact have his own interests separate from Lily. One of the biggest examples of this is trains. Lily was never really into trains. Even though we had them around when she was younger as well, she just never really got into them. However, William LOVES trains. We are very fortunate to have a train store 5 minutes from us that allows the kids to play on about 6 train tables set up around the room for free. I never really went to this store that much in the past because Lily was usually done with it in about 5 minutes. William, on the other hand, can easily spend an hour here with no complaints. We went here several times this summer while Lily was in camp, and now we plan on using it more with Lily being in school all day. It is especially great during the very hot summer days and the cold days of winter since it is an indoor, climate-controlled space.

Carl update

2011-08-20T20:41:00.002-05:00

For those following Carl's journey through medical training, here is where we are. Beginning July 1st, Carl started his fourth and final year of residency- yay! July 1, 2012 will begin Carl's year of fellowship in hematopathology. And what exactly is hematopathology, you ask? Carl's speciality will basically be diagnosing lymphoma, leukemia and other blood diseases. At the end of fellowship (June 2013), Carl will move into his "permanent" job. This means that next summer, we will yet again begin the job-hunting process. There are no guarantees that there will be a hematopathology job available in St. Louis but that is obviously what we are hoping. As always, we will keep everyone informed as we continue on in this process.

Today Carl participated in a charity tennis tournament. He hasn't been able to play tennis that much since his back has been bothering him for a quite a while now. I know he was happy to get out and play a little and is hoping to join an intramural team in the fall.

Aerial view of the courts. One of Carl's favorite moments of the tournament today was slamming an overhead past the Head of Bond Marrow Transplants. Hee hee.

Carl definitely had the cutest and loudest (okay and the only) cheering section at the tournament.

Carl has been a home improvement machine this month as well. I should have taken before pictures, but this flowerbed was a disaster. Carl came up with this low-maintenance concept, and I love it!

Carl has kept his usual sense of humor as well. Lily lost her second tooth on Wednesday, and we were looking for a gift from the tooth fairy that we may have available around the house. Carl pulls out this utility knife and sets it on the table saying, "problem solved". So helpful. (Oddly enough, this was an attendance gift from a physician recruiting fair.)

Whew!

2011-08-19T11:53:00.002-05:00

We've had quite the transitional week in the Deetz household. Besides Lily starting the big K, she also lost her second tooth Wednesday night. On that same day, the spring on our garage door opener broke, and William flushed his toothbrush down the toilet. The garage is a minor repair that the repairman temporarily fixed yesterday and will permanently fix next week. The toilet may not be so minor; we will find out later today. Last night our tv, internet, and phone went out (all services are through the same company). Luckily that was a temporary problem in our area because I don't think Carl could take much more! :) Overall though, things are going well. Today is the last day that I plan on meeting Lily's bus at school and walking her in. On Monday, I am going to go to the school but not let her see me and just discretely check to make sure that all goes well. I know that it may seem crazy, but you've got to give a mother some slack. She's still my baby. With Lily at school all day, I've been able to focus more on William (and me) during the day. I'm excited to get to work with William one-on-one. He is such a sweet boy, and I love getting the opportunity to see him in action on his own. I also went back to the gym this morning for the first time in an embarrassingly long time, and I even got an uninterrupted nap yesterday afternoon with an unrushed shower. Am I in a fairy tale? Someone pinch me.

With Lily's transition to "real school", I've been noticing how much more mature she seems lately. One of the most notable examples of this happened last week. Carl and I put the kids to bed and then went in the backyard for about 15-20 minutes to enjoy the cooler weather together. When we came back in, Lily was up and going back up the stairs. It is really rare for her to get up at night, and I felt bad that she did not know where we were. I asked her if she was scared, and she said that she was but her plan was to go back to bed and then if we still were not there in the morning, she was going to call the police. I was blown away by that level of thought and ability to manage her emotions. I can't help but stand in awe of the girl that she's become. And a few other fun sayings from Lily lately:

I asked Lily a question while she was drawing, and she said, "Mommy, I'm concentrating right now". Sorry, my mistake.

Lily asked to watch a movie, and I said that she couldn't because it was bedtime. So she responded, "You're cruel".

William ruined one of Lily's play scenes that she set up with her Calico Critters, and she scolded him by saying, "William, I'm going to give you a piece of my mind".

My personal favorite - William and Lily were play tackling, and when she had him on the ground, she said, "Who's on top of the food chain now?"

Bittersweet

2011-08-17T15:24:00.002-05:00

The sweetest and saddest part of my day yesterday was when Lily boarded the bus, and William repeatedly called, "Lele, Lele". Then, when we came home (after meeting Lily at school), William grabbed Lily's lunch bag from last year, put it on his arm, and then tried to go bye-bye to school too. I truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

As a wrap-up from yesterday, we had to take a couple of pictures of Lily coming home. By the way, William now thinks every yellow bus contains his sister, so I was very happy to finally tell him that yes, Lily was on the bus coming down our street.

Lele's home!!!

We forgot to get a picture with Lily's big-girl backpack yesterday morning, so we took one when she got home.

And because I'm the crazy mom, I had to get a picture today as well when grandma came over to see Lily off to school!

Report from the first day

2011-08-16T17:12:00.001-05:00

Lily's first day of Kindergarten

2011-08-16T10:21:00.002-05:00

I am surprisingly having a tough time with Lily going to Kindergarten today. (I do have to mention here that I was not the only parent in our household to shed some tears last night at the thought of our baby starting the "big kid" school today - sorry to call you out, Carl.) Although I am super excited for her and know that she is ready, I am really feeling the loss. Not just the loss of her being here throughout the day, but the loss of a time in her life not defined by school. This begins a new chapter that will last into her adulthood which is just unfathomable. Lily, like always, is taking this transition in stride. Whenever we ask her about going to school, she usually gives a short answer and continues playing or doing whatever she was doing. I think that she has done so many camps and classes that this just seems like the next thing. I'm curious to see how this plays out in about a month when she realizes that this is all day, every day. My greatest hope is that by then, she is hooked and really wants to go to school because she enjoys it so much.

Whenever I get nervous, I go into organization mode to help me feel more prepared. Yesterday, I reviewed the menu for the week with Lily, and she made some adjustments. This is the meal she chose for today's lunch: pasta salad, mango and carrots with dip. I also slipped in a note from the family, wishing her a great first day.

All ready for school!

No first day jitters here! :)

Even though the bus stop is only two doors down, I thought it would be best to keep William "contained" in the stroller.

The bus ran late this morning because of everything associated with the first day (like some parents wanting to take pictures...). Lily wasn't too excited about having to wait for the bus for 20 minutes, but we passed the time away making up new lyrics to the "Wheels on the Bus" which William also found entertaining.

Lily getting off the bus at school. I was not too excited about the drop-off procedure at school and was very happy that I was there to guide her into school today. My plan is to be there for the next couple of weeks until I'm confident that she can do this on her own.

All settled in for the first day! Lily is such a pro at going to school. I'm so happy that she shows no trepidation toward this next step - it greatly helps to ease my own fears!!

Clue #5

2011-08-12T21:31:00.002-05:00

My mom used the clues to narrow down the names, and I confirmed that the name was within her list of twenty. So, I am passing this list on to everyone else, and here it is...
Adriana
Aemilia
Bianca
Celia
Eleanor
Elinor
Emilia
Francisca
Helena
Isabella
Isabel
Julia
Juliet
Katherina
Luciana
Maria
Mariana
Miranda
Olivia
Silvia

And since we are narrowing down first names, here is a list of 11 for the middle name....
Anne
Caroline
Catherine
Charlotte
Elinor
Elizabeth
Emma
Isabella
Jane
Margaret
Sophia

Only 10 more weeks until the big reveal!! :)

Until next time, Memphis

2011-08-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

The kids enjoyed hanging out at Angela and Zach's house and especially liked the musical instruments that they were kind enough to let the kids play. Thanks for letting us take over your house for a few days, Ang & Zach! We had a great time and can't wait for the next visit!

William was a BIG fan of the drums

This really exemplifies William. He is such a happy, happy boy!

Tickling the ivories

So long Memphis!

Memphis - Day 2

2011-08-09T15:18:00.002-05:00

On Day 2 in Memphis, we went to the Farmer's Market in the morning, a splash park in the afternoon and enjoyed some yummy Memphis BBQ and had a little birthday celebration for Mary at night. After the kiddos went to bed, we even got to watch a movie and then do some serious girl talk. I know Zach was disappointed that he was called into work and had to miss that!

Zach joins the girls for a brief Princess Game. Unfortunately, I don't think Zach got to change out of his scrubs all weekend. Such is the life of a Resident Physician.

I'm going to Memphis...

2011-08-09T14:58:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this trip actually happened a couple weeks ago (at the end of July). We've just been so busy having fun that I haven't had the time or the motivation for blogging lately. Mary, Katie and Suzanne arrived in St. Louis a day or two before we left for Memphis so we got to hang out with them before we left. They enjoyed swimming together, going to the carousel at Faust Park, going shopping and even seeing a movie with grandma! Below are a couple of pictures from their shopping trip.

We filled Suzanne's minivan and headed down to Memphis on Friday. When we arrived, we got to take a tour of St. Jude's Hospital, where Angela works as a physical therapist. It truly is an amazing hospital, and I'm so glad that Angela loves her job so much. Later that day, we went to The Peabody hotel in Memphis to watch the procession of the ducks.

The girls checking out the ducks in the fountain

The Duckmaster

Roll out the Red Carpet - here they come!

William did not have the patience to wait for the official procession of the ducks. So we had to check out a white chocolate duck instead.

The girls got to enjoy a special treat that night, making homemade ice cream with their Uncle Zach.

How fast it all goes...

2011-07-25T14:18:00.002-05:00

Lily's first teeth - July 2006

Last portrait with all her baby teeth

The "wigglers" - the same 2 teeth that first came in 5 years ago.

One excited little girl holding her first lost tooth

Letter immediately composed to the tooth fairy

Buds

2011-07-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

Clue #4

2011-07-18T08:15:00.002-05:00

This baby name clue relates to the middle name which has been used in the works of Jane Austen.

Girls night out

2011-07-10T13:26:00.002-05:00

Lily and I had a date night last night. We went to see The Little Mermaid at the Muny. It was a great evening. Since the Muny is an outdoor theater (the nation's largest, by the way) and operates only in the summer, you never know if you are going to get a hot, sticky night or if it is going to rain. But the weather cooperated - warm with a little breeze. I'll take it!

Before the show, we enjoyed a dinner together in the Muny's pavilion restaurant. They had a special children's buffet set up for all the little ones going to see The Little Mermaid. As usual, Lily won the hearts of those around us, and the waitress actually brought over her manager to make over Lily.

After dinner, pre-show picture in front of the fountain.

Lily was very excited to see Ariel and really did a great job at the show, especially considering that the show starts at 8:15. It was nearly 11:00 by the time the show ended, and she was a little crabby on the walk back to the car. This is WAY past her bedtime, so I can't entirely blame her. She passed out in the car in about 60 seconds on the way home. Overall, it was really great night. As she gets older, I really enjoy one-on-one experiences like these. I know that Carl has also been enjoying his weekend walks with Lily while William naps and I work on some grading for my classes. I just can't say enough about how much we enjoy this little girl!!

A good week

2011-07-09T16:57:00.003-05:00

We had a really fun week here at the Deetz household. On Wednesday, Lily had her cooking class which she really enjoys. The cooking class is held within one of our grocery stores and lasts one hour. The kids make and eat lunch, and I usually go grocery shopping with William. Not a bad deal, but this time was even better because grandma came along and took William while I shopped in peace. A girl could get used to that! I had my doctor's appointment after Lily's class which included my glucose test, and I passed!! I'm very happy that there was no negative or even borderline results. I already know that I will have to monitor my blood pressure at the end, meaning a reduced sodium diet which would make a low carb diet even harder.

On Thursday we had a car appointment which ended up lasting 2 1/2 hours! The kids were so, so good. Thank goodness for playrooms, free popcorn, and cartoons! They were so cute in this little car, with their popcorn, they looked like they were at a drive-in theater. We rounded out the week on Friday with a park playdate with my high school friends, and Lily and I have a date tonight to see The Little Mermaid at the Muny. I think I'm more excited about it than she is! :)

I have also been trying out some new recipes this week. (No surprise there.) However, these recipes have been fairly simple and fast, and I have been very happy with the results. This was especially good because Carl worked late nearly every night last week so we were on our own for the dinner, bath, bedtime routine. The menu this week included Asian porkchops with steamed edamame on Wednesday, shrimp soft tacos and Mexican corn on the cob on Thursday, broiled portebello mushroom sandwiches on Friday, and grilled genova salame with fontina cheese and pepperocini panini sandwiches today. Every meal was so fast and tasty - perfect for summer.

Butterfly House

2011-07-08T16:41:00.002-05:00

Every first Tuesday of the month, the Butterfly House offers free admission for local residents. So the day after we returned from our trip, we headed there with some friends. We then enjoyed the playground area next to the Butterfly House and topped it off with a picnic lunch.

Lily with one of her besties, Amelia, walking along the giant caterpillar

Amelia also has a little brother named William!

Our mischievous William

Catch me if you can!

More lakehouse pictures

2011-07-08T16:17:00.002-05:00

We went back to the lakehouse on Sunday night to see an impressive fireworks display around the lake. Another fun, relaxing evening!

Lily and William, ready for more fun at the lakehouse!

Lily and William in the paddle boat on the lake with Grandpa and Aunt Ingrid

Game time!

William hanging out with Grandpa on the dock

I only got one (blurry) picture of Lily with a sparkler, as this was the only one we were able to light. The wind did not help, but those little suckers were tough!

Beautiful sunset over the lake

Waiting for the fireworks to begin

Lily doing her "sparkler dance" on the boat while watching the fireworks. I love her joy and zest for life!