Our summer of fun - Part 1

Vi kicked off summer the proper way - at the beach with Mamaw and Paw!  Mom and Dad weren't there (so I can't tell you much about it), but based on the photos, it looks like they had a great trip.

Vi loved stumbling upon a sleeping kitty in a baby basket in one of the boutiques; apparently, it is feral and only comes in to sleep.

Vi also found a nest that washed up on the boardwalk after the rains receded.

Being silly with Paw.  The best part of going to the beach.

Vi's yearly beauty shots on the beach

After some relaxation at the beach, Vi went to golf and soccer camp.  She did great in both and enjoyed them very much.  Daddy enjoyed seeing his little girl on the golf course, too.

Her favorite part was going around to the different stations on the golf cart with her friends.

Lily even dropped by to say hello at golf camp.  Fore!

Vi with her pre-k friends at soccer camp.  How many 5 year-olds can you fit in a locker?

Lily's Baptism Weekend

Uncle Charlie and Aunt Ro (from NJ) spent the weekend with us for Lily's baptism.  They were so sweet to come to Vi's special performance.  This is where Lily got to meet them for the first time!

This is Vi with her teacher Morgan.  She is always excited to receive a trophy and flowers for her dance and cheer accomplishments.  For this performance, Vi's dance partner was absent.  Morgan was a bit panicked before the show and did not know if Vi would want to perform alone.  Vi was up for it, and she was a shining star doing her ballet positions dance and "groovy" dance all by herself.  She definitely stole the show.  It was the cutest and bravest thing I think I have ever seen a 5 year old do alone.  I was very proud of her for following through with her obligation to dance and show her friends, teachers, and parents what she has learned this year.  More importantly, she enjoyed every second and was smiling and entire time.

Go, Vi!

Vi and Daddy helped show our relatives around town; here they are at the incline railroad.

They met up with Mommy, Lily, Mamaw, and Paw at the park where Lily showed off some of her newly acquired mobility skills.

Trying to walk

Crawling (and trying to eat grass)

 Love this picture!  I though t it really captured the fun of riding the carousel.  Vi blew kisses and winked at all of us during her ride.

The weekend led up to Lily's baptism on Sunday

After she was baptized and anointed with oil, our pastor walked around the aisles with her.  The choir sang a special song that included her name.  Lily was totally relaxed with our pastor, and even looked like she just might doze off for a second.  The ceremony was very touching.

Lily fell asleep during her luncheon, just like her big sis Vi!

Uncle Bini with the kiddos.  We all decided this should be his new dating profile picture on match.com haha!

Crawler alert!

We don't have a good picture...yet.  I just wanted to document the big event.  Lily is pumped and so proud of herself.  All she wants to do is go somewhere.  She cares nothing about learning to sit up without tipping over.

Lily is officially a super army crawler and can cover a lot of ground quickly.  She is not crawling in the traditional way, but she gets up on all fours before deciding to scoot around instead.  She was also introduced to the baby walker and figured out how to "walk" within seconds.  It's funny to hear her moving around the house on her own if we are not in the same room.  Watch out...you can run but you can't hide from Lily Belle!

Pictures soon!

Lily's 6 month update

One change to report is that both of our cats are becoming more accustomed to having a new baby in the house.  They absolutely LOVE her room (probably because there are blackout shades and we have a heater in there).  Oliver even lets her "hug" him, and she always chuckles when she sees one of the cats.  A coveted spot is the changing table because it provides an easy vantage point to stare outside at birds and other creatures.  It's also the perfect size for snoozing if you are a cat.

Lily is now 26" and 15.5 lbs.  This is astounding to us as that was about Vi's weight at 12 months!  She is in the 45th percentile for height and 25th for weight.  Vi has never been out of the 10th percentile (and often closer to the 5th).

Lily loves to play in her crib.  We are going to need to lower the mattress soon because she can army crawl and roll about anywhere, and pulling up is probably on the horizon.  She likes to stare back at the cats who are normally lounging nearby on the couch.  She often plays in here in the mornings while I am helping sissy get ready for school.

I reach for everything and try to put it in my mouth!

Lily continues to do really well with her baby food (which would explain how much she has grown!).  She loves to eat yogurt now and when oats are mixed into her baby food.  Other than non-sugar applesauce and organic yogurt, I have been making all of her food.  She still really loves bananas has never turned her nose up to anything that has been offered to her.  She loves her new rice cake snacks that help her learn how to mash food and practicing with her sippy cup filled with water.

Lily's current favorite activity is to bounce in her door jumper.  She will do this for 45 minutes sometimes.  She loves it so much she can just nod off in it!  The more you say "bouncy bouncy" or "jump" the more she laughs.  She loves when her sister plays along, and Vi continues to be the sunshine in her life.  They take a bath together nightly now, and it is really precious.  Vi is such a great helper and big sister.  We could not be more proud of both of them.

Now that the weather is warming up we are trying to take Lily outside more.  We have really been unable to do this much because the winter here was so cold.  She is very easy going and just loves doing what everyone else is doing and feeling like she is included.

Our Easter 2014

We had a great Easter as a family of four.  We started celebrating with Vi's performance in the Palm Parade on Palm Sunday.

Egg Hunt #1 at church.  Lily was super cute in her bunny ears that Mamaw gave her.  She was definitely the cutest bunny I encountered!

Vi's overflowing basket of eggs

mmmm... I love eggs!

The next day, Vi's school celebrated Easter.  It was very exciting because she was also the line leader that day (which is always a highly anticipated day). First stop, Noah's Ark petting zoo.

The pig (aka Pickles) needed a bit more space to roam, so he explored the parking lot.  Ha!

The farmer had baby bunnies that he swaddled for the kids to hold.  This was absolutely adorable.  The kiddie chairs were lined up against the perimeter of the pen, and all of the little girls looked like little mommies with their "babies" as they cuddled the bunnies.

Vi's chocolate bunny

Vi and her girlfriends from school.  She also had an opportunity to gather up more eggs at the school's hunt.

Next, we had to prepare for the Easter Bunny's visit to our house by dyeing eggs.  This year, I decided to bake the eggs instead of boiling them (thanks, Pinterest!) and it worked perfectly with a lot less mess.  Vi did a great job dyeing and glittering the eggs.

Putting out our baskets (there is a carrot in there as "bait" if you look closely).

Happy Easter!  Lily wore Vi's first Easter Dress, and once again I am convinced that they are going to be very similar in their looks.  Here are Vi's pictures on her first Easter for a comparison.

Have you ever ridden to church naked so that you don't wrinkle your dress? Well, Vi has!

Lily and sister with the Easter lilies

Our family

Our final egg hunt with the neighbors.  We hope everyone had a great Easter Holiday.

He is risen, indeed!