Bath Time!!

Lounging On Her Table!

Yesterday morning as her daddy and I were watching the news, Lillian proceeded to relax with her 'Sea Life' book ON TOP of her art table!

Her eyes would move from her book to the fish tank while she pretend read (we can only assume at this age, right?!) the books contents!

Mommy: "Lillian, you be careful up there!"

Lillian: "Awww, Mom! Sitting is noth'n! Watch me stand!" Mommy: "Eeeeeeeeeek!"

A Trip Down Memory Lane!

We went for a nice walk on Monday to enjoy some warm sunshine before the next big storm hit!

Although she enjoyed riding in her backpack, Lillian happily and eagerly kept up with her he daddy, Finn and I!

We did stop several times for her to look at some interesting rocks, however!

I wonder where she gets it...?

Like father, like daughter!

A Goldfish Snack!

Chill'n with a little goldfish snack!

...munh-munch-munch!

Christmas Dinner!

Keith made an amazing Christmas dinner!!!! We had ham, mashed potatoes and green beans! Since it was my birthday, he insisted that I sit back and relax and let him do all the cook'n. I sure do love that man! :)

Yummmmmm!

Lillian figured out that she can fit into her dolly's stroller! Just after this picture was taken, I 'strolled' her to bed!

Christmas Morning!

We opened up our stockings first and found some fun little surprises!!

Lillian insisted on helping us open our gifts!

For Lillian's big gift, Santa got her a mini piano (that doesn't require batteries!)!

Santa nailed it again with this doll and stroller gift! All day, Lillian pushed her doll around the house... did I say all day? All day! :)

Helping Mommy clean up!

Beautiful Christmas Lights!

On Christmas Eve night, Lillian, Keith and I got some hot chocolate and drove around to see all the pretty Christmas lights and decorations that adorned many of the houses in town. When we found an especially beautifully decorated neighborhood, we decided to go for a walk and let Lillian see them up close! She must have enjoyed it because she kept saying, "Woowwwww, woooowwwww, wooowwwww!" VERY cute!

With Mommy!

With Daddy!

Christmas Eve At The Park!

Lillian and Finn!

Getting ready to slide down all on her own!

Climbing the stairs! Peek-a-boo!!

Video of Lillian climbing the stairs and going down the slide by herself!

Chinese Food Queen!

Lillian absolutely loves fried rice and noodles! She's even getting the hang of feeding herself with a fork and spoon!

Yummmmmmmmm!

You can't really tell in this picture, but there are three noodles smeared in her hair... she's about to spear in a fourth :)

Our Future Engineer/Architect/Sculptor!

Lillian absolutely LOVES her Legos and builds great structures out of them with only a little help from mommy and daddy!

Taaadaaa!!

Just... one... more... piece...

What a castle!

A Chilly December Afternoon!

Lillian, Daddy, Finn and I took a stroll through our neighborhood and spent a good deal of time at our local park. Lillian has gotten more and more confident on her feet and climbs up the stairs and down the slide all by herself now (photos and video to come)!

Weinermobile Sighting!

On our way to my 36 week prenatal appointment on Tuesday, Lillian and I spied a Weinermobile!! It's seriously been 20 years since I've seen one!

Hey! Where's the bun?

A Visit To The Fire Station!

Yesterday, Lillian and I joined our friends at the Fire Station for a field trip! The Firefighters gave us a tour of their truck, the Station and explained all that they do!

We got to see all the trucks up close!

Lillian looked on as a fireman described the water tank on the 'wildfire' trucks!

Thank you firefighters for all that you do to help keep us safe!

Toddlers In Motion!

Lillian and her friends are so active during gymnastics that it's difficult for me to get pictures that aren't blurry... even when using the 'motion' setting on my camera!

Mikey sings, 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' to Lillian :)

Hanging out on the balancing beam!

Mikey gives Lillian a big kiss with sound effects and everything (smooooooch!). VERY cute!

A big hug!

A Visit With Santa!

Yesterday, we decided to drive to the Bass Pro Shop and where we take our yearly photo with Santa! Remembering last year's long line, we tried to arrive early, so as to lessen the time we had to stand... We didn't get there as early as desired, but being Monday, we only waited for about an hour... Keith and I alternated holding our place in line and entertaining Lillian, which wasn't that difficult given the HUGE fresh water fish tank and several stuffed game animals scattered around the establishment to catch her eye. To my surprise, her most favorite isle was the fishing line isle where she enjoyed 'reorganizing' the fishing line rolls... The photo above was taken within the first 5 minutes of waiting in line. Lillian was initially overwhelmed by all the people and colorful vastness around her and gave out little worried sounds letting us know she wasn't too sure about all the commotion just yet!

As we neared the head of the line, Lillian had calmed down and was enjoying the 'stuffed' fish that were hanging from the ceiling. She kept saying, "Fish!" :)

Lillian, her brother (hiding behind the colorful shirt on the right) and I waiting patiently in line.

The 'Photo With Santa' area was decorated with fun Christmas decor. Lillian's favorite were the flakes of 'snow' scattered about on the floor.

Right before it was our turn to sit on Santa's lap, one of Santa's elves asked me, "So, how do you think she's going to do?" Knowing that toddlers are generally unpredictable and many are frightened by Santa until they get older, we said, "We've got a 50/50 chance..." To our relief (and Santa's too!), Lillian took to Santa like they were old buddies :)

This is Lillian's first picture with Santa last year for comparison :)

Being eight months pregnant, Santa invited me to take a photo with him to mark our son's, "first picture with Santa!"