The Growing Stones

It's the little things...

2011-12-16T09:55:00.000-06:00

Have you ever seen anything bring a person more joy than this jelly toast is bringing this boy? He was so excited!

He was also very excited about this Elmo juice. He was chasing the straw and caught his thumb instead!

He's gotten so big. I love seeing him grow!

Leaf

2011-12-07T09:11:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday 10/26/2011

2011-10-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

Smart boy!

2011-10-21T08:51:00.000-05:00

Lily and I picked out a new book for Jacob at the Book Fair. It's called Don't Be Scared, Deer! It features a fuzzy, feely little deer. Jacob loves him. He's been kissing and petting him while he "reads".

There is also a "Buuuur" that gets him pretty excited. He loves bears.

He's a fast kisser; I couldn't get a picture before he wanted to see the camera!

My serious scholar. When did my baby become such a big boy?

Trip to the zoo

2011-09-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

We decided to go to the zoo with the family on Sunday. We went with Mom and Tom, Sonya, Sean and the babies. I have a great pic of the babies sleeping in the stroller. I wish I could show you, but it didn't last long anyway! They love to be held.

My little fashionista (the glasses kill me!) and my big boy

Lily and the flamingos. She wanted a picture of them together as soon as we got there. Thankfully they are close to the beginning!

We fed the giraffes. Awesome. I might have been the most excited Stone. Jacob just looked and Lily had done it before with Sonya. I was pumped.

The big one wanted all the food.

The baby was my favorite.

Jacob, look at the zebra.

Lily, look!

Guys, do you see these zebras?!? (I love these kids. How cute is that little man and his big sister showing him the world?)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

My Boy

2011-08-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

How can you not just love him?? Those blue eyes, those chubby cheeks. Reaching for me. Heart melts.

My Baby Girl turns 6!

2011-08-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

6 Years Old! Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday that she was toddling around and cooking in her play kitchen. Now she's a big girl, going into first grade tomorrow. She can read. She likes to write stories and draw pictures. She loves her brother more than anything and is almost always a sweet sister. She is a sassy pants, but she has a tender heart still. She is the best thing I've ever done. I can't imagine life without her.

Waiting impatiently for her guest to arrive.

She wanted a Littlest Pet Shop party. As with her most recent parties, we didn't do a whole big party. Just family. Grandma made lemon cupcakes at the request of the birthday girl.

My spoiled daughter got a Wii and TV and games to go along with it. She had NO idea. She was super excited.

I'm glad she's growing to be a smart and beautiful girl, but I wish it wasn't happening so fast.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T08:20:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

Fancy clothes

2011-07-01T10:43:00.000-05:00

In my attempts to get Josh to help me take a decent picture of the new skirt I made for my other blog, Lily couldn't resist the camera. She put on the shirt I had changed out of. I'm pretty sure her head was through the arm hole. She kept calling it her fancy clothes.

Look at that grin! She's a mess.

Posing with Mommy!

Lily and Daddy in his fancy clothes. How can you not love a man who will "wear" a pink striped shirt to take pictures with his "fancy" daughter? "Daddy, you need some fancy clothes too!"

Little Indian Boy

2011-06-26T08:32:00.001-05:00

Jacob loves music. It's so cute to watch him dance, but my favorite is when he sings. I sing him Rock-A-Bye Baby sometimes. If I stop before he's ready, he'll sing, "baabbyyy, baaabbyy." He likes my mom to play with his toes and sing 10 Little Indian Boys. She was singing to him at the pool.

Look how happy it makes him.

You can see he's singing it to her, so she'll do it some more. I could just squeeze him!

Sheets/Cox/Underwood/Stone family beach trip!

2011-06-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last week we spent the whole week at the beach with my family! It was nice to have the whole week off and with my family. It was a good time. The ocean was pretty rough and filled with sea weed, so we ended up spending most of the time at the pool. We did make it to the beach to check it out. Both of my kids thought it was fun to play in the waves, but they were too big for them to play in the water.

Waving hi to daddy.

Jacob's favorite part was his snack of Cheerios. The ocean did crazy things to his hair. I should have took a picture of how it looked when he woke up from his nap!

This little miss priss liked the ocean alright, but was sad that she couldn't find any shells. Too bad she didn't want seaweed; look at all of it behind her!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T08:21:00.000-05:00

Blueberry babies!

2011-06-07T11:06:00.000-05:00

Lily and I went with my mom on Saturday morning to pick blueberries at the Barber Berry Farm. We picked a whole gallon for our house and couldn't wait to see if Jacob liked them. Oh man, did he! He kept putting them in his mouth, bite, swallow, next! This bowl was about 1/3 full and they ate every one. I love this picture because Lily is watching out for her little brother. How cute is her little hand on his back? I love them. (A note of warning: 2 pints of blueberries split between 2 little tummies leds to stomachaches!)

Jacob's First birthday

2011-05-11T10:43:00.001-05:00

We had a small family birthday party for Jacob's first birthday. Lily helped me deocrate the kitchen with streamers and balloons.

Bring on the cake!

This silly stunned look was pretty much his reaction to all of the presents. Lily did get the all opened for him. They have both been playing with them for the last 2 weeks! Rotten kids, I tell you!

Publix cake. Didn't love it. Oh well. It's just a cake!

Not sure about the flame and the people singing.

Getting a taste of frosting. Notice Lily had to wear her princess crown, since Jacob got to wear a "prince" crown.
He got the cake eating figured out! LOVED it.

What good manners! He's sharing with Aunt Sonny.

Look at the scrunched nose as he shovels more in!

He literally had frosting up his nose all night. He would sneeze and more would come out! It was gross, but I'm glad he enjoyed himself. After he at his fill, he was more than happy to give cake to everyone else!

Uncle Sean trying to get in on the action. Look at the clump of cake in his hand. Ridiculous.

Here Pawpaw. Your turn.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you very much.

Easter 2011-Jacob's First Easter!

2011-05-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

When did this girl get so big? How beautiful is she!

Jacob and his elephant. He wasn't sure what to do with it.

I don't know why, but I love his face in this one. (I know some of you object to the bonnet, but I wanted him to be a little baby boy for another minute! Plus, I think it's too cute!)

My cute kids

Jacob thought it was funny. Lily-not so sure.

Me and the kids.

The Stone Family-Easter 2011

Jacob opening his basket with Grandma. I think he may have been calling the cat right here. It's his new thing to do...kiiiiii,kiiiiii.

Lily's favorite thing was her Strawberry Shortcake doll.

Jacob wanted Grandma's new beach hat.
Super fun day. Lily was an excellent egg hunter and hider, and even had Grandma hide hers hard, like the big kids. At bed time Lily said she wished everyday was Easter, except for Christmas, and then you should do Christmas and Easter on the same day.

Big Boy haircut

2011-04-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

Jacob turned one yesterday.

What? He is one year old? Can't be true. Since Easter was last weekend, we are celebrating his birthday this coming weekend. Just family for some cake and ice cream. No big deal, but we certainly have to mark the occasion!

We decided that a haircut was in order for this little man on his first birthday, so off we went. First Lily (no pics, sorry), then Daddy, then Jacob. He had just woken up so he wasn't really sure about the whole thing.

The blurry before picture. It was super long over his ears and I could probably have scraped up a tiny pony tail in the back.

Mommy, what is this lady doing?

He sat like a big boy and only tried to get down once.

After at Target. We went to get a booster seat for sister so brother can move into her old one. Say good-bye baby carrier!

Sweet Babies

2011-04-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

Lily has a tender heart. I've blogged about it a hundred times. Just last night she was telling me about someone making fun of her dress because it was a "hot" dress. She's been wearing long sleeved dresses because she wants to and she gets cold at school. I told her she didn't have to wear that dress and she said she wanted to, but she wouldn't make fun of the girl for what she was wearing. That's not nice, she said. I love that she's her own person and is such a sweet girl. She is also sweet to her baby brother and he LOVES her. He says Lily now and it's hilarious. He does this crazy stick his tongue out move to get the L sound sometimes, and it makes me laugh out loud. I love that they love each other.

A big hug for sissy

Don't let this fool you; I'm sure she tackled him right after this.

Jacob and Grandma. We were practicing walking in the grass.

Someone thought it was funny to jump in the pictures!

Wrestling with Aunt Sonny

My sweet baby boy

2011-04-11T14:23:00.002-05:00

This boy is almost one. Are you kidding me? 2 more weeks. Ridiculous. Jacob is walking a little bit. He's such a fraidy cat about letting go and doing it, but he can take a few steps at a time before he sits down and crawls to where ever he's trying to go. I don't think he talks very much, but he says Mama, Da, cat, hey, bye. He can roar and bark and quack. My mom and sister say he says thank you, but I haven't heard it. He follows directions now. Josh was amazed on Saturday to learn that he will bring you something (his paci, the ball) if you ask him too. I like to distract him from getting into things by asking him where his ball is.

Jacob is a sweet baby boy. He loves his sister and her baby dolls. You'll notice the slobber on this poor little baby's head. Jacob was kissing her. Now he won't give me kisses, but he'll love up the baby doll. Whatever.

He makes the funniest faces. He was just making the baby kiss pup-dog.

Jacob and the ball. He and Lily are constantly fighting over the ball, but Lily is tricky. You might not even notice her take it from him, but she does it all the time. I think little Jacob is going to give her a run for her money though; he's got a mischevious streak, I think.

He is a very happy little man. He loves to squeal and now stick out his tongue. He has a giraffe tongue just like his sister. (He also has eczema, which is why his cheeks look so red. Any suggestions for clearing that up?) I am going to try to get Easter pictures this next week, so hopefully I'll be able to show these babies all fixed up and pretty!

8 months old

2011-01-13T08:45:00.000-06:00

So that whole taking the same picture every month didn't really work out for us. Here is my little 8 month old man. He is a speed crawler and can walk holding on to stuff. He's been practicing sitting down without just falling. He's not so good at that. Tonight he has a bruise on each cheek, a carpet burn on his forehead, and a busted lip.
He loves Lily and loves playing with her. He has also started doing this thing where he holds his arms up over his head cause he's a big boy. If he's standing up, he can only do one arm, so he looks like a Nazi. It's super funny every time he does it.

Could his eyes be any bluer?

I think this face is funny.

Sitting up like a little man.

Melt my heart.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-12T20:30:00.000-06:00

These are my favorite pictures from Christmas this year. It was the best Christmas I can remember. Lily loved everything she got and she was just as excited to see what you got as to open her own presents. It was awesome. Jacob liked the paper.

My babies and Sadie.

Santa Baby

Santa brought the Tangled doll she asked for.

Jacob and Grandma opening his stocking

Tradition

2010-12-27T10:53:00.000-06:00

Lily and Grandma have a tradition of making gingerbread men together. This year was no exception. Lily is the BEST cookie decorator, especially if you like sprinkles!

Posing with her frosting!

Licking the beater. There was about 10 pounds of frosting on this thing. It made my stomach hurt just looking at it!

This one needs a little more sprinkles. Decorating cookies is serious business!

What's a little spit between friends?

2010-12-27T10:52:00.000-06:00

The Stone Family in gingerbread

Just a few more sprinkles...

Standing Ovation

2010-12-27T10:48:00.000-06:00

Sometime between month 7 and month 8, Jacob started pulling up. He can't quite stand up without holding onto something, but he is an expert of climbing up. He loves to use you as a ladder and then stand in your lap and look around!

Playing in the laundry basket with Sister and 20 baby dolls!

Pulling up on the coffee table. This was about 2 minutes before he pulled the bead toy on his head.

My beautiful big girl

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-21T23:49:00.000-06:00

Jasmine

Yes, yes, I did let my 5 year old wear a face full of makeup for Halloween. It was her favorite part.

Jasmine and her baby brother, Dragon

Meet the Flintstone!

2010-11-21T21:39:00.000-06:00

If you remember our friends have a huge Halloween party every year. Most everyone goes all out on the costumes. I like for us to have matching costumes. We've been Zeus and Aphrodite, Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin, and now Fred and Wilma. I think it's impressive that I made our costumes out of a set of t-shirt sheets and some felt.

Fred

Wilma.

The FlintStones

Fred and Hunter S. Thompson (AKA Uncle Matt)

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-20T22:26:00.000-06:00

We went to Dreamfield Farms in Union Springs to pick out our pumpkins this year.

Our family on the way to the pumpkin patch. Lily got a butterfly balloon and Jacob wanted to eat it.

I love these guys. They are standing on top of a huge haybale.

Petting the animals. We got to feed these donkeys. Lily's favorite part was the baby goats.

Looking for the perfect pumpkin. We got a big one for Lily and a tiny one for Jacob.

5 Months old!

2010-11-19T22:13:00.000-06:00

At 5 months Jacob has one tooth. He can army crawl/scoot/roll anywhere he wants to go. He's a champion eater. He seems to be allergic to rice, but love oatmeal.

He love his sister and she loves him. She let him hold her teddy bear for this picture. How big do his feet look in this picture?!?

How do I get out of this picture?

Hey puppy. How can we get out of here?

Random shots of the little man

2010-11-19T21:45:00.000-06:00

Eating baby food for the first time. Peas. He thought cereal was good, but now he knows real food.

Trying to get all of his toes in his mouth.

Almost got them all!

Home Sweet LIttle Home

2010-11-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

Papu (Tom) built Lily this house for her birthday. My grandpa built me a play house for my 5th birthday too. Lily's has real windows and a little front porch. She has her kitchen and some baby stuff inside.

Sitting on the front porch with her baby brother.

I think he must be trying to see what his silly big sister is doing.

We make cute kids.

I think Lily is very excited about something.

A day in the sun...

2010-11-17T21:43:00.000-06:00

We went outside so Lily could play on her swingset. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take Jacob's picture while he enjoyed the sunshine.

Sunbathing baby!

My beautiful baby boy!

The most beautiful baby boy

2010-11-17T21:30:00.000-06:00

Happy to be outside

Look at the lashes on the boy

This face cracks me up. Look at his jowls. Those are smoochable cheeks.

4 months old!

2010-11-16T21:36:00.000-06:00

These are the pictures from our 4 month old "photo shoot." Of course Lily had to help. Jacob was too squirmy to take very many good ones.

At his 4 month check up, Jacob weighed 14 lbs, 5 ozs and was 26 1/2 inches long. He's a tall boy.

He is still a happy baby, even though he never sleeps. He wakes up about every 3 hours.

He can roll over both ways.

He loves his big sister. He grins whenever he sees her.

Look at those chubby legs.

Drooling baby. His first tooth came in right after this.

Telling us about it. He wanted to talk to us hurrying up, I think.

Big sister was not to be left out. Look at the grin. I love these kids!

First food!

2010-11-16T21:30:00.000-06:00

Jacob got to have his first bit of real food after his 4 month check up. He loved it and hasn't turned down a bit since.

Jacob goes to the beach.

2010-11-15T21:26:00.000-06:00

Jacob didn't care about the ocean. He napped instead.

Napping pool side

Sleeping in his "cabana"

5th year celebration!

2010-11-15T21:21:00.000-06:00

After our small birthday party and the start of school, we went to the beach for Lily's birthday trip. It works out much better than a big party. We stayed on Okaloosa Island with my parents and Sonya and Sean. The weather wasn't great, but we got to get in the ocean some. Lily really just wanted to pick up shells. They were all the size of my fingernail, but she got half a bucket full!

Loving the ocean!

Looking for shells with Grandma and Sonny

She was afraid to bend over and get them, so she wanted to point them out for you to get.

Her favorite part was the pool. She had a super fun time with her floaties on.

Kindergarten!

2010-10-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

A big thing that has happened lately is Lily starting kindergarten. She didn't cry or anything. We are very excited about this big adventure for her. Her reading is already getting better. She's in the accelerated reading program. Proud Mama right here! She seems to like it. She tells big stories everyday when we all get home.

Not the best first day of school pictures, but it's an ordeal to get out of the house every morning.

Let's take pictures, Mommy!

2010-09-25T17:22:00.000-05:00

Lily thinks it is super fun to take pictures of Jacob. She likes to help me pick out his clothes and play paparazzi with him. He plays along for a few minutes.

Our big girl turns 5!

2010-09-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

Lily had a small birthday party for her 5th birthday. We had cake and ice cream with the grandparents and Sonny. We took another trip for her birthday this year. Her top picks were Illinois or the beach. We chose the beach.

Opening her presents

Blowing out the candle. (Sonya was very excited about something)

Even at the young age of five, she knows the best part of the cake is the frosting on the bottom of the candle.

How about she's wearing the same dress that she wore at the beach when she was not quite two? At her 5 year old check up, she weighed 31 lbs. and was 40 1/2 inches tall.

3 months old

2010-09-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

My little fish

2010-07-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

My parents put up a pool in the backyard again this summer. They had it up 2 summers ago, but skipped last year. I don't remember Lily liking it too much before. She mostly just liked sitting in the raft. Well it's a whole different story now. She has some floaties and think she can swim by herself. She would stay in all day everyday if you would let her.
The surprising thing is how much Jacob like it. You put him in his little raft and he just floats around. He kicks his feet like he's going to go somewhere. It's so cute. He is happy as a clam as long as the sun isn't in his eyes. He even tried to fall asleep but then he gets the water in his face. Poor little guy!

Lily and Mama swimming.

How about this big girl? She thinks she's too cool with her floaties and sunglasses.

The best part about swimming is how it tires her out! Here she is waiting for the fireworks on the 4th. She was so sleepy!

4th of July

2010-07-26T20:17:00.001-05:00

For the Fourth of July this year, we had a big weekend. We started out early at the Prattville parade on Saturday. It was a really good time. Very small town fun. After that we went to the park and had some BBQ. Delicious. We also went to Josh's aunt's house and then to my mom's on the 4th. We finished up the day with fireworks at Pratt Park. It was very fun weekend celebrating Independence Day!

This is pretty much how Jacob spent the whole day. We did get squirted with water guns by the Prattville Swim Team (I think), and he did not care for that at all.

Lily and Grandma watching the parade.

Lily holding Jacob and Sadie. Sadie is Josh's cousin's baby. She and Jacob are 3 weeks apart. You can't tell it so much in this picture, but he dwarfed her! Lily was in heaven holding TWO babies!

Another try at a Stone Family picture. We're getting better!

2 Months Old

2010-07-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

Here's Jacob's 2 month old picture. I'm not sure why it's so orange, but it's what we got. His 2 month doctor's appointment was really at 2 1/2 months, but he weighed 13 lbs, 3 ozs and was 25 3/4 inches long. He's off the chart in weight. He is a happy baby. He just started cooing and trying to talk to you. He spits up alot but it doesn't seem to bother him in the least. He's a little snuggle bug still. He burrows his head on your chest (and not just mine; anyone who's holding him). He is the best.

Bath Time

2010-06-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Bath Time

Photos by Lily Stone

Bathing makes her brother tired.

He loves to just relax in the water.

Yawning.

Lily's brother loves to take a bath. He also loves his sister.

The Many Expressions of the littlest Stone

2010-06-25T08:53:00.001-05:00

Seriously, I will punch you in the face.

Deep in thought.

Grinning boy.

Family Portrait strike out

2010-06-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

So Jacob was a month and a half old and we don't have a single family picture. I was determined that we were going to get one. There were several things wrong with the situation. First, we asked my mom to take the picture. She's a notoriously bad photographer. She'll definitely cut your head off. Second, we were in a hurry to leave the house. I'm not really sure why, but because we were rushing we all look a mess. Finally, Lily was in a super silly mood because she was playing with Max at grandma's. The results:

Apparently I was trying to catch up on my sleep and Lily is laughing like a crazy person. Jacob is trying to look outside. Pay attention, family.

Josh had apparently give up by this time. Lily and Jacob are "saluting the whole kingdom." (Lily says that's what Jacob is doing when he randomly throws his arm up.) I am paying attention, but I do have drool on my shoulder.

This is what it looks like when Mommy gets mad.

The best one of the day.

Oh well. I guess when I look at these later, they'll accurately reflect our life at the time. I love my little family.

Jacob's first 5 weeks

2010-06-07T20:12:00.000-05:00

Look at this beautiful boy! He's so strong and so alert. It's hard to believe you can love someone you've only know for a little over a month so much!

He sleeps in the funniest positions. It cracks me up.

Too tired to even wait to be laid down. I had just burped him and was lifting him up. He just stretched and went right back to sleep like that!

Yeah, he looks like his sister. They look like Mommy and Grandma we discovered when we pulled out the baby pictures. We all have the same chin and the same very round head and even the same hair line.

2010-06-07T19:52:00.001-05:00

When I was younger I used to tell my sister she was adopted. We didn't have very many pictures of her as a little baby, but we did have a picture of her with a cake that had adoption papers on it. This was just because Cabbage Patch Kids were popular, and my mom had limited cake decorating abilities. It was fun to get my sister riled up about it anyway.
Since we have a bazillion pictures of baby Lily, I don't want Jacob to some day be tramatized and think we didn't love him as much. I've been trying to make an effort to take more pictures of him. He doesn't really seem to care for my idea.

I'll just lie here for awhile.

How about this chubby face?

Enough already!

Stop trying to sneak up on me. It won't work!

Jacob-1 month

2010-06-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

At his one month check-up, Jacob weighed a whopping 11.1 lbs and was 23 1/2 inches long. He's a big boy. He is a good eater, but he seems to have a bit of acid reflux. He hadn't really smiled then (2 weeks ago) but he has given us a couple of really big smiles since then. I love it. I think that he's going to love his sister and think she's very funny. So far, she's gotten the most smiles.
He is a sweet baby. He's a little snuggle bug. He loves to be held and cuddled. I love it too!
I'm going to try to remember to take his picture every month so I can remember how he grew. Here he is with his puppy dog that Lily made for him the day we found out he was going to be a he. He's sitting on his special blanket that Mommy made for him. (Lily has a bear and a special blanket with bears on it. )

After Hours

2010-06-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

When it's late at night, I like to sneak around the house and take pictures of the sleeping members of my family. Not really, but this night was too cute to pass up.

Jacob, sleeping in his swing. I'm not really sure why he had his arm raised, but it was precious.

Just down the hall, Little Mother Lily and all of her babies.

There were a couple more that were down on the other end.

These were actually not the same night. This is Jacob "sleeping" in his bed for the first time. It was really just a nap and it only lasted about 15 minutes.

Daddy's Dress

2010-06-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

Long before Jacob was born, Josh's mom gave me this outfit that had been Josh's when he was a baby. In fact, I've had it since I was pregnant with Lily. I finally got around to taking some pictures of him wearing it. Lily thought it was very funny that we were putting Jacob in a dress. I couldn't convince her it wasn't a dress, but she decided it was ok when I let her play with the camera.

My handsome man

Baby's first bottle

2010-05-29T20:17:00.000-05:00

Jacob got his first bottle last week. He's trying it out so Mommy doesn't have to take him to work with her! Lily took pictures. She loves to watch Jacob do anything and she loves to take pictures, so it was very exciting for her.

I think it's so cute how he's looking at Josh like, "How do you have milk?"

Eating like a champ!

I took one of them. Look at Lily look at her brother. Too precious. I love my family!

Baby Jacob's first bath

2010-05-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Jacob had his first bath. It was a family event. He really likes baths. He just sits in the water and looks around. It's cute and much better than screaming!

Just relaxing and enjoying getting clean.

Even Delilah came in to check it out.

Fresh and Clean!

Sister and Brother

2010-05-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

"What's baby doing?" "Can I hold Jacob?" "I want to hold him." "He's so cute."
These are the phrases that Lily repeats all day long. She loves her brother. I think he's holding out judgement on her.

It's so cute to see her love on him.

My 2 kids!

She's a silly girl

Jacob's first few days

2010-05-05T16:28:00.002-05:00

Lily loves him. She wants to hold him all the time. She brought him this teddy bear. It's as big as she is and twice as big as him!

Jacob and his great grandmother, Nanny.

It's a hard life being a newborn.

The first paci. I'm pretty sure he loved it.

Jacob Nicholas Stone has arrived!

2010-05-04T19:23:00.002-05:00

I'm sure everyone who reads my blog already knows that he's here, but Jacob Nicholas Stone has arrived. He was born at 3:38 am on April 26. He weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs, 13 ozs and 20 inches long. He has a good bit of brown hair and could only look more like his big sister did if he was a girl.

I want to tell his birth story so I'll be able to remember it later. I don't remember all of it now and it's still fresh.

I was supposed to be induced on Monday, April 26th. We went to the hospital on Sunday night to get settled. I got there, got into a room and into a gown and got hooked up to the monitors. Josh took this picture of me before I was stuck in the bed. Huge and ready to meet this little baby!

After I was settled in, I got a pill that was supposed to help ripen my cervix so that when they started pitocin in the morning around 4 a.m., I would progress more quickly. The nurse said that the pill actually started labor for less than 10% of women.
It quickly became obvious that it was going to be a long boring night for Josh and me. We tried to watch TV, but he couldn't hear because the sound only comes out of the thing on the bed. He tried to lie on the "couch" that was supposed to be his bed. Yeah right. I decided that he should just go home. That way I could just be comfortable and relax without worrying about him, and he could get a decent night's sleep in our bed. The nurse even said it would be unlikely that we would have a baby that night. Josh left about 8, and I watched some TV.

At 10 the nurse asked me if I wanted an Ambien. I told her I was tired and didn't think I would need it. She gave me another dose of the pill. (BTW, this pill was about the size of a large sesame seed. Who would have thought it would be so powerful?) I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't get comfortable. I had an IV line in case I needed it and had the monitors on my belly. Every time I rolled over, they would have to come in and readjust them. I was having contractions, but nothing too strong or steady. Needless to say, I couldn't go to sleep. At 12:45 or so, the nurse came to check them again and I asked her if I could have the Ambien then and still be alright at 4. She said she thought so. She lied.

Not long after she gave me the Ambien, I noticed the contractions were coming more quickly and getting stronger. I asked her if I could have some pain medicine. She told me I would have to wait 20 minutes since she had given me the Ambien and that she would have to check me. I was at 4. I don't really know why I didn't call Josh then. I think I thought I would just go to sleep. After this everything is pretty hazy.

The nurse left and I think I must have dozed off. I woke up to my water breaking. I was so out of it, I could barely get the button to call the nurse. I kept grabbing the phone instead. About 7 nurses came in and got the bed changed. One of them called Josh. I called my mom since she was supposed to be there to cut the cord. I don't really remember talking to her, but I called her at 2:45 according to my phone. I think the nurse called the anesthesiologist then, but I'm not sure. At some point after her calling Josh, I got a spinal block.

All I remember going on after that is telling one of the nurses I had to go to the bathroom. She kept telling me I couldn't get up, but I kept telling her I needed to go. She checked me and said, "She's crowning." Somehow I didn't push until Josh got there. I remember the doctor coming in and I thought he looked really tired. Why I remember that, I don't know.

Josh said when he got there, the nurse told him he better hurry up. He came in and 5 minutes later, Jacob arrived! Josh said I pushed 3 times, but I only kinda remember that. My mom missed the whole thing. I don't really know when she got there, but I remember seeing her when I was holding him.

Holding Jacob for the first time. I vaguely remember this.

I may actually be asleep here. I don't know. I don't remember any of these pictures being taken. The next thing I remember is surprising the nurses when I stood up by myself to move from the bed to the wheelchair to change rooms. I was pretty out if it until mid morning on Monday.

This is as close as we got to a family picture. Josh got left out.

This was a much different experience than with Lily. I guess it's good because I don't really remember it hurting or anything, but I don't really remember those first few hours either. I do know I will never take another Ambien!

We are at home now and getting adjusted to our new family of four. Lily loves her baby brother. Josh doesn't get to hold him because Lily always is.If he's not eating, she's holding him. Lucky for him, he eats alot! He's a champion nurser and a sweet little man. He's a snuggly little baby, and he doesn't really cry. He looks so much like her, I can't get over it. It's been more than a week, and it still amazes me how much they look alike. I guess I have strong genes!

Thanks so much to everyone for the congratulations and kind words you sent. We are very happy about our new arrival!

Easter Egg Hunters!

2010-04-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, we competitively hunt Easter eggs in our family. This year Nick, Jessica, and the kids got to come for Easter so we had a little kid egg hunt as well.

Miss Priss in her "pearls," looking for eggs.

Lily and Pierce hunting away.

Jadyn just wanted the candy out of her eggs.

After the kids were done, the "adults" had our own hunt. Don't worry, the Stone's were the big winners! This big pregnant lady found the most eggs and we found the most money. Woohoo!

When we were done, Lily and Pierce played grown up egg hunt and pretended the eggs were hidden really hard. It was so funny. I'm glad there aren't pictures, because I'm sure I was quite a sight. I may have climbed completly under a truck to get an egg...

Who doesn't love Easter?

2010-04-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Sonya had to use Sean as her ladder to get her basket from on top of the house.

Lily was super excited when she found her basket!

Jadyn was just happy to have on her ice cream cone shirt.

P was ready to check everything out!

Baby Boy's Baby Shower

2010-04-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

Sonya threw us a baby shower at the end of February. It was really nice. We got lots of fun stuff for Baby Boy and I think everyone had a good time. We played several games and at some delicious cake.

Everyone making playdoh baby boys.

A few of the finished products.

This is the best thing Baby boy got. Big Sister Lily painted him an elephant bank for his room. She did a great job and it matches perfectly. She was so proud to give it to me.

All of the loot plus my helpers. Lily and Henley Joel opened presents faster than I could look at them!
I am so thankful for everyone who came and celebrated our little boy. Now if I could just get those thank you notes finished...

Alabama blizzard

2010-02-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

Since the great blizzard hit this weekend, Lily got to see snow again. I think she'll probably grow up thinking it snows once a year everywhere.
We got all bundled up to play in it. Our outfits were very funny. Everyone ended up wearing Mama's gloves since Lily didn't want to wear her mittens and Josh doesn't have any gloves. I had to convince Lily that she couldn't wear a dress and crocs to play in the snow.

Barely stopping so I could take her picture.

Click on this one. You'll see the elation in her face.

Lily and Mama and our poor snowman.

2010-02-17T15:11:00.000-06:00

Lily was most excited about hitting her daddy in the hiney with a snowball. Here she is stalking her prey and getting her snowball ready.

Her throwing stance.

Got him. They had a super fun time chasing each other. I did see Daddy hit Lily directly in the face with snowball, but she got one all the way down his shirt.

Lily and Daddy

The Nutcracker

2010-02-17T14:39:00.000-06:00

Way back in December, Lily and I went to see the Nutcracker with Miss Heather. We had a very good time. Lily didn't know the story or anything, but she did a great job of trying to watch and figure out what was happening. Hopefully we'll make it a mother/daughter tradition.

Lily and her baby. She even got to wear a big girl necklace.

Lily and Mama. I wasn't nearly as big as this dress makes me look, but I am way bigger than that now!

Lily being a silly girl while Heather tries to take our picture. (It's too bad that you can't see the lady and her daugher who spilled water all over the place next to us or the lady and her son who gave a running commentary of the whole thing behind us. Those were Heather's favorite parts!)

Happy Holidays from the Stones!

2009-12-10T13:31:00.001-06:00

I love this kid!

2009-12-09T10:03:00.000-06:00

We had Christmas pictures made yesterday before our doctors appointment. You know, where we found out we're having a little boy. Here are my 2 favorite "out takes."

This kid is a nut! She cracks me up!

Why isn't there anything in these boxes?

Stay tuned for the real pictures!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T11:03:00.000-06:00

For Halloween this year, Lily decided that she would be Cinderella. When it came time to get ready, she wouldn't wear the crown that she picked out and she had to be forced into the costume. Happy halloween.

Josh and I went the the Hall's annual costume party. We had a good time.

Sarah Palin, Cinderella, and Joe the Plumber

Lily really liked Joe's plunger and kept walking around with it, threatening to "plumb" everyone.

2nd trimester

2009-10-27T13:22:00.002-05:00

Lots has been going on with our growing family lately. Lily has strep thoat. She's been pitiful, but now that her medicine has kicked in, she's insane. I swear, she didn't say 30 words all day on Sunday. When I got home yesterday, Josh said she had not stopped talking since 4 p.m. She wasn't quiet until she fell asleep, and even then she woke up asking for a story. I think she's getting better now, though.

Today I went to the doctor. I'm almost 14 weeks pregnant. I'm mostly over the sick part. I can't complain about morning sickness at all. I just has a nausous feeling, but no throwing up. The cloak of exhaustion has lifted as well. I don't just want to go home and get in bed every day now. I would say the main difference now it that I look pregnant. I look much bigger much sooner this time. It's ridiculous, but I am growing another person!

The doctor's appointment was pretty routine. I lost a pound since last visit, making me down 4 pounds since my first visit. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Since Lily can't go back to daycare until tomorrow, she got to hear it too. She can't understand why the doctor couldn't tell us if was a boy or a girl. I feel the same way! I was hoping that we could find out the week of Thanksgiving, but he changed my appointments to every 3 weeks for the next couple of times to get us on a different schedule. That means THE ultrasound will be the second week of December. I still say boy. Lily goes back and forth. Really, we don't care either way. If it's a girl, great, we know what to expect and have lots of little girl things. If it's a boy, great, one of each, a new adventure!

Tiny Girl, Tiny Horse

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

A Post for Little Brother AKA Uncle Sean: Supporting Evidence

2009-10-20T15:55:00.001-05:00

There is an ongoing debate in our family as to who (or what) Uncle Sean looks like. Sonny swears he looks like a frog. I say Franklin the Turtle. Here I offer my evidence:

Don't you see it? Plus they both like ice cream.

They are both proud of where they came from. Notice how Sean makes his W with 4 fingers, just like Franklin has.
How can you deny the resemblance? The brown eyes with the far away look; the red bandana, the red hair. Totally alike. Case closed.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T12:05:00.000-05:00

Autauga County Fair 2009

2009-10-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

Admission to the Autauga Count Fair: $12

Tickets for Lily and Sonny to slide down the big slide: $20

Finding out that Sonya and I are too old to ride rides: Priceless.

Lily's 4 year check up

2009-09-21T14:48:00.002-05:00

Lily went to the doctor on Wednesday for her 4 year old check-up. It was a terrible trip. Lily is, for some reason, absolutely against the scale at the doctor's office. We had to weigh me once holding her and once not and subtract the numbers to figure out how much she weighs. She weighs in at a whopping 27.5 lbs. She's 40 inches tall. She wouldn't stand up next to the ruler so we had to make her lie down and mark the paper, like they do for babies. It was ridiculous. She did let them take her blood pressure, which I think would have been the thing to be scared off, but I reminded her of her doctor kit and how we take the baby's blood pressure. She sat very quietly while the nurse took hers. She had a finger prick and 3 shots. She screamed bloody murder when she got the shots, but she was fine after about 15 minutes. She did get what I think was a mild case of the flu from her flu shot. She was out of school Wednesday through Friday. She got to say home with momma 2 days and daddy one day. She's feeling much better now and is back at school.

I never take pictures anymore, but you can visit Aunt Sonny's page for some recent ones of her and Lily. All I want to do these days is lie around or sleep. Hopefully my energy will return in a couple of weeks. I go back to the doctor next week for another ultrasound, so maybe I'll get out the camera and be able to post pictures of both of my kids then!

Baby #2

2009-09-01T12:35:00.002-05:00

Today I had my first doctor's appointment. (I know. We sure did tell the whole world pretty quickly. There was a little miscommunication about who we were telling and when, so everyone got to know.) I am 6 weeks today. Because it was so early, the u/s tech said that we might not be able to see anything and that was fine; don't be upset if there isn't anything to see. Well you could see a tiny speck of a baby. She said it's about 2 millimeters long. When I held my breath, she could see the heartbeat. So that was good. I go back to the doctor at the end of the month. Because this ultrasound was so early, we get to do another one then, so that's super exciting.
I saw the doctor next and he said everything looks fine. I'm due April 29th. Hopefully it will work out so that Josh and I are home together for a couple of weeks before I go back to work. Josh will keep the baby for the summer when I go back to work. Lily will start school and the baby will start daycare at the same time.

We are all super excited about a new little Stone. Josh and I are very happy. Lily asks me how big the baby is almost everyday and tells me she loves being a big sister. Because we have 4 bedrooms, Lily has her bedroom and her toyroom. I asked her if she wants to move into her toy room or move the toys to the bedroom. She came up with the solution: the baby can just sleep in her room. She showed me where we could put the bed and everything. When the baby cries, she'll just come get me. What a great solution! She's so smart.

Big Sister Lily

2009-08-25T12:22:00.002-05:00

We are happy to announce that Lily is going to be a big sister. The newest little Stone will make his/her debut towards the end of April. Everyone at our house is very excited.

Wordless Wednesday 08/19/2009

2009-08-19T14:31:00.000-05:00

Self-Portrait

2009-08-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Lily when she's 5 years old. It's night time. Amazing.

This is a picture of Lily's Daddy. It's night time. Awesome.

Atlanta Trip, Part 3: Imagine It.

2009-08-13T09:10:00.000-05:00

We finished off our trip by going to Imagine It, the children's museum. It was my favorite part of the trip. We had so much fun.

Lily really liked this big banana slid. She probably went down it 25 times. Here she is with Daddy peaking out!

Love it!

Lily and Daddy on the big John Deere tractor.

Lily and Mommy driving the tractor.

2009-08-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

We shopped and played store for a good while as well. Lily was very serious about it.

Not letting anything slip by her...

The indignant shop keeper

She bought chocolate frosting, grapefruit, a banana, tuna fish, honey, and 2 asparagus.

Can you believe the price of groceries today?!? Ridiculous!

2009-08-13T09:08:00.004-05:00

Playing on the forklift. It really had a thing that went up and down.

Fishing in the "river"

She was concentrating to catch those fish.

Lily and Mommy fishing in the river.

2009-08-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

Climbing up the cargo net into the tree house.

She thought it was so funny that she was higher than us.

The artist at work. This whole wall was like a dry erase board. Kids would paint the whole thing and then a man came along and rinsed the whole thing off.

Lily and Daddy playing in the moon sand.

Atlanta Trip, Part 2: Georgia Aquarium and Hard Rock Cafe

2009-08-12T08:07:00.002-05:00

We went to the Georgia Aquarium first. There were so many people there that you couldn't really get close to see alot of stuff there. I think we picked a bad time of the year to visit. There were some really neat things to see there. Lily just got overwhelmed by all of the people. So did her momma.

The Baluga whale was probably one of the best things there. It made me want to go to sleep watching it swim around. We got a little stuffed one to take home. Lily says it's her baby baluga whale. Not baby whale, not baby baluga, not baluga whale. Baby baluga whale.

This room had this huge wall of fish to watch. There was several rows of seats where you could sit and watch. It was neat. This is a whale shark. Josh took pictures because I carried Lily most of the time. We didn't want her to get squashed. He's not a great photographer.

For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, because it was next door to our hotel. I'm not usually a big fan of the touristy restaraunts like this, but it was very good. We got free ice cream sundaes because of a little timing problem with my food, but it was no big deal, so that was nice. The service was great.

Lily really liked it!

Our Atlanta Trip, Part One

2009-08-11T13:44:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty sure that Lily's favorite part of our trip was the elevator in the hotel. We were on the 21st floor and they had the glass elevators. She tried to run in as soon as the doors opened so she could look out. It was so cute.

Looking out the elevator. She also insisted on carrying her own bag.

She wouldn't even slow down so I could take her picture. She was so excited!

Looking over the edge outside our room.

Checking out the balcony with daddy. It made me nauseous to look.

4 Years Old!

2009-08-11T13:39:00.000-05:00

I don't know how we let this happen...Lily is 4. It really doesn't seem like that long. For her birthday we had cake and ice cream for the family. We decided to skip a birthday party and go on a trip instead. We went to Atlanta for the weekend and had a great time. Stay tuned for those pics!

Lily's fairy birthday cake

Tegan wanted to help Lily try out her new stuff.

She racked up. She got a baseball glove, roller skates, a fix-my-hair my Little Pony, some clothes, suitcase for her trip, a picnic basket,
a bike...

I didn't get any good pictures of Lily, but this one of Tegan is too cute not to share. She loved some chocolate cake!

A Girl and her Dog

2009-07-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

Lily loves Annie and Annie loves Lily. Lily always wants to take Annie a treat and get her to sit so she can pet her. They are very cute together.

You can see her saying "Annie!" She didn't want Josh petting her because she thought Annie didn't like it. Obviously that's not the case.

"Come sit with me, Annie! Sit, Annie, sit!"

Sisters. They are hilarious together.

"Annie, I don't want kisses!"

2009-07-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe one.

Best friends.

Playing outside

2009-07-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

This is her action shot. She posed so I would take this picture. I'm not exactly sure what she's doing with the ball.

She loves to play outside. She was very excited that we were grilling for dinner so she could bring her little ball outside.

She's just like her mommy and gets rosy cheeks as soon as she gets hot outside.

My beautiful little girl.

2009-07-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

After she played ball, she decided it was time to cut the grass.

Stopping for a minute so mommy can take her picture.

She was very serious about this. She kept asking me if the grass looked good now that it was cut.

The lawnmower needed a little repair work.

She also tried to get the bubbles to work, but she couldn't figure out how. She really just needed the bottle refilled, but I didn't have any to put in there. She got out her non-spill bubbles and tried to blow bubbles back inside of the lawnmower, but I didn't get a picture. It was so cute though.

Wordless Wednesday 07/15/09

2009-07-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday 07/08/09

2009-07-08T13:19:00.000-05:00

Growing and Growing...

2009-07-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

Lily decided that it was time to take some more pictures of our garden. Mostly, I think she meant take pictures of her with the garden around us. Daddy got her dressed and Daddy can't fix hair, so pretend you can see her face in the midst of the mop on her head. I keep trying to talk her into cutting it, but she says she likes long hair.

Doesn't she look so grown up? She'll be four in a month. When did that happen?

Hiding behind her marigold. That's just one plant that she planted as a seed. It's the biggest marigold I've ever seen, I think!

Zucchini blossoms and a beautiful little girl.

Our picture taking quickly went down hill after she saw how funny she looked hiding in the plants.

2009-07-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

Can you find a silly girl?

Annie didn't want to be left out. (How about those beautiful Roma tomatoes?)

What a mess she is!

Wordless Wednesday 07/01/2009

2009-07-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Illinois trip...

2009-06-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Josh, Lily, and I drove to Illinois for my brother's wedding. Lily did really good in the car. I'll be writing my thank you note to the maker of the portable DVD player right after I finish this. She watched Peter Pan a total of 4 times in 3 days. I think if you ask Lily, the best parts of the trip were the hotel and the babies. I don't have any pictures, but we got to meet my new cousin, Paris Hope just hours after she arrived. Lily thought she was alright and even got to give her a bottle.

We had 2 double beds in our room. Guess who got one all to herself? Well, she shared it with her baby, but baby doesn't take up too much room.

This was about 3:30 in the morning. Who is that happy at 3:30 in the morning?

Lily and Jadyn
The great sadness of the trip for Lily was that Jadyn isn't a little baby anymore. J wouldn't act like a baby, and Lily didn't understand why. She wanted to hold her hand and play with her like a baby. Someone get this kid a sibling already!

My beautiful girl waiting for Uncle Nick and Jessica to get married.

Let's take funny pictures!

2009-06-26T10:57:00.000-05:00

Who is this crazy kid on my head?!?

Make a funny face, Daddy!

Now she's on his head.

Sad faces. (Obviously the game is fun everyday. Everday it's this spot on the couch and these faces....)

Heather's having a baby!

2009-06-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

We had a baby shower for Heather this past weekend. Little Pippa will be here before we know it. Below you will see the pictures of the event. I've included 2 group shots. The first on would be perfect except Kellie's eyes are closed. It's my favorite plus Heather's bump looks very cute in it. The second would be perfect except that the light is bad. The quest for a good group picture continues....*

* I have found the worst picture of all of us. We are all not ready for a picture and have stupid looks on our face. It's quality! No need to worry about a public posting, but one day just for laughs, it's going to show up somewhere.

2009-06-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

The Garden Party Spread

The inside of Marie's beautiful cake. Alternating Funfetti layers and colored icing. Marie is a genius!

Mommy-to-be looking beautiful in her purple outfit.

The two silliest little girls EVER, eating flowers.

Picasso!

2009-06-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

For Mother's Day I told my mom I would take her to Corks and Canvas. It's one of those places where you can drink wine (we didn't) and have someone teach you how to do a painting. We went last weekend. This is Funky Tree IV. Sorry about the easel in the middle of mine. The girl who took the picture was having a hard time. You can see her painting there in the corner. It was fun. I recommend it!

Scarves

2009-06-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

For my birthday Aunt Sonny got me some scarves. I've been wanting them since Marie taught me how to wear a scarf. When I cam home from work wearing one, Lily thought she should wear it too. We took some pictures. (One sewious one, then funny ones, Mommy). Here they are:

My one serious one. She's got such a cheese smile.

No more smiling.

For only 28 cents a day, you could feed this child. (That might actually be true!)

Don't speak...

Lily Update!

2009-05-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've updated about all of the things that Lily is doing. This is her last week of school. They take the summer off from school work and mostly play at the daycare, I think. She knows and can write all of her letters. She can also count to 20 and can write all of her numbers. After 20 it starts getting sketchy.

Her favorite new game is for me to write the names of everyone we've ever met. Really, everyone. We saw a girl I went to Judson with, Jennifer, at P-ville's City Fest. We stopped and talked to her for maybe 2 minutes. 3 weeks later Lily said, "Write the other Ginnifer. Your friend." I told her I didn't know who she meant. "That Ginnifer we saw at the park. That went to Gudson wif you." Then I knew who she was talking about. Her memory for things like that surprises me all of the time. She's a smart one, my Lily.

We're still gardening, and Lily is the best helper. She goes out with me everyday, and we check on our plants. If we could get the squirrels to stop digging in it, we'll have a bountiful harvest. Lily loves to see what new things are on our plants. We have tomatoes and peas. Our peppers are still just flowers, and she checks everyday to see if they are peppers yet. She remembers what I tell her about the plants and what we are doing. She's also very interested in bugs and lizards we find. She is only scared of bees. I keep trying to tell her that they won't bother us if we don't bother them, but she's not buying it.
When we're outside she loves to play with Annie. She begs Annie to come sit with her so she can pet her. When Annie finally gets over the excitement of our visiting her, she'll sit next to Lily and Lily pets and pets her. It's so cute. Sometime she tries to get Annie to catch her bone and others she kicks her huge ball all over the yard. She also loves to run and gets Annie to chase her. It's fun to watch them play together.

Inside she likes to play with her babies still. She's a funny little mommy. Last week she was cooking for them and Josh asked her what she was making. She wanted to say spaghetti, but couldn't remember the word. She started and then change the menu, telling Josh she was cooking "spachicken." It's the most request imaginary food dish at our house these days.
She also loves to do the little workbooks that you write in. Write the letters, circle the shapes, color the pictures. "Momma, read the directions. What do you do on this page?" She'll sit and finish the whole book if you let her.
If she's not mothering the babies or playing school, she likes to be doing whatever I'm doing. If she sees me working on a project, she wants to help. I've been working on a baby blanket, so she wants to pull the thread through. She pulls it and then I put the needle in again. I let her pull the needle off of the end about 3 times before we quit playing that. I made her a kitchen apron a few weeks ago and she helped with that. She likes to push the pedal on the sewing machine while I guide it. She's a big helper.

Almost everyday when I get home now, she wants to go to Grandma's house and swing. My mom has a swingset there for her with 2 swings and 2 slides. It has a little house thing on it that has a steering wheel. She likes to push her babies down the slide and pretends the house is her car. She buckles her babies into their carseats, and then drives like a mad woman. Her favorite is swinging, though. She only likes Grandma to push her, and she can only push the ropes. If you push the seat, her little tiny hiney slips off. She likes to tell Grandma funny stories while she swings. Last week she told Grandma that little girls sit down to tee-tee, but little boys have to stand up. They stand up because "little boy have to wiggle to get their tee-tee out."

You'll notice in her recent pictures she's almost always wearing a dress. She won't wear pants/shorts anymore. She tells me everyday that she wants to wear a dress. There has to be a specific reason if you're going to try to get her to wear pants. The farther out the dress goes when she spins, the more she wants to wear it. This purple one is the best spinning one she has. She loves it. She still loves shoes. She tries to get you to get a new pair everytime we go to a place with shoes. She has about 20 pairs, and has to spend 10 minutes in the mornings deciding which pair to wear with her dress. We've started trying to do this the night before to save time in the morning, but you never know when she's going to change her mind.

Lily has been particularly excited this week because Uncle Sean is home from Iraq for a few weeks. Lily will tell you that he's been in space. I don't really know where she got this idea, but she'll tell you that. She also says he's on a trip. Lily drew him a picture and wrote his name on it for his birthday on Wednesday. We're all happy he's home for a little while.

That's the update on Lily Pie. She's getting bigger and bigger everyday. Well, taller and taller. She says that when she turns 4 in August, she'll be big enough to get her ears pierced. Then she'll be big. Sometimes I want to keep her little forever, but it's so exciting to see the little girl she's becoming. I love her.

All of God's Litte Critters...

2009-05-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

Lily's end of the year program was last night. It was all about how God loves everyone, even the bugs. Lily's class was bumblebees and ladybugs. Lily saw Josh and I in the audience and started crying. She sat on the teacher's lap for the first song and then she stood up. She made faces at Josh and played with her hands and just stood there. She didn't sing one word of the songs I've heard her singing at home for the last month. Oh well. I guess we won't have to worry about her being a performer. The rest of the class did really well. They were so cute as little bugs, as you can see. They were a little excited for pictures after the show.