Big Sister!!!

It's true. Lily will be a big sister in October! My mom brought out these adorable jammies on her last visit and Lily puffs up each time she wears them. She is loving the idea of having a little brother or sister.
Every now and then, she will come up to me and ask "Mommy, is that baby still in your belly?"
When I reply "Yes", she then begins to have a conversation with my belly as if I am not there. It usually goes like this:
"Hey Baby, are you in there? I am going to be your big sister soon! Can you come out now, please?"

(I couldn't resist posting this picture as well. All parents who take 5 shots to every 1 decent picture know what this is like. You get the silly and the sweet!)

Justin and I are very excited to add another member to the family. She will find out if she is having a brother or sister the end of May.

We have been preparing her new bedroom downstairs and are planning to make the transition to her "big girl room" sometime this summer.

Here's a picture of her new bedding. I just love it. And she does too! The owls are actually named "Joy" and "Penny". Adorable.

ABC's

We are so proud of Lily. Justin asked her last night to put her ABC's in order on the fridge...and she did it! We didn't help her at all. It was cute to watch her add each letter and sing the ABC song from the beginning each time.
Great job, Lily!

Kite Festival

What a relaxing, gorgeous day we had today! It could not have been more perfect for the Kite Festival in Lees Summit. We headed down and spent a while watching the "kite pros" fly their amazing kites. We found out that many of the large kites cost in the thousands! Didn't realize a kite could be that expensive!
We enjoyed watching them soar in the breeze all while drinking lemonade and eating kettle corn. What is a festival without kettle corn? :-)
Loved every minute we were there. What a fun day!

Preschool story

Today when I picked Lily up from school, her teacher approached me to tell me a story about Lily's playtime outside.

There is a pink/white playhouse outside in the playground at Preschool. Apparently, Lily was in the house for a while, so her teacher went to check on her.

What she found was Lily in the squat position with her pants down. Her teacher asked Lily what she was doing? Lily responded, "I'm going potty!" Her teacher then asked why she was going potty in the playhouse and not in her classroom.

Her response?

"This is my house!"

According to the teacher, she was laughing hysterically and said it "made her day".

Cheese Puffs

This is what happens when Mommy doesn't go to the lake.... ;-)

Justin stopped by Walmart on the way down last weekend and told Lily she could pick "one thing". This is what she chose. Is it just me, or is this bag about the same size as she is?! :-)

Sadie

This week our black Labrador, Sadie, passed away. She was such a special dog and a member of our family. We had a great 11 years with her and so many special memories. Justin and I are pretty broken up about it and did not know how Lily would react. When we sat down and told her, through tears, that Sadie went to Heaven, her response was...."Don't cry...Heaven is fun and Sadie is with Jesus!"

Amazing how little ones seem to have just the right words to say.

Justin said that on their ride home from the lake last weekend, Sadie rested her head on Lily's carseat and gave her lots of kisses. It's interesting that our pets just know when they are ready to go and have their own special way of saying goodbye.

We are happy Lily had an opportunity to bond with Sadie these past 3 years.

We all love and miss you, Sadie!

Spirit Week

This week at Lily's school they had Spirit Week! She has been very excited for this week, as the kids get to wear or bring something different every day. Here's the daily breakdown:

Monday- Pajama Day

(she wanted her "duckie" pajamas)

Tuesday- Hat Day

(she chose her "fancy hat" from last year's Easter...and had to bring the purse as well, of course)

Wednesday- Stuffed Animal/Doll Day

(Great-Grandma will love that she chose her fancy Chihuahua as her stuffed animal)

Thursday- Sports Team Day

(we did not have any actual team gear, so Lily was a tennis pro for the day!)

Friday- Wear Blue (National Child Abuse Prevention Day) and they had a Carnival!

So much fun for the kids and to watch the teachers also participate in.

Easter

We had a fun-filled Easter weekend of egg-dying, church, and dinner with the Bolinger family. Enjoy some pictures of our weekend!

Resurrection Buns

My sister passed along this wonderful idea as an Easter project. I thought it was a tangible way for us to explain to Lily and for her to try to understand Christ's death and Resurrection.

Resurrection Buns:

Each child takes a Grand canned biscuit. They flatten the biscuit out until it's about 5" across.
Talk about how Jesus was not treated nice and hurt as they flatten the biscuit, optional if not age appropriate.

Spread melted butter, sugar and cinnamon on it.

Explain that the spices were used to anoint (place on) Jesus' body before His burial.

Each child gets one large marshmallow.

The marshmallow represents Jesus. It is white because it stands for His purity and His sinless life.
They place the marshmallow in the center of the biscuit, then fold the sides around it forming a "tomb".

Put more melted butter, cinnamon and sugar on the outside.

Talk about the sweet taste of the spices and how Jesus gave us the sweetest gift we will ever receive.

At this point we bake the buns according to the biscuit instructions.

Talk about the sadness His friends and family felt after he was in the tomb and apart from them.
When time is up, take them out and let them cool (they will be really hot).
When the children bite into their buns they will be surprised and see that the center is empty. The marshmallow has melted and each child will discover and empty tomb.

He is not here....He is risen!

Getting dressed

Just recently, Lily has entered into a new phase. She is very particular about the outfit and shoes she will be wearing for the day.

This makes for a difficult morning routine in our house. Many mornings, Lily is in tears because she either wants to wear a sleeveless dress when it is 65 degrees and/or raining out, flip-flops to school (a no-no in our house), or a turtleneck when it is 70 degrees + !

I have heard from a couple of friends that age 3 is when this "independent streak" with clothing begins. I'm less than thrilled about it, but as always, we will push on through. I try to give her as many choices as possible, but sometimes I need to draw the line.

Funny story about the shoes. I know I have blogged about her shoe obsession a couple of times before, but this is just a true example of how much Lily loves her shoes.

Last weekend when my Mom was out to visit, we filled two gallon bags of size 6 shoes to put away! She literally skipped through size 7 shoes (only 1 gallon bag to fill) and is now in size 8. Well, she has about 3 pairs of size 8 shoes (2 dressy and 1 sandal) that she cannot wear to school. I went out and bought her a pair of cute white tennis shoes (with rainbows and butterflies :) last weekend that she could wear to school during the week.

This morning, Lily and I were discussing her Easter outfit for her school party. We had her dress picked out, hair styled and accessorized (very important!), and finally got down to shoes. Assuming she would just wear the tennis shoes, I asked her to go get her Easter socks and "rainbow" shoes.

Then a fit ensued. Oh great...what now?!

The response from Lily, after tears, was "Mom...I don't like having to wear the SAME pair of shoes EVERY DAY!!"

(mind you, she has had these shoes for less than 1 week)

Apparently, I have created a mini-me. I'm without words.

Visit with Grandma Losie

Grandma Losie came out last weekend for her Spring visit. Justin had just finished our basement remodel, so all systems were go to organize and decorate the new bathroom. We had a good time shopping and getting things put together. Don't know what I would do without my Mom.
Lily just kept right up with us and helped out. She is quite the little helper!

Texas Roadhouse with Grandma and the Stewart family

The Stewart's

Doing what we do best...shop! Gorgeous day out too...65 degrees!

Lily and Grandma being silly