Burr Oaks Woods Nature Center

On Wednesday, Lily's preschool class went to Burr Oaks Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs for a field trip.
Lily learned all about the different seasons and how the animals live during those different seasons. It was so cute to see her sitting with all of her friends listening to the conservation woman teach them about wildlife. Justin wished he could have been there, as he has fond memories of this nature center...and not to mention, wildlife is his "thing" :-)

Lily got to pet a box turtle and we had a chance to walk around and see some different animals that live in the center...snakes and fish.

listening to Smokey the Bear while waiting for her classmates to arrive

checking out a green snake

listening intently to the conservation woman...with teacher Mrs. Barbara behind her

helping out with the Fall season

petting a box turtle

on a short nature walk to look for animal footprints with Mrs. Barbara
(Mommy and Jackson stayed indoors for this one....way too cold outside!)

Mr. Activity

As expected, our Jackson is an active one! This month he has been exploring his activity mat, Exersaucer, and his "Johnny jump-up". We have also been practicing sitting up. He hasn't quite got the hang of all that his new toys can do, but he enjoys hanging out and exploring different views of the house. He really enjoys being "up" and checking things out.

We also are really enjoying listening to his "chatter" all day long. Like his sister, he is a talker!

hanging out in the Exersaucer

tummy time!

in his new toy, the jump-up

practicing sitting up

happy boy, up from his nap

Snow Days

This January, we have had our fair share of snow days. And boy has Lily loved it!

Lily and Daddy made a snowman in the back yard, complete with coal for eyes and a carrot for the nose. I even overheard them singing "Frosty the Snowman" in the garage while they were looking for the coal :-)


Then there was sledding in the back yard on the boogie board (California style!).

When Lily came in from all of this fun, her cheeks were bright red and it was time for some hot chocolate!


And this is what Mommy & Jackson were doing while the "big kids" were having fun outside...

The Berenstain Bears

Every week we go to storytime at the library here in Independence. Lily loves going to storytime and the librarians do a fantastic job incorporating a theme for each week, including a craft. It's also a nice, relaxing half-hour that I can read myself! :-)

We typically check out a few books each week, and Lily has really become fond of the Berenstain Bears series. I vaguely remember these books from childhood, but according to Grandma B., they were some of Justin's favorites.

After reading a few, I am becoming a huge fan. Not only is Lily thoroughly entertained by the pictures and sense of humor in the books...but I am LOVING the messages the authors write about.
Examples: The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners, The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers, to name a few.

I remember purchasing some books on similar themes from another author and Lily was not interested. She didn't like the pictures and the book just didn't grab her attention like these do. So glad I can incorporate some good teaching lessons into our reading time!

Gingerbread House

This year was Lily's first time making a gingerbread house. Grandma B. bought a kit and we assembled it together at the lake house just after Christmas.

We had such a good time! And, I don't know if Lily had more fun putting the candy on the house or eating it!

What happens at Grandma's....

I am so thankful to Grandma B. for sharing these hilarious stories with me of Lily's time at their house. It's very amusing to hear how she tries to manipulate (unsuccessfully) her Grandma! Soon she will learn that we are onto her game! :-)


She ate all of her lunch so she wanted a snack. To make a longgggggg story short, she found the M & Ms and began to eat. I asked her how many her mom would let her have, still eating. She said "probably about five", still eating, I told her to count them out into this little bowl. I stopped her at 8 and asked her if she was there yet. She said "oh yeah", and still preceded to take a couple of more out of the bag!!!!!!!!!!!

I asked Lily why she was so hungry and she told me her mom didn't feed her dinner last night. I told her I was going to have to tell you that you have to feed that poor little girl every night. She told me "No grandma, she doesn't like to talk about it!!!!!!!" She gets a little older and I am not going to be able to keep up with that girl!! Too funny!!!

Grandma & Grandpa's holiday visit

Grandma & Grandpa L. came to visit for a week over the New Year's holiday. We all had a great time hanging out while they were here. It was a nice, relaxing visit.

This was Grandpa L.'s first visit with Jackson.

The weather was quite cold, so we spent the majority of our time at home. We did venture out to the playland at the mall.

Thanks for coming to hang out with us, Grandma and Grandpa! Looking forward to seeing you again soon!