Christmas Morning

Mostly for the grandparents who couldn't be here today...

This is Lila coming downstairs on Christmas morning. We have been so excited for this moment for weeks. It was everything we hoped it would be.




Lila stayed in her car pretty much all day. It took three hours to unwrap the rest of her presents, in part because of the sheer volume of gifts, but mostly because all she wanted to do was sit in her little red car.

Best. Christmas. Ever.

Breakfast with Santa

Yesterday we had breakfast with Santa Clause.


Lila was a fan of the pancakes, but not so much a fan of Santa. Maybe next year...

It's how we roll.

This morning we we were invited to breakfast with our neighbors, so we broke out the sled and zipped over. On the way home, Lila nabbed a waffle for the ride.

It's days like this that make us love where we live...both for the fluffy white snow and the great neighbors.

Excuse me...

Driver, could you step on it? We need to lose the paparazzi. I've got places to be.



No? Fine then. I suppose I will have to drive myself.

We're still here!

Today I got a lovely surprise in the mail - a card from a good friend, whom I do not see nearly often enough. She reminded me how long it has been since I've posted here, and I'm totally embarrassed to admit that it has been nearly three months!

We've been quite busy, which is no excuse. I've been spending the evening hours after Lila goes to bed tending to other things, and I've let the uploading and posting of photos fall by the wayside. No longer!

Here's a brief glimpse into the goings-on of Little Miss Z, from October to December (December? Really? When did that happen?!)

In early October, Lila's Grandma W and Auntie EM came to visit. We enjoyed a beautiful day at the apple orchard.


A few weeks later, Lila and I flew to New York to visit another set of grandparents. She was quite the trooper and loved the plane rides! The flight attendants spoiled her with extra bags of peanuts and a trip to the cockpit after we landed.


The four of us took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and drove up to Montreal for a long weekend. Lila had a blast. Top notch travel all the way!


Lila did beautifully during all of our car rides - both long and short. She sacked out during a traffic jam one afternoon in Montreal. Those balloons were lifesavers. She took them almost everywhere!


Lila picked me some flowers from Grandma's garden.

Not long after we got home from New York and Canada, little Lila chose her own Halloween costume - a cupcake! Daddy was disappointed that she wasn't up for the Batman costume he had chosen for her. Looks like the girl likes to make her own decisions! Not sure where she got that trait. Nope.


Our little cupcake enjoyed decorating - and eating - cookies at a neighborhood Halloween celebration.


As always, Lila loves spending time with her puppies.


Lila's new favorite hobby is helping in the kitchen. Since she was tiny I have brought her into the kitchen with me while I bake and cook, and now she's finally old enough to help! Last Christmas I bought her this apron with her name embroidered on it. At the time I figured I'd have to put it away for her until she turned 5, but lo and behold, it fits now.

Here's our sweetest chef helping Mama make bread.


November marked the beginning of Lila's first swimming class. She's a little fish! Today we pulled into the parking lot of the pool and Lila yelled from the back seat, "WIMMING!" So excited!

Here she is on the first day, waiting on Daddy's lap for the fun to begin.


We just returned from a week-long trip to New Mexico to visit yet another set of Lila's grandparents (she's one lucky girl, for sure!) Pictures to come!

Wrapping Up the Summer in Style

On Wednesday Lila had her 18 month check-up (about a month late - oh well!) She weighed in at 23 lbs, 2 oz (24th percentile) and she is 2 feet 8 inches tall (48th percentile.) Her noggin is a whopping 47 cm (57th percentile.) She got three shots and had a blood draw, all the while she was hungry and tired since her doctor was running late at the end of the day. Needless to say, it wasn't the most enjoyable visit ever, but she's healthy and strong and that's what matters.

We've been keeping busy over the past few weeks. On Labor Day we headed to a local park for a bluegrass festival and some sightseeing. Lila had a ball leading Daddy around the park.


We enjoyed the sights as well as the sounds. Such a great spot for a concert!



After Lila's appointment on Wednesday, we met up with friends for a picnic dinner. Playtime - and hunting for crab apples - took Lila's mind off of her earlier woes.


Today we had a bunch of errands to run and along the way we stopped in to PetsMart so that Lila could visit all of the animals. This is one of her new favorite things to do. She tried to convince her daddy that she needs a hamster. No dice.


She loved the birds...


She then moved along to choose a fish for herself.

Again, no dice. We're so mean.


Today I broke one of my cardinal rules about grocery shopping with my child - using the tacky, filthy kid carts. We spotted it right away when we walked in the door and Lila's eyes lit up. Ed swabbed it down and Lila hopped in. It was worth it. :) She had a ball!


It has been hot the past few days, but things are supposed to cool down significantly this week. I can't wait! Fall is my favorite time of year. We're looking forward to apples and pumpkins and trick-or-treating!

Best Friends

Tomato Love

We've planted a garden every year that we've lived in our house - 5 summers now. Last summer we were sure to include Lila, tiny as she was, in the planting and harvesting of the food. This year we've done the same thing and it's extra fun because she's old enough to pick and really eat and enjoy the food we grow. We hope that gardening at home and cooking with fresh, homegrown food will instill a love of such food in our girl.

This evening we headed to our neighborhood farmer's market for some extra veggies for some canning fun with friends on Saturday. Lila headed straight for the tomatoes and began loading them into her bag.



The girl knows what she likes!

Busy Girl

It was a very busy weekend for Lila (and her mom.) We hardly stopped moving all weekend.

We started out the weekend with breakfast and a playdate, and the rest of the weekend was more of the same. Good times!

On Sunday morning Lila and I walked with our neighbor buddies to a great local bakery and then took our treats to the lake to enjoy. Of course the kiddos wanted to visit the art installation/dinousaur in the water.

Hello, Dinosaur!


This guy has been making his way around the city, popping up in a different lake throughout the summer.


We spent quite a bit of time at Lila's favorite park this weekend. She couldn't be bothered to slow down for a picture. :)

On Sunday we joined our friends for Family Dinner, a monthly get-together that we started this past winter. Our three families have children right around the same age, and none of us have family in town. We all wanted a "Sunday dinner" of sorts with our kids and lots of family around the table, so we decided to create our own Family Dinners. We have dinner together once a month, rotating hosting responsibilities between our homes each month. There's something wonderful (and chaotic!) about three toddlers and six adults around the dinner table together!

Ed has been out of town for the past few days, so last night Lila and I headed out for some much needed family time last night. To say that the kids had fun is a huge understatement. They spent the better part of the evening after dinner running the length of the house, laughing and screaming and claiming hugs along the way.

Here's a rare picture of the three wild children standing (almost) still.

Lila (almost 19 months), Grayson (almost 22 months), and Hudson (almost 27 months.)

Not surprisingly, Lila slept like a log last night - and I did, too!

Movin' On Up

Today was the first day of Lila's two week transition to the toddler room at daycare. She will spend half of her days in her old room and the other half of the day in Toddlers A. After two weeks, she will begin spending the whole day in Toddlers A.

When I arrived today to pick up Miss Lila, they handed me her very first craft project - a tissue paper school bus mounted on a popsicle stick. She carried it proudly to the car with her and I cried. She is so grown up! Where has our baby gone?


With the transition to Toddlers comes new, more extensive, tasty food choices. Here's today's menu. YUM!


After lunch the kiddos have yoga class. Yoga and homemade, organic, free-range food followed by a nap? Sign me up! I'd like to be a toddler, please!