Santa Came!

Cousins!

Lily learned a lot from her cousins during the winter holiday. She can now pee in the toilet (no more potties!), politely sneeze into her elbow and boogie down to the The Boss. Thanks guys!

Lily's "Super Fab Lab" at Nana and Papa's

There are little painted chairs, stacks of books, Boeing jet models, minerals, magnifying glasses, bugs, little farm animals, crayons and lab journals. Lily is thriving.

Our Lovely Little Lady

Hard at Work!

For the past few months, Lily has been talking about wanting to be a science teacher. She has been working hard both in the classroom and with her research (she will spend hours in her "Super Fab Lab" looking at minerals or bugs with her magnifying glass at Nana and Papa's).

That's my girl!

Cupcakes play an important role in our lives.

Cheese!

Lily has mastered the art of smiling on demand. She is now working with her good friend, Baba, to help him understand our expectations when a camera is present.

Climb aboard the reading train...Chooo choo!

We just love the little social gatherings/activities that Lily puts together for her and her "friends." We didn't actually realize that she put a book in front of each friend until we downloaded the photos. Such sweetness.

Home Improvement

Lily, Daddy and Dan worked hard this weekend, installing sod in our front yard. Take a peek at the video- Lily was a woman with a mission!

Little Hippie Chick, Frolicking in Silence on a Sunday Afternoon

(at least until she realizes that Mama has a camera)

Calistoga's Fainting Goats Rock!

(but they don't faint)

Napa Valley Biking- Lily is Happily in Tow

Air temperature: 73 degrees. Skies: sunny and clear. Family: happy.

RAIN- Bring it!

Traces of Lily

Little Blue Birds

and graceful affection.

Excited for Halloween...

too excited to save the costume for Sunday.

Sweetest of Pigtails and Tendrils

Strolling in the Rain

Cozy little ladies. Proud Daddys. Happy Mamas.

Chi chi chi, Le le le!

Nana, Papa and Lily watched and cheered as the miners safely exited the mine, one by one.

Afternoons with Nana and Papa

When Lily wakes up from her nap at Nana and Papa's, she climbs into her "special chair." There she sits peacefully with her arm around Baba, gazing out of the window, for an unknown amount of time (we're guessing about ten or fifteen minutes). When she feels ready, she rings her "special bell" and Nana and Papa eagerly tiptoe in to cozy up with her and to read stories. What a sweet little routine.

My Cuties...

Auntie Hilary and Uncle Josh's wedding- Lake Chalet in Oakland, September 2010

Lily and her New Hot Rod!

Lily got a motorcyle from her little friend, Jordan, this past weekend. Jordan is just a couple of years older (and wiser) and when she outgrows her super cool goodies, she often passes them on to a super excited Lily. Because Lily is so fond of hats, the transition to a helmet was a breeze!

Bangs

A little comb comb here, a snip snip there. I cannot say that either one of us knows what we are doing..but we sure do enjoy ourselves while we do it.

Lily meets her new cousin, Karoline!

Lily and Karoline met this past weekend. Karoline is Uncle Josh's sweet little niece. The two ladies were the flower girls in Auntie's wonderful wedding. They became the best of friends instantly upon their introduction. Lily is sad that Karoline had to return home to South Carolina, though she is super excited to hopefully connect with Karoline using Mama's new video camera.

Lily gets her first finger puppet from cousin Jojo!

A Typical Phone Conversation with Miss Lily...

Lily loves to chit chat on the phone. While deep in conversation, sometimes she dances, sometimes she nibbles on grapes and sometimes she dusts our venetian blinds (she is already a little multi-tasker). If you are planning on giving a Lily a call, please know that she is still most comfortable with the yes or no quesitons.

Lily's excited to go to "pwee scoool" dance!

As you may have heard, we lost our nanny just weeks before I had to return to teaching at King Middle school. Though the transition was scarry and a little overwhelming, our new schedule is working out wonderfully. Lily goes to a "pwee scoool" three mornings a week. Lily meets with three other two year olds in the private home of a wonderful woman Lily calls "Tea-hur Sharon." Following their lunch time at the cutest little table you can imagine (that sits just one foot off the floor), Nana and Papa greet Lily with hugs and kisses and take her to their home to cuddle, nap and to read oodles of stories. We are so grateful for the Wee Two Toddler House and for Nana and Papa's incredible flexibility, generosity and care. We know that we have made the right decision- Lily is so excited to get ready for school every morning and she squeals with delight when we remind her who she is spending her afternoons with.

Still our little one...

Raffi's "Down by the Bay"

with a little something extra...

Tahoe, Summer 2010

Lily continues to be a big help!

Here she is helping us make whipped cream for the fruit cobbler.

Lily's New Pad!

Papa just finished restoring Lara and Auntie Hilary's childhood tree house (complete with a lunch basket on a pully and a lookout window). Lily's tea parties will now go to a whole new level! Thanks, Papa!