Lily is in the cow girl phase of her life- yeeee hawww!

Aghhh, a few peaceful moments away from Mommy and Daddy....

Sometimes it is nice to simply hop in your laundry basket and cozy up with your favorite books and your new headlamp.

Lily did this yesterday. We didn't know where she was nor why the house was so quiet for 20+ minutes.

Lily's post-dinner Dance Parties are still going strong!

Thank you Bettina and Ray for being such great sports!

Lily does Vero!

Warning: I think I had a little too much fun creating this post and I cannot seem to match up the pictures with the captions. In addition, the order of the captions is a little funky. I apologize.

One of Lily's most favorite things to do while in Vero was make "Lily sandwiches" while visitng with all of her family members. Lily finally got to meet Aunt Irene, Uncle Bob and cousin Monique! Lily was stoked that we got to bond over Dunkin' Doughnuts.

We went to visit Pepere and Mark in Vero Beach, Florida, this past week to celebrate Christmas. Though it is December, the water was warm and the sun was shining.

Pepere and Mark were incredibly hospitable and had wonderful excursions planned for us...Lily is now a huge fan of swamp boat rides!

Our favorite Lily lines of the week...

"When will it be Fridurday?"

"My baby [doll] is sick. She has purple eye. Please wash your hands after you hold her."

"When I grow up, I want to be a mama or that person who rings the bell when the merry-go-round ride is over."

"Little Hippie Chick Happily Frolicking on White Sandy Beach in Florida!"

Though the outfits changed during the course of the afternoon, the shades and the spirit remained the same.

L'Art de Lily

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves in the wonderful world of Lily's art. Last week, Lily and I walked to our local Grand Lake Theater to see the Royal Ballet's version of the Nutcracker. A couple of days later, she placed this multimedia painting on my pillow. If you look closely, you will see Lily and I sitting in a theater,watching the Nutcracker. I am the big lady with hazel eyes, Lily is the little one with blue eyes. Naturally, we both have belly buttons. We actually sat this exact way in the theater. We were the only ones sitting in our row. Given that this was Lily's first theater experience, she was rather impressed with the cup holders, so they play an important role in this particular piece. Our house, complete with a door knob and our watering hose wheel, is nearby. In front of us, you might recognize Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. Lily explained to me that they were not only dancing, but also playing soccer.

'Tis Nutcracker season, here in the Collins home...

Earth, Lily & Fire!

The month of October brought the Bay Area a ton of earthquakes. November turned out to be rather windy. I know that this video is nearly a year old, but I just love it."I am the wind.....swoosh!"

Lily celebrates Thanksgiving with cousin Ben!

Nana and Papa rented a beautiful condo in Squaw Valley for the Thanksgiving holiday. We woke up early and read books together, we cuddled by the fireplace, we drank egg nog, we played in the snow, we ate yummy food and we giggled a ton. It was wonderful.

Who needs a sled when you've got slick ice and a tushie?

Lily does Squaw!

As of this past week, Lily now LOVES snow. She loves to eat it, hug it, slide on it, hike through it, and build snow ladies with it (complete with boobies).

Sweet Nurture

When a fellow Dandelion student asked Lily if she wanted to have a play date, we overheard her say "I am too busy with all of my children." She (very consistently) nurses them, clothes them and basically tends to their every need. It is ridiculously sweet. We did convince her that playdates are fabulous however and that she may even be able to play with a friend while tending to her many children.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree....

Lily's first slab (well, her first anything)- Ironworks gym in Berkeley, November 2011. Daddy is stoked. Mama is a little worried (as Daddy is already talking about big walls)... but also proud.

Room 208

Lily left a little something behind following her visit to room 208 today...

We got a new roof!

For the last few months, we have been finding pieces of our roof all over the neighborhood. Lily picked up on the dire yet comical situation and started joking that she found pieces of our roof at Dandelion (a couple of cities away). If we would have waited any longer, that could have been a reality!

Just a few of Lily's Scenarios....

Lily loves setting up her own classsrooms, dinner gatherings or sleep over parties. She will take hours getting everything perfect. It is a treat to watch.