Back to Reality

Last Monday I went back to work, back to reality. It was definitely difficult and has been an adjustment trying to keep up with everything. It was nice to go back and see everyone, but I really miss the munchkins during the day. And by the time we get home at night, eat dinner, clean up, etc. it seems like it's 9:00 before we know it. I am going to start working 8-4:30 so I c an get home a little earlier. Before I went back to work, Dillon was sleeping 8-9 hours at night. Last week he woke up nearly every night. It's an adjustment for him, too. I'm sure it will get easier...it'll just take some time.

Tomorrow we return to reality after an extended weekend. Saturday we spent over at Grandma's house with Dennis, Jeanne and the kids...cleaning, fixing things, helping them get the house ready to sell. We were there until 9 Sat. nite. When we got home, we had to hurry and pack and get ready for Jill and Josh's wedding, which was yesterday down at Hocking Hills. We left the house around 10, dropped the kids off at my Mom & Dad's and got down there around 3. The ceremony was at 5 and it was a gorgeous evening. The wedding was really pretty and all went very well! After the ceremony we ate a 6 course meal. It took 2 hours. It was delicious and we were stuffed!

There were only about 25 people there and we all got to stay the night in cabins with hot tubs! Anson and I really enjoyed the time together and away from the kids.

We really appreciate my parents. I don't know what we'd do without them. They took Sampson ("Samba" as Lily calls him) overnight too!

This morning we got up, ate a really nice breakfast, checked out and went for a hike. After picking up the kids, we got home around 5. All evening we cleaned and unpacked. Anson gave the kids and dog a bath (not together, of course). We are exhausted and ready for bed!

Dillon turned 3 months on Saturday!
Bridesmaids - Tracy (her sister), Trisha (her cousin), Jill, Mindy and me

Jill's side of the family!
Me and Babe

Our cabin - Gordon!

Mindy getting ready

Anson sitting on the bed.

Hiking!

This is the spot where Josh proposed to Jill. The happy newlyweds!

It's so pretty down there.

Dillon laughing at Daddy!

The Zoo, Girls' Nite and Lily Holding Dillon

Last Thursday, my mom and I with the kids met Jen and Zack at the Akron Zoo. We walked around for a few hours and ate our packed lunch in a pavillon. It was a lot of fun. It's always fun to see Zack and Lily together.

My Mom with Lily and Jen with Zack
Lily and Zack by the Jaguar

Penguins

Looking at the Condor (on the right)

Zack giving Lily her b-day gift

Awe! Lily holding Dillon

At Jackson Park on Lily's birthday last week

Dave and Buster's for Jill's bachelorette party Saturday night. Anson stayed home with the kids so I could go out with the girls. We had a blast.

Opening her sexy presents...she wasn't so sure about the straps!

A groom-to-be at his bachelor party. We gave him one of our masks. Notice his shirt says "The End."

The bridesmaids

Me and Mindy

Being silly

Another groom-to-be dancing with Jill on one of those dance video games.

Lil holding Dil again. What a good big sister!

Lily's Check-up

Today was Lily's well-child check-up. All is well and she's doing great. Here are her stats:

Weight = 26 pounds, 40th percentile
Height = 34 3/4", 70-75th percentile

It broke my heart to hold her while the doctor gave her two shots =( Then, she had to get her finger pricked to check for lead poisoning =( She cried huge alligator tears. It was so hard to watch. But, the woman who pricked her finger gave her a Dora book, which helped calm her down. She's fine now, and I hope she doesn't remember it!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lily!!

A Day in the Life of a Two Year Old

Lily sleeps in until about 8:00 every morning. This varies on the weekends and days when she goes over to Nana and Papa's for the day.

Her first request is milky. "Milky, milky, milky" she will scream. Then she wants to know where Daddy is. "Daddy?" she'll ask. "Daddy's at work," I reply. "He soon?" She asks, hoping he will be home soon. "He'll be home later," I say. Then she continues to ask about Nana, Papa, Jinxy, and Jamie. After I tell her where everyone is, she is usually content.

Her next demand is usually "Boots." Which is the monkey from Dora for those of you who aren't familiar. So we watch one of the DVRed Dora episodes.

Breakfast is a battle. She doesn't eat much. "Strawbies and Boobies" (Strawberries and Blueberries) are her favorite, and we can occasionally get her to eat some canadian bacon, eggs and toast. Even when Anson makes his amazing oatmeal pancakes, she won't touch them.

After breakfast, she usually requests to go outside. She will go and get her shoes and say "Shoes on" and then "coat." I prefer to take her outside in the afternoon so I tell her "later." Then she'll say "House." So, we sit on the floor and play Little People house, which is fun to me. I always liked Little People when I was a kid.

We play kitchen, we play babies, we read books. In between it all, I'm doing dishes, preparing dinner, and taking care of Dillon.

For lunch, she loves soup. Princess soup is her favorite. (aka chicken noodle, but the noodles are shaped like crowns and she can pick them up easier) She'll also eat turkey, cheese, pasta pick-ups, veggies, salad, etc. But, overall she never eats much.

Usually sometime around 1, she gets sleepy, and asks to go "nigh-night." She amazes me when she asks to take a nap or go to bed at night. She almost demands it.

She's been binkie-free for about a week now, and she still asks for it when she goes to bed. Sometimes it's hard to ignore, but we haven't given in yet.

When she wakes up around 3:30-4, we usually go outside. I'll pull my car out and we'll play in the garage. She loves music and always wants to dance. So I turn the radio on and we dance around. We also twirl our batons together. She loves watching me twirl and I really miss twirling. We also draw with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles.

Then it's time to make dinner and wait for daddy to come home.

After dinner, she asks for a bath. Her and daddy play in the tub for about 20-30 minutes every other night. She drinks more milky, brushes her teeth and goes "nigh-night." around 9.

Some days we play playdoh, others we color. Some days we practice going potty, others we have pillow fights on the bed.

When I put my make-up on, she's right by my side saying "make-up" and playing with my lipsticks, and brushes. Sunday she got the cap off my lipstick and made a mess on our bed and all over her pj's. Owell, she had fun.

She's such a good big sister too. Always willing to help when she can like going to get me a binkie or handing me a spit rag when I need one. She gives Dillon hugs and kisses. Surprisingly knows what is Dillon's. She'll say "DingDong's" - like if she finds one of his socks, blankets, bibs or binkies. We do have to watch her closely, though. When Dillon is in his bouncy seat, she sometimes shakes it pretty hard. And the other day she decided he needed a pillow and put it on his head. I never leave the two of them alone together.

She's so precious and this age is so fun. I love her so much and can't believe she is 2 years old today!

Tomorrow is her well-child check-up. I think she has to get some shots =( I'll be back to post her stats.

Tonight we are taking her to a nice park in Jackson that has a huge playground to play on. Right now she's napping. Here are some photos from our day so far...

Eating her bowl of fruit for breakfast

Playing with her singing balloon

Playing Little People house

Looking up at the balloon

Dillon wishes his big sister a Happy Birthday too!

Outside swinging

This photo was from a few weeks ago. She's drinking milky in her first nightgown.

This photo is from Jill's bridal shower a few weeks ago. Isn't she adorable?