Friends

So we recently lost our closest friends to Texas and the lure of affordable housing.  Not really a good enough reason for them to move, in my opinion, but anyway… These are not the first friends who have moved away, nor will they be the last, and I’m sure at some point we’ll be living somewhere else (Yes, I can actually admit that…). As sad as I am that they are gone I am so grateful for the 3 years they were in our lives.  I’m grateful that I had someone to share all the ups and downs of pregnancy and new motherhood with at the exact time as me. I’m grateful for the listening ear and shoulder to cry on. Grateful for all of the times I made it out of the apartment for a little adult conversation (even if it was about the kids). And grateful that I already know who Lily is going to marry some day . We’ll sure miss our friends but we are happy that they are starting out on a new adventure.

Lily and Atlas meeting  for the first time when she was 4 days old

Fast forward 2 and 1/2 years…

We had a going away party at the park to wish our friends Luck on their new journey

A little “ring around the rosie…”

No one is smiling but I still love this pic!

yay for hugs!

the little ones having their own photo shoot

I love that Lily found someone’s bike and put the helmet on backwards and was trying to figure out how to get on. Love my crazy kid!

A day at the zoo

Yesterday we took Lil on her first trip to the zoo.  We drove up to San Francisco and spent a fun filled few hours looking at all kinds of animals. I was worried that Lil might be a little scared but she could not have loved it more. She asked lots of questions and was very interested in everything she saw. Her favorite animals were the gorillas (due to her current obsession with Tarzan) and the meerkats. We must have been looking at the meerkats for 5 minutes with her saying  “They’re so cute!” over and over to everyone who would listen. After a while I think she got a little bored and we began moving much faster through the rest of the zoo. I honestly think her favorite part of the day was getting to push her own stroller around… We let her play at the park for a little bit, watch the steam train go by, and finished off the trip with a visit to their petting zoo. Lil passed out in the car on the way home and was so tuckered out that she slept for another 3 hours after we got home! I’d say it was a very successful trip :)

 

photo shoot

Recently we attempted another photo shoot of our sweet little toddler. After a few failed attempts I have learned a few things that make it a much easier experience for everyone. First of all I needed to tale about it a lot before hand so Lily knew that we would be taking pictures at the park along with playing on the jungle gym. Second, having an assistant (Clark) with me helped immensely in corralling Lillian and helping keep her focused. Especially as I was trying to get down on Lil’s level at 7 months pregnant and eventually just ended up sitting on the ground, having someone to keep bringing Lily back to me was a lifesaver. Third, I need to have plenty of accessories for Lil to use or play with to keep her entertained. She is a nut for balloons so having one to play with (and back ups for when they popped on the grass) helped keep her mind off the nearby park for a few minutes. We also had just given her a rain boot and umbrella set that she is in love with and she was more than happy to pose with them and show off for the camera.  Here are some of the better shots from that trip to the park…

 

   

Summer time fun

 

We’ve had a lot of fun this summer trying new things and exploring new abilities. While Clark was interning for the summer Lily and I spent plenty of time at the park, the pool, and friends houses. At 2 and 1/2 years old Lil loves to try new things and do things herself. Swimming and painting are two of her favorite things, along with anything that involves getting messy. She is very much into imitating what we do and loves when we let her help with tasks around the house. Here are some pictures of our happy girl from this summer…