Lily 17 months

It is hard to believe Lily is almost 1 1/2 years old.  Adventures are never far from Lily.  She is energetic, sweet, fun loving, and silly.  We love her so very much!  Here are a few highlights of the month:

• Lily loves to play with Emily!  Each morning they are both excited to see each other and begin the play adventures of the day.  After fussing mornings, Lily brightens right up at the sight of Emily!  It is fun to see them play more together each day.
• Loves to dance - she jumps and taps her feet to music.  She especially loves to spin around and do "Ring Around the Rosie"
• When trouble is to be had or something mischievous, Lily gives a special smile and laugh as if knowing she is being silly.
• Says a new word it seems everyday: baby, stuck, ashes, more, cheese, help, snack, thank you.
• She loves to play with cousins, especially Natalie
• Loves opening presents on Christmas
• Enjoys reading books, especially with Emily
• Loves caring for babies, watching the choo-choo, and going on adventures

Bowling

My brother Trent and his family flew in on Christmas day evening for a ski adventure for their family.  We were able to spend time with them and all my sibling's families today.  The day started with brunch at Kneaders followed by bowling fun.  The girls loved pushing the ball down the ramp with their daddy.  They were better bowlers then me!

Christmas 2015

This Christmas brought a lot of joy watching the girls experience it all with family around.  They loved celebrating with cousins on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Being with family was the greatest gift we received.  

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a party at the Handy house with family.  Nana and Grandpa spoiled the girls with Sunday dresses (Ariel dresses according to Emily) and dollies for Lily and a car for Emily to go with her dollhouse.  They both loved opening the packages as much as playing with the toys.

On Christmas morning the girls arose at the same time around 7:00 am.  I carried them into the family room as routine to sit on the couch for a few minutes together and snuggle.  Emily soon asked Lily if she wanted to watch Mickey Mouse in accordance to our routine.  As she looked over at the Christmas tree aglow it was then she realized there were presents underneath the tree.  Emily's eyes sparkled with delight.  She whispered, "Santa presents!"  Immediately she was eager to open them up.  After gathering Nana, Grandpa, Sissa, and Daddy we enjoyed watching the girls see their surprises in delight.  Emily was especially Santa brought her a "Barbie" present like she asked.  I love the magic little children bring to Christmas.

After a snowing morning of about 8 inches of fresh snow, we headed up to Layton to see the Yates family.  Thankfully the roads were manageable for the most part.  We enjoyed Christmas dinner, presents, and playtime up there.  Emily had fun with her cousins having a tea party and makeup party.  Lily loved watching all the kids play.

We were grateful for the special angels that added to our Christmas joy this year.  They touched our hearts as we recognize their generosity as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas - unconditional love and service.  Thank you!

A Favorite Past-time

One of the girls' favorite activities is to read books.  I love watching them read together, apart, and with me.  We love to visit the library and explore new books while rereading favorites.  It is exciting to see Lily develop a passion for reading like her big sister.

Gingerbread Houses

For Family Home Evening tonight we decorated gingerbread houses - a favorite Yates' family tradition.  Emily loved preparing, decorating, and admiring the "Santa Candy Houses."  She was a great helper!

Princess Crowns

For Christmas this year Nelson's brother David and his family have given us 12 Days of Christmas presents.  The girls have looked forward to opening gifts everyday to see the surprises and fun.  Today's gift was "5 Gold Rings" or 5 gold bracelets.  Emily and Lily love to decorate themselves with these "pretties."
This afternoon I caught Emily pretending to use the bracelets as crowns for the block people she was playing with.  Emily would pretend to place a crown on each of the people's head.  Then the people would drive to and frown the dance at the castle.  I just love watching Emily pretend.  It is magical!

Swimming Soup

In the freezing cold of almost winter, Emily requested presistently to wear her "swim soup" today.  We checked out a book called, Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip, at the library this week.  It is about a girl named Brownie and her cat Pearl who go swimming.  It is quite the contrast from on the holiday books Emily chose.  Thinking about Brownie and Pearl, Emily wanted to wear her swimming suite.  I told her she could but it was too cold to go swimming.  She danced around the house in her swimming suite for over an hour this afternoon.  What a silly girl!