Lily 3 Years

Our Lily is 3 years old!  She is the princess of our home.  Lily brings so much joy and spunk to our family with her giggles, mischievous acts, and fun.  To celebrate Lily's birthday we had a little party at Nana's house, a trip to Article Circle for an ice cream cone, and of coarse watching "Beauty and the Beast."  Here at some highlights about Lily:

• Loves princesses: movies, toys, and books
• Girly-girl: Lily insists on wearing a dress or skirt everyday.  Her favorite dress is her "purple dress" and "flower dress."
• Barbies and dolls are her favorite toys to play with
• Has a sweet tooth: candy, cookies, cake doughnuts, & frosting
• Each time we go for a walk Lily insists on picking the neighbors' flowers. She is true to her name.
• Loves sensory activities: sand, playdough, beads, etc.
• Emily is Lily's best friend, but she is also becoming good friends with Logan
• Lily loves to make us all laugh with her silliness

Preparing for School

Emily has been anticipating starting preschool for some time.  She is so excited to go.  Emily loves to do "school time" with me and is eager to have fun with friends soon.  Lately, Emily has been especially interested in playing with friends.  She loves to play with Lily, but also likes to play with friends.  She has such a great imagination that expands as she plays with others.  I am excited for her to start her new adventure with school, but I will also miss her helping hands at home.  I know Lily will miss her favorite playmate, but we will still have special times together too.

Chick-fil-A

Today was Chick-fil-a Customer Appreciation Day.  The girls were excited to go to a restaurant for dinner - a special treat.  We all dressed up like cows and got a free dinner.  What a fun evening together.  They are definitely the cutest cows.

Logan 15 Months

 Logan is our little buddy.  He shines new tricks to us each day.  We all love him so much.

• Loves to be outside to watch tractors, trucks, & animals outside
• Enjoys playing with rocks, bubbles, & dirt outside
• Has a sweet tooth: suckers, popsicles, & candy
• Likes to wrestle with mommy, daddy, & sisters. He is becoming a great tackler.
• Learning to climb down stairs
• Loves applesauce, yogurt, pasta, cheese, & chicken
• Favorite books are Little Blue Truck series
• Mommy's boy

Yellowstone Family Reunion

What a fun adventure we had in Yellowstone on the Handy Family Reunion. We have been planning and anticipating this vacation for many months.  It was our first family vacation since Emily was one year old.  Emily and Lily have been talking about staying in a hotel a long ways from home for a while.  They were excited to swim in a pool, spend time with cousins, and see some animals. 

They were EXCELLENT troopers in the car with lots of driving each day of our trip.  I loved hearing their excitement each day for the new adventures ahead.  On the day we arrived, Saturday, we enjoyed seeing the play The Little Mermaid at the Playhouse Theater in West Yellowstone.  The girls and Logan loved the dancing, singing, and costumes.  Logan laughed at all the jokes and clapped when it was time to applaud.  It was so funny to hear him join in the laughter of the audience.  He was definitely had the cutest laugh.

Each day as we drove through the Yellowstone the girls wanted to see a bear.  We were lucky to find some wooden bears at our entertainment dinner at Bar J Wranglers Chuckwagon Dinner.  Lily loved seeing the bears there especially since she could get close enough to touch them.  Logan loved the train ride at Bar J Wranglers - thanks to a treat from Sissa.

Nelson and I enjoyed some special time together as a little family and with extended family.  It was fun to get away to a new place.  We loved the mountains and many rivers we saw.  What a beautiful place Yellowstone is - especially with family. 

Swimming Fun

Through the hard work of putting our backyard in, I promised the kids a swimming pool.  It actually was a late birthday present from the Yates for Logan.  When the pool arrived a few days ago, Emily was so excited!  Even though it was too cold to swim (65 degrees), I blew up the pool and the kids pretended to swim instead.  Logan loved to crawl in and out of the pool.

On today's hot day, the kids took their first swim in the backyard.  They played happily for over an hour in the pool and having popsicles.  I enjoyed having a backyard to watch the laugh and play in.

Siblings

As the youngest of 7, I had a unique and special relationship with each of my siblings.  It is fun to watch my own children develop relationships with each other.  There are moments of contention for sure, but more often than not they love each other. 

Emily loves to caretake for Lily and Logan.  She makes sure they are safe and happy.  I love watching her teach Logan new things like how to drive a shopping cart.  Lily is her "best sister" and loves to pretend with her.  They are great dancers together

Lily loves being a mimic of her sister.  From the way she dresses, to mimicking stories she reads, to silly gestures, Lily loves to be just like Emily.  When Emily isn't around, Lily is quick to ask where she is.  I am anxious to see how she does when Emily goes to preschool, but then we will have some special time with each other and Logan.  Like Emily, Lily likes to caretake for Logan.  She is great to get him his binky, blankie, and lotion.  She giggles at his new tricks in delight.  Lily is a great cheerleader.

Logan adores his sisters.  Every morning and after naptime, Logan eagerly looks for his sisters.  He is quick to squeal in delight as the scream, "Logan!"  He loves patting them on the back and watching them perform.  Logan tries hard to keep up with his sisters, even though he is little.