Early early birthday present

Yesterday Peter and I got Lily her birthday present.

I had this grand plan of having my father in law care for the puppy until the actual day.

But, well, the present was just too exciting to wait.

So I picked her up from my moms and we raced home to open her awaiting gift.

Here she is, her first peek.

Is that really for me!
Lily meet Wally. Wally, Lily.
She asked me several times if Wally got to stay.

They are becoming fast friends.

She told us several times this was the best present ever.

Could that smile be any bigger!

Walter D. newest member of our clan.

One very happy almost 5 year old.

We love you baby girl!!

Camera practice

Lily has been working for several weeks on a sticker chart.

I called it her hi and bye chart.

She had to say hello to her teachers and school friends and goodbye.

Not an easy task for my Lily.

She however completed the chart without a setback.

My hope is that after 3 weeks we have created a pattern and

will have no more snarky hi's and byes.

She was rewarded at the end of each week with a small incentive.

Her big incentive was to go and ride some ponies by the zoo.

I decided that I have so many pictures of the zoo and surrounding area that it would be a good time to practice my camera skills.

I took my camera out of automatic mode.

Yikes can you believe it.

I am not overjoyed with the results

but I am pleased. I am really working on apperature.

I want the background to be blurred and my subject in focus.

I think part of my problem may be my lense.

That also may be an excuse for my lack of skill :0)

This is not a great picture but feeding the giraffes is exciting!

I also let her be as goofy as she wanted.

B-B-B Batdog!!!!!

Meet BatDog.

He came to my house on a day I could use a laugh.

I laughed til I cried.

I think BatDog takes his job very seriously!

He even did a little howling at the, moon?

Perhaps it's the Bat Call.

This is the face that says,

OK mom where's the treat you promised.


I think it was worth the complete and total humiliation.

Tamales Tamales

This is what we looked like when we first discovered the Tamale festival.

This is also our very first ever corn on the cob.
It was a good day.

Today we brought Nonnie and Papa to the Tamale Festival.

We met our friends M. and O. there.

Lily learned that bounce houses are not scary.

She had fun fun fun. O. is not pictured because in each picture he definitely did not have to go to the bathroom.

We kept asking and he kept adamantly saying no he did not have to go!

It was clearly a true statement as I have evidence. :0)

Each of them made their very own pinata.

I am inclined to call it a maraca

as the candy seems to be missing.

Ahhh and the Tamales.

This is the worlds largest tamale.

We got to help eat it!

And then Mocha Creme Brule for dessert.

O. daddy treated us like queens.

He even had the torch to crystallize the sugar.

Added a little class to the festival.




Cheesy smile cause bouncing is fun!

Tonight we shall feast on some more tamales.

Yum yum yum!

Photography class

I am starting an online photography class today. I sure hope it inspires cause I feel really very uninspired. I think it has something to do with going back to work :0) Stay with me. I'm still here.

ABC

A is for......

Lily has homework each week and this weeks homework included finding all things A in our home. Well really I must admit I cheated Nonnie found all things Aa, and not in our home at all. Anyways the finding of all these fun items spurred me into action. We are making an ABC book. 25 more weeks to go.

The back to school routine always leads to transitions. Lots of them. Lily is love loving her new school and I am so relieved!!! She is excited to go. Not at all excited that I am waking her in the wee hours but excited to go anyways. My girl is NOT a morning person. This morning I opened her door and brought her half asleep to the couch to encourage waking up. She rolled over on the couch looked at me hobbled like a drunken sailor back to her room and closed the door. Caused Peter and I quite the giggle.

Another transition is that baby tiger has to be left here at home. The first day of school she put him in her lunch box. I let her do it. I figured that if knowing he was there made her more comfortable so be it. The next day she got to bring a bag with three things she loved. Of course baby tiger went. Over the weekend I had to give her the bad news that baby tiger was going to just have to wait for her at home because we needed to keep him safe. She was mad, but went to school without a complaint.

Then I pushed my luck just a little more. I told her that I wanted her to stop sucking on her blanket. she said I don't know what I think about that. I said well he's very dirty and we might have to throw him away if he gets too dirty. She went in her room and closed the door I am pretty sure to suck on her beloved blanket. She came out a few minutes later and said mommy we can just wash him. I told her that the place she sucks on him just won't come clean anymore. Maybe we could cut that corner off. Oh my you would think I wouldve told her I was gonna cut off a limb. She went in my room sat in my closet and sobbed. Since we are in such a transition I decided planting the seed of things to come was enough. I suggested perhaps we should find a new corner. She looked at me in all seriousness and said but mommy I suck this corner and I put my finger in here. (The opposite corner has a small hole) and I smell this corner and I go to sleep. with my own insomnia issues perhaps I should get myself a tags.

One last funny tidbit. Lily's school is in this brand new state of the art beautiful little school house. So her teacher has asked that they wear slippers inside. We bought Lily some ballet slippers. She fell in love and wants to wear them to bed. The other night I am awoken to this little voice calling me. I stumble to her room and ask what she needs. She says mommy I can't find my napping shoes. SERIOUSLY it's 3am. Napping shoes what might those be!! So the next evening I find myself telling my 4 year old in a very serious tone: that there will be no more napping shoes if you wake mommy up again in the middle of the night. Then I burst out laughing cause napping shoes are ridiculous.

First day of School

My baby girl headed off to her first day of pre~K today.

She woke up with a smile on her face

got out of the car with her lunchbox in hand gave me a hug and kiss

took her teachers hand and didn't look back.

Her school has a shutterfly sight and they took pictures.
I feel so spoiled to get to see her throughout the day.
I love the smile on her little face among all her new friends.


She even got to have a riding lesson on her first day.
Is there any wonder that she went in with a smile on her face.