Dinnertime

For a change Lily feeds the dogs their own food...instead of hers!
That's fine with us, just one more chore (see previous post)
the baby is mastering!

Wedding Weekend!!

The State Line

Okay so I know you can't hardly make this picture out, but it is the sign at the State Line Drive-In Movie in Elizabethton. The marquee reads Tropic Thunder (which I highly recommend, especially if you are a Ben Stiller fan).











We took Lily to her first drive-in movie this weekend. Not one that was necessarily appropriate for her viewing, but it started past her bed-time so we were hoping she'd sleep through it.











She slept, but it took awhile to get to that point. Who knew being free to crawl around the front of the Jeep could be so fun, not to mention turning the steering wheel and pressing all the buttons.

And for my next trick....

Emily and I had the privilege of watching the Lily show this afternoon. Being one of the words she can say, she is normally very proud of her drinking her juice. Here, as you can see, she has taken to the next level with juice drinking...sans hands!

What's the Frequency Kenneth?

I'm very proud to announce that Dave has been introduced to the world of TV media. Obama visited SW Virginia today and because we are so close to the state line, that was big news around the area. Dave was asked (as an Economist) to comment on some of the present political issues.

We thought everything was going well, he was given what were supposed to be the questions beforehand, as to be appropriately prepared with a response. But apparently things change in the news business and it turned out that of the three questions he was asked, only one he knew about beforehand.

I think he did great, especially for his first live TV (via phone) interview.....oh yeah, and at 5:24 in the morning. Click here to check it out!

Dave's interview
(p.s. his part starts around 3:20)

Month 14

What a difference a month makes! I feel we better hold on tight, because the ride of toddler-hood has begun. Oh, how the stages of childhood bring with them their wonders and their challenges, all in the same package.

We have been having so much fun with Lily over the past month, it just seems to keep getting better, the more and more active and engaged she becomes. It is such a joy to watch her discover the world. Everyday she seems to pick up a new word, or at least the inflection of a word. So far her favorites are Juice, Shoes, Dog, and we're working on Thank you....it kind of sounds like "Tai-ku" but she gets the inflection. She's so proud of herself too, when she first said Juice....that's all we heard for the next 30 minutes.

But, as I said, there's also the flip side, as she is learning to assert her independence....something her mother never did....I assure you. So, I suppose appropriately, on her 14 month birthday, I had to officially discipline her and put her in "time-out" which at this point just constitutes putting her back into her crib. But it was certainly as hard for me as it was for her, basically because all I kept thinking was......'and so it's begun'......

This picture may shed a little light onto why she was such a handful this morning. She's been chewing on that back right gum for two days now, and as mentioned in a previous post, that back molar is the next to make an appearance. Guess I should have cut her a little slack?!??.

And finally here are a few pics from our Saturday morning trip to Winged Deer Park that has a wonderful interactive playground. Lily was a big fan of the swings, and the steering wheel that looked like Daddy's Jeep.

Earning Her Keep

We were doing some deep cleaning after returning from our quick getaway
and Lily was not to be left out.....who knew child labor could be so fun!

Occasionally, even after a good sweep and vacuum, a little polishing is needed...
regardless of the means....

Taking pity on the little tyke, we introduced her to the Swiffer...I'm not
too sure she was impressed.

We took a fun but quick trip up to NOVA this weekend. Now that Lily is such a motor boat - I was quite impressed that she tolerated being in the car for as long as she did. We took a much needed break at JMU (Dave's Alma Mater, of course) and I don't think I've seen Lily as blissfully happy as she was running freely around the campus....and it was significantly past her bedtime.

When we left Sunday morning, Lily was particularly fussy and clingy and we chalked it up to the cold she's had for the last several days.....but now we know the culprit of it all....check out Lily's first molar on the bottom left....the right one looks like it's soon to follow....somebody pass the Kleenex....