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....

Kraft Dinner

Its hard to find many people, regardless of age, that aren't interested in mac and cheese. It turns out that Lily is no different. Here are some pictures from a mac and cheese eating fiesta from last night....and yes, they are alphabet shaped noodles!

And of course we can't forget about our ever vigilant street sweepers!

This sequence of pictures highlights the activities around our house theses days. Lily has been in the "opening cabinets" stage for some time now.

My exciting revelation this past week was instead of just saying "no, no, no"...to which my 13 month old turns to me and waves her finger back and forth, as she's smiling... I actually tried asking her to infact "close the drawer please" and remarkably... it worked!

The second picture catches her in the act and the third (though it's hard to see) shows her satisfaction for a job well done - which she was rightly told and praised -- which of course led to her opening the drawer again, just so she could close it once we asked and get praise again-- which led to her opening the drawer ----okay you get the picture.

Oldie but goodie

This picture is from Lily's 1st birthday party and is definitely one of my favorites. Unfortunately, we only had a print of it, and Emily kept it in her car to look at driving back and forth to Bristol. Well, in the process of switching cars back and forth for various reasons....somehow, this picture ended up in my office. And it is actually a good thing that it did, because Rebecca (the MBA program coordinator at Milligan) was kind enough to scan it and send it to me. Being one of my absolute favorite Lily pictures I can't resist posting it now that I have it in electronic form.

The Lilynhammer Games

The summer heat has broken slightly during the past week, so we all took the opportunity to venture out for a little backyard Olympics of our own. According to Gator, those Olympians in Beijing play the game of tennis all wrong. True tennis players don't need a racket or a flashy doo-rag or a bottle of Evian....all they need is a tennis ball and a big, slobbery tongue! Since Lily and Gator are such good buddies (always exchanging licks), she decided to help throw the ball to him...and only once tried to take a bite out of one of the balls...if Gator does it, shouldn't everyone?

After the champion of backyard Olympic tennis was declared (can you guess who?), we decided to shift indoors for a little Olympic barking. I know what you're thinking...there is no way that barking is an Olympic sport. Well, it's certainly more strenuous than "shooting" which is an Olympic sport, and it can be pretty exciting too. Just in case, we decided to spice it up a little bit and created our own biathalon...concurrent barking and pooping. If you will notice what Lily is seated on in the picture below, I think you will agree that this kid has got talent!

(Emily's addendum: There's really no good explanation for this picture, but rest assured there certainly was no active pooping....by any member of the family)

And finally, what Olympic games would be complete without a lima bean eating contest!...you can score extra points by sliding beans down your bib to your four legged partners on the floor.

And So We Continue On.....

So, I know, you thought the whole 'block' thing was over.... we did too... but due to gentle prodding we've decided to continue on a monthly basis.....

Because my schedule currently allows it, after we take our daily runs at the VA, we let Lily have a turn and walk/try to run around herself. She loves it when we bring her soccer ball too and the video clip below is a taste of what that action is like.

At times, we let Gator off leash because he's the only one we're sure will return.... as long as we have a ball, that is. I don't know which one Lily loves more, running after the ball herself, or sharing it with G.

Last weekend we all took a trek to Knoxville, so Dave and I could celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary while getting excellent childcare. Though the days were oppressively hot, we stole a few morning hours away at "The Cove" and Lily had a blast discovering the playground and the locals.