Growin' Up

It's been a lot of fun watching Lila's personality come out. While none of us are surprised by the attitude (apparently we weren't reading the book right so she had to do it herself) her shoe fetish has developed a little earlier than I expected. She tries on and walks in any pair of shoes she can find.

Trick or Treat

Lila had a fun filled Halloween weekend this year. We went to Howl-o-ween at the zoo to see all the animals and Lila loved running up and down the paths with the other trick-or-treaters. Then, Sunday, she helped us hand out candy to the neighbor kids. She did a great job grabbing the candy from our bowl but needs work a little on giving it away.

Happy Halloween

Lila got her first pumpkin earlier this month, while her Grandma and Grandpa Vaplon were here. She ran around the "patch" checking everything out and even took a turn through the maze...until she panicked and had to be rescued.

Lila's first fishing trip

Sunday we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and took Lila out on the river for her first fishing trip. She was a little scared at first of all the new sounds, but once we stopped at the first fishing hole she started to get excited. She kept running to Eric so he could hold her over the edge and she could touch the water.

Lila was unsure about the fish Eric caught but as soon as he dropped it back in the water, she was racing to the edge to watch it swim away.

Fall Raspberries

After an entire summer of Lila spitting out berry after berry that we gave her, she’s finally found a taste for them and can’t get enough. She’s gotten very good at spotting the ripe ones and picking them off the bushes. Even after they’re all gone, she’ll stand against the fence, pointing at them and signing “more”, looking up at us with pleading eyes….then crying and pounding her feet when we tell her they’re all gone.

First Golf Trip

Last night we went to the driving range to try out Grandma Vaplon's new golf clubs. Lila kept herself occupied picking up the ball baskets, filling them with golf balls and (as shown) trying to fit in the little boxes they had to hold broken tees, etc. The boxes were just a little small - it was a very frustrating time for our Lila Jeanne. :)

Pool Time

We got out Lila's pool this weekend so she could enjoy the nice weather we're finally having. I still don't think she believes that the fun outweighs the cold but she played for quite a while. Sunday we went to dinner at a friends house and she really got a kick out of their fountain. All the fun of water without actually being in it. We may have to get one for the patio.

Day at the Zoo

Today we decided to run over to the zoo and check out the Highland Games. It's a Scottish festival where they have performers, booths and games, and all in all it was pretty entertaining. We listened to some music, watched the dancers and fighters, took at look all the animals and then had some playtime in the park area.

Lila loved all the peacocks that were roaming around and kept wanting to run after them. (note the restraining hand :)


Lila also loved going down the slides, especially the tunnel slides. Eric would stay at the top and me at the bottom and Lila would run around and climb back up the stairs to the top so she could go down again.

That's Our Girl

This picture was sent to me from one of the girls that works at Lila's daycare. I have to wonder where they found the dirt and leaves since their entire play area is covered with padding, but I guess it goes to show how resourceful kids can be when they want something.

Our LIttle Hiking Buddy

We decided to take Lila and Jake for a hike this Memorial Day and they both did very well. We went to Fitz Park, a frisbee golf course outside of town. Luckily, Jake was too distracted with all the new smells to notice the frisbees flying all around him. Lila still seems so small for the backpack, but she snuggled right in and even fell asleep on our way back to the car.

Silly Girl

We had so much fun with Lila last night, she was is such a great mood. She found this Tupperware bin and was loving being pushed around by Eric. She had this goofy grin the whole time like she just couldn't stand all the fun she was having.

Later, when Eric was stretching for his run, she ran out to the living room and tried to copy him. She thought she was such a big girl.

Summer Rules!

Now that it's warming up, Lila is finally able to get outside to play and is loving it. Last night, we ran around the yard, played on her slide and swing, and discovered the hose sprayer. Lila was smiles the whole time.

Poor Little Lila

It's been a while since my last post so be prepared for a lengthy Lila update:

It's probably in my head but it seems like most of Lila's time has been spent being sick, or at least having a fever. A couple weeks ago she had her first trip to the ER for a fever that we couldn't get to go down. She did pretty well, just snuggled in all pathetic like, but the tests they did were pretty rough on her. They weren't able to find anything, but at least they ruled out the more serious causes.

The fever she has this week doesn't seem to be as bad and only bothers her at night :( She was kicked out of daycare yesterday so we had a relaxing mother-daughter day. We even played out in the yard for while. She has a play set out there but she immediately beelines for the gravel, sits down, grabs a hand full, picks the "best one," hands it to me and drops the rest in the grass. Eric is going to love that the next time he mows.

Lila and I also worked on her backward walking on our day off. She's really gotten into her new trick and has a huge, goofy grin on her face the whole time. Her favorite thing to do is backup 5 feet or so to a wall so she can slide down and sit leaning against it. She's such a leaner.

Here's Lila on our "Sick" day. (not a very convincing sick kid, is she)

Lila's 1st Birthday Party

Lila had her first birthday party this past Saturday. We went to the Kid's Klubhouse for cake and ice cream and, of course, to play. I was instantly sold on the place when I read that the parents could play on the equipment too. We all had a blast and Lila completely wore herself out running around and riding on the little cars they had.
Lila loved the cars, especially when Eric pushed us so we went fast.
She was also a big fan of all the attention during cake time.
At first, she wasn't sure what to think of the cake but that didn't last long.
Pretty soon she discovered that smashing it was just as much fun as eating it.
After seeing how Lila destroyed her cake, Jackson guarded his pretty closely.
Who's goofy kid is that?
Jackson and Gramma V. on the seesaw.
The place had a great little padded area for the little ones.
Lila had her first trip down a slide with Gramma.
Lila loved the cars so much that when she saw one of the other girls was getting a ride, she just climbed right on the back of it.
I'm not sure Jack knew what to think about the slide.
When no one would push her on the cars, she just pushed it herself.