Quite the little traveler

This week we had the opportunity to visit my parents for a few days while Mike was working out of town. We made the 2+ hour drive back this morning. We were home for not quite an hour then we headed out to Mike's mom's house for a Father's Day BBQ. That drive was a little over an hour each way. When we got home this afternoon we then headed to a church BBQ. To say the least it was a full day of travels. It amazed me that after spending over 5 hours in the car today Lilly was just as happy and content as could be. When driving, I would find myself watching her in my mirror and she would either be chattering to herself or squealing at something she could see out the window. It was nice getting to interact with her this afternoon when Mike was driving. Here is a video of that trip.

When it's too hot outside...

Playing at the park

Vacation Bible School

The theme this year at VBS was was "Boomerang Express...It all comes Back to Jesus". I had the opportunity to work in the 4 year old classroom. We met M-F from 9:00-12:30. Each day consisted of bible stories, games, singing, crafts, recreation, snack time and a worship rally to close out the day. It was fun getting to watch these little minds take in the events from the week. A few highlights throughout the week included: the lights going out (typically not a big deal unless you are in the basement with no windows or emergency lights with 15, 4 year olds), one of our kiddos lost a tooth, hearing one little boy tell his friend "don't worry, God said you should not perish but have everlasting life", and last but certainly not least, 14 kids making decisions for Christ. What a way to celebrate the week!

Each day we had a theme and this day happened to be "hat" day.

While the big kids were learning about Jesus, Lilly got to hang out in the nursery and play with her friends too. It was nice being able to volunteer with VBS and know that at the same time Lilly was in good hands.

Baylie, Lilly and Lillian

This evening we closed out the week with a pool party and BBQ. It was fun getting to see the kids from my class and I really enjoyed all the extra hugs that they gave. This was only Lilly's second time at the pool and she absolutely loved it.

When it rains it pours

or some reason the park across the street seems to flood every time we get a lot of rain in a short period of time. That was the case yesterday and unfortunately we weren't able to spend any time on the swings which was disappointing not only for Lilly but for me as well.

15 months

On Friday Lilly had her 15 month check-up. She now weighs 21 lbs 3 oz (25th percentile) and is 30.5 inches (50th percentile) long. We finally have a "normal" baby according to the charts! The Dr. asked if Lilly was able to speak at least 6-8 words and I was a proud mama to report that she currently has 28 full words in her vocabulary. She understands a lot more than what even I think she understands and seems to learn knew things on a daily basis. I can ask her if she wants to go tot he park and once she finally calms herself down from the excitement she will first look out the window and then crawl over to the door and wait for me to pick her up and take her outside. She will also pick up books and bring them back to you when asked and will continue to do so until the bookshelf is empty. Daddy has started helping her learn to count to 10. She currently has "eight" and "ten" down. Currently her favorite things are swinging at the park, reading books, riding in her stroller and eating. Today we went to the library and enrolled in the "summer reading program" for toddlers. I'm excited to have new books to read to Lilly while earning free books through the program. We continue to enjoy and be blessed on a daily basis through this little girl of ours.

Lilly loves to crawl into our bedroom and lay or sit on the wool palette that great-grandma Betty made.