Lillian 9 Months

Lillian had her 9 month check up the other day to prove she is still growing like a weed.  She's 20 lbs and 30 1/2"--which is over the 99th percentile!

She's turning into a little social butterfly and will wave to people and clap for them when she sees she's getting some attention.

She's loving her solid foods and has come up with a way to let us know she's ready for her next bite.  The picture on the right is her "more" pose.  Ha ha!

When we're out at the library or other interesting spots, Lillian will start twisting and flipping and arching her back in my arms in hopes I'll put her down on the ground.  But since the only thing she can do right now is sit and pick things off the floor to stick them in her mouth, I have mastered holding an active acrobat.

When she's at home, she'll sit and play with toys and if something's out of reach, she'll shift to her tummy and kick her little legs like crazy, but it hasn't gotten her very far yet!

She's still incredibly bald, but her bright blue eyes and sweet smile steal the show every time!

Lego Land

The girls are participating in our local library's reading program.  They earned some coupons which included a free admission to Lego Land.  Hylie couldn't pass up this opportunity, so last Saturday we checked this place out and weren't disappointed!

The City of Chicago built out of Legos!

The 2D and 3D lego art was extremely impressive!

 This "Grandpa's Swing" ride was the absolute highlight for Eliana

6th Wedding Anniversary

This weekend, Geoff and I celebrated 6 years of marriage.  We had a nice little getaway for a sushi lunch, a quick walk, and some ice cream.

We sure have learned a lot from and about each other.  I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend--Geoff teaches me so much through his patience, practicality, and love.  We couldn't ask for more--our beautiful and wonderful daughters, we are extremely blessed to have the gospel in our lives, and I'm so thankful for the communication we have between each other.  Looking forward to seeing what happens in the next 6 years!

Beach Outing

The other day it was in the 90's, so I decided it would be great to hit the beach.  This is my first time going with three little ones in tow.  It's definitely a handful--and I'm sure glad Lillian isn't crawling yet...otherwise I don't know that I would brave it.  We had a ton of fun and hope to return again soon!

4th of July

We had a nice, low-key 4th.  Our main plan was to try to make it to the parade and if the kids were up, we'd watch the fireworks.

This year, Hylie was starting to show more interest and understanding of why we celebrate the 4th of July.  It's nice to be able to talk to her about our country and why we are so blessed to live here where many people sacrificed all they had to give us the freedoms we have today.  Truly, we are proud to be Americans and are forever indebted to those who came before us and thought more of their freedoms and families than their own lives.

At the parade 

 The night before the fourth, we had some fun outside during Family Home Evening

Sharing a soda (well, sharing germs) while waiting for fireworks on July 4th

Family Camping Trip

For months now, Hylie has been begging us to go camping.  She wanted so badly to sleep outside in a tent.  So, we decided to give it a try!  I can do anything for one night, right?

We traveled to where a campsite was available in a quiet, little fishing town in Shabbona, IL.  When we got there, Lillian was a little more fussy than usual, so I couldn't put her down without her crying.  I didn't want to be 'that' family with the screaming kid, so I ended up holding her a lot, which meant I wasn't much help setting up the tent or dinner.  But Geoff put his scouting skills to work and set up the tent and maintained the fire.

Hylie decided camp bathrooms were stinky and that aspect of camping was 'not very pretty'.  But she sure enjoyed staying up late, sleeping in a tent (but not necessarily on the hard ground), and eating camp food.  Eliana was all about the camp snacks.  She was constantly digging in the bag of popcorn and loving that she could just help herself!  Ha ha!  We giggled when Eliana woke up in the tent, her first request was, "Go home?"  Apparently, sleeping on the hard ground wasn't her favorite thing!

 Cooking eggs like a champ!

We made snake bubble tubes for entertainment.  The girls inhaled the bubbles when they first tried it the night before and were not impressed with the idea at all.  Luckily, they gave the activity another try the next morning!

 Hylie learned how to pump while we were at the camp playground!

Stopping at McDonald's on the way home for an ice cream

We had fun playing and just spending time together.  The entire experience exceeded my expectations because we actually got some sleep that night, so yes, I may even do it again...maybe.