The Lillies are coming! The Lillies are coming!

Oh, I love when my tiger lillies bloom each year! And this year, they look to be about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule. They were the perfect choice for our front walk as they multiply every year. What originally was around 30 blooms has turned into nearly 200! And once the orange blossoms are done blooming, they stay a lovely bright green all summer long.
I spent last weekend getting my porch ready for summer. A new table . . .
a new welcome mat . . .
and a new sign . . .
and we are ready for guests! (I'll be adding lots of fresh flowering plants soon!)
So be sure to pay us {and our ducks!} a visit this summer. We can't wait to see you.

Sweet.

Goodbye teeth #5 and #6! Goodbye diapers!

Mira has had a very busy week with her loose teeth! She lost one last weekend, and another one yesterday at the movies. That makes 6 teeth lost in 11 months! She handles it like a trooper and can't wait to see what the tooth fairy brings her each time. (Unfortunately for Mira, she wanted to buy something at Target yesterday that she didn't have enough money for, and Chris and I had to float her a loan. So the tooth fairy gave the loan difference to Mom and Dad. Alas, no tooth fairy money for this lost tooth!)

See how proud!

And Amelia is officially potty trained! It took about 2 days and we are so happy to not have to change diapers anymore! She had one accident at daycare the first day, and has been accident-free since then (10 days and counting!). She loves all her new "big girl" underpants, and has even woken up dry the past two nights. She still wears a pull-up to bed, but might not soon if she keeps waking up dry. She's so proud of herself. It's great to see.
Now all our "baby" stages are officially over, as we also got rid of the pacifiers this year. Great job, Amelia!

Potty Training!

On Thursday, we began potty training Amelia in earnest. Our sweet daycare provider suggested we start her soon, so we just decided to do it! Mira was trained the week of her 2nd birthday. Amelia will be 3 years old in 3 weeks and we just didn't think Amelia was ready (plus we weren't ready for the "hassle" that potty training takes).
Well, great news, Amelia has taken to it like a champ! The first two days were hit and miss, but today she's been really great about letting us know when she needed to go. She got to pick out her "go in the potty" treat and picked out mini-marshmallows (Amelia calls them "smarshmellows!"). She's so proud of herself, and we are so proud of her! We figure that between daycare and diaper costs, we'll be saving $100 a month once Amelia is potty trained. That will be like getting a nice raise at work! It will at least pay for our gym membership now!

We have been enjoying the gym this past month. The girls look forward to swimming every Saturday now. Mira discovered the big waterslide a couple weeks ago and just loves sliding down it. She is fast becoming a much stronger swimmer now. She wants to spend the entire time in the "deep" 5-foot end and can swim from one side to the other. It's fun to see!
Tonight the girls enjoyed decorating the driveway with sidewalk chalk. We've been so blessed with such beautiful weather. Spring is my favorite season and it seems we get shortchanged so often that spring is just a few days long and we launch right into summer. I'm certainly enjoying this season!
Winter is becoming a great dog. He's been going to obedience training and it seems to be helping a bit. He doesn't pee in the house hardly at all anymore and just loves to hang around us wherever we are. He's 7 months old now and just got neutered this past week, so hopefully he won't "hump" the girls anymore!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful April!

Meet Cate Beverly!

Chris's brother Matt and his wife Ann had a baby last week. She's so cute and was a whopping 10 pounds, 2 ounces. Her name is Cate Beverly! We visited last weekend and just love her. Congratulations to Matt, Ann, Cole, and Cara! The girls will love having a new cousin to play with. Cate looks exactly like Cara did when she was born.

Cate shares a middle name with Mira. Beverly is the name of Chris and Matt's late grandmother. She passed away shortly after Chris and I got engaged in 2000. She would have loved all these great-grandchildren so much!

Fickle boy

Mira has this on-again off-again "boyfriend" Isaac. Currently, they are "off," which is just fine with me and Chris!

This past weekend, we were visiting the newest baby in our family (Cate Beverly, Chris's brother and his wife's new daughter!) and Mira was playing on the swing in the yard. She was doing a trick on the swing and fell face-first into the dirt. She's got this big scrape right under her nose now and keeps telling me that she "doesn't feel pretty" with this scrape on her face. I feel bad that she feels like her looks are at all important and she has not-so-pretty-feeling days. I wish she didn't think about things like that! She also has these feelings about her glasses, saying she doesn't feel she looks as pretty when she wears them. I'm doing my best to convince her otherwise!

Anyway, Mira came home from school yesterday, her first since the swing incident, and told me, "Mom! Isaac said he'd date me again after my scab heals!"

Uggh.

Happy Easter Basket Day!

Happy Easter! Or, as Amelia likes to call it, "Happy Easter Basket Day!" I guess she didn't get the memo that it's about Jesus and not about Easter baskets full of candy and spring dresses.

The girls woke up this morning and hunted for their Easter baskets from Grandma Diane and Grandpa Wayne. They loved looking for them! Mira's was in the Mushroom House and Amelia found hers in the dryer. Here is a photo of them with their hard-earned baskets:
We had a lovely holiday today with Chris's family. His dad Randy and wife Terrie hosted us:
The kids enjoyed the annual Easter egg hunt. The kids love this tradition and the most exciting part is the 4 eggs hidden with $5 each inside them! The kids found 3 of the 4 eggs, and that last one never was found. We figure we'll find it at the annual 4th of July party or something!

Mira on the hunt:
Amelia with her basket:
Randy gave me a little scare with his daredevil antics to rehang the swing. Heights are NOT my thing!
Enjoying the fruits of his labor:
My sweet girls:
Me and my baby:
Mira, Amelia, and cousin Cara:
Randy and Amelia:
Chris's uncle Steve and aunt Karen surprised us with a visit from Florida.
Mira put her new jump rope to good use right away:
And Ann is just 2 days away from her due date with another little niece for us. Good luck this week, Ann! We'll be thinking about you!
The kids found a turtle outside. Terrie was NOT happy when Randy let it crawl around on the kitchen table:
Group photo:
We hope you all had a lovely holiday! Happy Easter!

The wedding is off

Mira has been "dating" Isaac, a boy she has known at daycare since she was 9 months old. They ride the school bus together, are in the same kindergarten class, and rumor has it there has been a kiss or two involved, and certainly some hand holding. Mira has been telling me for a few months that she and Isaac are going to get married someday.

Yesterday we were driving home and Mira said, "Mom, I need to find myself a new husband. Issac and I broke up." I asked what happened. And she said first she broke up with Isaac, then he broke up with her after that. When I asked her why, she said it was because they fought all the time and maybe they shouldn't be together anymore.

So, Mira is now back on the single's market if you know of any sensible 5-year-old boys who can keep a good distance from my little girl.

Painting birdhouses and Easter gifts

Mira and Amelia had a great time last weekend painting their birdhouses. They were just a dollar at JoAnn's and it was a nice craft for them to do.
Today, they received their early Easter gifts. Mira got 2 new swimsuits, and Amelia received 2 new summer dresses. They were a big hit and the girls put on their new clothes right away! They also scored a copy of "The Princess and the Frog" DVD. We'll definitely be watching that this afternoon!
On family news, we are doing well! Chris and I decided last week to join Lifetime Fitness. We got a family membership and have been going nearly every day! We now get free access to the community swimming pool and swim lessons for Mira. It's been a great investment! They have a child care area for the kids while Chris and I workout, then we can head to the swimming pool for the girls to enjoy. We'll be there this morning after my kickboxing class. Mira can model one of her new swimsuits!

We're off to Chris's dad's house for Easter tomorrow. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter tomorrow and will be thinking about those of you we won't be able to see. Happy Easter!