5 Year Old Lily Kins

I took Lily's 5 yr. old pictures 3 weeks early, but we had the perfect overcast afternoon this Sunday. Lily and I slipped out after church to take some pictures in the field next to our apartment complex. 

Lily's plie

When she grew bored of playing model, we went back and got Lucy and went out again to go "Fairy Hunting" in the woods behind our complex. Lucy brought her "camera" - we didn't see any fairies, but we found a few of what we think are their homes. I did find a few nightmarish large spiders, but I didn't point them out to my girls. 

Happy Birthday Goose Girl!

Lucy requested pancakes for breakfast (and of course a mini cupcake on the side) - it's her birthday, she can eat sugar if she wants to. 

Next order of business on our day of fun was a playdate at a friends. Lily and Lucy both wanted to share their cuddle toys with Lexi during the ride. 

As per birthday traditions, Lucy got to choose where we all ate lunch as a family - and she chose McDonalds. She even got her own happy meal (that hardly ever happens) - and surprise - the toys were actually decent!

That evening we all went swimming. The girls were in the middle of their swimming lessons so this was fun to be able to go to the pool and play instead of learn. The girls are in different classes that meet at the same time so Lexi and I are able to just hang out by the pool and watch. It's great to get me us out of the house with something to do each day for 2 weeks. Of course we start getting ready at 11 am and by the time we are home, put everything away and bathed, it's 2pm - all for 30 minute swim lessons. 

Lucy requested rainbow cupcakes and I did the best I could. However, between Jordan's birthday and today, the candle's were lost. I started to panic but Jordan had the brilliant idea of just using toothpicks. 

All Lucy requested for her birthday was a new kitty toy. Lily picked out this darling one. 

Jill sent Lily some new sunglasses so she wouldn't feel left out :)

We surprised Lucy with a princess nightgown of her own. Lily has some and Lucy has been quite jealous. I couldn't find a belle one (Lucy's favorite princess), but she seemed beyond happy with an ariel nightgown.

Lucy is a tinkerbelle - she only has room in her body for one emotion at a time. She is either beyond cute, smiley and happy, or she is stubbornly mad. She also has the cutest high pitched voice and proclaims herself "sweet and kind.". She is full of life and we are so glad she is our Goosey! She still refuses to acknowledge that her true name is Lucy, but she calls herself Goosey more often than Kitty Cat these days. She adores her big sister but is also starting to have an opinion of her own as to how they should play. She is also fearless and has excellent control over her gross motor skills - her adventuring tends to scare me at times, but I try not to be a helicopter parent. She is happy in her own little world whether she can find someone to play with her or not. 

At Home with 3 Darling Girls

We started to get into the grove of newborn + Everyday life - Lexi is a pretty chill baby, when she's being held. If she is awake, she is very upset if she is not also being cuddled. The girls are getting used to waking up and having their TV time be in the morning while I "nap". Not that they let me sleep much, but it helps. 

Sunday walk at Mill Race Park

picking flowers is a bit of an obsession with Lily and Lucy.

After we spent no less than 30 minutes picking flowers, the girls found a stage and put on a performance for us. They are a bit of drama queens. Lily told me today, "I am the best singer in primary and the best dancer in our family." I love her confidence. 

Lucy's singing solo. 

Yet another tea party

Daddy-daughter naps. 

Each week Lucy shows more love for Lexi.

Lily of course wanted in with the "Angel Baby Snuggles" - she still adores her baby sister. When she is away from her and comes back she asks, "Did Lexi miss me?" And she always wants to see her cute face and hold her. We have rules that she cannot pick up Lexi or walk with her. However, one day she came into the kitchen walking on her knees holding Lexi. "I'm not walking with her!" she justified. 

It is important to properly teach the eldest child so that she can then teach her siblings. 

Birthday Weekend!

Our 4th of July family tradition - slurpee's/snow cones! Since this was also Jordan's last day in his twenties, he went to the movies and stayed up ridiculously late. It was his first time going to the movies alone since all his buddies had 4th of July plans and we were already getting a babysitter for the next day. 

Poor little Niki had a broken arm for Jordan's birthday get-together. The original plan was to have a BBQ at Brown County State Park with our close friends and then go for a hike. But once we were all done BBQing and talking for a few hours, it was already late in the afternoon and none of us felt like a hike anymore. 

Jordan isn't a big fan of cake - but cheesecake is his true love. 

Lily and her friend Jaxson. She has plans to marry his older brother, Parker. Their family, the Harris's were here on intership last summer and then went back to BYU to finish Chad's MBA. Lily remember Parker from last summer and was beyond excited to see him again this summer. They aren't in Columbus but got an offer with Amazon in Carmel, In, so they are still close. And after a year, Lily still wants to marry him (that is, when she forgets that she wants to marry Hudson). 

Our friends the Wang's were here, but left before we thought to take a picture. 

We all met up again in the evening for the demoliton derby. This was one thing that Jordan absolutely wanted to do. I didn't love leaving our 3 week old baby with a babysitter - but it was Jordan's 3oth birthday, this is what he had his heart set on doing, and I wasn't about to bring Lexi to the derby. As my mom said, "Some people bring their newborns to a demolition derby, but we are not those people." 

Jordan's second birthday treat, fried cheese curds dipped in ranch. I did ask him to leave early since I was worried about Lexi. She of course, was fine. I figure, I'm overly paranoid, Jordan isn't worried enough - so together we balance each other out. 

Lexi's 2nd Week Home

Lucy didn't want anything to do with Lexi during the first week. When Jordan asked her what she thought of her new baby sister, Lucy responded, "I no like her." - However, this week, Lucy started to warm up to "Baby Angel" as she nick named her. It started when Lucy wanted to give Lexi a bottle. Perhaps, Lucy just needed something to DO with Lexi, besides sit and admire her. She is also very interested in singing her to sleep, watching her diaper changes, cleaning her toes during Lexi's bath and rocking her when she's crying in the car seat. She's also changed to start paying more attention to other babies - being soft with them and handing them toys, where before she absolutely ignored them as long as they weren't trying to steal her toys.

Tummy time wore her out!

Our "snuggie" is one of our favorite baby products!

This wasn't her first bath at home, but it was the first one by her Daddy.

The girls wanted to make sure Lexi was involved in playtime.

Lucy has become more interested in books - asking to be read to frequently throughout the day. Perhaps she has learned that this is one sure way to get our attention. It's nearly impossible for me to turn down a "Mama, read this to me?" plea. 

Lily is making sure that Lexi is fully educated on her princesses. 

Lexi had another visitor! Our niece Kimberly came to visit for about a week. Jordan and the girls drove down to meet her mom halfway in Kansas City. Jordan went back to work this week as well. Kimberly played dress up, tea party, and dolls with the girls. We all went to the children's museum one evening in Indy as well. 

Lily lost her first tooth during this week! We had noticed it was loose the day before, and when she was eating dinner I noticed that it was suddenly gone where it was still there before dinner started. We assume she must have swallowed it. Lily was extremely distressed about not having the actual tooth for the tooth fairy. However, we wrote the Tooth Fairy a note explaining what happened and she was still nice enough to leave Lily a dollar. Lily lost her second tooth just a few days after. She calls her dollar bills "green tickets". A week later when I was trying to explain to her that we couldn't buy something because we are trying to save money for a house, she offered me her tooth fairy money to help save. I didn't take it from her, but it was very sweet. 

Lily and Kimberly planned an elaborate tea party for Lexi. 

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Jared was passing through from one of his military trainings in Maine and took Kimberly back to her family in Missouri on his way back to Texas. He was only able to stay for about half a day, but that was enough time for him and Jordan to go trail biking (we can't really call it mountain biking). This was July 3rd - and on that evening was the city's annual independence day fireworks. Our ward gets together at a park and has a great party - and it's one of Lily's favorite days of the year. Music, treats, playground, friends, glow sticks, and fireworks. She remembered it from last year and has been waiting for it all year. This year Lexi, Lucy and I stayed home and listened to the fireworks. Lucy would have gone, but she was exhausted (the party goes from 7 pm until about 11:30ish) and went to bed early that night.