When did my kid turn 2??

Well, it happened. 
She turned two. Officially, she turned two 4 months ago, but let me tell ya', folks.  She's getting two-er by the minute!

Steve and I have always been pretty riteous, frankly, about what a good kid Lily is.  And she IS a good kid, don't get me wrong... She never threw fits, listened well, and very rarely had to go to timeout.  She was just a good, smart, sweet little girl.

All good things must come to an end, though.  The sweet, smart little girl is still there.  But now she comes home from daycare saying, 'I hit Charlie today.' or, 'I hit Sawyer- had to go to timeout.'

She is kind of bossy, too! She'll say, 'Mommy, where is my crown?' I'll reply, 'It's in your room.' She'll say, 'Go get it, Mommy!' 

Restaurants have proven challenging lately. It's hard to focus when you're two, I assume... So perhaps we just shouldn't take her for a while?

Anyway, Lily is still as lovely as ever- just a bit more feisty.  Watch out, world- you've got a real firecracker on her way!

Lily's wanted to dress like a princess lately- and Daddy made her a magic wand.

Rowan doesn't sleep.

Sure, he's sweet as pie...
He probably has the most kissable cheeks and mouth ever.
But our little Rowan is a troubled sleeper.

and a LOUD crier...

Thank goodness you're cute, Rowan.  Love, Mommy.

Lily and I got married.

We decided about a month ago to shut off our cable.  We had some awesome channels; Bravo and E to be specific... although Steve would disagree.  Anyway, we shut it down for the same reasons most people do.  The summer had come and we didn't want to waste time in front of it.  And with the Internet it's super easy to watch whatever you want, really- even though some things are a bit dated. 

The past week, though, it has been in the 90s with heat indexes well over 100 degrees, so over the weekend we had to stay in and we watched some shows... or should I say A show.  Lily and I must have watched The Princess and the Frog about 7 times, which resulted in several things:

1. Lily is often a frog and I'm a princess and we kiss
2. Lily hops around like a frog
3. Lily wants to dance around like a beautiful princess
4. Lily wants to get married about 4 or 5 times a day

Getting married, though, isn't exactly what you are thinking.  Here's what you have to do: You have to hold hands and dance around in a circle.  Then you have to drag Lily on the floor for a little ways.  And then you're married. 

At least I'm married to someone!

'I want to ride the merry-go-round, mommy!'

Even though it's been a while since we visited my side of the family on the 4th of July, all we've been hearing about is the 'merry-go-round'.  Technically, Lily's referring to a carousel she rode at Storybook Land in Aberdeen.  My mom made the mistake of decision to send a picture of her and Lily on the carousel with a little note that said, 'the next time you visit, we'll ride the merry-go-round'.
This picture resulted in an hour long crying and begging fit of, "I want to ride the merry-go-round! I want to ride the merry-go-round, Mommy (or Daddy, whoever was nearest).
We had to take the picture down. 

Infamous Merry-Go-Round

Lily got to feed the goats at Storybook Land

Grandpa Doug and Grandma Gretchen bought her a new fishing pole!

"Are you hiding, kitty?'

Sweet Rowan with mommy

The kids napping on the same bed (I hope a different mattress) I used to nap on when I was little.

Great Grandma GG loving Rowan



A new dining room table.

For the past year or so, Steve, Lily and I have all settled around a tiny, wobbly little make-shift table and sat on uncomfortable crappy chairs that had a really weird slant to the seat.  But that is over.
Joyce and Robin, Steve's parents, brought us their dining room table and chair set on Friday night. 
Isn't it funny how a proper table and sturdy chairs can completely change how the room feels, looks, and one's attitude about home.  I can't speak for the kids, but to Steve and I our little place feels so much better.

Kids day at the park

Lily and I went to the park a few weeks ago for kids day.  It was rainy and super muddy, but she had a great time! There was a fitness instructor teaching Zumba, and Lily just had to dance!

She also fed the sheep...