Boots

While breezing through Target' last night we literally ran into a display for these Hello Kitty rain boots. Miss Lily just had to have them. She took off her sandals, threw them into the basket and put these on. They haven't come off yet. She even took a bath in them!

Lily Tricks

Back to every day life. I like it this way. I know what to expect. Sort of.

So Lily is doing all kinds of things that make me stop, watch, and think, "where did you learn that." She is not doing cartwheels or solving quadratic equations. But, who taught her how to peel a banana? Not me. But she knows how to do it.

Or how about:

getting water from the fridge by herself.
buckling her own car seat.
adjusting the volume on the TV.
sorting through the snack bin to find just the right treat.
Opening the packaging to a band-aid. (I struggle with that!)

She is such a little person and it brings us such joy to watch her excelling at life. Peeling bananas will be math formulas before we know it. For now, I am taking in the little things -- like watching her figure out a new pair of shoes or putting her Barbie's hair in a ponytail!

End of Summer

We are done traveling, and happy to be home. It is Sunday night and the laundry is done and put away. Suitcases unpacked and tucked under the bed. Photos uploaded. Emails answered. Fridge re-stocked. 

We are settled back in and ready to nest for the next five months until baby Stone #2 comes home! 

We had a wonderful trip to Blowing Rock. Lily had a blast - I still can't get over the personality in this child! She owns every situation she is in! Here are some photos from the last of our travels:

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Heading to the Moutains

The end of summer for us will be this last get away to the mountains. Every year we sneak away for a week in Blowing Rock, a place where my family has vacationed for a couple of generations. We are lucky to have family in this beautiful town so that we can take advantage of amazing scenery, a sweet downtown with a park and ice cream shop, and a big back porch at Grandma's where we snack on treats and enjoy an evening fire.

Buck and I are so happy that Lily will have memories of the mountains. We hope this to be a tradition that continues for a long time.

Family - we look forward to seeing you this week. And I'll be sure to post more when we get home.

Then we are on a travel hiatus until Baby #2 joins us.