Roar

Crazy

Ben snapped this picture of us on the couch tonight.
We look a little crazy if you ask me!

Lilly is trying to hard to keep up with Eli.
Here she is climbing up one of Eli's truck creations.

Portraits

Eli's Creations

Eli pretends that our couch is a trash truck. It drives me nuts because he loads every toy we own onto the couch and "drives" it to the dump. The pillows can also be arranged in different ways to create different trucks. It can be a dump truck, a trash truck, a moving truck. Sometimes it's even a trash grinder or compactor. I guess I should be grateful for a child with a wonderful imagination!

This is his recycling center. His trucks load Legos into different spots, effectively sorting all of the recycling into glass, plastic and paper. This will keep Eli occupied for hours, as long as Lilly doesn't knock it down!

All Wet

Lilly wants to be one of the big kids so bad. The other day she just got wet in the sprinkler and then followed the big kids all around the yard. It's so sad how the get the idea to do things before they're actually able to do them. Even though she struggled to keep up, I think she had fun!

Update

New Haircut
(Thanks Adrianna)

Lilly and her Raggedy Ann doll

Little Beary has been reunited to our family!
We called the landfill and asked them to search through piles of garbage for this guy.
It took them 6 weeks to find him, but they came through.
They sent him to the cleaners on his way home, since he was filthy from being buried in trash for so long. Little Beary looks as good and new, and is so happy to be home. Eli teared up when he opened the package, and won't go anywhere without him.
Apparently Little Beary not only missed Eli, but missed helping Eli drive his toy backhoe combo.

Oh, to be three and believe in magic!

Little Walker Lady

Little Beary

Eli lost his little Beary at the 4th of July Parade. He loved that little bear, and brought him everywhere we went. He still cries about him being lost, and we've made every effort to find a replacement. He talks about how the little guy is out there lost and scared, and Beary doesn't understand why Eli isn't coming to rescue him. He says the people who clean up after the parade must have thought Beary was "Parade Trash" and cleaned him up. He says Beary must have been put in a garbage truck, crushed in the hopper, and buried in the landfill.

It's such a sad story, I find myself missing the bear. He used to sit on the front seat next to me in the car, strapped into his own seat belt.

The problem with replacing him is that he's so small. He came with a bear snowsuit we bought when Eli was little. He's cream colored and about 2-3 inches tall. If you've seen this little guy we'd love to come and rescue him.



Here's a link to an auction on Ebay (that I missed) picturing the little bear in the pocket of the snowsuit.

Pigtails and Kisses

Lilly's hair is finally long enough to put into little pigtails, and I couldn't be happier!

Yesterday Pearl and Lilly were kissing each other.
Pearl started it, she came in for a kiss and Lilly totally kissed her back!
I have never seen anything so cute in my entire life, we're definitely saving these for blackmail later.

Hot, Hot Day in July

Just like Daddy

When Ben mows the lawn Eli follows him around with his little plastic lawnmower.

We'll see if we can get Eli to mow the lawn when he's 13!

1 Year

It's hard to believe that just a year ago Lilly came into our lives. We were so surprised by her early arrival, and shocked by her condition. That first month was filled with hope, worry, excitement and pride. Lilly is such a strong little girl, and did amazing at every stage of the game. She was a quiet and happy baby even in the most difficult of times. She recovered from her two surgeries so fast, and ate like a pro. We couldn't have asked for a better surgeon, or nursing staff. It seems like so long ago, that our happy, healthy baby was in the NICU. It's an experience we'll never forget, and will always make Lilly a precious addition to our family.

Earplugs

Summer Fun

Lilly has a new friend Pearl, or as Eli calls her "Curl"

Another First

Lilly's first homemade dress!
I got the idea off of a blog here
it was so easy to make I want to make more.

Weekend Fun

We stopped at Multnomah falls on the way to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.

Lilly hanging out at the Fishing Event.

Eli and Ben fishing in a barrel.
Even though there were enough fish to reach in and touch we didn't catch one.
Eli hasn't made the connection between the fish that swim, and the fish that we eat. Maybe it was better we didn't catch anything, Eli didn't really care and we all had fun!