Pool Time!

There is not much else to do in this Texas heat! Did I really tell my parents to come visit us in August? After spending all of August in Germany last year I think I simply forgot how hot it gets in Texas. Oh wait! It's not August yet? It sure does feel like it! We have been going swimming in our Neighborhood Pool almost daily and the girls have turned in little Water Rats. Lily tells me about every five Minutes "Look Mama! I can wimming!" (She has a little trouble pronouncing the "S") and she really gets around great wearing her floaties. And Emmi has really learned how to swim! She can dog paddle about 5 yard distances and can swim even further on her back.We'll be working on swim STYLE next year. Today she learned to float on her back (She can only do it with her eyes closed which looks a bit creepy watching her float around in the pool). She still won't dive but she really wants to and has been practicing dipping her face in the water for a little while (okay, for about half a second that is, but that is actually quite an improvement from her flipping out about a drop of water getting in her face). Baby Steps :) !

Lily loves drying her hair under the hand dryer!

Straight out of the water...

Poolside Snack.

On the way to the Pool. Lily HAD to wear the skirt and don't try to carry the lunchbox for her...

Funny Lily

Lily always tells on herself. It's hilarious...

Today at lunch:

Lily: Mama go outside!?

Me: Why do you want me to go outside?

Lily: I spit out my peach.

Me: You are going to spit out your peach when I go outside?

Lily: Yes Mama. You go outside I spit out peach.

Mhmmm...let me think for a minute, but I don't think I am going to leave the room...

Lily is very much into pretend play right now. If you see her holding her hands cradled up to her chest she is very likely is holding a pretend Baby. And if I ask her to do something that requires her to use her hands she will very carefully put her invisible "Baby" down and pick it back up right after she is finished. Very cute. I remember Emmi doing the same thing right around this age.

Emmi has been going to Summer Camp for a couple of weeks and Lily is very jealous. I felt bad for her thinking she really misses her sister, but apparently she was only jealous that Emmi got to take a backpack full of food with her in the mornings. So Oma sent Lily her own backpack that I have to fill up now every morning when we go to drop off Emmi. As soon as we get back home Lily goes and sits at her little table to eat all the goodies in it. She now takes her Backpack everywhere and she never forgets to make sure it is fully stocked before we leave the house.

Lily is quite the bad listener. She just doesn't care. And if I get mad at her and punish her by taking away her toy for example she just plops down on the ground crying for Papa. "Mama said NO! I want my Papa! Mama said NO!" I wonder what she thinks he is going to do?

Smart A**

We were driving in the car today and I felt like I had to really tell Emmi and Lily how much I loved them. And I kind of expected to at least get a "I love you too Mama" back...

Me: "I love you Emmi. I love you Lily. You two and Papa are my three most favorite people in the world"

Emmi: "My favorite people is my best friend Lena!"

Me: "What about Mama, Papa and Lily?"

Emmi: "I think you, and Papa and Lily are just my (pause) ... people.

Well, I am kind of sorry I asked ;) ....

Same Day at Dinner....

Emmi: "Papa, can we get up from the table and you throw me up in the air?"

Dugan: "No, my food wants to sit for a little bit before playing."

Emmi: "My food wants to walk around!"

2 Years Old

Dear Lily,

you are two years old which makes you almost a "BIG GIRL" but right now you prefer to be referred to as Baby. Even though you don't act like one very much anymore. If we tell you you are a big girl now you say "No, Emmi is Big Girl, I'm Baby." You do think you can do whatever your big sister can do and you love to copy her every move. She has thought you how to jump and dance and how to use scissors. You love to do puzzles and you love to read books. You are very independent and don't want to be helped at all. As far as you are concerned you can do it all by yourself. And if I pick you up and lift you in your car seat you have to get back out and climb in yourself, just to make a point. Despite being so independent you do enjoy to snuggle and so do we. You love to climb in bed with us in the morning and snuggle, until you get hungry that is. You still love to eat even though you have slowed down a bit on the amount. You favorite food are any kind of fruit and every time you go out in the backyard you check the Strawberry and Blackberry Bushes in hopes to find some berries. But you still love to eat anything else too. If you are hungry you don't say no to anything. The only small concern that came up at your 2 year old Check up was you walking pigeon toed which may of may not stay like that. But according to Dr. Suffredini this will give you an athletic advantage in regards of running fast. But I had figured as much already. It sure is hard to catch you! You are a little above average for height and a little below average for weight. To us you are just perfect! You love the water and you think you can swim. You love your pacifier and your baby doll. And you love to play with stuffed animals. Unfortunately you love to aggravate your sister but I don't blame you since she sure loves to boss you around. But most of the time the two of you play quite well together and I look at the two of you all the time and think how much I hope that you'll be such good friends forever.

We love you Lily!

Lily's Birthday Weekend

We repeated last years family reunion for Lily's Birthday at Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch. I think we have to start making up more reasons to come here! What a blast. We watched Pinocchio at Outdoor Movie Night, made Smores, had a great Party for Lily and spent hours in the Pool. Thanks everyone for celebrating this special day with us!

Do you think she is scared?

Nope... she actually went three more times!!

Things I don't want to forget...

- Lily is fully potty trained except at night and I can't take any credit. She did it all by herself just because she wanted to wear panties just like Emmi. Her comment after she peed this morning: "Looks like apple juice!"

-Lily wears size 8 shoes and Emmi wears size 9. I guess soon Lily will be handing down shoes to her older sister. Or not since Emmi is soooooooo picky about the shoes she wears. She tried 15 (!) pairs of sandals recently before finally finding some that were comfortable for her. She didn't even care about color or style just fit.

- Lily loves to play doctor. Her and Emmi trade being patient and doctor. After checking Lily's heart with the stethoscope recently Emmi announced: "Lily's heart is not broken!"

- We live with a parrot. Lily will repeat EVERYTHING Emmi says. With no regards if she knows what Emmi is talking about or not.

- We have limited Lily's pacifier use to bedtime only which she has accepted quite well. If she needs her "lulla" during the day she climbs in her bed, gets all snuggled in and takes a few sucks before she is ready to go again. Works like a battery charger for her.

- Emmi and Lily are both convinced they can swim. Emmi draws her conclusion from having completed two sessions of swim lessons at the Y where she learned to dog paddle for a bit and float on her back briefly. And Lily draws hers from watching Emmi and being totally fearless and unbothered by the water. Emmi hates to get water in her eyes but Lily will jump in, go fully under and come up laughing when I pull her out. Unfortunately she just assumes someone will pull her out anytime she jumps in. I figured she'd stop once I'd let her go under for a couple of seconds but no such luck. Well, luckily we don't have a pool.