Back to school

Today preschool started back up after being our for the holidays. It went pretty smooth considering the last few weeks of preschool were met with tears and fits. I usually walk into the school with Lillian but the teachers thought it best if we did the carpool for drop-off in the morning. Apparently once she enters the classroom she calms right down so she was putting on a show for me. I told them we would start carpool at the beginning of the new year.

Lillian was fine with the morning routine at home and went into the car easily. She started to get a bit upset as we sat in the carpool line. A few tears started leaking out of her eyes and the makings of the preschool fit. But we saw her teachers waving to us from the classroom and I kept telling her how excited the teachers, her friend Lily and Moonlight, the class fish, were to see her. Luckily Miss Vivian came very soon and Lillian went right with her into the building.

Lillian did give me a couple jobs to complete while she is at school: make a valentine crown and bring her a cup of peppermint tea when I pick her up!

Her back to school poses this morning:

Fake Blood and Hearts

A trip to the dollar store turned into Valentine headquarters for Lillian. She found a bag of 200 foam Valentine stickers that she had to have. So we bought them and headed home to get started on Valentines.

I would cut the paper hearts out and she would put the stickers on them. As I started dinner she was still going strong only now she had the big scissors and was cutting. No big deal - she was doing a pretty good job. Later on I noticed some red stuff on her fingers and asked her if she cut herself. Of course she said she didn't, that it was just fake blood. I asked her where she got the fake blood from and this was her response: "When paper and glue mix together it makes fake blood. That's all. Of course it's fake blood."

I convinced her fake blood and all to wash her hands and I looked for a cut. Couldn't find any cuts so we went back to our chores. Once daddy came home I noticed more red on her fingers. This time daddy was able to find the cut and we told Lillian she had cut her finger while she was using the big scissors and we need to clean it and but a bandage on it. All of a sudden the cut hurt and the whole way back to the bathroom she was whimpering, "It hurts! Will the hurt go away? Ouch!"

Here she is with her bandage finger that was leaking fake blood:

Happy New Year - 2010

For New Year's Eve, we headed out the Raleigh's First Night Celebration. In the afternoon it is geared toward children with activities around the museums and finishing with a parade, the People's Procession and an early acorn (Raleigh is the City of Oaks) drop at 7:00 pm. It was cold so we bundled up.

Lillian got to make lots of crafts: a smile stick, a joystick complete with a purple glow stick, a heart that was displayed with other hearts, a happiness journal, a hat and a set of hand prints. We watched a puppet show, some hula hoop dancers, huge walking puppets and a mariachi band.




Everyone was invited to walk in the People's Procession and as we did it started to rain. Just a drizzle so we kept on going.



The procession ended at a stage and there was the acorn, lifted high in the sky with the help of a crane.
A band was playing as we waited for the acorn drop and the rain got a bit harder. We found a little shelter under a stage for the news reporters and cameras so we had Lillian stand there to keep dry. But she wanted to get up higher for the acorn drop.

She would get very excited each time we would announce, "10 more minutes." Then we all counted down as the acorn dropped. Then there were fireworks which she got a bit upset about. We did not know there were going to be fireworks and usually they don't bother her, but I think the whole event was a bit overwhelming to her. Lillian and I headed for the car to go home as Joe left to perform in a couple shows that Comedy Worx was hosting during the event.



New Year's Day started out with Lillian bringing breakfast to Joe in bed - a bowl with 3 green onions, an apple, a pear and a carton of yogurt. The she made some of her own raisin bread - because I toasted the last piece of bought raisin bread and she did not want her bread toasted:


The it was time for the traditional New Year's Mexican feast and Lillian got to try her first Pina Colada and Mojito (non-alcoholic of course.) Here she is sipping the PC:

and with her Mojito and plate at lunch:

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2009

Text to come later

View some photos here.

So Sweet

As I was tucking Lillian into bed tonight, she told me, "You are my joy. Daddy is my love."

Guess I was told

This morning I asked Lillian to move her doll stroller from the middle of kitchen while I was unloading the dishwasher and this is how she responded:
"Well you can just walk around it Mama."

Christmas Decorating - Lillian Style

You don't really get to decorate when Lillian helps you. She arranges items to her liking and if there is anything that resembles a person or an animal, that item will end up in a tea party, picnic or sleeping. And if it is a circle, it will end up on her head at some point.

It is all very cute but the critters having a sleep/tea party on the Christmas placemat HAD to stay like that in the middle of the living room floor for three days. Luckily I convinced her today that the cats might eat them if we left them on the floor any longer!