The Mayer Family

Kumbaya

2012-02-15T11:17:00.000-06:00

Here is Lilly trying to sing Kumbaya at the bonfire we had over Christmas break.

What an amazing voice, haha.

Lilly and the Sheep

2012-02-14T09:12:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

This video has nothing to do with that, but here it is anyways. Its just Lilly being silly while we use a hand puppet to get her to eat her dinner.

Texas Sized Tumbleweeds

2012-02-13T20:48:00.000-06:00

Sharing her chair like a boss!

2012-02-01T15:46:00.000-06:00

Just found this clip... While at the ranch during Christmas Lilly found "her" chair, and she was determined not to allow anyone else sit in it. Nobody!

New Orleans

2012-01-16T16:14:00.001-06:00

The first week of January we decided to go and check out New Orleans since we weren't that far away. It was about a 5.5 hour drive but an hour into it we realized that we had forgotten our camera. So all these pictures are from Christian's phone. Luckily they aren't too bad.

First we stopped at a plantation, the Houmas House. We stopped on our drive down since it was about an hour outside of New Orleans.

It was a pretty cool house and the tour was really great.

Right past the trees and the levee is the Mississippi River.

One of the few inside pictures that turned out since it was pretty dark in there. And it was still decorated for Christmas which was nice.

With our tour guide. We were the only ones on the tour.

Christian was just trying to take a picture of the fountain and Lilly hopped right on in front of the camera. She knew what to do!

Outside in the gardens.

Giant oak trees that are really old. They said this one is 500-600 years old!

After the plantation we drove the rest of the way to New Orleans. The next day we checked out the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Sqaure.

Got some beignets (french donuts basically) at Cafe Du Monde.

Waiting for our food.

One morning we passed the steamboat as it was playing music. It was really loud, we heard it from pretty far away, and you could even see the lady on top of the boat playing the music.

Making our way back to the hotel for Lilly to nap. She was pretty tired so she was resting her head on top of Christian.

We also went to the Aquarium while we were there.

Lilly loved watching the penguins. She is pretty much obsessed with the Happy Feet movies.

She also really like the sea horses.

They even had an area where you could go and feed a bunch of parakeets. We thought Lilly would like it but before we could explain anything to Lilly, a bird landed on her hand and she freaked out. She didn't want to feed them after that.

This is her penguin she picked out at the Aquarium. She named him "Happy Feet" (I told you she loves the movies). Sadly we think he is now lost. Oh well.

Taking over our bed to play her fishing game that she got for Christmas.

We also visited a sculpture garden at the Museum of Art.

Our last day we went on a swamp tour.

Sadly during the winter most big alligator are hibernating or something like that.

But it was still cool to go around and see the swamp. We saw a couple little alligators in the water and some birds too. The most exciting part was the baby alligator that the tour guide brought along.

Lilly wasn't scared in the least. She really liked holding it. Though she sometimes calls it a "Crocogator".

Riding the big daddy.

After the tour we headed back to Houston for a couple days and then back to Lubbock.

And look where we stopped on our drive back to Lubbock. In-N-Out! Thank you Dallas!

Post Christmas

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

A couple days after Christmas we headed up to the new ranch. It has been Christian's dad's labor of love since he retired.

It's about an hour and a half away from their house.

This is Bay, their new horse.

Lilly loved going for ATV rides.

She also liked to sit on top of Bay and pretend she was riding her.

And here is evidence that I gave riding the horse a go, but she was not having it.

Checking out Opa's Christmas gift, a telescope.

We were at the ranch for New Year's Eve and brought out the fireworks.

We did some sparklers with Lilly before she went to bed and then saved the rest for midnight.

One of Lilly's favorite things about the ranch was the armadillo she saw. Sadly, there is no picture.

We also headed up to Dallas one night to see a NHL hockey game. It was fun but sadly Dallas lost.

Next up, our trip to New Orleans

December

2012-01-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

December was a crazy month for us. While Christian was finishing classes and studying like crazy for his finals we managed to fit in some Christmas (and non-Christmas) fun.

First, we visited Santa at a nearby model home open house thing and got this picture.

Lilly also got to decorate a cowboy hat.

And we also got free hot chocolate, chili, and cornbread.

Next up, we got a little bit of snow. And it even stuck around for a couple days instead of instantly melting.

And Lilly played in it with Christian and made a mini snowman.

We also had some friends over for gingerbread house making. We did it on a much smaller scale this year, since last year they turned out soo big.

Christian opted for the graham cracker train.

We decorated the Christmas tree.

Lilly played Guitar Hero with Daddy (even if it wasn't always connected to the Xbox)

Lilly learned how to wear her blanket as a cape!

We had an Advent Calendar (that I actually finished before December began!)

We went to Santa Land. We didn't actually see Santa there because the line was ridiculously long but we did walk around and see all the lights.

As for things we didn't catch on camera, we also:

-made snowflakes

-made and decorated sugar cookies

-Lilly painted some ornaments for the tree

-went to the Ward Christmas party

-drove down to Houston

-drove around to see Christmas lights

-did a lot of shopping

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:55:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

We are in Houston with Christian's parents this year so we celebrated the Norwegian way by celebrating on the 24th and opening our presents on Christmas Eve.

Another Norwegian tradition is having someone dress up as Santa and come visit and bring presents. A neighbor dressed up as Santa and dropped by. Lilly loved it.

Lilly was a little cautious at first but that disappeared the minute she saw the bag of presents.

She was really excited and super cute when Santa was there. We'll post a video of it later.

She really enjoyed helping Santa pass out the presents to everyone.

She even got on Santa's lap and gave him a hug.

Opening the present from Santa.

Then we proceeded opening all the presents under the tree that Santa had pre-delivered :)

Lilly really enjoyed helping Opa and Bestemor open their presents . And help pass out all the presents to everyone.

Lilly got these wings from Opa and Beste and loved them. She wore them the rest of the night until she went to bed.

Sneaking cookies.

Christian and his big gift from me.

Lilly loved her little drum and the other instruments she got.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the laptop. She loves it!

Trying out her new tutu.

Visit to Santa

2011-12-15T15:43:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of December, we went to see Santa. I thought Lilly might get scared and cry for the picture but once she saw that Santa was handing out little candy canes she let us stick her on Mrs. Claus' lap. I was so surprised we got such a nice picture. I only wish Lilly was smiling.

Lilly has been thoroughly enjoying all the Christmas activities that we've done. But I think that Lilly has blurred them together with her birthday. When I told her we were going to the Christmas Party for our ward, she thought it was going to be a Birthday Party for her. Oh well, it is fun to see her get so excited over things. I just love this stage she is at. She is soo sweet and loving and gets excited for all the fun Christmas things we are doing for her.

We have been up to quite a bit and Christian has been busy with school (his last final is tomorrow). I will try to blog soon about all the fun things we have been doing!

Birthday Part 2

2011-12-02T15:25:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon we went bowling. Lilly was super excited and really enjoyed it.

This is just a funny face Lilly made.

She had this metal ramp thing and the bumpers up so she did really well.

Getting ready to roll.

Smile!

Playing air guitar with Uncle Thomas.

She kept sticking her butt out like this. It was pretty funny.

Lilly ended with a 94. Way to go Lilly.

Lilly kept running around the table dancing to the music. It was pretty awesome dancing too.

After bowling we went to the arcade and let Lilly pick whichever games she would like to play.

Mostly a lot of button pushing or Christian playing for her.

Trying to throw the balls up.

She loved this whack-a-mole game. She was pretty good at hitting them too.

A pink duck I won for her in a claw game.

After cashing in all her tickets and picking out some prizes (included a much beloved toy microphone) we headed home for cake and ice cream. I made her a Minnie Mouse cake.

Waiting for the cake while staring at her Minnie balloon.

Singing Happy Birthday.

Trying to blow out the candles. I finally had to help her out a little bit.

No, Mom. I want the whole cake!

Overall, it was a great day. I still can't believe it has been 2 years since this day though!

Two

2011-12-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

Sunday was Lilly's Second Birthday!

Crazy, I know. I can't believe I have a 2 year old now.

Anyways, we celebrated on Saturday since Christian's family was leaving on Sunday. We decorated the night before with streamers and balloons.

She was definitely surprised in the morning and needed a little prodding to come out all the way into the hall.

Finally getting excited as I am telling her its her birthday. We had made a little paper chain countdown to her birthday and had talked about birthdays a lot in November so she would be excited.

Getting down to business. She definitely knew what to do with those presents this year.

Twinkle trying to get in on the action.

Candy!

She even figured out the quickest way to empty those bags.

Streamers...

and a helmet....

means a bike! Grandma and Grandpa got Lilly the bike and she LOVES it.

Though she still wants to just sit on it and walk with her feet. I'm sure she'll pick up the pedaling soon enough.

After presents we sat down to breakfast. Cinnamon rolls and a breakfast quiche/casserole thing.

Twinkle needed to feel special too. She was just sitting there in the doorway for the longest time.

Ready to go out for the first bike ride.

We didn't stay out too long because it was freezing and really windy.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T14:01:00.001-06:00

This year we stayed in Lubbock for Thanksgiving. Christian's parents and sister came up from Houston for the week. The food was pretty good but the photos.... not so much. You can thank Christian for only taking about 10 pictures of the whole day. Oh well, at least the one of Lilly is good.

Trick or Treat

2011-11-16T14:58:00.000-06:00

Man... I can't believe that November is already half way over! I meant to put these up so long ago. Whoops.

Anyways, the Friday before Halloween the Texas Tech Ranching Heritage Museum put on a free trick or treat. It was the perfect size for Lilly and she loved it.

We practiced saying "trick or treat" before hand but Lilly would chicken out every time. But she would at least say "thank you" every time we told her too.

She loved checking out this "choo-choo tain".

Then she saw the goat. Lilly has been in love with goats ever since we went to the corn maze and she feed some goats a little hay.

We even did a cake walk but didn't win anything. Boo hoo.

Another thing she loved... the animal statues everywhere.

She wanted to go and pet the cows. So we did. Safer than a real cow, right?

Halloween

2011-11-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Monday night we went to the church Trunk or Treat. Lilly did great. She loved going around to the cars and getting the candy.

She even kept her Minnie ears on all night long, which I was worried about.

Can you tell who Christian and I were?

Flo and Mayhem.

And they were so last minute but they turned out really well. We got a lot of comments on our costumes. Everyone loved them.

2011-10-24T14:24:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to the local corn maze and pumpkin patch.

First stop, pictures. Because we knew if we didn't get them at the beginning there was no way Lilly would let us get them later.

She loved just running around out in the open area.

Next we tried to take her picture by the pumpkins, but it was too late. She had already seen the animals.

So we headed off to the animals. Lilly stopped to look at the pigs and they all came running over. But she kept her distance.

She even loved checking out the animal fact signs. Ha.

The goats were definitely her favorite.

But she liked the chickens too. The cow and sheep didn't even give her the time of day so she ignored them too.

Next we headed out to the corn maize.

Lilly was already tired of walking so Dad carried her most of the time.

She loved to pick up sticks, break them, and throw them.

Had to stop back at the animals after the maze. This time Lilly tried feeding the goats, but she always picked up the tiniest pieces of hay. She still loved it though.

Next up, hay ride to the pumpkin patch.

" Look Dad, pumpkins!"

"I got this one."

Finally she picked a perfect sized pumpkin.

Finally, we took the cow train ride. Lilly loved this too!

In the end 2 thumbs up from Lilly. And if you made it to the end of this post, 2 thumbs up from me... cause it was long!

Beauty Queen

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Some days Lilly is all about the bracelets, the fake lipstick, the glasses, the shoes, the necklaces. You get my point, right? Girly, girly, girly.. And then other days she refuses to have any sort of bow in her hair, plays with cars, and laughs at burps and farts.

Can you guess which kind of day this was?

Dusty

2011-10-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

I had definitely heard people talk about dust storms here in Lubbock. I mean, we've lived here for over a year and I've seen a lot, A LOT of windy, dusty days. But now I truly know what a dust storm is.

We made a quick trip to Walmart, literally a one minute drive. After we finished and started the drive home, this is what we saw heading toward us.

Yes, that is West Texas red dust. It has to be the craziest thing I've ever seen, weather wise.

We got home in about a minute, unloaded the groceries and went inside.

Christian grabbed the camera and went outside to document. Lilly and I came out for a minute and once I saw how close it really was, we ran back inside. Before we got there I already had a mouthful of dust.

Once we were inside, this is what is looked like outside. It was as dark as if the sun had already set and was soo RED! I felt like Wall-e.

Christian even took a little video for you, if you really care that much.

Find it here. (Because Blogger is being retarded and not letting me embed it.)

So crazy. So now when people talk about dust storms, I understand.

The Hokey Pokey

2011-10-07T19:29:00.003-05:00

I introduced Lilly to the Hokey Pokey a couple of days ago and it is already a hit. She likes to do the dance and she is starting to sing some of the words. Mostly the last word. Check it out.

Picture Taking Rules

2011-10-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

Lilly has recently decided to take a new approach to my picture taking.

First, make sure to always wear Mom's shoes.

Second, refuse to open her eyes.

She is wearing my boots in the second picture. Also if you're smart you might be able to figure out her halloween costume. Haha. She is wearing 90% of it in this photo. I made the dress and this was her final fitting. Now I just need to finish the headband and tail.

Also I got my haircut. Here is a little before and after action.

Ciao!

Montana: The Final Chapter

2011-10-03T13:29:00.002-05:00

One day we headed up to Glacier National Park. We went to the top of one of the mountains in the park that had a hike to a lake overview. Let's just say that we didn't quite make it all of the way. Everyone else did, just not me, Lilly, and Gramps.

It was way colder than anyone expected or was prepared for. I think it was in the forties and snowed a little at one point. That is one reason we didn't make it. I didn't have a carrier so Lilly had to walk and if you look closely she is only wearing 2 light sweaters and socks with sandals. We were so naive about the weather.

This was as far up as we made it. And yes Lilly's face was covered in oreos. That is how you keep a little girl happy in freezing weather.

Lilly did NOT want to take a picture with me. She missed her nap and was showing us why that was a bad idea.

We saw some animals along the way. This is a marmot that ran right across our path.

And a little family of deer.

Afterwards, we stopped at A&Ws on our way home.

Lilly and Olivia just chilling together. They were running all over the place together and even dancing to the juke box.

Cousin love.

A couple days after this our camera stopped working so I couldn't take anymore pictures. So this is the end of the Montana trip. After I got home we sent it off to get fixed (thank you warranty). It is back now and better than ever!

Montana Two

2011-09-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

One night we headed out to eat without the boys. They had gone hiking and we were going stir crazy. So we ended up at Famous Daves.

Lilly needed to sit by Grandpa. She would not sit still until we moved her chair next to his.

Kristin and Cole.

Lilly hogging Grandpa.

Ashley and Ella.

(Sorry Ash, this half talking pic was the best I could find!)

Ella and Grandma.

Lilly and Gramps again.

The next day (maybe, who know what day it actually was) we headed up to a ski resort to go down the alpine slides and the zip lines. Sadly the only pictures I got that day are of the babies. Here is Lilly and Olivia being silly in the parking lot.

We kept trying to get them to sit closer together for a picture but every time one of them would move closer, the other would move away. And they both kept doing it!

Eating pretzels together.

Baby Ella.

Baby Cole.

Lilly loved going down the alpine slides. She would yell "weeeeee" all the way down. Though riding up on the ski lift with her kinda made me crazy. She does not like sitting still.

After the slides, Ashley, Brodie, Mom, and I went on the ziplining tour. It was awesome. The tallest one was a little (or a lot) freaky but it was soo cool. Brodie got pictures so maybe I can steal some and post them.

Montana

2011-09-29T14:42:00.001-05:00

At the end of August and through Labor Day Lilly and I went up to Montana for Ella's baby blessing and to hang out with the family. Yes, I do realize that this was practically a month ago. Whoops. I have just been lazy about downloading our pictures.

Anyways, we flew into Missoula and then headed directly up to Flathead Lake to stay at a house on the lake. It was really pretty and made me miss the mountains.

Flathead Lake

This picture is from the deck on the house. The dock you see on the water is off the house's personal little beach. And you can also see Kristin and Ashley taking the canoe for a ride.

Olivia and Lilly watched Ashley and Kristin head off in the canoe.

Double Cheese.

Grandma loving.

Lilly was in love with Oilvia's bike. She would go and sit on it but she still hasn't figured out the pedaling.

Don't worry... there are more pictures to come.

Sunday Shots

2011-09-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

Check it. Don't we have the cutest babe?

Apartment Additions

2011-09-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

When we returned to Lubbock from Houston, there were a couple new things we brought with us.

And a couple that awaited us. Like these weeds that magically appeared in our empty pots on our patio.

Beautiful, right?

But for real now, we got this shelf at Ikea. And I got a bunch of the stuff on it while we were in Houston too.

And here is the little desk that we got in Canton. I decided to paint it blue and I love it. It is right near our front door in the entry way.

And a little love for the patio too. A couple chairs from where else, Ikea!

We also rearranged Lilly's room and I love it so much more now. But I have yet to take those pictures so this will just be a short little post instead. Adios!

Just Chilling

2011-08-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

And yes, those are 3D movie glasses Christian is wearing. At Lilly's request of course.

The Living Desert Zoo and A Drive Home

2011-08-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

Day Three was our final day in New Mexico. We decided to go to the Living Desert Zoo in Carlsbad. It is basically a desert trail and a bunch of native animals. But it was really pretty and of course Lilly loved the animals.

Giant raven bird... I think.

Now where's that Wiley Coyote?

What?! We don't drink tea!

Lilly wanting to walk. Of course she wants to walk in a sea of cactus!

We also checked out a bear, cougar, wolves, elk, snakes, eagles, a bobcat and more.

Pretty view.

Checking out the Bison.

Picture with Lilly and the lily pads!

After checking out the zoo we started our trip back home. Back in Texas.

"Don't Mess With Texas!"

And of course some dust devils. It looks pretty small in the picture but it was actually pretty large just a little further away. We ended up seeing about 10 on our drive home. They were everywhere!

And of course some pictures of our Silly Lilly from the drive.

This one is a smile, if you couldn't tell.

And of course we caved and allowed binky for the road trip. (This is actually a picture from the drive there and this binky now resides in the depths of Carlsbad Caverns... whoops. You can blame Lilly for that one. She felt walking through a dark cave was the best time to chuck her binky.)

"Cheese!"

And a binky in the toes.

Day Two: Carlsbad Caverns

2011-08-28T08:23:00.001-05:00

We finally made it to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park on day two of our trip. Sadly the park had recently had a fire and a lot of the park looked like this.

First off, the main cave (the only one we went to) is huge. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to just walk the trail around it. And if you are ambitious you can take the natural entrance down to the cave, which is another 1 1/2 round-trip. Because we knew Lilly wouldn't last that long we took the elevator down.

This is what our first picture looked like. Then we finally figured out how to take some what decent pictures in a dark cave.

Pretty cool.

A ladder from some of the early explorers going down a hole.

Lilly decided she did not want to be in the kiddie back pack. So she either was carried or walked.

I don't know why this formation didn't have its own plaque and name... I could think of plenty.

Afterwards, Lilly needed some rock candy, of course.

When we came out, it was raining. Pretty much the most rain we had all summer and it was on our tiny vacation.

We also stopped by this little hole in the wall by the side of the road. Apparently it was used for cover by Natives or something like that.

Lilly had started doing this lately. Whenever she climbs up on something she sticks her arms out so proudly with a look that says "Look at me!"

Here she is telling us to "Sit down!" So I tried to sit with her but of course that is NOT what she wanted. She wanted us to sit in the cave. Of course.

Aliens on the outskirts of the park. Maybe we should head to Roswell on our next trip.

p.s. Happy 21 months to our baby girl today. Can't believe in only 3 months she will be 2!

Carlsbad, New Mexico

2011-08-27T20:23:00.002-05:00

So as I said last week, we went on a little trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It is just a short 2.5 hour drive from Lubbock so we headed out.

Lilly was great on the drive even taking an hour long nap. A new friend in our ward is from Carlsbad and told us her parents had an empty house on their ranch that we could stay at. So we did. After stopping by the house and dropping off our stuff we headed out to explore and ended up at a playground.

Lilly trying to be just like her daddy.

Checking out the Pecos River.

Throwing rocks in the river.

Watching the squirrels running around.

And probably Lilly's favorite part of the trip... the horse ride toy. (well, other than seeing the real horses and cows and dogs on the ranch... so this was probably her 2nd favorite.. oh well)

Our friend's mom brought this over for Lilly to play with and she LOVED it. I believe she is neighing in this picture below.

And here is a little video of her on the horse. She loved it.

Next up, Carlsbad Caverns.

p.s. Happy 21 months to our baby girl today. Can't believe in only 3 months she will be 2!

Recent Shenanigans

2011-08-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow it all ends.

Christian goes back to law school and our summer is officially over. Though I wish the heat would go with it. Anyways, we celebrated our last free week by going to Carlsbad Caverns. It was pretty cool but that is a post for another time. Like when I finally download all those pictures.

So until then, here are some videos of Lilly doing the usual... being silly.

Enjoy.

Lobster Fest

2011-08-20T19:09:00.000-05:00

While in Houston we went out to Red Lobster one night. As we were leaving Lilly was checking out all the live lobsters in the tank at the front. Just as we were about to leave an employee asked if she wanted to touch one. So we said ok.

At first she was way to scared and started to freak out every time Christian got too close. Then just as we were about to leave she just stuck her hand out and touched it.

She actually touched it a couple times. Such a brave little girl.

And sorry the pics are blurry, my bad.

We're back!

2011-08-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

We're back! To Lubbock that is. We got back early this week and are getting used to being home again and the heat without the humdity. So much nicer! At least, as nice as 100+ degrees can be.
Here are a bunch of random pictures from the last little while that we haven't blogged. Some from Lubbock this week but most from Houston.

This past week at church Lilly decided to put her self in time out against the wall. She stayed like this for quite a while too.

On the long drive home Lilly did a great job. It wasn't until about an hour away (of a 9 hour ride) she was really wanting to get out of the car. Christian kept her busy with stickers. And we found out she has a favorite place to put them. All of them.

And here is just a cute photo of her.

A favorite past time in Houston was walking around in other peoples shoes. Lilly especially liked Aunt Melanie's shoes.

She also enjoyed walking around and sweeping the floors.

And here we are back in Lubbock again. I took this photos yesterday. And I just can't believe how big Lilly looks standing next to the door and with those pig tails. She is getting too big!

This was when she wanted me to stop taking pictures so she just shut her eyes and kept them like this for a while.

Until she finally realized that wouldn't deter me from taking pictures so she got angry instead.

Later in the day, being a drama queen.

And some more dancing videos. I know at least some of you (aka the grandparents) like these. In these two, Lilly shows us a new style of dancing... we call it Drunk Child Dancing or more accurately So Tired Because I'm Up Way Too Late Dancing. Enjoy.

Big Winner!

2011-07-31T21:39:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we headed to It'z... basically a bigger, better Chuck E Cheese's with a pizza buffet and even a separate fenced area for little kids like Lilly. Lilly loved it.

While we were busy playing a game, Lilly dragged Christian over to this large spin a wheel game. Christian swiped the token card and Lilly pulled the lever. And what do you know... she landed on the bonus... 500 tickets! Some music started playing and Lilly started dancing as tickets started spewing out.

You can see in the top of this photo, how little the 500 tickets part it, just a little line.

Apparently a bunch of other kids were around and watching and saying "Look! That little baby can play it better than us!"

Look at all those tickets!

What a lucky little girl we have. Christian starting filming this after she won the jackpot.

And this is what Lilly got at the end with all the tickets we collected! A pillow pet. She has always wanted one of these, whenever we pass them in the mall... now she finally has one.

Lilly's Most Common Phrases

2011-07-27T16:52:00.000-05:00

Lilly has started to put words together and make phrases. She is using 2 words at a time but the phrases she uses are definitely growing in number. It seems everyday she has a new one. Here are some of her most common ones to date.

"Come back" (generally aimed at Twinkle the dog)

"Where go?" (This is probably the most common phrase that comes out of her mouth right now, besides the word no. She is usually talking about Twinkle, Dad, or Bestefar)

"Sit down" ( though it really sounds like I taught my daughter to curse, aka "s*it down")

"Stinky poo poos" (usually said in response to the question "Do you need a diaper change?")

"No, mine" (Whenever Twinkle gets to close to Lilly's toys, food, or blanket)

"No, way" (of course, couldn't have a list without this now trademark phrase)

"Look, fome!" (aka "look phone" but you can replace phone with pretty much any object Lilly knows the name of)

"Airpain, Airpain" (aka "airplane", This is recited upon any noise that sounds like it might be an airplane)

"Boom, Boom" (when thunder or "funder" is heard or when she finds a glue gun and acts like it is a real gun)

No, No, No Way

2011-07-16T16:07:00.003-05:00

This video cracks me up. Lilly is such a fireball these days. She definitely know what she wants and if you ask her to do something it is often answered with a "No Way!" We're not exactly sure where this came from but she has been doing it for a while now. It's half funny and half extremely frustrating. Oh well.

Lilly and her Sweet Dance Moves

2011-07-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

Lilly is a pretty good dancer, if you ask me. Better than me at least.

But I think I found out where she gets it from.

haha. I think Christian might kill me for posting this. But it is too funny to not share with the masses.

Summer Swimming

2011-07-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

One of Lilly's favorite things about Bestemor and Bestefar's house is the pool. She absolutely loves going swimming. The water is always warm and it is ALWAYS hot outside. It is actually pretty tiring though because she doesn't like the float we got her. She likes to be held. She likes to do all the dangerous stuff and act like she can swim, when she can't. She likes to jump into the water, even when you aren't ready for her. We are working on that. She has jumped in and gone under quite a few times but she is getting better at waiting until we tell her to go.

Just chillin with my frog and my mini duckie.

Pool flavored apples, yum.

She has become a dangerous climber.

And jump!

Check out those curls.

Stopping for a snack.

Whoops. Swim diaper wedgie.

Dancing in the Rain

2011-07-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

Lilly enjoyed some dancing and swimming in the rain, fully clothed, thanks to some late afternoon rain showers. She loved it.

Sorry some of the pics are dark. I was too lazy to fix 'em and I think you get the idea.

Lilly from Last Week

2011-07-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

or last month. Who's keeping track? Cause I'm certainly not. Anyways, here are some funny and cute pictures of Lilly from recent days.

Despite her face, she actually really liked eating the corndog.

Decked out with all her bling.

Can you say WEDGIE?

Christian and Lilly BeanFace.

Every naked baby needs a hippo and a teapot.

The Tat

2011-07-08T08:00:00.003-05:00

Here is our little rebel child. She's not even two and she already has a tatoo.

She loved it at first. Until she wanted to take it off. Then she kept pinching at her skin and yet it wouldn't come off. She kept getting so mad. It was kinda hilarious.

The Fourth

2011-07-07T15:07:00.001-05:00

On Monday we headed to the Woodlands (the city just north of Spring) for their parade. We got there probably about 30 minutes early, found the perfect escape parking spot, and a perfect spot on the side of the road in the shade. The only thing we forgot was chairs and our bums were hurting by the end from sitting on the curb.

Lilly trying to steal some stranger's chair.

Lilly's first catch of the day. A little American flag.

Second, a balloon for some politician's campaign. And this is before the parade even started. It was a welcome distraction.

This is when the parade started with all the firetrucks and police cars and all their sirens going off.

Lilly waving to all the people in the parade that wave at her.

Our best attempt at a family photo. Lilly was too interested in the parade obviously.

Lilly was full of funny faces that day.

Here you can see Lilly with her quarter. One of the banks that was in the parade was handing out quarters to the kids. Lilly had hers for about 7 minutes until she dropped it, it rolled away, and the kids next to us took it. Oh well.

And this is what happens when I ask her to smile. Beautiful.

I think Halloween will be a breeze this year. She already has the hang of it.

Asleep before we even got home. The parade was 2 hours long so it definitely wore her out!

All of Lilly's loot. Including candy, water bottle, t-shirt, sunscreen, bracelet, necklace, lanyard, 3 American flags, a pinwheel, stickers, a tatoo, and coupons for free food from Chick-Fil-A and a free ice cream cone. As well as a free popsicle for each of us that didn't make it home :)

Random Lilly

2011-06-23T15:59:00.000-05:00

I have been pretty bad about taking photos while we are here in Houston. I basically have a ton of random pictures. So here is a little sampling of my favorites from the past little while, some in Lubbock and some in Houston.

Lilly "sleeping" in one of her little toy bins.

Lilly trying to take the camera away from me. She did not like the papparazzi.

Double timing those binkies. And yes, she does this all by herself.

Lilly was trying to put on her Dad's socks, so I helped her out a bit. Silly girl.

Lilly watching tv. She gets such a serious face. Plus check out those teeny tiny pigtails!

Lilly "coloring." She loves to scribble on any paper she finds. Plus check out her wackadoo hair from the Houston humidity. It looks pretty crazy most of the time now, this picture doesn't do it justice.

Lilly all decked out with her bracelets and phone.

Getting ready to walk Twinkle.

And finally, Lilly getting ready to leave. Sippy cup in purse, check.

The Dog Walker

2011-06-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

Twinkle has a new dog walker... Lilly.

Fun in Houston

2011-06-16T10:43:00.001-05:00

These photos are actually from our last visit to Houston when we came down for Christian's interview in May.

Lilly loved playing with water.

Lilly was roaring at the lion.

This one is blurry because she wouldn't slow down. She would just keep running all over the place.

Then Lilly took a snack break with Bestemor.

Yum, Ranch with a little celery.

Here Bestemor, why don't you have some?

Right there, on your chin!

Messy Apartment

2011-06-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

I took these photos of our apartment a while ago so it looks better now and cleaner too!

Yeah. Our bedroom is a little crowded at the moment but oh well.

Lilly's Room.

In other news, we are in Houston now. Christian started his internship this week and so far so good. The first day was boring because he didn't really have anything to do but it seems as if first days are always like that.

Lilly is doing really well here. We were here not too long ago so I think she remembers. She definitely has attitude some days but I can't tell if its just because of her two top eye teeth that are coming in or if she is just hitting that tantrum stage.

We are getting used to taking care of a dog and a house too since Christian's parents are in Norway right now. So much more to do than in an apartment.

And the heat. Whooo! I generally have been leaving around 7 in the morning to take the dog on a walk and I still come back sweating. Definitely will take a while to get used to the humidity.

I'll try to keep posting. For some reason it is always so much harder to blog when I am not at my own home. I'll try to get over that though. See ya.

The New Place

2011-05-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

Check it out. We took some pictures of the new apartment right before we moved in and here they are. A little tour if you will. Minus all our crap. I'll try and get pictures tomorrow of what it looks like now but this should hold you off, right?

First, you walk into the living room. That door is the front door. The window looks out to a big grassy area between the buildings.

The kitchen is right off the front area. Nice and big. With lots of counter space!

And there is a little space for a table to the side of the kitchen, basically right next to that window. The closed door below leads to the patio and the open door leads to the master bedroom.

So... Master Bedroom. To the left of the room, a window that looks out onto the patio.

And to the right, the closet and the bathroom.

Our closet.

And the bathroom.

If you go back towards the kitchen, but turn right instead of going into the kitchen you reach a hallway. Here on the left is the washer/dryer closet. The door straight ahead leads into Lilly's room. To the left of the closet there is a door that leads into the second bathroom.

And to the right is a built in desk area.

Here is Lilly's room.

Here I am standing in the doorway that connects the second bathroom with Lilly's room. In the corner of the picture is Lilly's closet.

Here is the second bathroom looking in from Lilly's room.

And here is the view from the hallway door.

So far we are loving the new apartment. Even Lilly was so excited to be back after our week in Vegas.

Ok, maybe that had a little more to do with her daddy and her toys than the actual apartment but whatever.

Houston, Here We Come

2011-05-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

Hooray! Christian got an internship offer.

And of course he is saying yes.

That means we are heading back to Houston in about 2 weeks.

For 2 months.

He will be working for Baker Hughes, a big oil rig company, in their legal department.

And the best part, its a paid internship!

Can I get an amen?

Lilly the Dog

2011-05-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

As requested, here is a little more detail to my last post...

We decided to move because we didn't like our last apartment very much. It was spacious but other than that it didn't have much going for it. We basically moved down the street 5 minutes. We are still in the same ward but we LOVE our new apartment. It is so nice and the managers actually do what they are supposed to. What a concept!

I am in Vegas now too. Kristin is doing so well, just a week after having Cole. And Cole is doing well too. At his first week check-up he already gained 9 oz! I have a feeling he might be a chubby little thang. I love holding such a tiny little baby; its amazing how Lilly transformed into a giant right before my eyes. And Lilly is so soft and sweet to Cole, unless I am holding him and then she is just jealous. Oh well, I guess that is to be expected.

As for the picture above, that is Twinkle's dogbed in Houston. Lilly loved to sit/lay in it to watch TV at Bestefar and Bestemor's house. Silly little girl.

And lastly, Christian's interview. He should hear back this week so keep your fingers crossed!

May Happenings

2011-05-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Life has been crazy. So many things have been happening this past month.

-Last Tuesday, Christian finished his first year of law school! One year down, two to go.

-Next, we moved. The same day as Christian's last final. So basically Christian's family, me and the missionaries moved us. But we love our new apartment. Pictures will come soon, hopefully. We've unpacked almost all the boxes but everything is still pretty messy and far from organized.

-That week, we also heard back from a company for a possible internship in Houston. Christian needed to come down to interview so on Saturday we decided to drive down early the next morning. We arrived Sunday afternoon and have just been hanging out with the family. We even went down to the beach at Galveston. Today is the interview. We're praying it goes well. It would be a great internship for him.

-Early Monday morning my sister Kristin had her baby! Welcome little Cole.

-Tomorrow morning we are leaving to head back to Lubbock. 9 hour drive, here we come. Boo.

-And finally, Saturday afternoon Lilly and I are off to Las Vegas. We are going to help out Kristin for a week, snuggle with new baby Cole, and visit with the Grandparents too. I'm excited... except for Christian not coming. That is a little sad.

Moving... again

2011-05-07T12:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but since I am in the middle of packing our entire apartment by myself, I don't really have the time. Christian has been constantly studying for his finals. His last final is Tuesday afternoon, the same Tuesday that we are moving to a new apartment! So crazy. Thankfully, Christian's parents and brother will be here to help us move. Anyways I'll try to take some pictures of the craziness and of the new apartment once we get in next week.

Anyways, here is a Lilly picture for your enjoyment.


Lilly with powdered donut mouth.

I Like to Climb

2011-05-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

Lilly loves to climb on chairs now. Of course, once she is standing on the chair she is then too scared to climb back down and whines until you come and get her.

Lucky us.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

Easter morning after breakfast, we pulled out the Easter baskets. In addition to her basket, I made these Surprise Eggs seen here. You basically use real eggshells and fill them with candy. Lilly figured it out pretty quickly, smashing one in her hand by squeezing it too hard. After that she decided to just rip the paper off and pour the candy out the hole.

Lilly also got some bubbles in her basket. She loves them and has gotten quite good at saying "bubbas".

Next she enjoyed opening her giant egg from Bestemor and Bestefar.

Her mouth filled with a cookie.

She even found a new use for the egg.

Sorry this picture is blurry but it was the only one showing how happy she was when she found the bunny inside. She calls him "Money". She is actually trying to say "bunny" but now we just call him Money the Bunny.

Lilly, our cute little Egg Head.

And here is a video from earlier in the week with Lilly opening her Easter package from Grandma and Grandpa. It's a little long but watch it if you like.

Egg Hunt

2011-04-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday, we decided to give Lilly her own Easter Egg Hunt at the little playground in our apartment complex.

Getting Ready to go.

Walking to the playground.

Daddy giving Lilly a lift (cause she is easily distractable and slow when outside)

Lilly found her first egg.

Yeah for eggs!

Opening them all, checking for candy. (Even though I only put candy in one of them.)

Couch Climbing

2011-04-21T14:29:00.004-05:00

Lilly is finally tall enough to climb onto the couch. Now we can no longer hide things there as Christian learned when he walked into the room to find Lilly with his earbuds in her mouth. They no longer work.

Though we also don't need to help her everytime she wants "upf" on the couch now.

Lilly the Drummer

2011-04-20T14:25:00.001-05:00

We pulled out the Guitar Hero drums a couple weeks ago and Lilly automatically knew what to do with them. Funny, since we haven't played them in probably close to a year. I guess she was born to rock.

When Lilly Wakes Up...

2011-04-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

this happens. We decided to record Lilly after she wakes up. She usually jumps and bounces around her crib like a maniac. However, this morning was different.

Her face is so funny/sad that I can't help but laugh every time I see this video.

Smile...

2011-04-18T12:15:00.000-05:00

What a Big Head You Have...

2011-04-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

Monday afternoon Lilly and I headed to her 15 month checkup. Only a month late, but who is really counting. While there I learned 2 things. First, Lilly has a ginormous head. Second, a pink rattle can cure all your problems.

According to the doctor Lilly is 25% for weight (22 lbs), 60% for height (didn't catch the number), and over 100% for her head size. Good job Lilly.

After her 3 shots in her chubby little thighs, it seemed as if the world might be ending. Until a small pink rattle with a smiley face came to the rescue. She played with it ALL day long.

The end.

First Pedicure

2011-04-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help myself. Aren't those the cutest toes you've ever seen?

Tractor Shoot

2011-03-25T11:51:00.003-05:00

And that, my friends, is the end of Spring Break.

Ranch Life

2011-03-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

We had a great time doing all the different activities on the Ranch. Here is most of what we did last week, well at least what I got pictures of .

Archery

Christian got the best of shot of all of us here.

"I make archers look GOOOOD."

The Brazos River ran through the property so we went fishing a couple times. The first time the boys caught 4 fish and the second time they only caught 1. Not bad though since the ranch people said the fishing there was bad!

Christian loved catching fish sticks.

We also hit up the hot tub quite a few times. Lilly decided to come with us one night to break in her new swimsuit.

How cute are her new sandals from Bestemor?

When we got to the hot tub the bubbles were going and Lilly was really unsure of it. But after a while she got used to it and loved it.

Our last day there we decided to go canoeing. It was pretty fun though Lilly didn't last long before we dropped her and dad back off on the shore.

We ended up coming back to shore soaking wet from a water fight between the two canoes. Thanks Tove for starting that :)

A first for me and Christian was Skeet Shooting. I was so sure that I would miss everything but it wasn't too bad. Christian and I both ended up getting 13 out of 25 so just over 50%.

Sometimes they would let 2 go at once and if they cross you can get them both with one shot. The guy told everyone this but no one could do it. Except Christian. He got lucky ;)

Christian, Thomas, and Gunther went shooting a second time later in the week as well. And this time Christian shot 20 out of 25. Not bad for it being only his second time shooting a gun.

Of course, we also went horseback riding. We ended up going twice. Here I am on Rocket on the first trail ride.

And here is Christian with his first horse, Curly.

Me again with Rocket, who really was probably the farthest thing from being rocket-like.

And again, Christian on Curly.

Jimmermania

2011-03-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the interruption in Ranch posts but you have to
check this out.

And this.

This is probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. It is amazing how much us Mormons are in love with Jimmer. Or should I say The Jimmer?

And yes, I realize that some of these jokes are a little ... sacrilegious, but what can you do?

All Lilly

2011-03-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

While at the Ranch we had a birthday celebration. Tove's birthday is March 19, mine is March 28th, and Christian's is April 6th. So since won't see Christian's family for a while we celebrated all our birthdays together one night.

Christian and I got a combined gift.

Awesome.

Anyways, because of our new toy we (and by we I mean I) took way too many pictures while we were there. And of course 95% of those were of Lilly. So today I am sharing some of my favorites.

Lilly wearing another gift of Christian's. A cowboy hat.

Lilly upset after breaking Daddy's glasses. (She was actually mad bc we wouldn't let her run around. But she did throw his glasses during her little tantrum resulting in this.)

Getting ready to go swimming.

I love that her lips are all milky.

Another funny Lilly face.

And another.

Enjoying her snack.

She loved just running around. She really wore herself out each day by just running around.

And by pushing her own strolling instead of riding in it.

"Fine. I guess I'll ride in the stroller."

This was when she kept running away from me. She thinks it is hiLARious to be chased.

She loved playing in this little river water feature in front of the restaurant.

See those dirty, wet pants. She looked like this pretty much every day. I definitely didn't bring enough extra clothes for her.

She has started sucking on her pointer finger more and more. Sometimes she even puts both in her mouth at the same time. Silly girl.

What a cutie pie.

She loves to play with balls. Even this one!

She loved riding on Daddy's lap around on the Ranch. Mostly for the 30 second ride to the breakfast room. And yes, we were that lazy.

"Knock, knock! Let me in." She was knocking so we would let her in the car. Too funny.

Next up... Brittany with a gun. Watch out.

Longhorns, Donkeys, and Horses

2011-03-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

There were plenty of animals at the ranch and Lilly loved them all.

She enjoyed petting the horses.

And she even got to sit on top for some photos. Here Lilly and Christian are on Rocket.

And again with me on Precious. She was even petting the horse as she was sitting on my lap.

I think her favorite animals at the ranch were the donkeys.

She loved to feed them.

She would grab the giant pellets and go and feed them all by herself. Over and over again.

And finally, the longhorns.

They were really gentle and Lilly also liked feeding them. Though some had quite "active" tongues and would really slobber on you.

This one was Oscar and he was the "alpha" cow. He was the best to feed because his tongue never really came out so there was definitely less slobber.

Here is Zeb, the guy who took everyone down to feed the longhorns, showing us how to REALLY feed the cows.

And here is Big Boy. Apparently he has the 3rd longest horns in Texas. They were pretty big.

Ignore how tired we look. This was early morning.

And last but not least, the dogs. Lilly loved the dogs at the ranch too. This is Ranger but there were at least 3 other dogs that were always roaming around. And you can bet Lilly was always woofing the moment she saw one.

Spring Break

2011-03-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Last week Christian had Spring Break. It was so nice to have Christian home for a whole week. Well, not really at home. About 4 hours away from home. For the week we went to the Wildcatter Ranch in Graham TX. We took way too many photos for the week so I am going to post this in a couple posts. Let's start with the actually ranch.

The drive to the ranch.

Lilly happy in the car.

The entrance to the ranch. It was on a lot of land and the rooms were at the top of a little hill so there were really nice views all the way around.

The main building with some hotel rooms and where we ate breakfast.

The "cabin" where we stayed. Four rooms to the building.

We stayed in the Little Salt Creek room.

Here is the Bison Room that Christian's dad and bro stayed in. Sadly our room didn't have an awesome bison head.

Cow head.

The back porch off the back of the rooms.

The view from the back porch.

Lilly loves rocking chairs.

The pool and hot tub. With another nice view. Plus the sunset right there behind those trees.

Lilly's favorite part of the week. Bestemor and Bestefar!

Next up... the Animals of the Ranch!

Done

2011-03-10T09:05:00.000-06:00

I am so done for today. Actually, I was done for the day at approximately 8:15 this morning.

Why, you ask. Well, it probably has a little something to do with waking up to Lilly standing in the middle of the Great Poo Apocalypse of 2011.

It was NOT a good morning.

Black Beans

2011-03-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

Lilly loves beans. And she loves to get messy. Well, maybe not, but she sure is good at it.

"I will get you enchilada, if its the last thing I do."

"Hmmm, maybe I should just use my hands?"

"Definitely. Hands=easier."

"I have an idea! I'll just use my belly as a napkin."

"Well... using my belly as a napkin was probably not the best idea."

Fun on the Patio

2011-03-08T18:12:00.000-06:00

Lilly loves our patio. Like really, really loves it. Mostly I think she loves to go outside and this is the next best thing if I don't fell like walking all the way to the playground.

She loves to ride her little bike.

And knock on the glass doors.

And smooch on the glass doors.

And play in the dirt.

And taste the dirt.

And go in and out, in and out, like a hundred or so times.

And check out the bike.

And the storage closet.

And last of all, she loves to wait outside for daddy to come home.

These last two pictures I shot right as she saw Christian arriving home from school. Lilly sure loves her daddy.

Laughing Lilly

2011-02-28T11:24:00.000-06:00

Lilly can be quite ticklish some days. And we just love to hear that giggle of hers. Check it out.

Monster Under the Bed

2011-02-26T13:24:00.000-06:00

The other day we were all in Lilly's room playing and suddenly Lilly disappeared. We looked around and this is what we found.

And she hasn't gone back under due to the head bonking part at the end.

Spoons Are Overrated

2011-02-25T13:18:00.000-06:00

Apparently, hands are much better than spoons. At least, Lilly thinks so.

To Utah And Back

2011-02-17T15:32:00.000-06:00

Last week Lilly and I took a trip up to Utah. It was nice to be back if only for a short time. Lilly did amazing on the long trip up (and back too). To get there via a cheap Southwest ticket, we have to fly to Albuquerque, stop but no plane change, fly to Phoenix, change planes and 1 hour layover and then finally fly to Salt Lake. Basically, a 3.5 hours of flight time turns into 6 hours. Lilly recieved tons of compliments on her good behavior on the flights, someone even asked "Is she always this happy?" She even did well through the medical emergency on the plane that happened to the guy right across the aisle from us on the flight. Overall, a dramatic but easy flight with Lilly.

The reason we actually went up to Utah was Kristine's (my former roommate) wedding. She was married in the Salt Lake Temple last Friday. The day was clear and beautiful and not too cold. The wedding was so special, especially due to the fact that Kristine's father was the Sealer. I'm a little jealous.

The Temple

Waiting for the Bride & Groom.

Kristine & David

Kristine and me

While I was in Salt Lake, I stayed with Emily, my friend from Benicia who just moved to Utah. Saturday morning we ventured to Kneaders for their Cinnamon French Toast. It is quite possibly my favorite breakfast ever. It was Emily and Brett's (her husband) first time there and I think they will be back. It is just too good not to go back.

This stuffed dog was probably Lilly's favorite thing about our trip. It was Emily's and Lilly just loved it. She would carry it all around the apartment. She even tried to stuff it into the suitcase to take home.

All bundled up for the Utah weather, which actually wasn't that bad. At least not any worse than Lubbock during a cold spell.

Emily and Lilly

Lilly and me

We also went out to Famous Dave's. I just love their pulled pork bbq. Delicious. Here is Lilly chomping on Emily's bun.

On Sunday, we took a drive to check out the Jordan River and Oquirrh Mountain Temples. The one below is the Oquirrh Temple.

Checking it out.

Beautiful Utah mountains (definitely something you don't see in Lubbock)

Other highlights from our trip that I forgot to document with photos was our dinner with my brother Ryan at Cafe Rio, shopping, and accidentally bringing the sickness we just got over to Emily. Sorry Em! We really didn't think we were still contagious. Our bad.

Valentines Recap

2011-02-16T12:13:00.000-06:00

Valentines Day is over but here is a little recap. First Lilly began her Valentine's Day celebrations with a little package from Grandpa and Grandma Thomas.

She loved her card, her long lost binky, and especially all the candy.

She even loves to wear the necklace which she used to hate! Though she still doesn't know that it is filled with candy.

On Monday, Lilly and I returned from our short trip to Utah (but a long flight) to find some beautiful flowers, more candy, and a little stuffed animal.

Lilly loved to smell the flowers.

And taste them too.

And she quickly took ownership of the stuffed animal.

What a cutie pie. I just love my two valentines.