An Afternoon at the Park - Part 2

After a while, we headed over to the splash park.  Eli...who loves to take baths, swim in pools, have water dumped on his head in the bath, etc...didn't even want to walk over to the edge.  Jillian...who likes baths but HATES to have water on her head...ran straight through all the water and didn't stop!

This is her first pass through.  She had no fear!

I couldn't believe she liked it so much!  She kind of took over the place and didn't let the big kids bother her one bit!

She ran through the water with her hands in the air like this a lot, while screaming!  Ha!

This is what Eli looked like most of the time.  There was no convincing him to get anywhere near the water.

Having the time of her life!

I was hoping she wouldn't want to sit and touch the yucky ground, but no such luck!  I love her face though. 

Running!!

The only thing that would get her out of the water was a snack break.  See the tiny cracker in her hand?

Someone was very upset that brother got to ride, even though she had no idea what it was.

He liked this much better than the water. :)

Daddy helped sister have a turn too.  Cause that's what Daddy does. :)

He finally got out there and got a little wet.  He liked spraying the water, but did NOT want to be sprayed.

Turns out the other kids liked spraying him.  This is him running for his life.

In case you weren't convinced that Jillian really loved the water, check out these videos!

An Afternoon at the Park - Part 1

We went to a park Sunday afternoon in Allen with a HUGE playground and spray park!  We have been a few times but it isn't that close to us so we don't go a lot.  The kids just LOVE it!  Here is part one - the playground.  Eli loved running on the large play equipment.  It was hard to keep track of both of them so we had to divide and conquer.  Stephen chased after Eli and I helped Jillian stay away from the areas that were too big for her.

Sister trying to get up to the slide without falling on the ramps.  I just love watching her little legs move!

Eli sat on this slide for a few minutes before deciding he wasn't ready.  I don't blame him...it was one of the tallest at the park. 

My big boy!

This is what baby girl did most of the time over at the playground.  She loved walking on the wood chips!  I think she also liked just liked the freedom of walking around outisde,which she hasn't experienced that much since she started walking due to our dog and her need to use our backyard for...well...you get the idea.

Ready to try a big girl slide!

Assume the position.

Wee!!!

I have no idea why she slides this way.  Maybe she has figured out that her legs might stick to the slide and prevent her from getting to the bottom.  If so, I think she is highly intelligent.  :)

The red slide was much more his speed.  Look at that smile!

Not yet sister...someday you will be big enough for the orange slide. :)

Toilet paper tackling

Has anyone heard of this new sport??

It involves getting a bunch of toilet paper from Sams.  Then you have to convince Mommy to let you destroy the toilet paper.

Then you do your best to tackle/hit/throw your body over the toilet paper.

Be sure not to land on your head like this.

Oh yeah...don't forget to jump off of it too!

When you are done, you can try to squeeze your body onto it and take a nap while sister watches.  Anyone else want to play?  :)

Conversations with Eli

(while I was putting on mascara)
Eli:  Mommy, you are doing a great job with yours eyes!
Me: Thank you Eli.  You are a funny.
Eli:  No, you are funny.  I'm a big boy.  And she's a baby girl. (pointing to sister)

(while running errands)
Me:  Are you ready to go home and eat lunch?
Eli:  No!!  I need to go to Target!

(while driving)
Eli:  It's Daddy's school!!  It's so beautiful!
Me:  It's so beautiful??
Eli:  Yes, it's so beautiful.
Me:  What else is beautiful?
Eli:  Um.....the trees are beautiful!
Me: Yes!  What else?
Eli:  Um..................
Me: Is baby sister beautiful?
Eli:  No.
Me:  Am I beautiful?
Eli:  No.  Eli's beautiful!

One Year

Jillian's one year post is way past due.  Well, 23 days to be exact but who's counting?  Oh yeah, me!  Guess I'm a little behind. :(

Now that our baby girl is O-N-E, she seems to be picking up new things so much faster!  I'm sure it's my imagination but I think they really start to seem older when they start walking.  She wasn't really walking on her birthday, but she definitely is now!  She actually seems to prefer walking to crawling now.  It's crazy how quickly that changed!

Baby girl is doing well with trying to get rid of the bottle.  She is down to just a bottle before bed and she drinks water and (some) milk from sippy cups during the day.  She has three meals and a snack during the day and is eating so many new foods!

Food she likes: cereals, blueberries, cheese, crackers, chicken, turkey, beef, toast, waffles, pancakes, pears, bananas, oranges, pasta, peas, carrots, corn, eggs, potatoes.
Foods she hates: yogurt, cottage cheese, strawberries, grapes, nutrigrain bars.

Miss Jillian is talking up a storm!  She can say Mama, Dada, and Uh Oh.  If I ask her to she can find her pacifier, water, ball, brother, Pita (the dog.)  She also likes to pretend she is talking on the phone.  She prefers to play with my phone but she will also find things and pretend they are phones...like the monitor, remote, her hand, etc.

Sister has gotten a new tooth in the last two weeks bringing the total to eight (four on top and four on bottom.)  She is in size 4 diapers, 18 month clothes, and size 3 shoes.

Jillian is constantly trying to keep up with her brother, and walking is helping in that effort!  She will quickly get to any toy he has just put down, which frustrates brother to no end!  They inevitably want the same toy at the same time.

Our newborn girl!

12 Month Stats:
Height: 31 1/4 inches  -  97%
Weight: 21 lbs. 11 oz.  - 65%

We can't wait to see what the next year has in store for our girl!

Busy Day

Yesterday we took a little trip and met some friemds for lunch and play time!  The kids did great on the hour drive and they just love getting to see "Baby Avery" and "Miss Amy!" 

We got there early so the kids could play for a while without a bunch of other kids in there.  Avery had no fear on that slide!

Do you think she liked it? :)

Both girls had fun trying to climb up the slide.  I think Avery almost got to the top!

Jillian showed off her walking skills.

When a girl came in the play area who was about ten years old and blazed past Jillian with her brother following behind her while kicking Jillian in the face, we decided it was time to eat.  We (Amy and I) weren't ready to go home yet so we went over to Target with our tired babies.  We scored big on clearence kids clothes and 50% off Easter candy.  Very productive trip! :)

Jillian in her big girl carseat!  She LOVES facing forward!  She slept almost the whole way home.

Then we went home and learned body parts from the puppy.

 

And we read.

And we sorted shapes.  She LOVES this toy!

And we watched brother...

He was being silly (with bat in hand!)

We had a great time playing Avery!  See you soon!!!

Walking and Hitting

That's what we've been up to lately.... 

A little wobbly still but getting the hang of it!




Three hits in a row while also keeping an eye on the Rangers game.  Like father like son.


He knew I was taping him and wanted to see his batting skills. :)


Watch out baby sister!