First week of February

As birthday and Christmas presents from Grandpa Deetz, Lily gets to pick which extracurricular classes she would like to participate in. This year, Lily chose a combined class with dance and gymnastics. The program is 2 1/2 hours on Monday mornings at a Performing Arts Studio across the street from us. They begin with one hour of tap & ballet, then have a snack and do a craft, and finish with an hour of gymnastics. So far, Lily loves it! The best part is that I take William home and put him down for his morning nap, so I get a couple hours to work (usually grading) without anyone hanging on me or asking me to get things for them. Very nice indeed.

Lily in her ballet pink

We have also enrolled Lily in an 8-week Saturday class for tennis. We are really hoping that she takes to tennis since we enjoy the sport so much. So far, it seems promising!

Tennis chick

When we discovered that Lily was going to have another snow day on Thursday, the first thing I did was call a couple of Lily's friends from her class to see if they wanted to come over for a playdate. By that point, I had completely exhausted my list of indoor activities, and Lily was definitely ready for some peer interaction.

I think it so funny that often older kids gravitate toward "baby" toys. Of course, they play with them in a different way, but it is interesting to me nonetheless. Lily really has become such a fantastic friend. I watch her interactions with her peers closely, and I'm really proud that she has become such a caring, inclusive, and social little girl. She always, always includes her brother as well.

On Friday morning, Lily's friend's mom returned the favor and had Lily over for a playdate which was wonderful. On Friday afternoon, we went to the Magic House (but I did not bring the camera - sorry). My family gave Carl and me early birthday presents by getting us a family membership to the Magic House! It is the best ever. It takes us about 10 minutes to get there, and now I feel like I can go any time (even short periods of time) since I don't feel like I need to "get my money's worth" each time we go. We will be getting lots and lots of use out of that membership.

I have been wondering lately if William is ready to give up the two naps per day for one, but on my trial day, it appeared that the answer was "no".

Some of our time was spent just cuddling up on the couch. Terra is a big fan of this activity.

Some of our time was spent watching t.v. Here, you can get an idea of how Lily watches t.v. This is pretty much the way she eats and does everything else as well. She is a girl on the go (and also just loves her some Electric Company).

Today I asked Lily where she thought we were going to go today, and she responded, "Disney World". I laughed and said, "No, we are going to Grandma and Papa's for a little while". She considered this and said, "That okay. It's better to stay in your neighborhood with your friends and family. It's the spirit of it."