Charleston, SC - April 3 & 4, 2014

While Grammy & Grandpa came out to visit, the babysat Lily for one night and Michal and I took off.  It was the first vacation/overnight we had since having Lily.  And we loved having the time together.

So we chose to go to Charleston, SC.  Michal was instantly in love with the charm and character of the city. He definitely wanted to get a southern gentleman's outfit to "fit" in, but after realizing he'd only want to wear it on vacation, he opted not to purchase his hat... this time.

While on vacation we had a great dinner on the pier, and were able to walk around and check out more of the charm of Charleston.

We ended up the night by finding hazlenut ice-cream.  We figured it was worth it after all the walking we did.

The next morning, we started early to check out Charleston while the city was resting and calm.

Seriously... people in Charleston have the most amazing gardens.

My favorite part was walking along the battery and checking out the AMAZING houses.  Michal was already talking about retiring and living in one of these houses, until we realized they were like six million dollar homes.

We missed out on taking tours of the homes, and ghost-tours, and museums... but I loved all the walking and beautiful sites we were able to see... hand in hand... together.

Grammy & Grandpa come to visit

The last week of March and first week of April, Grammy & Grandpa came out to Winston Salem to visit Lily.

They had a lot of fun adventures together.

Lily loves going to Costco (and so does Mommy).  This specific occasion we saw a nesting Goose and a nice man gave Lily some money to put into her education fund.  I can't blame him, she is really cute!

Lily also decided she had to help out with any projects that Grammy or Grandpa were up to...

Grandpa did so many 'home improvement' projects for me, that I wish he lived next door so I could use his services more often.  He fixed all of Lily's drawers so that the bottom slat didn't fall out, he made it so all the doors in the house stopped squeaking, and he put some magnets onto my scrapbooking shelves so that the doors would stay shut instead of swinging and staying open.  I know these are little things, but they meant the world to me.  And Lily had fun helping him with each of his projects!

Another adventure Lily had with Grandma & Grandpa involved the emergency room.  She fell down and stopped walking so we were nervous she may have broken something.  It was a false alarm (thankfully), but all the attention really wore her out.

Lily loved how Grandma & Grandpa let her use their electronic devices.  She really took advantage of the attention.

She also really enjoyed all the cuddling time she got with Grammy & Grandpa.

Lily loved being chased by Grammy.

... And reading with her.

And even though she wasn't cooperative in getting her 'Year One' handprint... She still loved the fact that she got a lot of attention.

Thanks for coming out to visit Mom & Dad.  It was the best!  I missed you the moment you drove away and Lily is always asking when you are going to come back.  Hopefully soon?

We love you!!!

Lily's Cake Smash Session

I took Lily to a photography studio to get some cake-smash photos taken.  I didn't want the mess at my house.  And at the time, I didn't have the time to take the photos and edit them to my liking... nor make a cake that was dazzling.  This was the easiest solution and it only cost $50 for the photo session and $15 for the cake.  I call that... worth it!

Lily's Official One Year Photo Shoot

About a month late, I took Lily to get her "One Year" pictures taken.  Out of 80 pictures, I narrowed it down to my favorite 8. 

12 Month Stats & Check up

February 13, 2014

One year old.

I love doctor appointments, because I get to see Lily's progress on paper.

I'm with her all day long and I don't notice how much she is changing, so little reminders like this help me to slow down and enjoy the time with her.  So after each Doctor Appointment, we always try to go and do something fun (if she's feeling up to it, depending on shots, etc.)

(Notice the delicately pointed toe.  I'm convinced we are raising a ballerina).

And her Stats:

Weight: 19 lbs (8.62 kg)

36%

Height: 29" (73.7 cm)

41% 

Head Circumference: 17.99" (45.7 cm)

71%

(I personally hate how they measure height.  It's super awkward and uncomfortable and when we moved to North Carolina, apparently Lily "shrunk" by an inch because of the difference in how they do measurements.)