Lily loves Monsters

I don't know

* how Lily was introduced

* when Lily was introduced

or

* who introduced Lily

but this little girl thoroughly adores Monsters, Inc. (and Monsters University).

In fact, I think adores may be a weak adjective to describe her relationship with this movie. 

Obsessed.

Obsessed is a much better adjective that describes her fondness for Mike, Sulley, and the rest of the Monsters Inc (and University) crew.

After Grandpa found out how much Lily loved Monsters, Inc. he found their plush toys on Disney.com for around $1.00. And soon Lily not only had to go to bed with Anna and Elsa, but 

- Mr. Waternoose

- Squishy

- Squishy's Mom

- Jaws Theta Chi Monster (who Lily calls "Baby Monster")

and

- Don

(As a side note: She also has Art, but doesn't like him. When we put him in the crib with her at night she throws him out of her crib because he is "scary.")

Even our nightly prayers turned from praying for Mommy, Daddy, and Marco... to... Mike, Sulley, and as many monsters as her memory would let her list off. 

When we went up to Washington DC to visit the Armstrong family, cute Rachel played with Lily the whole time. She introduced Lily to tiny miniature figurines and was kind enough to give Lily her monsters figurines to bring home and play with. Lily took full advantage of her new toys and organized, arranged, and lined them up every chance that she got.

They followed her everywhere and she made sure to take good care of them, which included regular baths.

And being the sweetheart that she is... she made sure to share her figurines with her brother Marco.

Grandpa gave her her very own Mike Wazowski when we went to visit him in Utah.

When we realized that this love for Monsters was not "just a phase" we decided to drive down to the Disney store one weekend and surprise Lily with her very own plush Sulley. 

She saw him before we even got to the store and instantly ran over, snatched him from the shelves, hugged him tight, and would not let him go. We knew that she was happy and because she was happy, we were happy.

And ever since our trip to the Disney Store, he remained right by her side and replaced Doll-Doll as her favorite toy to tote around.

She took such good care of Sulley and even nursed him when he was hungry.

And in almost every picture, somewhere in the background, you can be sure to spot Sulley (or Mike - who was given to her by Grandpa when she went to visit him in Utah).

They made great new additions to her collections of stuffed animals that had to go to sleep with her in her crib.

Monsters were always on her mind that when I drew pictures I had to include them in my fancy drawings. 

And when we went to Babies R Us, Lily snuck off and began putting on a Sulley costume while I was checking out. (Yes, of course I bought this costume - it seemed only "fitting.")

When it came time for Lily's bed to be upgraded from a crib to a "big girl bed" I searched high and low for Monsters University sheets and comforters. It was quite the challenge and I called over 15 Babies R Us stores, and finally ended up paying over the phone and having it shipped to me. It was worth all the hard work when I saw this little girl's face light up with pure joy when she realized her big girl bed was Monsters University.

(Lily reading bedtime stories to Mike and Sulley).

Her Aunt Bridgett caught on to how much Lily liked Monsters and even sent some similar paraphernalia to Lily for Halloween. 

Speaking of Halloween, the kids costumes were such a hit! Everyone loved that Lily and Marco matched.

So, when it came time for us to celebrate Halloween with them, we joined in on the Monsters University theme and made our family costume set complete. 

Originally, I had planned to be Celia (Mike Wazowski's girlfriend) but the costume was on backorder and would not have reached me in time. So this was the next best option: PNK Sorority Sisters. Michal sported an ART costume.

And Lily was even the cutest little monster in her whole preschool class!

At Center Grove Baptist Church's Trunk-or-Treat there were many who commented on how clever our costumes were and how much they loved seeing how cute our kids were as monsters.

We also promised Anna Marsh that some scary monsters would come trick-or-treating at her home... so we stopped by and tried to scare them on Halloween night.

As Lily got older, less and less animals were invited to spend the night with her in her bed - but Mike and Sulley still made the cut.

^^ This picture reminds me of the princess and the pea at how she is sleeping on top of Sulley.

To make her bedroom complete, with the suggestion of Anna Marsh, we went to Home Depot and bought Lily a Sulley nite-light. 

At Church, Lily was given Monsters stickers by Alexis Snow. She found it very entertaining to put stickers all over Mason Marsh. While he may not have enjoyed being plastered with stickers, it sure kept her quiet and allowed us to pay attention to the speakers.

When all is said and done, Lily is growing up and turning more away from Monsters to dressing up, princesses, and other girlie things. But from time to time she can still be seen carry, playing with, and including Sulley in her imaginary play.

And while the princess phase, which is upon us, is so fun... 

I am truly, truly going to miss the obsession and total love she has for Monsters!

The Zoo on a Cold Day

Sometimes you have to just get out of the house... no matter how cold it is outside.

This particular cold day we decided to venture to the zoo.

The one thing we didn't consider about going to the zoo on a cold day was that animals are hyper sensitive to temperature changes. Because of this many exhibits were closed because the animals can't stand being in colder temperatures because they are not native to that type of weather. Therefore, they are brought inside and kept warm and return outside once the sun and heat is adequate enough for their bodies.

Luckily, monkeys like colder weather. On this particular day it was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit and the monkeys can stay out and play unless it dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

So the majority of our animal watching was on the other side of the glass at the two monkey exhibits: Gorillas and chimpanzees.

The kids loved both exhibits because the monkeys came right up to the glass and interacted with the children. They were in heaven and would have stayed their all day watching the monkeys play!

^^I love both of these pictures because one shows the enjoyment on her face, and the other shows her reaching out to the baby chimp and the photo exemplifies her caring nature.

The other animals that were "out" were the lions, but they were boring compared to the monkeys. 

Had we realized that it was really as chilly as it was, we probably wouldn't have gone to the zoo - but opted for a museum or IKEA. Nevertheless, we love to go to the zoo and we love to see the animals. Plus, my little monkeys had a great time spending quality time with their monkeys!  

While Mom's Away - Part 1

In February, I decided to "go back to work" and tutor on evenings or on weekends. While I am away, the kids have so much fun with their Daddy... and every once in a while, I get pictures from Michal to verify that the kids are having fun and he's kept them alive, bedtime went well, or that they miss Mommy. They are some of my very favorite photos! 

It just warms my heart to see them be able to spend more time with their Daddy. They adore and love him. It's such a treat to them when they get to spend extra time with him. And it's also nice for me to take a break from putting them to sleep every night. 

Just look at all the fun adventures they've had while I've been busy tutoring.

One evening, they dressed up like characters from "The Time In-between." Lily was Sira, and Marco was a Moroccan vendor.

One evening, I heard that Frozen characters were coming to Chick-fil-a, but I couldn't take them because of an appointment I had later that night to help someone with Math. Daddy stepped in to the rescue and took them to meet Anna, Elsa, and Christof. (Marco was more impressed with the Chicken Nuggets).

Evidence that they have woken up and gotten a good breakfast when I have to leave early Saturday morning.

Marco trying out "Cheese Triangles" for the first time (quesadillas).

And Daddy having a tea party/lunch on their favorite frozen table.

Seriously, how much fun is that? They are so lucky to have a Daddy who loves to play with them and encourages laughter and love. Thanks Michal for being such a good Daddy and for taking care of the kids so I can get a break every once in a while.