Halloween

Halloween 2014

I'm pretty sure I failed as a parent in taking Halloween pictures this year.  The "costumes" that Lily wore are often being worn at home.

For a kids Halloween Party that we were invited to, Lily dressed up as a Disney Mermaid.  No one really knew what she was.  We had ranges of guesses from: fairy, princess, lily-pad, and flower.  But I'm pretty sure when we took the tag off of the onesie it said "Mermaid" - so that's what I went with regardless. 

And for the Halloween Ward "Trunk-or-Treat" we dressed Lily up as a BYU cheerleader.  Everyone thought she was adorable (except those who cheer for the University of Utah).  But Michal has pulled a fast one on me before and dressed Lily up in this "outfit" and gotten her all ready (for church) and we get to church, and I see that she is dressed up in a cheerleading outfit.  It just goes to show, Michal never stops surprising me when I least expect it.

The 'Trunk-or-Treat' was a little crazy, and ultra dark and it was hard to get a good picture of what was going on.  This was the best photo I was able to take of Lily where you could recognize who she was... mostly because everyone else is blurry.

Next year, I'll be more prepared for Halloween!

The Dixie Classic Fair

11 October 2014

Carnivals, Fairs, Festivals... they are all great ways to get out and spend time as a family.  But I've never attended one as late as October.  Apparently, this is the way to welcome Fall.  

So, Michal, Lily, & I jumped on the bandwagon and attended the famous, classic, and interesting 'Dixie Classic Fair.'

We started our exploration and meandering by visiting the petting zoo.  But this was no ordinary petting zoo!  This 'animal farm' was full of all sorts of exotic animals. 

Zebras, Camels, Yaks, Kangaroos were just a few of the more interesting animals, but there were also plenty of the ponies, goats, and cows present as well!

The funny thing about Lily is she loves animals, but she so does not love to touch or get near them.... just look and point.  And while we tried really, really hard to get her to at least touch one, this is the closest we were able to accomplish our feat.

Exotic animals weren't the only "exotic" and "interesting" things present at the fair.  The foods were quite interesting as well.  We found Polish Pierogi (we can't verify how authentic they are), and Krispie Kreme Burgers.  Yes - that's a hamburger between two donuts.  But don't worry, that wasn't the most interesting thing we found.  There was just about anything that you wanted deep fried. Among the signs we saw - bacon, Oreos, Twinkies, any type of candy bar, cheesecake, and pumpkin pie.  I almost threw up in my mouth when walking by some of these stands because they just reeked of grease.  I mean, how much more white trash/redneck can you get than deep frying these items? I would like to clarify... we did NOT try any of these items.  We stuck to the safe funnel cake and Michal stuck to his nasty sausage and fries.  

Lily was able to find some friends while we sat to eat and enjoy some treats.  I also found an interesting friend.  There was one lady who followed me around the fair - obsessing over my earrings.  I got over 20 questions throughout the evening all about my earrings.  How much were they? ($2) Where did I find them? (D.C.) Are they sterling silver? (For $2 - really? NO!) Can I sell them to her? (I'll think about it.) Can I go to D.C. and buy some for her? (Possibly.)  How many pairs can I buy for her? (Don't know.) Will they have my specific pair available? (Maybe?) And the list went on and on and on.  I was patient with my new crazy friend.  But at one point I was hoping security was lurking nearby so I could go and claim asylum.  At the time I felt like I was in a Hollywood movie, having to look over my shoulder constantly.  But now, it makes me laugh looking back at how ludicrous the whole situation was!

 And to wrap things up, what fair would be complete without checking out the blue ribbon prizes and trying to claim your own prize?  Of course, the vendors let Michal try for free three times.  He hit 4 balloons in those three tries - but we didn't pay for it - so we didn't get to take home an unnecessary stuffed animal.  Call me cheap, but I wasn't going to pay $5 for 3 tosses to take home a stuffed animal that you can buy for $1 through an Oriental Trading type of magazine.  Regardless, I was impressed with Michal's throwing skills!

Overall, it was a fun filled evening and all parties involved enjoyed their time here.  I think we need to make this into a family tradition and include rides once the children get older.

Greensboro Science Center

Remember that time I blogged about going to the Aquarium in Utah?  Remember how I gave that Aquarium a score of 10?  Keep that in mind as I share a little bit about the Greensboro Science Center.

First, I was told it was an Aquarium.  Then, I was told it was a Zoo.  At some point I had also heard it was a movie theater, a garden, and an interactive learning center.

All of those descriptions are lovely, but an exaggeration for this place.  I would call it a miniature zoo with some aquatic exhibits.  The interactive learning center wouldn't appease me unless I was in middle school.  

We got there just in time for Lily to watch the penguins being fed.  After their feeding they are very active and like to go in the water.  I sure did learn a LOT about penguins this day.

I love how she is always pointing to the fish.

After visiting the three exhibits (Penguins, Sharks, and Manta Rays), we went outside to see what non-aquatic animals we could 'oooooh' at.

We were only able to see some Meerkats, Turtles, Wallabies, and Monkeys.  All the other animals were hidden in the shade or didn't want to come out to play.

And while I thought the "interactive learning center" was a joke.  Lily didn't so much.  She found a toddler "interactive learning center" complete with a grocery play area, a water racing station, and a pinwheel shaped bouncy seat that appears as a pseudo teeter-totter.  She played on this bouncy seat for over 30 minutes.  It was a nightmare to get her to try to leave, but I was bored and didn't want to appear as one of those uninterested, un-supervising parents who look at their smart phones while their kids wreck havoc or play by themselves.

But when all is said and done, Lily's favorite part was looking at the fishies.  So we went back to the aquarium center and admired the manta rays, watched a puffer fish almost explode, and pondered on what the sharks were thinking about.

It was a super fun day, and Lily crashed on the way home.  She didn't get her normal two hour nap, but anytime she got fussy in the afternoon I just reminded her about the fishies we saw that day and she got so happy and talked to me all about them.

I love watching this little girl learn and explore, but I am running out of creative ideas of getting her out of the house.  Hopefully, I'll be inspired soon and we can go on more fun adventures together.

Fire Department Visit

A group of ladies gets together about twice a month to do fun things for their toddlers who aren't quite in school yet.  Oft times I opt out of attending since the activities are too advanced for Lily to comprehend.  However, since Lily 'ooooooh's' every time a large truck passes us by on the freeway, I figured that she would appreciate seeing a firetruck.

And while she did appreciate seeing the firetruck, she wasn't too keen on the demonstration of a fireman getting dressed in his protective gear.  She was more interested in bothering a local elementary school class and trying to get their attention.  I felt bad for the poor firefighters fighting Lily as a distraction, but at least Lily was happy and got lots of hugs from the older boys and girls.

I love that Lily was the only girl who showed up to see the firetrucks.  She was such a good girl and it was a good little lesson that hopefully we can re-learn one day as she grows older.

Pumpkin Festival

The last weekend of September an annual pumpkin festival is held in Elkin, NC.  Since it's only about 30-40 minutes away, Michal, Lily, & I decided to go check it out.

We got there right as things were dying down a bit, but right before everyone closed up shop.  It was, indeed, so nice to miss the majority of crowds - but still take a relaxing stroll through the cities "attractions."

The only attraction that really caught our eye was food and oversized pumpkins.

I mean, seriously, have you ever seen a pumpkin this large?

But pumpkins weren't the only jumbo produce items which made an appearance in Elkin.  A large watermelon contest was also on display.  These fruits & veggies were so large that forklifts had to transport them from their vehicles to the weighing stations. 

While I was fascinated with the inner workings and details of delicately handling these pumpkins, Michal & Lily were more interested in finding local treats that they could enjoy.  Lily and I ended up sharing a funnel cake - her first that she enjoyed a little too much.  And Michal got some sausage conglomeration - it looked disgusting, but he was happy with it... or at least he was until he came down with food poisoning the following night and had to take a sick day at work Monday from being up all Sunday night.  Poor guy, you'd think it'd keep him away from the greasy foods at fairs, but he has such a stomach for his crazy german 'ish' food.

After our mini tour of main street Elkin and deciding Lily was too small to go into the bounce houses with the not-so-small "toddlers" (Ahem... middle schoolers).  Michal begged me to go test driving cars.  Test driving is so low on my "fun" list.  The dentist is probably the only thing lower than test driving cars with pushy salesmen.  In any case, Lily decided to "test drive" her own little car.  And while she is adorable, and Michal wanted to purchase this mini model for our little girl - we both shied away when realizing it didn't go anywhere (it was seriously just a model car, like a blow-up model, but nicer).  But since it had a BMW brand on it - it was THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!  Yikes.  I'd rather get one of those jeep cars at Toys R Us where Lily can actually practice driving and honking her horn.  I mean, it's never too early to start teaching her the proper way to drive (and merge) in Winston-Salem.

Announcing...

While I officially announced on Facebook, Instagram, and National Television that I was expecting, I failed to mention this important fact on the blog.  

While we are excited to welcome a baby boy into the family, coming up with a name has been a nightmare.  Michal can't be serious about a name and while my only two requirements are: no "J" names and one that works well in English and Polish, we are having a lot of difficulty agreeing on naming the fourth member of our family.

Prayers and suggestions welcome!

18 Month Check Up

August 14, 2014

Our 18 Month Wellness Check Up did not go as smoothly as prior checkups in the past.  

Getting weighed started with some tears.

Which continued when getting measured.

In fact, any time the doctor walked into the room Lily started crying, and as soon as the doctor left - she was happy baby and kissing herself in the mirror.  It was like a light switch.  I couldn't believe how she could turn on and off her tears just. like. that.  Since Lily was getting four molars at the same time, the doctor felt it would be beneficial to give her some tylenol for the pain.  But... the same story happened with the nurse, and when she came in - Lily let loose on weeping and wailing.  So much so, that when they gave her the medicine, she threw it all up.  It was the first time I have ever seen her throw up.  Not only did it get all over Mommy, but the nurse, and the diaper bag, and the doctors office.  It was so fun to clean up!

Here are Lily's 18 Month Stats:

Weight: 23 lb 8.5 oz (10.674 kg) - 63%

Height: 32.25" (81.9 cm) - 66%

Head Circumference: 18.66" (47.4 cm) - 80%

Attitude: 100%

Pain: Four awful teeth coming in at once

18 Month Photo Shoot

I need your help!

I took Lily to get her 18 Month pictures taken.   While I've narrowed my favorites down to only 14 pictures, I can't decide which two to put up on my walls in my new home.  

If you could, please, leave a comment with your favorite photo to help me make this decision easier!

Thanks!

P.S. Isn't she just adorable?

#1

 

#2 & #3

#4

#5

 #6 & #7

 #8

 #9 & #10

 #11

 #12 & #13

 #14