Visit with the Easter Bunny and Coloring Eggs

Mom and I took the girls to Alton one Saturday morning to see the Easter Bunny.  Ainsley was so excited about seeing the Easter Bunny, and couldn't wait to get there.

There was a little activity area hosted by Radio Disney while we waited for the Easter Bunny to arrive.  Ainsley actually went out and danced with the other kids at one point!

The Easter Bunny arrived and Ainsley pretty much ran across the mall following him to get pictures.  We had to wait in a short line, and she was still excited at that point, asking if it was her turn yet.

Things changed when it was actually her turn.  Of course, Lily immediately grabbed onto Mom with both hands and had a death grip on her as soon as she saw the bunny, and Ainsley didn't want to get near it either.  I told Mom to hand Lily off and I was going to sit Ainsley beside the bunny and to hurry and move out of the picture.  I also warned the Easter Bunny and told it to be ready to hold on tight to two little girls.  The bunny just nodded.

We finished with a little shopping and then lunch before heading home.  Even though Ainsley said that the Easter Bunny wasn't her friend, she still proclaimed it "The Best Day Ever!" 

Lily loved Grandma's Diet Coke

Ainsley loves her Grandma Shelly!

We colored eggs with Drake and Lani the afternoon of Lily's birthday.  None of the kids were interested for very long....that is, except for Lily!  That girl tried getting anything she could off the table.

Lily ended up getting a few things of dye off the table and by the time we were done, she was soaking wet and covered in dye.  A total mess!

At one point that afternoon, Drake came running over to me, and very excitedly exclaimed:  "I found a three leaf clover!"  I just laughed.  He's definitely Jennifer's son!

Lily 1 year pictures

We had Lily's one year pictures and a family picture done in early April.  Lauren was once again able to get some good ones!  Here are some of my favorites!

Who does Lily look like?

Everyone always asks who Lily looks like.  Some people think she looks like Ainsley, and others don't think they look alike at all.  While going through old pictures for Jim and Rita's anniversary party a few months ago, I came across a bunch of pictures of Jennifer that looked just like Lily!  What do you think? 

A week or so before I found the old pictures of Jennifer, I thought Lily looked a little like Thomas in the picture below.  He's the second from the right in the orthopedic shoes.  I'm right beside him on the end of the couch.  (The picture is of some of the Gillespie grandkids circa 1987 or so).

So, who do YOU think Lily looks like?

Lily is ONE!!!

It seems to be a statement I've started to say quite often.  Where did the last year go?  Seriously, how is my baby a year old already? 

My little "monster baby", "ginger baby", "stinker butt" is the big ONE!  She makes us smile every day with her little fang teeth, scrunched up nose, and "peanut butter-jelly timing" as Joel says. 

Birthday girl!

Love Lily's face!



The morning of Lily's birthday, we met Kathleen, Lani, Jennifer, and Drake at the Donut Shop.  Lily (and the rest of the kids) loved the donuts.

Lily's had a rough last few months.  I've lost count on the number of ear infections in the last few months, but she's had 6 over the last year.  We've spent a lot of time in the doctor's office.  She's still off the charts for weight and around the 80th percentile for height. 

Everywhere we go, people comment on her red hair.  It's even more red when she's in the sun.  She's getting more curls it seems daily, and they're adorable! 

Lily is a chunk.  I've put all her 18 month clothes away and she's in 24 month/2T clothes and even some 3T shirts.  She's in a size 5 shoe and size 4 diapers. 

She obviously didn't want peas.  She put them all on the floor (and even some on the walls).

She can say:  mama, dada, baba, uh-oh, and bye-bye. She also knows "more" in sign language.  Her favorite food is fruit (just like big sister).  Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, bananas, bread, yogurt, cheese, crackers, and bologna are some of her favorites.  She doesn't eat much meat, and will usually spit it out.  I switched her to whole milk right after her birthday, and she did pretty good with it. 

Playing peek-a-boo is always fun!

Did I mention that Lily loves to dance?!  She loves dancing to Ainsley's Dora microphone and her Snow White Cottage song!  Of course, it's even more fun when Ainsley dances with her.

Leaving the scene....after she put puffs all over the kitchen floor!

Another thing she loves to eat.....PAPER!!!

Her favorite toy is a book.  Lily loves to look at books, and she'll point to pictures and turn the pages and really study it.  It's so funny to watch her.   She also loves her Snow White cottage and dwarfs, and necklaces and bracelets.  If she sees any of Ainsley's necklaces laying around, she has them on immediately.  She also loves to put clothes around her neck and crawl/walk around with the clothes around her neck all day.

She's learned how to climb.  Her favorite spot is Ainsley's bed.  I was washing bottles one evening when Ainsley yelled at me:  "Mom, Lily's up here."  I asked her where "up here" was and then ran back to Ainsley's room to find Lily in bed with Ainsley and they were both just giggling. 

I would say that Lily's other favorite "toy" is her big sister.  What better toy than a big sister?!  There are times when Lily and Ainsley can play together so well, and other times when they can't be within a foot of each other without fighting.  Ainsley is a really good big sister and usually accommodates to what Lily wants her to do.

The shoe obviously didn't fit!

I walked in Lily's room one morning after I heard a pretty loud thud over the monitor.  I found her like this in her crib....she had pulled the cord of her monitor and it fell off the wall.  (You can see the camera laying on the top of her crib!)

This onery little girl is loved so much.  Looking back at how fast the first year went, it's scary to think how quickly the next few years will go by.  She keeps us on our toes, and we wouldn't have it any other way.