New Play House & Slide

She likes to tell you when to come in the play house and when you should leave.  She tries to get Tito (our dog) to go in.  He doesn't listen to her at all.  It is funny to hear her bossing him around.  I have helped coax him into the playhouse.  He will stay for a couple minutes then push the door open and leave.

Playing in the play house for the first time.  She didn't like it at all ;)

Last spring/summer my parents found a great deal on a swing set for Jillian.  It has places for 4 swings.  Now that she is bigger she really loves to slide so we added a slide addition to the existing swing set.

After it was done I mentioned to Jillian to say thank you to her papaw.  She must have said it like 20 times at least!  "Thank you papaw.. thank you papaw"  She kept saying it until he would respond your welcome.  Then a few seconds later she would start again.  As she was going down the slide she would get to the bottom and say "yeah papaw!!" followed by clapping.  It was too dark out by the time the slide was done for video so I don't have any of that on video, but it was very cute.

4-24-12 slide addition to her swing set complete.  She loves it! Thanks Papaw!!!

(4-25-12) Jillian going down her new slide.  

1st Bike Ride 4-2-12

The kid/baby seat was just added to my bike and we got it back yesterday.  So we had to try it out!  We have had this helmet for Jillian for about a year.  Last spring/summer she wanted nothing to do with it being put on her head.  She did just fine last night.  I'm sure it helped that mommy, her meemaw and papaw were all wearing helmets too.

 Getting her helmet strap sized so she can't just pull it off.  It does have a very nice anti pinch device under the chin strap.  Especially since this one is ticklish on her neck so she was squirming around and opening her mouth.   A bit of a challenge to get it latched under these circumstances. 

Jillian all set to go with her helmet.  What you may not be able to see are the pink bunnies on her helmet.  

Ready to go.  It felt a little odd at first with the extra weight on the back.  As we pulled out of the drive I was told she had a huge smile on her face.  She held onto her little "handle bars" the whole time.  We took a loop around the people trail and got close enough to the airport to see a big plane, which she enjoyed.  We did also stop by a park so she could play.  We didn't have a lot of time to stop since it was getting dark, but she did not fuss at all when we put her back in her seat to head home.  

My mom took this video of us riding last night, while she was also on her bike.

1st Zoo Trip

Took Jillian to the Zoo for the first time back on 3-10-12.  She LOVED it!

 Checking out the "kitty".  With the big glass windows you could get really up close with the tigers!

 "smiling" for daddy, since he didn't come along

Two tired kiddos after checking out all the animals at the Zoo.

I didn't get many pictures since I was too busy making sure to keep track of my little one.  If you ask her what she saw at the Zoo she will tell you: Elephant, Baby Elephant, Giraffe routinely.  If you ask what the Giraffe was doing she will tell you he was walking around and eating, which he was.  

We did also take them to the Dolphin show.  She liked it as long as the fish were performing.  The Dolphins were a little less than cooperative during the show that day so there was a lot of time when they people were just talking about them that wasn't all the entertaining.

Visiting Amy & Adam

Saturday monring we drove down to visit Amy & Adam along with Candi & Chase.  The 3 "big" kiddos had fun playing while Adam watched.  We even managed to get a picture with all 3 of the "big" kiddos looking at the camera at the same time!  I will have to get this from Sarah though since it was taken with her camera.

When we first got there one of the dogs jumped up on Chase and he was not amused.  He actually cried, which is unusual for him. Guessing the jumping up on him scared him.  He is used to my dog, but my dog is 70 pounds and better not be caught trying to jump up on the little people.  It was very short lived and then he was fine with them.  Chase's mommy Candi is not much of a dog person, yet the two little dogs Sarah has kept buggin her for attention or snuggling up next to her. 

We went to lunch at a Mexican place and everyone did well.  You never know how a meal out with 4 kids will be!  Adam napped through all of it and the others did pretty good about sitting or at least staying around our table. 

Jillian & Amy enjoying their suckers

After lunch we went to Whole Foods store in search of a specific cheese I had there before that I wasn't able to find back anywhere else yet.  They have rather small carts so when Sarah put the infant carrier in the the back section you couldn't then use the upper part.  It wouldn't open since it was hitting Adam's seat.  We put Jillian and Amy in another cart.  They did well riding with out trying to stand up.  While there we gave them each a dum dum sucker. 

Amy & Jilly playing the big piano, Chase is playing the little one.

After we left the store we were trying to decide if we would go back to Sarah's to let the kids play for a while longer or head back.  We just said if they stay awake back to your house we will come back if not we will just head home.  They managed to stay awake so they got to play a while longer.



Jillian "holding" Adam. It didn't take her long to ask for me to take him back and hold. She said "mommy hold Adam".



Hair Styles

12-18-11 I think this was actually the first time I pulled her hair up with anything.  Only stayed in long enough for a picture.  She wasn't a fan.

1-26-12 "bitty" pony tail, she hated this and wanted it out.  It was all I could do to get a picture.

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Yipee she has enough hair for me to play with :)  Also she has decided to let me.  It took some convicing.  It seemed to work well to tell her it was like Katie & Ellie's hair (her little friends).  She will on occasion ask for pig tails :).

2-18-12 Full piggy tails

2-13-12 Half piggy tails

Potty training in progress

Jillian is showing interest in potty training.  Especially after seeing that some of her little friends are using the big potty.  Doesn't hurt to have some slightly older friends for her to hang out with. 

She is really just getting started.  She has successfully used the potty on multiple occasions, but won't always use it.  We are just taking it slow for now, which seems to be working.  She will ask sometime to go potty and will actually go.  Of course not every time since I think she sometimes asks to go right after she has used her pull ups. 

In the last few weeks she has even started to let daddy or papaw take her to the potty.  At first she was more resistant to them helping her. 

To encourage her to use the big potty we give her a special treat if she goes.  She gets M & M's and seems to really understand the link.  She will go and then say get MM's (as she calls them), but luckily she isn't asking for the every time she goes.

During her bath on this past Saturday she peed in the tub.  After doing this she told us what she did and asked, get MM's?  Um. nope sorry we don't get MM"s for peeing in the bathtub.  Silly girl.

Jillian's 2nd Brithday!

Jillian's custom made birthday banner :) 

Our princess turned 2! She got to celebrate with most of her family.  A few of them had the stomach bug and could not attend.  We were sad they didn't feel well but glad they didn't come share those germs!

Wearing her custom birthday shirt :)

Trying to force out a smile for the camera

"icing" her cupcakes

This is her "new" dog Pepper.  This dog was a gift from me and my mom to her dad (Jillian's great gpa  when he had to stay in the hospital fora bout 6 weeks.  He loved his dogs and couldn't have them at the hospital so we got him this to keep him company.  Her great gma know that she loves dogs so she gifted this down to her.  Let her name it. Which it of course looks like one of her dogs that is named Pepper, hence that is what Jillian calls it.  Here she is all worn out from the Birthday festivities.  Moments after I took this picture she was sound asleep.

Jillian and her CAKE.  This goes with the Word World theme, which is her favorite show.  Really the only show she will watch.  She already has episodes she doesn't like.  If you put one of those on she says "no want that one, no want that one" and waves her arm.  She will request some by what the theme is.  Yesterday she wanted twinkle star.  It is an episode in which the Duck character sings twinkle twinkle little star. 

Jillian playing in he new kitchen from mommy & daddy.  Mommy & her papaw spent about 2 hours working together to assemble.  Mommy read the directions and papaw mainly tightened all the bolts and things.  It have 32 steps.  I think we did a great job myself.  She really seems to like it :).  She had fun opening and closing the fridge & freezer doors pulling out milk and "pouring' it in her cup and putting it back again.  She is all about keeping drawers or doors closed.  So each time she gets something out she closes the door after it.

She got lots of nice things (not that she needed anything at all).  She obviously likes the new toys.  This morning she was asking to play ice cream and with Jilly's kitchen :).