Ella has a little shadow named Lillian. Lillian watches everything her big sister does. Ella started doing somersaults this week, and Lily has started putting her head on the floor like she’s going to do one too. And of course, Ella doing somersaults is a BIG deal! It caught Loran and myself by surprise. It wasn’t accidental either, she was completely intentional over what she was doing. We were so proud!
Ella didn’t want to perform on camera, so I had to bribe her with watching Super Why! so she would do it…hence, the conversation at the end…
Lillian keeps an eye on Ella. If Ella has a snack, Lily wants a snack. Usually she wants the exact thing that Ella’s holding. I’ve been trying to teach Ella how to keep her food and drinks safe from Lily’s grubby little hands, but it’s hard! Lily’s crafty. I have to set Ella up with a snack, on the couch using the ottoman as a barrier, and surround her with pillows to keep Lily away. It’s like preparing for a creeping river. Ella needs to be sandbagged! If Ella has a water bottle, Lily wants that bottle. Her cup of milk is no substitute. The other day, Ella and I were at our wits end with Lily’s water bottle pilfering when I had a grand idea. I gave Lily a similar looking bottle filled with water. Lily was so excited to have a water bottle that she left Ella’s alone. But, she followed Ella around and every single time Ella took a drink from her bottle, Lily had to drink from hers. It was completely adorable and we had a little respite from the pilfering, fighting and crying.
Watching, watching, copying…even with only one shoe on.
When Lily isn’t following Ella around, she’s busy moving shoes throughout the house. We find them in odd places and sometimes find small shoes inside large shoes. Always an adventure when getting ready in the morning.
We have had a lot of going on, but not really child related. Hence, lack of updating. Last weekend, Loran and I went out of town to the lovely city of Rochester. In the shadow of the Mayo Clinic, we attended FamilyLife’s A Weekend to Remember. It was amazing! We’ve never been on a marriage retreat, but I think it’s safe to say that we’d both gladly go back. We both came away with great lessons learned, feel closer and are armed with some of the great resources they had available. We were even able to renew our vows. <3 awww! Of course, we still had the children on our minds since our bag of loot also included Resurrection Eggs for Easter.
Additionally, we have found a wonderful couple to rent our house. They are youth pastors at our church, married and expecting their first baby this summer. It’s been bittersweet preparing the house for them. I’m so excited for their arrival (today!) and they’ve already moved a few things in, which has made the transition easier – to see other things in the house is helping me detach. But, it’s still a house we have adored and holds so many important memories. It’s where I told Loran we were expecting the first time. It’s where we scrutinized a pregnancy test to find out we were expecting the second time. Our girls’ first home. The location of our annual Fourth of July party. And much much more…for my next post. But, Lily and I have been busy doing the finishing touches for the house, like installing new light fixtures (not easy with a toddler), cleaning (only partially easy with a toddler) and dealing with the leaky basement from the downpours and snow melt - - mopping with a toddler strapped to my back (not easy). But, we’ve made it to move-in day and we couldn’t be more ready or excited!
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