Here are a few of my favorite:

Feeding cows on grandpa’s farm

Lily’s 2nd Birthday

Lily dancing with Lily

Lots of Lily videos uploaded. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Daycare Day

Lily started her new daycare today and she was very excited. It was a bit like sending your kids off to school as she had her little backpack, supplies and some new clothes. She was going someplace new with lots of other kids, toys and the unknown. Ok, so maybe it was more Mom and Dad that was nervous about the unknown, Lily was just excited.

When I dropped her off she was as happy as can be. She was showing off all her stuff, playing with all the toys and just having a blast. I said goodbye and all was good. Turns out, she was good all day long. She did extremely well and is ready to go back again tomorrow. Hopefully every day is as good as the first.

This is now Lily’s 3rd daycare; well the way I count.

She started off in an in-home daycare which worked out really well in the beginning. When she was a baby she didn’t need much more than someone to watch over her and give her some attention. However, as she grew, it became apparent that she needed more attention and more learning opportunities which her current in-home didn’t provide.

Over the summer Grandma, my mother in-law, took care of Lily 4 days a week in our home. They cooked, cleaned, went to the library, the beach and did pretty much anything and everything. I don’t have any idea how Grandma did half the stuff she did with a toddler but she made it look easy. It was great though as Lily learned so much. The one on one attention was fantastic and the help around the house was nice too.

Now that summer is winding down, Lily is starting at a daycare center. The center is more like a pre-school where she’ll do a lot of learning and enhance her social skills. There are quite a few other kids her age so sharing and taking turns will be very important.

Lily now has her own cubby, she’ll have a show and tell day, music days, reading time, arts & crafts, field trips and just continue to learn so much. This is a perfect match as she wants to do more and wants to be kept busy.

We’ve toured lots of different daycares, seen many different setups and finding the right one is always hard. However, I think we’ve found a good one that will help our little girl grow for years to come.

Daycare: In-home, at home and now a center. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

It started out with Uncle Josh visiting on her birthday. That’s pretty special as he was in from California. Josh gave her some plastic food so she could feed her dolls and pretend she was cooking like Mom.

Uncle Josh

Then she had the weekend with just Mom and Dad. She got plastic plates, bowls and cups to go with her plastic food and she loves to play with them. She also got some Elmo things and other fun toys. Plus we had ice cream cookie sandwiches!

Cups and Toys

Dinner with her dolls.

Since it was her birthday weekend, we took her to Edinborough Park to play in the bouncy house and the maze of tunnels and slides. We also went to not one, but two, beaches to play in the water.

Giant Slide

A very fun weekend for sure!

Her second birthday party was this past weekend with the grandparents and family. A second birthday means more presents including a kitchen, some very cute clothes and toys. Plus what’s a birthday without cupcakes; Elmo cupcakes!

Elmo Cupcakes

Lily's Kitchen

After that, it was time to run around outside and burn off some of that sugar and play with the family.

Family Time

We also took some time and went out to visit the cows on my parents farm. Lily loved feeding them, seeing the corn and all the different things. Grandpa Tom even took her on a tractor ride which she thought was a ton of fun.

Riding in a Tractor

We are extremely blessed to have our families close enough that Lily can go and experience different things. Animals at the zoo are fun, on the farm is even better!

Lily

It’s hard to believe that Lily is already two. She’s growing up so fast and it’s amazing to see how much she’s grown and how much she has learned in just two years. She’s an amazing little girl and we are grateful to have her in our lives.

Cupcakes, Cows, Presents & Water originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Looking for something to do with your toddler? Here are 101 ideas! Some of them you already do and others are a little weird. All look like fun though.

1. Color
2. Blow Bubbles
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
4. Peek-a-Boo
5. Play Chase
6. Do Finger-plays
7. Sing a song
8. Collect rocks in a basket
9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
11. Go for a Walk
12. Make a Car out of a Box (it’s not just a box)
13. Read a book
14. Go to the park
15. Finger-paint
16. Play with Play-Dough
17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
18. Play the shell and pea game
19. Dance to music
20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child’s bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
26. Put on a puppet show
27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
28. Make a Horseshoe game
29. Make a Shape Puzzle
30. Play paper basketball
31. Run through a Sprinkler
32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
34. Play with a kazoo
35. Wash windows together
36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
37. Brush each other’s teeth
38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child’s clothes
39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn’t eat them!)
43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
44. Play a musical instrument together i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
46. Frost Cookies
47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
50. Play hide and seek together trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
53. Record each other on a tape recorder/iPhone/Smart Phone (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
54. Make and try on paper hats
55. Give a piggy-back ride
56. Play “Horsey”
57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real…)
60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
61. Play games with frozen juice lids
62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives let your child talk too
64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
66. Glue shapes onto paper
67. Make sock puppets
68. Make paper puppets
69. Fill an old purse with toys
70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
71. Make binoculars and go “Bird Watching” or “Stuffed Animal Watching”
72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
73. Act out a story from a book
74. Walk on a balance beam - use a 2×4 placed on the ground
75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
77. Paint child’s palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
82. Do the Hokey Pokey
83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
85. Play “Red Light, Green Light” saying “Go” and “Stop”
86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
92. Make a domino chain
93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy’s clothes
95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
96. Make a nature collage
97. Mirror each other
98. Make a “Mummy Mommy” (or Daddy) with toilet paper
99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
101. TAKE A NAP!

I came across this list from Counting On Me’s site who got it from their local chapter of The Mommies Network.

101 Things To Do With Your Toddler originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily is having to much fun playing in the dirt.

This is the way we plant the flowers. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

We then tried to let her sleep with us, but that wasn’t working well either. She’s sleep for maybe 30 minutes, then be up just bawling. 9pm turned into 11, 11 into 1am and things kept going the same.

Finally around what was probably 2am, our 30 minute stints turned into an hour and we all got a few hours of sleep. However not nearly enough.

We got her into the doctor first thing in the morning only to find out she had a double ear infection. That’s right, double.

Now she’s on medication and it’s been a long day for everyone. Lily looked exhausted all day but continued having sleeping issues. It just hurts too much.

We’re crossing our fingers that she does better tonight. The medication should be helping and we also gave her infant Tynol. All should help keep the pain down so we can all sleep.

Dear ear infections, you suck. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

When we first had Lily everyone we knew said who she looked like. Everyone on my wife’s side could see baby Christi and everyone on my side of the family could see baby Thomas. And to us, we didn’t see either. She was her own person.

However, as Lily grows, we are starting to see a little girl that looks like us.

Yes, it’s obvious that Lily should look like us, but we haven’t seen it until recently.

Now she really is starting to look like a little me, or Christi. And that’s pretty cool.

My little girl kind of looks like me. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

It’s amazing how one little kid can have so many toys.

I didn’t think we got her that much stuff, but it’s everywhere. Not to mention the toys the family gave as well.

Lily loves them all though and we are thankful for every gift we get.

We are now working on hiding some toys so we can swap them out a few weeks later with some of her current toys. That way they’ll seem new, even though they won’t be.

Rotating toys will hopefully bring endless excitement, and a cleaner play room.

I hope everyone’s holiday was fun and safe and you got to spend some quality time with the kids.

Does spoiled start with an L? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

To all our family and friends, Merry Christmas!

I hope this holiday is special for you and your family and that you take a moment to be thankful for everyone in your life that makes it so great.

Merry Christmas! originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily Helping

We’re doing some Christmas baking today and Lily is helping out.

That’s actually powdered sugar in the photo, not flower. And more than a little made it into her mouth; among all the other places that it ended up!

Doing some Christmas baking. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

It’s seems like forever since we saw her last and she looks so grown up!

Our plan was to send her home with Grandma and Grandpa on Friday afternoon and pick her up on Sunday afternoon.

Add in a full day at work for Dad on Friday, that means I last saw her on Thursday evening.

Throw in a blizzard, and that Sunday afternoon turned into Monday evening.

The hours just keep adding up! The few days just seemed so much longer.

Now my wife and I were happy to have some time to ourselves, but the house seemed so quiet, so empty.

It’s funny how going back to the way things were is never the same. This little girl who has taken over our lives wasn’t present and we missed her more than we thought we would.

Separation anxiety happens to parents too. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Over the weekend, the Mucus and flem started attacking and she hasn’t been sleeping well, hasn’t been feeling well, and sounds horrible at times.

It all started at about 2am Saturday morning when Lily scared the crap out of us. She woke up crying and screaming. We went in and she was shaking, extremely upset and was having troubles talking and breathing. We comforted her and she calmed down, but wouldn’t allow us to sit down or lay her back down.

It took some coaxing, but we finally got her to sleep with us and in the morning we took her into the doctor as she now had a fever too.

Turns out, she was fine. No ear infections or anything bad like that.

She does have a virus though and it’s causing a lot of mucus build up. When she’s tired, it has a tendency to get worse. So when she tries to sleep, she feels like she can’t breath and then she cries.

During the day, she’s usually fine. Except for a pretty nasty sounding cough that makes it sound like she’s been smoking for 80 years.

At night, and early in the morning, however is a different story. She sounds horrible, is unhappy and doesn’t sleep as well.

On Sunday night, she hardly slept at all. She was up most of the night and didn’t settle down until 2am.

There isn’t much we can do for Lily either. We just have to let it run its course.

We are using Baby Vicks and making sure her humidifier is on in her room. We also propped her mattress up so that she wasn’t laying flat. That should help the mucus flow down and not collect in her throat.

We’re also keeping her out of daycare so that she doesn’t give this to the other kids.

Christi and I are battling to stop it from infecting us as well. So far, we are loosing but the fight is far from over.

I know that the colds and germs are everywhere, but I’m ready to have a healthy family again. I’m not a fan of going though this every few weeks.

Attack of the Mucus & Flem originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

This year Thanksgiving should be a lot of fun. Lily is walking and talking and ready to help out.

We’ll have both sets of grandparents up she’ll be the center of attention.

Plus there will be all the food that I’m sure she’ll just gobble right down. See eats pretty much everything these days.

I’m thankful this Thanksgiving, and every day, for my family. My awesome wife Christi and my sweet little daughter Lily mean the world to me and I don’t know what I’d do without them.

I’m thankful for Thanksgiving with the family. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

The day after that, Christi got sick. If we would have had any other family members, they’d have gotten sick too.

That begs the question, will we always get sick when our little girl does?

I’m not ready for being sick once a year, or more. I like my once every few years thing that I’ve been lucky to have.

What’s your take? Do you get sick every time your kids do?

Will we always get sick when Lily gets sick? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

We’ve been so blessed with a child that got some colds, a fever once, but never anything to terrible. Until last night, at about 1am.

You see I was sound asleep until something woke me. My wife darted out of bed before I knew what was going on and she came back with a baby covered in vomit. Lovely.

We then proceeded to clean her up and I had the task of replacing her crib sheet. Which I went right in to do until I smelled the vomit and nearly vomited myself. OMG! I then covered my nose with my shirt and changed it as fast as I could.

Ohh look, vegetables.

Lily then slept with us as she was to shook to go back into her crib. It was her first time vomiting and I’m sure it wasn’t any fun for her.

Not long after we all laid down and started to go back to sleep, she vomited again.

After some discussion, we decided that I should take Lily downstairs and sleep with her so Christi could get her sleep as she was going to work in the morning. I then got the sick day.

Once downstairs, Lily ran and played and was having a great time. Seeing as it was like 1:30am, I laid her down next to me and we proceeded to fall asleep. Then she vomited.

This proceeded a few more times, however the time in-between the vomit got a bit longer. So we did get some sleep. Just not a whole lot.

Also, if you’re looking for the bright side, the first incident was on a full stomach. By the fourth and fifth, it was more of the dry heaves. Less mess!

Since we got up this morning, Lily has been having a great day. No really. She’s been running and playing and hanging out with Dad. She’s eating and drinking and has no other issues.

We’re hoping that whatever it was is now out of her system. If not, we will at least know how to deal with the situation a little bit more the second time around.

Ohh, if you’re ever chaining a diaper and think it smells horrible, just wait till your kid vomits. Then you’ll be wishing for a nasty diaper.

Nothing is worse than vomit!

Having a vomiting baby is no fun. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily & Dad - Halloween 2010

The first place we went was the grocery store. Each department hands out some sort of goodie and we got string cheese, an apple, banana, teddy grams, pop and even a VHS video. No candy though at that stop.

Then, once it got a little darker, we went to the daycare lady’s house and got our first candy. We were letting Lily carry it around in her pumpkin bucket and she was all excited. So excited, she at half a Butterfinger before we knew what was going on. She ate the wrapper and all! We then realized that we had to keep her candy a bit farther away from her.

After that, we went around the block to see the neighbors. We only hit a few houses but got enough candy. Lily wanted to walk most of the time, but she also wanted to pick up all the leaves.

By the time we got nearly around the block, she was starting to get crabby. I think her Butterfinger sugar high was kicking in.

She ate some candy on Halloween and probably had more sugar than she needed. As we went through the night, she seemed to be up quite often jumping in her crib. It seems that she realized that sugar is good for keeping her up all night.

I think we’ve had plenty of sugar for a while. Mom and Dad will work on finishing off the candy and are more than happy to do so.

Our first Halloween out trick or treating was a success and everyone had a good time.

Surviving Halloween and the sugar overload. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily loved it! We surrounded her with leaves, tossed them up in the air to fall down upon her and kicked them around. They’re lightweight, make a lot of noise and are just plain fun to play with!

Here They Come

Crawling Around

I got one on me.

Never to young to play in the leaves. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Pumpkin Guts

Over the weekend we decided to carve pumpkins. We thought it’d be a fun family activity and it turns out, Lily is still to young.

We opened up and cleaned out the pumpkins while she was napping and once she got up, we started carving.

Turns out, she only liked the pumpkin guts and really didn’t care much about the rest of the process.

I guess she’s still a little young to enjoy somethings. Maybe next year.

One may be to young to carve pumpkins. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily decided to help Grandpa by picking up the rocks on his driveway. One by one she was doing well at picking them up and handing them over. Then she found a small one, a bite sized one, and put it in her mouth. That ended the picking up rocks fun.

Picking up rocks, then tasting them. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

I think she liked the cats the best, but we all had a good time showing her all the new things. As she grows up, she’ll love it even more.

We’ve also got videos! Watch for those soon.

On Grandpa & Grandma McMahon’s Farm originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com