This is the first year Lilie has been really excited about Christmas. So we've been enjoying things like tree decorating, making cookies for Santa, and counting down the days until December 25.
We keep track with three different tools: an advent calendar that has small chocolate treats in it, a wall hanging that depicts a teddy bear's house (we move the bear to a new location each day as he 'looks for Christmas'), and the countdown calendar we used when I was a child (construction paper, each sheet reflecting a number from 1-20*).
That's quite a bit to do in the morning, yet each day Liliana seems to forget about it. She'll climb onto her stool at the counter, take a swig of milk, and glance around. It's only when she catches sight of the chocolate advent calendar that she'll brighten and blurt out, "Daddy! We've got a lot of work to do! We've got check my chocolate and move the bear!".
* Why only 1-20? I don't think I've lost any days from the calendar... Can anyone help me out with that? Mom, did we only get angsty starting around December fifth? I can't find any precedent for a 20-day advent calendar on the interwebs. Is the calendar incomplete? Were those days best left unremembered?
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
SHTEVANS!
We were driving home from church today, and Katie wanted to hear about Lilie's experience in the children's class. Liliana was munching on the candy cane she'd picked up on the way out of church.
"Did you hear a story today, Lilie?"
"Yeah." Crunch crunch crunch.
"What was it about?"
"'Bout Jesus." Snap! Crunchcrunch.
"Really? What happened in the story?"
"Um," snap crunch crunch crunch. "Some shtevans went to see God."
We drove for a bit in silence, considering the implications of this. The candy cane crunching continued from the back seat.
Katie tried first.
"Stevens went to see God?"
Crunch crunch. "No, mommy - shtevans."
"Stefan went to see God?"
"NO... shevans!" Lilie strained forward in her seat, clearly frustrated, as she reiterated her point.
Suddenly it hit me.
"Lilie, was it shepherds who went to see God?"
Lilie strained forward and drew in a breath, ready to correct us again. Suddenly she stopped, wrinkled her brow, and collapsed back into her seat.
"Yeah. Shepherds." Crunch crunch crunch.
"Did you hear a story today, Lilie?"
"Yeah." Crunch crunch crunch.
"What was it about?"
"'Bout Jesus." Snap! Crunchcrunch.
"Really? What happened in the story?"
"Um," snap crunch crunch crunch. "Some shtevans went to see God."
We drove for a bit in silence, considering the implications of this. The candy cane crunching continued from the back seat.
Katie tried first.
"Stevens went to see God?"
Crunch crunch. "No, mommy - shtevans."
"Stefan went to see God?"
"NO... shevans!" Lilie strained forward in her seat, clearly frustrated, as she reiterated her point.
Suddenly it hit me.
"Lilie, was it shepherds who went to see God?"
Lilie strained forward and drew in a breath, ready to correct us again. Suddenly she stopped, wrinkled her brow, and collapsed back into her seat.
"Yeah. Shepherds." Crunch crunch crunch.
Reading
We caught Lilie in the act of reading to all of her (many, many, many) stuffed 'friends'. We wanted to catch it on tape.
She's reading from 'Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot'.
She's reading from 'Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot'.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Gems
We were horsing around in the living room, wrestling and playing while Grandma watched from the couch. Lilie took a break from the action and started piling things on top of Grandma: a pillow. A blanket. A stuffed animal. Toys. Shoes.
"What are you doing?" asked Grandma as Lilie capped the pile with a pillow across her face.
"I don't want you to see what's going to happen next."
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Lilie had talked her mommy into buying some vanilla wafers for her after a pit stop. Katie asked for a cookie and Lilie gladly shared. The first cookie only whet her appetite, and a few minutes later Katie asked for another.
"Jeez Louise, mommy, you're gonna eat all my cookies!"
For the record - she did share another with her mommy...
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Katie recently taught Lilie how to sit 'criss-cross-applesauce'. It's a catchy phrase, you have to admit. Tonight, Lilie chanted it on the way back to Illinois to drop Grandma at home.
"Criss-cross-applesauce. Criss-cross-applesauce."
Lilie chanted it when they stopped at a gas station to tinkle. She chanted it on the way into the house. She chanted it while they climbed the stairs to the bathroom, and she chanted it while she tinkled.
Lilie was chanting it, standing on the step stool as she reached into the sink to wash her hands. Katie was struggling to help her get her pants back up when Lilie stopped chanting abruptly. She turned and cradled Katie's face in her hands, pulling it inches away from her own. Lilie locked eyes with her mother and spoke low and slow.
"The one who says that never returns." It was so random and simply hilarious!
"What are you doing?" asked Grandma as Lilie capped the pile with a pillow across her face.
"I don't want you to see what's going to happen next."
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Lilie had talked her mommy into buying some vanilla wafers for her after a pit stop. Katie asked for a cookie and Lilie gladly shared. The first cookie only whet her appetite, and a few minutes later Katie asked for another.
"Jeez Louise, mommy, you're gonna eat all my cookies!"
For the record - she did share another with her mommy...
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Katie recently taught Lilie how to sit 'criss-cross-applesauce'. It's a catchy phrase, you have to admit. Tonight, Lilie chanted it on the way back to Illinois to drop Grandma at home.
"Criss-cross-applesauce. Criss-cross-applesauce."
Lilie chanted it when they stopped at a gas station to tinkle. She chanted it on the way into the house. She chanted it while they climbed the stairs to the bathroom, and she chanted it while she tinkled.
Lilie was chanting it, standing on the step stool as she reached into the sink to wash her hands. Katie was struggling to help her get her pants back up when Lilie stopped chanting abruptly. She turned and cradled Katie's face in her hands, pulling it inches away from her own. Lilie locked eyes with her mother and spoke low and slow.
"The one who says that never returns." It was so random and simply hilarious!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Recital 2011!
Liliana's hard work at tumbling was on display yesterday at her recital.
She did great! Hardly any stage fright, and if you watch until the end, you'll see she was convinced that the crowd loved her (which I'm sure it did).
The Bennett family drove all the way from deep Illinois to attend the recital, which was a really big deal. They spent the night on Friday (we went to see the holiday night lights at Rotary Park in Wentzville) and Saturday (Brian won some Blues tickets and invited me to go). I managed to run into their car on Saturday when we were leaving the house, too, and they didn't even beat me up - thanks Bennetts!
I will apologize about the editing and the camera work; there was a surprisingly large crowd at the recital. When I wanted to get Lilie in the frame, it meant zooming in quite a bit. You might want some Dramamine before you watch the video! The pics are from the professional session the kids attended a couple of weeks before the recital.
She did great! Hardly any stage fright, and if you watch until the end, you'll see she was convinced that the crowd loved her (which I'm sure it did).
The Bennett family drove all the way from deep Illinois to attend the recital, which was a really big deal. They spent the night on Friday (we went to see the holiday night lights at Rotary Park in Wentzville) and Saturday (Brian won some Blues tickets and invited me to go). I managed to run into their car on Saturday when we were leaving the house, too, and they didn't even beat me up - thanks Bennetts!
I will apologize about the editing and the camera work; there was a surprisingly large crowd at the recital. When I wanted to get Lilie in the frame, it meant zooming in quite a bit. You might want some Dramamine before you watch the video! The pics are from the professional session the kids attended a couple of weeks before the recital.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Mmmmm. Bacon.
Katie was visiting home for lunch with Lilie and Grandma.
"Mommy, can you stay with me after lunch?" Lilie asked.
"No, honey, mommy's got to get back to work and make the bacon." Katie replied.
The lunch and conversation continued until it was time to go. Lilie pitched a fit, insisting that her mommy stay. She ended up in her mommy's arms, pleading her case.
"Honey, I'm sorry - I've got to get back to work."
Lilie lay her head on Katie's shoulder and whined, "Making the bacon takes forever."
"Darling, it's only four hours. After that I'll be right back here with you."
With her head still tucked under mommy's chin, Lilie offered an option: "Just put the bacon in the microwave and come home."
"Mommy, can you stay with me after lunch?" Lilie asked.
"No, honey, mommy's got to get back to work and make the bacon." Katie replied.
The lunch and conversation continued until it was time to go. Lilie pitched a fit, insisting that her mommy stay. She ended up in her mommy's arms, pleading her case.
"Honey, I'm sorry - I've got to get back to work."
Lilie lay her head on Katie's shoulder and whined, "Making the bacon takes forever."
"Darling, it's only four hours. After that I'll be right back here with you."
With her head still tucked under mommy's chin, Lilie offered an option: "Just put the bacon in the microwave and come home."
Sunday, November 27, 2011
From the mouth of a 3-year-old
I just wanted to share and document a few of the funny things Liliana has said over the last couple of weeks:
1) Lilie and I were in the car, driving down the road, when a truck got in front of us that was putting off some pretty smelly fumes. Liliana said, "Ewww. I smell a skunk!" There was a pause and then she said a little quieter, "Or maybe it's a raccoon that hasn't taken a bath."
2) I was telling Liliana about something that happened at my work and she apparently didn't hear the last part of what I just said. She politely interrupted me and said, "Repeat that." (Two of Daddy's famous words.)
3) Liliana and I were headed into the library when she explained to me that she was going to leave her friend (stuffed animal puppy) in the car because she saw the sign on the door and it said, "No puppies allowed."
4) Daddy was saying something silly to Liliana (I can't remember exactly what) but she stopped what she was doing and looked at him with this fake serious expression and said, "Really, Daddy?!" Just like a teenager.
5) Here are two totally random statements she gave me: "Daddy's so smart - and he's good at learning too!" and "We need husbands and goodness and love. And of course, water."
6) And a good question, "Mommy, what shape is your ear?" Umm...ear shaped?
7) We were in the car playing I-spy and it was Liliana's turn. She said, "Ok. I spy with my little eye something....uhhh....mommy, what color is this?" (Holding up the toy in her hand). Don't worry, I played along a couple more rounds before guessing the toy.
8) We were in the car tonight and Lilie made a comment that neither of us heard for sure.
Jason: "Is that so?"
Liliana: "Ya."
Jason: "Wait. Repeat that?" (Now curious of what she originally said.)
Liliana: "Yaaaaaaa!"
She is strong-willed and often stubbornly determined to do things Liliana-style but she is such a ray of sunshine in our lives and so much fun!
1) Lilie and I were in the car, driving down the road, when a truck got in front of us that was putting off some pretty smelly fumes. Liliana said, "Ewww. I smell a skunk!" There was a pause and then she said a little quieter, "Or maybe it's a raccoon that hasn't taken a bath."
2) I was telling Liliana about something that happened at my work and she apparently didn't hear the last part of what I just said. She politely interrupted me and said, "Repeat that." (Two of Daddy's famous words.)
3) Liliana and I were headed into the library when she explained to me that she was going to leave her friend (stuffed animal puppy) in the car because she saw the sign on the door and it said, "No puppies allowed."
4) Daddy was saying something silly to Liliana (I can't remember exactly what) but she stopped what she was doing and looked at him with this fake serious expression and said, "Really, Daddy?!" Just like a teenager.
5) Here are two totally random statements she gave me: "Daddy's so smart - and he's good at learning too!" and "We need husbands and goodness and love. And of course, water."
6) And a good question, "Mommy, what shape is your ear?" Umm...ear shaped?
7) We were in the car playing I-spy and it was Liliana's turn. She said, "Ok. I spy with my little eye something....uhhh....mommy, what color is this?" (Holding up the toy in her hand). Don't worry, I played along a couple more rounds before guessing the toy.
8) We were in the car tonight and Lilie made a comment that neither of us heard for sure.
Jason: "Is that so?"
Liliana: "Ya."
Jason: "Wait. Repeat that?" (Now curious of what she originally said.)
Liliana: "Yaaaaaaa!"
She is strong-willed and often stubbornly determined to do things Liliana-style but she is such a ray of sunshine in our lives and so much fun!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Black Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
We are a few years behind most of society as far as technology goes. We both have phones that do little more than allow us to text and talk and we are okay with that. Thankfully, our appliances (knock on wood) have held up well and, with the exception of one, are several years old. Our TV is older than Jason's teenage son. So when Best Buy advertised their 42 inch, flatscreen, LCD televisions for $199 we didn't feel any guilt in deciding to splurge a little at a great price.
The plan was that we would cook our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and periodically, one of us would drive past Best Buy and get in line when one started to form. On Wednesday afternoon, however, I was at work when one of my coworkers called and said she had just drove by Best Buy and someone was in the process of putting up a tent. I texted Jason to let him know that the line was starting already - those crazy people! Now, anyone who knows my Jason knows how stubborn he is. So it was not really a surprise when a few minutes later, I found out that he was about to become one of those crazy people. And so began his 32.5-hour outdoor endurance test.
Wednesday evening, all day Thursday, and into wee early Friday morning Jason camped out in front of Best Buy, number four in line. Anyone who knows my Jason also knows what a big heart he has so on one of my visits to him, I was not surprised to find that he had generously lent out several of his blankets and coats to other people waiting in line. I'm pretty sure he was a hero to several people and made some new friends. I was able to join him around 8 pm yesterday to help pass the last few hours. By the way, I had no intention of going in the store but did I ever get some dirty looks from the people in line. Finally, around 10:30 pm the Best Buy team came out to pass out the tickets. (Bless their hearts for coming in to work all night and deal with the madness.) We still had to wait until midnight for the doors to open but it was a great feeling for Jason to have the tickets in hand, basically guaranteeing that we would get the TV. When the doors finally opened Jason, unfortunately, found that his ordeal was nowhere near over. Inside the store, he quickly grabbed a few other items and got into line to redeem his tickets. A long three hours and 15 minutes later, he checked out. Yes, the lines were that long. Yes, people were insane. Yes, Jason was physically and mentally exhausted and ready to be done. Yes, he was really happy when he finally got home with the TV! No, he says he will probably not do this again in the future. Well...unless they have another deal too good to pass up.
The plan was that we would cook our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and periodically, one of us would drive past Best Buy and get in line when one started to form. On Wednesday afternoon, however, I was at work when one of my coworkers called and said she had just drove by Best Buy and someone was in the process of putting up a tent. I texted Jason to let him know that the line was starting already - those crazy people! Now, anyone who knows my Jason knows how stubborn he is. So it was not really a surprise when a few minutes later, I found out that he was about to become one of those crazy people. And so began his 32.5-hour outdoor endurance test.
Wednesday evening, all day Thursday, and into wee early Friday morning Jason camped out in front of Best Buy, number four in line. Anyone who knows my Jason also knows what a big heart he has so on one of my visits to him, I was not surprised to find that he had generously lent out several of his blankets and coats to other people waiting in line. I'm pretty sure he was a hero to several people and made some new friends. I was able to join him around 8 pm yesterday to help pass the last few hours. By the way, I had no intention of going in the store but did I ever get some dirty looks from the people in line. Finally, around 10:30 pm the Best Buy team came out to pass out the tickets. (Bless their hearts for coming in to work all night and deal with the madness.) We still had to wait until midnight for the doors to open but it was a great feeling for Jason to have the tickets in hand, basically guaranteeing that we would get the TV. When the doors finally opened Jason, unfortunately, found that his ordeal was nowhere near over. Inside the store, he quickly grabbed a few other items and got into line to redeem his tickets. A long three hours and 15 minutes later, he checked out. Yes, the lines were that long. Yes, people were insane. Yes, Jason was physically and mentally exhausted and ready to be done. Yes, he was really happy when he finally got home with the TV! No, he says he will probably not do this again in the future. Well...unless they have another deal too good to pass up.
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| Camp |
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| The view from his spot |
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| Woooo wooooo! |
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| Brrrrrr! |
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Fall Photo Shoot
Liliana's sitter, Mrs. Gretchen, is super talented as both a photographer and as a childcare provider! She let all of the kiddos be models for the day and snapped these totally cute pictures in her yard one beautiful fall day. If you can't tell, Liliana had a blast!
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| The obligatory silly face |
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| x 2 |
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| The camera loves you, babe! |
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| It's like an American Eagle ad but for Hello Kitty |
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| This one makes us giggle. Liliana will barely ever wear jeans (for Pete's sake) because denim is "too roughy". So the fact that she's in a pile of leaves...well, her face says it all. |
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| And that is the face that rocks my world. |
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Camera cleaning
The memory card on our camera filled up today while I was filming Jonas at an inter-squad wrestling tournament.
This means it's time to offload some of the earlier contents so we can make room for more memories. So get prepared for old Lilie videos!!
The first two videos are Katie's attempt to catch Lilie thanking our friend Mary for a gift...
This means it's time to offload some of the earlier contents so we can make room for more memories. So get prepared for old Lilie videos!!
The first two videos are Katie's attempt to catch Lilie thanking our friend Mary for a gift...
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Ch-ch-changes...
We have had quite an exciting week with Liliana! This week she began full-on potty training and is doing amazing! She is now wearing big girl pants all day and has only had a couple of minor accidents. Her motivation seems to be going to Kindergarten...I've tried to explain that, although she can go potty like a big girl, it will be a little while until she can go to school. It still seems to motivate her anyway so I haven't really tried to explain exactly how long it will be. As exciting as it is to have her using the potty and not having to buy diapers, I have to say that potty training is exhausting. It did not take Liliana long at all to figure out that if she wants us to stop whatever we are doing all she has to do is say those five magical words, "I have to go potty!" It is also a fantastic bedtime postponement tactic.
We have a hunch that learning will be a passion for our little one. This girl loooooooves to "read". She has been known to spend 2 hours in bed past her bedtime just looking at books. She asks us to read to her nearly constantly, which we try to accommodate as much as possible but she seems to be insatiable in that regard. As tiring as it can be, we are really pleased that she already enjoys reading as much as we do.
Her vocabulary is also expanding so quickly! She knocked her Daddy's socks off earlier this week when she used the word "stupefied" in context (and, as he described it, with authority). She nearly crumpled me with laughter today when she used the word "tentative" appropriately in a sentence. I know there were a couple others comments that she's made lately that I really wanted to remember so I could document them here...but I've forgotten already. Hopefully, they'll come back to me and I can post them later.
We have a hunch that learning will be a passion for our little one. This girl loooooooves to "read". She has been known to spend 2 hours in bed past her bedtime just looking at books. She asks us to read to her nearly constantly, which we try to accommodate as much as possible but she seems to be insatiable in that regard. As tiring as it can be, we are really pleased that she already enjoys reading as much as we do.
Her vocabulary is also expanding so quickly! She knocked her Daddy's socks off earlier this week when she used the word "stupefied" in context (and, as he described it, with authority). She nearly crumpled me with laughter today when she used the word "tentative" appropriately in a sentence. I know there were a couple others comments that she's made lately that I really wanted to remember so I could document them here...but I've forgotten already. Hopefully, they'll come back to me and I can post them later.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Halloween!
Liliana had a terrific Halloween. It was the first year where you could tell she 'got it'.
Of course, we did get to celebrate it twice: once in downtown Collinsville with the Bennett family, and again on the actual date in Wentzville. Liliana thoroughly enjoyed the costume she received from her BFF Payton. It was a full-body Minnie Mouse costume that kept her warm and completely disguised on both occasions!
Highlights:
We had to work for a bit, but Liliana became fairly regular at shouting, "Happy Halloween! and thank you!" as she turned and ran from each treat-giver.
At one point as we walked along the sidewalk, I warned Lilie that the kids walking up the next driveway might end up taking all the candy from that house. She muttered, "No, no, NO..." and burst into a sprint to catch up with them.
We ended up on one block with a group of kids that included a girl Lilie's age. There was one house in particular that proved to be a bit frightening. Her friend didn't want to try it, so Lilie offered to hold her hand and go together... It was pretty cute to see two strangers bonding over a quest for chocolate!
Here are the pics!
Of course, we did get to celebrate it twice: once in downtown Collinsville with the Bennett family, and again on the actual date in Wentzville. Liliana thoroughly enjoyed the costume she received from her BFF Payton. It was a full-body Minnie Mouse costume that kept her warm and completely disguised on both occasions!
Highlights:
We had to work for a bit, but Liliana became fairly regular at shouting, "Happy Halloween! and thank you!" as she turned and ran from each treat-giver.
At one point as we walked along the sidewalk, I warned Lilie that the kids walking up the next driveway might end up taking all the candy from that house. She muttered, "No, no, NO..." and burst into a sprint to catch up with them.
We ended up on one block with a group of kids that included a girl Lilie's age. There was one house in particular that proved to be a bit frightening. Her friend didn't want to try it, so Lilie offered to hold her hand and go together... It was pretty cute to see two strangers bonding over a quest for chocolate!
Here are the pics!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Pumpkin Patch Redux
Brian and Marci celebrated his birthday this weekend, which gave our family the chance to hang out with Cameron at Grandma's house. We needed to do some work over there to prepare the house for the market, and to do some basic upkeep.
I was really impressed with the kids' willingness to help! We started off with a hearty breakfast (with bacon, from a real pig!), then made a trip to the store. We picked out some paint, and got to see what happens when a thin-walled paint can with a dent is shaken up in the paint mixer (hint: it involves fluid dynamics, metal fatigue and lots of paper towels). We eventually took a can of paint home, along with some lawn waste bags.
We had noticed our neighbor was cleaning up the leaves in his yard - most of which belonged to our tree. So Katie set to painting and Cameron, Lilie and I set to raking leaves. The kids were remarkably focused and kept at it until we were finished! Our neighbor offered to take our leaves in for us, so we went straight to eating lunch afterwards.
We ended up visiting the local pumpkin patch before we came back home, swept up our mess, and played a little catch. It was a great day!
I was really impressed with the kids' willingness to help! We started off with a hearty breakfast (with bacon, from a real pig!), then made a trip to the store. We picked out some paint, and got to see what happens when a thin-walled paint can with a dent is shaken up in the paint mixer (hint: it involves fluid dynamics, metal fatigue and lots of paper towels). We eventually took a can of paint home, along with some lawn waste bags.
We had noticed our neighbor was cleaning up the leaves in his yard - most of which belonged to our tree. So Katie set to painting and Cameron, Lilie and I set to raking leaves. The kids were remarkably focused and kept at it until we were finished! Our neighbor offered to take our leaves in for us, so we went straight to eating lunch afterwards.
We ended up visiting the local pumpkin patch before we came back home, swept up our mess, and played a little catch. It was a great day!
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| Jason, Liliana, and Cameron head up the big slide |
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| Happy Customer |
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| Lilie couldn't help running in front of us and yelling out what she wanted to do next (which changed rapidly every time she spotted something) |
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| WoooooooHooooooo! |
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| Sitting in a way-cool firetruck |
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| This brave firefighter slid down the pole |
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| The little firefighter on the right did not slide down the pole but the guys were nice enough to give her an awesome hat anyway. |
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| Potty training FAIL (She literally screamed and ran away once she saw what was inside. Of course, her refusal later led to a wardrobe change, *sigh*) |
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| Before |
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| After |
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| Showing his muscles |
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| Awwwww, friends! |
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| Big girl |
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| Big helpers! |
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