Ode To Lilly Mae on her 5th birthday

Lilly Mae is 5! I can't believe she has been with us five years and is ready to go to school! Lilly had her first friend party this year to celebrate the momentous occasion. Grandma and Grandpa Mecham were visiting during her birthday week and were also able to help celebrate the occasion. They took us all out on her birthday to the restaurant with the "water wall".

Grandma and Grandpa Mecham with the girls.

Grandma and Grandpa with the birthday girl.

Sophie modeling Lilly's monkey slippers.

Lilly modeling her kindergarten back pack.

Dad brought this balloon home for Lilly on her birthday, balloons are definitely a favorite.

Soph and Lil in front of the water wall at her birthday dinner.

Dad and his girls at the restaurant.Lilly getting ready to blow out the candles at her friend party.

Her birthday cake/cupcakes.

Lilly taking a swing at the ice cream cone pinata. For her, no party is complete without a pinata.


A few things about our Lilly Mae-

-She has become quite the party planner. For her birthday she was very concerned that both the girls and the boys invited would have fun. Her idea was that we should have a princess/cars theme so everybody would like it. We went more for a gender neutral party, but the favors she picked out were made into boys and girls bags. She was also quite a help in planning the family reunion. She would always show me things and say, "this would be fun for the kids at the reunion." She is the reason there was a pinata for the kids at our 4th of July party at Bear Lake.

-Sometimes she call Ron's car, the corolla, "the Minnesota". Not sure where she got that one from, but don't laugh too hard, she is quite sensitive about loud laughter that comes after things that she says.

-She is kind and very good at making friends. Whenever we go to a park or playground she is always on the lookout for new friends. She is quick to walk up to other kids and say, "Hi, I'm Lilly, what's your name?"

-She is an adventuresome eater. She is willing to try anything and likes calamari, mushrooms, fish, and many other things her mother won't even eat.

-She is a good big sister and always is playing pretend games with Sophie. These games often involve Sophie calling Lilly, "mother", which can sometimes get confusing.

-She can play puppies with her friends for hours on end.

-Her hair finally has a little length to it (refer to post in November for the infamous hair incident). I am pretty sure she will never pull that trick again.

-She loves babies. She is always telling parents their babies are cute and I think she is more than ready for another baby to come to our house.

Lilly Mae we love you and can't believe you are five years old! You are a great daughter, a great big sister, and we are so happy you are in our family.

Carnivals, Fares, and Rodeos

We didn't get too far from home for vacations this summer, but we did do a lot of fun things locally and closer to home. For the second year in a row we went up to Ron's parents house to check out the Preston Night Rodeo. The Rodeo received mixed reviews from the girls, their favorite part is always the carnival and going on the rides. We also went to the local County Fair which is always a hit because who doesn't love animals and pony rides?


Sophie riding the turtle.

Both girls driving the orange truck.

Lilly riding the caterpillar coaster. Lilly has always loved roller coasters.

Lil and Soph on the carousel. This one was a favorite, we had to ride it twice.

Lilly and Sophie after the pre-rodeo parade. Cute waving girls+parade=lots of candy.

Soph and her dad at the Preston night rodeo.

Lilly and her cousins Nikki and Mikey sitting in the stands at the rodeo.

Lilly petting a baby goat at the petting zoo.

Soph by the goats.

Soph, Lil, and a Watusi. Ron was mad I cut him out of this picture, he was touching the end of one of the horns. Largest horns I have ever seen.

At the County Fair there was an alligator show. It was mine and Ron's favorite part, but I think it did scare the girls a little. They really only liked it when they brought out the baby gator, but it was very entertaining, and educational. For example, did you know that alligators eyes can recede back into their heads for protection?

Lilly and dad petting some bunnies.

Cowgirl Lilly, pony rides are always a hit.

Cowgirl Sophie, on her very first pony ride.