Day Out with Thomas

We recently went to Strasburg, PA for a Day Out with Thomas. Strasburg is located in Amish country and it's a beautiful area. We stayed overnight at The Historic Strasburg Inn. We look forward to going back again some day with #2. Check out the photos here.

Burke Lake Train Ride

You'll notice a theme during the next few posts. Next stop Strasburg, PA to visit Thomas the Tank Engine. Here's our warm-up at Burke Lake Park earlier this summer.

The End of Summer

We would love to say that our Outer Banks vacation was a dream come true, but alas, it was a tougher one. We were all a little disappointed in Corolla NC, and to add insult to injury, Lillie and Trent were sick with "flu-like symptoms." Regardless, we still had fun...Lillie got to spend quality time with her cousins, Liz got some needed rest, and Trent crushed beach chairs with the SUV.

On another note, Lillie had her first day of school this week. She started attending a near-by, private, Christian academy. We're very pleased a slot opened-up for her to attend this school. She's just too smart to be outside of a curriculum environment. Overall, she's doing well, but of course, it's an adjustment from her past routine. We have no doubt Lillie will acclimate and this is the best course for her future.

Lillie's First Haircut

A short video of Lillie's first haircut.

Lillie's 18-Month Update

One thing is for sure and that's the fact we have a rambunctious toddler on our hands. We keep saying it to ourselves, but Lillie's development over the past 18 months has been amazing. She's a happy--and vocal--little girl with quite the personality. We really couldn't be prouder. She weighed-in at 22 lbs and measured 31.25" at her last checkup.

Please take a look at the recent photos from our July 4th weekend and a recent trip to celebrate Trent's great-uncle and aunt's 50th wedding anniversary (Ann & Bud). We hope to see more of our friends and family over the summer.

Easter Photos

Our little girl, Lillie Mae, just keeps growing up. Alot of people tell us she's amazing, but of course, we especially think so.

Even though some of her Easter photos photos are adorable, she's even cuter and more personable in person. (In our humble opinion).

When Elmo Grows Up

Lillie recently had the opportunity to attend "When Elmo Grows Up" at the Patriot Center. We splurged for floor seats and that was a great decision because she really enjoyed the show. Nothing like an 8-ft tall Big Bird, an enthusiastic Elmo, and the entire Sesame Street cast to brighten your day!

As I mentioned, we had aisle seats on the floor so the characters would occasionally come down and walk through our aisle (Zoe even reached out and touched her at one point). Alas, she was pretty much done after the intermission, but it was a great experience.

Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet...

First Steps

Lillie's walking has really advanced over the past two weeks. Here's a short video demonstrating her ability. Darn cute in our eyes!

Lillie's Christmas Photos

Portrait Innovations did a great job with Lillie's Christmas photos.

We were really impressed with the the studio, its photographers, the number of photo packages, printing speed, and just in general, the quality of the product. This was even bigger accomplishment since Lillie was tired and not into the whole scene.

With that said...Ho, Ho, Ho. Let's head to the North Pole!

Let The Frenzy Begin, aka Happy Holidays

Well, the holidays are upon us once again. We hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. We stayed local this year so we got to spend alot of quality time with Lillie (nevermind my trip to Charlottesville to watch Virginia lose to Va Tech once again...ugh, boo, hiss).

Where to start with Lillie? She's taking her first independent tentative steps, barking like a dog (yes, when she actually sees a dog), pointing to body parts when you name them, identifying objects on flash cards (ball, cat, balloon, etc), and so on and so forth. In other words, she's darn smart in our humble opinion.

It's my goal to have Lillie's Christmas photos up shortly. In the meantime, enjoy this smorgasbord of photos. We'll have a short video of her walking in the coming days.

Happy Halloween

Washington has a winning record (!) so Lillie really wanted to celebrate as a Redskins cheerleader for Halloween. It was a great idea especially considering how cute she looked. We 'trick-or-treated' around the neighborhood while visiting some friends. All in all, it was a great first Halloween for Lillie.

Lillian also ran in a 5K race since the last post. We did well considering it was the first time running with the stroller at that distance. Please check out our photo album for a big update.

Yummy...Want Some?

Lillie has enjoyed "real food" for months and her menu continues to expand. She even prefers to feed herself. In fact, she also likes to spread the wealth.

Nine Months Update

Has it really been an entire month since the last post?? I guess we've been busy chasing around Lillie. And yes, it's becoming a challenge!

Lillie has alot of energy (despite still not sleeping through the night). The speed of her development is amazing...standing without support (briefly), babbling "words", wrestling cats, climbing stairs, recognizing body parts. We figure that we only have a few more weeks until we're REALLY trying to keep up with her.

There's nothing major to report over the past month. With that said, we hope you enjoy the most recent addition to our photo album. Just wait till you see her Halloween outfit...

Lillie Crawling

By popular demand, here's a short video of Lillie crawling.

Lillian On The Beach

Here's a brief video of Lillie standing and babbling during our recent trip to OBX. We'll get some additional footage of her crawling during the upcoming weekend. It's several weeks later so you can imagine that she's developed her skills even further. In the meantime...

Stinky Stinky

A big update is coming later this week...Lillie crawling, babbling, standing, and of course, our vacation in the Outer Banks. In the meantime, please enjoy "Stinky Stinky."

Six Month Professional Photos

We thought Lillian's six-month birthday was a good occasion for another round of professional photos at JCPenney. We can send you the information necessary to order prints if you wish. All you need to do is send us an email.

Of course, you can always enjoy taking a look at our beautiful baby girl by heading over to the web album.

Trip to Marion

Liz, Trent, and Lillie recently traveled to Marion to visit Trent's family. Lillian was introduced to her Southwest VA roots for the first time after an eventful 5 1/2 drive. Of course, Jeff and Lynn enjoyed spending time with their granddaughter in their own home. Furthermore, LMR's great-great aunts and uncle (Jane, Ann and Bud) had the opportunity to meet her for the first time.

We also had a great hike at Hungry Mother State Park. BTW, it's the second-most visited state park in the Commonwealth. And with good reason...you should take a gander at the photos.

Booster Seat

Lillie Mae began sitting in her booster seat during supper this week. Speaking of eating, Lillian is currently eating Earth's Best bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, and peas (yuck). In fact, she even tried Cheerios yesterday and loved them.

We're off to Marion this weekend to visit my family. We should have lots of beautiful photos from Hungry Mother State Park.

Father's Day

The Richardson family had a great Father's Day weekend which was highlighted by a number of events including Lillian's first keg party, a trip to the pool, and a cookout on Sunday. Our visitors on Sunday included Pam and C.W. (Liz's parents), our comrades (Christian, Amy, Conrad, Finn), and Trent's buddy and his girlfriend (Quentin and Tara). We hope to see more of our friends and family this summer.

We haven't heard from people in awhile so let's get those comments flowing. As always, you can check out the photos.