Gwenyth Graham Carpenter - MY NEW BABY SISTER!!!

At the Park

Across the street from my apartment in Philly is a park I like to go with Mom and Grammy.

Going out for BBQ

Going out for BBQ before dropping Mom and Dad off at CHOP for Gwenyth's birth.

Philadelphia Stories

Mom told Lil that her friend Judah was sick today. Prayer time went like this:

Dad: "Dear Go..."

Lil: "Judah is sick!"

---

Lil was having trouble quieting down after Dad had put her to bed. Mom wondered to us if Lillian might be hungry. About an hour later Lil started crying. Mom went in and Lil said, "I hear you and Daddy and Grammy eating lunch. Can I have some of your lunch?" (we were eating dinner, but she hasn't grasped the difference yet).

---

Mom (to Dad): "Where's the nearest coffee shop?"

Lil: "The nearest coffee shop is far, far away" (it's two blocks away)

---

After Mom and Dad spent a night away Lil met us at the door and said "Did you go to the doctor's office? Is Gwenyth still in your tummy?" (it's always Gwenyth, never Gwen).

Later that day on a walk to the playground, while we were exploring the alleys around our apartment, Lil suddenly turned to me and said, "I missed you, Daddy." Heartbreaking.

---

Of course she knows how this all works. When she woke the morning we were gone and found Grammy and Papa running the show she asked for a cookie instead of her usual banana.

And, when we are all here, she if she doesn't get what she wants from Daddy she asks for Grammy to plead her case.

Building her first computer

"I have an idea: Let me screw one of the boxes over there" (no joke she said "I have an idea").

Little things

Laura has never liked folks leaving their Christmas lights up after Christmas, just ask Lauren.  Today Laura said "People! Take your lights down!"  Just a few hours later, Lil saw some other lights and said "Take your lights down!"

We've started talking about the seasons.  Lil said, "It's autumn". 

Laura said, "It's winter.  Autumn is when the leaves fall off the trees.  Winter is when we have snow".

"And then in Spring the leave go back on the trees and there are strawberries!"

The Adventures of Spoon & Fork

So....Lillian will turn ANYTHING into ANYTHING.

For example, if she needs a character from Thomas the Train that she doesn't have in her possession (either at the moment or she does not own it) she'll pick up a lego and decide who it is and continue playing. She'll pick up a piece of straw she found on the floor and call it "Lillian" and so on...

Yesterday after dinner, her fork was mommy, acted out by Lillian, and the spoon was Lillian, acted out by me. Follow so far? (yes, my brain hurts at the end of the day...)

So, I played Lillian, the spoon. I was instructed to ask if I could have a banana. So, the spoon asked the fork for a banana. The fork replied, "no you cannot, because we are going to church." The spoon replied "oh, may I have one after church?" The fork said "yes" and then they went around the bowl to church.

So, then Lillian, as mommy the fork, was "singing" but it just sounded like humming, I didn't think she was singing anything in particular. I was then instructed, by Lillian, "say, 'what are you singing?' " - so I did, er uh, the spoon asked the mommy fork "what are you singing"? The fork replied, "Yellow Submarine" and continued "we all live in a yellow submarine" (this time I understood the words, and I think now that she was in fact, singing that earlier too)...

Yep. Lillian thinks people sing "Yellow Submarine" in church. Hmmmmmmmm. Guess they really can't hear us very well downstairs in the nursery.

Snow Baby!

BIG snow, little shovel

"Daddy, dig a path to the sandbox" (a direct quote)

Little snow, big shovel...

Snow Day

Today it snowed all day, leaving about 6 inches of snow on the ground. Lillian and I went out walked around outside. I threw snow on her with a snow shovel, which made her laugh. She asked for the shovel and tried to return fire. We ended up at the coffee shop down the road. The hot chocolate was "too hot". Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine" came on the stereo and I held Lil while it played singing along to what parts of the song I remember.

When we got back home I played it again. Lil looked up and said, "This was at the coffee shop!".

A morning with Lillian

"There's a letter. There's an O and an O and an O..."

- Lillian while eating Cheerios

Christmas at Uncle Tom's Caboose (New Hampshire)

This year we had a special Christmas - we spent it with my Uncle Tom at his caboose - a favorite person and a favorite place.

We enjoyed being with him and my mom and dad (Grammy and Papa) and Lillian's Uncle Bobby and Aunt Nelly. It was just a good time, all-around, in every way.

Here's a bit of the story in photos....

Just to give a bit of context:

Lillian in the first picture was, on her own volition, "making snow angles" - she didn't really understand that the particular area of snow she chose wasn't really all that conducive to such activity - and she didn't care.

This just gives you an idea of the kitchen in the caboose. My uncle recently remodeled the kitchen and he kept it "caboosey" enough - but very functional and beautiful.

Final photo: Lil, me and Uncle Tom.

Christmas 2009 Stories

While at a restaurant, Mom had colored a snowman on the placemat. Someone was using a vacuum nearby and Lillian covered the snowman and said "I'll protect you Frosty". When we asked what kind of hat the snowman had she said "A magic one!"

Lil was eating a pear in Mom's lap while at the Blue Caboose kitchen. Grammy arrived from the hotel, coming into the kitchen. Lil said to Mom, "I'm all done," took off her bib and ran over to Grammy. "Grammy, I want a cookie."

Playing on the Big Piano at FAO Schwarz