staying busy

Lily and I are staying busy while Josh is gone. We've done our fair share of shopping, eating out, and more shopping. We've been to Ikea where we bought a few toys and a cute little "Lily"-size table for when she entertains other toddlers. Now I've just got to put it together :( At Nordstrom, we found some CUTE little Nikes to sport this fall - pink satin with a brown swoosh. (I even scored some fun new earrings too!) Next, we hit Gymboree's baby sale. Mom had a coupon for 20% off so Lily now has a good jumpstart on her fall/winter wardrobe. Buying those 18-24 month outfits make me realize how big she's getting. We've covered Willow Bend twice, Stonebriar, the Galleria, and Super Walmart- where Mom found a "Dora the Explorer" riding toy that Lily LOVES. She calls it her "bus". It has all kinds of bells and whistles to overstimulate her.

Yesterday, my parents, Lily, and I drove down to Waco to hang out with my brother, James. He's a junior at Baylor and has officially become "that frat guy with the chocolate lab." ha! No, but he did just get the sweetest lab puppy named Coco. She is beautiful and very well behaved. Didn't even jump up on us when we first met her. I think even Josh would have liked this dog. (Not that he's against dogs, they're just too superfluous for him right now...and maybe always). We got the tour of James' very "collegiate" house. By that I mean the twelve random chairs on the front porch, the mis-matched furniture, the stolen street signs, the bikes in the living room, the dishes piled high in the sink, and the air conditioner duct-taped to the wall. Made me kinda miss those days (for a second).

After saying bye to James and Coco, we ventured into the newly remodeled Baylor Bookstore. They did a great job in there. It looks 100 times better. Lily and I both picked out new Baylor shirts and some green and gold pom-poms (mostly for Lily). Then we visited the Bears who were sound asleep inside their cave. You could barely see them if you squinted through the glare on the glass. Guess they were resting for their big game tonight against Rice (which my parents are listening to on the radio as I type...we are actually winning at this moment!!!) Lily can pretty much do a "Sic'em Bears" when she feels like it. It's gotta be on her terms though.

We left the Bears and walked around some of the new buildings on campus. I must say BU is really stepping it up. The new Brooks buildings reminded me of an English college with a "Great Hall" dining room and a courtyard like in Chariots of Fire. (Now that is a must-see movie.) Very cool. And I couldn't leave without visiting my favorite study room- Barfield Drawing Room- also home to the greatest of Baylor Traditions - Dr Pepper Hour. Every Tuesday from 3-4 you could go to Barfield for FREE, UNLIMITED Dr Pepper floats. But they were really better than floats cause they were all blended together like a shake. A little taste of Heaven. My roomates and I never missed. It was serious. Once we even got our picture taken with our floats and were featured on the front page of the Baylor Lariat. (I think I've still got that picture somewhere.)

Once I had my fill of nostalgic moments, we packed up and headed to Lorena to watch my cousin David's first home football game. He did great! Lily's favorite part was the half-time show. During each song the band played, she smiled happily while pointing and "ooh-ing" over the bright colors and quick movements. She'd clap profusely saying "More! More!" I've never seen anyone enjoy a half-time show that much.

After a full day, we put Lily in her PJ's and started the trek home. Thankfully, Lily slept the whole way. I think we probably wore her out but she had a great attitude all day. (It's possible that I wore you out too with this long post - but thanks for sticking with it!)