Saturday afternoon we went to a fundraiser at Lydia's old school, St. Phillips. It was all about art. Each child had made a special piece of art during the school year, and the parents were invited to come view it in the art gallery, and bid on it in a silent auction. Obviously we bought Lydia's art! There was also a mural wall where the kids could color, art projects they could do, and a puppet show.



Oliver wrote "Lydia misses everyone :)" on the mural wall, and she colored beneath his message. We're so heartbroken that she doesn't go to school there anymore and had to leave her friends! I'm not sure Lydia has realized, yet... She loves her new school, too, and I'm not sure if she really understands that she's not returning to the old one.

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She played on the playground for awhile as well, and Oliver found something the 2 of them have in common! Apparently Lydia likes basketball...and she's pretty good at it, too!

Does this count as a slam dunk?

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Yesterday was a fun Sunday. Lydia went to a new class at church because she's 'the big 3' now and graduated to their Preschool class. She handled the transition perfectly and had a good time in her new class. After church we went lunch with Grammy and Poppy! Then we went to visit Lydia and Molly's cousins, Liam and Benjamin. Lydia and Liam had a great time running around together being silly. And Molly and Benjamin had a great time just laying around together!

Liam (4 years, 4 months old) and Lydia (3 years old)
Molly (15 weeks old) and Benjamin (13 days old)
It's so fun to have cousins nearby. What fun they're going to have growing up together!

Hmmm.... Does Lydia have a boyfriend?? I visited Lydia's school the other day because there was a special time to celebrate her birthday during Chapel. One of her classmates, Nathan, was very sweet with her all morning. He hugged her, sat with her, and...he even initiated a little hand holding during Chapel! They held hands for about 10 minutes or so while we read a book. So cute! Later, he wanted to gently touch her face and then held her hand again. What a sweet kid! I loved seeing the affection between them...so precious.
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And here's a quick video of Chapel... They sing songs with hand motions, and then they hear a bible lesson and pray. It's sweet.



Tuesday of this week was actually Lydia's last day of school at St. Phillips Preschool. We have LOVED it there, but we decided to enroll her in the Early Childhood School in Frisco (part of Frisco ISD) to help her with her speech and cognitive delays. We were soooooooo sad to pull her out of her class early, but the new school was ready to admit her as soon as she turned 3, and we thought that was important. So, we had to say goodbye to the kids in her class and to her sweet teachers. They all made Lydia's first school experience a really positive one, and we are so grateful for all the love and care she received, as well as all that she has learned since September. She started at her new school this week and has adjusted really well. She's a happy girl and having lots of fun there!

Molly is enjoying her Bumbo chair! Lydia didn't use the Bumbo very much at this age, because her little thighs were so big that she would get stuck in it! (We literally had to pry her out of it!) Molly, however...although she's pretty squishy and rolly too...seems to fit it nicely. I can't believe she's working on sitting up already... She's growing up so quickly!

While Oliver was home with Molly the other day, he introduced her to Lydia's flashcards. I often think that Oliver should have been a Preschool teacher...you should see teaching these girls. By the way...he loves Molly and Lydia so much that he wants another one just like them! To which I say....."Don't talk to me about that until I am sleeping longer, nursing less, have gotten into shape and Lydia is fully potty trained!" Or maybe I should say until MOLLY is fully potty trained! And even then...we'll just see. But there's no doubt that this Daddy loves his little girls and wants more just like them!

Guess who's turning 3 on Monday, April 11th? I can hardly believe it! This afternoon we had a low-key family birthday party at Chick-Fil-A. Lydia loved playing with her cousins, and she had a great time. We kept it simple this year, and I think it was just perfect. Grammy brought balloons and we had cupcakes and the kids wore themselves out playing on the indoor playground. Here's the birthday girl!
Unfortunately the camera battery was really low, and we didn't get many good shots of Lydia with her cousins or her grandparents! Oliver concentrated on capturing Lydia since we knew we were limited on camera power...

Welcome to the family, Benjamin Thomas Underwood!! Lydia and Molly have another new cousin! Her Aunt Kelly delivered a beautiful baby boy on Tuesday, April 5th. He was 9 lbs 2 oz and absolutely perfect! Congratulations to big brother Liam! 2011 has been exciting for Lydia, with a new baby sister and 2 baby boy cousins! Babies everywhere!

A little Molly to brighten your Monday...