Return to Blogging

I have sat down to update this blog so many times over the past few months, but somehow found it too overwhelming to tackle.  We had such a great summer and did so many fun things together as a family and at some point I will have to document them all - or at least a few.  But for now, let me start with something simple - something to ease myself back into blogging.

The First Day of School 2012!!

I have been anticipating this school year ever since Abby was in Kindergarten.  It's true.  Way back then, we had just moved into this neighborhood and I was pregnant with Peter.  I remember thinking as I sent little Abby off to Kindergarten, that when she was in sixth grade, this little baby inside me would just be Abby's age and would be starting Kindergarten himself.  

Foolishly, at the time, that seemed like a lifetime away.  But, here I am what feels like five minutes later, with Abby in 6th grade, Isaac in 4th grade, Henry in 2nd, and that little baby, Peter, is in Kindergarten.  Crazy.

The first day of school arrived with its unique blend of nervousness and excitement.  The kids had carefully picked out their outfits and had loaded their backpacks and they were ready to start a new year.  

Technically, Peter wouldn't start school for another week, but here are 

my four babies who all attend the same school. I love it!

Here's my darling sixth grade girl.  

Ready for 4th grade!

How is this little peanut already a 2nd grader!?

The kids were able to meet up with their friends at the neighborhood breakfast which always seems to calm the nerves.  I love seeing these cute kids reunited and ready to face the year together.

Isaac and our neighbor.  These boys logged a lot of hours together this summer - legos, swimming, basketball camp.  Isaac loves having a friend next door!

Abby and her cute friends.  

I refuse to acknowledge that these girls will be in Junior High next year.

Walking to school hand-in-hand.

Henry and his 5th grade buddy Jake, make their way to school.

These three had a great first day of school.  They all came home happy about their teachers, excited about the kids in their classes, and totally enthusiastic about doing homework.  (Well, at least for the first day.)

Peter and Lucy didn't start school for another week and man alive, was that a long week.  Everyday they would ask how much longer until they got to start school and everyday, they were unhappy with my answer.  Those two younger kids were ready to get in on the action.

Oh, I love these two kids!

Peter spent the morning of his first day feeling a little nervous.  He wasn't very hungry and had so many questions about how the day would go. "What kind of things will my teacher have me do?" he asked.  "How will I know where I'm supposed to go?"  "Who am I going to sit by?"  I assured him that he would be fine;  his teacher is so nice and there are so many great kids in his class.  I promised he would have a great day.  By the time we were ready to go, Peter was excited and ready to get to school.  

Look at the enthusiasm on those faces!

After school, Peter walked home with Abby, Isaac, and Henry and when he got here, he burst through the door with a huge smile on his face and ran straight for me to give me a huge hug.  "Today was awesome!  Kindergarten is GREAT!" he said with more enthusiasm than I know how to type.

Lucy had a great first day of preschool - although when I went to pick her up the only thing I could think was that she is way too small and has way too little hair to be in preschool.  

I am excited for this year for my kids.  They all seem so happy with their teachers and they have great friends in their classes.  They are all involved in activities they seem to love and enthusiastic about.  And as for me, now that Peter is in kindergarten and Lucy is in preschool, for the first time since the day Abby was born, I have two afternoons a week all to myself.

At least until March....

My Baby is Three! (sob)

It's almost more than my heart can take to think about how quickly my tiny baby girl has gone from this:

to this:

to this:

and finally, to this.

Lucy turned three last week and while I was in denial for most of the day, it was so fun celebrating our sweet girl and remembering the day she was born.

I have always been confused by the phrase "terrible twos" because in my experience, the threes have always been a much tougher phase.  Although we are just at the beginning of the "threes," I recently told Andrew that I wish we could have a 2 1/2 - 3 year-old-girl for the rest of our lives.  Maybe it's just that I have always had a new baby when my other kids have turned three, but more than ever before I am loving this time with Lucy and am delighted by almost everything she does.

There are not words for how much we adore this girl.  As far as we're concerned, she really is spectacular.   She is a princess in every sense of the word.  She is funny and sassy, but she is also so sweet and tender.  She is convinced she is one of the big kids and does her best to keep up with everything they do, but she still let's me snuggle and cuddle her like a baby.  She talks non-stop and asks so many questions - I love the conversations I have with Lucy.

She has become very opinionated about what she wears, but most of the time, she just wants to wear her princess dress and her Dora flip-flops.  

Andrew recently took Lucy shopping at REI with him, and I don't think REI knew what hit them.  The girl definitely knows how to accessorize but she certainly doesn't fit their usual customer profile. 

Oh, how I love this girl.  I love how she dances through our house singing, "Shake-a-booty! Shake-a-booty."  I love how she swims in the bathtubs like she's an Olympic swimmer.  I love how much her older siblings adore her and take care of her.  I love having her sleep in bed with me and I love the way she snuggles right up next to me while we're asleep.  I love how she has me and her dad wrapped around her little finger.

I know I've mentioned it before, but the name Lucy means "light" and she certainly is a light and a joy and brightness in our family.  I can't believe it's been three years since she came into our family, but I am so grateful that she did.  

But oh, my little Lucy, just stay a little girl for a little longer - okay?  We love you our Lucy-girl.

Performances

Last week our family was inundated with performances.  In fact, Lucy was the only one not involved in the performing arts.

Peter had his preschool performance on Tuesday.  For months, he had been singing his songs as he went through the house, and when the day came, he was so excited for us to see him perform.  When I woke him up in the morning and told him we needed to get ready for Kindermusik, he said he wasn't sure if we had time for Kindermusik because we had his performance that night  - at 8:00.  I assured him we could do both.

Peter was proud and a little reserved as he made his grand entrance.

 It was a little hard to hear most of the kids sing, because one girl sang, yelled at the top of her lungs. 

 I tried to think it was cute.

I loved it when the kids sang, "Proud to be an American."

Peter's performance came at the end of crazy day with all the kids needing to be different places at once.  I loved ending my day watching my cute boy perform and it made me more than a little sad to think that this was his last preschool performance.  I am NOT ready for Peter to start kindergarten in the fall.  But, as he often reminds me, "at least you get Lucy for like six more years, or something."

Anyway, on Thursday and Friday of the same week, Abby and Isaac performed in their school's production of "Beauty and the Beast."  This was a play that they had been working on, two mornings a week before school, ever since October.  It was nothing short of fabulous.  

Isaac played the part of a villager.  He was adorable up on stage singing praises to Gaston, doing push-ups as part of a dance number, grabbing a plunger to use for a weapon as the villagers went after the beast, and fighting with the silverware and plates in the final scene at the castle.  

My own little villager - the most darling one on the stage.

Abby had a roll as a "Silly Girl;" you know those girls who flirt with and fawn over Gaston.  She was absolutely adorable in her roll, and while I have never known her to fawn over any boy (yet), she was very convincing up on stage.  

Abby conspiring with another Silly Girl.

Giving her dreamiest expression - far left.

Although Henry didn't get to be up on stage, (it was only for 3rd - 6th graders) all the kids in the school were taught a dance routine to "Be Our Guest." Then, in the middle of the performance all the students who were spread throughout the audience, did a sort of flash mob dance and performed along with the kids on stage.  Henry loved being part of it, if only from the audience and it was great to see so many students in the audience participating.  Henry's class also helped make masks for the wolves in the forest to wear.  He was so proud of his contribution.

As I mentioned, Lucy was the only one not involved in a performance last week - but that doesn't mean she didn't try.  All throughout the play on Thursday and Friday, Lucy stood in the aisles and danced along with the musical numbers.  Then, as the play progressed, she would walk up the aisle toward the stage.  At first it was just a couple of feet and then she would come back to our seats, but by the end of the play, she gathered her courage and went right up to the stage.

Lucy makes her way to the stage and tries to get Abby's attention.

Finally gets noticed by Abby.

Makes a run for it back to the seats.

I'm sure Lucy is already counting down the days until she can be up on stage.  She is already a little performer.

Anyway, the play was awesome and I loved every minute of it.  At the end of the night, the teacher who directed it and spent thousands of hours putting it all together (without extra pay), stood on the stage and talked about the importance of the arts in the lives of children.  I got really emotional as I was filled with gratitude for the experiences my kids have with the arts.  I am so grateful my kids go to a public school that emphasizes the arts in so many ways and I am grateful for teachers who work hard to make a difference in the lives of their students.  I know that the opportunities my kids are having, will last with them always.

I loved this past week seeing all my kids involved in various performances.  I loved the work that went into preparing for their performances and I loved the excitement and satisfaction they all felt when they were done.  Congratulations to all of you cuties

What Lucy Loves...

On Sunday morning, during the usual rush to get ready for church, we were five minutes away from walking out the door, when suddenly Lucy started throwing-up.  

Naturally, she was already dressed for church and she got vomit all over her dress, all over her shoes,  and all over the kitchen floor.  It just kept coming and coming, poor girl.

It turned out to be the first of several bouts she would have with barf that day.  It was a miserable day for Lucy and I felt so sorry for my poor baby.

That night, when it was all over and I was getting her to bed, I snuggled and rocked her and told her how sorry I was that she had been sick that day.  Lucy looked up at me with her big brown eyes and with thoughtful and sincere contemplation said, 

"I don't like throwing-up.  I like binkies, princess dresses, and jammies."

Oh Lucy-girl, what a perfect summation of everything you love right now.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Lucy Hits the Slopes

A few weeks ago, Andrew woke up one morning, looked outside at the sunshine and blue sky and made an announcement.

"It is time for Lucy to start skiing."

"Lucy who?" I asked, thinking he couldn't possibly mean my infant daughter whom I continue to believe will remain my tiny baby always.

Andrew didn't even bother to answer my question.  He just gathered up all the ski paraphernalia needed for the four youngest children and loaded up the car.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

"You know she's only two, don't you?" I asked.  (Of course all the other kids skied for their first time at age 2, but they weren't my baby at the time.)

Andrew just laughed at my concerns and continued to load.  Finally, the car was packed and Isaac, Henry, Peter and yes, Lucy, all climbed into the car, excited for a ski day.

It turned out that Andrew was right.  It was time for Lucy to start skiing and that girl had the time of her life on the ski slopes.

Lucy has long believed that she is one of the big kids and this only furthered that notion in her mind.  She skied all day (with Andrew's help, of course) but never cried and never got tired.  She loved every single second of her first ski day and has asked repeatedly when she can ski again.

Peter and Lucy (and poor Lucy's goggles provide a wardrobe malfunction.)

Lucy is a lucky girl.  She has these three older brothers who adore her, protect her, and cheer her every accomplishment - at home or on the ski slopes.  And, as an added bonus, she also has the best ski instructor in the world.  Lucky Lucy.

Needless to say, now that Andrew can claim all five of his kids are skiers, he is the happiest man on earth.  As for me, I will just have to get used to the idea that my baby is growing up and really is  becoming one of the "big kids."

Ahhhhh, Heaven.

Christmas Dresses

Three years ago at this time, I was pregnant with Lucy.  Only we didn't know it was Lucy.  We were still a few weeks away from that all-important ultrasound during which we would learn the gender of our baby.

With every prayer that escaped my lips and every prayer said silently in my heart, I pleaded with the Lord that this baby would be another girl.  I know I would have loved and cherished a boy - but I  really wanted another daughter and I really wanted a sister for Abby.

A few days before the ultrasound, I was looking through a catalog, when I came across a gorgeous Christmas dress, perfect for a little girl.

"If we find out this baby is a girl, " I said to Andrew, "I am going to be tempted to get Abby and this new baby matching dresses."  But after that initial thought, I set the catalog aside and didn't think too much more about it.

On December 18th, 2008, I  went in for my ultrasound and I heard the words I had been dying to hear.  "It's a girl!" the tech said.  I made her check three more times just to be sure, and just so I could hear those words again.  "It's a girl."

As far as I was concerned, Christmas had come a week early to our house. Hallelujah! I had everything I had ever wanted and was totally thrilled.  So, imagine my surprise on Christmas morning, when I found a large gift box under the tree with my name on it.  I opened the gift from Andrew, and inside I found the two dresses I had dreamt of buying only few weeks before.  They were even more exquisite in person than they had appeared in the catalog and I was amazed that Andrew had remembered.  (Yes, he really is that thoughtful.  Amazing.  I know.)

The smallest size the dress came in was a 2, and as I looked at that dress and thought about the tiny baby inside me, it seemed like a lifetime before that dress would ever fit her.

Well, here we are three years later, and my tiny baby girl is finally big enough to fit in her dress and Abby is finally big enough to fit into the dress bought for her by her cute dad.  I have to admit, my girls look even sweeter in those dresses than I could have imagined.

Also better than I ever imagined, is the relationship between these two sisters. As of a couple of months ago, these two now share a bedroom and they are darling together.  

At night, as they are going to bed, Abby's main goal is to get as much reading in as possible.  Occasionally this conflicts with Lucy's main goal of saying prayers as many times a night as possible.  It would be fine if Lucy would just say her own, but she wants Abby to say prayers too.  One night, after Abby had said at least five prayers at Lucy's request, Abby admitted, "Lucy is just too spiritual for me."

Besides that one difference, these girls have a sweet relationship.  Abby has taught Lucy about taking care of baby dolls, and about painting finger nails, and about being a princess.  Lucy keeps Abby entertained with her singing and dancing and jabbering.

Yes, three years ago, when I was saying my prayers and crossing my fingers and wishing upon every star, hoping for another girl, I dreamed of matching dresses and bows and frills, but I also dreamed of a sweet relationship between my two daughters.  Needless to say, these two girls have exceeded my hopes and dreams in every way possible.

Shopping with Lucy at Target:

Lucy: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Me: "Buying cereal."

Lucy: "Why?"

Me: "So we can have breakfast."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have breakfast."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have breakfast."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have breakfast."


Five seconds later....

Lucy: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Me:  "Buying milk."

Lucy: "Why?"

Me: "So we can have something to drink."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have something to drink."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have something to drink."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So we can have something to drink."


Five seconds later....

Lucy: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Me: "Buying Abby a lamp."

Lucy: "Why?"

Me: "So she can read in her bed at night."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So she can read in her bed at night."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So she can read in her bed at night."

Lucy: "What?"

Me: "So she can read in her bed at night."

Repeat this over and over for the next 90 minutes and needless to say, we both came home ready for a nap.  Love that talkative, inquisitive and sweet girl  - and oh yeah, love that Target.

Lucy's Fashion Statement

Apparently fall is over here in Utah, because I just looked out the window and saw ginormous snowflakes swirling through the sky.  Luckily, they melted as soon as the hit the ground - but still, snowflakes are flying!  Wow.

So in memory of the good old days (like last week) when it was still warm/hot enough to dress like it was summer, here are some recent pictures of Lucy.

One minute she was dressed wearing a modest little t-shirt and shorts, and the next minute I looked outside and she had somehow twisted and turned her shirt over and around her body to create a bandeau look.  I honestly have no idea how she managed it.  The engineering of this outfit escapes me.  Abby has tried to replicate the look, without success.

In any case, this is how Lucy walked around the yard for several minutes before I saw her.  I'm sure the neighbors and passers-by were amused by her racy outfit but it just makes me wonder; if she is trying to leave the house dressed like this at age two, what do I have to look forward to at seventeen?

PS... I love these pictures of her bedhead and dirty face.  That really is how she looks most of the time.

Breakfast with Lucy

To say that everyone in our family finds Lucy completely charming and adorable, would be the understatement of the year.

There isn't anything she does that isn't absolutely darling.

Case in point: here is Lucy, on a typical summer morning, eating her breakfast.

Just ask anyone in our family: breakfast doesn't get any better than this.  And really, isn't she cute enough to eat?

My Baby Is Two

A few days ago, Lucy celebrated her 2nd birthday.  I am not at all comfortable with that fact.

First, she is growing up too quickly.  It feels like just last week that I brought her home from the hospital, with that newborn smell and those newborn eyes, and now she is running around the house, foraging through my pantry and making demands like she owns the place.  How did that happen?

Second, this is the first time I have ever had a two-year-old that I haven't been ready-to-pop pregnant or even had a newborn in my arms.  We are in unchartered territory here, and it's a somewhat uncomfortable feeling for me.  Are we really done having kids??

Although Lucy just barely turned two, she has been acting like a two-year-old for awhile.  She has been seriously exerting her independence for the past couple of months.  Her most recent rebellion is her refusal to sit in a seat to eat.  She won't sit in her high chair, she won't sit in a regular chair, she won't sit on a stool.  When I buckle her in to her high chair, she spends the next fifteen minutes screaming hysterically, refusing to eat and throwing her food on the floor.  It's awesome.  She really wants to just wander through the house while she eats and that's not really working for me.  Cold cereal and peanut butter don't really mesh with a two-year-old on the run.  And since she is two-years-old and barely breaks the 20-pound mark, starving her isn't really an option.  So we're having fun here.

But this is not a blog post about all Lucy's two-year-old antics that are driving me a little crazy.  This is about all the things we love about Lucy.  And believe me, we can't get enough of this girl.

We can't get enough of her singing.  She has a great ear for music.  It only takes hearing a song a couple of times before she can sing at least part of it.  Currently, her favorite songs are: "I love you, you love me," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" from Lion King, "There was a little house in the middle of the woods..." (her favorite part to sing is: "Help me! Help me!") and she loves singing the song "Animal" by Neon Trees.  So far, she has very eclectic tastes in music.

We can't get enough of the way Lucy takes care of her babies.  She loves wrapping them up in blankets, walking them in the stroller and tucking them in with her when she goes to sleep.

We can't get enough of her talking.  She is working so hard to talk more and everyday we get new words.  I love the way she says "Yep," when I ask her a question.  (It's never yes, or ya - it's always "YEP!" said with enthusiasm.)  I also love the way she calls Peter, "Pete."  It's the cutest thing I've ever heard.

We can't get enough of how much she loves our puppy.  Those two are inseparable.  Lucy loves to snuggle right into Minnie, usually with a lot of intensity, and Minnie just takes it.  I love seeing how much they love each other.

We love her facial expressions.  Seriously, I've never seen a baby say so much using only her eyebrows. She pulls the funniest/cutest little faces I've ever seen and it cracks me up every time.

We love how edible she is.  Those earlobes are perfect for nibbling and her neck is perfect for noshing. I think I could live on a strict diet of just Lucy.  She is so yummy in every way.

Oh, we love our Lucy-girl.  Her siblings adore everything she says and does.  Her parents think she is completely amazing and enchanting.  Our only complaint is that she is growing up too fast.  So Lucy, slow down a little would you.

And if you could just let us put you in a high chair to eat, everything would be perfect.

On the move...

Spring is coming very, very, slowly this year and we are all ready for it to get here.

Lucy is especially desperate for some good weather.  After all, this is the first spring that she's been able to walk and get around and there's a whole world out there for her to explore.

Seriously, first thing in the morning, almost every morning, Lucy pulls on her boots and she is ready to get out the door.  As soon as anyone opens the door, she makes her escape.  Here she is  wearing a pair of Abby's boots exploring the front yard one morning.

We weren't exactly sure where she would end up left to her own devices, so eventually, we sent Henry out as part of the Martin-Willy rescue team.  He did a great job guiding her safely home.

At 23-months, Lucy is at that age when she thinks she has earned the right to run with the big kids.  As far as she's concerned, there is nothing off limits to her.  A few weeks ago, when the kids were out riding their bikes, Lucy decided she was ready to ride a bike too.  She went in the garage, found herself a bike helmet and she was ready to go.

Andrew set her up on Peter's little bike and she was delighted to just sit there.  She didn't move an inch, but she sat there on the bike for the next thirty minutes, happy as a clam just to be on a bike like the big kids. 

Finally, Isaac felt a little sorry for poor Lucy so he came and pushed her around the yard for a few minutes and she was in heaven.  (How lucky  is she to have such a cute big brother?)

We are all excited for warmer weather and blue skies.  We can't wait for the days when we can walk outside barefoot and feel the warm grass beneath our toes.  But, until then, Lucy will keep getting up every morning, pulling on her boots, and hitting the open road the best way she knows how.