Spring fun!

We traveled up to North Idaho over Memorial Day to visit with family. Lucy, Marc and I had a great time. We went out to the North fork of the Couer d'alene river (I think that is right!) for a night and had so much fun hanging out. Lucy loves her cousin Mason, and her Auntie Stephanie and Uncle Matt. She also enjoyed playing with her GrandPappy Bob, and her Grandma Linda spoiled her with love and presents! One of the gifts Linda gave her was a stroller with a baby. She loves her baby doll! She spends a lot of time taking care of her. Today we headed out to Hideaway Lake with Rose, Robin and Baby Evan. When we were almost to the lake, we ran into snow on the ground, in some places about 3 feet deep! We tromped in through the snow and had fun. The boys went fishing and Rose and I and the kids hiked around the lake, which was a bit of a challenge with the snow and water, but we made it! After our hike, I started to eat an apple, but Lucy grabbed it from me and chowed down. Happy weekend! :)

Lucy is doing great! She loves to be pushed around on her trike. She has great balance, and we zoom all over the yard. She doesn't want it to end. Today I got her a helmet so that she can get used to wearing it. She has been using more words lately, and in proper context. Last Saturday, Marc brought her into bed around 5 am, and she went back to sleep. About 2 hours later I opened my eyes to Lucy's face right next to mine. She had a huge smile on her face and said "hi". It was awesome, a great way to wake up. She is our sweet, bright shiny girl! (Although she has been testing out screaming the past week or so...let's hope that she stops that soon!) :) Smile, smile, smile!

Happy May!

We have been having a good May. We started off the month in Southern California for a visit. I am glad that we were able to go down because it was a good trip. We saw old friends, including one of my first friends Monet. It was so nice to reconnect with her and meet her son Terje. Lucy and I stayed the night with Shannon and her family, and Lucy just loved Shannon's daughter Bella. What a sweetheart Bella is. We were also able to spend time with my family at Huntington Beach for the day, and in Lake Elsinore. Lucy liked the ocean, and kept wanting to get in the water. Lucy liked playing with her cousins, playing with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Pam, Auntie Katie and Uncle Nick. She went to her first baseball game, the Lake Elsinore Storm. I worked at the stadium the team's inaugural year. We met up with Marc for a night, visiting with Aunt Ronda and her family, and GG Marian. Marc, Lucy and I had breakfast in Venice Beach, and saw the Governator and his family out on a bike ride...cool!!! While in Venice, someone came up to us, and said about Lucy, "she is so cool, I am so glad you had a kid like that!" There is something about Lucy that some people really respond to.

Lately Lucy has been saying "Uh-Oh" all the time. It is really cute. She is beginning to go from walking to running, and she definitely has more of an opinion about what she wants to do. She is an affectionate, fun loving little girl. She never wants to miss out on a social event, and she loves to laugh and smile. Books are a favorite activity, as well and going through her art box and making art. We love her so much! Thanks for checking in!

April's Antics

Lucy has been having a great April. She had a visit from her Aunt Ronda, which we all enjoyed. While she was here, we went to the Oregon Zoo. Lucy was really into it, noticing animals and other kids...she was taking it all in. She was wearing an outfit that her Grandma Randy sent from Morocco. I think the highlight for her was the big cats. She was excited to see lionesses, but when she got sight of the lion she light up! Pointing and exclaiming, she was amazed! She was on top of Marc's shoulders and had a good view. Aunt Ronda helped me by babysitting Lucy while I visited Baby Nicolas, our friends Rachel and John's newborn. He was readmitted to the hospital for a fever, but he was just fine. He is so cute and special!

Lucy loves to play outside, helping in the garden. Yesterday I planted some seedlings in pots, and she wanted her own pot of soil, planted her flower in it, made sure I watered it and then carried it over and placed it with my pots. She loves, loves, loves dandelions and will pick them any chance that she gets. She feels that she can hold an infinite number of them at the same time. Artwork is also a fun activity. She goes through her art box and picks out what she would like to work on. She gets messy, but that is OK. I have been amazed lately at how good she is getting at feeding herself, eating sandwiches and using her fork and spoon with skill. She sits at her little table now for every meal. She is still learning about chair safety...she is a climber! We have been spending time with Rose and Baby Evan, who is growing! I can't believe it. Time just flutters by.

My Uncle Ron passed away yesterday. He helped me to pick out a great bike when I graduated from high school, driving me to several bike shops. I still have that bike, and have ridden lots of good miles on it since then. I am so sorry that my cousins have lost their Dad. :(

March Madness

Well, March has been going out with a bang. The past couple of weeks have had some fun times, with Lucy saying new words (that only a parent could understand!), going on long walks through our yard and a visit from GrandPappy Bob. The same time frame has also included all three of us being sick at different points, with a GI bug. Yuck-O! Poor Lucy got it first. It is so sad when she does not feel well. The pic of her crying is from when she was sick. She has recovered, and it doing great! Bob and I took her to an eye doctor appointment yesterday, and she doesn't need to have her eye surgery! Yea! The doc also thinks that we can reevaluate her vision in a few months and talk about glasses then.

Lucy got her first haircut over the weekend, and she looks so cute. She is definitely a little girl now, no longer a baby. I got her a little table and chairs, which is great. Soon she will no longer use the high chair. Lucy loves to color with crayons, and she also loves to read books. She will bring you book after book to read. For ages Lucy has liked to get as many things as possible in her hands. From socks, to crayons, food or flowers, she is often trying to carry more than she can. Right now she is playing with Gracie. GrandPappy Bob's visit was enjoyable and we were glad to have him. He loves Lucy so much, and she loves him.

Marc has some sad news. His cousin Brad and his wife Shannon are experiencing tragedy. Their 4 week old daughter Sienna died last Friday from complications related to meningitis. It is such a terrible thing and our hearts hurt for them. It is so hard to understand why these things happen. Please keep them, their son Evan, and the rest of the family in your thoughts.