Panguitch

Every June for the past few years our family (on my dad's, Worthen side) has taken a trip down south to Panguitch Utah for a family reunion. It's such a fun, relaxing time to catch up with family and have a nice getaway. This year the number of family members was smaller than usual but we still had a fun time. Lucy (and a bunch of the other cousins) were upset that the pool wasn't ready for swimming but we made up for it with games, walks, naps and eating!

My grandpa Keith Worthen passed away November 2006 (right after I found out I was pregnant with Lucy) he grew up in Panguitch and his brother Vee is the only sibling who still lives in Panguitch. When we go down my great-aunt Beth gets all of us rooms at the motel just around the corner from Vee's home. His front porch is a great place for relaxing, visiting and waving to the rare passer-by. It is a very slow-paced town but a nice getaway from our busy lives. We had a fun trip and I hope more of us can make it down next year!

my dad and his uncle Vee

my superstar

oookaaay, these twin-hat cousins were not really feelin' camera time like D and I were

this kind of makes me want to cry because she looks so much older!!

This is pretty much Lucy's favorite place to be - grandpa's lap! She knows eventually he'll have ice cream or some other treat for her.

Brooke and Becca - I told them to pose for "senior pictures" and even though they're quite a few years away they knew the exact cheesy poses I was looking for!

In Bryce Canyon - Lucy can't wait to hike with daddy. And I wish them all a good time!

Lucy and Ga-Ga

Bryce & Blake

antelope

I bet you can't even tell we were just fighting before this picture! :)

Lucy has a look of being kidnapped here

Blake, Lucy, my parents and I all went to eat and Lucy ate everything! Beef brisket, rolls, baked potato, applesauce, EVERYTHING! I got the camera ready and was so excited to see her taste a dill pickle for the first time...but this was the reaction...stuffing it in as fast as she could. No wincing or sour-face - just "give me more"! I love my piggy!!

Lis and Luce - my mom got her cream, leather moccasins in Bryce and...well let's just say we'll try them again another time!

D playing for us on the porch. He learned Lucy's song "Here Comes the Sun" and played it for all of us on our last morning.

yes, he is scrumptious!

This was the bulk of the trip - trying to get these two cousins to pose and interact. Next year the two of them will be running around like wild hyenas and we won't be able to get any pictures!

one year home...

Our precious Lucy has been home now with us for one year! Last June 16th Lucy passed her eye test, car seat test and feeding schedule and was finally discharged after 79 days in the NICU. Blake and I were so happy but extremely nervous to take our bug girl home. When she was discharged my parents and Caitlin and Brinton were there along with Lucy's primary nurses and there weren't many dry eyes! Thinking back I really don't know how we did it. Having to leave our little girl every night was torturous for us but at that time that was all we knew and we knew we wanted her healthy and strong before she was fully in our care. March 30th of this year was Lucy's first birthday and that seems so long ago - and to think the time from her birthday until today was how long she was in the hospital and how long we waited for her to be home with us.

Now we have this wild bug that I love more than anything. She is the best little girl and has always been so strong. This morning at swimming I watched her splash and laugh on keep a hold of me and I felt so much love and gratefulness. This has been such a great year home and I'm so glad she's ours to keep!

Lucy taken outside for the first time by one of her primary nurses, cute Natasha

snuggling with mom for the first time at home

the Bug today...

yes, I'm bugalicious!

can you even stand how cute this girl is??!!!

we're in love with piggy tails!

We can still rock!

We can still rock and so can the grandparents! Last night we went to the Stone Temple Pilots concert at the E Center. It was SUCH a good show! Blake and I haven't been to a concert since before Lucy was born and I was a bit apprehensive to go to this show. I've loved STP since high school but I was worried about sitting by obnoxious, drunk people and also worried about Scott Weiland, the lead singer, not showing up. He's battled drug addiction and some of the reviews of shows on this tour were pretty negative. But everything was perfect! No drunks by me (actually no one behind me or to my right at all - the concert gods were smiling down on me!), every song I wanted to hear was played and Scott was in FINE form! We went to the concert with Brinton (my brother in law) and my parents. Blake and I saw STP about 10+ years ago with my parents and I'm glad that for being grandparents they can still rock out! Blake and I agree that concerts are a good activity to keep. So many of our friends have thrown in the concert towel but we've made a vow to try and see most every show we want to see. There's something so exciting when the lights go out right before a show and being able to let loose for a couple of hours - even though now that includes making babysitting arrangements (Lucy got to hang out with Nana Schreck) and in Blake's case having to miss work the next day to recover! We have a pretty good line up this summer and we're going to attempt to bring the Bug to a couple of shows - I hope she enjoys concerts as much as we do!

Another tag...

Today is cold and not June weather - yuck! Lucy and I had swim but the rest of the day we've hunkered down because of the cold. But the good part is Lucy's doing lots of fun tricks. She's learned to kiss when we say "kiss, kiss" (my mom taught her this). And she's pulling herself up onto everything. She was pulling up on her laundry basket today and almost fell in! Other than those fun tricks not much has gone on so I've accepted another tag. If they bore you skip this post and wait for something more exciting (I assume it will happen!)

1) Do you like bleu cheese? yes, in moderation.
2) What superstition do you "most" believe in? I say "knock on wood" but usually don't knock.
3) Do you own guns? No but my husband does.
4) What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? cherry limeade!
5) Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Um, yes. I've stressed probably a year or two off of my life because of nervousness before doctor appointments.
6) What do you think of hot dogs? I have to be in the mood but usually like them. Blake has perfected my hot dog: Hebrew National, split down the middle, grilled until it's almost black.
7) Can you do push ups? No and I don't want to
8) Can you do a chin up? No and I don't want to
9) What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring and my Lois Hill necklace Blake got me last year for my first Mother's Day.
10) Favorite hobby? Shopping for house stuff, decorating my house and reading.
11) Ever been in a car wreck? Multiple wrecks none of which were my fault. I was hit head-on and it really made me nervous to be in any car for a few years.
12) Do you have A.D.D? Not unless I'm out at dinner with Blake and I'm trying to eavesdrop on another table, sad I know.
13) What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I'm pretty sensitive.
14) Middle name? Leigh
15) Name 2 thoughts at this exact moment? What am I wearing to Stone Temple Pilots concert tonight and I have to do laundry/pack for this weekend (instead I'm doing another lame tag).
16) Name 3 things you bought yesterday? The new Aimee Mann cd on iTunes (amazing!), an iced mocha and dinner with my friends after work.
17) Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? diet coke, coffee, water
18) Current worry? small random things that will be okay
20) Current hate right now? surprisingly, nothing.
21) How did you bring in the New Year? Alone, Blake and Lucy were snoozing.
22) Where would you like to go? Right now I really want to take Lucy (with Blake too) to San Francisco and walk around and shop for her in cool kids clothing stores and have yummy seafood lunches.
23) Name three people who will complete this? Guess what, I'll tag NO ONE! Everyone else is probably sick of these or has done it already.
24) Do you own slippers? Yes but I never wear them, I'm the bare foot queen.
25) What shirt are you wearing? Black tank top, it's my home uniform.
26) Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, I prefer a high thread count Egyptian cotton.
27) Can you whistle? yes
28) Favorite color? brown
29) Would you be a pirate? Um, no.
30) What songs do you sing in the shower? Lately it's been "apple-bottom jeans, boots with the fur..." because Lucy loves rap and this song is always in my head.
31) Favorite girl's name? Lucy! But I also love Brynn and Lauren.
33) Favorite boy's name? Jack. I love Asher too but I'll never get to use it because Blake hates it.
34) What's in your pocket? No pockets in these lounge pants!
35) Last thing that made you laugh? TMZ tv show. My guilty pleasure.
36) Best bed sheets as a child? I really don't remember having a favorite.
37) Worst injury you've ever had? When I got bit by a brown recluse spider or my most recent back/leg injury.
38) Do you love where you live? Yes but being by the ocean would be nice.
39) How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
40) Who is your loudest friend? Rebecca..I can hear her at work down the hall! :)
41) who is your closest friend you have? My mom and my sister, my friends at work and Nikki, one of my longest friends.
42) Does someone have a crush on you? Not that I know of.
43) What Celebrity would play you in a movie? I would love Elizabeth Shue since she's Blake's dream girl but I don't think it would happen.
44) What is your favorite book? Last night I claimed it was East of Eden by John Steinbeck so I'll stick with that. I also love My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
45) What is your favorite candy? Sadly Peanut Butter Twix, but we lost that beloved treat about a year or so ago when it was discontinued. As Caitlin put it in an email once, RIP PB Twix.
46) Favorite Sports Team? I guess the Jazz or Trojans football
47) What song do you want played at your funeral? This question is a tad doomsday for my liking but I guess The Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine, it's sad though and like 13 minutes so people may fall asleep.
48) What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping
49) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? "It's cold and we're supposed to swim?!"

My minnow

This past week Lucy and I started our mom & tot swim class! We had been counting down to this class for a month and last Monday we were both so excited for our first lesson. There are five little ones in Lucy's class - the minnows! There are two girls and three boys and Lucy is the smallest and youngest of the five. But she's also the happiest and the biggest flirt! On the first class she already had her eye on one little guy Oliver, 16 months. She kept splashing him and watched his every move. Lucy's favorite part of class is singing. We've sung "if you're happy and you know it splash your hands...", "ring around the rosies", "motorboat" and various other songs and rhymes. Lucy has no fear when it comes to the water and she only cried when the class was over, the whistle blew and we had to get out of the pool. Our class is Monday and Wednesday mornings and lasts the full month. I think we'll both be so addicted to our morning pool time that at the end of the lessons we'll have to go have our own pool time! It's almost impossible to get any good pictures when you're in the middle of a swim class so these were the only two I could get this week. Blake is going to come and take pictures of the bug on one of her next lessons.

yama-hama-fright-night and no makeup (me) cute girl dunzo with pictures and ready to dive in (Lucy)

hanging out in her Juicy pants before swim time!

(family) date night!

Friday night we had a fun family date night. Blake came home from work and we decided to go enjoy an evening together. We went to Gateway and ate at Thaifoon. Last winter Thaifoon was one of our regular hot spots with Lucy and one of the waitresses fell in love with her. Each time we'd come in she'd spot us and come and say hi to Luce and just go on and on about her the rest of the meal. Well on Friday she came up and said "Lucy - you're so big!" I was so surprised she remembered us (well Lucy). She is such a sweet girl and brought out crazy straws for Lucy and couldn't get over how much she has changed and that she was in a high chair. It made me beam! Then Lucy tried some delicious lettuce wraps and at the end of the meal side-swiped a full glass of ice water - just in time for us to leave!

I refuse to accept this is Lucy already sticking her tongue out at me.

We wandered around and bought some books at B&N and then left and went to get ice cream and drove around Sugarhouse park. By this time the bug was tired and it was pretty chilly (hello June, where are you?) so we headed home. It was a fun date night; I love spending time with my two favorite people!

Blake had to take Lucy over by the fountain at Gateway to show her that's as close as she'll ever get to it. Blake's biggest pet peeve is kids in this fountain (i.e. kids having fun)!

Baby birds!

So I was beginning to think that the robin who built a nest above our porch light was not nesting for eggs but just a young single gal wanting a place of her own. It's been a month since I last posted about the nest she was building and there have been no signs of any babies. We've been tempted to get a ladder and peek up into the nest but in case there were eggs I didn't want to disturb them. But finally tonight Blake came in and said "there's babies"! I ran outside and saw this cute little family enjoying the sunset together.



It looks like three babies and one mean mama! I'm so excited they are here and I guess because I'm always obsessing about Lucy's calories and eating enough I started to think what I could set out for them to eat tonight. But I'm sure Ms. Robin will take care of her babes just fine.

Caw-caw! This kind of looks like a little bird with her mouth open waiting for food too!