southern utah

It's been a week since we returned from our little southern Utah getaway. I've been pretty lazy enjoying summer (finally) since we've been home but this trip was a success and needed to be documented. About an hour after Lucy's dance recital we were on the road to St. George.

Our first night we had tickets to Tuachahn to see The Little Mermaid. Our cute friends the Nance family had tickets too and were staying the night in St. George before moving on the next day to Disneyland - yeah jealous. We got to chat at dinner before the show and Lucy and Dakota got in a mini playdate.

Lucy and cute Flounder after the show.

I thought the show was a-mazing! I loved in more than Blake (tired) and Lucy (scared of Ursula) but I think overall they both enjoyed most of it. Does anyone want to drive down and see Grease?! I've never seen anything at Tuacahn and was so impressed.

Waiting for breakfast at the Bear Paw - peanut butter pancakes are worth the wait.

We took advantage of the splash pad - wading area. It was Sunday and pretty empty so I put my paranoid-of-rotavirus concerns aside and let Lucy be four.

Monday we were up bright & early and in Zion National Park.

She looks like a natural but prefers pretty pools, nice linens and a fun restaurant...just like her mom (and who are we kidding, just like her dad too).

No, we all really enjoyed ourselves and I didn't complain once about our mini hikes. It was a beautiful day and Blake and I even wanted to stay in the park longer - but Lucy said she was hot - and I think it was 78 degrees....

So this is the oddest but so cute new thing Lucy's been doing. I noticed it a couple of weeks ago. At home, restaurants, she would put her hands together like this for just a second and close her eyes and then eat. She doesn't say anything and it lasts a split second. I hesitated to ask what she was doing - religious practices are kind of a personal thing - but finally had to know. She rattled off some weird OCD explanation about how she's cleaning or calming (she's said both) her hands before she eats. So maybe it's not a prayer like I thought but whatever it is it's adorable.

We finished off the trip with a stop for squeaky cheese and cow watching.

It was a fabulous trip!

Tangled!

Lucy's dreams came true when Miss Julie announced their spring recital would be Tangled! Since I don't sit in on her dance class I wasn't even sure if it was true for awhile because Lucy has been OBSESSED with Tangled forever. But she was right and I've been looking forward to the spring show for a long time.

Lucy with her Tangled curls. So right before Lucy's first number (and the first dance of the whole recital) she said "I might have to pee". I asked if she could hold it and she said yes and scooted herself on stage. Well the girls were standing up there as Miss Julie welcomed the audience and recapped pretty much all of the Tangled story. Blake and I were sitting on the floor up close with video and camera rolling and Lucy starts dancing around (not in the tap and ballet sort of way) and then my favorite moment - starting holding herself. I just prayed the music would hurry and start. I figured once she started dancing she'd forget about it. Well the story of Tangled was running a tad long and Blake said "I'm taking her - do you know what it will do to someone if they pee themselves on stage?!" Uh, no, but maybe he does?! Good daddy that he is he ran on stage, grabbed Luce and told Miss Julie (in the middle of her speech) they were out of there.

Well according to Miss Julie - the show must go on! She told Blake to put her back on stage and told Lucy (over the microphone) that she had to go to the bathroom too so they'd both have to hold it. The whole audience laughed and Blake reluctantly plopped her back to the dance line. Yikes. I so didn't want to have to clean up pee in front of a packed house.

Luckily our little rock star held it and danced her little heart out - what a dramatic intro!

This show, costumes, set and music was by far the cutest of all of Lucy's performances - we love ourselves some Rapunz & Flynn.

Lucy and her dance bestie Amelia.

"The show must go on!"

So proud of our girl!

this girl

Sometimes I blog about the lamest things. TV shows, plants, pillows. This blog started because of this girl and wanting to capture every little thing she did in some sort of journal. But over time life happens and her 'first time eating sushi' or her 'stage of spitting' isn't documented and we just laugh about it and live in the moment - and then I come home and do a post about how I could live in pottery barn.

I hope when I finally getting around to printing 'the blog' and Lucy grows up and reads it she won't wonder why every post on 'lucy bug's life' wasn't about lucy. I hope she'll have 50 gazillion fun memories and even if I slacked off on documenting everything - her cute little photographic mind will remember the rest.

I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic because she's growing up so damn fast. Lucy wrapped up her last lesson in dance class today - another year down. Dance this year was the first time I dropped her off with someone else for an hour. This fall that one hour will turn into three when I drop her off for preschool - and I really don't know how I'll handle it. Lucy is so beyond ready for school and a fully-booked social calendar. She is four and needs friends, teachers, learning and I guess a little time away from me. She will be so ready this September but I won't. I had a mini panic attack in bed the other night realizing that once I get through preschool then the next year she'll be gone EVERY SINGLE (week) DAY. Doesn't that seem a bit much?! Five years old and going to school five days a week!

Ugh. The hard part of this is that the three of us are all so close and Lucy is a child-spy (like I was) and can sense any emotion, anxiety or unsettledness. Blake and I can be having a conversation and we think she's completely immersed in her own little activity and then she comes and recites word for word what we said (of course, adding in her opinion too). So I guess I have to drive up the canyon and cry and scream and freak out to not upset her.

Part of this anxiety could be because I probably will only do this once. That's another blog post altogether or possibly one that will never get published but Blake and I really like having our one perfect girl so it's not like I have 6 other babies in diapers I can focus on. My one perfect, delicious, amazing baby is growing up - and that's that.

I hope this is just an emotional phase I'll get over but it's bittersweet. And a little more bitter than sweet today.

addicted

This Saturday was our first non-planned Saturday in a long time. So what did we do...

set our alarms for 6:30 and headed to home depot of course!

It started Friday night on our 'family date night' which consisted of dinner out and a legal pad full of notes, ideas and plans. Thank goodness for the leapster explorer because Lucy's not too interested in yard chat. After dinner and a lot of big ideas we made our first two (with a total of 5 over the course of the weekend) trips to scope out some trees. Saturday morning we knew half the city would be at home depot because it was the first sunny day in forever and well, it was possibly the end of the world and who doesn't want to enjoy some gardening and projects on your last day?! So that's why we took two cars and got there bright and early.

Our tree purchases!

We left h.d. with three full carts of stuff and some really annoyed customers behind us waiting to check out with one tomato plant.

We decided we might as well get everything for our projects at once...

first up is working on our carport area. We have a garage and attached is this carport thing but I would take out a wall if I ever tried to maneuver a car back there so last year we utilized it as a play area, grill area and some random seating. While you're using this area it doesn't seem so horrendously ugly but these pictures...yikes!

So our first plan was to paint this brick wall, paint the ceiling and the ugly brown wood slats and install light fixtures.

Do you like that I only have 'befores'? Well we might have been overly confident in how much we could get done in one day of sun.

We are still trying to determine how all of that space will be used. Part of it will be a play area again but we'll see what we'll do with the rest. My idea of this scene from pottery barn is probably not in the budget:

In the middle of projects we decided to take a break and head to one of my favorite nurseries J&L Garden Center in Bountiful just to make sure there wasn't something we were missing.

Lucy was not as enthused as us.

This is my table of goodies so far.

The rain started in again on Sunday so instead of making progress on projects or getting some things planted we drove north again to see what we could find (and this is why I'm choosing this blog title...) the Costco in Ogden has a pretty big garden center with good prices. Unfortunately we didn't find anything we had to have this visit. So we headed to Valley Nursery in Uintah (near the mouth of Weber Canyon). This is my favorite nursery of all and Lucy found a lot to do here.

Blake spied an AMAZING Japanese maple at Valley for a screamin' deal. We were contemplating picking it up but then realized we had no way to squeeze it into our car. As we wandered away two guys came speed-walking into the green house making a beeline to the exact tree. I freaked out. It's one thing for me to pass up a tree but if I feel like someone else might get it panic sets in. We watched and eavesdropped on this happy couple and when they went to find an employee to get the tree I told Blake he HAD to grab it! They haven't claimed it yet! I would find a way to make it fit! It was meant for us! And blah, blah, blah - ca-razy-town!

Sadly Blake wasn't about to fight someone for a tree and I guess we really didn't have to have it - but it didn't stop of from staring (and taking pictures) like sad saps as they tried to load it into their (much smaller than ours) car.

Addicted I tell you!

But a lot of fun.

(p.s. hopefully 'after' pictures will come soon!)

Thank you!

Over 65 team members who showed up and walked - over $5,000. raised -

thank you all so much!

bake sale bliss

Front and center.

The very first sight you saw as you stepped onto bake sale grounds (after Brinton accosted you in your car on the drive in) was Lucy and her lemonade stand. Healthy, happy, with friends, laughing, running - thanks in large part to the work of the March of Dimes.

Ten weeks early, over one pound, tiny lungs needing extra help.

That is why we walk, raise money, give back.

And give back we did! The bake sale last year was an amazing inaugural event - we fought the rain and cold and still managed an impressive grand total.

This year we had quite a few extra tables of yumminess, sunshine and very generous customers. But who knew we would TRIPLE our amount from last year?!

Well, we did and it was a truly wonderful day.

Lucy's lemonade stand was a darling hit. My mom made her cute stand and apron and some of those .50 cent lemonades turned into 5.00 lemonades!

My favorite pink gorilla...ever!

Brinton really outdid himself.

Dancing, somersaulting, high five-ing cyclists - he was kind of the hit of the event!

So many wonderful treats - made by many fabulous and generous bakers.

And friends...

one gift Lucy has given me since she's been born is crying at the drop of a hat.

As I would see familiar faces walk up I just got tingly and teary-eyed. Thank you all so much for your amazing support.

The two busiest bakers, my cousin Alisa and aunt Kim. They are the bake sale queens! I hope they both know how much all of their hard work means to us.

Creeping on customers.

No wonder he was so exhausted after the event - lounging takes a lot of work!

Until next year ladies...

(thank you, thank you, thank you!)

It was such a success because our amazing friends and family who continue year after year to support us and this important cause. Thanks to all of the bakers, packers, Steve and his awesome printing skills and donation of flyers, raffle donors and packers (mom), Caitlin's cupcakes, D, Crosby and Lennox for sharing Alisa and letting us take over your house and yard, the gorilla and every single person who stopped by - we love you!!

As of this morning we are $1,000. over our goal with a total so far of $4,377.00!

p.s.

for those of you great Team Lucy Bug! members who will be walking with us on Saturday...

I found out today the actual March for Babies program will START at 10:00 - with a few speakers and announcements. We will be the last speaker and then they want our team to try and make our way to the start of the pack and lead off the walk. There will be a lot of us so if you can't make your way to the front we'll regroup a few minutes into the walk.

The gates open at 9:00 but you really don't need to be there until 9:45 or so. We'll be near the entrance gate into the park. Wear your pink and green and make sure you get a wristband from one of us or from the registration tables.

After the walk we want to get a few team pictures and then feel free to leave or hang out for a bit. There will be food, bounce houses, face-painting, train rides and more!

See you Saturday and call Blake or me the morning of if you can't find us!

mmm!

The forecast tomorrow is 70 degrees and the smell of sweets in the air!! All the bakers are busy - kneading, frosting, stirring and baking their buns off! Please stop by tomorrow and I'm sure there will be a sweet treat with your name on it! We're starting at 10:00 so be there early to get your pick of the freshest most delectable treats!! We will also have a raffle with some great prizes - tickets are $1.00 each and Lucy will be selling her delicious raspberry lemonade.

The bake sale is located at a house on the corner of 1300 South and 1840 East in Salt Lake. Look for the signs and there is plenty of street parking. Every dollar we make will be donated to our March for Babies Team Lucy Bug! and will go to the Utah Chapter of the March of Dimes.

We're so excited for tomorrow and hope to see you there!!

p.s. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to everyone baking today!