Costco play date!

Last week Lucy and I were lucky enough to have a play date with cute Croz and Alisa.  We met for lunch and the kiddos were so good.  It was the first time we've really seen them interact with each other.  Lucy would jabber like she was talking to Crosby and he would smile and laugh at her.  They are so cute!  Then we ventured over to one of Lucy's favorite haunts...Costco!  I had bragged to Lis that "my" Costco (Bountiful) was always dead and we'd have the aisles to ourselves but it was pretty crowded which made Lis's photo ops that much more embarrassing.  I hope she doesn't post it but let's just say a young Costco worker got a snap of all four of us a little too excited about giant cupcakes on sale!  Thanks for the fun date guys!

Favorites - right now!

So I’ve decided to embrace the “tags”. I just never liked them because my answers seem boring but I love to read every one else’s. And sometimes there’s just not that much to blog so why not. Usually I have such a hard time declaring my favorites but this one is favorites - right now.  Not an all-time commitment or anything.  An easy-loungy one!

Favorites - right now!

Food – My menu has been similar to Lucy’s – cheddar slices and crackers.

Drink – With this heat I should maybe try water but it’s still Diet Coke – especially when you can get the giant size at McDonalds for 99 cents!

Fruit – Fresh berries

Ice Cream – Breyer’s peach – real peach slices!

Candy Bar – Red vines

TV Show – Jon and Kate + Eight – we love this show and it’s the only one all three of us can watch together. Lucy loves to watch those cute little kids and Blake and I love to watch the parents argue.

Movie – Parent Trap – the old one. I’ve watched it twice in the past 10 days.

Book – East of Eden.

We had a yard sale last weekend and I came across it when I was going through the basement. It’s not the book I’m reading right now but I’ve been thinking about it and it’s truly one of my favorites. It might have to come to the front of the line in my stack to read.

Sound – Lucy and her new little words. She is doing this talking thing that sounds like she’s saying her vowels aloud..a-e-i-o-u. So cute!

Smell – My honeysuckle is out of control but it smells de-lish right now!

Sight – Lucy’s tunnel crawl – it makes me laugh every time.

Touch – Suki’s fur. He had his birthday last Monday and we didn’t do anything. My loyal pup for 7 years always forgives us when we get too busy for him.

Now it’s your turn! I won’t publicly tag anyone but I’d love to hear what your faves are right now…

15 months!

Lucy is everywhere!  She really cannot hold still and just this past week she has made so many advancements.  She is doing a full crawl but sometimes keeps her head down so it's like she's tunneling - very cute.  My mom bought a long tunnel for her because Lucy was rolling everywhere and my mom had the great idea that a long tunnel would force her to go forward - which she is but she's taking the tunnel thing literally and charges forward with her head down in tunnel mode!  She is pulling up on a lot of things, especially  me.  But if she has her eye on something she will find a way to get to it.  Lucy now wants to walk everywhere!  She's not doing it alone but she has to hold onto some one's fingers but she sure moves fast.  She's very stable with her steps and we know the real deal is around the corner.

this is what happens when I get carried away with one big curler, too much product and then Lucy decided to yank out her bows because today she's "not in a bow mood!"

getting into tunnel mode

At 15 months she's still a dancer but I think we loved the shimmy so much that she's saving it for special events!  She has like ten teeth that all look like they'll poke through soon but still just the bottom two are out.  She went to the pediatrician last Friday and her weight and length is still slow but it's going up and her doctor is very pleased with her.  We don't go back now for 3 months - that's the longest ever we've gone without an appointment!  I asked Dr. Fox if she can eat most table foods now and everything has been given the okay except peanut butter and any nuts.  So Lucy tried spaghetti last night and loved it and she enjoyed a Creamie popsicle at my parents yesterday to cool off.  

We love you so, so, so much bug girl!  Happy 15 months!

Magnificent Minnow!

Last week was Lucy's last week of swimming lessons.  She did such a great job with this class and it was so fun for me to experience so many firsts for myself.  It's so funny how you can go from pretty much worrying about yourself to being a mommy and racing to get to a lesson on time, meeting new moms, teaching your child and watching her progress and then seeing her personality and confidence grow after just a month of a new class.  She really is growing up right before our eyes and as I've said before, it's bittersweet.  I'm so happy and proud of my daughter but at the same time she is truly into her toddler stage.  It takes a lot for her to sit still and let me cuddle her and she is just doing so many big girl things that I can't believe it was just a year ago she had been home for just a few weeks and was still on her oxygen.  

Blake took the day off to watch Lucy's last lesson - this is her favorite move - the back float with major kicks!

"humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humtpy dumpty had a great fall..." and then this little bug jumps to me in the water - so fun for us both!

This is our first week without lessons and we've both kind of been lost.  I put out the mini frog pool this morning and we've been working with flash cards before nap so I guess we'll have to look for new things to occupy our day.  Believe me, we're lucky for one nap a day and I really do have to have a schedule of events to keep this girl entertained! 

oh bug girl!

Summer weekend...

Summer is officially here and we spent the weekend enjoying it!  Lucy loves swimming so we got a pool to cool off at home and then went to a Bee's game with my family.  Blake is looking for a hiking pack to haul Lucy around so we tried to find one but couldn't decide on one yet.  If anyone has any recommendations let us know.  It's hot out there but it's no problem when you're doing fun things!  I'll take this over a cold, windy February any day.  

Lucy is our child - she loves concession foods!  Caitlin and I decided this is one of the best parts of summer and outdoor events.  I am proud to say Lucy loves Tiger's blood!

more hot dogs, chicken strips, french fries or snowie - anything please!  Look at the yearning in her eyes.  

the best aunt ever

seesters - Cait you rock those bangs!

love summer nights!

It's nice having built-in babysitters.  Blake and I lounged and watched the game while Caitlin & Brinton stood in line for 9 hours to take the bug on the train.

yes, she does get this excited for food and yes she is 90 pounds

family pic with a missing bug - she was too busy inhaling fries

yum-o

Blake impressed me yet again, he knows all of the lyrics (and hand signs) for 2 Legit 2 Quit - not just the chorus, all of the lyrics!

Here's the one pack we tried.  Lucy liked it but we're thinking something more low-key.

splashing in her new frog pool

splash girl!

This is our last week of swim so we had to have a pool at home to get our swim fix!  

What a fun weekend!!

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!