this is NOT a pumpkin

. . . this is a jack-o-lantern!

Lucy was very helpful — she cleaned out her pumpkin and drew on it the picture she wanted carved [it was one she had seen in a book]. Mommy wielded the knife.

Lucy's is the stemless one in the middle.

the great pumpkin

We took Lucy pumpkin picking today. We tried to go to Lookout Farm but they had already sold out of pumpkins. [Well, actually, they still had a few left sitting on hay bales, but what fun is that??] Fortunately, on the way there, we spotted the Hills Congregational Church's annual charity Pumpkin Patch Sale! What a find that was — we all had a great time choosing our pumpkins. Lucy even picked out her own pumpkin and stuck to her guns when I suggested she find one that had a stem – she would not be swayed. [We bought her that stemless pumpkin.]

Lucy also enjoyed the wagon-ride as I pulled her [and our three pumpkins] all around the "pumpkin patch."

Finding great pumpkins and giving a little something back — isn't that what Halloween is all about?

a costume party

Lucy's friend Max had a costume party to celebrate his first birthday. All the kids [and most of the grown-ups] were in costume. Everyone looked great! Max was a monkey, his cousins were a Power Ranger and a baby bunny; and Lucy, of course, was a bee.

Max got some really great toys for his birthday and Lucy was not shy about trying them out. She particularly enjoyed the little, red, ride-on car and challenged Max for a ride. Poor Max — doesn't even get to play with his own presents at his birthday party . . .

Just wait, Max, you'll be bigger than Lucy soon enough . . .

poisonous?

This is not a poisonous mushroom.

How do I know? Well, Lucy was kind enough to taste it and require a call to the Poison Control Center. I emailed them this picture and they confirmed it was not going to kill her or make her sick . . . phew.

Nice to know we don't have deadly fungi growing in the yard.

it's pajama time

The weather is starting to get colder and that means good bye old-shorty-pajamas, and hello new-cozy-pajamas!

Lucy has 2 new pairs that she particularly enjoys - one holiday festive, and one froggy.


Lucy sure is feeling sassy in her new pumpkin pajamas.

fun fall festivities

We got a nice group together [Lucy, Genna, Vivi, Henry, Max, Sawyer, Astrid, and their parents] and went apple picking the other day. [I think with this group, as many apples were eaten as were picked.] The weather that day couldn't have been more beautiful. [Though I must say, I would have preferred a little nip in the air – it seemed a little strange apple picking in shorts and t-shirts.]

Being as warm as it was, it did make the ice cream treat seem a bit more appropriate, and it was most enjoyable.

turn the beat around

. . . love to hear percussion

look out herb ritts

Lucy loves having her picture taken, and it seems, taking your picture too — smile.

a visit from nino

Lucy's Padrino, Jerry, came to visit this weekend. Since Lucy hasn't seen him for over a year [he lives in Texas], she was as usual, a little slow to warm up.

As with everyone, we wanted to send Jerry home with his commemorative Lucy photo. Getting their picture together before he left, however, was not as easy as it should have been. We rounded up the troops and got ready for the photo shoot. Only trouble with that - Lucy was all wound-up and thought it would be much more fun to run back and forth from Jerry to me, pausing barely long enough for me to snap a picture.

I actually think the ones I did capture are pretty funny. And yes, I did finally manage to get a cute one of Lucy and Jerry together . . . it's on it's way, Jerry.

two for tea

The summer really is the time for meeting new friends. Lucy finally met Madison, after hearing all about her for the last 14 months. [And I must say, Madison was just as adorable and as fun as promised.]

Lucy and Madison had a great time together — they paraded around the house, had a snack at the fancy new table and chairs Kristen bought Lucy [thank you, Kristen, we love them!], went for a walk, played at the playground, and even had a nice frozen yogurt treat before having to call it for nap time and go home.

Word on the street is that Madison, like Lucy, usually has play-dates with boys. As a result, she was not used to Lucy's affectionate ways — you guessed it, Madison was treated to lots of hugs and kisses. She found it a little scary at first, but by the end of the visit, Madison was leaning her head in to receive them.

Hopefully, it won't be another 14 months before we see Madison
again . . .

i love babies

Lucy [and her Mommy] met Annie for the first time today. Annie is about 8 weeks old and just as cute as a button — Lucy thought so too.

Lucy really took to Annie — she brought 2 babies with her and gave one to Annie to play with [purple baby just sort of laid on top of Annie's legs — but really, it is the thought that counts, isn't it?].

Later on, Lucy kept checking on Annie, while she was napping in the other room. Then, when Annie lost her binky, Lucy would put it back in her mouth. Lucy also showered Annie with lots of kisses — and when she couldn't kiss her face, she'd kiss her toes.

I can just imagine the fun they'll have together once Annie is a little more interactive.

a visit to hampton beach

It's tradition — every summer, we spend a day at Hampton Beach. [OK, well, maybe this tradition started for us last year — after a 25-year hiatus — but it was Lucy's first summer after all, so why not start it up again?]

This year, Lucy met a new, cute-little-friend, Molly, who is just 1 month younger than her — they really hit it off. They built castles, walked in the water, read magazines, and shared lots of hugs and kisses.

Looking forward to seeing you again next year, Molly!

a year and a half

I know it's the old cliché - "Where does the time go?" But, really, where does the time go?

Lucy turned 18 months old on July 21. [Yes, I know, I missed the date . . . but it's posted now - isn't that really what matters?] It's hard to believe she has been a part of our lives for that long [though, honestly, I can't remember a time before Lucy].

Anyhoo, I thought it would be fun to see a then-and-now photo, just to see how much she's really changed and grown in the past year. Below is a picture of her at 6 and 18 months:


I think she still looks the same, but with more, lighter hair; she's a bit taller; and she looks more like a little girl than a baby these days. [Oh, and that shirt isn't fitting as well, either.]

my name is lucy

Lucy has directed her first video. I turned the viewfinder around so she could see what she was filming – mainly herself. She figured out how to stop and start recording. So, she really had control over the shots. [Maybe a future career at MTV?]

Bravo, Ms. Bee!



You can see the music version at her regular movie site.

story time

Lucy shares with us the story of Up and Down. Be sure to stay for the epilogue . . . I added it especially for you, Auntie Megan

pretty in pictures

Lucy Bee, self-portrait

walk on

Lucy's latest video installment* . . . enjoy.

For those of you who are interested, here is what the scrolling text at the end says:

Aww . . . Nice hugs for Mr. Bear.

This video was taken of Lucy in May of 2007.

[Yes, that is the same t-shirt she has posed in every month since birth. You may have noticed, it's starting to shrink . . . ]

*As usual, you can see the extended version w/music on Lucy's video site.

got that boogie fever

Soul Train, here she comes . . .

the pool is open

It's that time again, and this weekend was certainly a nice taste of summer. The Cousins have opened the pool and another successful pool party was enjoyed by all. [Even Cheyenne had a great time.] The triplets were having lots of fun climbing in and out of the pool. And, Lucy was happy just sitting and pouring water from the buckets. This made for lots of viewing entertainment but not much of a photo opportunity with them all together.

What a big difference from the cousin's last pool party . . . see the previous post from July 11, 2006.

a day on the farm

. . . Davis' Farmland that is. We had lots of fun with some old friends and some new friends, from a local Mom's Group. The farmland has lots of things to see and do. In the springtime, you get to see, pat, and feed all the baby animals. The baby goats and sheep [so cute] were walking around outside the pens and Lucy loved them! She even patted a baby goat on the nose.

After patting and feeding the animals, we played in a big water trough. Lucy and Sebastian loved to feel the water pour down on their hands as it flowed from one trough to the next. Nina liked to play with buckets, while Sawyer really liked splashing!

After a nice break and lunch, we went over to the toddler play area which had some big, plastic trees [among other typical playground stuff]. Lucy spent lots of time inside one of those trees, while Caroline and William climbed in and out of it.

If you'd like to know more about Davis' Farmland, you can check out their site at: http://www.davisfarmland.com/new-site/index.html. We will definitely be going back [maybe next time with the cousins (who go all the time, and were there that morning — but only for a short time)] — we had a great time and can't wait to explore more.

what does the kitty say?

Lucy has really been saying lots of words [a regular copy-cat if you will]. This is more about her cute facial expression saying the word rather than the word itself.*

*If you just can't get enough, an extended version of this video is available on her video website.

cheeky monkey

Although Lucy is nervous walking, she doesn't think twice about climbing. She sets her eyes on the prize and just goes for it . . .

[Any guesses what she was after here?]

choo choo

Lucy's friend, Sebastian, has really started walking lately. He still prefers to hold a hand, but is perfectly willing and able to go it alone [Lucy, however, will always choose to hold a hand, a wall, or some piece of furniture rather than going it solo].

Yesterday, we went to a local playground for our weekly Tuesday-outing. The kids were having a great time climbing and playing on/in the structures [hot dogs anyone?]. After a while, that got boring, and Lucy thought it would be fun to stand holding onto Sebastian's back for support. Now Sebastian has a hard enough time holding himself up without someone clinging to him, but being the rock that he is, he held them both up. And, with the help of Josette, he started a conga train with Lucy and they marched around the playground.

When I was reminiscing with Sebastian's Mom, Josette, this was what she had to say about the day:

"I told Mike [Sebastian's Dad] about Lucy hanging on to Sebastian’s shirt and our little conga train around the playground, and about Lucy hugging Sebastian while they were eating crackers. Mike reached over and touched my belly and said, 'You didn’t just make a person, you made a friend for another person!' I just laughed and said, 'Yeah, they are buddies now! It warms my heart to see them playing together and being so cuddly.'"

aww . . .

a day in the park

What's funner than a ride on a slide?
How 'bout just sitting at the bottom and banging your feet?

That's what Lucy thinks, anyway.

sheepshearing festival

Today we went to the 20th annual Sheepshearing Festival at Gore Place [in Waltham, MA]. We met our friend Max and his parents there. They had all kinds of fun animals—oxen, miniature ponies, goats, sheep, sheep-herding dogs, and even the alpaca Lucy is checking out above.

There was lots of food, activities, and entertainment for everyone. And of course, some sheep were sheared.

To find out more about the festival, check out the website: http://www.goreplace.org/sheepshearing.htm

nice mommy

Lucy is taking good care of her babies . . . she is even making the "sipping" sounds as if the baby is drinking.

Milk for everybody . . .

a day at the beach

The weather was so beautiful last weekend, that we just had to go to the beach. Lucy had a fun time playing in the sand with her brand-new beach toys. All the while, Auntie Linda was trying to bury her foot and toes with sand. ["Wiggly worms . . . "]

Then, she went for a walk down by the water [with Mommy and then with Auntie Linda]. Even though it is only April, She kept putting her feet in the surf. [brrrr]

on the move [part two]

Three days shy of 15 months, Lucy took her first solo steps. It happened so spontaneously that her Daddy and I didn't even realize it had happened at first. We were hanging out and Lucy just side-stepped [about three steps] from the couch to me. I was lying on the floor and said, "Did she just walk over here? She was not holding onto me." As soon as we realized, we broke out in a loud, joyous chorus of "Hip! Hip! Horray!" Which Lucy most enjoyed, and begged for more. We did manage to coerce her to take a few more steps to me, but that was it for the night.

Today, however, Lucy and I played a fun game where she ran from the couch to me and back again. I managed to get a few seconds on tape but filming really is a 2-man job. [Especially, where she wants to see herself in the camera (thus the crying).]



Hopefully, we'll get better footage this weekend.

i outta be in pictures

This past weekend Lucy and her cousins, Genna, Henry, and Vivi, were in their first movie together. And, not a home-movie that their parents took either — it was an educational film.

Auntie Linda and some of her colleagues filmed the kids for a communication in-service. [We really don't fully understand what that means but . . . it's something like, they show the movie to parents who want to improve communication skills with their babies/toddlers. (Right, Linda?)]

Anyhoo, they were all stars and communicated brilliantly. Linda and her crew were very accommodating, and fulfilled all the demands of the rider lists we submitted.

another screaming holiday

As you can see from the series of blogging I have done, it has become increasingly clear that Lucy is not a big fan of holidays or their traditions. [Except, perhaps, Halloween which is Mommy's favorite too].

We spent Easter weekend at Lucy's Uncle Richard's house, in upstate New York — he was kind enough to purchase this cute little bunny suit for her. Since I couldn't get her picture with the Easter Bunny, why not dress her like him instead? [It really is adorable and Lucy only cried for the 20 seconds I put on the hood for her picture.]

Anyhoo, a good time was had by all at our good-old-fashioned Easter [with ham, jelly beans, and snow].

I guess fair's fair — Lucy doesn't like Santa, why would we expect her to like the Easter Bunny?

Happy Birthday GrandMum, Mémé, GramGram, Gama, Grammy . . . !

spring has sprung?

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

It is spring, right? You'd never know it by the weather we've been having — cold temperatures and SNOW!! Fortunately, Lucy's backyard is lush, green, and cute-critter filled.

Thanks to the help of the image I found on downLoadsofts.com, [I think, created by Pixel-Artistry software] and a few other pictures I borrowed from the internet and embellished, I was able to create a nice place for Lucy's Easter egg hunt.

don't mess with the bee

Watch out, Lucy has been practicing her karate chops.

top o' the mornin'

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from the old sod!

Have bus will travel . . .

nice max

Lucy had a nice play date with Max this afternoon. She did not have a nap today and to say she was a little cranky would be an understatement. Lucy was in no mood for company or sharing. Every time Max tried to play with [or eat, as they case may have been] one of Lucy's dolls, Lucy would yell, grab it away, and slap him on the hand. She also felt that his binky was hers to take as well.

Fortunately, Max was a good sport and I think he'll be back again for another visit.
FYI: Max does not have super-huge hands — it belongs to me.

mystery of science?

Who knew that hairstyles were hereditary? Clearly, Lucy has inherited this beautiful hairstyle as a result of her Auntie Linda's prep work back in 1989. Could it be true that Aqua Net® is transferred genetically?

Either way, to quote Scuttle from The Little Mermaid, "[it's] an esthetically pleasing configuration of hair."

sharing new toys

Lucy and Sebastian had a fun day playing with Lucy's toys — especially, the Fisher-Price farm and school bus that Lucy received for her birthday. Even with these cool toys, the big favorite was the ribbon that came on the package — who knew it made such great toy? [We found that it makes great stuffing for the silo too.] Thank you, Auntie Megan!

Then, when they got bored with that, they plotted their big jail break.
Attica . . . Attica . . .

where are baby's eyes?

Lucy has been practicing and is getting very good at identifying the different body parts.

Good thing this isn't a real baby.

slumber party

We went on an over-night at the cousins'. Lucy had lots of fun with them all. Here are Vivi, Genna, and Lucy all ready for bed.

winter wonderland

Valentine's Day brought quite the snow storm — we got about 4" of snow and ice. It finally warmed up enough today to go out and use the new sled Santa brought Lucy for Christmas. Mommy and Daddy were very excited about sledding and enjoyed themselves immensely — Lucy, not so much.

look who turned one

Lucy celebrated her first birthday with all her friends and family. Here are a few of the attendees [Lucy (the birthday girl), Genna, Vivi, Henry, and Sebastian].

A good time was had by all . . .

it's my party

Apparently, Lucy is not such a big fan of cake . . . good thing Henry likes it.

old friends

Lucy had a play-date with her friend Elizabeth. They haven't seen each other since May, and really enjoyed their time together today. Elizabeth is only 5 months older than Lucy, so I am sure they'll grow up to be fast friends. As you can see, Lucy is already planning on how to do Elizabeth's beautiful red hair.

Lucy's and Elizabeth's Mommys have known each other since they were 4 and 3 years old.

merry christmas

Despite Lucy disobeying Santa's song by pouting and crying [well, screaming was really more like it], he still came to town, and was very good to her.

Hope Santa was good to you too!

party with the cousins

Lucy loves this standing business. As you can see, her true Irish side is showing — they all look like they are bellied-up to the bar having a chat and a cookie.

Vivi, Lucy, and Henry are having great craic at Grampy's.

evil santa?

No wonder the triplets are upset — just look at this guy!

not yet?

Only 5 more days, Lucy.

ho ho oh no

After waiting in line for well over 1.5 hours at the Burlington Mall to see the real Santa [not just one of his helpers like at the other malls], Lucy finally got to sit on Santa's lap. Lucy screamed for the whole 8 seconds she was on his lap — for this, Santa rewarded her with a candy cane.

Poor little Lucy — maybe a smile next year . . .

Happy Birthday, Claire Mary McGowan!

no batteries required

We have a new angel for the top of our Christmas tree.

Energy-efficient and cute to boot!

20 more days . . .

Lucy is getting excited for Christmas. Today she hung her ornament on her very first Christmas tree.

babies are cute

Lucy had a nice visit from her friend, Max [and his Mom]. Although Max is only 5 weeks old, Lucy loved talking to him and would squeal and laugh when he cooed. She also liked looking at him and kept trying to touch his face [easy].

Lucy did get a little territorial when Mommy held him too long.