cousins' visit

We had a fun visit with Vivi and Henry yesterday [Genna opted to stay home and rake leaves with Daddy]. Lucy was a very gracious host and shared her baby sister with her cousins.

The last time they visited Lucy was very protective and would not let them near Beatrice. She went into karate mode stiff arming and kicking them away.

Thank you, Kristen, for the big girl outfit.

slide, slide, slide

We have been trying to get Lucy to go down the slide all summer long. For whatever reason, she had no interest in it. Until . . . this week.

Maybe she was waiting for the right time? Maybe she was showing off for her little sister? Who knows. Anyhoo, she finally went down the slide and LOVED it! She went down every slide in the playground - big and small.

Grampy took her a few days later and she was just as interested in the slide. Grampy had his new camera and got lots of cute pictures of Lucy and her new found love.

big sister

Lucy finally met her little sister, Trixie.

She loves to hold her, kiss her, and help out as much as she can.

Lucy is a great big sister!!

new edition

I'd like to introduce . . .

Beatrice Grace "Trixie"
October 31, 2008
6:00 pm
7lb 13oz
21"

sincere pumpkin patch

We took Lucy to our favorite "pumpkin patch" to choose our jack-o-lantern pumpkins. This year, we were lucky enough to meet up with Sebastian. The kids had a great time picking out pumpkins, showing each other the good ones, pulling the pumpkins around in wagons, and having their own wagon rides.

We went home with pumpkins for everyone [including Baby Boo] and an extra bonus one for Lucy. Now to get carving . . .

fall festivities

It's that time again, and we went apple picking with lots of Lucy's friends.

We tried a new place this year. I didn't think a tractor ride was the best idea for a 35 week pregnant woman, so we chose an orchard with an optional hay ride. This place did not disappoint - a short walk to the orchards, plenty of apple varieties, barn animals, pumpkin patch, tractor to sit on, hay ride, and snacks - cider, caramel apples, doughnuts, and hot dogs. [What more could you ask for?]

Upon arrival, we loaded up Lucy's red wagon with snacks, jackets, bags, and a the occasional kid and headed into the orchard. The apples had suffered a little hail damage this summer but were still juicy and delicious. Nothing beats a just-picked apple!

A good time was had by all and I was happy to get my cider doughnuts – which I had been craving all summer [I guess that's to be expected being pregnant with a fall baby.]

first concert

We took Lucy to see her first concert today - the Alphabet Rockers.

They were pretty good. We liked the songs but thought there was a bit too much banter/audience participation between them. Lucy would just be getting into the music - start clapping and dancing - when the song would end and more chatter begin. She'd then start to lose interest until the next song started - poor girl just wanted to get her dance on.

I understand what they were trying to do, seeing that the average age of the audience was 3 and attention spans are short, but I think the kids would have been fine with a string of a few songs before the next group activity.

It was fun to watch all the little kids getting into the music and join in with the audience participation sections. But I must admit, most of the parents were driving me nuts. [I think that many of them just forgot that they were in a place with tons of other little kids and their parents.]

All-in-all, we had a great time and we'll be sure to attend more concerts in the future.

If you're interested in the Alphabet Rockers, here's the link http://www.alphabetrockers.com/.

kitchen help

Lucy helped me make calzones for dinner last night. She had a great time rolling the pizza dough and shaping it into snowmen and Santa Claus. Then I showed her how to make a winter scene by sprinkling the flour down over her hands and the sculptures.



Something makes me think I'll be cleaning up flour for a while . . .

the kitchen according to lucy

I gave Lucy my digital camera and let her go wild throughout the house. I must admit I am pretty impressed with some of the shots she got.

Here they are - just as she took them - w/no cropping or Photoshop manipulation.





a few more kitchen pictures then on to other parts of the house . . .

the rest of the house

Here are a few more pictures that Lucy took in the kitchen and in the rest of the house.

30 months

If you can believe it, Lucy is now 2 1/2 years old. We decided it was a pretty good reason to celebrate . . .
3 cheers for being 2 1/2 — let's raise the roof . . . Hip! Hip! Hooray!
Yep, same shirt.

airport's family day

The web post read, "Airport's Family Day promises planes, trucks, fun for a good cause" and it sure was!

Lucy had a great time with her cousins – she watched them jump around in the bouncy castles, she watched them climb on planes – and, finally joined them inside some of the biggest trucks!




Auntie Linda and Uncle Pfisch sure know how to show us a good time – thanks for a fun day!

Happy Birthday, Freddy!!

jump around birthday

Sawyer had his 3rd birthday party Pump It Up [the inflatable party zone]. It was basically a room full of different types of bouncy castles and slides. It looked like lots of fun and I couldn't wait to jump around w/Lucy and the kids. Lucy, however, preferred to ride around in the red, plastic, Little Tykes car.

After about an hour of jumping around [or sitting in the car as the case may be] it was time for cupcakes and ice cream. Lucy chose the seat right next to the birthday boy.

Then after the party, Lucy got to spend some quality time with her favorite baby, Hannah, while Sawyer took a nap. [I think Hannah might like Lucy too.]

For those of you who are interested here's the link for Pump it up - http://www.pumpitupparty.com [They have an adult room too!!]

beautiful spring day

Today was such a beautiful day that we decided to visit a playground.


Lucy loved running through the playground, swinging high up in the air, and playing on the bouncy-frog. After playing, we took a little walk along the river and "duck-hunted."

Really, we just looked for ducks – there were no guns involved.

sheepshearing festival revisited

We went to the Sheepshearing festival at Gore Place again this year. This time we rolled w/a much larger crew. Lucy met up with her cousins, Genna, and Vivi; as well as Max and Sebastian [and all their parents too]



Lucy really enjoyed watching the sheep shearing demonstrations, patting the bunnies, and she loved the big horses. She spent a bit of time listening to the the folk band that was playing some good ole Irish tunes. [Sebastian is still her favorite dance partner.]

Even though all the stuff was fun, I think everyone's favorite part was the kettle corn.

Happy Birthday, Sebastian!!

big sister practice

Lucy is going to be a big sister in October, so she has been practicing.

First, she "watched" Max while the adults were eating dinner. Then, she showed him the ropes around the microwave and puzzles.

A few days later, she went to visit baby Hannah while she was still brand new and in the hospital. She was very gentle with her and loved holding and feeding her.

I know Lucy will make a great big sister!

lucy and sebastian [bffs]

Lucy and Sebastian have had a lot of playtime together lately. First at Sebastian's house, then at Lucy's [where he stayed while his parents were out]. They were both showing off their dimples [though, Lucy's are not quite as obvious as Sebastian's].

If the pictures aren't cute enough, here's a little video of them in action [They had a great time playing with Lucy's vacuum cleaner and other toys while looping around the first floor, each at his/her own pace . . .

happy easter

We spent Easter at Lucy's Uncle Richard's house. Thankfully, this year, there were no bunny suits to be had. Just a pretty little dress that Lucy's Auntie Megan bought for her to wear.

Oh, and lots of candy-filled eggs to hunt. ["More eggs."]

another old friend

Lucy had a play-date with her friend, Gaby, today. Lucy had a great time filling Gaby's pockets with plastic cutlery and helping her "cook" in the microwave. Gaby was a good sport and went along with all of Lucy's antics.

Hopefully, we'll see Gaby again soon!

Lucy's and Gaby's Mommys have known each other since grammar school.

grampy's favorite

Lucy sings and dances w/Evelyn to one of Grampy's favorite songs . . .