Pacing Ourselves

There have beens several times in my life when the pace of everything shifted and it always takes some getting used to. Usually things get noticeably busier and you realize how frantic life feels. But not this time. This time our pace has gotten noticeably slower. Slow and quiet and simple. Some days it makes me feel a little crazy - deciding between a walk or a play gym seems a little too simple - but it is nice too. Lucy and I have time to walk slowly and chat over lunch. And Lucy seems to be finding a little zen in her personality too. She is infamous for not even liking t.v. because it forces her to stop moving, but lately I find her curling up with the ipad for mini chill sessions.

Meg's Baby Shower

Per tradition (okay, we have done it once before) the sisters showed up for surprise baby shower festivities. My sister Megan is having a baby boy so I flew out to Utah with Katie and Lucy to surprise her. We ended up sending Lucy to door to knock and it was a surprise hit. The weekend was a lot of fun celebrating the cuteness that will be Meg's little boy.

Christmas Tree Trickery

I looked so innocent all wrapped up. And nine feet didn't really sound that tall. But it is. And moving a Christmas tree from room to room to find a place it will fit is a messy endeavor. And our limited years of ornament collecting didn't make much of a dent in the tree. But we love it. Its smells amazing and frequently I will find Lucy standing and staring at it all wide-eyed. What could be better.

Grilled Cheese Grill

Grilled cheese sandwiches. On a bus. With a bunch of kids. And impromptu dancing/jumping. Lucy was in heaven over this lunch outing!

The unmentionable subject

I have promised myself for a long time that evidences of potty training would not be included in this blog. No pictures of cute babies sitting on toilets, no bare bums, no "opps" faces. But here I am, unable to post new entries until my thanksgiving pictures are dealt with, and the cutest picture I have of Lucy is of her sitting on a plastic bag. So there you have it. Thanksgiving and potty training. All in one post. And please note that when a loving yet idealistic grandma comes in to town and says that it will be "fun" to potty train and all it takes are cute panties, don't listen.

Planes and Trains

Thanks to a nice visit from grandma and Britt, Lucy got her fill of planes and trains this week.

Super Thankful

I'm thankful for my superbaby and her superdad.

Urban versus Suburban Walking

Lucy and I go for a lot of walks these days. They are slow and filled with finding sticks and listening for noises. Gone are the days when walking was a form of exercise, but we love them. Luckily Lucy's favorite stand-in siblings (these three are so cute with Lucy, they take care of her and tease her and teach her and are just the perfect equivalent of dreamy siblings) like to explore on downtown treks so we get out of our neighborhood walking rut. Downtown is fun because there is always new noises and spontaneous parks and delicious food to be had.

And then there are mornings when Lucy wakes up asking for a walk and we don't even bother getting out of our pajamas, figuring that enough layers will cover up our grave fashion faux pa. The suburbs are fun because it is quiet and the leaves are uncrunched and people let you pet their dogs.


This is what we came home with this morning. We have been in a decorating mood lately and all that was missing was a little craftyness from Lucy.

Lucy Bug

Halloween still has Lucy in its grasp. . .

Cute Friends

I am so lucky that some of the coolest people I know happen to come with really cool babies too! And they call my own baby things like "plucky", which makes me day. Plucky: marked by courage, spirit, and determination in the face of difficulties or danger. Today we had a fun day looking for the best leaves, eating snacks, reading books, and enjoying a dance party.

Warning: Do not watch video clip if you are one of those people that can't focus on anything but the urge to pull up a kids' sagging pants when you see it.

Snack-time

Welcoming the quintessential pretend play experience.

Come on a walk with us

"I no lika worms"

Puddles

"Brrr"

Halloween Ate My Daughter

We bought some costumes on sale after Halloween to fill up Lucy's dress-up box and she is over the moon. She keeps trying on piece after piece and has settled on this number as her favorite.

Halloween

Lucy loved Halloween. She loved dressing up (I suspect she will be sporting the zebra look for a good portion of November) and she loved that people just handed her candy (and mom didn't say no). She loved trick or treating with her school best-y, Jack, and we are all glad that nature didn't run its course and the lion and zebra remained cordial.