Working Hard

Once Mike took my sisters and I camping and after us girls took a stroll to a nearby waterfall, Mike had the fire going, tents up, food cooking, and stories ready to spin. We decided we loved camping.

Once Mike was carrying at least seven bags of groceries into the house and awkwardly clinging to a spoon from our Dairy Queen treats. I looked at my empty hands and promptly offered to carry the spoon.

Once (okay, yesterday) Mike power washed our entire house and when he suggested my sister and I mow the lawn we spent at least 30 minutes staring at the machine before we bravely attempted a line down the middle of the yard.

Once Mike married a girl with a sometimes spotty work ethic, but luckily she married a man with patience enough to let her slowly progress and strength enough do it alone with she is not much help.

Don't you think he deserves a little bit of this after all that work?

Laundry Day

16 Months

One year ago, sporting the same look...

It was so much easier then...

Our sixteenth month is all about the precious dichotomy between crazy and delightful. We are running all over the place after this little one and delighted when the moments align that we catch up to her and can regain our breath and take in all the coolness that she is.

All in 10 Seconds' Time

And in the following order, none the less. . .

Mom and Britt Visit

Have I mentioned how lucky Lucy is to have such a wealth of cool aunts and uncles and grandparents to dote on her? And lets not neglect to mention what I get out of the deal as well. When Britt visits she is the practical aunt - dirty diapers, baths, dressings, feedings, diaper bags, she is all over it! And my mom does my laundry and tells me to stay late at work or go shopping and take myself to lunch on my way home. Plus they took video. Why have I not been taking video, I can't get Lucy to sit still for pictures so I really should be embracing the moving picture form.

Lucy loves dipping things and eating the sauce. She can do it for a whole meal. A meal of ranch dressing - awesome!

I love this face - sometimes she looks at me like this and I think how fun our teenage years are going to be.

Mike thinks this picture makes it look like I am just slow. For the record I can actually run faster than Lucy. Not by much, but it had to be said.

She refused to use the stairs to get back up and, of course, we indulged her.

She loves the slide.

Like Mother Like Great Granddaughter

Mom and me

Grandma and Mom

Mom and Me

Great Grandma, Grandma, and Mom

Mike's Mom and Mike

I was talking with my mom today, wishing her a happy mother's day, when I started to see that so many of the traits that make up Lucy have genesis with my mom. She embodies strength and independence and sensitivity and these are clearly traits that Lucy is developing. I wonder too about my mom's mom and how her own classiness and charm have seeped down to my daughter. She is lucky for that. My grandma is really something. And I am so proud that the capableness and wisdom and kindness from Mike's mom are also part of Lucy. I'm grateful today for a chain for women who have traits I feel so proud to see become part of my little girl. I'm grateful for a chain of women who made mothering a priority.

Easter

After a few practice sessions during the week, Lucy was a pro at finding eggs Easter morning:

Easter dinner at Katie's:

Run for Risa

Letting Lucy stretch her legs before the race.

It was mom's first 5k.

Katie taking it very serious.

Mom and Britt were so awesome to take Lucy with them so we could run a little faster.

My relationship with running has been incredibly dynamic and defining for me over the years. During my school years I used to run my required mile praying to find a dropped straw which was the marker for a lap completed. I hated the mile. Then in high school I got in better shape but I always turn red when I work out hard and felt embarrassed to run hard and suffer the red spots on my face during the next class period. In college I met one of those people who you feel like you have known forever and we started running together, gabbing and pushing each other. We ran 5ks. We were slow but we had fun. When I met Mike I was trying to get back in to shape and we got married and ran together at the gym. We each got up to 9 mile runs and it was a great part of our relationship. Then enters Lucy and I am so out of shape. But we are starting to feel committed again and even setting some big goals for running. This 5k was a fun tiny step on our pending running journey.