Manito Park

The first week we were in Spokane (a few weeks ago) we went to Manito Park to play with the ducks and see the beautiful gardens. I was sad because nothing was blooming yet, however we did find the greenhouse and had a lot of fun in there! We got some interesting pictures because the camera fogged up, but it kind of gave them an artistic feel. In fact this is where I first started wanting to become a photographer. I realized how much I loved taking random pictures of flowers, while David was wondering if I would ever turn off the camera and just enjoy the scenary! The other problem with being a photographer is i also love the spotlight and always want to be in the pictures... so I don't know how we will work that out! Anyway, if you are ever in Spokane it is a beautiful place and worth a little trip!
Foggy camera lens creating an interesting and somewhat artistic effect.


Still a little foggy, but wearing off. I am proud of these two artistic baby hand shots.


I can't decide which one I like better. This one is so vibrant, but the other is so majestic!


These were my favorite flower. They are called lollipop flowers (And that is exactly what Lucy wanted to do with them !)


These are just the most gorgeous flowers ever.

This is just a cute shot of Lucy and Dave to show off how incredible the greenhouse was.


I guess I have never really been in a greenhouse before, but it sure seemed incredibly beautiful and majestic to me. I felt like I was living in Fern Gully or Fablehaven or something...and fairies would pop out any moment!


My other favorite flower...the Kaphir Lily.


...and i couldn't leave out the awesome duck pond...except, Lucy hated it! When I took her close to the ducks and scared them all, she just started crying. I was very shocked by her response. I think it was too close to nap time, because a week later I showed her more ducks and she was very interested and didn't cry. I was very glad for this reassurance because one of my favorite things to do is scare birds and I didn't know what I was going to do if my child would never want to do it with me!

We are Famous!

The picture at the top of this page with me and David old fashion style, we took on our Honeymoon when we were in Leavenworth, a little Bavarian town in the mountains a few hours from Spokane. That was almost 3 years ago and I haven't thought too much about it since. Recently, someone that knows David's family went to Leavenworth and happened to go in the studio and saw that this picture was now one of the huge blown up portraits on the wall. I guess we were always meant to be famous! I was really excited to hear this because I love being creative with pictures and thought of doing this pose instead of your classic straight face, stand by each other and wear old fashioned clothes. I guess the people at the studio appreciated our lively approach to old fashioned pictures! When I was a kid, I always wanted to be one of the pictures on the wall at studios and wondered how they were chosen. Of course, I also wanted to be a movie star, on the cover of magazines modeling, and basically anything else that everybody would see! Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that my dreams finally came true and I am the star of something (even if it is just a tiny studio in a tiny town!). Hopefully, someday we can go back to the studio and claim our fame!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Yesterday Lucy started clapping on command. I asked her "Lucy can you clap for Lani?" and she did it. I didn't even clap to show her what I was talking about. Thinking it was just a coincidence, I asked her again and it worked. After trying it multiple times on multiple people that evening, I concluded that she knows what is going on and definitely knows what "clap" means! She is just loving the attention she gets from it!

Here are the highlights of the video we did of Lucy last week:

Watch Lucy Learn to Clap:



Ever seen the lizards that run on water? We think Lucy takes a close second!
Don't Miss Lucy's Lizard Run:



Find out who wins the battle in "Lucy v.s. The Bug":



You just have to Love David's commentary on that one or maybe I just love it because I'm in love with the guy!

Check back soon for exclusive pictures of David's Rebel Facial Hair!

What Spice are you?

I got this fun personality test from Renee's blog. (Thanks Renee!) I thought it was fun. Here were my results: You Are Cumin

You are warm, unique, and pretty dominant. It's also pretty likely that you smoke or like fire. You are energetic and intense. You definitely stimulate people.

What Spice Are You?

I was happy to be Cumin because it is one of my favorite spices (other than cinnamon) and I put it in everything! Except, I definitely don't smoke! Whatever! I thought this was cute! Try it out if you have a minute! It is a very quick one, only about 5 questions. If you do try it, please leave a comment telling me what you were. I am very curious to hear what all of you are!

Pool Adventures

First off, I just thought I would mention...It is April 15th! Yeah! In my family this is pretty much another holiday! My Dad being a CPA, we always looked forward to this day (well really the day after I guess) with much anticipation. Starting in January Dad gets busy and that last month pretty much feels like he is on a business trip with the amount of time we see him. Although, I don't live at home anymore and fully experience this, I still can't help being happy about it. So, I will shout to my family, and all of you, but especially my wonderful and extremely hard working father: HAPPY APRIL 15th!!!!!

And now on to more Pendergrass adventures! On Saturday we went Yard Saling! Yeah! That is one of our favorite past times! It made me feel like summer is here! We got some great exercise equipment for David's Home Studio we are hoping to create. We calculated some of the money we saved and it was a lot! We got a set of weights for $5 that would cost over $40 dollars in the store! After our yard sale adventures, I was in the mood to buy (which is a very rare occurence!) It was warm out and having read that it would be 80 degrees on Monday, I really wanted a little baby pool! So we got one at K-mart! Check out the fun we had!Lucy and Aunt Lani (she was just getting ready to head to the pool herself), getting ready for fun, while David blows up the pool and I fill it with water.



I test the water , as our neighbor kids see us in the backyard and begin to congregate. They can never resist the Pendergrass activities. In their eyes we are just big kids with a baby. Sometimes they come over and ask where David is. When I tell them he is at work they usually say something like "our Dad is at work" and then look at me like "oh yeah, David is an adult, huh?" They were so excited about putting Lucy in the pool! They kept saying "I have just gotta see this!" By time we were ready to put Lucy in the water, we had five little ones around chanting "Lucy, Lucy." I love how uninhibited children are. I always wonder at what point they stop just running out to meet new people and adventures and think, "I can't talk to those people. I don't know them." Although every now and then I crave a private moment in my backyard, I really find the children in our neighborhood refreshing and there love for Lucy always touches me. Earlier Monday they brought there friend over and knocked on my door just to introduce him to Lucy. You have to love that!

Lucy is feeling rather unsure about things...


We test the water and...
Mom! Get me out of this stupid thing!


Okay, so it was a good idea and we had a lot of fun getting ready, but when it came down to it, this was not Lucy's ideal afternoon. I really can't blame the poor girl. What Mom would fill the pool up with freezing hose water and then expect her baby to like it. I think I have to give props to Lucy for even testing it out and waiting about 15 seconds before crying. It looks like next time I will be carrying warm buckets of water from the bath tub to the baby pool!

Of course her fun Daddy was able to cheer her up after her freezing experience.


Clapping for joy on what felt like a good summer day!

One Squash, Two Squash, Red Squash, Blue Squash

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS TOO MUCH MOM DOTING ON CHILD! DO NOT READ FURTHER IF OBSESSED MOTHERS DRIVE YOU NUTS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!


That being said: Our life has changed dramatically this week. Not only did Lucy start eating really messy food on Friday, she started rolling a few times in a row on Saturday and by Sunday, I watched her roll from the dining room to the other side of the living room and then get stuck at the couch. This means more baths and baby-proofing is going on at the Pendergrass Home!

Friday we fed Lucy Squash for the first time. This was her first real food other than yucky baby cereal. She liked it a lot better, but still wouldn't open up unless she got to hold the spoon!

What a mess I thought...Until the second time we fed her squash...


And she got it in her eyebrows, eyelashes, nose and now I can't tell if it is earwax or squash in her ears! (This picture makes me think of the little girl who had a littl curl right in the middle of her forehead, except Lucy's is more like a jagged little kink than a curl!) Lucy just thinks eating is a game and that she is supposed to keep her mouth closed while trying to attack what Mom is about to put in her mouth. Something I read said that sometimes it helps them to eat their food if you put a little dab on the tray and let them play with it. That way it is not so foreign when you put it in their mouth. When I told David that was why she was such a mess he asked "Who came up with that advice...Carpet Cleaners!"

So that means more baths for the both of us! She is so squirmy I find it easier to just get in with her, with my splash guard shower cap of course!

I love this close up of her. I thought it was such a sweet look, until you look up close and can still see orange tinted eyebrows and nose from the squash!


Happy Clean baby with a cute new "do" that Grandma Jen did!


Pensive little Lucy...She is probably just dreaming of her next squash experience or maybe she is wondering why we always make weird noises and hold the camera in her face!


Lucy just giving Grandma the look over!


Grandma Jen took Lucy shopping for groceries on Tuesday, so that I could go do some errands. This was Lucy's first outing without her Mom! It felt very weird and good at the same time! Someone at the store thought Grandma was Lucy's Mom and there was no way Grandma was going to correct her! What a wonderful and youthful Grandma! Way to go Mom!

CALLING ALL LUCY FANS: Lucy fans stay tuned for a good helping of what Lucy is like these days:

Well, Lucy has developed quite a few skills this week! Every time I turn around I think "When did she learn that!" I mentioned earlier that on Sunday she rolled across the whole room and that is all she has wanted to do since! I am still getting used to leaving the room and coming back with her somewhere else far away! She is starting to scoot on her tummy a little. She gets to her tummy sometimes and then turns around directions and then keeps rolling.

She has also gotten really good at using her sippy cup. I still let her have lots of drinks from regular cups when I am there to help. She REALLY LOVES WATER! She gets sooooo excited when she hears the fridge pouring out water noise. Even when I ask if she wants water she starts wiggling excitedly! Although I am so proud of Lucy for really knowing who she is and what she wants, sometimes I wish she wasn't so particular. She won't drink milk from her sippy cup, only water or juice. She knows that cups are not where the milk is supposed to come from and so whithersoever I goest, Lucy shall go also!


Other skills Lucy has developed this week include waving "bye bye" and clapping. Sometimes she waves bye bye, sometimes she doesn't. I was thrilled when she waved bye bye to her Great Grandpa Russell this weekend! Usually if we start clapping Lucy will clap also. It is so fun to play copy cat! She has also gotten really good at walking while holding our hands. This morning she just wanted to walk really fast back and forth across the room a million times! Her finger dexterity is improving as well. She picked up a cheerio (from my breakfast) with her thumb and finger. It took her a lot of work to do it! She kept grabbing the cheerio in her whole hand and then it would disappear in her hand and she would have to drop it and try again, but I was very proud when she finally got it in her fingers.

The last important milestone to document is Lucy's sign language. I started teaching Lucy the sign for milk when she was about 5 1/2 months old. Although there were times I thought she was doing the sign a few weeks ago, we finally got a good solid confirmation that she knows what she is doing. The other morning while playing with her Daddy she started to get fussy. David didn't know what was wrong until he looked at her hand motioning vigorously for milk. When he brought her to me, she definitely did want milk! We were so excited and proud of her! It was nice to know that my efforts were actually working and not just silly motions that I do all day long!

Anyway, If you read this whole post...Kudos to you! Now you know the lowdown on Lucy!

Big adventures with Small miracles

My Mom and Sister, Heidi, decided to come for a visit last minute! What a wonderful surprise! Lani (other sister), Lucy and I picked them up from the airport at 1:00 on Saturday. They were hoping to catch a live session of conference. I was very doubtful at this point without having tickets, but in the past we always managed to get some and my Mom was being very optimistic and that kind of spirit is just contagious! So we decided to give it a shot! We quickly drove to the conference center. We dropped Lani and Heidi off on a corner to beg people for extra tickets while Mom and I looked for parking. We tried to park in the conference parking without tickets, the guy asked if we had tickets and I replied "No we don't have any, but we are hoping to get some. Where would the best place to park without tickets be?" He smiled and answered "We will just pretend you have them" and let us drive ahead. I LOVE PEOPLE LIKE THAT! We get the call from Lani that they had found tickets from the first person they talked to. MIRACLES ALL OVER THE PLACE! Mom changed into her church clothes in the car, while Heidi just slipped her skirt on over her pants outside. Lani calls from outside the conference center and says "Everyone is running, I don't know why. You guys should probably hurry!" At 1:45 we start running to the conference center! I told my Mom to run ahead because I wasn't planning on attending (as I had Lucy with me) and I was really slowing things down with Lucy in her carrier, the diaper bag and blanket bag over my shoulders, plus a little basket to take pictures of Lucy in! (Ever looking for the perfect photography moment!) They made it! Yeah! What a typical Poppleton adventure! It all seemed crazy and like it would never work, yet it just did! I looked around for a good place to watch conference. In the past we just sat outside and listened, but it was cold and windy so I ducked into The Joseph Smith Research Building. After unpacking Lucy's gear and letting her roll around on the floor, the fire alarm went off! The message starts blasting "Please evacuate the building. This is an emergency." Hoping it was a false alarm, I was purposely moving slowly, until nice people saw the lone mother with a baby and ran to help me carry piles of stuff, because I ridiculously carry around photography props wherever I go(I didn't bring the stroller to leave room for my family's suitcases, although they packed so light I am sure we could have fit it all in!). ANOTHER MIRACLE! When we get outside I see the perfect setting for my latest photo sesh! Feeling like the fire alarm was meant to be just so I could evacuate and find this little piece of heaven, they tell everyone we can come back in the building. I declined an offer for help back inside from the nice man who had helped me out, explaining my upcoming photo shoot.

After I have just about got everything ready except for the subject, Lucy, in the prop, basket, an old gentleman walk by an says "let me help you," before I could decline, he had picked up my basket and diaper bag for me. I just couldn't crush his noble spirit and so I let him accompany me back into the building, secretly planning how I would sneakily escape back to my photo shoot. (Here was the spot I was standing when everyone kept asking me if they could help me. You just have to love Mormons at Conference! Note the sheer enjoyment on my face. This picture was too funny not to include!)

While trying to sneak back out I ran into a very kind woman in a wheel chair. She was just thrilled to meet Lucy and asked if she could hold her. She told me about her grandchildren and how she loved to sing "I am a Child of God" to them. I asked her if she would be so kind as to sing it to Lucy. Delighted, the cute woman sang the song to Lucy. It brought tears to my eyes to see such a sweet scene, and reflect on the power that song holds. Lucy truly is a little child of God and it is my precious job to lead her. I love people that notice the small miracles in life, and this woman truly recognized what a miracle children are. She hugged Lucy goodbye and I could see true joy in her eyes to hold a dear precious little child of God.

Little Child Of God

By this time conference was out so we looked for the family. We hooked up and then took adorable pictures of Lucy. She was very very exhausted, but still managed to give a few cute looks. Here is what we came up with:

Picking the Posies

Trying harder to pick the posies

I love this "not so thrilled" look with what she finally got after all that hard work to pick them

The people walking by were hilarious! Everyone was pointing and awing at Lucy. "Look at that little baby in the flowers" amidst other cries of "poor kid." Anyway we really created quite a scene!

The adventure wasn't over, as we headed up to Logan to visit Grandma Anna and Grandpa Russell. We watched conference with them on Sunday and then headed back to Provo. While passing through Draper, My Mom and I reminisced about a wedding reception we had gone too there up on the mountain somewhere. We both agreed it was the most beautiful house we had ever seen. Lani said "I want to see it" and then we were off on another adventure.

Miraculously, we found the house without instructions, just another typical Poppleton adventure! This time a new house was built a little higher on the hill that outdid our favorite house. For your enjoyment I thought I would give you a little preview of my future home that we will be building on the coast in Southern California:

Here is the right side of the house...

...And here is the left side! Yes both pictures are of the front of the same house!

Okay, this house is probably a little big for me, even in my dream land, but it was still too incredibly gorgeous not too share!

Here is the original house we were looking for:This house looks a little nicer than the first one because is has landscape, but you can just imagine what it will look like when it gets some landscaping too. I just love Cinderella spires. I just flip over them! Why? I guess at heart I just think my life is one big fairytale, full of small miracles like Lucy every day!

Little Ham

When Lucy was about 3 months someone asked me what I did when I was bored. I thought about it for a second and then answered that since Lucy was born I didn't feel like I had ever had a moment when I was bored. I was either taking care of her, or racing to get something done as soon as she fell asleep or sleeping myself! I am happy to say that on Saturday I finally felt bored and had to think of something to do. David was at a 10 hour CPR and First Aid course so it was just me and Lucy. As you can see we did a photo shoot! I think Lucy is actually learning to smile for the camera, because she wasn't exactly happy before I got it out and then she just got into a slap happy mood. She is really turning into quite the Little Ham! Anyway, I am glad to have figured out that one of my hobbies and favorite things to do when I am bored is take pictures of Lucy. It might sound pathetic, but Lucy loves it because I get really silly trying to make her laugh (so it is actually quality time) and then she has fun and we get some memories to keep forever! If there is one piece of advice I can give to soon to be parents it is: invest in a good camera!






"Hey guys don't laugh at me! I really am falling over."

"Just hug me already"
Little Angel.
"Whatever, Mom..."


Sunday night, Lani (my sister) and I did more photo shoots of Lucy because we put a cute little barrette in her hair and thought she looked really funny. I love hanging out with Lani because she is silly and loves to play with Lucy. She has great ideas for fun and enjoys taking pictures with Lucy and adoring them afterwards with me. One of the Neighborhood Mom's told me the other day that she asked her 5 year old daughter "I wonder what Lani is studying in school" and her daughter replied "I know she is studying how to have fun, because she is so much fun!" I thought that was adorable and totally just summed up what a wonderful person Lani is! She wasn't that far off because Lani is studying Elementary Education!
A little out of order, these pictures were from Saturday morning. I love them because she has such beautiful expressions , coupled by a "i just woke up" kind of look!

Okay, Okay, April Fools!

Okay, April Fools! No, I am not pregnant! David and I were just getting totally silly and carried away last night, after playing a million stupid jokes on each other, I just got out of hand and posted this April Fools Joke. I am really sorry if this played with anyone's emotions too strongly. I usually don't like jokes that play with emotions! I just thought it would be funny. Thanks for indulging me. As for the picture, I have always been able to stick it out pretty well and with a little back arch, plus a hand on top anyone can look a little pregnant! You all really helped my self esteem a lot by believing me, because the other night we were playing "Mafia" with some friends and I was dubbed the worst liar in the group. As soon as everyone opened their eyes they just knew if I was the killer. I always thought I was a good actress, but apparently I was a little out of practice! Thanks for helping me feel like I still have a few skills left!

That being said, who invented April Fools? It is definitely my favorite holiday ever! I have awesome memories of really really wild stories my Dad used to tell on April fools. One of my favorite stories included him getting stuck in quick sand on the way home from work. As a seven year old kid, I was on the edge of my seat asking "Daddy, how did you ever get out?"when we would realize it was April Fools and all join in chorus "April Fools!" Now at our house, David and I take it very seriously. In fact we play jokes on each other all April long and say April fools. Our first April fools David tied a rubber band on our water squirter on the sink and then asked me if I would get him a drink of water from the tap. I knew something was up because he usually just does things himself and he usually drinks water from the refrigerator, but I looked around and didn't see anything so he still got me! I was mad because it was actually 20 minutes until midnight on March 31 and I didn't think that was fair. Then being ruthless, I put Cool Aid powder on his towel so that when he got out of the shower the next morning he would put it on his skin and turn blue. I felt bad when he wiped his face first and got it in his eyes. I also put a bunch of pudding in his shoes, but after the towel episode he was too smart and checked his shoes.

Anyway, A very happy April to all of you! Please have some fun and play a joke on someone this month!

New News

Well, I just can't hold out any longer. I know it sounds crazy and you will probably be wondering what we were doing with a 4 month old child and not using Birth Control, (I really have no good excuse, I can't even say that I thought breastfeeding worked like BC because I have heard enough stories about it not working to know better!)but the exciting news is that I am pregnant... again! I am almost eleven weeks and couldn't hold out any longer. Last time I waited a lot longer before telling anyone, but this time I just feel silly not sharing my pain. Especially because I am definitely showing a lot earlier this time and I am paranoid that everyone is just thinking I am gaining weight. Last time I didn't start buying maternity clothes until 22 weeks! This time I am already feeling a little snug in my pants! I guess Lucy got me all stretched out. Luckily the morning sickness hasn't been quite as bad this time around. Last time I was down and out from about 6 weeks to 18 weeks. Of course, the first trimester isn't over so I will keep my fingers crossed! I am due November 19. Although, I know it is going to be crazy having my little ones so close together, I am excited have a growing family and hope having them so close will be worth it when they are the best of friends!
Here I am with my little 11 week belly. Last time I did a terrible job taking belly pictures at different stages, so I am trying to do better this time!