Salt Lake City

...And when I say Salt Lake City, I mean lots of Salt Lake City! Last week we traveled there 5 times! For people like me and Dave who think a trip to Wal Mart is a road trip, that is a lot of driving. It has just taken a lot of State stuff to get our Visas for Korea. First we had to both get criminal background checks, take those to the state capitol to get the Lt. Governor to put an official seal and call it an Apostille. We didn't realize what a short time line we were on so we ordered it to come in a few days (the least expensive way of course!) then that night we realized that we needed it sooner, so we drove back up the next day to pick it up (Luckily they didn't charge us extra because they had already finished it). We rushed that document to Korea which was very expensive, to say the least. Then I dragged Dave back up that Saturday for an important reception I wouldn't miss for the world. Then we hear back from our employer that the Korean government didn't accept our Apostille. After some frantic phone calls we found out that they had given us the wrong document at the Capitol, so we drove back up, got the right document, and rushed it to Korea (which was another expensive rush documents to Korea!) Wow, 4 times in 5 days and we thought we were on a roll... luckily last minute my Dad flew me home instead of me and Lucy having to drive through the night to California with Dave, and so I was overjoyed as our wonderful friends drove me to the Salt Lake one last time, for a total of 5 trips to Salt Lake in a 7 day period!

Of course, I had never truly enjoyed the Capitol (I went to a dance there once as a Freshmen at BYU, but other than that I didn't really know what went on there) so it was fun to spend some quality time there.

Our Capitol is gorgeous...

Lucy liked it too.
hey, who are these good looking people?Look at the beautiful architecture. Lucy agrees by the raising of the right hand. It is so ancient looking, but all the murals are of Pioneers. The one portrayed behind me and Lucy especially impressed me. You can't really see it in this picture, but in the covered wagon is a lady nursing her baby. As hard as it is being a Mother and how I am dreading a 12 hour flight with our little one, if the pioneers could nurse in covered wagons as they crossed the planes, I really shouldn't be a half day plane flight!
More Pioneers.
I keep getting pictures of this good looking pair...We met a little puppy inside who was training to be a seeing eye dog. I think that topped the whole experience for Lucy. She sure cried when we had to stop petting her. What a sweet little puppy.
And here is our second trip to Salt Lake. Lucy and I visited City Hall while Dave finished mailing off the documents, and I couldn't resist a photo sesh!
I just noticed how the flower on her shirt matches the flowers in the picture. Cute!

We will miss you Utah! Thanks for all the good times!

I love Presents!!!

So....A few days ago David got this really cute looking package in the mail. He brought it to me and said "I know you love opening presents, so you can open my present if you want to." What a sweetheart! He really knows me. I would never let someone else open one of my presents.

Here is a cute picture of the surprise package. Looks cute. I open it and am surprised to find that inside are samples of Kotex Tampons and Pads. What?!!! Why was this addressed to Dave. Not only was it addressed to Dave, but it was addressed to "Mr. David Pendergrass." When you put "Mr." on the package, how obvious does it get? I think advertising is getting a little lazy and forgetting to check their demographics. Since when did Caucasian married male, father of one, resident of Utah get on the list for feminine product?!! Anyway we laughed over it for a while and I thought you would too!

Land of the Morning Calm

Don't be too shocked...be honest with yourself...you already knew we were crazy! David and I have always wanted to go on adventures. When Lucy was born we tried to live like two normal people with a baby, but we just couldn't hold out any longer and figured 10 months was old enough to to take Lucy along to see the world. (As David explained to some people the other day: "Wendy has always wanted to go on adventures. I mean, the poor girl wanted to go on a mission her whole life and then some hunky man came along, who she couldn't resist so she settled down and got married. It is time to take the girl on her adventures"). So, after some thought and prayer, David accepted a job teaching English in Korea, in one of the areas from his mission called Ansan. We leave in a little over two weeks! Crazy, huh? I told you! He signed a year long contract, so we won't be seeing you all for a while (but I can bet they have the internet and I will probably be obsessively blogging everything, so no worries!). Our apartment will be one room, no not one bedroom, just one room. We will sleep altogether on padding on the floor in the living room and put it away in the closet during the day (that is the way the Koreans do it) . I had to share that great part of our situation, because I am really excited to live the real Korean culture. It just seems so foreign, but I guess we will be the foreign ones (that will be a fun change!). I am also excited to eat like Koreans because they hardly ever eat wheat or milk (both of which Lucy is very sensitive to and I can't eat or else she gets it through her milk and breaks out with Eczema). It will be nice to feel normal. Okay, I guess with blond hair, I won't completely fit in, but at least if we are out somewhere I won't have to watch people downing bread and ice cream without participating! Dave's last day of work is today, and then we are just packing, and getting ready for a massive yard sale! Dave and I love going to yard sales...I guess it is our time to give back! And then a long long trip with a baby. I was starting to gripe a little about how long and hard the trip over there with a baby will be, but once you think of all the immigrants crossing to America on ships, and the pioneers crossing America in Covered Wagons, I guess 24 hours of travel with some layovers and long bus rides isn't much to complain about! Wish us luck! We are off to the Land of the Morning Calm (as Korea is also known)...

Seven Peaks Surprise

Yesterday, Dave called me while working at the BYU track camps and asked if we could be ready to go to the waterpark in an hour. We knew he was going to get free tickets to the park for working at the BYU Track Camps, but didn't realize we had to go at a certain time. What a fun surprise! I had no idea that we would be having such a fun evening!


Lucy was a little bit wary at first. The slightest splash or going just a little bit deeper made her cry. I half expected this because Lucy's one great fear is going through sprinklers. It always makes her cry. I was worried I had a wimpy child...


...but after some time in the wave pool and some laps in the lazy river she was right at home and had truly found her element! I think the key is to take things slowly with Lucy. She is quite an observer and doesn't really enjoy being caught off guard. (She definitely got that from her Dad, and not me. My Mom said I rarely thought twice about taking risks as a baby.) She would have stayed all day, but alas the night had to come to an end!
So we quickly bundled her up and changed her 5 lb soaked diaper. Next time I think we will buy some swim diapers! Yuck!
And just because we happened to have a cute little baby robe , I thought now would be a good time to use it! We call her our little Jedi when she's dressed like this!

Dave and I marveled on the way home that the time in our lives had come where the reason we enjoyed things was watching our child experience and enjoy them. There was a time I would have been thrilled to go down every water-slide, but you know you are a parent when you are perfectly content to just soak in the lazy river while watching your child splash. Just when you start growing out of things like theme parks and roller coasters, you have children who bring a whole new excitement and reason for going to them!

4th of July to Remember

I reached into the back of all my memories to compare and decided this was definitely the best 4th of July I have ever had. It was packed with fun and family, and what could be better than those two? I will give you a quick rundown and slideshow of our day from dawn to dusk!



I woke up early! Whoa! 5:45 a.m. early and was so excited I couldn't sleep. I read for a while and then got ready for the day, which might not seem so amazing to everyone, but the fact that Lucy outslept me by two hours was actually much more than amazing, it was a miracle. Starting the day with a book, shower and breakfast baby free is definitely a moment of bliss for a mother!

We booked it to get to the Parade on time and glory in our highly prized seats that David won (in the shade, might I add!) See the previous post for details on how he won the seats. Usually we get to the Parade in time to see the last 10 minutes, so being there for the full thing was really exciting and really got me in the spirit to celebrate our country! Lucy loved it! She watched intently and clapped every few minutes. It is so fun to share experiences with her and watch her take them in!

After the parade Lani, Sierra and Heidi took a trip to Wal Mart to deck themselves in Hannah Montana attire, while Dave and I relaxed, read, and chatted with my Mom, while Lucy took and extremely long 3 hour nap. Oh, what heaven! We ate good food and got ready for the show, complete with our Holiday Lucy Photo Shoot tradition and then started walking to the Stadium for the main event: STADIUM OF FIRE!!!

The show was amazing! Glen Beck gave a very inspirational talk about what it means to be an American, while Skydivers from all of the armed forces Skdived into the Stadium. Then the Stadium of Fire dancers put on a good show. Blue Man Group performed which was very enjoyable! They were really funny and unlike any musical group I have ever heard before. Of course Miley Cyrus sang (I actually wasn't that impressed. She only sang Miley Cyrus songs, not her Hannah Montana songs which are way better!), and then we watched the best fireworks we have ever seen! Lucy clapped all through the concert, she loves when we watch something and people clap because she knows what to do. I would rather bring her along to stuff than get a babysitter just because it is so fun watching her get excited and clapping! We were so close ash was falling on us! Lucy was really pretty good. She squawked a little toward the end of Miley and was getting really tired, but settled down and was excited as ever for the fireworks. Actually she was having a hard time at first because I was trying to cover her ears. She was really mad and wiggling all over the place. I finally stopped trying to cover her ears and she was completely happy watching the fireworks, loud booming and all! My favorite part of the whole day was watching her point up at the Fireworks, wondering what they were and why we were celebrating instead of sleeping. She was really in awe. Someday, Lucy, you'll understand why we are so excited on this day and why your life is the wonderful life it is because of our forefathers courage!

She just watched and wondered until a piece of ash got in her eye. We were all getting a little stuff in our eyes. I had to take her to the bathroom and wash her eye out, so I missed the finale, but it was such a great day I didn't care. In my hurry to get Lucy taken care of, I didn't bring my cell phone and then when we came out of the restroom the whole stadium was trying to get out, so i didn't know how I was going to find David. I went back to our seats, but David was gone. I wasn't really panicked because we don't live that far away and we would have met up eventually, but Dave had the stroller check ticket and Lucy is 22 lbs that I didn't really want to lug up the hill, in the dark, at 11:00 p.m. I decided I would go to the stroller check and look for him there. Meanwhile, I prayed. I asked very specifically if Heavenly Father would please let David know I was going to the stroller check. When I finished my prayer I felt confident I would find David there. I felt so confident I almost wasn't surprised when he came right up to me at the stroller check. I asked how he knew to meet me here and he just said "It was the only place I could think of." I love those small moments the Lord completely answers your prayers and you just know every minute of your life is being guided and watched over carefully.

We topped off the night splurging with some ice cream cake decorated with strawberries and blueberries to look like a flag by my fabulous cake decorating sister, Heidi. And, even more excitingly, I got to eat it because I timed it so that I was introducing dairy into Lucy's diet the last couple days! It was really really good, but Lucy did have a reaction to dairy so it might be the last scrumptious treat I eat in a while (speaking of my crazy diet, I have lost 10 pounds, in the last 2 months because of it! I don't really know if that is something to brag about or not! It is kind of like "yeah I look good, but can't eat normally and probably should not be losing weight so quickly.")

Anyway, thanks for letting me share this exciting Independence Day with all of you! Sometimes life is really really hard and then sometimes is really really awesome. I think it makes both parts of life better if we are able to share our woes and excitements with our friends (which is where blogging fits in), so thanks again for being excited about my day with me!

Hannah MANtana

Sometimes dreams really do come true and you really are the person who actually wins! Today was one of those magical moments!

Well, I will start off the story by relaying a short experience from a week ago. We were at the check out stand at Macey's grocery store and the bagger was a young and very friendly boy. He asked us if we had any fun plans for Fourth of July.

I replied "Well, we are hoping to somehow win Stadium of Fire tickets"

He answered "Oh, did you enter the contest?"

"No, what contest"

"Macey's is having a drawing. There is an entry form right there. You should fill one out."

We started filling out the entry form. Although there was only about a 1 in 1000 chance of winning, I was feeling incredibly lucky because I said I wanted to win tickets before I even knew of the contest.

So July 3 roles around, my family is in town, so I inform them we have to be at Macey's from 4-6 p.m. for the Stadium of Fire ticket drawing. We all go to my sister's dance performance at BYU. She had been at dance camp for two weeks and did a performance at the end. It was supposed to go from 3:00-4:00, but was still going at 4:10 p.m. I was sweating it because I knew they would draw our name and we wouldn't be there to claim our sweet fourpack of tickets! Lucy was absolutely loving the show despite my stress and the fact that she hadn't napped at all. She would yawn and start to put her head down and then just start wiggling and dancing to the music as if she was saying "okay, I've got to stay awake. This is really cool and I don't want to miss it!"

We dashed to Macey's to find out that the drawing wasn't until 6:00 p.m. Ahhhh, man... you mean I could have gone home and put Lucy down for a nap, but now it is 4:45 and I don't think we have time!We check out the festivities and spin the spinner to see if we win a prize, Dave of course does and so we got free Batman Premiere Tickets. Sweet, at least we won something!Then a nice lady informs us about the Hannah Mantana concert (spelled that way on purpose) it is a Karioke Contest for Dad's only. They have to sing a Hannah Montana song and whoever the crowd likes best wins 4 tickets to the coveted and sold out show, Stadium of Fire, where Miley Cyrus will be performing. I look at the list of singers, which is pretty short and start to beg Dave to please sing. Any of you who know Dave are probably wondering what I said to convince him, but somehow he agreed. Every once in a while there are just moments of pure and true love, this was one of them. Okay, I think partly he just plain really wanted to go. We have watched the fireworks from Stadium of Fire from a distance for a while and it would be awesome to finally see the show along with them and I think he realized the odds were much better this way as opposed to the drawing. My Father, being the most awesome Dad ever that he is, also signed up to do it, no convincing necessary( if you know my Dad, you know singing a song in front of hundreds of people is really just like a walk in the park for him).

They were both excellent, especially considering they had only heard the song about twice on Heidi's i-pod right before performing. My Dad sang "Best of Both Worlds" while Dave sang "Who said, Who said?" They were both very animated and really got the crowd into it. Sadly, I didn't have my camera or you would probably be seeing millions of pictures of this moment in history. (My Mom did get one picture that I will try to add later!And my sister videoed so I will let you know once they are posted on U-tube!)

You will never believe it, but my Dad took first place and Dave took second. My Dad won four tickets to Stadium of Fire and David won four Grandstand Seat Parade tickets. I just feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to have these two awesome men in my life! Well, we didn't win the drawing, but between 2 free Batman Premiere tickets, 4 Grandstand Seat Parade tickets, and 4 Stadium of Fire tickets, I would say we cleaned up the place!

I just want to take a moment to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for being brave and singing, Dave. You are truly the best guy there ever was or ever will be! And of course, Dad, thank you for singing and being the best Dad there will ever be! You are truly deserving of the Hannah Mantana title!

Sleeping Beauty

As I mentioned earlier, we have been walking to church using the baby backpack. On the way home this Sunday, little Lucy just couldn't keep her eyes open and her head was bobbing back and forth so David and I carried the backpack horizontally home, so that she could get some shut eye. I just love how her feet dangled. It was pretty heavy and I started thinking "Wow, the things parents do for their children..." there truly is nothing else like loving your own child.
We laid her down and she continued to sleep on the ground in the backpack like a little princess. Usually, Lucy would have woken up immediately. She must have been really tired. I did transfer her to her bed and she grumbled a little, but went right back to sleep.
I guess we just wore her out the night before. We went to Lucy's first play at the outdoor Scera SHell theater. We watched "The King and I." It was a great show and Lucy loved it. She was good for almost the whole 2 and1/2 hours. I had to walk around in the back for the last scene, but that was it (and you really can't blame a baby for acting that way at 10:30 p.m.). The rest of the time she loved the music and clapped when everyone clapped. Toward the end she was getting tired and would rest her head on my lap, but whenever she heard clapping she bolted up like "hey, what did I miss?' and then started clapping. What a fun experience to share your favorite things in this world with your little precious child and watch them enjoy it as well. On the way out she was kicking to the music and lively as ever. I think Lucy found another one of her loves in this life (or maybe Mom is just hoping she will have a little musical theater buddy)!

Lucy's First Car Accident

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a car accident, but it was crazy and I didn't know what else to call it! On Wednesday, June 18, We took our car for its safety inspection and decided to walk to the Mall while we waited. We put Lucy in our favorite and trusty baby backpack on Dave's back. We were coming to a big intersection, but there was construction on the sidewalk so we had to walk around to the crosswalk. I guess while we were walking around the yellow beetle ready to turn right, she must have been looking left for cars and didn't see us getting ready to cross. Dave and Lucy walked right out in front of the car because we had a walk signal and the car was clearly stopped. Without looking back she started to go, looked in front of her, saw David and Lucy, started screaming, hit the gas (what?) hit David and Lucy! Luckily, David athletically jumped up on the hood a little and saved our little angel. They were both fine. I had screamed pretty loud and we were both a little shook up by it. I don't think it would have been as big of a deal if Lucy wasn't on Dave's back. My biggest concern is that the lady's reaction was to step on the gas and scream when she saw David and Lucy in front of her. I would certainly hope my reaction would be to step on the brakes, but she eventually stopped and there was no real harm done. Don't startle her, I guess! I feel very blessed everyone was okay!

Pendergrass Happenings

Just a bunch of Random pictures and pieces of news. I have been pretty busy babysitting everyday so I don't get to the fun stuff as much anymore.

Lucy had a doctor visit on June 10. She weighed 21 lbs and 12 oz, still in the 90th percentile. The doctor was a little shocked when I told him she had food allergies with vomiting and diarrhea when she ate the wrong thing. He said he didn't know how she was able to grow so well with all of those problems! Just lucky I guess (it's probably because she has the best Mom in the whole world!Duh!) I am definitely learning as a Mom you have to go with your instincts and take matters into your own hands, because the doctor just checks to see if they are growing and then gives you a few suggestions and acts like everything will be fine.



Here is David and Lucy on Father's Day. Happy first Father's Day to Dave! If you look close you will see the sweet photo tie Lucy gave Dave for Father's Day. I am pretty sure everyone thinks we are nuts because we always walk to church with the baby backpack and then go hide it in the coat closet. We get a lot of looks when we first come in with the backpack and me wearing tennis shoes, but it has become a fun tradition I look forward to on Sundays. In fact, I love it so much that I wake up early and we have actually been on time, as opposed to our usual excitement if we make it for the Sacrament. (Don't ask me how that adds up?)

About Dave: He got a job! A full-time job! Woa! We are becoming real people! He interviewed on Tuesday and started work on Friday, working at Gold's Gym as a Hottie Personal Trainer. (No, he's the hottie! Hopefully he isn't training too many hotties for my sake!) San Diego...we will still be with you someday! I guess we will be in Utah a little while longer, which is fine with me at this point in the year (try telling me that in December and hear a different story!)

I had to include this adorable photo of Great Grandma Anna and Lucy. We went up there a few weeks ago to record my Grandma singing all the cute baby songs and poems she knows, plus some great readings. I wanted to capture her great theatrical voice and remember all the cute songs she sings so I can sing them to my kids. I am planning to put it on a CD for all the family who wants one.

As I mentioned I have been babysitting Mon-Thurs lately. 2 Girls, 6 and 10. As a result, Lucy goes around wearing ridiculous outfits most days. I just let them pick her outfits out because they love doing it so much. Anyway, I'm glad we are getting use out of some of the clothes that I never put on Lucy, just because they weren't practical. Here is one example of Lucy's new style.


Here is a funny one of Lucy. Now that she can get around, she gets to choose what strange activities she participates in. SHe loves to have her legs up in the air and I caught her doing this. I thought it was funny and worthy of a picture spot on the blog.


Our little Kitten! I was sad the other day and so David went through the hand-me-downs we have and dressed Lucy up like this. It definitely put a smile on my face.


I have always loved kitties and Lucy does too. She goes absolutely bonkers when she sees them and cries if we don't go pet it. She usually doesn't have such an aggressive personality about what she wants, just when there is a kitty. Well, I never realized how much I could really love a kitty until this little sweet one.Last, but not least, after talking about it for months and finally getting up the courage to do it, I got my haircut short and I love it! It has been years since I was happy after getting my haircut, so I kind of just stopped cutting it and let it grow out more because I didn't want another short haircut that I hated than to really be growing long hair. Yeah for good haircuts! For those of you who know her, Malerie Daines cut it for me and I would highly recommend her to anyone! I am sad she just moved to Colorado,( lucky Colorado!) Dave suggested flying me out once a year for a haircut. We'll see... for now, I'm lovin' the new look!

Princess

I absolutely love Disney Princess's. This was a very fun Quiz I got off of Sarah's blog. If you like the princess's you've got to do it. Please comment and let me know who you were! Here are my results:


You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

And just for fun I made David take the Quiz to see which Disney Princess he would be if he could be a Princess and a girl for that matter. I thought you would get a kick out of it so... Here are his Results:



You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Peekaboo!

There is really nothing better than just sitting in a pile of clean warm laundry! Lucy usually hates things on her head and can get it off, well... much faster than I can ever take a picture, which is why we are lacking pictures of Lucy with cute bows, however she just left this towel on her head and went about playing. I guess she just likes warm laundry! Who wouldn't?

Where is Lucy?

Here she is!

There is no better game than Peekaboo!

P.S. I love you Daddy! I have been a good girl for Mommy while you are gone, just like you asked! I've been posing for her crazy photo shoots and everything! I miss you. Come home soon...I'm getting sick of giving Mommy sooooo many hugs and kisses. I think she really misses you and is taking it out on me! Love, Lucy

Noteworthy News

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Right now there are lots of exciting things going on at the Pendergrass home. First and foremost David has now joined the quarter of a century club (His Birthday was on Sunday!). To celebrate we did a photo shoot of Lucy! Okay not really to celebrate, but we did do this photo shoot above on his birthday and I can't figure out how to move it to a lower position in my post (hey, at least I learned how to put a slideshow in a post so you don't have to scroll for hours), so once again Lucy takes the spotlight!

Here is a picture of the Birthday Boy. I wanted to mention that for only being 25, I think David has the most character of anyone I know. When it comes to being caring, patient, kind, honest, humble and truly serving others, those things are so innate in David. He doesn't even realize that he has mastered some of the hardest qualities it takes people their whole lives to even come close. And yet when he makes the smallest mistake he still worries so much that he didn't make the right choice. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be with him forever and hope that in our life together some of his greatness will rub off on me. Thanks for holding up our family and taking such wonderful care of me and Lucy, David! I couldn't be a luckier girl!

Also, I thought it was a good time to explain what David and I are really doing in life right now, since you are all pretty sure we have a cute kid, but are wondering if we have jobs other than playing with her! This is the David, Wendy and Lucy Too page so it is high time I mention something about me and David. Here is the lowdown: David is currently camping (yes, literally he is camping to try and save money! Oh, how I love that man and his many adventures!)in Cedar City attending graduate school at Southern Utah University in Sports Performance and Conditioning. He will be there for two weeks doing all the hands on stuff and then be able to complete the rest of his year long program online from home. After a year of Grad school at BYU he decided Health wasn't exactly what he was going for, and a Sports training program was more what he wanted to do with his life. When he gets home he will be working on starting his own business while he is in school. He hopes to get a Fitness Boot Camp rolling somewhere here in Provo or Orem. We think it will go over big because it will be way more fun for people to get a great workout with a personal trainer in the outdoors doing interesting activities, opposed to being on some machine in a gym when its gorgeous outside! He has already got liability insurance and started talking to people about locations, so as soon as we get a definite location we will be ready to roll!

And now its my turn to talk about how cool I am. I passed my Real Estate License Exam on Saturday, so as soon as I sign on with a broker I will be ready to help all of you find your dream home! I am so proud of myself for finishing, because I only had a few classes left when Lucy was born and i thought it wouldn't be too hard to finish once I had her, but then I realized everyone going to school at BYU with 2 kids and making it look like it is easy are pretty much liars! Either that, or Lucy is just a special baby who needs her Mom. Anyway, go me! Next week, I will also start babysitting for a neighbor 3 times a week, which is such a blessing right now while David is trying to start up his own business. Other than that I am anxiously trying to publish children's stories while getting nowhere because I would rather blog about my life! Oh, and I forgot to mention my other hobby is taking pictures of Lucy, but I am sure you have realized that by now!

The other huge and monumental thing going on is that I am on a diet! Okay, I know some of you are thinking...what? Wendy, miss anti-diet herself who is always telling people "You are doing great, just try to eat healthy and don't give yourself strict rules or else you are bound to break them and then hate yourself," is going on a diet? Yes, actually I have been on it for 2 and 1/2 weeks now and been keeping it a secret from all of you, so I could lose tons of weight and then surprise everyone with how awesome I look! Just kidding! I am actually on a diet because we suspect Lucy has food allergies and since I am still her primary food source, I have eliminated all the common food allergens in my diet and will soon be slowly introducing each food back into my diet to see if there is a reaction. What are the common food allergens I am eliminating? oh just a few like: Nuts, Dairy, eggs, wheat and whole grains, soy, chocolate, seafood, berries or citrus fruits. Yes, I have actually eliminated all those from my diet for two weeks now. What am I eating? Well, less food than I ate before, that is for sure. I am not going to lie, it has been really hard to think of things to eat sometimes. Mostly I have been eating rice and chicken with vegetables. If you really look there are tons of substitutions for stuff and I am getting better at cooking with them. For instance, On David's Birthday he wanted biscuits and gravy, but he didn't want to eat it if I couldn't, so I made biscuits using rice flour for white flour, Rice milk for the milk and applesauce for the shortening. They were a little chewy and weird, but tasted okay. The gravy I also made with rice flour and rice milk. It turned out better than just edible so I was excited! I also made spice cake with a gluten free mix I bought at the Good Earth and Egg substitute. It was kind of good, hey at least we had somewhere to put the candles! You may think I am crazy for doing this, but Lucy's rashes have been improving, she has had fewer messy diapers (She used to be at about 10 a day, now we are at around 6), and most importantly she doesn't wake up every two hours anymore. It is funny because Lucy slept great until about 4 months she started waking up again which is right around the age some kids start developing food allergies. I felt very strongly with Lucy that I shouldn't let her cry it out to get her to sleep. I just knew something was wrong and it wasn't just a bad habit like the doctor said and now I am very glad I didn't because I probably would have missed this problem and then poor Lucy would just be miserable and alone in her misery. I think Mom's really know their children and have a very strong instinct when it comes to what is best for them. Anyway, I have done a lot of research on the subject and am finding this is actually a somewhat common problem ( in fact many kids have eczema because of a food allergy) so if any of you have kids with food allergies or suspect them feel free to ask me any questions about what I have learned or more importantly if you have to do a crazy diet like this ask me for recipes.

Well, that is what we have been up to. Pretty interesting, huh? Well, now you know why I would rather post cute pics of Lucy and talk about what she is doing, rather than rant and rave about crazy diets! But hey its life and I am learning how to love it more fully, even when I seem in the midst of trials!

Hi Daddy! Look what I can do...

This post is dedicated to David. There is really nothing too novel about a baby crawling...unless it is yours! Lucy started kind of crawling a few weeks ago. It was a combination of rolling, getting up on her hands and knees moving her hands forward then backward, back to sitting and then just rolling where she wanted to go in the first place. By the end of last week she did a tiny bit of a crawl with her legs (like maybe 3 crawls) and then, of course, the day David left she started crawling circles around the entire house. Anyway, David had been missing out on all the excitement I have been trying to explain on the phone, so here it is!

And it took about 10 minutes of bribing to get it. It only took 2 seconds once I threw Reeses all over the floor!


While trying to get the crawling moment, I got some hilarious mirror footage:



I turned the camera off when she bonked her head because I was sure she would cry and I was getting ready to rescue her. I couldn't believe she didn't even make a peep and just kept enjoying the mirror. I don't think it will be too long before Lucy can pull herself up on things. She is trying really hard, but has a hard time getting a good grip. Anyway, Lucy has quite the little mirror friend!

We sure love and miss you Dave! We are thinking of you all the time. Lucy says she will work really hard on her tricks while you are gone so she can show off when you get home!

There is beauty all around...even in my backyard!

I don't know if my memory is failing me, but I never remember our porch looking this much like paradise. Maybe it is because of all the rain we had this week. I don't know, but I'm in heaven! I really feel like we have a little piece of Paradise . Of course, I knew these weird feelings would start happening. About this time of year I always tell Dave, "I really don't mind living in Utah, we can stay here" and then the summer or winter hits and I'm like "wait, only 2 weeks of perfect weather? What is the deal?" Anyway, I am trying my hardest to appreciate it while it lasts!
We got this patio set for $40 last year at a yard sale. Grandpa would be proud! (He is a yardsaling man, if I ever met one!) And that is my little car, still holding strong after 8 years of life with Wendy Pendergrass.Lucy and I always (well, since it has been warm enough) just chill out here on the swing chair and look up at the flowers. She always points up at the flowers because she can hear the bees (she loves bees!). I always point up with her and talk to her about the bees and flowers.
And as much as we all love looking at random pictures of my yard, let's face it, a picture is always better if Lucy is in it (at least that is my philosophy, if you haven't noticed all the pictures I have of her!) So to make the picture complete, here is Lucy on the patio furniture.


I think Lucy said her first word (other than Mama and Dada, of course) . On Sunday, while I was posing her for a photo shoot she looked up at a bird, pointed and said something that started with a "b"! I was thrilled, but still a little unsure if that counted. A few minutes later another bird flew by and she did it again! Now, that was for real! I can't believe she was really listening to all the talk we have been doing about bird.


And here is the rest of our photo shoot:
Lucy loves the grass, but I am worried she might be allergic because David is. It is hard for me to hold her back from exploring even when I know she shouldn't. I just love watching her learn and examine the world. Even at such a young age she truly cherishes her agency and is so upset when anyone tries to violate it.
She got a piece of grass, and is overjoyed while she examines it (this is within seconds of her putting it in her mouth and me fishing it out. Of course, there I go with my letting her explore, I couldn't take it away earlier because I wanted to encourage her learning, but I think I am the one who is really learning!)


Lucy in front of one of my favorite backyard bushes. And the sunlight in the background couldn't be more picturesque!


Here's a funny look to go along with a silly hairstyle. I guess her head is getting a little too big for this bow!
Just a sweet little look. Lucy loves to clap. She is always doing things and then looks over at us and claps, like "aren't I great you guys! Can you say yeah for me one more time!" It never gets old!
A little bashful look, before we close our photo session.

And I had to end with a photography moment! This is Lucy's foot, just in case you were wondering!

I say this all too often, but it is always just right at the top of my heart:

Happy Spring!

Yoga Baby

Lucy has been dabbling in the Art of Yoga lately. Who would have known she could have invented so many poses! (Just for the record i didn't put her in any of these poses. She does them all on her own, I just obsessively follow her around with a camera to catch them all!)

Real yoga Squat:

Lucy's improved Yoga Squat:I don't know the name of this one:

Similar to Tree Pose, I guess?Navasana or Boat Pose:
Lucy's Boat Pose: (She looks like she is about to fall over, but she does this all the time and never falls over. Maybe she just likes balancing?)Butterfly Pose:

Lucy's Butterfly Pose: (What happens when you sit down a tired baby! This one is my favorite!)
Pigeon Pose:
Almost Pigeon Pose Lucy:
And of course, Downward Facing Dog:

Lucy's Downward Dog: (Or should we say elephant walk)And Here she is instructing her Daddy (or is it the other way around?)


Keep up the Good Work Lucy and Dave! You will be fit in no time!