Wedgies

The topic is Wedgies...is that even how you spell wedgie? Probably not in the dictionary... anyway, Lucy sure keeps life interesting!

The other night I was snuggling her before bed, that special time when she asks me deep questions about life.

She gets all profound on me and asks "Mom why do we get wedgies?"

While I am floundering for an answer about the size of our underwear and how far we pull them up Lucy continues: "Because I always get a lot of wedgies"

We took her underwear shopping the next week. Apparently it was time for the next size!

Little Climber Legoland Summer 2011

Here we are at the Legoland fort...Levi is insisting on being a big boy and doing it all by himself!



He watched Lucy climb up a rope tube...


And then the next minute, he was like "I can do that!"

And look...he made it all the way on his own.


Love those little climbers

Lucy made it as a volunteer in the princess show. She got to be a jouster. How cute is that little horse costume!


And when we got home I promised some face painting because there is no way I am paying $14 for something that is going to wash off the same night!

Hey, I am not that artistically inclined, but she asked for rainbows, so I got off easy!
I love summer!

Beach Days

Ah, beach days...this is the life!



Levi started really walking this week (he was taking little practice steps before, but this week was the shift from primarily crawling everywhere to primarily walking everywhere). He crawled to the water and then just stood up and started going. The waves were calling him. I can already hear him begging me to go on the surf trip with Uncle Brian! Caught a few steps on camera:



This kid sure isn't afraid of the water. He doesn't mind the cold either. In fact, he actively tries to dunk his head under and he comes up laughing when I let him! He is just like a happy dog at the beach!



Lucy learned to Boogie Board and Body Surf all by herself this summer. What an amazing swimmer! Nothing makes me happier than watching my little mermaid dash happily through the waves.We have gone to the beach a lot this summer because everyone is happy there. Both kids forget the need to sleep or eat and just have total and complete fun the entire time. It is such a great break for a couple hours...until we get in the car and everyone realizes they are dying of starvation and are too tired to even eat! I try to feed them snacks while we are there, but I can only get a bite or two in. I love it, love it, love it, even despite the tired ride home. I wish summer would never end! I took some pictures and videos on Thursday because I realized I hadn't snapped any all summer. We have just been having too much fun to go get the camera out!

Harry Poppins?

Lucy was begging me to watch a show...she asked me "Mom can we please watch a show?" Then she held up Mary Poppins and said "But I haven't watched Harry Poppins before..." and to further improve her argument, she added "Can we just watch 5 miles of it? Please..."

Anyone want to come over and watch 5 miles of Harry Poppins with us?

The Fair 2011

The Fair was soooo much fun this year! Dave got unlimited Fair tickets for his birthday this year so we were able to go a few times! Lucy was old enough to really enjoy it! And I was not 8 months pregnant like last year so I fared better too!

We started out visiting the horses. Lucy was crushed when she found out she couldn't ride the horses there, but tried to suffice with an imaginary ride! She takes horses seriously!

Well, yeehaw! She made it look so fun...Dave and Levi wanted to join too!
We let Lucy choose one ride because we were kind of on a budget. She chose the spider swing! When she watched it go around and made her selection there was tons of kids aboard, but when she got on, she was the only kid in line! I thought that would make her sad, because it sure looked lonely, but she smiled so big and put her hands up anyway. Just having fun in her own little world, thrilled that she got to ride something!

At night the lights were really beautiful! Even though the kids were tired, nobody was about to close their eyes and miss out on any magical fair moments. Here is the kids looking up at the lights and rides! Pure amazement, huh?


Got some big smiles in there too!

Levi was getting really tired, but he only opened his eyes wider. Yup turns out we have another live wire in the family...seriously though... sleep is so overrated! Maybe one of our kids won't mind putting his head down when he is tired like Dave... I look forward to this child with very dear emotions, but for now I just enjoy the party!
Here was our view of the fair from where we parked...so beautiful, huh? Very worth the walk up the hill with the stroller, plus we saved 10 bucks!


I went back for more fun on another day and entered Levi in the diaper derby. I had high hopes since I won the diaper derby at the Del Mar Fair 26 years ago. I thought maybe it was in the genes... ...but Levi just started socializing with another cute baby, backed off the line, disqualified himself, shattered his mother's dreams, but still got the 3rd place ribbon, because only 2 babies actually came in and Levi did turn around and make it the whole way across and come in third. He is fast, but I guess we didn't train hard enough! Levi wasn't impressed with his ribbon!



On the other hand, Lucy had a magnificent time! Papa let her go on the trampoline!

I have never seen a happier 3 minutes! Pure bliss!


And then if that wasn't good enough, he topped it off with a pony ride! She has been asking to ride a horse for months now! All of Lucy's dreams came true in one magical day!

I expected to hear how thrilling the ride was, but when she got off she asked me "When do I get to run on a horse?" One step at a time there cowgirl!

What a fun time! Thank you so much for the tickets Mom and Dad! We had a blast!

Fourth of July

Fourth of July is always one of my favorite holidays!

The day started as it always does...stagecoach park, pancakes, and a bike parade! Lucy was old enough to join!




And Papa was still young enough to join! Gotta love good old Uncle Sam. My Dad is such an exciting person! I love it!

I didn't even plan the opposite stripes and hats on purpose, so I had to take a picture of this cute coincidence!

Levi is 9 and 1/2 months here. Crawling fast, climbing everything, took his first two steps yesterday, July 3 (of course I set him all up and he wasn't that balanced, but those legs moved on their own)...so cute!

Having fun with Papa at the next party!

Here is Levi showing off his mad standing skills! He has been pulling himself to standing for a while, but today he figured out how to get to standing without holding anything. It won't be long before he is just running around!
Finished the afternoon at the beach! What else would you do on the fourth?


Lucy and Aunt Lani, never a dull moment! Lucy is having entirely too much fun with her being home for the summer!

They are so cute!
Over to the snows for another pool party and watched multiple firework shows from their backyard. I love to be up close, but this was fun and probably better with the baby anyway.

Easter and Pictures

I finally found some patience for a picture upload, so here is some Lucy and Levi Love after the drought!

Easter after church at my parents house.


Oh Wow, my kids are so adorable...



And they love each other sooooo much... (I didn't even tell Lucy to do that! She is so sweet and love her brother so much!)


And... oh wait...how did this picture get uploaded!!!! You guys come on we are pretending to be perfect! Lucy let Levi out of the headlock and please don't bite him or else you will get a time out! (We have had a little more sibling rivalry going on at home now that Levi can crawl to Lucy's toys and steal them. I never knew a 7 month old baby could bug his older sister quite so much and he thinks it is funny already!)

Easter Egg Hunt!!!
We won Best Egg Overall at the Church Activity Easter Egg Decorating Contest due to me and Lucy's Rapunzel obsession!


It was a great Easter to say the least!!! No really it was. We had such a fun time. We ate foods Jesus would eat all week, and had lessons about his life and read scriptures by candlelight. I loved it!

Here are some more random pictures of our life recently:

Levi's first official beach trip. "Official" meaning he went in the water and not just his toes. It was April 16 2011 and he loved it. I dunked him to his neck to wash the sand off and he didn't even cry. He was in heaven although the picture would suggest otherwise.


Last Thursday we went to the beach. Dave and I played some volleyball while Lucy entertained Levi. She did a pretty good job because he was laughing hard and I have never seen so much sand on a baby's face before. Surprisingly he didn't even cry when I drenched him in the freezing showers.

Lucy came out with Levi's pants on the other day and said "Mom, I have never worn these pants before!" I was surprised they fit her so well!
Went to Legoland on Monday. It was hot so even Levi got to go on the splashpad. He was a hit just splashing and laughing. A stranger even asked me if they could take his picture. Later I saw some people in a line and they said, "Oh you are the one with the baby who loves the water. He was so funny."



Here is Lucy pushing Levi in the swing!


Our little heat spell has made me so excited! This is going to be a fun summer!


Quick little update:

Levi is a fast army crawler these days. He has even pulled up on the furniture a bit. He surprises me everyday. He laughs a lot and has a wonderful sense of humor. He loves to eat! He chows everything and tries to swallow the spoon. It is a huge difference from Lucy. Levi doesn't even care if he nurses, I insist that he nurses a few times a day. Lucy would have perished if she had to rely on solids. She gaged on everything until at least 9 months. Levi loves music. He shakes his head and bounces to the beat. I dunked Levi under the water at the pool on Tuesday and he loved it! He was 20 lbs at his 6 month check up and I am sure he is more now! Big Kid!

Lucy loves her gymnastics class. I thought it would be an outlet for her daring spirit, but I think it is encouraging jumping off of furniture and hanging upside down on anything she can grab. She can sound out lots of words, although she hasn't learned all the hard weird letter like x and z. She loves to swim and can take a few breaths now without my help. She sleep walks and talks which is hilarious. I should try to catch it on video. She is so fun and imaginative. She names everything really unique names and you can ask her the Spanish word for anything and she will make something up and tell you. She wants to know "Why?" about everything. She is an absolute joy!

What fun ages and stages right now. We just can't get enough of them!

Why do I have a Part?

While doing Lucy's hair the other morning I said "Hold still, let me do your part."

As I started to concentrate with the comb in my hand, Lucy asks me "Why do we have this thing on our head?" She pointed to the the line where her hair parts.

"A part?" I questioned for clarification.

"Yeah, Why do we have a part?"

"I really don't know sweetie, it just is something on our head." I answer very non creatively.

Lucy responds "Maybe Heavenly Father knows. We should ask him. Can I ask him today or do I have to wait until I go to heaven?"

Oh Lucy! I sure will miss these conversations we have someday, just trying to figure out every detail of the world.

Levi's Hairstache

Sitting out in my parent's backyard on Wednesday, Lucy takes a cup of water and dumps it on Levi's head. I was stunned by her boldness right in front of me, and I didn't even say anything because I was trying to think of how to punish her. Then I watched her start to style his hair into a mohawk. Upon finishing she proudly announced

"Mom, do you like Levi's Hairstache?"

Well, that is one way of putting it! How original! I absolutely adore that word! Lucy made me laugh so much, I forgot all about punishing her for pouring water all over Levi's head. What I originally thought to be malicious, ended up being an innocent step on the path to completing Lucy's "hairstache" quest. Besides Levi was laughing and loved being doused anyway!

Sometimes it feels like kids are being naughty just to test you, but if you wait sometimes you see a truly more magical and creative side of a three year olds brain. Sometimes...

Silly Kids!

Good Friday

We have been talking a lot about Jesus all week in preparation for Easter. Eating the food he ate. Finding things in nature that remind us of Jesus and other small activities and stories. Lucy had been sweet, but I was wondering how much was sinking in.

Tonight I told Lucy the story of Jesus' Crucifixion by candlelight to remind us of the hours of darkness that followed Christ's death. Lucy loved it and really got into asking lots of questions.

The we watched the cartoon "He is Risen." When Christ first appeared to Mary in the Garden, I pulled out our Christus (which I wish I had out all the time, but it just didn't seem to work in a kidproof home). Lucy had never seen it before. She asked me "May I please hold him." She was so careful as she hugged him and kissed him and then told me "I love Jesus."

Later when I tucked her in bed I sang "I am a Child of God" while scratching her back, as I always do, but this time she stopped me with lots of questions.

After the first line "I am a Child of God and he has sent me here." She asked me "Why did he send me? Why do we have to be away from him? I miss Heavenly Father and Jesus. I want to talk to them."

Well, that was too many questions all at once, so I only answered the part about talking to them and told her about prayer, which didn't satisfy her.

"No, I want to talk to him real. I want to talk with him. I want to hear him."

I mentioned to her that we would see him again. I told her Jesus would come again. She got sooooo excited!!!

Then she enthusiastically rambled on "When is he coming? Can he come next week? What will we do with him? Is he staying many days? Is he staying a week? Will he stay the night?"

So I answered a lot of "I don't knows" and then she asked me very sincerely:

"I know Jesus is busy. Will he have time to go to Legoland with us? He is coming on Legoland day. I really want to bring him there."

So Sweet. I love how she talks about him like he is her best friend. She is so close to the spirit. Children are truly magical. I am so glad I have had the opportunity to understand why the Savior loved little children so much and always took time to be with them and bless them when he could. I am trying to be more like a child, more like Lucy.

Some words from Lucy

Watching conference with Lucy was really sweet. We didn't make her sit there, she just played in the room while we watched. During Elder Nelson's talk he said "precious boys and girls" immediately after Lucy perked up and said in a little elated voice

"Precious!! I am precious."

I sure wish everyone felt like that! We spend so much time telling ourselves why we aren't of worth and doubting the prophets words when it comes to how precious we are to our Heavenly Father. We should be more like children and exclaim with joy that we know we are precious!

As Elder Nelson continued his talk he also said the word "light" and Lucy repeated "Light. I am light!" I have told her that her name means "light" and that she is a "light" many times. She was so excited.

He then mentioned the song title "I am a Child of God" once again Lucy piped in with her excited spirit "I am a child of God!"

I wonder if my 3 year old felt the spirit stronger during Elder Nelson's talk than most adults. She didn't need to understand every detail, she got the message. We have to spend hours and hours listening to the prophets and apostles trying to absorb the spirit, but I guess she is already a lot closer to the spirit.

This week I have been trying to teach her the importance of Easter. We have been discussing things Jesus did. Tonight I explained how Jesus taught in parables and then shared the parable of the Ten Virgins. After the parable I started to explain that it was about how Jesus will come to Earth again. I told her

"You know how weddings are so exciting? The wedding they are talking about is Jesus coming again."

Lucy got a really excited look on her face because she loves weddings and the topic of marriage. Then she pointed to Jesus in the picture of the second coming and said "Look Mom, it is a wedding because Jesus is wearing white, just like a married girl. And he has long hair like one too!!!" Then she exclaimed "I love Jesus!" and started kissing the picture.

Okay, that wasn't exactly what I meant about Jesus' coming being like a wedding, but I am sure the Lord has a sense of humor!

MOM

I have been doing some little reading and writing lessons with Lucy lately, wondering if anything is really sinking in. Well, last week I drew some "m"s and asked her to draw her own. After working on it for a minute, she says "Look mom! Read it." When I looked at the first word she had ever written on her own I just squealed with joy, praised my daughter with kisses and then almost cried! That little girl sure knows how to make her Mama happy! What a special calling to be a mother. I am so very thankful to be Lucy's Mother.

Handsome and Gretel

Lucy was just introduced to the story of Hansel and Gretel this morning via itouch. I never told it to her before because it really bothered me as a child that the Dad left his kids in the woods. Yeah, I know the stepmother pressured him and they were out of food, but come on... you just starve together, you don't go leave your kids in the woods. Anyway, my personal feelings aside, Lucy finally read the story.

After I finished my shower, I asked her if she liked the story.

"Yeah" she answered.

Unsatisfied with the lack of details, I started fishing "So what was it about?"

She states as if there was nothing else to be said, "Handsome and Gretel"

Ha ha...get it! Handsome and Gretel!


Lucy was telling me a story the other day and instead of saying last night she says "Yester night" I guess that makes sense.

Along the same lines, she was talking about waking up from her nap and she says "In the morning from my nap..." I realized she thinks the "morning" is whenever you wake up rather than the time of day.

Last funny Lucy talk. We were at the Aquarium and Lucy sees this big fish with a pouty lip. She declares, "That fish is ugly."

I was a little annoyed she was being so judgmental. I started asking questions to help her realize it was ridiculous. So I asked her "Why is that fish ugly?"

She answers "He has a stout face."

Wow... I didn't know she knew that word. She has been coming up with all sorts of words and phrases lately that I am sure I don't say. She is a little sponge for language right now!

Broccoli without any bread

I caught Lucy in the bath playing with her toys repeating the nursery rhyme about the "old woman who lived in a shoe" She made an addition the had me laughing.

Real Version: "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn't know what to do. She gave them some broth without any bread. Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed."

Lucy's version: "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn't know what to do. She gave them some broccoli without any bread. Then whipped them to bed."

I love her little word slips. Right now my favorite word slips she uses regularly are:

"sombrella" for Umbrella which is making things really confusing when learning her ABC's because there is always a picture of an Umbrella for the "U" and it doesn't match the sound she makes!

"Mazagine" instead of "Magazine" It is especially funny in the context because she is usually trying to be like an adult. "Mommy may I have my mazagine please?" so proper and yet so not.

"Heavenly Evening" for "Family home evening" This is one I hope she never grows out of. It really is heavenly and the funny thing is she talks about it all the time. She asks me all the time "Can we do heavenly evening this morning" after explaining that Daddy is at work and it is morning time she then asks "Well, can I still have a treat?" okay so maybe that is the only reason she wants to have FHE, but I believe she really loves it when we are all in the same room being silly and spiritual together.

Lucy's other talent is interpreting English into Spanish. You can ask her any word and say "What is _______ in Spanish?" Then she will make up a word and tell you. The words are hilarious. If I try to tell her what the real word in Spanish she corrects me and tells me I am wrong. It cracks me up. She is so confident!

Lucy is such a positive person. Talk about looking on the bright side... whenever Levi spits up on something she makes funny comments. For example, Levi spit up on the floor. Lucy's comment is "I am so glad Levi didn't spit up on my dolly! He just missed it!" or when Levi spits up on my shirt "Yay, Levi didn't spit up in your hair." I am glad I have her to remind me that is could always be worse!

Levi had been so much fun lately. He grabs everything! Loves the bath. Loves music. Loves to be outside. Hates things on his head. Shakes his head back and forth like he is saying "no" when he is tired. Still spits up a lot, but it seems like only puddles instead of buckets like it used to be. He is still huge ( he is 19 lbs right now and in the 90th percentile for height and weight) He loves tummy time and has a very flexible back. His very favorite thing is when Lucy comes and plays with him. He just lights up and starts laughing. He has very ticklish thighs. He is very social, but very independent at the same time. Loves to smile. I took him on the carousel for the first time yesterday and he loved it. He is so much fun and I absolutely love having two kids. It is so much more fun than only having one!

A Month of Love!

I learned a powerful lesson this Valentine's Day and now I am feeling like a relationship pro after only 6 years (which I am sure to look back at laughing in years to come...kind of like when you think you aren't a newly wed anymore on your first anniversary, so not true!)

Valentine's Day is usually just not very good. It usually consists of me trying to make dumb little mushy meaningful crafts for Dave which I find under the bed months later, and him being so stressed about doing something for me that he ends up doing nothing and then me thinking he just doesn't care when really he did care, but it just didn't work out. Sound familiar?

This year I had the best Valentine's Day ever and it's not because Dave surprised me with a trip to Paris, although I would be okay with it if he wants to use that idea sometime in the future. It is kind of cheezy and you have heard it your whole life, but serving others is really what makes you happy. It was a very busy day. We had to get treats and crafts ready for Lucy's valentine exchange party, and then played at the park with friends and read valentine's books to the kids. Next me and Lucy made a Valentine for Daddy as well as Lucy's friend Marcus, and a make believe Valentine to her crush Oliver from the play we were in last November (she hasn't seen him since November and yet she still talks about how she is going to marry him). Then we made the pink pizza dough and frosted the treats. I squeezed a quick photo shoot in of the kids. We visited Marcus with Lucy's valentine and then picked up Dave and made pink heart shaped pizza. We had a short Family Home Evening about loving your neighbor, delivered treats to all the neighbors and then finished with a heart hunt. Lucy found hearts all around the house until she found her valentine including nail polish, body glitter and princess gloves. Well then I made a little heart hunt for Dave and I can't tell you what his Valentine present was.

I was sooooo tired by the end of the day and yet soooooo happy. I contemplated why it was such a good valentine's day and realized I was so busy thinking of all the things I was going to do for Lucy and Dave, and the party and the neighbors that I never thought about what anyone was going to do for me. And that is the formula for happiness!!!! If you aren't concerned with what you are getting you will be so much happier. This sounds like a Christmas moral, but it hit me on Valentine's Day this year. I didn't even realize until the next day that I really hadn't gotten anything and it was so refreshing to not be expecting anything. I realized all these years (the whole 6 we have been married!!!)I have been wishing for Dave to be superman on Valentine's Day and that is not what it is about. It is about how you can show your love for others.

I feel like, duh! I mean theoretically I have always known that you should serve other people and be selfless and then you will be happy, but I guess I never actually internalized it.

Love really is a verb. It is something you do and then you feel. The more I find myself waking up thinking, "what can I do for Dave today?", the more I feel like he is the most amazing husband ever. Anytime, I have been upset with Dave it was because I was thinking of things he wasn't doing for me and I hadn't given any thought to his needs. I sure Love this adventure of Love. My favorite moments in life are when you feel like you really grow and have a whole new awareness in life. That is the whole purpose of this life right? To learn and grow and be able to Love more fully.





I caught some of the cuteness and love on camera!

Photo Shoot:






Valentine Party at the Park:


Lucy's Valentine from Marcus

Levi found his Valentine!
Lucy and her friend Emma at the party

They are so full of personality. I love it!


Lucy's hunky Valentine, Marcus!

Lucy helping me make the pizza dough.


The pizza turned out pretty cute!


Lucy wearing all of her valentine gifts the next morning. Notice the body glitter and princess gloves!

Anyway I hope your month and I guess your entire life are completely and totally full of LOVE!!!