Baby Lucy!

Before signing off for the week, here’s something Lucy made at daycare yesterday. Cindy always comes up with the cutest stuff. Have a safe and happy 4th!

Here’s the last of the NJ pics. As you can see, Lucy had a very exciting week!

Jamie, Dawn and I took Molly to Philly for some fancy four course fondue. It pretty much blew Molly’s mind!

The next morning, Jamie and I took Lucy and Michael to a nearby park for some swings and snacks.

Later, Michael and Lucy played with the hose. Michael thought it was fun to spray Lucy, and Lucy didn’t mind at all!

Sprinkler time!

Then, over to Dawn’s for more playing and pool time. Lucy loved it, but we had to cut it short since she was overly tired and not feeling the best. I wasn’t the only one taking pictures!

Saturday was our last day in NJ, and Lucy was relaxing, getting ready for the party. She liked being held. A lot.

The three of us.

Lucy at the party. More sprinkler fun!

After Lucy went to bed, the whole neighborhood watched the fireworks.

On the plane home, Lucy again needed to hear some music to calm herself. She was ready for her own bed!

Back in Minnesota! Stopping for some lunch before arriving home in the early afternoon. Hungry baby!

Here’s the zip file of the full size pictures. LINK.

Thanks so much to Mom and Bill for putting us up, and it was really great to see everyone. Thanks for the fun…. see you soon!

Here’s part two of the NJ trip pictures. These are shots of our trip to Ocean City, where Lucy and Molly LOVED the ocean. They were both very brave and eager to get their feet wet! Also, there are some pics of the babies running around the Cherry Hill Mall. As yesterday, there’s a link at the bottom to download all of the images full-size.

Here’s Molly and I on the boardwalk in Ocean City, and a shot from atop the big ferris wheel. Cool!

Someone’s getting excited!

The girls arrive on the beach. The sand is VERY soft and they quickly make their way around.

I’m going in!

The sand is FUN!

The kids had a blast at the mall. We got there early so there was plenty of room to run!

Lucy meets her second cousin Sierra, a little doll in her own right.

Also, here are two videos of Lucy frolicking around at the beach!

Here’s the zip file of the full size pictures. LINK.

The rest will be coming tomorrow!

We returned from our almost-week long family vacation yesterday, and we had a great time. Lucy was totally thrilled to have her big sister around all week, and Molly got to see, taste, and experience many new things. It was so nice to see all sorts of family that I haven’t seen in years, and many that Lucy or Molly had never met.
I have a lot of pictures, so I am going to do this over the course of a week. Today’s part includes our night at the hotel before we left, the flight down, and the first night in NJ. I’ll also include a link to download all the photos in full size for those that are looking for something to print out. I also have a couple of videos that I’ll put up, too.
So…….

When we get to the hotel, Lucy wastes no time in ordering room service for herself.

Then it’s time to hit the glass elevators with big sister!

A quick breakfast of “meatball” before we head to the airport.

Molly’s first time on a plane! So brave and cute. She loved it! Lucy needed a little soothing.

When we got to Grandma’s house….rocks! Also, Lucy and Mom relax outside.

Then the cousins arrive! Lucy quickly realizes that Michael is a LOT of fun! Baby Jacob was content looking cute.

They then went inside, where Lucy showed Michael some love, and they played with the toolbench.

Lucy and Jacob then went for a late afternoon stroll.

Then…..bathtime!

Part two coming tomorrow! Here’s a link to the full size pics of the images above (59mb) LINK

Here’s some pictures of Lucy in her new hat! Yesterday we decided to take Lucy to the park in the morning. On the way, we thought to stop by the bike shop to get Lucy fitted for a helmet. They didn’t open for another half hour so we went to the nearest park, which happened to have a “strawberry fest” going on. This was a perfect distraction for an impatient toddler. She ate, played, and had her first taste of a snow cone. On the way back we did stop at the bike shop. Lucy did NOT enjoy trying on the “hats”, so we left emptyhanded, since none seemed to fit her anyway.

We had a temporary break in the rain, so it seemed only fair for Lucy to be able to sit in the swing that has been taunting her from the living room window for the past few days. Of course she had fun with it.

Her vocabulary is growing exponentially by the day! She can now string two or three words together to better let us know what is on her mind. Of course, if you don’t correctly act on this information quickly, things can get bad. Still, it’s great to hear her work out little sentences. Also, Jamie’s been doing a great job teaching Lucy some manners! She now says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ very often….sometimes for no reason at all!

Scampering in the living room waiting to go outside:

Swinging! It’s a serious thing. Most of the time.

This weekend was a cold, rainy mess…not a lot of fun for a rambunctious toddler who looks outside the window and sees her swing taunting her in the wind. While Lucy was frustrated with not being able to scamper outside as she likes, she did manage to have some fun with her baby doll and stroller. She got great amusement out of chasing us with the stroller and running into us with it.

New camera coming soon! Just in time for our trip out east. Hopefully my picture taking will improve along with it!

Sam and Barb were nice enough to invite us over Saturday for some backyard play and a great dinner. Lucy loved playing with Sam and sharing his fun slide and sandbox. Sam was a very gracious host to Lucy and they both just had a blast eating, running, playing, hiding, and squealing. When we left, Lucy was very tired and happy, sometimes saying “Sammy” while trying to drift off to sleep. Cute.
Many thanks to Barb and Sam for a fun afternoon and gracious hospitality. Sorry I overcooked the beef! I’ll work on my charcoal skills, promise.

Lucy liked that Sam had a sandbox, too. And his was red!

Sammy also had a cool bucket full of rocks and water that kept the babies occupied for a good while

Lucy and Sam also had a blast hiding from their parents, and basically running around having fun

The next morning, Lucy enjoyed her favorite breakfast

Last night we met up with a bunch of friends for some outdoor pizza and play at the Smith Gardens Community Farm. It was perfect for the babies, since they could eat pizza, play, run, watch the chickens and make as much noise as they’d like. We were blessed with lovely weather and good people, as well as wonderful pizza. I can’t wait to go back.

A view of the barn and the band. The porch area on the right is where the wood-fire oven is

Lucy’s mind was blown by all the chickens (ALLLL these chickens!)

Arie, Lucy, and Sam thought it fun to rattle their cage

Pizza farm tires a baby out!

Just in time for this weekend……it’s videos of last weekend! Here are four short videos. The first features Lucy talking about the cat, Arie, and a lot of her other favorite things. Then there’s one of her and Gideon in the sandbox, cut short by Lucy getting distressed over being dirty and running off. Finally, there is a video of Lucy sliding down her slide, and another of all three babies looking to slide. Cute.

Lucy babbling:

Lucy and Gideon in the sandbox:

The Slide, Pt. 1:

The Slide, Pt. 2: