Thankful...

I went to a new church this morning. Jon stayed home with Lucy because she was having a hard time staying awake, and it would have been a screaming disaster by the first reading. After going to mass, I wish I would have brought them along. Today was all about being thankful for our families. I am thankful for my family everyday, but hearing the words and reading the scriptures just brought everything full circle for me today. I am thankful for my loving husband and my sassy, crazy daughter, Lucy. I am thankful for my new role as a wife and mother... the most rewarding "job" I've ever had. 

merry christmas!

Santa left a big present that needed some assembly. Thanks Santa! ;) Santa's helpers (Jon and I) worked on this after Lucy went to bed, so in the morning she wouldn't have to wait!

It's Christmas morning!!! Lucy was burning up the carpet trying to get over to the presents!

A kitchen???? AWESOME!!!!

She LOVES Christmas! 

almost, goose. almost.

It's almost Christmas!!!! We have a few presents under the tree already, and Lucy just loves to rearrange them. I think every present has a little rip in the paper. I can't wait until Christmas morning!!! Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!!

9 month stats...

Lucy's appointment was at 3 this afternoon. We packed up the car and braved the snowy weather to see our friends Dr. Francke and Nurse Karen! Lucy didn't really like the first half of the appointment and cried (screamed) through the weighing/measuring portion. Even with all the tears, we were able to determine that Lucy is 19lbs, 10oz and 29.25 inches tall! She seems to have thinned out a bit from her last appointment...growing lengthwise, not widthwise. Dr. Francke said it wasn't anything to be concerned about. She is just long and lean. 

With the new measurements come a new carseat! Goose is a quarter inch too tall for her seat, so we will be purchasing a convertible seat in the very near future. Her infant carrier just isn't cuttin' it anymore. 

We left some holiday cheer (holiday pretzels and goodies) for our favorites at the clinic and then we were off! Tonight we loaded up in the neighbor's Expedition and went to a nearby park that was all decorated. The kids loved looking at all the lights! I had big plans to take a bunch of cool pictures, but forgot my camera.. darn it!

9 months old!

Lucy Beth is 9 whole months old today! Crazy!! We have her 9 month check up tomorrow at 3pm. I will update everyone with her stats then. I'm sure she's over 20lbs.... she is getting so big. 

anticipation.....

9 more days.....

big changes at our house!

Two major changes have happened at our house in the past seven(ish) days....

1. Lucy is consistantly going to bed at 7pm without any tears!

2. No more pacifiers!!!!!!! Hooray!!

She is becoming such a big girl! Can't believe she'll be one in three months. Time really does fly by.  

can i really say this???

Well it only took 8.5 months for Goose to figure out how to sleep through the NIGHT!!!! The past three nights have been a dream! Having her sleep for 7-9.5 hours before waking up is a dream. I don't know what changed with her, but I'm glad that we have had three GREAT nights in a row. Now if only I could go to sleep when she does! I've been enjoying quiet nights to myself, working on crafty Christmas presents and odds and ends. 

Because no post is complete without a picture... here's one from the other day. The hallway closet door was open and she found the bag of toliet paper. Cute, cute... 

monkey see....monkey do...

Our neighbors Tim and Sarah have a little boy named Coil. He is about 15 months. They spend quite a bit of time together because Sarah and I have become pretty good friends since we moved in. She is a stay at home mom as well, and keeps me company when Jon is away for his trips. 

Last Thursday, Sarah dropped off Coil at our house to play with Lucy while we ran to the library. Jon was in charge of two kids under two and did a great job. (I guess it's time we have another...;) While they were playing, Lucy picked up on one of Coil's funny faces. She thinks it is positively hilarious to scrunch up her little nose and breathe really fast. HA! She sounds like a little piggie or something! I've been trying to get a picture of this for the past week.. and finally had success today. Check out those two pearly whites!

snow day

This morning Jon and I took Lucy to the TrueValue to get a snow shovel. We are expected to get more than a foot in the next day or so, so we had to get some supplies. I've never been to a three story hardware store until today. It was so cool! The entire top level of the store was a Christmas wonderland. They probably had an ornament for every occasion, person, animal, etc. I stumbled upon this one for Lucy. It seemed to fit her mood the past couple days:

The Drama Queen snowman is displayed next to her hand/foot reindeer! I have them both marked on the back with a "Christmas 09" so we don't forget. 

We already have a couple inches on the ground, so Jon shoveled. I put on Lucy's new-to-her snowsuit (Thanks, Chris!) and headed out too. I hope it warms up just a little so she can actually play in it. 

busy weekend

On Saturday we traveled to Madison to see Jon's cousins, Bryan and Laura. They have two awesome boys, Wake and Hale. Every year they take a mini vacation to a water park. This year they brought their friends Jeanie and Reggie. They have two little girls. It was a fun day! Lucy did not really appreciate the baby pool and was much happier in the big kid pool... 

After a little bit of swimming, everyone headed back their rooms and got ready for dinner. The other couples and kids were just going to snack around, but Jon and I wanted to eat some real dinner. Bryan, Laura, Reggie, and Jeanie offered to take Lucy while we went to dinner. After a little hesitation, we decided that since they had collectively raised four children, Lucy would probably be okay with them for 45 minutes. We raced downstairs to the hotel restaurant, ate an uninterrupted meal, and came back upstairs to find a content little girl. It was so nice to have dinner with Jon. We haven't ever left Lucy with anyone else, so this was a real treat. Thanks, guys! 

Jeanie and Reggie's daughter, Kashes, was a big help with Lucy. Lucy just loved all of Kashes's pretty bracelets and her eyeglasses. I think they could have played all night if Lucy wasn't already without a quality nap for the day. We can't wait to make it out to Bryan and Laura's house sometime this summer so they can all play again! 

friday happenings

This morning I made waffles for Jon and Lucy! She really liked them and was content eating the pieces plain... until she was given a chunk dipped in a little bit of syrup. 

After breakfast and a quick nap, we all went into Jon's workplace to donate to their sponsored Christmas family. This year, the family that was chosen is expecting a little girl. We were able to donate a few sleepers that Goose grew out of too quickly (before I even knew they were too small and they weren't worn), some size 2 daipers, and a couple sample cans of formula we received in the mail. Our donation was added to the several boxes and bags in the office. It looks like the family will have a very nice Christmas! 

We made a quick stop at the grocery store with a very crabby/worn out Lucy and then headed home. It was a quick night when we got home. We did supper, bath, and books at a very fast pace so we could get her in bed. 

Tonight we read Christmas book #3, That's Not My Snowman! We read That's Not My Fairy, That's Not My Puppy, and That's Not My Bunny almost every day, so Lucy knew what was going on. She loved it! 

second book

Tonight we read the second book in the box. Last night's bedtime came before any books were read...so we had to skip a night. Tonight's book was really cute. It was about how snowmen celebrate Christmas together when everyone is sleeping snug in their beds. Lucy enjoyed it and even pointed to a few snowmen. Very fun! Can't wait til tomorrow's book! It's about a Christmas angel.... stay tuned.

Jon was very nice today and watched our neighbor's son while we went to the library without the kids. Coil (14 months) and Lucy were supposedly well behaved while we were away. I got a new book for Lucy and a couple sewing books. I am going to make Lucy some fun things for her room.

22 days until Christmas!!

**I didn't realize that she still had some food on her face from dinner until I uploaded the pictures and she was in bed. sorry.....**

Book 1!

Our first Christmas book! Bear Stays Up For Christmas!