Lucia Grace - 18 months

Our sweet little Lucy is now 18 months old... She's the best thing we could have ever imagined. Miss Lucy's favorite things these days are telling the geese "No No No!!" (this she learned from me constantly chasing them off of our yard), feeding the deer apples (she calls them all "Doe") with Uncle Mark at Grandma & Grandpa's house, dancing to the Doodlebops with Dad, smothering Thomas the cat (affectionately called "Momas") with hugs, helping to cook in the kitchen by opening all the drawers we haven't yet put latches on & taking out any utensil she can get her hands on & taking baths with the tub completely full while laying on her back & floating with everything except her cheeks, nose, mouth & eyes under water - just relaxing without a worry in the world.

From Lucy, I have learned a whole new dimension of patience and with that comes a magical reward. For every frustrating moment with a toddler comes an irreplaceable smooch when you don't expect it, or a sweet voice happily saying "Momma?" when she awakens, or a heartfelt hug that you know she means with every bone in her body... These are the moments that make every worry in the world seem so incredibly trivial. These are the reasons why it wasn't a big deal to me when I found Lucy perched on her stepstool, having filled up the bathroom sink & happily playing with my iPhone as if it were a boat... These are the things I hope I will remember forever!