The Webster's

Ready for an amazing spring of 2011!

2011-03-28T09:17:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers, friends & family!

I feel inspired just by logging in to my blog after one year! =) Wow, it's been a while, but I'm determined to share information about the exciting things going on in our life with all of you.

Over the past year, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching Lucy grow and become the lively, adorable 2 1/2 year old that she is! Much of my time has been spent with home addition details, it has taken one full year to get to the point where I *think* we can begin next month. Design work, permitting, bids from contractors, appraisals, bank logistics, etc. - it's quite a process, but we are so excited to one day have a larger home! Our little one bedroom is quite cozy, but we are eager to watch it grow!

I'm sure if you've been reading my updates on Facebook or have followed this blog for more than a year, you know that springtime at the Webster's is focused on the Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis. This year, Team Lucy is going to be incredible! We have fantastic news, I am excited to share that we are now officially a National Team with Team Lucy teams in Olympia, WA, Chicago, IL & Clifton Park, NY! Randy's cousin, Lisa McKenney-Wilson started Team Lucy Chicago last year and is excited for it again this year. Katie Roberts Farren, one of my closest childhood friends, has taken on the challenge to begin Team Lucy Clifton Park NY this year! If there are any of you out there interested in doing more within your local area to fundraise for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, I would love to talk with you about the possibilities!

As usual with this blog, I would like to share a couple photos of Lucy, I hope you enjoy them! I would love to continue writing, but I really must begin to pack for our family vacation to NY & NJ, we leave in 24 hours! Wish us all luck as we travel across the country with Lucy! We are so very excited to spend a couple days in Clifton Park with the Farren's (Katie, Seth & Clare), a couple days in the heart of New York City visiting friends and exploring (Josh, Lindsay & Max Stewart, Mike & Bridget Brager, and of course my old buddy old pal, Brock Fetch), and complete the trip with a few days with Randy's best friend Kevin. Kevin & his wife, Diana, recently had adorable twin boys, Scott & Grant; they were 26 weekers, their first months were in a major NICU in New Jersey. These beautiful boys are doing very well now and Randy was quite honored to be asked a month or two ago by Kevin to be the Godfather for Scott. We will be attending their baptism at the West Point Chapel, where Kevin was a cadet at West Point many years ago. It is sure to be an amazing trip!

Best wishes to you all!

If you're up for a challenge and would like to walk in a Team Lucy Great Strides walk, you can go to www.cff.org/great_strides/christywebster for more info, to register and to donate! We are very excited to begin networking with corporate sponsors and would love your help in making these connections! The progress that has been made since last year is phenomenal, the medication VX-770 which treats Lucy's rare form of CF is looking more promising than ever! Here's a link to read more on that www.cff.org/research/clinicalresearch/faqs/vx-770. Thank you to all of you who have donated and been involved with the cycle, climb and walk events, your dollars and energy have helped to make this exciting news possible!!

Much love to all,

Christy

Returning from a 3 month hiatus!

2010-07-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

And all of the sudden it is July! How is it that life runs in fast forward sometimes?? Lucy is doing great and loving life! Randy & I are busy spending every spare moment working with a designer & trying to finalize plans on a major home addition... We finally realized we've outgrown our 1 bedroom 1 bathroom! ;-)

Here are some photos from last month on a rare sunny afternoon...

We are looking forward to spending the 4th of July at Randy's parent's annual BBQ/swim/lake day! I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

Much Love,

Christy

Olympia Great Strides CF Walk!

2010-04-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I would like to take a minute to invite each and every one of you to the Olympia Cystic Fibrosis (CF) walk on May 22nd` . As most of you know, CF is an illness very close to our hearts as our one and only daughter, Lucia Grace, deals with it everyday. Here is a brief explanation of CF from the foundation’s website:

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:
clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond. – www.cff.org

Call me crazy, but I live every single day as an optimist. Even though this is an incredibly scary, life shortening and at times pain inducing disease, the progress that has been made (great strides if you will) is absolutely remarkable. I feel oddly blessed to have an undeniable passion to learn more about something so profound – and here’s an example of why. There are over 400 genetic mutations that cause CF. 60 of these are tested for on the standard CF DNA screen (which Lucy had in her first few days of life, results came to us at 6 days old), and the remaining 300+ can be identified on a highly advanced Ambry full genetic panel. Lucy has a CF gene (mutation) from Randy (G551D) & one from me (N1303K), because we are both carriers. These are both relatively rare mutations, the G551D mutation is the one we are mainly focused on because there is an important med on the horizon aimed at treating this mutation. Only 3-4% of all CF patients have this G551D mutation, the vast majority have delta F508. The medication we are closely following go through the CF drug development pipeline was created by Vertex Pharmaceuticals with funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; it is called VX-770. On a cellular level specific to G551D, this medication is able to essentially correct the salt imbalance that is the root problem of CF. The effect is no more “dehydrated”/thick mucous clogging up parts of the body, most importantly the lungs and digestive system – it is basically a cure as it is able to eliminate symptoms. We have known about this med since Lucy was diagnosed and have been following it closely as it goes through the different phases towards final FDA approval. It looks very promising and about 2 years away from being within our reach. The ultimate goal is for researcher to also apply this knowledge to other mutations, it is very exciting!

Over the past year, I have been lucky enough to meet two amazing adults with CF. The first is a 50 year old female physician with CF who spoke at a parent education day at UW, her topic was the importance of physical exercise in the life of a CF patient – she is incredibly vibrant and did a fantastic job. The other amazing individual is a 54 year old male, former computer wiz during the dot com craze, now retired & living happily in the Seattle area, working hard everyday to battle his CF. Seeing these very positive, high achieving, life loving & OLD (I say that with every positive meaning of the word!) adults with CF, I can’t help but realize the potential Lucy has for a long healthy life simply because of the era which she was born into.

So, how does the medical/genetics talk relate to the Olympia Great Strides CF Walk? Great Strides is the CF Foundation’s largest national fundraiser and it provides the money necessary to fund incredibly important research including the development of the med mentioned above and others like the inhaled antibiotics Lucy has taken this year.

Although we would love to see zillions of dollars raised, Randy and I would most like to see awareness increased and invite people to learn more about our reasons for being so optimistic about Lucy’s future with CF. The Olympia walk is a lot of fun, last year it fell on an absolutely beautiful sunny spring day and we had 75 walkers in bright yellow TEAM LUCY tshirts. I was amazed by the incredible support we received from friends and family!

To register for the walk, go to http://www.cff.org/, then register for Great Strides, select WA state, then Olympia & then Team Lucy (the shortcut is http://www.cff.org/great_strides/christywebster ). Technically the walk is free, but donations are encouraged. There is a live band, BBQ & fun projects for the kids to do as well. The full walk is 4.5 miles although there is a beautiful 1 mile option around Capitol Lake itself.

Thank you to all of our much loved friends and family, your support means the world to us!

Love,
Christy, Randy & Lucy Webster

websterhome@comcast.net

19 month Lucy Update & my friend Karen

2010-04-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone!

Good news on the Lucy front, things are going very well. We spent nearly 4 hours at the CF Clinic yesterday for her quarterly appointment, always such a long day. It was a nice treat to have Randy's mom go with us, Lucy has so much fun with her and Susan had some good questions for Dr. Ricker. I've made a point of taking a few of our family members with us to appointments because it's such a great way of getting insight into Lucy's CF care. We are so lucky to have such a big support system of family members and friends!

So, the good news is that after Lucy's month of the expensive inhaled TOBI antibiotic, she had a follow up throat culture that came back clean! We were so happy! Yesterday Dr. Ricker did another follow up culture that we will get back next week, praying it stays clean. In an effort to be extra cautious and eliminate any lingering bacteria that may be hiding in the lungs, he opted to have Lucy begin another month of inhaled TOBI (tobramycin through at nebulizer). Thankfully, there is a new program to help with the cost of this medication and it is much more streamlined to access the assistance than when we went through it a few months ago.

As for her growth & development, she's our little beanpole these days! So long & she's lost the baby fat look. Lucy was 26.6 lbs and 35 inches which put her in the 78% for weight & 98% for length but unfortunately only the 38% (or 35? I can't remember) for her weight for length ratio. The weight for length ratio is what they follow the closest and they would really like to see that increase 50% by age 2. As a result, I am doing everything I can to add fat and healthy calories to Lucy's diet. (And yes, this is a bit counterproductive when I'd like to lose 10lbs =) I smile each time they recommend adding olive oil to her food - thankfully we've got connections (www.sottovoce.com).

This was the first visit in a year or so that the Child Life Specialist came in to visit with us. There were two and they were both wonderful. The Child Life Specialists do many different things depending upon which part of the hospital or clinic they're focused on. But, in the case of the CF clinic, they work on helping to keep the kids entertained during long clinic appointments and recommend advice on doing the various respiratory treatments at home. They brought Lucy all kinds of little stickers, coloring crayons, etc to take home - all donated by the Tacoma Orthopaedic Guild. Even though I come with a great big bag of tricks to these appointments, Lucy of course always loves to see new things. The girls were so great, they walked right in with their yellow gowns (all of the care providers wear cover gowns & gloves at the CF clinic to prevent spreading infection from one CF'er to another) and sat on the floor instead of the chairs. It lightened the mood so much and Lucy loved them being right at her level. I think Dr. Ricker was a bit surprised when he walked in & we were all on the floor with crayons and stickers everywhere, but that's okay. =)

As for her follow up, we will be heading back in to the clinic just for a weight check and annual labs next month. She will not have a full clinic visit for another three months. This of course could change if her culture results come back worrisome or if she becomes ill (knock on wood!), but we continue to be very optimistic.

I am so proud of our little Lucy bug, she is absolutely amazing. Her patience as a toddler in a tiny exam room for nearly 4 hours blew me away! She has adjusted just great to taking 3 enzyme capsules with every feeding or snack (an increase from the 2 we've been on for a long time now) and she's the world's biggest champ wearing her vest for 30 minutes twice a day.

Thank you for everyone's support and prayers for Miss Lucy. I have another friend on my mind tonight that I would love each of you to add to your prayer list. It is my coworker, Karen Wilson from the TG ICN. Karen has worked there for many years as an LPN, she is a wonderful nurse and a fantastic friend. Last year, Karen was a huge help with TEAM LUCY at the Olympia Great Strides Walk even though she was going through treatments for recurrent breast cancer. Karen's cancer is back I believe for the 3rd or 4th time, now in the bone and quite serious, and she is fighting a very tough battle. Karen is single and at work we are collecting to help her have money to cover the basics and those with extra sick time are able to donate hours to help her keep her health insurance as she's too sick to work the necessary time. I ask you to pray for Karen's strength and that God is able to open doors to help her while she's fighting so hard. As soon as I posted info onto Facebook about the Olympia CF Walk, Karen was the first person to respond. She was asking not to walk because it's too much for her while going through treatments but instead to be involved organizing the tshirts for the walkers. Karen gives and gives and gives, she has a heart of gold and I feel so lucky that she is my friend. Think of her tonight, she's got a fantastic sense of humor, she's a kick to be around, she loves good food and great drinks, and right now she needs all the prayers she can get. God is powerful, I know He listens when we pray and I'm praying for Karen's health and strength tonight. Love you Karen!

A visit from Stacy & the puppies!

2010-04-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

Such a treat to get a phone call from my best college buddy, Stacy saying that she was in the area! Lucy & I loved having a few hour visit from Stacy & the adorable Kody (short for Kodiak) & Kenai, their Golden Retrievers! Since losing our Golden named Blue a few years ago, we miss these doggies more than ever! Randy was so sad he missed the puppy play time! Miss Lucy was in heaven with these big adorable furry friends! We are so excited for Stacy & Johannes (her husband, also a great college friend) who are expecting their first baby! We can't wait to meet their little man later this spring! Thanks so much for such a fun afternoon Stacy! Love you!

A sunny day at the park

2010-04-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

Nope, I didn't even tell her to pose! =) Tripped & fell landing in just the right spot for a photo!

Lucy is discovering new things left & right. She is getting so incredibly tall - 35 inches at her 18 month check up - that there are continually new things within her reach!

Great Grandma Alice turns 93

2010-04-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

The birthday girl! At 93 years young, she is quite possibly the strongest Swedish woman I have ever met! Randy's Grandma Alice is sweet as sweet can be. She has raised a wonderful family including my mother in law, Susan. We had a great time celebrating Alice's birthday with a party at my inlaw's home!

Julia & Grandma Biddly

Baby Boen is becoming a handsome lil' chunk-a-chunk! He has the sweetest dimples now! Too cute!

Miss Lucia helping Grandma Biddly blow out her birthday candles - both Julia & Lucia had their turns blowing out the candles!

Soon to be...

2010-04-01T00:44:00.000-07:00

... the world's most beautiful bride!! This is my cousin Allyson, she is the cutest little city mouse you have ever met! She is engaged to marry a close childhood friend of mine, Mr. Kyle Barker & they are quite the adorable couple. I had a fantastic time spending the better part of a Sunday with Allyson, Aunt Carol & Allyson's sister-in-law Monica helping Allyson finialize her absolutely stunning wedding dress!

You see, Miss Allyson was a communications major at WSU & then worked after college as the event coordinator for the Bite of Seattle & Taste of Tacoma. She now is in charge of marketing spectacular lodges & tours for Princess Cruises & Princess Tours throughout the NW. Allyson has details in her bones - she is the queen of organization & this is going to be such an amazing celebration joining her life with Kyle's! I just had to share this adorable mother - daughter photo because these two ladies are so very special to me. I love you sweet city mouse! You're going to be the belle of the ball!

Our weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's

2010-04-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

At the park to see the crazy geese!

A couple weeks ago, Randy spent a few days helping his good friend Zach Horn move his wakeboard manufacturing business from the San Diego area back up to Tacoma. While he had a strenuous weekend of heavy lifting & long hours on I-5, Lucy & I were taking it easy at Grandma & Grandpa's house! We had a great time enjoying my mom's delicious cooking, riding the Gator around their property, visiting with friends, and of course these photos of Lucy & Grandma feeding the psychotic geese at Borst Park. Thank you Mom, Dad & Mark for a great time!

Lucia Grace - 18 months

2010-03-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

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!

Brunch with the Smith's

2010-03-10T22:50:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a great afternoon with Randy's best friend, Kevin Smith's family when they had us all over for brunch! The Smith's & the Webster's both raised their families on Lk. Steilacoom which meant that Randy was very close with Kevin as well as the two sisters Christy & Katie also being buds. So, it goes without saying that Kevin's been an important part of Randy's life since before we started dating. Kevin & his family are absolutely phenomenal people - both in the way of being incredible friends and in accomplishing greatness. Kevin was a third generation graduate of Westpoint Military Academy where he was Captain of the soccer team. Following graduation he served his four years in the military as an Army Ranger with multiple tours to both Iraq & Afghanistan. Upon completing his duties with the military, Kevin embarked upon a whole new challenge and is completing his second year of dental school in the state where his beautiful wife, Diana is from, New Jersey. The best part about Kevin is that although his achievements are prestigious, he is a down to earth, hillariously wild, energetic friend with a heart of gold.

Ladies & gentlemen, this is Dylan! Isn't he a doll! Dylan Laureano is the incredibly handsome son of Katie (Kevin's sister) & Eduardo Laureano. He has got to be one of the most smiley little boys I have ever seen! We loved getting a chance to finally meet him!

I just love this photo of Kevin helping Lucy at the table! I think this guy has DAD written all over him! =)

Randy's sister Christy & our growing nephew Boen!

Randy visiting with the hostess, Mrs. Smith! Thank you for such a beautiful afternoon! The Smith's recently moved from Lk. Steilacoom to the town of Steilacoom & their new home is absolutely perfect for entertaining! It was such a treat!

Kevin's Uncle Craig (without glasses) visiting with Randy's dad, Dennis (with glasses). Julie U, I hope you're reading - this is the famous Uncle Craig I've been mentioning to you for the last few years! Craig is the man responsible for the medication Enbrel which treats Arthritis! He is absolutely brilliant and is wealth of knowledge when it comes to genetics and pharmaceuticals. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him about his knowlege of the medications getting close to approval to treat or potentially cure certain forms of Cystic Fibrosis.

The man of the hour - Kevin! =)

We so much missed Kevin's wife, Dianna! She stayed back in New Jersey while Kevin made the trip out here & I really missed chatting with her! Hoping to see them both back again for a visit this summer!

Lucy in her cute little polka dot dress, thank you Jaymie & Brady for such a cute outfit with bows to match! This was just before heading into church before brunch, where Lucy sat in the sanctuary through her first full service! Well, nearly the whole thing... =)

Cousin Julia is growing up so quickly! It seems like just yesterday that our little niece was a baby & now she's going to be 4 next month!

White Pass Winterfest 2010!

2010-03-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

A little spontaneity goes a long way!
Bless their hearts, my parents made our day a couple weekends ago! We'd been hoping to go to the beach, but with the tsunami warning that came as a result of the earthquake in Chile, we figured that was our sign to steer clear of the beach. I spoke with my mom on the phone that morning & welcomed her back to the states after their 7 day stay in Zijuatanejo, Mexico. She ever so slightly mentioned that it was Winterfest at White Pass & we were out the door within 45 minutes! Breakfast, treatments, showers, snacks packed, dvd's loaded, coffee perked & out off we went! It was the first time I'd skied since being pregnant with Lucy & it was totally like riding a bike! Actually, it was WAY better than riding a bike! Things change quickly in the skiing world & after a day of skiing on my mom's newer shorter skis, I hung up the old Volant's from 1999 for good & instantly became a better skier! The day was just so much fun! Randy & I loved every minute of racing down the mountain & Lucy had a fantastic time tubing & sledding with my parents! I didn't get a photo of it, but every year White Pass has a giant snow castle for this event & it's the world's best place for sledding! (just one weekend a year) I know I'm biased because this is where I grew up skiing - nothing quite like old memories to make a day that much more fantastic! Our good family friend, Norma Benson (grew up in the Kosmos/Morton, WA area with my parents) was also up at White Pass & skiing with her was quite a treat! All in all, fantastic day with fantastic people! This is definitely the first on many family ski trips!

Notice my mom wearing the Ergo carrier? That's where Lucy napped! I think it was about a 90 minute nap while my parents went for a walk in the snow!

A soggy day on the Sound

2010-03-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

It's official - Lucy is an outdoor girl!
No matter the weather, she wants to be outside!
We enjoyed an hour or so at Tolmie State Park on a soggy day last & she thoroughly enjoyed it. My attempt was to take the stroller on a quick walk, but I'd forgotten how muddy & full of roots the trail is! We made it as far as we could & then headed back to the beach where the tide was up.

This girl's got an arm!

Why didn't I spend another 10 seconds...

2010-03-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

...to make these photos as good as they should have been?? This was Lucy's first trip to Pike Place Market & the photos do it absolutely no justice!! While I spent an hour enjoying coffee & talking wedding talk with my newly engaged "City Mouse" cousin Allyson; Randy & Grandpa Dennis took Lucy on a stroll through the market! Of course they started out at the best store in all of Seattle (Sotto Voce), and ended at our favorite little toy store where Randy bought Lucy a stick horse (big thanks to the Erickson girls for introducing Lucy to stick horses!). All of Randy's market buddies loved meeting Lucy, it was so cute to see her munching on a cookie as big as her head - thank you to the Cinnamon Works girls! I will definitely make up another time for the fact that these photos are seriously lacking! Sorry Randy, I love you!!

Just kickin' it at the park!

2010-03-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, we had unusually sunny weather at the same time as the major East Coast snowstorm... Needless to say, although we felt a bit guilty for our good friends being hit with a blizzard, we still headed out to enjoy the sunshine! We were hoping to walk around Capitol Lake, but when we got there, discovered the bridge is being redone & you can't make it fully around until they complete the project. Lucy didn't mind a bit - less focus on our destination meant more time to run around & be a kid! Such fun, I just love every minute I spend with this sweet little munchkin!

Scared of our showerhead?

2010-02-22T15:50:00.001-08:00

So, as Lucy sleeps this afternoon, I'm catching up on some of the forums & blogs I follow... Just came across this story about showerheads that I'll give you the link to - yikes! The more I look into things, the scarier it gets... First it was worries about the shower curtain - so we got rid of it & now have glass doors... then it was worries about Lucy's bath toys so we got rid of them & she began enjoying showers almost more than baths... Now I learn this and not only do I worry about the showerhead, but my mind thinks beyond that... to the pipes and the well... Geez Louise! We are in the early phases of thinking about a home addition & you can bet that a water filtration system is going to be a very important detail....

Here's the link:
http://noexcusesnoexcuses.blogspot.com/search/label/showerheads

On a happy sunny springy note, we had the most wonderful afternoon! Lucy & I ran up to the MultiCare pharmacy for a quick errand & then picked up lunch & met Randy at the park! It was a perfect sunny afternoon & we had a great time! Awww, love the feeling of spring in the air!

6 kids, 3 grown-ups!

2010-02-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Eda June Erickson

What a beauty!

This is Miss Eda, she is the third little girl to enter my good friend Katy's family & we were just able to meet her on Tuesday!

Lucy & I had an errand to run in Tacoma & were able to spend the rest of the afternoon invading the Erickson's adorable home in North Tacoma! Always such a great time! The three of us grownups were ruled by the 6 little munchkins... it was a bit crazy, but lots of fun. Katy, Rachel & I worked together in the NICU during our first years out of nursing school, such fun days! Now Rachel is lucky enough to be the mother of two beautiful boys in Seattle, Katy is still on maternity leave with her third daughter but planning to return to the NICU on call pretty soon & I'm working a couple days a week. Instead of planning our lunch breaks together in the NICU lounge, we plan do our best to plan crazy playdates with babies a bit bigger than our NICU patients. =) Here are just a few photos I was able to snap in the midst of the busy afternoon! Love you guys so much, thanks for a great time!

Ila Sue Erickson

Ava Lou Erickson

Mr. Jordan Blake

I think these two are somehow related... Lucy & Brandon, two silly little toeheads! You'd think they were the same age, but B is almost a year older than Lucy!

Paying It Forward

2010-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is a story about a friend who decided to lend a hand in an extraordinary way...

For those of you who read our blog on a regular basis, you've probably heard me mention my good buddy Ali before... We have been close friends since we were little kids & her family moved just down the block from our house. Ali is just about the most creative person I know, she has many incredible talents from hair to decorating to mothering her adorable daughter, Ryah.

Just after we heard that Lucy cultured positive for pseudomonas, I was talking on the phone with Ali & she heard something in my voice that caused her to ask how things were really going... I told her about the bacteria, meds, vest, insurance, etc. because she's always been an incredible listening ear. Well, Ali ended up doing a whole lot more that day than just listen. Within the week, I received another call from Ali... she checked in to see how things were going & then started telling me about new things that she & her co-owners of Lotus Salon & Spa were planning to do. They recently started a Facebook page & decided to take the month of February to make a donation to a charity. But, instead of a traditional charity, they wanted to donate money towards Lucy's medical expenses. As Ali began telling me about everything they wanted to do, I had tears running down my cheeks listening to the incredible kindness of a genuine friend. All three owners of Lotus Salon & Spa - Ali, Shannon & Laura, decided to given 25% of the money they earned from product sales during the month to Lucy and Ali dedicated a full 12 hour 8am-8pm day (Friday 2/5) to work for Lucy as well. As I thanked Ali for their unreal gift of compassion, I realized what an awesome example Ali is of the kind of person I'd like to be.

Soon, word got out... Lotus Salon & Spa posted information about the big fundraiser on their Facebook page & for those of you who grew up in the city & are not familiar with small towns -- word travels REALLY fast in a small town! Ali began receiving calls booking appointments within 30 minutes of writing about it on her page. She also received word that another two other local people wanted to be involved - a jewelry party (Melissa Shafer of Lia Sophia Jewelry) giving 50% of profits to Lucy and a cute local restaurant (Boccata Deli www.boccatadeli.com) offering to host the jewelry party. In addition, Shannon Guenther offered to donate her tips on the day of the fundraiser to Lucy! The ripple effect didn't stop there, the local newspaper called to interview both of us and wrote a great story on Ali paying it forward. During the interview, Ali told about how a few years ago, when she was going through a challenging time, someone did something incredibly generous for her and their only request was that some day when given the opportunity, that she would pay it forward. What an awesome move that person made! And what a wonderful message to share with others!

Many many people from all over participated in fundraising money for Lucy's medical expenses because of Ali and we are absolutely blown away. This will be a huge help when it comes to paying our annual out of pocket premium as well as the copay on Lucy's vest which is still unclear...

I thank the Lord for showing Himself through the life of my friend, Ali. Her heart is golden, she is truly amazing.

Lucy & Ali

Miss Ryah, Ali's daughter & one of my favorite girls in the world!

Answering questions during the interview for the Chronicle (Centralia's local newspaper) while Lucy was taking the time to smell the roses... This was not pre-planned... but let me tell you a story about roses & CF that you may not have heard...

In 1965, there was a lady with three boys who all had Cystic Fibrosis. This mom worked hard to help raise money and awareness about Cystic Fibrosis and made many phone calls to local civic clubs, social & service organizations seeking financial support for CF research. One of the her boys, Richard, age 4, listened closely as his mom made every call.

After several calls, he came into the room and said, "Mom, I know what you are working for." His mom was dumbstruck because he did not know what she was working for nor did he know he had Cystic Fibrosis. With some trepidation, his mom asked, "Richard, what am I working for?" He answered, "You are working for 65 roses". His mom was speechless.

Richard couldn't see the tears on his mothers face as she stammered, "Yes, Richard, I am working for 65 roses..."

Since 1965, the term 65 roses has been used by kids with Cystic Fibrosis to describe their disease.

I remembered this story as I drove home to Olympia, Lucy sleeping peacefully in the backseat, while I reflected on her smelling my mom's roses and as any toddler would do, taking them out of the vase & rearranging them her way...

When Lucy & I visited Ali the day of the fundraiser, we brought her the biggest arrangement of yellow roses that we could fit into our biggest vase. The difference Ali has made in our lives is huge and the awareness that she has brought to Cystic Fibrosis and all of the kids and adults with it is even bigger.

Ali & Lucy

I turned 30!

2010-01-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

What a lucky girl I am! I have the best mom & the best girlfriends ever! On January 14th, I celebrated my 30th birthday & a few days later over the weekend, my mom had a big party at her house filled with special girls in my life! Randy took care of Lucy, there were no babies there, just a bunch of close friends & family sharing the day together. It was a great day!

Big thank yous to my dear sweet Mom for setting it all up & making the most delicious food! And to my good friend Ali who helped my mom with a tasty fruit salad - it was even tastier because it took a spill in the back of her SUV on the way there! So sorry, I really hope your car doesn't smell too fruity! Ali also was the one who encouraged people to share stories about me (aka a roast)... She had me wear a tiara & sit in the middle of the room while I listened to everything from my first kiss to photos of Tana & I with the cops in Vegas... It was fun reliving memory lane, I think it's probably a good thing my 92 year old Grandma Ruby is hard of hearing so she didn't completely change her view of me! =) My cousin Allyson was also my saving grace that day by picking me up with her sweet Mom, fixing my hair, helping me get ready & giving me a beautiful bouquet of yellow tulips that she insisted I walk in the front door of the party with! I loved seeing old friends, especially Karmen, tears came to my eyes when I saw her because I realized how much I miss her! Thank you everyone for making this birthday so special & memorable! And to my birthday twin, my best friend Rashmi who lives in DC, I missed you (you already know that though...)!

My newly engaged cousin, Allyson! The city mouse is going to be such a beautiful bride! Her groom to be is a childhood friend of mine, Mr. Kyle Barker! Randy & I are both so happy for them & Lucy is happy that she can officially call Kyle "Uncle Kyle" now! Love you Allyson! I'm so excited for everything to come!!

Rashmi's little sisters - Nisha & Meera - these guys are my extended family (well, maybe not blood relatives, but just as close)! I loved having them there, I think in this photo Nisha was telling about how Rash & I treated her as a kid... Luckily she survived! (Quite nicely might I add =) Nisha is a middle school teacher & Meera is a student at UW.

Being roasted...

I love this girl. My good friend Ali, I will devote an entire post to her very soon explaining how she is truly changing our lives with her generousity, creativity & kindness. Ali is one in a million & I'm so lucky to have her in my life!

Allyson's mom, Aunt Carol!

Two of my aunt's, Margie & Jill. They spoiled me that day with little charms for my new Pandora bracelet! Thank you sweet ladies, I love you too!

My mom, isn't she beautiful?? Inside & out, she's incredible!

Rashmi's mom! (my other mom =)

My birthday cake!

So happy to see Miss Karmen, love you!

Visiting with TL, Jolynne & Carissa - these ladies, especially TL, had a big part in shaping me into the girl I am today. If I can be just half the mom that they are and my mom is, Lucy will be a lucky girl!

My mom even had the table decorated with great old photos of me with friends & family!

A Lucy Update

2010-01-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Our happy little almost 17 month old has quite an appetite now!

Miss Lucy makinig elephant sounds in the bathtub! This was prior to eliminating all bath toys... I'll explain below...

Our growing little girls is growing lots of hair! I hear it from people almost every day that she looks so much older! I think it's her height & hair that make her look like a big kid!

Cheese! Surprise, surprise... after 17 months, she's learned how to pose for the camera! ;-)

So, here's the latest with Lucia Grace...

We had an appointment last week at the CF clinic & she had a great exam. Lungs sounding great, height & weight both stellar, digesting well, continuing on 2 enzymes with meals & 1-2 with snacks... I went in with a few key questions to discuss with Dr. Larson & we had a lengthy discussion about everything under the sun. It is great going there because although the appointments take half the day, you leave feeling well informed. We left the clinic with a bit of a change in our routine; we're back on a prophylactic nebulizer treatment every morning of hypertonic saline (7%), she was on it at 6 months but didn't tolerate it well, luckily now she's doing great with it. They did her quarterly throat culture & we were devestated to find out this week that it came back positive for a small amount of pseudomonas... This is one of the bacteria that we have been trying to prevent her from catching, but no such luck. We are however, optimistic that with early, aggressive treatment, we can kick it into "remission" aka get rid of it for good. They are starting her on 2 weeks of oral Cipro and 28 days of inhaled Tobramycin (TOBI). I had no idea TOBI was as expensive as it is... it's a relatively new inhaled antibiotic and it will cost $4,700 for one month's worth of treatments... thankfully we have 80% coverage until we meet our out of pocket max of $2,000 and then it'll be covered in full. But, the $860 copay isn't exactly a fun bill... Bum deal. However, always the optimist, we are so thankful this treatment exists and that hopefully this was all caught early enough that treatment will be very effective. We have eliminated all bath toys, continued to sanitize the bathtub before every bath, and are in the process of figuring out how to best keep Lucy protected yet still enjoy everything there is to enjoy in life. The fact is, you could catch pseudomonas nearly anywhere -- a blade of wet grass, a straw, a hottub (lifelong "no-no" for Lucy)... the list goes on & on. We'll take this in stride, learn from it & hopefully come away from this with better tools for keeping her healthy in the coming years. I have spent about 4 hours on the phone with the CF clinic, CF pharmacy, CF patient assistance program, insurance company & other non profit copay assistance programs looking into what options are out there that we can tap into, but unsurprisingly we fall into that inbetween category where we aren't wealthy enough for huge bills to go through our bank accounts unnoticed, but we make too much to qualify for the programs that would pay for this med. It's yet another example of how our country's healthcare and overall economy is so out of wack. It's sad to realize that if we made a bit less, we'd more easily receive the best care at a cheaper price. Well, enough rambling on for one day! Not to worry, even with all of this going on, Miss Lucy is doing fantastic, she doesn't seem sick in the slightest, she's happy, energetic & has a big appetite. Thank you all for your love & support in every way.

Randy's Birthday, Sledding at Rainier!

2010-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Girls sledding together on the toddler hill

Birthday boy turned into full on workhorse! It took a lot of people to make this happen - me with the camera, Alex with the video camera, Randy carting them up the hill & Auntie Christy catching them at the bottom! Good thing Grandma & Grandpa were cozy inside the lodge with Baby Boen!

Our handsome little nephew, Boen Alexander Legler!

I think he was just about 2 months in this photo & oh so cute!

Me & my sister in law, the original Christy Webster =)

Randy's sister's family, the Legler's

Christy, Alex, Julia & Baby Boen

Little Miss Julia

We had such a great time with Julia! She rode up with us & was an absolute delight in the car, she was great at keeping Lucy entertained, the two girls had fun watching movies & eating snacks together in the car! Our little niece is growing up so fast!

Dennis & Susan, don't they look great? About to celebrate their 65th birthdays!

Me & my little chubby cheeked munchkin!

Family photo time!
Randy, Lucia, Christy, Julia, Susan, Dennis, Baby Boen, Christy & Alex

On Randy's 32nd birthday, we all loaded up in the cars & headed for the mountain. Dennis made the group a delicious breakfast before we left town, so we started with full bellies. =) We needed that energy, it proved to be a fun but exhausting adventure! This was our first outing with three little kiddos (our Lucy & our niece & nephew), and it took a lot of organization to have them all bundled, fed, changed, warm & happy! We had a fun drive, it was our first time turning Lucy's carseat forward facing & she was able to watch movies with Cousin Julia on the way there. They were so cute nibbling on animal cookies all the way! We arrived at Paradise Lodge & after taking a few family photos, headed straight up to the sledding runs. We managed to hit the big hill once & the toddler hill a few times before Lucy was a bit chilled, hungry & tired. We headed into the newly remodeled lodge to warm up & enjoy some yummy snacks courtesy of Auntie Christy Legler. After exploring the lodge a bit (especially loving the elevators - one of Lucy's favorite things), we loaded up again & drove down to the Longmire Lodge where we enjoyed a tasty dinner with the worst service I've ever had! Seriously, best atmosphere & worst attitude ever! Our waitress didn't crack a smile at all (mind you, there were three kids, who doesn't smile at kids??) until she brought us the bill - I know the only reason for the smile was her realization that she better do something for a tip! Anyway, the best part of the whole day for me was the delicious Blackberry Cobbler with ice cream on top! It was no little serving either, a big huge one that left us completely satisfied & ready to brave the roads for the 90 minute drive home. All in all, it was a great day with family!

The 26th with Gpa Dennis' family!

2009-12-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Miss Lucia all decked out in her pink tutu outfit from Grandpa Neil & her new pink Vans from Uncle Mark! She was absolutely adorable, I must say! She was checking out Aunt GoGo & little cousin Boen - he's growing so fast!

Uncle Norman & Cousin Caroline -- Carolina Moon =)

Don't we have the most handsome little nephew ever!?! He's just adorable & such a sweet mellow baby!

Some of us "kids" - Randy & I with his cousins, their spouses & the kidlets too! Such a fun group!

Christmas at the Wark's

2009-12-27T01:24:00.000-08:00

Are they adorable, or what?? Lucy & Brady playing Grandma Wark's organ (power turned off, for all of our sanity =)

The view on our drive over the river & through the woods to Grandma Wark's house...

Handsome little Brady
(my cousin Jaymie's little man)

Cousin Andrew! Home from Duke & when he heads back he'll be finishing up his final semester!

Cousin Kathleen! Home from Chicago!

We enjoyed a great afternoon/evening with my mom's family - The Wark's at Grandma's house in Chehalis. It was quite a group -- maybe 25-30 people? We had a fun gift exchange full of lots of stealing -- always keeps things exciting & people interacting! Lucy loved playing with her cousin Brady, the two of them together had a great time running around! We were so blessed this Christmas to have such special moments with family! Thank you all!

Christmas Day with Amondson's!

2009-12-27T00:41:00.000-08:00

If you can believe it, the breakfast tasted even better than the table looked! My mom is incredible! There is no place I'd rather be than eating Christmas breakfast at my parent's house.

Uncle Mark feeding the deer the "good" apples for Christmas breakfast.

Lucy with her deer friends.

The trike went everywhere with us!

Grandpa in his new hat & scarf! Such a handsome Grandpa he is!

My brother's girlfriend, Alexis! What a sweetheart! We all absolutely loved her! Mark & Alexis are both competitive marathon runners & they met at the Boston Marathon. Alexis lives in Michigan & it was such a treat to have her with us for a week -- we all loved getting to know her!Hugs to you, Alexis!

Exactly what the wagon is for! Grandma & Grandpa gave Lucy the coolest things for Christmas! This wagon filled with giant Lego's, an adorable kids table & chairs that Mark & Alexis filled with art supplies & books, stuffed animals, more books, clothes, her Christmas dress... the list goes on & on! It sure is nice to be the first grandchild! =)

Enjoying Christmas breakfast!

Great Grandma Ruby, me & Miss Lucy

The Webster's - Christmas 2009

My beautiful Mom! And Lucy's incredible Grandma! Thank you, Mom for everything you do! My mom (with some help from my cousin Rachel as well) is completely responsible for me breaking out of my yoga pant/long sleeve crewneck tshirt rut -- she outfitted me with the cutest clothes this year! Thank you Mom & Dad!

Another glimpse at our beautiful setting!

Waking up Christmas morning

2009-12-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

Catching a peek after Santa came!

2009-12-27T00:37:00.000-08:00

In the wee hours of the morning, I peeked into the living room & this is what I saw!

Christmas Eve with Webster's

2009-12-27T00:29:00.000-08:00

We feel so lucky to live near both of our parents, it makes it easier to enjoy everyone - especially at Christmas. Since we've been married, we have always spent Christmas Eve with Randy's family & Christmas Day with my family - it works out great. This year, we enjoyed attending the afternoon Christmas Eve Candlelight Service for children at Christ Lutheran Church, it was a wonderful service although I did spend the majority of it chasing toddlers outside of the sanctuary! =) After church, we enjoyed the evening with Susan's (Randy's mom) family for dinner and a gift exchange. The most fun of all was watching Lucy (almost 16 months) & Julia (3 years 8 months) open their gifts. Lucy was most interested in her trike and a SpongeBob book & Julia loved her pink bike from Grandpa & Grandma, her favorite that night seemed to be anything Hello Kitty. We feel so blessed.

Our new peekaboo game

2009-12-27T00:17:00.000-08:00

The other day I was using our bit stockpot & without it in the cupboard, there was just enough space for Miss Lucy to play peekaboo! She loves fitting into little spaces!

Cousin Rachel came to visit!

2009-12-27T00:12:00.000-08:00

My sweet sweet cousin Rachel Amondson was up for just a few days from Los Angeles & we were able to spend time together. Rachel is one of my favorite people in the world, I told her this week if I had to pick one person to influence Lucy's life, it would be her. She is so many things, I can't really put it all into words -- beautiful, free spirit, fun loving, confident, faith, compassion, sincerity, intelligent, silly, gourmet, goofy... the list goes on & on... Needless to say, we had a great time enjoying eachother. Love you Rachel!

Power's Out!

2009-12-27T00:06:00.000-08:00

During our December Freeze, we lost power a few different times. Luckily we have a generator, but even that ended up breaking because the cord froze! On one of our noisy generator nights, all of the lights worked except the bathroom, so I gave Lucy a bath by candlelight. She wasn't so sure what she thought of the "HOT" being so close to her -- but it ended up a memorable moment.

An evening with the Webster's

2009-12-27T00:02:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Randy's mom invited us over for an appetizer dinner party, it was a lot of fun seeing family. I didn't take many photos that evening, but here are a few cute ones!

Gator rides with Grandpa

2009-12-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

One of Lucia's absolute favorite things to do is ride the John Deere Gator at my parent's house! They bought her an adorable snowsuit just for her Gator rides - too cute to see her putting along with Grandpa! Thank you Mom & Dad for everything you do! We love you!

CF Stairclimb 09!

2009-12-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

What an awesome event! This was our second time competing as TEAM LUCY in the annual CF Stairclimb up the former WaMu Tower in Seattle! (Now Chase Center) We had a great turnout of 24 climbers - up 2 from last year's team! We had many family members that were return climbers, but I think the poor air quality in the stairwell scared a lot of people away. It's kind of amazing how the poor air (maybe poor ventilation or dust or some yucky bug in the air...) just takes all of your steam & leaves you with a heavy chest... It seems like those who ran the stairs at a faster pace had much more trouble with their breathing than those of us with the slow & steady approach.

Randy & his dad - silly boys with those wild Webster eyes!

The Bartholomae Family!

My good friend & coworker, Marci Bartholomae's husband, Kevin, ran the stairclimb & was one of the fastest guys on our team! I loved spending a bit of time with the Bartholomae's & couldn't have been more impressed with Kevin's stellar time! Kevin has become quite the avid runner, having just finished the NYC Marathon with a time of 2:51 which qualifies him for Boston in 2011! Thank you guys so much for your support!

My mom & her good buddy & coworker, Lori Monson! Dr. Monson is an anesthesiologist at the same hospital where my mom works as a first assist in surgery. These two both had a great time, together they're as silly as can be! It was so awesome to have Dr. Monson's family join us - Tom, Lori, Michaela & Logan all competed & did a fabulous job! Way to go Monson-Cox family!!

Here she is! The star of the show! Grandma Susan A was a stud!!! She had a stellar finishing time of 10 minutes & 23 seconds! I couldn't be more proud of my amazing mom! On the way to Seattle, my mom called & asked if I could bring a photo of Lucy -- mom wasn't feeling very up to competing & needed some inspiration. In her left hand, she's holding a framed photo I brought to energize her. Then it got even better -- while standing in the line approaching the start, a new friend of mine came up and gave me a hug. This special hug was from my good buddy Rachel Blake's close friend Jen Puzio Brookes - Jen has CF herself & I recently got to know her a bit at the CF Gala. I was quick to grab my mom, pull her over & introduce her to Jen... I said, "Mom, you wanted an inspiration... here's your inspiration! Jen is in her early 30's & she has CF herself - she just did the climb!" My mom had tears down her cheeks as she gave Jen a hug! It was quite a moment, thank you Jen for being such an inspiration! We really do think you're pretty amazing!!!

Me & Ian Jordan - owner of Product Apparel

Huge thanks again to my buddy (former coworker - Ian used to work as a RN at TG in the NICU but he's now up at Children's in Seattle in addition to being a DJ & owning a screenprinting business with his brother)! Ian did a fantastic job with the tshirts once again!!

Our incredible team!! Left to right, back to front: Tom, George, Jeriah, Kyle, Sarah, Kevin, Mark, Ray Sato, Richard, Vladi, Lori Monson, Randy, Kevin B, Dennis, Meghan Willham, Brian, Grandma Susan, Christy, Corey, Sherry, Michaela, Logan, Judy & Edwin!

We had some speedy little devils on our team! My brother Mark is on the far right - he's a very competitive distance runner who has networked quite well with other WA state runners. This was a huge help as we were able to get to know & have on our team a few incredible athletes that we otherwise wouldn't have known! From the left: Edwin, Jeriah, Kevin & Mark! These guys were absolutely incredible - Jeriah was our team's fastest runner & third overall with a finishing time of 6:14!! When I say incredible, I mean it! Last year, the person who won the climb (Zach, from Olympia) had a time of 7+ minutes - this year was full of so much more competition, the winner this year had a time of 5+ minutes! We gave these guys a 365 day heads up for next year to do all the training & scouting out they can do so we have the biggest, fastest team possible in 2010!!

Thank you so very much to everyone who participated, donated, supported & cheered on TEAM LUCY!! We love you all & truly feel that every step climbed makes us one step closer to a cure for Cystic Fibrosis! Lucy loves you all & so do we!!

Lucy's new bench

2009-12-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

No, I did not ask her to pose, she did this all on her own =)

In our cozy little cabin house we must maximize space & this little window bench is the latest addition to our home. Lucy loves it - mostly for climbing, she hasn't really discovered the baskets full of her toys yet. I'm sure that's soon to come!

I am so happy to capture moments like this - as we are thinking of putting our home on the market & moving up north, it is photos like this that we will cherish forever if we move away. Welcoming the Christmas season with our sweet little Miss Lucia.

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Miss Lucia in her beautiful little dress! This special dress was a gift we received when Lucia was born from my mom's childhood best friend, Wema Fairheart (Slyter). Thank you Wema for this adorable dress! The timing was perfect to wear it for the holidays! (I'm sure you knew exactly how to figure out buying the appropriate size as an experienced mom of two adorably dressed girls!)

Our little family photo - with Miss Lucia much more interested in the deer standing literallly right outside the window!

Sitting in her highchair all ready for Turkey Dinner!

After dinner, Lucy needed a change of clothes - she smeared mashed potatoes all over the front of her dress! =) Once she was all clean again, she had fun coloring with Auntie Ally McBride! Thank you Auntie Ally for Lucia's pretty little Hanna outfit!

We are so blessed! A big thank you to my parents for hosting a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday at their perfect home! This year we enjoyed our turkey all together - the Amondson's (Neil, Susan & Mark), the Webster's (Randy, Christy & Lucy), the McBride's (Rob, Carol & Allyson), the Barker's (Craig, Cathy & Kyle) & Grandma Ruby with her boyfriend, Flores. Once we figured out our way taking the backroads to avoid a chaotic I-5, we had a great time with such fun company! Love you all!

These boots were made for walkin'

2009-11-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

In our pre-baby days, we enjoyed a trip to the Caribbean with a day in Cancun, Mexico... Starting off the day in Cancun, I enjoyed a few margaritas & then headed out for some shopping... Needless to say, margaritas before shopping make for some interesting purchases & among those were these silly cowboy boots! I've owned them for 4 years & wore them once - now twice if you consider this photo op when Lucia wore them. Silly little girl! She loves shoes & is always trying on different pairs & carrying them around the house.

Discovering Crayons

2009-11-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Last week on a rainy day, we had exhausted our options of what to do & I was trying to keep my busy toddler from going stir-crazy... Luckily, we had a great time coloring together! I just love spending time with my sweet little Lucy, it's so much fun to watch her grow before my eyes!

Penelope Gita is growing up!

2009-11-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ali, me, Lucia, Penelope & Rashmi

Penelope & Lucy playing at Lotus with spiral perm rods =)

Such a happy little girl!
Miss Penelope Gita Sutton is the daughter of my best friend, Rashmi & her husband Wade. Penelope & Lucy are exactly 8 months apart, making Penelope now 7 months old. Pen & her family live in DC but we are lucky enough that Rashmi's parents are still here in WA meaning they still come back for visits! I just love watching this beautiful little dream of a baby grow, it is such an amazing thing to watch your best friend be a Mom & see her life change before your eyes! We love you little Penelope!

Bathtime Fun!

2009-11-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

On our last shopping trip, I found a bathtime crayon at PBKids... it's making for tons of fun!
Our little warrior absolutely loves the bath! Blowing bubbles, shooting hoops, coloring, swimming like a mermaid, kick, kick, kick... Oh the joys of being a toddler!

A Lucy Update - 14 months

2009-11-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

Life is good!! God is good!!

We have so much to be thankful for! Lucia Grace is doing great, I'm sorry it's taken so long for a good update on her health, growth, development, etc. We have been busy busy busy since she's taken off walking & enjoying trips to the park, visits with cousins and anything where she can walk around exploring!

Here's the abreviated update --

We had our first bout of illness in late Sept/early Oct with what seemed like a viral bug but lasted so long it may have been the flu or a secondary infection of some kind... Lucy was the first to catch it, her illness started with 12 hours of pinkeye followed by a week of significant congestion, then about 3 days of low grade fever (100.4-100.9), and then a week or so of a productive (and worrysome) cough. Throughout this, Dr. Ricker tried different courses of treatment - starting with Keflex (an antibiotic) for 10 days (although we ended up cutting it short by a few days to switch meds). He chose Keflex because when Lucy has her quarterly throat swabs at the CF clinic, the only thing she's been positive for is Staph Aureus & they felt if she was congested it's most likely a build up of that bacteria so they treat it specifically. When that didn't make much positive impact (after a couple visits to Dr. Ricker's office), he changed her to Septra... unfortunately again, still not much of an impact. The positive thing after the first abx Keflex was that her follow up throat swab came back perfectly clear, so even though she was still sick with some bug, she did not have an further staph aureus. Once we were over 2 weeks into the bug & still with a nasty cough, Dr. Ricker placed Lucy on Prednisone for 4 days (15mg - a pretty big dose for a 24 lb kiddo). The first night on Prednisone was absolutely hillarious! Lucy was bouncing off the walls - completely revved up & ready to run! I wouldn't normally give that med in the evening, but that's when we received it from the pharmacy & I wanted to get it started. Luckily, after the completion of the steroid treatment, the productive cough subsided, Lucy's bit of weight loss slowed down & she began the road to recovery. She's done fabulously since then, picking right back up with her weight, sounding a ton better with just an occasional dry cough & her activity level is constantly increasing!

Lucy's favorite things these days include balls - any size, shape or color, her cousin Julia - she's absolutely fascinated by big kids, Thomas the Cat - her best bud, and her new Ladybug boots from Grandma A! She would much rather prefer being outside to in, she's been like this since she was about a week old. We recently hired a friend to continue the railing on our front porch so it functions like a giant playpen now with a safe outdoor place for Lucy to play - it's wonderful having a covered place for her to use riding/push toys & kick her soccerball around.

I've been lucky enough to work the absolute bare minimum over the past few months. The NICU has been unusually slow for a long time & as a result I've taken many days off as low census time. I am so thankful that we've been able to live frugally & make this work - I treasure this time with Miss Lucia. Randy is such a hard & dedicated worker. He has done a wonderful job managing & growing Sotto Voce, we look forward to this Christmas season & hope that retailers nationwide are able to grow amidst the tough economic times.

Best get back to my Lucy bug! Love & blessings to all!

Meeting Mr. Jordan Blake!

2009-11-07T05:08:00.000-08:00

There's a new baby in town! My good friend and former coworker, Rachel Conte Blake, had her second baby a couple months ago & these are photos from Lucy & I finally meeting him! Rachel, Josh, Brandon (2 yrs) & Jordan (2 months) live up in Seattle. They have an adorable home & it is absolutely alive with fun now that they have 2 little boys - Lucy loved it! Lucy & Brandon had a great time playing with all of his new birthday toys - Happy late birthday B! I enjoyed a bit of snuggle time with this sweet little bundle, Jordan is an adorable little boy & I am so excited to watch him grow up! Thank you Rach for a fun afternoon! Love you guys!!

Prior to visiting the Blake's, we did a bit of shopping at U Village - these are photos from Lucy's time on the big toy... just before she crashed into the toy & had a giant egg on her forehead for about a week! Poor little Lucy! Now that she's walking all over the place, she's constantly bruised!

Lucy the Ladybug - Halloween 09

2009-11-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

Costumes are so much fun! It was adorable this year to see Lucy in her little ladybug outfit! I think the little antennae were my favorite part. I took these photos the day before Halloween because I had the day off with Lucy. On the actual holiday, Randy spent the day with her & we met up later that afternoon at his parent's house for some fun with cousins Julia & Boen including a bit of trick-or-treating. Love to see how interactive Lucy has become with her cousins, it's very cute!

An ode to Uncle Gene

2009-10-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

This was a photo from the last night we spent together with Uncle Gene. Uncle Gene Amondson was my dad's oldest brother & the father of my cousins Rachel (in the photo), Isaac, Andrew & Nathan. Gene was an artist, a pastor, and an incredibly unique man with a passionate love for the Lord. He lived on Vashon Island where he was affectionately known as the woodcarver & his property unique with all of his carvings, fit in quite nicely with all of Vashon's colorful people. Uncle Gene loved berry pies & being with family - he loved sugar and hated margarine. He was a constant joker & used to type all his emails in CAPS LOCK & sign them YOUR REAL DAD. I think of him daily, just this evening while I was singing Lucy to sleep (for the second time), I felt Gene was looking down on us. Gene & his love Nancy raised their kids as naturally as can be - attachment parenting believers before it was ever known... Nancy nursed her kids until they were 3 or 4 & so naturally Gene knew a fair amount of the lingo ... he used to tell me while I was pregnant that he would be my LaLecheLeague coach ;-) I could go on & on writing about what I love & miss about Gene... maybe I will finish it up another day soon... He passed peacefully in July after a massive stroke, he died at the hospital with all of his loved kids at his side. I love you Uncle Gene, thank you for your impact on my life.

An evening at the park

2009-10-03T00:26:00.000-07:00

The last month of the crawl...

Walking around the ballparks...

A nice little walk with my parents

2009-10-03T00:21:00.000-07:00

On a cloudy day in early July, Lucy & I ventured down to visit my parents in Centralia. We ended up going on a beautiful walk in Chehalis along an area where they converted railroad tracks into the perfect paved pathway.

June & July - Boating

2009-10-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

Proof that boys will be boys...

Randy & Zach decided to take wakesurfing to the next level! Randy's laying on the wakesurf board & Zach is standing on top! Goofballs! This was actually fairly successful until Randy called it quits because he felt like he was inhaling too much of the boat exhaust!

One of my good friends from work, Courtney, came out to spend the day with us! We had a great time chatting the day away while the boys goofed off!

My brother Mark loving the wakesurfing!

Miss Lucia about 10 months old

One of our perfect sunny days at home!

Taking a little swim on a hot afternoon

Tubing with Lucy & Mia

2009-10-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Miss Mia with a mouthfull of veggies & dip

Kelsey & me

Kelsey & Mia

Lucy & Mom

Randy enjoyed skiing this summer until this very night when he injured his ankle. =( We actually thought in the middle of the night when he woke up in horrible pain that he had ruptured his Achilles tendon... but, after a 2am ER visit we realized it was only a sprain. Randy's an incredible at both waterskiing & wakeboarding - what a lucky duck!

Lucy & Mia

Okay, so it's 11:20pm & after reading through Rashmi & Katie F's blogs tonight, I'm bound & determined to get a least a little caught up on our blog. There are so many fantastic photos that are just waiting to be shared... I'm leaving them all raw & unedited to save myself some time! I have a speedy new computer, hot tea to ease my sore throat & a burning desire to get this blog back up to speed!

So, here's our wonderful evening from early in the summer with my good friend Kelsey & her family. Kelsey LeDuc-Williams & I grew up together in Centralia, she is now a middle school principal in Idaho, married to Sidney & mom to her adorable little Miss Mia Grace Williams. We had a great time watching the girls together (although Lucy wasn't yet walking so she couldn't keep up very well with Mia)! It was a big night because we ended up taking the girls on their first innertubing adventure behind the boat! Kelsey & I are both pretty active, fearless, waterloving girls, so it was fun to be around another mom who thinks the same way. We knew the girls were safe in their lifejackets, they both love the water & we're both strong swimmers who have taught lessons & lifeguarded. Needless to say, it was a success! (I define success in this area by no major problems). The girls were not exactly gleeful, but they also weren't holy terrors either ;-) We made great memories & had fun together!

Love you Kelsey!

Miss Mia Grace Williams - an absolute beauty!

Randy, Lucy, Mia & Sidney

A major update is coming!

2009-09-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogger Friends!

I just thought I'd check in to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about our blog! We've been without a fully functioning computer since early June... with all of the photos I manage to take, I overloaded our computer & it's been down for the count... But, today Randy surprised me with a brand spankin' new laptop & it's awesome!! I haven't yet connected the photo software to it, but will do so with the help of a computer buddy tomorrow. Once that happens, the 2,000 photos I've taken since June will finally be let free from their cage inside my memory cards! ;-) We've had a fabulous summer with Miss Lucia Grace! There is so much to catch up on - she's a walking, talking (well, 1 year old chatter), pigtail wearing 1 year old who melts my heart each & every day! We couldn't be happier with how she's growing & developing into such a sweet energetic little toddler! First & foremost on the list is her happiness - she's absolutely loving every day! Next is her health - she's top of the charts! Lucia was 24 lbs at her last checkup just before her birthday & 31 inches, putting her at 90% weight & 98% length. Knock on wood & praise the Lord, she's continued to stay incredibly healthy & we so much appreciate the continued support from our friends & family to make this happen! Lucy was quite the social butterfly this summer, she attended a few big events including the Webster's Annual 4th of July Extravaganza and Ryan & Celina Barker's Wedding Reception. Lucy & I even headed out on a getaway with the girls! We loved spending 3 days in Seabrook, WA (just 30 min away from Ocean Shores, it's an adorable brand new little beach town) with Ali, Ryah & Stacy. Okay, I better not give away all of our secrets! Photos are coming soon!!

We send our love to all of you & send an extra special little hug & kiss to brand new baby Jordan Blake! Rachel, Josh & Brandon welcomed little Brandon over a week ago & we are just thrilled for their new addition! Lucy & I are eager as can be to get up to Seattle and meet him ASAP!

Hugs to All,

Christy

PS - Thank you Randy for reconnecting me with our blog through this awesome gift of a new computer! I love you bunches!

Lucy's Zoo Day with Dad!

2009-07-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

Lucy 10 months

I think this is just about the sweetest thing ever! Last month on one of my weekend days to work, Randy called his sister Christy & asked if she wanted to go to the zoo! Christy talked with her friend Jill & they all ended up going - Randy with Lucy as well as Christy & Jill with their kiddos. I was so incredibly impressed that Randy was able to not only dress & feed Lucy, but also pack what they needed for the day, take photos, bring the stroller, find parking amidst the Taste of Tacoma traffic... the list goes on & on! This day is an example of why I enjoy working my 2 days each week - it's an incredible chance for Daddy-Daughter bonding.

Many thanks to Jill & Auntie Christy for helping with Miss Lucy too! =)

Cousin Julia & Jill's little boy Gavin checking out the goats.

Lucy's New Shades & Jake's Big Moves

2009-07-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Lucy sporting her new shades from Aunt Margie! They're so great because there's not an up or a down side, they can go either way.

So, this is incredible photo is of someone who I still think of as "the cute little kid in church"! My Dad's good friend Craig Bower has 2 boys, Josh & Jake - they are 2 of the most fun loving, physically active, kind, caring, talented kids I know. I have to say kids even though the youngest (Jake, in this photo) is now 21 years old. It's been a lot of fun this summer having people out on the lake & it's even better when they put on a little show like Jake did! Below is a photo (not all that well centered, I think I took it one handed while holding Lucy) of Jake doing my all time favorite wakeboarding move - the Air Railey (sp?) - it's like a SuperMan move & awesome to watch. What a great summer!!

Miss Lucy & Noah!

2009-07-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

Lucy climbing with Noah the flasher not far behind! =)

This is Noah Hanculak, his momma was one of my closest friends during nursing school! Lindsay (Nelson) Hanculak is one of the most fun people I know, she is an absolute riot to talk with, always honest with great sense of humor! It had been years since Lindsay & I saw eachother and it was just luck that we were both heading to U Village on the same day! Thank you Lindsay for meeting us for a little playtime! Hugs to you both!

Father's Day!

2009-07-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a great day on the water with 3 incredible Dads! It was Randy's first Father's Day & he was able to enjoy it on the water wakesurfing & skiing. Randy is such an example to Lucy of how to live an active life enjoying the outdoors. He is such a great dad & he really comes to life at times like this when he's able to be physically active & really let loose. I love you so much Randy & I'm so proud of the father you have become to Miss Lucia Grace! Randy & I were both so lucky to be raised with incredible Dads as well! We would not be who we are today if it wasn't for the smiling faces you see above! Love you guys!

Playdate with Sara & AJ

2009-07-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I was able to spend an afternoon with a couple of my coworkers & their adorable little kids. Asha & Rebecca both work at Tacoma General & are fantastic moms as well as very fun to be around. Little Sara is the sweetest thing ever, with her blonde curls & sweet demeanor, she melts your heart in an instant. AJ is a little charmer as well with his sweet smile & dimples. Thank you girls for a great time together!

Liberty Plaza Flag Dedication

2009-07-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

This was a very special day for my Dad. He is the hardest working & most giving person I know and this day absolutely proved it. My dad has been working for the last few years as a commercial developer. He has been the main person behind a development in Chehalis called Liberty Plaza. In the middle of the development (2 hotels, a band & a restaurant), he built a massive columnar rock fountain with a gorgeous American flag in the middle. On this special day, the flag was dedicated & there was a community gathering. Randy, Lucy & I went down to share in the celebration. The country's economic struggles right now have taken a toll on many people in the development world, it is very difficult times, which made this day even more meaningful. The words below the fountain are "IN GOD WE TRUST" & that is truly what will get us through this challenging, taxing, frustrating time.

To my Dad, I love you, you will always be the person who I look up to most. Your smile fills a room & your energetic positive spirit brings up everyone around you.

My Dad Neil & his good friend from the PLU days, Bruce Templin - what handsome fellas!

Lucy & Grandma being greeted by Rick Sundstrom

Thomas the Cat's Haircut

2009-07-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

So, this is a bit out of order... it's actually from late May, but these photos are from Thomas getting his spring haircut. Poor little kitty needs a haircut every year & this time it was a little chilly on that day... so we brought him home & he wore one of Lucy's onesies & had a rare treat - he was able to spend the day recovering inside. Sweet little kitty Thomas is now doing great, enjoying his cool hairstyle during these hot days. At this point, Lucy was 9 months & just pulling herself up to the couch.

Pigtails

2009-07-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

So, I'm weeks behind on our blog... here's an attempt at getting everyone caught up since Lucy's baptism in early June. Since then, she's changed so much! I'll try to keep things all in order. She first started wearing little spikey pigtails on the day I too these photos, they totally fit her spunky little self! =)

Lucy's First Pool Party!

2009-06-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Swimming with the Legler's after Lucy's baptism!

Julia the flying little monkey!

Lucy's Baptism

2009-06-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was such a special day for our entire family. Lucia Grace was baptized at the Randy's parents home in Lakewood by the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church where Randy grew up. Pastor Ralf did was incredible with the words he shared & his compassion, sincerity & genuine kindness. Our hearts are so full of joy & thankful for all we have been blessed with. Lucia Grace is truly a gift from above, we are so lucky to have her in our lives! I hope you enjoy these photos! Precious memories! Many were taken by my cousin Allyson, I think she did a great job!

Surprise, surprise... one of Lucy's favorite toys is a camera lens cap! Maybe that's why I go through so many!
You can see in this photo that she was wearing a special silver cross neclace from Grandma & Grandpa Webster as well as a silver bracelet (engraved with her name) from Aunt Jill & Uncle Carl (I have a matching bracelet they gave to my with my name, special gifts Jill & Carl brought us when they met Lucia Grace in the hospital when she was born).

Auntie Ally! Lucy's not so sure about the smooches! ;-)

Hmmm... still getting used to Uncle Kyle... seeing what she thinks of him! I love her little thinking face!

Grandma Susan Webster & Little Miss Julia watching Lucia Grace be baptized

The baptism

Two sweet cousins with Grandma Susan A

Aren't these girls just beyond beautiful?

Lucy & Mom

Uncle Mark (Lucy's Godfather), Lucy & Mom

Uncle Mark, Lucy & Grandpa Neil!

Sweet Baby Lucy

A visit from Katie & Clare!

2009-06-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

What would you guess these girls' age difference to be? A year apart? 2 years apart?
Oh no, they're only 1 week apart!! This is an example of how stellar Lucy's growth pattern is! Clare is also in the 90% for her measurements although this picture doesn't quite show it!
Katie & Clare (who live on Long Island, NY), flew out rather spur of the moment after the loss of Katie's grandfather. Katie's family (both the Roberts' & the Althauser's) are incredibly close & I was so happy Katie was able to make this unplanned cross country flight to be near her family during a time of loss. Poor Katie & Clare had quite an adventure getting here... flight delays, 9 month old baby who'd much rather crawl around than sit in mom's lap... But, they made it & we're lucky enough to be enjoying some quality time together! We love these guys! I could go on & on about it all, but instead I'll just let you enjoy a few clips from our day on the lake.

Lucy in her new adirondack chair!

2009-06-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Practicing the parade wave...elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist...

Just seeing how it tastes...

King Tut?

A visit from Great Grandma Alice!

2009-06-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

Lucy & Great Grandma Alice
Randy's Grandma Alice Peterson is here from Richland for a couple weeks to visit & enjoy time with her great granddaughters. It was a lot of fun spending the afternoon with Great Grandma Alice, 3 of her daughters (Susan, Maureen & Renae) & her son (Michael) as well as bubbly little Cousin Julia.

Grandma Susan & Lucy
Julia on the pontoon boat

Lucy & Auntie Maureen

3 of the Peterson sisters (just missing Cindy in Richland!)
Susan, Lucy, Maureen & Renae

Aunt Renae (NaeNae to everyone in the family) & Lucy

Olympia CF Walk - Great Strides 2009

2009-06-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

How awesome is this picture?!?!
We were so incredibly blessed on May 31st with our first Great Strides 'TEAM LUCY' Cystic Fibrosis Walk! We ended up with over 76 walkers on a bright & beautiful sunny day! (5 walkers missed the photo, they were already at the starting line! Sorry Palmer family!) Randy, Lucy & I are all so thankful for the HUGE amount of love & support we felt from all of the people there that day. We had immediate & extended family as well as friends from all different aspects of our lives. It was totally amazing to look out & view a sea of bright yellow tshirts with a sketch of Lucy on the front! (BIG thanks to Cousin Andrew Amondson for drawing the Lucy photo & to my friend Ian Jordan (owner of Product Apparel) for making all the shirts at a bargain price as a way of helping out the team!) Here are some of the other photos from the wonderful day! This is an annual event, we'd love to have you again next year! The two big fundraisers for the CF Foundation that we plan to have an active part in every year are the WaMu Tower Stairclimb (in Nov or Dec) & this Olympia Great Strides Walk every spring.

Genie, Carter, Lucy & me
Lucy was in attack mode when she saw Carter! Watch out cute little man, here comes Miss Lucy!

The Webster's & The Kugler's

Marci & James with Miss Lucy!
Thank you guys for bringing the whole clan - we loved having so many of your family members at the walk!

Cousin Jaymie & Baby Boy Brady
We love you guys!

Aunts Bonnie & Margaret, Christy & Lucy, Mark & Johannes

Teresa, my mom Susan, me, Lucy, Nisha & Meera
HUGE thanks to the Puri girls for being a part of the walk! We were all wishing the other 2 adorable girls were here - Rashmi & Baby Penelope! Can't wait to see them soon! (August)

Stacy & Johannes - walking on the way back under the I-5 overpass

Randy & Uncle Norman Webster

Cousin DJ & his beautiful wife Anika Kugler along with the super cute Coco the puppy! Thank you so much guys for coming down with your boys!

Stacy, Johannes, Lucy, Christy & Mark

What a treat!! Some of our closest friends came down from Seattle & Lucy was quite happy! I think in this photo, she's wondering what all of the fuss is about - she just wants to catch up with her buddies, Stacy & Johannes! ;-) I know these guys had lots to do - Stacy's in grad school, Johannes is a resident at Children's & they're in the midst of a kitchen remodel - plus 2 puppies at home! But, they took time out of their busy schedules & it meant the world to us!! We love you guys!

Owen the puggle & Oscar the pug
(Chris & Ali Hallam's ADORABLE puppies!)

Jill, Christy & Susan along with Julia & Jill's littlest man! Such a treat to have Christy's (sister in law Christy) good friend Jill Coke join us for the walk!
Notice the troop of NICU nurses in the background! It was such a strong reminder of why I love working in the NICU! My friends at work are so incredibly supportive & it meant a ton to have these girls all be a part of the walk! Thank you to my coworkers who couldn't get the day off as well - I know you were there in spirit! =)

Three of Randy's uncles - Norman, George & Jim along with Grandma Alice Peterson

The Lucy store (women's fitness apparel) donated bags, stickers & other Lucy gear to our TEAM LUCY!

Grandpa Neil strolled with Miss Lucy, she loves her Grandpa!

Asha & little miss Sara! Sara is about 6 months older than Lucy & they continue to look a lot alike. Asha & I work together at TG & have fun meeting up with the girls from time to time. The support TEAM LUCY had from my TG coworkers was absolutely awesome!! Thank you everyone!

My mom on the right, my Grandma Jean on the left, behind them Aunt Jill & Uncle Carl as well as a crowd of other TEAM LUCY members!

Memorial Day with the Hallam's

2009-05-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

What a perfect end to a great Memorial Day weekend! Yesterday we had the Hallam's out for the day on the water - it was so much fun! Ali, Chris & Ryah came during the late morning, helped get everything ready, lunch made, etc & then we headed out for hours on the water. We wakeboarded, tubed, sunned, waded, splashed with Lucy, it was like a little vacation! Ali has always been one of my very close friends, we were neighbors growing up & have stayed close (she's also my hairdresser & boy are those appointments fun!). Chris was one of Randy's good buddies from Lakewood, they swam together in high school & kept in touch afterwards. The two of them met at our wedding... and the rest is history! ;0) WAY too much time had gone by since our last get together - just to prove it, this was Chris' first time meeting Lucy! Randy, Lucy & I loved every minute. We ended the day with take out from Osaka, yummy yummy sushi! Thank you guys for such a great time! Miss Ryah, you continue to amaze us! We consider you family, you have always had a special place in our hearts! Thank you for coming out to see us, please do it again soon! We love you all!

Miss Lucia Grace taking a break from the life jacket... we really shouldn't allow her to take breaks from it... but she goes nuts with it on... I'd love to invent one that babies like!

Little Miss Ryah

Chris

World's Best Flagger

Ali

Lucy's Baby Dedication

2009-05-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Such a wonderful & special day!
Lucia Grace was dedicated at Centralia Community Church of God this past Sunday. It was a wonderful time for a few of our close friends & family members. My childhood pastor, Darcy Fast, said very beautiful words about Lucy & our family. The baby dedication is something very special in the Church of God, it's almost more for the parents, as we said vows to raise Lucy in a Christian home. We had four generations there - both on my dad's & my mom's side. The dedication was done during the contemporary service which has youthful vibrant music - Lucy just loved the worship time!! After her dedication, I could tell she was still pretty active when it was time to be quiet & listen to the sermon, so she & I headed to the back baby room. It was like a Sunday school reunion for me! Two of my good old church friends were in there with their babies, we had a great time all together! Love you both Katie Gilmore & Heather Sherman! =)

After the church service, my parents hosted a wonderful gathering at their home up on the hill. It was a perfectly sunny afternoon & Lucy had a great time with everyone! She even managed about a 90 minute nap in the middle! Our sweet little girl was in good spirits all day, such a blessing! One of the most special parts of the entire day was when my brother (also Lucy's Godfather, Mark) said the blessing before we ate our delicious meal. Mark has become such a special part of Lucy's life & it really showed through the words he shared. We love you so much, Mark! Here are a few of my favorite photos of the day!

Lucy & Grandma Susan A - thank you so much for such a wonderful day! My mom did an incredible job hosting a wonderful gathering at their home after church. Great big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa!

Lucy & Grandma Susan W - it was so nice of Randy's parents to make the drive down to Centralia for Lucy's dedication! They drove down from Lakewood, watched the dedication, briefly visited at my parents house & then jetted back up north because Dennis was covering the afternoon shift at Sotto Voce! Randy & I are both so blessed to have such giving parents!

Auntie Jaymie! Lucy & my cousin, Jaymie!

Sweet Baby Girl & her pretty linen dress - with a little support from Dad.

CF Foundation - Photos by Clane Gessel

2009-05-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

All of these incredible photos were done by a wonderful Seattle photographer named Clane Gessel. Clane's best friend has Cystic Fibrosis & is 31 years old, as a way of giving to the CF community, Clane donates his time & photography skills to do photos of kids with CF & their families. Randy & I met him up at Volunteer Park in Seattle about two weeks ago & had a great time getting to know him a bit. Thank you so much to the girls at the CF Foundation in Seattle for connecting us with Clane! I believe they are going to use one of these Lucy photos on the invitations for a big upcoming CF event.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

My brother Mark, he tends to think buoys are meant to be jumped.

Randy seeing what he thinks of the new boat's wake.

Lucy & I just before heading out for a ski with the boys. Lucy stayed back with Grandma Susan while I enjoyed a couple hours on the water - it was so much fun!!

Oh yes, that's my board... not only is it pink, it has sparkles too! ;-) Trust Randy to find the world's girliest board! It's awesome & I'm having fun getting used to it - as well as the new moon boot style bindings... I've never had my own board, so I'm feeling pretty spoiled!

On the water, Mark, Randy & I were on the ski boat while both of my Grandma's were with my Dad on the pontoon boat (background of this photo), it was fun going by & waving at them, a moment I hope I'll always remember from my first Mother's Day. I had such a great time being out there... I'm embarassed to admit that I told Mark & Randy I actually briefly (really brief) forgot about Lucy for a minute & just felt like a free college kid again! A smile came to my face when I remembered what a treat I had to get home to! Lucy did great as usual being with my mom, they're quite a pair!

Mark catching a bit of air - I caught him mid-spin on this one. And yes, I admit, I added the blue sky to this photo... it was actually a really overcast afternoon - but I think the pic looks better with blue sky. =)

My mom, Lucia Grace, Grandma Ruby, myself & Grandma Jean

My mom (Grandma Susan A) & Lucia G

Grandma Jean

Just "hangin' out" on the new boat!

A day at the park with Julia & Christy!

2009-05-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is my wonderfully sweet sister-in-law, Christy - yes, there are 2 Christy's! Today Lucy & I were lucky enough to spend the better part of the day with Christy & her little girl Julia - AND technically, we were with Baby Boy Legler too (he's on the way, due in October!!)! Christy & I share a lot in common, both the oldest siblings & both nurses from PLU, it's so easy for us to spend hours & hours talking, talking, talking... solving all of the world's problems! Today was no exception, we had a great time playing with the girls & enjoying eachother's company. Christy is quite a SuperMom, she is wonderful with her little 3 year old (Julia Alice), works as a nurse at TG in Interventional Radiology & at St. Francis in their Inpatient Mental Health Unit, as well as being a wife to Alex, keeping up a beautiful home on Lk. Steilacoom & living amidst a remodel that's going to give them the most beautiful kitchen & entry way ever! I'm always inspired being around Christy, she's so genuine, caring & compassionate - I really have learned a ton from her over the past 10 years (yes, it really has been over 10 years since I met the Webster's!). Our little niece, Julia, is the star of the show. She's full of life, super energetic, incredibly coordinated & such a sweetie with Lucia Grace. I had a great time watching Julia master each & every part of the new playground! Here's a peak into our funfilled day!

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-05-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Lucy wore a new outfit today & it was quite picture perfect! Thank you Grandma & Grandpa A for this adorable ensemble! I just couldn't stop taking photos!

Making silly little faces at Thomas the Cat!

A quick nap

2009-05-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

On our busy photo shoot day (not really the focus of the day, but happened to snap a lot of pics), Lucy's afternoon nap was in an unusual spot! Right in the middle of the room! Too sweet, I just love those chubby little toes sticking out of the blanket!

A quick stop at the park

2009-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Lucy & I have a new routine... and we love it! Every Friday we hop in the car & drive the back way (through DuPont, Steilacoom, then University Place) to Trader Joe's in UP for a little excursion & a car full of the week's ingredients. This week we went early in the morning (wanting to steer clear from the busy afternoon hours with the whole Swine/H1N1 Flu scare going on) & it was a majestically beautiful drive along the water. So beautiful in fact that on the way home I just had to stop for a few photo ops & Lucy's first time on a swing! Looking from the road, I thought for sure this was a baby swing... but, it wasn't really so we didn't do much swinging. We did however, give the swing a good cleaning with our antibacterial wipes! ;-) I just love my days with Lucy Grace, every minute is so much more enjoyable & rewarding! Being a Mom is the best! For those of you in the area, if you'd ever like to join us on our Friday excursion, let me know - we'd love it!

A lotta paint on some little toes!

2009-05-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

The other evening, Randy was running late coming home so Lucy & I decided to get a little crafty... out came the paints & we had a bit of fun! Here's a peak at Lucy's masterpieces! Our goal is good looking footprints to use on the TEAM LUCY tshirts that my buddy Ian is helping us with for the CF Walk in Olympia on 5/31. For any of you interested in being a part of the walk, our website is www.cff.org/great_strides/christywebster - we'd love to have you on the team! Technically, it's free, but donations are encouraged. It's just a short walk (1 mile or so) around Capital Lake & then a BBQ with a band in the park to follow. You can register on the website mentioned above or by contacting me - websterhome@comcast.net It's going to be a lot of fun! We already have 25 members on the team!!

Lunch with Auntie Ally!

2009-05-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

What a great day! Lucy & I headed up to the city to meet my cousin Allyson for lunch on Tuesday, it was so much fun! Allyson works in the Columbia Tower, right downtown Seattle as a marketing guru for Princess Cruises & Princess Tours. Auntie Ally met us for a lunch at tasty Noah's Bagels where we enjoyed about an hour together talking, laughing, catching up & being entertained by little Miss Lucia. I just cherish this time with Allyson, we've both realized how easy it is to let time slip by & I'm so glad we were able to make this happen! I came away from our time together refreshed & fulfilled - a true friendship is so rewarding! And of course, the day wasn't complete without someone asking us if we're sisters! ;-) Now I'm even more flattered by that question that I used to be - I'm still trying to drop the last few prego lbs & Allyson's fit as can be - she's running the Vancouver BC Half Marathon this weekend!! Allyson is one of the world's most beautiful people, both inside & out. Her beautiful bouncey curls are just a little hint of the sweetness that lies inside. Auntie Ally, we love you so much! Good luck this weekend in your race! Thank you for such a wonderful time together! We can't wait to get together with Kyle one of these days too! Hugs & Kisses!

8 months already!?

2009-05-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Lucia Grace,
Where has the time gone? My snuggly little 7 lb 3.8 oz baby is now probably 22-23 lbs of sheer energy & joy! Lucy is becoming more & more of her own person with each passing day. Here are a few photos from our day together with Dad at the market. As usual, it's priceless to all be together!

Is he posing? ;-)

Favorite passtime... those adorable toes!

A visit with Great Grandma Wark!

2009-05-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hey, I remember you! Long time no see!

Hmmm... I'd like to play with those!

I'm all done with photos... think I'll make this last one a keeper!

Last weekend was my Grandma Jean's birthday - 83 years old! We visited with her on Saturday & enjoyed some time together. Lucy put on a great little show - smiling, giggling, nearly crawling - it was fun! Randy & Mark were nearby working on the boat, so we took Grandma to visit the boys as well. Grandma was a bit chilly though - just returned from the winter in Palm Springs & isn't quite used to our NW temps again yet. We're so happy to have her home for the spring/summer & look forward to many fun times together! Love you Grandma!

An afternoon with Puri's!

2009-04-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Lucy & I had quite a treat the other day! We had a fun little visit from Nisha & Teresa Puri! Nisha is my good friend Rashmi's sister & has always been someone I LOVE to be around! She's energetic, funny as all get out, kind, caring & smart too! Nisha is a teacher & I can only imagine how much fun her students have! Teresa was wonderful with Lucy, she watched her while Nisha & I took off on the pontoon boat in the sunshine! Thank you both so much, it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon & we'd LOVE to do it again any time you're free! Teresa, next time we'll get you out on the boat too! Love you guys! PS... pretty soon it will be GRANDMA TERESA!! Counting down the days!!

7 1/2 months & oh so cute!

2009-04-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how a tulip tastes?

Deeelicious!

Creeper... but not a crawler... yet!

Thank you Auntie Ally for this adorable little outfit! We love you so much! My sweet sweet cousin, Allyson, gave Lucy this cute little ruffle bum outfit! Allyson lives in Seattle & shops all of the cutest little boutiques - everything she's given Lucy is 100% ADORABLE! We love you so much Auntie Ally! Lucy & I will make a trip up to see you very soon - PROMISE!

Our bathing beauty!

2009-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Work party on the cove!

2009-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lucy with (L to R) Brett, Zach & Brandon - the 3 hairy Horn boys!

What awesome friends & family we have!! We are so blessed to have such helping hands in our lives! The day before Easter Randy had a little work party out here assembeling & installing our new boatlift. It's quite a massive contraption, so it took a lot of burly boys to get it together & then down into the water. Mark ended up wearing his drysuit & spend a good portion of the time in the water (burrr!). Lucy & I had fun making everyone breakfast & then listening as the dominant personalities showed their colors while assembeling the lift! It was funny to listen as the all knew their idea was the magic trick! ;-) Needless to say, it was a great day & we're so thankful for all of their help! It's safely floating in the water & once the piledriver puts the poles in place, we'll be in working business & will be able to put the ski boat in the water!! Woo hoo!! Summer's right around the corner!

A day with Uncle Mark!

2009-04-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

A couple days before Mark left for the Boston Marathon, Lucy & I were able to spend the afternoon with him - it was great! I wish I had a few other pics from the day, but these are good ones of when we stopped by Randy's parent's house to say hello. Dennis & Susan always love seeing Mark & we had fun walking down to the lake to see their latest project - the beautiful boathouse! At their house, there's always a project going & it's so fun to see how active they are! As for the rest of the day, Mark went with us on our weekly trip to Trader Joe's. He figured out one of my incentives to drive up to UP - right next to TJ's is Great Harvest Bread & when you go in they give big delicious samples of their tasty treats... Needless to say Mark enjoyed both his & mine! It was priceless to see Mark wearing Lucy around in the Ergo carrier as we shopped at a few stores - he's such a good uncle & it's awesome to see what he thinks of to show Lucy. We love you Uncle Mark, thank you for a great day!!

Fast forward a few days & then Mark ran the BOSTON MARATHON! He was incredible! He slashed 6 minutes off his time (and it was a much harder course with hills) & finished at 2:51:31 which puts him in the qualifying time for both the New York & Chicago Marathons! He's now settled on Chicago (although I think he'll end up accomplishing all 5 big ones - NY, Boston, Chicago, London & Berlin) and will be heading out to the Windy City in October! We're sooooo proud of you little brother!

The yummy teething biscuit!

2009-04-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

What a tasty treat from Aunt Rashmi! Just before Easter we received the cutest little package from my good friend, Rashmi & of course Lucy's favorite item was the edible one! I have never given a baby a teething biscuit that I can remember... so I had no idea what a mess they make! It was hillarious & Randy swore that Rashmi must've known it would create such a muddy mess (of course right after her bath... leading to a second bath!) It was hillariously funny as she had "mud" on her hands, face, pj's & hair! Thank you Rash for such a delicious treat! I'm waiting on pins & needles to hear when Rashmi's little bundle is going to make her big arrival - any day now!! Love you!

Go Marky Mark Go!

2009-04-19T21:40:00.001-07:00

These photos are from a 10K race Mark won in Seattle back in November 08 during his training process, I don't have a whole lot of running pics of Mark because he's way to fast for me to keep up with! But, I think these photos capture a teensy weensy bit of the feeling of sheer joy & accomplishment that comes from participating in such an incredible event. Isn't he amazing???

Well, tonight I'm so filled with nervous energy, you'd think I was the one running the Boston Marathon! Tomorrow is the big day, my little baby brother, Mark Christian Amondson will hit the streets of Boston, Massachusetts at 9:30am EST for 26.2 miles filled with 25,000 runners, big hills, tall buildings, Fenway Park, and more emotion than a person could imagine. In order to qualify for tomorrow's big event, Mark's had years of training that lead to him achieving a stellar qualifying time at the Sacramento Marathon (2:57). Although I'm not a runner myself, I'd venture to guess that as a 26 year old male, he's probably in the fastest bracket, making it most difficult to qualify for. Needless to say, he's incredible. Running has been an absolute gift to Mark in many ways, his talent in this area has connected him with awesome friends around the country. I pray for God's watchful hand on Mark tomorrow as he starts the race in the early morning & finishes in what we hope to be glorious sunshine! Mark, I am so proud of you!! I love you so very much!! Lucia is your BIGGEST FAN, we're cheering you on all the way! If you listen closely, you'll hear us cheering all the way from here in Olympia! Go Marky Mark Go!!!!!!!!

Easter!

2009-04-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Lucy (7 months) & Great Grandma Ruby (91 years)

So, the night before Easter was one of the most relaxing perfect nights that I can remember! This is rather selfish, but Randy went to bed at 7pm & then Lucy at 8pm... I was still quite awake, so I clicked away online checking out recipes (a favorite passtime), found a couple I liked & had ingredients for, put in a girl movie on the little kitchen TV (thank you Randy, that was my wedding gift from him=) & away I went on a little Martha Stewart moment! While watching a substellar movie that we've had from Netflix for the past 2 months (Jersey Girl), I managed to make quite elegant looking chocolate dipped strawberries (milk & white chocolate), sugar cookies & a tasty pea salad - all for Easter Sunday & all last minute ideas!
Then came Easter!
What a fantastic day as a family! Although we did not go to church (still keeping Lucy away from big groups with this late flu season), we were able to enjoy a wonderful day with my family down in Centralia. Randy, Lucy & I arrived just as my parents were leaving for church - we came down early because that morning at 8am on the buzzer we lost all power, water & phone - we needed to take showers & get ready for the day. It worked out very well, I made put together a salad, fed Lucy & we all showered & changed just in time for the rest of the family to come home from church. Last Wednesday was my dear old dad's 55th birthday, so we were able to celebrate that all together as well as Easter. My dad's brother, Gene, came down from Vashon Island & my grandma Ruby just returned home from a winter in Phoenix, AZ. After a yummy dinner & a delicious homemade carrot cake made by my incredible mom, we had the best time playing charades! With Uncle Gene & my brother, I knew it would be fun, but then Randy really came to life as well - such an animated group, it was a blast!

Brady!

2009-04-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

What a great afternoon! This is the sweetest little boy in the world! (well, in OUR world that is!) My cousin Jaymie's little boy Brady is now 2 years old - how did 2 years go by so quickly?? Brady is so gentle & sweet with Lucy, he looked at her (stroller to stroller) & said, "Look, she's cute!" Little boy B melts my heart, he gets his genuine sweetness from his supermom, Jaymie. Jaymie's a few years older than me & we've always been close cousins & friends. Some of my most memorable moments in childhood are with Jaymie - we always had a blast... splashing in Grandma's pool or jumping off the houseboat to take a bath in Lake Shasta! I love you Jaymers & I'm so glad we can raise these two adorable munchkins together!

A sunny boat ride

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Spring!

2009-04-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Spring is here!
For a brief few days, we enjoyed weather in the 70's! Unfortunately, I worked over the weekend... but, it stayed nice Monday & Tuesday, so Lucy & I thoroughly enjoyed being outside. We ventured around the Oly waterfront & then enjoyed taking countless pics at home as well. After months of dreary WA weather, it's so incredibly refreshing to see the sun! Thank you Randy for making sure we're well prepared with sunguard for Lucy!

My little sniffer?

2009-04-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

So, I think Lucy's just discovered her nose! Too funny! She does this little exhale/puff thing out her nose, it's very silly. Cousin Carrie, if you're reading this, it's EXACTLY what Connor used to do when you showed him a candle! ;-)

A beautiful evening on the water!

2009-04-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

What fun! This was our first real family boat cruise on the newly revamped pontoon boat! Randy was a happy guy after all of his hard work fixing up this completely dilapidated boat. Lucy on the other hand... isn't a big fan of the infant life jacket... As you can see from these pics, it's a rather snug fit when we have her all bundled up. Since these pics, I've learned how to dress her a bit lighter! Thank you Randy for making these fun nights on the water possible! Everyone else - give us a call, we'd love to have you join us on the water one of these days!

I almost forgot, we saw a turtle! I had no idea that Lk. St. Clair was the home to a turtle!

Happy 7 month birthday Lucia Grace!

2009-03-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Lucy loves Thomas

2009-03-29T23:41:00.000-07:00

Just had to put in these pics with my dirty old furball Thomas the Cat! Poor little Thomas lives outside in his kitty condo now (aka the shed...). He used to be a city cat - lived with Stacy & I in our nice little North Tacoma apartment... but, after becoming a dirty country cat & now with Lucy's healthy & cleanliness being a priority, he's outside... bless his heart, Thomas is a sweetheart & Lucy just loves every minute with him! I know my mom really wishes Thomas lived at their house... Right Mom?

Pink Overall Photoshoot

2009-03-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Katie & Clare

Christy & Lucy

Lucy standing for a split second!

Katie & I had the time of our lives taking these photos! We spent Friday afternoon at her parents house, on the way out towards Steamboat Island. It was a beyond perfect afternoon - lunch with a great friend, playtime for the girls, matching adorable new outfits & hours of photos! I could go on & on about how much we're going to miss the Farren's when they're back in Long Island... makes me teary just to think about it!! But, we cherish every minute together! Love you Katie & Miss Clare!

Lucy & Clare!

2009-03-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Katie, Clare, Christy & Lucy

All 4 girls after the wild bath.

A brief mellow moment in the tub... most of the time Lucy was violently splashing Clare! Little Miss Clare was such a lady - she just peacefully hummed as Lucy went nuts! I think these girls are following in their mom's footsteps...

Happy Clare!

Rosie Red Cheeks on Miss Lucy after a cat nap in the Ergo.

Meeting Katie's mom - another wonderful Grandma Susan - at Batdorf & Bronson for coffee.

What a fantastic time I've been having with such a great friend! Above are just a few of the hundreds & hundreds of photos from having Lucy & Clare together. Clare is the sweet little daughter of my good friend, Katie (Roberts) Farren. Katie, Seth & Clare live on Long Island, NY where Seth is finishing up an Oral Surgery program. We were really hoping these guys would move to the NW after Seth completed his schooling, but it looks like the good oral surgery jobs are elsewhere... I'm grieving the thought of having these guys permanently living so far away... But, I suppose that means we'll be forced to meet for fun vacations very frequently.

So, Lucy & Clare enjoyed an afternoon of playing with toys, then helped Katie & I make dinner while the boys periodically helped & played the Wii. After dinner, we gave the girls baths & it was hillarious! Growing up with Katie, she was always very well mannered - kind & sweet, always oh so innocent (I know the real Katie, she does have some fiestiness in there too!)... Clare seems to be a lot like her mom, very composed & gentle. AND THEN THERE'S LUCY! =) As I watched her wildly splashing Clare in the tub, I found myself wondering if she may be a waterpolo player in the future! Too funny! The Farren's & the Webster's had a great time together & are praying for many many more moments like this again soon! Katie, I love you, thank you for always being such a great friend!

The Cutest Amondson's!

2009-03-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Left to Right:
Sidney, Lucy, Joryn & Makenna

Lucy & Makenna

Lucy & Joryn

Last week we had a surprise visit from my cousin Dave Amondson & his three adorable daughters! It was such a fun surprise, we hadn't seen these guys since being in Ojai for Andrew's wedding 2 years ago! Many of you may recognize Makenna & Joryn (the oldest 2 girls), they were the sweet little flower girls in our wedding almost 5 years ago. These sweethearts are getting more & more gorgeous by the day. Lucy was absolutely facinated with the girls - whether they played together or simply stood in front of her! All of the family interaction was priceless! We love you guys!