Lucia Grace - 18 months

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

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

Brunch with the Smith's

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!

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

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...

...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!

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!