Playing With Princesses

Not many people get to say that they spend their day playing with princesses, but I do...

And as glamorous as it may look,  just insert a little drama and a ginormous mess for a touch of reality.  But I must admit, even with all that, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Thankful I have this Lego maniac to even it all out.

ISR Graduate

Among the many graduations we've had around here this month, Lulu has been working on one of her very own.

After six weeks of diligent hard work I can proudly announce Lucy is an Infant Swim Rescue graduate.  ISR is this little jewel of a swimming program that I discovered back when Jack was a wee toddler.  Since then all three of my kids have gone through the program and I can honestly say, it was the best money we've ever spent.

The program teaches babies and toddlers self survival skills in the water.  Lucy can now swim and float to safety, God-forbid anything ever happen.

The best part of it all, for me anyway, is that Lucy finally has respect for the water.  My little go-getter was fearless around any body of water until now.  Ironically, she is much more cautious after completing the program. And with three kiddos at the pool this summer I certainly need that.

So without further ado, look at my Lulu swim and float...

 I could not be a prouder Mommy.  This was the result of many days of hard work and commitment.

We recently put both girls in the pool as trial run to see how they would do in an undesirable situation.  They were flawless.

Maggie is following up with a two week refresher now that school is out.  It has been amazing to see her swimming progress year to year.

However Lucy is "all done" {as he would like to say} and even has a trophy to boot.  Now that she was super proud of.  Just like "Jah" and "Mah".  It made it all worth it.

Congratulations my little mermaid!

I Love Lucy: 21 Months

{It seems Lucy's monthly birthdays always fall in the midst of some great event around here. This 21st month was no different.  Pardon my tardiness on this sweet thing's over due post.  She is actually a whopping 21 months and 4 days old.}

So here I go...

I can hardly believe it, my little Lucy is just a few months shy of two years old.  And somewhere between my last I Love Lucy post and this one, she turned into a true toddler.  I mean she is really looking like a little girl.  She doesn't even resemble a baby anymore.

I've perused pictures and events trying to figure out when this transformation actually took place.  All I know is I took a look at our Mother's Day picture and there I was sitting with three kids.  No baby.  I've always had a baby or at least one on the way.  What will I do?

And to make matters even harder to handle, this is my last monthly Lucy post.  Actually my last monthly any baby/toddler post.  I'm swimming in a sea of nostalgia here and I just might drown.

The only hope I have in this bittersweet moment is the "sweet" part.  And oh, do I have some sweet to share with you.

Although, the majority of Lucy's transformation over the past three months has been physical, I am adoring all of the other good stuff that has come along with it.

Lucy is perfect.  {I can say that because she is mine}  I'm telling you three is the charm.  Lucy is fun-loving, happy, smart, energetic, snuggly, funny and an all around fabulous toddler.  As I've said a bazillion times...a perfect blend of her bigs.

I have been blessed beyond measure with the likes of this one.  So here we go, my last monthly post on one of my babies.  Next time around it will be her 2nd birthday party.  {sigh}

Eat

Okay, so perfection can only go so far.  I must admit Lucy is not the best eater in the world.  Nor is she the worst.  She falls somewhere right in the middle, as she does with so many other things.

I will give her credit in that she is willing to try new things and on occasion will amaze me with what she likes.  But, most often it's the staples.  She likes watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, bananas, grapes, apples, and blackberries.  However she doesn't care for peaches or pears.

She's not a big meat eater either.  She will eat a chicken nugget and a hot dog on occasion, but snubs any meat I home cook.  She does love cheese which she can eat her weight in.  And of course will devour just about any carb I put in front of her.  Her faves are spaghetti, rice, and mac n cheese.

As for veggies, we struggle with this one.  Lucy will eat a carrot as long as she can dip it.  This little one is a serious dipper.  My first!  I'm trying to get a hold of this concept.  But give her some ranch dressing or anything else of that nature and she will go to town.  To avoid  pulling out all of the condiments, I'm resorting to a lot of squeezie pouches {just like her sister at this age} to get the veggies in.

Lu is amazing with her utensils.  Anything that involves a spoon, she is all over...yogurt, applesauce, soup, etc.

I have to say meal time is not always the most pleasant.  But what kid this age is pleasant to dine with?  She's actually pretty good considering, the biggest problem is she's "done" before anyone else.  And then she wants down, and then she wants to sit in everyone's lap, and then she wants to run around, etc. etc.  I'm lucky if I get a bite in these days.  Lord knows I need it to keep up with her.

And that brings me to...

Activity

Lucy is a busy body, no denying that.  But, she is a happy busy body.  And she listens {most of the time anyway}.  I can handle that.

If I had to pick Lucy's favorite activity that would be easy...whatever Jack and Maggie are doing.  I've found that I could probably purge three quarters of our baby toys with this one.  Lucy wants the Leap Pads, the Legos, the tutus, and the tricycle.  If her bigs are doing it, then it must be worth doing.

Lulu loves to be outside.  Add our new neighbor girls and she is a happy toddler.  Her favorites are the sand box, the water table, bubbles and the trampoline.  But mostly you can find her waddling behind the crew of kids that hit our driveway every afternoon.

During the early part of the day we are usually on the go.  Lucy adores her activities {gym class and music class} and any playdates I can conjure up.  Post breakfast and getting dressed you can always find Lucy at the garage door, shoes in hand, chanting "go, go, go".   It generally works out well because we do have somewhere to "go".  On the days we don't..well, she just doesn't get it.

When we are home indoors, Lucy loves her books.  For a baby who is so on the move, this little one can sit with a basket of books forever.  I absolutely adore that about her.  Her favorites are Goodnight Moon, Sniff, and Peek a Boo Jungle.  She is also very adamant about which ones she doesn't like which I find  equally  humorous.

Lu is also very into Elmo right now.  She doesn't watch a lot of TV, but I do let her watch Sesame Street.  However, she wants me to fast forward right to Elmo, or as she calls him "La".  Throughout the rest of the program, she's saying, "no, no, no" until something intriguing catches her eye for a whole 30 seconds. Then she's back to her "no" chant.

My favorite part about Lucy and her awake time is her chatting.  I'm blown away with her comprehension of nearly anything and everything we tell her.  And I'm equally blown away with her ability to communicate back to us.  Her list of words is beyond what I could list in one single post.  But, there is no reason I can't share a few of my favorites {just insert the sweetest little southern accent that you can}...cah {car}, shooz {shoes}, bow, yea, okay, cahbee {cosby}, bobee {baby}, mermay {mermaid}, la {elmo}, boohs {books}, go, wawer {water}, am-ma {grandma}, moh {more}, hiney, belwe {belly}, girwl {girl}, woo woo {Lucy}.  And I'm sure I could go on and on.

Needless to say there is very little down time with this one.  Except for glorious nap time...

Sleep

So this is the easy one.  Sleep is generally the same as it was three months ago.  I've got a 7:30 pm-7:30/8:00 am night time sleeper and a one nap a day toddler.

Lucy's afternoon nap isn't quite as long as I'd like it to be.  Either that or Jack and Mags spoiled me.  But she goes down around 1:30 and generally wakes nowhere before 3:30, sometimes 4:00.

Lucy has a precious night time ritual.  We read three books {although she always pushes for more}.  Then we sing three lullabies and say our prayers, all while she snuggles up in my arms.  I am so loving this part of the day.  My other two were clambering for the crib after books.

My Lu is quite a precious little being.  I've come to adore this quiet time with her.  It seems each month she is a little heavier and a little harder to hold on to, but I do my best because I don't want it to ever end.  And I mean EVER.

I lay her down in her crib, filled with books, per her request, and remind her that her Grampa and Uncle Jim will watch over her tonight.  And she always answers with the most endearing, "kay mommy".

Mmmmm...love that baby girl.

What Makes My Lucy A Charm

Since this is Lucy's last monthly post I find it fitting to end on what makes lovely Lu so absolutely charming and irresistible...

• Lucy is most definitely the family clown.  She always finds a way to put a smile on our face, wether it be saying something funny, dressing silly, or giggling for no reason.  We love her {and need her} for that.
• Lucy gives the best leg hugs.  My favorite are the ones that come from no where.
• Lucy has never met a stranger.
• Lucy has a signature strut that I have only seen on her.  It cracks me up every time.
• Lucy loves her "Jah" and "Mah" and is always doing something to get their attention.
• Lucy can hear the snack cabinet open from a mile away.
• Lucy loves a bow and  a pair of shoes just like her big sister.
• Lucy adores babies and will bring them anything she can find and pile it on high.
• Lucy is a trooper.  Very little rattles her.  She's my go with the flow gal.
• Lucy is dying to be potty trained and I am dragging on it.  Soon baby girl.  Soon.
• Lucy likes to sit on my lap and do make up {and that's why I look the way I do these days}.
• Lucy has the most delicious wet kisses.
• Lucy has the yummiest dimply hiney and chubby legs.
• Lucy is my only brunette baby.
• Lucy is my # three, my last....and my forever baby.

We love you Lucy!  We feel beyond blessed that you are a part of our family.  The cherry on top!  Happy 21 months baby girl {because you know you will always be the baby}.

xoxo Mommy

Now on to some 2nd birthday party planning.

Summer Lists

We got busy on our summer lists today.  I was mighty pleased that there wasn't anything too extravagant or undoable on either kid's list.  Unlike last year, when I had a few Grand Canyons and waterfalls on there that I had to edit.

This year, it's looking like the basics.  So here I am, pencil in hand, marking out vacation and camp weeks and filling in the rest.

It's looking to be a fun filled next couple of months!

Happy Summer friends!