Patriotic Lucy

This has been a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. The weather was great all weekend, which we found pretty amusing since it seemed to rain most of the weekend when we used to go to the beach. Anyway, we enjoyed the sun and great breezes all weekend long. On Saturday we went to a party in the neighborhood at the Freehart's house. It seemed like the whole neighborhood was there - what fun! Lucy loved playing with the kids and was quite wet between the sprinkler and kiddie pool. She was still nervous about the bounce house, one of these days she will be excited about it.

On Sunday we headed over to Chrissie and Frank Davis' new house. Lucy was excited to see Aubrianna, but a little shy with all the new people there, so she spent most of the time with us. The kids all got to plant a flower in their own pot and take it home. It was a celebration for Aubrianna's birthday too - so there were plenty of games and fun treats for Lulu to enjoy.

Today was more low key. Much of the day was spent outside on the patio, which was nice and relaxing. Lucy played with her sandbox, her slide, her house and got wet in the kiddie pool. She was busy watering plants and hopping around her new hula hoops. What a fun day!

Here are a few pictures of Lucy donning her patriotic dresses to celebrate the day properly. Though she doesn't yet know the significance of the Memorial Day, she can still get in the spirit and pay homage to our flag in style!

Easter Brunch

We had a very Happy Easter this year! The morning started with all the excitement from the Easter Bunny's visit. Lucy & Kenzie had Easter baskets filled with toys & treats. There were eggs hidden all around the family room for Lucy to find. Some had coins, others had barrettes for Lucy's hair. She had a great time hunting and Kenzie helped her open the eggs.

Then we headed over to Nana's for Easter Brunch. Everything was delicious. Zoe & Ella set up another Easter egg hunt for Lulu in Nana's backyard. She had a great time finding the eggs the girls hid for her. It was so nice of them to think of Lucy and do something so special. The girls enjoyed coloring and playing together, while we enjoyed chatting and, of course, eating! Brunch was wonderful - thanks to Nana for hosting all of us. Here are some pictures from our wonderful holiday.

Colored Eggs

Today we dyed Easter eggs! Lulu did a great job following directions and being careful with the eggs. She mixed colors and picked her favorites to share with Nana and Daddy. Lucy liked the pink and purple ones the best, but that came as no surprise to me.

Weekend of LOVE!

Lucy's Valentine's weekend was full of love. What did Lucy love about the weekend? Here are a few things:
1) the balance beam she got - Lucy has asked for very few things, but after spending a fun evening with Zoe and Ella last month, Lucy really wanted a balance beam like they have.
2) Kenzie was with us to celebrate Valentine's Day - Lucy REALLY LOVES her sister!
3) we visited Nana and Aunt Amy, Zoe & Ella were there too!
4) being dressed up by her cousins feels so grown up!
5) the pink doggie from Nana was the perfect gift!

Nana Comes to Town!

Okay, so the title is play on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," but when you are two a visit from Nana is just as exciting!

Nana came to visit the day after Christmas and got in just in time to beat the worst of a storm that could have made driving quite unpleasant. Nana brought Lucy a very special gift - an adorable red & white play kitchen. Lucy just loves it!

Nana stayed through the week and Aunt Amy, Uncle Bill and Quinn joined us for a couple of days. It was so nice to have family around for such a fun visit. Lucy was so excited to have Quinn to play with and Nana to dote on her - what a lucky little girl!

Christmas Morning!

This Christmas was quite exciting for both Lucy and the two of us. It is the first year that Lucy gets the idea of what is going on with Christmas. She understood that Santa was going to stop by and leave her special gifts and that we would all be celebrating together. She also had a visit from a very special elf, Ellie, during the month of December. Every night Ellie, the elf on the shelf, went to the North Pole to report to Santa whether Lucy was being naughty or nice. In the morning she would return and find a new perch. Lucy anxiously looked for Ellie every morning and was quick to report when she was doing a good job. So, she couldn't wait to see what Santa brought, but was also sad to say goodbye to Ellie, who returned to the North Pole with Santa. (Don't worry, she'll come back next year!)

Lucy did a great job opening her presents despite her complete excitement. She got some puzzles, tub crayons, a cool Hess truck with tractor inside, a shopping cart, accessories for her baby dolls, match box cars and, of course, some new books!

Kenzie arrived a little later and joined in on all the fun. I love the picture of the girls in their matching shirts from Kenzie. What a great idea!

Holiday Happiness

We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve celebration at the Nolan's house. Aunt Amy & Uncle Paul were wonderful hosts and the four little cousins had so much fun between having each other, the attention from everyone, the presents and the special chocolate treats from Nana.

Lucy was thrilled with her BIG Piano from Nana; her fun zebra back pack and a book from Aunt Amy, Uncle Paul, Zoe & Ella and her Aquadoodle mat from Aunt Amy, Uncle Bill and Quinn. Looks like she did pretty well to me!

All Treats for Cheerleader Lucy!

Lucy had a cheering good time her first real Halloween. We did dress Lucy up last year as a ladybug. It was warm, she was sick and she was not enthused (see flashback pictures at bottom of post). Luckily, this year went much better!

Lucy was a Pennsylvania State University cheerleader, and a fine one at that. She was excited to get ready for trick-or-treating and couldn't wait to get outside. Lucy thought it was great seeing all of her friends in the neighborhood all dressed up in their fun costumes.

She was a bit unsure at first, but seemed to get the hang of things fairly quickly. Lucy did a good job saying "trick-or-treat" at each house, and then thanking the treat-givers for helping her fill her treat bag. I was so proud of her. She wasn't shy at all and spoke to everyone.

I thought she would be tired after our circle and the next one over, but Lucy wanted to keep on going. It was all I could do to coax her back to the house because I was cold and I thought she had plenty of candy! I lured her home by reminding her that we didn't get a treat from Daddy yet... that did the trick (no pun intended).

Lucy was thrilled to pick a piece of candy for dessert, she chose a Reese's PB cup - what a smart choice! Lucy loved her treat and wanted more, but I told her she could have another one tomorrow and that seemed good enough. Instead, we watched some Curious George and had some milk after talking with Nana on Skype.

Brian joined in on the Halloween fun by dressing up too... You can see his costume below, I have not words...

A Happy Halloween was had by all, I hope yours was just as fun!