Partying Toddler Style!

The dilemma - How do you throw a winter party for a two year old and her friends without having to worry about them running all around the house? Answer - have a tumble and play party at the Little Gym where there is plenty of room for a feisty birthday girl and her guests to jump, run and climb!

Before the party, we took a little time to open gifts with Nana Kathy, Nana Jean, Aunt Marilyn, Kenzie and of course Momma & Daddy.

The we set off for the party! Lucy had a tumble and play party at the Little Gym. It was the perfect spot for a bunch of kids to roll, climb, spin and have a great time. Lucy was a little overwhelmed at first, then she jumped right in along with the other kids.

The stars of the event included: cousins Zoe & Ella, neighbors Luke, Peter & Carrie and school mates Emma, Vivian, Brinton, Olivia, Jewel, Jane & Mary. Also in attendance were both of Lucy's Nanas, Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Amy, Uncle Paul and the moms and/or dads of the aforementioned kids. We had a great time. The pizza and cupcakes were the perfect treat following a great workout in the gym! Here are some pictures of the activities:

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!

Lucy and Creatures of the Night

We went to the Delaware Museum of Natural History earlier today to see the new Nature Nook and the Bats and Other Creatures of the Night exhibit. Lucy got to make some crafts - a clothespin bat and a possum stick puppet. We all checked out the fun new things in the Nature Nook. Lucy sat in an Eagle's Nest with a momma and baby eagle. She got to pet a real live snake and turtle! They also have a cool cave that you can carry lanterns in as you enter. Lucy was a little nervous about this cave (as you can tell from the pictures). She didn't really want to join me, but we coaxed her into it. I thought it was cool though. Lucy also saw a hissing cockroach, small dragon, toad and a tarantula. Luckily, these were out of their cages for petting. What a fun outing for Halloween weekend!

It Is Nice to Have a Sister

Lucy adores Kenzie, and it seems the feeling is mutual. Lucy talks about Kenzie when she isn't with us and she is so excited when Kenzie walks through the door! Lucy is very lucky to have a sister who reads and plays with her and is so patient with her typical toddler behaviors. Kenzie also helps out a lot with Lucy - she gets things for her, fills Lucy's sippy cup, watches her and helps at bath time.

We were looking at photo album the other day and there was a page with many pictures of Kenzie. Lucy pointed excitedly at one picture and said "Kenz!" Then proceed to say "more Kenz" repeatedly as she noticed each of the other pictures.

This past weekend we took a few pictures with Lucy. I think we all wanted an updated shot with little Lucy!

A Good Little Student

Miss Debbie recently sent home a report to update us on how Lucy is doing at school. I thought I would take a minute to share the comments so you could also hear about her school experience and how she is learning and growing. We are both so proud of Lucy!

Lucy has great drop offs. She works well with our daily schedule. She is ready for morning activity even if mom or dad is in the room. Lucy will also initiate her own activities or play with others.

Lucy gets along well with all the teachers and children. She will give toys to others to play with her. She enjoys art activities, but didn't like messy art with her hands when she first came to the toddler room. I started doing more sensory activities to get her used to feeling different textures with her hands and now she has gotten a lot better with sensory activities.

Lucy enjoys painting with different objects and collages. She has started using more of her language skills to express herself. Lucy has a funny personality and is a lot of fun in class.

Lucy Girl Tid-Bits

Lucy has a really cute and funny personality. She is vibrant and full of energy - and so much fun to watch! Lucy now understands a little about smiling for the camera. If the spirit moves her she will look at you when you are taking a picture and say "cheese." The end result is the, and I have no other word to describe it, cheesy grin you see in this picture. So funny.

As toddlers typically are (at least that is what I keep reading), Lucy is quite particular about things. She does not like it if Brian sits in my seat at the table, or vice-versa, and she is sure to remind us where we are supposed to sit... Momma's seat! Daddy sit right here, said while pointing to Brian's regular seat. Trying to explain that the chairs aren't really assigned is completely lost on a 22 month old...

One day when we were getting ready to leave the house, I told Lucy she was cute. Her response: Momma's cute too. So sweet!

Lucy has become quite talkative now that she has a sufficient vocabulary to share what she is thinking. She loves to say It's right there, we don't always know what it is, so this often results in a guessing game where we guess until we get it right. The other day when I picked Lucy up from school she used this famous line while pointing to her pocket. I assumed she was showing me her pocket and letting me know about "it." Ms. Debbie then mentioned (luckily!) that I should be careful with her shirt because of all the rocks in her pocket. I then peer into this little shirt pocket and find at least twenty little stones! Apparently, Lucy enjoys collecting rockies when the children are outside playing. We gave the stones back to Ms. Debbie for next time. Lucy seemed reasonable to Lucy.

As we leave Bright Horizons and on the way home I always ask Lucy about her day. I usually get vague answers or just yes and no responses. When I picked Lucy up from school today we had a real conversation! She was wearing a different shirt than this morning. I asked her what happened to her shirt. Her response: yogurt on shirt, lee lee shirt off. So I confirmed what I thought she was telling me - You got yogurt on your shirt and Miss LeeLee changed it? Yes, that was it. If there was any doubt remaining, it disappeared when I pulled the yogurt covered shirt out of the bag when we got home. I am so excited to have gotten such a great response to my question! Lucy sure has grown!

Lucy & Isabel

This past Saturday we met up with Heather, Brian, Alex and Isabel to enjoy the fantastic autumn weather. It was nice and warm, the leaves are starting to change and we were excited for an outing with good company on a great day to be outside. We met up at Longwood Gardens again (yes, again) to try to get pictures of Lucy & Isabel again. This time went well! The girls enjoyed playing with each other in the hay and with the pumpkins. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of Alex this time.

It is so nice to see Lucy & Isabel playing. I am glad we have a friend so close to Lucy's age who she can grow up with - I think that will be nice for both girls.

We had a wonderful time enjoying the pumpkin patch and watching the trains at the Garden Railway. The we headed out for dinner at the Whip Tavern. The food was delicious and the company easy to be around. We are looking forward to our next outing with the Nolan Family.