Fifer's Day, and gardening, and visiting, and...

I am slightly behind on this blogging thing. I have really wanted to blog, but I keep thinking of other things to do instead, like sit and watch movies... Yeah, I totally have my priorities straight!

So let's recap, and then I will put up some pictures tomorrow, because I don't have the camera with all the good pictures.

Last weekend was Fifer's day. I ran the Fifer's day race. It was 4 miles. It was a little hot. It was fun. I also got a nice green shirt with the words "Fifer's day 2012." I feel like I have been initiated into some really awesome Boxborough club. Next year I hope I can defend the Cooprider name by getting 1st instead of 2nd place in the race. We will see.

Lucy had an awesome time, especially when she decided that country folk band music is her favorite music. She danced like she had never danced before. It was one of those times where I hated myself for not getting it on camera. I love her. Hopefully we can go next year.

And here is the part where I am going to talk about Nelson and Gardening (I have always been better with outlines...)

Back in Nelson Lucy and I have been enjoying the garden. And by enjoying I mean we are having fun seeing little plants sprouting from the ground. Currently we have bush bean, watermelon, spinach, basil, cilantro, and pumpkin that have sprouted and show potential. I am so very excited. I check them everyday, just to see how much bigger they get. Gosh, I didn't know growing vegetables from seed would be so fulfilling. Sorry mom for possibly being a stinker about wedding when I was younger. I really do love gardening now!

In a somewhat related note, we took Lucy strawberry picking. She LOVES strawberries. Once I took her out of the backpack, she went to town on the low laying berries. She even did a great job at picking only the ripe ones. Her face was completely covered, as well as the shirt she was wearing. Thankfully the owners said they account for eaten berries in the price. We were fully prepared to pay more....she ate that many.

Transition here (I was always so bad at transitions...)

It has been awfully hot these last few days so Lucy has participated in some water activities. We have found out she does not like the sprinkler and she loves to swim in lakes, ponds and kiddie pools. Maybe it has something to do with her love of the bath. Sprinklers kind of take her by surprise, whereas pools, lakes and ponds can be controlled (in a manner of speaking). Today we spent part of the day in Grandma Coop's kiddie pool. The water was a bit chilly, but she loved standing in it. Turns out she also loves filling her diaper when she is playing the water. That kiddie pool was emptied very quickly!

Ehem....new topic starting now. Gosh, when you forget to blog there are just way to many things to write and none of them seem to go together. I am sorry.

We visited my almost 101 year old great grandma a day or two ago. She is one of the most amazing people I know. She still talks coherently, jokes about doing the hoochie coochie and loves giving us hugs every time we see her. This time was pretty momentous. It was just Lucy and me. If there was anything going for my grandma it is her short term memory. She doesn't remember what you said at the beginning of a conversation and therefore will ask you the same questions over and over again. I was well prepared for this. The last couple of visits she has been having a hard time with knowing Lucy's gender, even though we would remind her, she would forget. Well, this visit she acknowledged Lucy's name as we walked in, AND she called a girl throughout the entire visit. Apparently Lucy was looking very feminine that day... Let's not mention the amount of times she thought Lucy was going to fall because she forgot that I told her she had been walking for almost 2 months. My great grandma is so fun.

Ending now.

I am sure I have missed a gazillion events. Like the birthday celebration we had a the Coopriders and Lucy's love of Bailey (continued), and my sizzler races, and current Lucy words (which are "dog," "ball," "car," "daddy," and "book," -- plus all her random gibberish that sounds like conversational speech), and I give up. There is so much more.

Maybe next week I will write about the grandmas visiting and the wedding. Yeah, I am writing myself a note in this blog.

She is destined to be photogenic like her mother!

it's been a little while

I can handle her driving this...

I have been negligent. I am trying to think of things that have happened in that last couple weeks. I come up blank until I realize that we did have a Lucy shindig at the Cooprider's last week. That was fun. Lucy always has such a nice time with her cousins. They run her ragged. Thank you! She always sleeps so well at night after a play date with the Cooprider girls.

I have been running some short races, which have kicked my toosh. Gosh the hills around here are brutal. I hope I will be ready for the Fifers day race. And...I finally planted something in my family's garden. Spinach, carrots, cilantro, lettuce and basil. Until we get some more soil, that is what have. Lucy has had her fill of dirt. It doesn't make sense to me how much she loves the tastes of dirt. She puts fists of it in her mouth.

Jimmy has been BUSY. Between making trips to Brattleborough and conferences he is learning a lot about mediation and restorative justice. It seems like a great fit for his personality. We will see where the jobs lead us next year.

And that is life as of now.

Oh girls just wanna have funnnn....

On Lucy's birthday Jimmy gave her a card. He really like the cards that sing, and usually I think it is a little silly, but I am glad he got one that made music for Lucy. When she opened her card she immediately started smiling and dancing to the song "oh girls just wanna have fun." And ever time after that for that matter. The card puts her in a good mood no matter what.

Here are some pictures from her birthday day:

Yes I like the pony tail. And it solves the problems I have with figuring out what to do with her hair on top. It doesn't curl like the back, and it kind of goes everywhere. Introducing the pony tail!

 I don't know if she likes it. 

 It's like she doesn't want to listen to me or something. Side note: This is what she does when we say "Where's Lucy?" Maybe she getting sick of us saying it and so she covers her ears. 

I got her this outfit for her birthday. Cute no?!

I don't think she knew what to make of this cupcake with a bright thing sticking out. She didn't end of blowing it out, she hit it out. Thank heavens she didn't light herself on fire. That would have been memorable.  And yes, if you haven't already heard, I made a chocolate banana cupcake with avocado frosting. There was actually avocado in the frosting. No dyes, just bright green avocado. She. Loved. It. 

So yeah friends and family, that was Lucy's birthday. Pretty low key and relaxing. 

So what do you think? Any thoughts? I have been noticing my comments have been low these last few posts.... Just saying. You have to agree, this lady is pretty cute and kind of deserves a comment or two. 

But maybe it is just me, and I feel needy... Any who, happy Saturday!

Happy Birthday Lucy Pearl

You know what is really awesome? Lucy being born 1 year ago. We are so glad she came to us. She is the cutest, silliest, funniest, smiliest, and nicest little lady.

And this is how she came to us.

We had a mini celebration today and have some family celebrations penciled in for the next few weeks. We are so blessed to have this little girl in our lives. Tomorrow I will make sure to post a few birthday day pictures, but for now let's just remember that day she was born, and just how peaceful and calm she was in those moments. We haven't had many of those moments since!

Ummm yeah Lucy....

Mommy's day

I am so grateful for my mother, and my husband's mother. And my mother's mother, and my father's mother, and well, you get the picture. There are several mother's and "mothers" that I am honored and grateful to know.

I am also so grateful to be a mother. Lucy is a great child to mother. She makes me want to be a better mother. This week I even went to my grandmother's mother grave to show Lucy where her middle name comes from. I felt like it was a good parenting moment, considering I am not a great genealogist and it felt like I was helping Lucy (though she will not remember it) know something about her family history. I have been to that grave several times. It is on the way back from a run I used to do when I was in high school or home from college. I wanted to share a ritual I had, visiting it every once in a while to feel connected my heritage. I think that is an important part of mothering -- connecting our children to our past family members. I can see why people love family history so much. There is hope for me yet.

So happy mother's day to my mommy. And to all the other mother's to whom I am connected spiritually, emotionally and physically in the past, present and future. What would we do without you?!

Oh, and happy mother's day -- a day to celebrate talking to your missionary children. We got to talk to the above missionary Peder, and Gretchen and even Jimmy's brother Joe. We are a blessed bunch!

We made it

In case you didn't know, we made it to NH. It was a week ago actually, that we made the 10+ hour drive to these northern parts. Lucy did really well, until the last 30 minutes of the trip when she decided enough is enough. I don't blame her. Over 5 hours in a car is too much for me.

We have been spending time with both families, enjoying the New England weather, which by the way has been kind of crummy. Rain and misty humidity. Guess I should get used to it. Still, it has been mild and nice. I shouldn't complain.

Lucy loves it here. She has become a fully functional walking baby. She realized that all the floors that she walks on here are much better padded than our apartment in VA. She can stand from the middle of the room without any help and make her way from couch to couch like a pro. She was even walking around on the grass at my brother's track meet today.

She has also found her best friend Bailey to be high entertaining.  Poor dog. Lucy assumes he is a jungle gym. This dog deserves to go to heaven for the abuse he has already endured. He is so docile that Lucy can stick her hands right up to his mouth and he doesn't snap or bite or anything. It only makes me nervous because I think Lucy will assume she can do that with all dogs. A lesson she will someday learn...

Besides that, Jimmy is really liking his job and I am trying to make a list of projects for the summer so I don't go crazy. Let's just say we may be spending A LOT of time hiking and playing outside. Assuming Lucy learns that she can't eat everything.

I am sure I will have a lot more to say in the next couple weeks. Until then, I hope this holds you over...