Princess Lucy?

So my idea with Lucy is not to have an arranged marriage, but rather an approved list. So far, all the boys on the list are generally the kids of my friends. Micah Watson, Nicholas Geringer, Colin Twisselmann, Aiden Pipher, Timothy Johnson, Noah Sharpe, etc. But there are some exceptions, of course. My favorite exception is Christian Valdemar Henri John, Prince of Denmark. He's not quite two years old, and he is just the cutest little sweetheart. Check him out here. (I don't want to post the pictures... they are copyrighted). His mother is just gorgeous. The prince met her at the Sydney Olympics, I believe through friends. He introduced himself as "Fred." Seriously, what a fairytale! Apparently she now speaks perfect Danish. They just had a daughter on Saturday, though the name has yet to appear.

So, what do you think of my choice for Lucy??

Wiiii (revised)!

Oh, the fun we've had with the Wii around here! We've been making Mii's for anyone who comes by. I don't know what we will do if Eric ever moves out... hee and the Wii will be missed!

Here's my Mii, though I think it's not quite right.


Isn't he cute?? (yes that's Steve)

And my little Gangster/Anime Baby...

Bud, or "Bubbo" as Lucy is calling him. Abby said, "Bud looks woowwwied." (worried)

My father-in-law... an exact likeness!


Steve's mom, or "Mimi" as the kids call her. I think she looks like a librarian!


Now here's the cake. Look who is playing whom. Note the boxing gloves.


Now note who is doing the victory dance... Oh yeah. One of the greatest accomplishments of my life!!

Wiiiiii!

Technical difficulties... re-posting...

Not for men (except Steve, Dad, maybe Bud)

I just realized Lucy has been weaned "for reals" for over a week now, and because of all the Busy, I'm not sure I really had the opportunity to process it. I was caught off guard at how sad I am about it. I mean, I'm the one who wanted to wean this long-overdue 14-month old! Long enough! Time for some freedom! But when I realized that Thursday night's feeding in the nursery at church between choir rehearsals was the last time I will ever nurse that little girl, it made me catch my breath. End of Baby, full-force Beginning of Toddler. Beginning of Growing Up. Wonderful, wonderful paradox. I suppose the beginning of that really was the day she left my body to live and breathe on her own. And I think of my own, dear, dear Mom and how much I still need her. I know Lucy will always need me in some way, and the two of us will always do the little dance to find that balance. I figure I will practice now the letting go that happens a little bit at a time. And what a wonderful thing! I really do celebrate this big step for my big girl! But for now it's okay to grieve the end of the thing I never knew would be so special.

Everybody Eats When They Come To My House

That's a song title from my new John Lithgow CD of cool childrens' songs. I think it is talking about me. I swear I am turning into an Italian Mama.
Me: Are you hungry??
You: Um... "
Me: I make you something!
This week I must say some pretty stinkin' good meals and desserts have come out of my kitchen, thanks also to Mimi (Steve's mom). We had steak one night and salmon another and BBQ'd chicken and pork chops sauteéd with a shallot and white wine sauce. Yum! We've had lots of wonderful visitors to share the food with, and I always feel happy when I can serve a meal people really enjoy--even if it is simple.

In other news, I went to the dentist and got the "5 Star of the Day Award" because my teeth looked so good. Whew!! I'm too scared of the dentist not to floss, so I sort of ramp up before and after the dentist. I slack off in the middle, and then ramp up again toward the next appointment. It's like a little sine curve. But kudos to mom for all those years of those nasty vitamins with fluoride in them!

To come:
Mii's and wood flooring.

Easter, etc.

I thought some of these pics from Easter week might be fun!

This is the Easter egg hunt across the street. They'd filled them with Cheerios and fishies for the little kids, so when Lucy found her first two, she just assumed they were maraccas.


These were from Aunt Cindy. Lucy rarely leaves anything on her head, so this was a lucky moment. =)


Grammie and Lucy playing with the "easter grass." No, not that kind of grass! Goodness, clean up your thinking! Lucy had a great time with Grammie. She has a hard time with the name (though today I got "wah-ree" or something like that out of her. While she was here, Lucy would stop her play once in awhile and just crawl into Grammie's lap. =)


Cropped picture for your viewing pleasure--so you don't have to see my enormous butt! This is how I cook and do dishes most days. Note the cute little outfit that Lucy has on. Thanks, Mimi! (Mimi is the grandkids' name for Steve's mom.)


The sandbox! Whose brilliant idea was this?? I am slowly getting used to the dirt involved in having a toddler. I'm about there with mess and food, but dirt is still unsettling to me. The sand I find in that kid's diaper never ceases to amaze me! Note outfit #2 that just appeared when Mimi showed up!


And the piéce de résistance... (I swear, this was not staged!)

The flowers

Well, the weekend is over. I sang my Friday night service (which was amazing), I spent most of Saturday getting the flowers ready for the sanctuary (which turned out well), I welcomed my in-laws (who are fun!), I got up early and set up flowers for the brunch (which was lovely), and prepared my Easter dinner (which was kick-a@#!). I missed the Easter service because Lucy had a runny nose and we got kicked out of the nursery last Sunday for the same reason. I walked around with her in the stroller, which was actually really nice. There were lots of people around, and we enjoyed it. I did miss the opportunity to worship with my church, but the Good Friday service was really special.

My Easter dinner was fun to make. I bought a leg of lamb, which is a real treat. I marinated it in olive oil and shoved a bunch of garlic into little slits in the side. It turned out reeeeally good. I also made a potato gallette and roasted asparagus. The dessert was the coup de gras... Oreo crust, ice cream, fudge, cool whip, and crushed Cadbury mini eggs. Oh yeah. Now to roll my pudgy body to bed.

The craziness

I just said goodbye to my mom today... a much more hurried goodbye than I would have liked, but L.A. traffic stole my hug. We hit a dead stop in commerce, and heard on KNX that there was a crash across 3 lanes. We were at the dead stop a mile from the incident, so luckily I was able to bug out and slingshot past the clog. We arrived at 1:14 and the bus left at 1:15 with mom on it. We had a great week, and as always when she leaves, it feels like we are missing someone.

Tonight I had a 2+ hour choir rehearsal... fun, but tiring. And in a tiny, hot room. Tomorrow I prepare the house and the food for another round of family as well as my obligations at church. I sing tomorrow night, then Saturday/Sunday I am responsible for decorating the sanctuary and the tables for the Easter brunch. Still not quite sure how I got myself into that! Here's what I think is funny: I generally enjoy hosting, and my sister enjoys decorating. How is it that she's hosting a group of friends for Easter and I'm decorating the sanctuary??

I also have to bake for the Easter brunch and get Easter dinner ready for my family. I'm so glad we are making steaks on Monday... easy for me! Then dinner out on Tuesday. Yay! Tiiiiired... Going to bed....