Showing posts with label Lucy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucy. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Was Santa Here?
When we returned home from our trip to Iowa, there were a few things in the yard that weren't there when we left...Lucy got out to investigate, and found a sign with her name on it! From the footprints in the snow, we're pretty sure Santa was here!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Halloween 2014 "Where Are the Puppies?!"
This turned out way better than I expected. The wig makes all the difference.
The only thing is that she's way too cute to be Cruella!
The only thing is that she's way too cute to be Cruella!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Studio Lucy: Much More Constructive Use of Craft Supplies...
...as long as she keeps them away from her hair.
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| I like the colored volleyball. |
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| She made these "crowns" one night, all by herself! |
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| Every once in awhile I bring old display boards home from work. I helped a little bit on this one, but Lucy did most of it! |
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Soccer Life
Lucy just finished her very first season of soccer. It was a rec league through our city, which teamed up girls from the same school together. Consequently, no other kindergarten girls from Lucy's school signed up, so she got to meet some new friends from other schools instead!
The season was only 6 weeks long, with a total of 8 games. There were only 3 teams of kindergarten girls, so we played the same 2 teams all season. Lucy had a lot of fun and made friends easily. She started of the season pretty tentatively, but definitely learned a few things along the way and had a little more contact with the ball as the season went on. It's so fun watching girls at this age, most just learning the game, and a few standouts with older siblings who know what they're doing. :) Most often they all cluster around the ball, too polite to really get in there and starting kicking. Towards the end of the season they were catching on a bit more to defense, and realizing it was OK to stand outside the cluster and wait for the ball to come out. Lucy scored her first goal this way, in the last game! The ball popped out and she was on the outside, and took it in for a goal! She loves to do goal kicks and has a wicked little leg on her. The coach made a few comments about it throughout the season. She liked it and says she'd like to play again, so we'll sign her up for spring league.
As a new "soccer mom," I enjoyed myself immensely. I really loved seeing how the girls grew throughout the season, and liked spending time outside and seeing the same faces week to week. We were lucky to have a very mild fall weather-wise...only one week did I need to bring a blanket to keep me warm!
Turns out we picked up some soccer skills and a new friend...Lucy and the coach's daughter got along great and we've already lined up a play date. I'm loving feeling part of this community!
The season was only 6 weeks long, with a total of 8 games. There were only 3 teams of kindergarten girls, so we played the same 2 teams all season. Lucy had a lot of fun and made friends easily. She started of the season pretty tentatively, but definitely learned a few things along the way and had a little more contact with the ball as the season went on. It's so fun watching girls at this age, most just learning the game, and a few standouts with older siblings who know what they're doing. :) Most often they all cluster around the ball, too polite to really get in there and starting kicking. Towards the end of the season they were catching on a bit more to defense, and realizing it was OK to stand outside the cluster and wait for the ball to come out. Lucy scored her first goal this way, in the last game! The ball popped out and she was on the outside, and took it in for a goal! She loves to do goal kicks and has a wicked little leg on her. The coach made a few comments about it throughout the season. She liked it and says she'd like to play again, so we'll sign her up for spring league.
As a new "soccer mom," I enjoyed myself immensely. I really loved seeing how the girls grew throughout the season, and liked spending time outside and seeing the same faces week to week. We were lucky to have a very mild fall weather-wise...only one week did I need to bring a blanket to keep me warm!
Turns out we picked up some soccer skills and a new friend...Lucy and the coach's daughter got along great and we've already lined up a play date. I'm loving feeling part of this community!
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| "The Cluster" |
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| Like a boss. |
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| We had out-of-state spectators! |
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| Keepin' it casual. |
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| Run, Forest, run! |
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| "Go, Grasshoppers!" |
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| "What, are we playing?" |
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| Kickin' machine. |
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| The team, minus one. |
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| Soccer Sweetie! |
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Kindergarten Check-In
We are about 3 weeks in to kindergarten, and Lucy is doing great! But let's hear about it in her words:
What is your favorite thing about school? Playing on the playground
What's your favorite thing inside the school? Doing artwork
What new friends have you made? Skylar, Ari, Rowan, Hassem, Annabelle
Who do you like to sit by at lunch? Ady and Nathan
What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chips
What's your least favorite thing to eat for lunch? Hamburger, because it had spice in it
Why do you like your teacher? Because she helps me do stuff, like art projects
Why is your mascot a tiger? Because tigers want to be nice to people
Do you like school? Why? Because it's friendly with other people, and I love other people that I meet
What is your favorite thing about school? Playing on the playground
What's your favorite thing inside the school? Doing artwork
What new friends have you made? Skylar, Ari, Rowan, Hassem, Annabelle
Who do you like to sit by at lunch? Ady and Nathan
What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chips
What's your least favorite thing to eat for lunch? Hamburger, because it had spice in it
Why do you like your teacher? Because she helps me do stuff, like art projects
Why is your mascot a tiger? Because tigers want to be nice to people
Do you like school? Why? Because it's friendly with other people, and I love other people that I meet
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten...
The backpack is packed, the outfit is laid out, and the child is asleep. Tomorrow is the big day, and I've had bits and pieces of this blog roaming around in my head for a few weeks, and now I've finally reached the point (and summoned the courage) to write them down.
The past couple of weeks I've been off. Stressed, tired, cranky, emotional. As the end of the month loomed nearer, I grew more anxious. Kindergarten was coming.
All summer long I think I was in some sort of denial. It was still far away. I did all of the required things - filled out the forms, bought the school supplies. But it still wasn't here - just one of those things in the far-off distance.
Don't get me wrong, I want Lucy to go. She needs to go - she's beyond ready. I'm so very excited for her to experience new people, a new place, new things, new ways of learning. She's going to grow and learn so much socially and intellectually in this year.
Yes, my little girl is growing up, and there's nothing I can do about it. Time has gone by so, so fast...I mean, how the hell did we get from this:
to this:
to THIS, in such a short time?
Sigh. Heavy sigh, heavy heart. It's this weight I've been feeling. This is my baby. We're not having anymore kids, this is my only shot. They say the first five years of a child's life are the most impressionable. Did we do it right? This step into kindergarten is a big leap away from us. This is the point at which outside influences become much stronger, and from now on it will stay that way. Does she know what she needs to know? She doesn't know how to read, should I have pushed that more? Am I a bad mom because I didn't spend the summer practicing writing her name in lower case letters? As if that isn't enough to worry about, my email inbox and Facebook feed has been full of back-to-school parenting articles like "10 Signs Your Kid is the Class Bully," and "Your 5-year-old: Brave New World," and "Keeping Your Young Daughter Body-Positive." Too. much. information. Then I got a reality check.
The other day in the car, out of the blue Lucy told me she was worried if the teacher gave her a paper with a line on it to cut, that she couldn't cut straight. "Mama, what happens if I can't cut straight?" Bless her little heart, this is the biggest thing she's worrying about, that she might get kicked out of kindergarten or get in trouble if she can't cut straight. So we talked about three important things to remember for kindergarten:
1) Try your best.
2) Be kind.
3) Be respectful.
That's all I can ask of her, and that's all I can ask of myself. I took last Friday off, and we had orientation today so it was a nice 5-day hiatus. I had some time to think. I also had some time to be fully immersed in my daughter's imagination, creativity, sass, and overall awesomeness.
You guys, she's going to be fine. We did fine (and it's not like we're done!) And you know what? Things are going to happen. Life happens. She's going to cry, she's going to be made fun of, she's going to get hurt. I can only hope we've given her the tools to dust herself off and try again. As if I needed some extra reassurance, today at orientation when it was time for the kids to separate from the parents and go outside with the paraprofessional, she charged forward with an eager smile and never looked back. I thought maybe something like that might make me feel sad, but it didn't. I felt proud. I felt reassured.
I love this child to the moon and back, and it's time to let her go just a little bit. I'm not saying I won't shed a tear tomorrow, I might. But I know she's going to rock it. As of tonight, Lucy is pretty confident she will, too. Check out her thoughts on kindergarten here.
Knock 'em dead, kid.
The past couple of weeks I've been off. Stressed, tired, cranky, emotional. As the end of the month loomed nearer, I grew more anxious. Kindergarten was coming.
All summer long I think I was in some sort of denial. It was still far away. I did all of the required things - filled out the forms, bought the school supplies. But it still wasn't here - just one of those things in the far-off distance.
Don't get me wrong, I want Lucy to go. She needs to go - she's beyond ready. I'm so very excited for her to experience new people, a new place, new things, new ways of learning. She's going to grow and learn so much socially and intellectually in this year.
Yes, my little girl is growing up, and there's nothing I can do about it. Time has gone by so, so fast...I mean, how the hell did we get from this:
to this:
to THIS, in such a short time?
Sigh. Heavy sigh, heavy heart. It's this weight I've been feeling. This is my baby. We're not having anymore kids, this is my only shot. They say the first five years of a child's life are the most impressionable. Did we do it right? This step into kindergarten is a big leap away from us. This is the point at which outside influences become much stronger, and from now on it will stay that way. Does she know what she needs to know? She doesn't know how to read, should I have pushed that more? Am I a bad mom because I didn't spend the summer practicing writing her name in lower case letters? As if that isn't enough to worry about, my email inbox and Facebook feed has been full of back-to-school parenting articles like "10 Signs Your Kid is the Class Bully," and "Your 5-year-old: Brave New World," and "Keeping Your Young Daughter Body-Positive." Too. much. information. Then I got a reality check.
The other day in the car, out of the blue Lucy told me she was worried if the teacher gave her a paper with a line on it to cut, that she couldn't cut straight. "Mama, what happens if I can't cut straight?" Bless her little heart, this is the biggest thing she's worrying about, that she might get kicked out of kindergarten or get in trouble if she can't cut straight. So we talked about three important things to remember for kindergarten:
1) Try your best.
2) Be kind.
3) Be respectful.
That's all I can ask of her, and that's all I can ask of myself. I took last Friday off, and we had orientation today so it was a nice 5-day hiatus. I had some time to think. I also had some time to be fully immersed in my daughter's imagination, creativity, sass, and overall awesomeness.
You guys, she's going to be fine. We did fine (and it's not like we're done!) And you know what? Things are going to happen. Life happens. She's going to cry, she's going to be made fun of, she's going to get hurt. I can only hope we've given her the tools to dust herself off and try again. As if I needed some extra reassurance, today at orientation when it was time for the kids to separate from the parents and go outside with the paraprofessional, she charged forward with an eager smile and never looked back. I thought maybe something like that might make me feel sad, but it didn't. I felt proud. I felt reassured.
I love this child to the moon and back, and it's time to let her go just a little bit. I'm not saying I won't shed a tear tomorrow, I might. But I know she's going to rock it. As of tonight, Lucy is pretty confident she will, too. Check out her thoughts on kindergarten here.
Knock 'em dead, kid.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Goodbye, Sunshine Valley
We seriously found the BEST daycare and preschool over 3 years ago. We're going to miss these folks!
Thursday, August 07, 2014
A New Hobby
While we were on vacation, we stumbled upon a number of large statues/monuments, and snapped Lucy's photo near them. We've decided to create a photo book for her, and collect other similar photos on our future travels. Got any suggestions?
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| Chief Wenonga - Battle Lake, MN |
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| Otter Statue - Ottertail, MN |
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| Black Coot Statue - Ashby, MN |
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| Big Ole - Alexandria, MN |
Tuesday, August 05, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Veggie Time!
Starting to see the fruits (vegetables) of our labor. Peas, (tiny) carrots, and green beans. Yum!
Friday, July 11, 2014
5-Year Checkup
Today was Lucy's 5-year checkup...the big pre-kindergarten physical.
How do you prepare a kid for shots? Some people say to talk to them about it days in advance, have them practice on stuffed animals...I told my kid as we were pulling into the parking lot at the doctor's office. I knew she would fret about it otherwise. I just said doctors have to do what they need to do so we stay healthy and feel good, and sometimes that means we have to get shots. She got a little anxious after the routine exam was done and we were waiting for the nurse to come in to do it (and of course as I had to hold her down on the table), but overall it wasn't bad. The promise of ice cream afterwards helped. I was prepared for four shots; it was actually only two because they were able to combine some of the vaccines. One stick in each thigh. So it wasn't bad for Mom, either!
Our Lucy is in great health. She weighs 48.75 pounds and is 44.5 inches tall. She has definitely thinned out a bit and her BMI is the best it has ever been. She has always been in the high 90th percentile, but has now come down to 70s and 80s. She told the doctor all about her vegetable garden and how she always wears a helmet when she rides her bike.
Growing up fast!
How do you prepare a kid for shots? Some people say to talk to them about it days in advance, have them practice on stuffed animals...I told my kid as we were pulling into the parking lot at the doctor's office. I knew she would fret about it otherwise. I just said doctors have to do what they need to do so we stay healthy and feel good, and sometimes that means we have to get shots. She got a little anxious after the routine exam was done and we were waiting for the nurse to come in to do it (and of course as I had to hold her down on the table), but overall it wasn't bad. The promise of ice cream afterwards helped. I was prepared for four shots; it was actually only two because they were able to combine some of the vaccines. One stick in each thigh. So it wasn't bad for Mom, either!
Our Lucy is in great health. She weighs 48.75 pounds and is 44.5 inches tall. She has definitely thinned out a bit and her BMI is the best it has ever been. She has always been in the high 90th percentile, but has now come down to 70s and 80s. She told the doctor all about her vegetable garden and how she always wears a helmet when she rides her bike.
Growing up fast!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Ridin' the Green Line
This past Saturday (my birthday!) the Green Line, a new light rail transit line, opened between Minneapolis and St. Paul. All day rides were free, and there were parties/activities at several of the stations.
As part of my job, I worked a little bit on the planning of this line, but other people in my office were very involved in the design and construction over the past several years. It also runs right outside our office, so it's very exciting to finally see it up and running!
Although the day was pretty gloomy and rainy, Lucy and I decided to go "ride the line" anyway. We boarded at the station nearest my office and rode to the Stadium Village station at the University of Minnesota. This station party was sponsored by my company and was supposed to be kid-friendly with activities from the Minnesota Gophers and Vikings. Unfortunately, the rain and especially the high winds were causing a lot of problems for the tents, and soon after we arrived, they were issued instructions to pack it up because stronger winds were on the way. We hopped back on the train and rode to the Raymond and Snelling stations in St. Paul, which had similarly lackluster appeal due to the increasingly miserable weather.
It was kind of a bummer that the weather wasn't cooperating with this grand opening, but it was pretty amazing riding the train anyway, and it was packed with plenty of people. We got wet, but we had fun! Best of all, Lucy still talks about it. Well worth it to share this experience with my girl.
Monday, June 02, 2014
Big Birthday Weekend
Wow, are we exhausted! We now have an appropriately celebrated five-year-old. Parties and house guests and sweets, oh my!
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| FRIDAY - Our gift to Lucy was a redecorate of her room. She was surprised! |
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| By Birthday Girl request, dinner at Red Lobster. With cake as big as her head! |
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| Then Grandma and Grandpa arrived, and we stayed up too late. Couldn't even make it to the bed... |
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| SATURDAY morning - Show Week at Little Gym! Videos here. |
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| Showing off in the gym. |
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| Cousins arrived! Playtime ensued. |
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| Then, party time! Lego cake as requested. (Target cake with addition of candy Lego bricks and figures made from a mold purchase on Amazon - way cool!) |
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| All four cousins! |
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| Uncle Jason is a jungle gym. |
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| Another late bedtime. Guess which one is sleeping? |
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| SUNDAY - church, then saying goodbye to our cousins. |
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| Then off to a "friends" party at the nature center. |
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| Lucy surprised us by choosing a snake to take out, and absolutely zero reservations about holding it! |
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| The whole gang. |
The End.
Happy Birthday, Lucy!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Dear Lucy,
Today you are FIVE years old.
Holy cow. Where did this time go? You have grown up so much this year. For starters, you look like a kid, and not a toddler or even a preschooler. A full-blown kid. You've sprouted up a bit, lost some of your belly, and wear your glasses with ease (which make you look even smarter than you already are, if that's possible). I look at you sometimes and wonder if you've grown since the last time I saw you. Our joke when you wake up in the morning is for me to say, "Lucy, did you grow in the night?" You usually proudly stand up to show me how tall you are. I can't help but think one day I'll be looking UP into your big brown eyes, instead of down.
There has been a contentment settled in you this year, if that's the right word...you are calmer, more even-keeled. Don't get me wrong, you certainly still have your tantrums and drama-filled teary jags, and you certainly like your way (who doesn't). But you are a little more happy-go-lucky. Most of the time, you are proud to be a helper and behave yourself quite nicely. You are able to keep yourself content for longer periods of time, but you also like to talk to me and Dad (and anyone else who will listen, once you're over feeling shy). You amaze me with your stories and observations - I just love the way your mind works! You surprise us sometimes with your very astute observations about people or feelings, or your proclamations about your Grandma Betty that come out of nowhere. Yes, you still have something special going on with your personal angel. I hope you never lose it.
When you're not in school, you can most often be found drawing or coloring, and now that the weather is nice, you like to be outside and ride your bike or check on your garden. You also like to watch TV, and we probably let you watch too much. One of the things I appreciate most about you is that you haven't made us watch the same movie over and over again - you've never been like that. Although this year I have to say we've seen "Frozen" quite a few time since we got it on DVD, but I'm not sick of it yet! Even when it's not on you're usually singing the songs or acting out scenes with your dolls. I love it!
The thing that has made me most proud this year is seeing how your confidence has grown. We've seen this particularly in your swimming lessons. After taking Level 2 twice, they said you probably should take it again. We believed in you and moved you up anyway. Level 3 was harder, but we knew you needed a push. Many told us to expect taking it three times or more, because it was the class where you needed to float and swim completely independently to pass. Lots of kids have trouble with it. You had a wonderful teacher in that class who brought you a long way, but you still needed to re-take it. Not because you couldn't do the strokes, but because you just weren't believing you could do it yourself. You always wanted to hang on to something (or someone). When we were in Phoenix a few weeks ago, you broke down in the pool. You wanted to float by yourself but you "couldn't do it." After some tears and arguing with me, something clicked. You decided you were going to do it, and you kept trying until you did! You were backfloating in that pool all by yourself! I was so proud of you, and you were very proud of yourself. You brought that confidence to your swimming class and the past few weeks you have been a superstar! What amazing progress! And the teachers see it too - you don't have to take this class again, you are on to Level 4! I love seeing that determination and pride in you, and it's a good feeling to know that you can take care of yourself in the water if needed.
Happy Birthday, Bug!
Love you,
Mama
PS - You're going to ROCK kindergarten in the fall. Can't wait to watch you grow!
Today you are FIVE years old.
There has been a contentment settled in you this year, if that's the right word...you are calmer, more even-keeled. Don't get me wrong, you certainly still have your tantrums and drama-filled teary jags, and you certainly like your way (who doesn't). But you are a little more happy-go-lucky. Most of the time, you are proud to be a helper and behave yourself quite nicely. You are able to keep yourself content for longer periods of time, but you also like to talk to me and Dad (and anyone else who will listen, once you're over feeling shy). You amaze me with your stories and observations - I just love the way your mind works! You surprise us sometimes with your very astute observations about people or feelings, or your proclamations about your Grandma Betty that come out of nowhere. Yes, you still have something special going on with your personal angel. I hope you never lose it.
When you're not in school, you can most often be found drawing or coloring, and now that the weather is nice, you like to be outside and ride your bike or check on your garden. You also like to watch TV, and we probably let you watch too much. One of the things I appreciate most about you is that you haven't made us watch the same movie over and over again - you've never been like that. Although this year I have to say we've seen "Frozen" quite a few time since we got it on DVD, but I'm not sick of it yet! Even when it's not on you're usually singing the songs or acting out scenes with your dolls. I love it!
The thing that has made me most proud this year is seeing how your confidence has grown. We've seen this particularly in your swimming lessons. After taking Level 2 twice, they said you probably should take it again. We believed in you and moved you up anyway. Level 3 was harder, but we knew you needed a push. Many told us to expect taking it three times or more, because it was the class where you needed to float and swim completely independently to pass. Lots of kids have trouble with it. You had a wonderful teacher in that class who brought you a long way, but you still needed to re-take it. Not because you couldn't do the strokes, but because you just weren't believing you could do it yourself. You always wanted to hang on to something (or someone). When we were in Phoenix a few weeks ago, you broke down in the pool. You wanted to float by yourself but you "couldn't do it." After some tears and arguing with me, something clicked. You decided you were going to do it, and you kept trying until you did! You were backfloating in that pool all by yourself! I was so proud of you, and you were very proud of yourself. You brought that confidence to your swimming class and the past few weeks you have been a superstar! What amazing progress! And the teachers see it too - you don't have to take this class again, you are on to Level 4! I love seeing that determination and pride in you, and it's a good feeling to know that you can take care of yourself in the water if needed.
This year, I have been soaking you in. You're free with the "I love yous" and hugs and kisses. You like to be around me. I like to be around you. I can take you places, like on your first plane ride, and know that you will do well and be good. You're so smart and funny; perceptive and caring. The world could learn a lot looking through your eyes. I know I certainly have.
Happy Birthday, Bug!
Love you,
Mama
PS - You're going to ROCK kindergarten in the fall. Can't wait to watch you grow!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
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