Lucy Kathleen is turning TWO!

Time has flown by with our little Lucy Lu -- and we can't believe in a few short weeks she will be turning two!



 Sure.. I have not been as good about blogging and photographing each of Lucy's moments (I literally photographed Isabel every DAY for the first 12 weeks of her life) and I know that I am not as good about documenting each of her "firsts". (Sorry Lu-- no baby book, yet) But I definitely think the plus side of having a second child is that you are more busy ENJOYING the moments with them -- living your busy, crazy family life - and so I think it is okay if some of that documentation slips through the cracks. BUT in honor of Lucy's upcoming birthday....

Here is a blog update - Everything Lucy!

Lucy is...

* Hilarious! This kid has a funny, raspy little voice and a mischievous smile. She likes to "play jokes" and is very pleased with herself when she gets a laugh from us. Her big sister calls her "a crack-up" and Lucy is definitely a little joker. Hiding, making faces, making sound effects-- I wonder if she has class clown in her future?

* A good sleeper. She always has been. We put her to bed at 7pm and we have to go in to wake her up most mornings. Even when she is awake she just lays in her crib quietly and entertains herself. Now that she is almost a two-year-old she only naps once in the afternoon. While she is a little angel at night-- at naptime she can get into some trouble. You can hear her singing or talking loudly, she often unzips her pajamas and undresses herself-- and on a couple of occasions she has removed her diaper and created a big poopy mess... yuk.

* A carb queen. As long as Lucy has bread, pasta, cereal bars, cheese and maybe a "chicken nuggy" or two -- she is happy with her meal. Isabel always loved raw veggies and every type of fruit but Lucy is a lot pickier about her food and far less healthy. Dinner time can be a lot of drama if she doesn't like what I have made. Usually though she is a great dinner companion. Always reminding us if we forget to say grace and telling me "delicious mom" and "best dinner ever" (even when she doesn't eat a bite of it! ha)

Getting her first haircut from Aunt Mimi --she was scared at first but YaYa kept her calm.

 

 

It is funny because Lucy can be timid and scared very easily-- new experiences and people usually freak her out and it takes her a while to warm up to most situations. Yet, she can also be very brave and much more aggressive than her sister ever was.We haven't quite figured that out about her yet. She is definitely tough when it comes to keeping up with her older sister and cousin. She has been known to bite and pull their hair when she doesn't get her way. She has gotten her fair share of time-outs and we don't really worry about her keeping up with them. Lucy is a tough cookie!

 

Lucy -- telling it like it is :)

 

 

Wrestling with her dad and sister is one of her favorite things to do at night. Other favorites include TV (she loooooves watching Paw Patrol and Dora) and being read to. We are trying to work with Lucy on her colors and shapes--- currently everything is purple and blue-- and she can sing her ABCs and count to ten (when she feels like it) but she isn't super interested in academics. The interesting thing about having an older sister though is that Lucy pretty much just loves anything and everything that her big sister Isabel loves. So even though she is only two-- she likes princesses, Barbie, and dress-up etc. and has bypassed some of the "younger" toys and characters that Bel loved at this age. The girls really do play very well together and can stay occupied in the basement playing kitchen, school, or dollhouse for a long time. Mainly Isabel bosses Lucy around -- and Lucy complains but goes along with it.

Best friends

 

This picture is SO Lucy! That little goof ball.

 

 

I can't believe we will be entering our third year with this little bug. She is already talking so much more now. Asking "why" constantly and giving us "lovies" -- lots of hug and kisses. She is a fun-loving, dancing, silly, girl that brings so much joy to all of us. She also has a serious and wise face-- and we are amazed by how much she understands and takes in. Nothing slips past this girl.

 

Lucy you "fill my bucket" daily and make me so, so happy. I love to watch you play, grow, create, change and learn. Thank you God for giving me yet another amazing and unique daughter to raise.

Happy Birthday angel baby!!!

 

Merry Christmas!



As usual, I am behind in blogging (actually this blogger website has been giving me some trouble too. Don't click on any of the "underlined" words in my posts. I don't know what is going on with that) but anyway, I still wanted to post some of the great pictures from this Christmas season. We had a lot of fun and many celebrations-- Enjoy!

A trip to Chicago to see "Wicked" with my momma and sister. Girls day- what a treat

 

and we ran into a special guest on the train..

 

When Isabel and Lucy got around to meeting this special guest this year -- Lucy was less than thrilled. Can you tell?

Don't worry she still managed to shout out what she wanted for Christmas ("A Boo Doll!) in between the wailing and tears. Isabel on the other hand had to be dragged away from her conversation with Santa. Apparently, she had a LOT of things to tell him.

 

and of course-- a few days before Christmas we always have a celebration for daddy's birthday! The girls made him a birthday pizza for lunch.

and we had a special dinner out at Coopers Hawk with friends because it was a very BIG birthday for Jason this year! We plan to celebrate his big 4 -0 again this spring from a beach in Mexico. But this was the pre-party. I don't think he was too thrilled about this particular number but a few glasses of good red wine made it easier to swallow.

 

and here are our little cuties... ready to celebrate Christmas #1 at Grandma and Grandpa Leppin's house...

 

They were spoiled rotten by their grandparents, Uncle Aaron and Shelia, and their Arkansas relatives

 

 

The girls especially loved their pre-Christmas present from their grandparents. A handmade dollhouse -- what a labor of love. Grandma and Grandpa worked on this fro a long time!

 

 

 Great picture!

 

and off to church on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus

(fashion model poses I guess) Daddy couldn't make it to service this year because he had to work Christmas Eve but we were joined by lots of other family.

cousins...

 

and more cousins...

 

and Christmas celebration #2 at YaYa and PaPa' house!

yummy snacks and presents too -- (only my camera died before presents so I will have to add some more pictures when my sister shares them with me.) Bel loved her big girl "vanity" for her bedroom and Lucy enjoyed her Minnie Mouse chair most.

Good one isn't it?!

 

attempt at a family shot-- Lucy always has plans of her own.

Cutie Pay and the Kerruish family!

 

Christmas morning at our house was awesome because BOTH girls were finally old enough to fully enjoy it. They were thrilled to find their Santa presents (3 each) and assorted gifts from mom and dad.

 

Santa was here!!

 

Santa brought an Ariel underwater doll, kitchen accessories, and EVERYTHING from the Disney movie "Frozen" for Bel this year. Lucy got her "Boo" doll, musical instruments, and a Minnie Mouse tea cart. The girls were spoiled by mom and dad with the practical things (books, pajamas, stuffed animals etc.)and they picked out a little gift for each other too. (Bel gave Lucy a snuggly night light and Lucy gave Bel a craft project)

 

 

Elsa, Elsa, Elsa!!!  Santa found Elsa things even though we hear it was VERY challenging to find these items before Christmas :)

Lucy gives her snowman Olaf a "huggy"

 

On Christmas Day we went to Hampshire to celebrate another Christmas- this time with ALL of our families together. Thanks for hosting Mandy and Zack.

 

Cousins breaking in the new toys

 

Family jam session -- thanks Uncle Terry!

 

Overall, a great (but busy) holiday season.

 

We made many good memories this year

 

and had lots of fun and silliness.

 

Of course these were still my two favorite gifts this year...

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Giving Thanks

This the third (or fourth) year we have hosted Thanksgiving and this year I did the turkey without ANY help from my mom. Yahoo! I didn't burn it-- but I cooked it in a bag so how can you really mess it up? Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to host because all of our family members bring the food -- so pretty easy on our part.

I am so thankful for these wonderful people.

 

The girls practicing for their "Thanksgiving show"

 Time to eat!

The kids table is set and ready to go. Too bad none of them ate turkey.

Love this crazy family

My beautiful sissy. We attempted to take our family Christmas pics outdoors before dinner this year. Mandy was our photographer and she was awesome -- but too bad our youngest subject wouldn't cooperate. Here is an example of what I'm talking about --

 

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas. In the end, we were able to get one usable picture-- but actually I kind of like this one the best.

 

A pre-dinner performance from the mermaid, Native American and little princess.

Grandpa Joe made it for dinner! Yay!

Great picture of the Leppin Family!

I used these dishes from my Grandma Davis this year for dinner. I asked for some of them after she passed away because they reminded me of visiting her house in Michigan. We ate on these "fancy" plates at every meal -- no matter if it was a bologna sandwich or PB&J. Good memory!

Uncle Aaron is the baby whisperer. This child would NOT smile for our family pics no matter what we threatened or bribed her with. BUT, when he picked her up she smiled perfectly for the camera.

These girls were tired from a fun day of playing! New Christmas pajamas to start the season off right.

Happy Thanksgiving 2013