I Love Lucy

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Arizona Vacation

We spent a week over Christmas in Arizona visiting Carey's family.

We had a wonderful time.

Lucy loved getting to know her
Grandmother and Granddaddy better

.....and they loved her!

Merry Christmas!

Who wouldn't love this cutie!?

Reading together.

After a long plane ride with a very squirmy baby we made it to AZ. Carey and I were placed in different rows on the plane. Not fun. Lucy wanted to walk up and down the aisle and crawl under everyone's seat. She didn't want to be cooped up on Mommy's lap reading books. That lasted about 15 minutes. The flight was 3 hrs. She definitely did not want to sleep---even though she was exhausted and it was 3 hrs. past her bedtime. But somehow I survived and she wasn't fussy. Just very squirmy. Next time we're taking a dvd player and watching Baby Einstein the entire flight. I have learned my lesson.

Full of energy!

Anyway, once we made it to Mom and Dad's we spent most of our time relaxing. :) I read an entire book (amazing!). I don't think I've read an entire book since Lucy has been born. Ok, I take it back. I've read ONE. Needless to say, it was quite enjoyable. So I've made reading more books one of my New Year's resolutions.

Christmas morning was lots of fun. I loved watching Lucy open her presents. She LOVES all of her new toys! One of Lucy's favorite toys is her Tea Pot, cups, and petite fours. Let me tell ya, we're having lots of tea parties! :) Here are some pics from Christmas.

We loved spending time with Randall and Hollie. Lucy loves her Uncle Randall and Aunt Hollie! She's even a pro at saying Hollie's name. It sounds like: Ha-la-ie. :)

We took a hike and enjoyed beautiful views. The Wilson's live on the Grandview Camp site. The camp isn't quite built, but we enjoyed seeing all of the progress! It's going to be such a wonderful place for campers in the future!

The last couple of days we enjoyed tons of snow! We got about 16 inches. All of the snow called for some SLEDDING! Lucy experienced her first sled ride. Yes, it was fun! Lucy also LOVED playing in the snow. She ate a ton of it. But almost 2 feet of snow and crawling don't mix well. Her face planted a few times and after that life was not as fun. Lucy had to make a quick trip back to the warm car. And poor baby, her cheeks were red for 2 days! But overall it was a good experience. =)

We had planned to spend our last day at the Phoenix Zoo, but all of the snow made for a LONG trip back to Phoenix. What should have taken us 4 hrs. took us 7. So, no zoo for us. :( It was actually quite cold in Phx. that day anyway. 49 degrees is very chilly for them! We might have been a little cold at the zoo. We did go eat at Claim Jumpers though. Yum! They totally won me over when they brought out a FREE snack plate for Lucy within 5 mins. of sitting down. Those people know kids.
I bet a Mom came up with that idea. :)

The flight home was much better. Carey and I sat together--hallelujah! And no one else was in our row. AND we sat in the first seats on the plane. That meant Lucy had extra room to walk around and play at our feet. I was very thankful for this. I'm not quite sure I could have handled another plane ride like the first. :)
Sweet Lucy even fell asleep the last 20 mins. of the flight.
Happy me.

Thankful for a wonderful time in Arizona!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Resolutions

I'm working on a post about our trip to Arizona.
We had a great time and I took tons of pictures!
I promise to post all about it within the next few days. :)
Here's a picture of Lucy playing in the snow to tide you over.

But first.....

New year.....New goals!

My resolutions?

Here they are:

-Organize my life.

I keep a clean house and I'm probably pretty organized according to a lot of people. BUT, I want to go through everything in all of the closets and storage and throw away/donate anything we don't need and don't use! I feel like there's a ton of stuff we can get rid of. I am dreaming of spacious closets!! Also, I want to organize our "office." I want to have birthday cards ready to go months in advance, etc.

-Get in shape!

Ok, this does not mean lose weight. I am thinner than I've ever been (woo hoo!) but that does not mean I'm in shape. Ha! My only work out consists of chasing Lucy around. Probably doesn't get my heart rate up enough. :) Although it does seem like it at times! I want to do more walking--when the weather gets warm. Until then, my work-out dvd's will have to do. They work great as long as I actually do them! :)

-Read at least 1 book a month.

So that may not seem like a lot to some of you. But I'm a mom. Reading will only happen during nap time or before I go to bed at night. And nap time is for getting other things done around the house (and for blogging, of course!). =) I might be able to get a chapter in while Lucy plays. She is pretty good at playing on her own. But that's never a for sure thing. So 1 book a month seems like a good goal for me. I would love to read one fiction and one non-fiction a month....which would mean 2 books a month. But I'm starting small and might be pleasantly surprised! So if you have any good book recommendations, send them my way!

Of course, I have more goals--including spiritual ones.

But wanted to share these few.....hoping to stick with them! :)
Happy 2011!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

What Love!

We fly out tonight to spend Christmas in Arizona! We are all very excited about our vacation. :) Christmas in the beautiful snowy (hopefully!) mountains! Warm fires, hot chocolate, family, coziness. Ahh, sounds great doesn't it?

We're looking forward to this Christmas with Lucy. Last year she was 2 weeks old. :) She wasn't into much more then sleeping and eating. I can't wait to see her eyes as she discovers the wrapping and bows (because trust me, those will be more fun than the gifts!). I am so thankful to have a child to share Christmas with. I don't care about getting gifts any more. The joy for me is giving and watching the wonder in Lucy's eyes!
Gifts are fun and all that, but it's not the reason we celebrate.

Last Sunday evening at church we had a Christmas music and salvation testimony service. SALVATION---What an amazing way to look at Christmas! Yes, we celebrate that Jesus was born. But He was born to die. He was born to die for my sins and yours. I am so thankful that no matter the trials, sadness, and hurt we may be experiencing, Jesus came to give us hope! Even though circumstances in life would make us bitter and angry, unlike those without Christ, we don't have to be. Jesus has given us HOPE! I do not have to be a slave to sin anymore! I can experience the true joy and love and hope and peace that Christ offers. What a beautiful gift! Eph. 2:8. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

Tomorrow evening at my grandparents home, all of my family will be sharing what they are most thankful for this year. We won't be there, but this is what I am most grateful for: my salvation. Jesus coming to save ME. No gift is greater. I am praying for those close to me who have not received this gift--who are in the throes of sin and in bondage to self-- that they would accept Christ and be saved! Would you pray with me? I'm praying for miracles in lives. Let's pray together that our friends and family wouldn't spend another Christmas without Christ! If you have recieved salvation, reflect with me this Christmas and praise God for His indescribable gift!

When love came down to earth
And made His home with men,
The hopeless found a hope,
The sinner found a friend.
Not to the powerful
But to the poor He came,
And humble, hungry hearts
Were satisfied again.

What joy, what peace has come to us!
What hope, what help, what love!

When every unclean thought,
And every sinful deed
Was scourged upon His back
And hammered through His feet.
The Innocent is cursed,
The guilty are released;
The punishment of God
On God has brought me peace.

Come lay your heavy load
Down at the Master’s feet;
Your shame will be removed,
Your joy will be complete.
Come crucify your pride,
And enter as a child;
For those who bow down low
He’ll lift up to His side.

Merry Christmas!

Love Carey, Tali and Lucy

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tiny Feet

Lucy took 13 steps last night!

Hooray, baby girl!

I am so proud of her.

She is a little cautious when it comes to walking,

but in the past few days she is becoming more brave!

On Sunday, she took 9 steps

and then she amazed me last night with 13. :)

I think by the time she's 13 months she'll have the hang of it.

Well, sort of.

Why is walking so hard for my little one?

Because she's tiny, tiny, tiny!

About 20% percentile for weight.

She's still a little pudgy so I've never been worried.

Just petite like me.

BUT, her weight isn't why walking is hard.....it's her feet!

They're a baby size 3.

For those of you who aren't familiar with baby sizes

that's an average 6-9 month size foot.

Lucy is 12 1/2 months. :)

And most babies have fat pillow-top feet. Not my girlie!

She has tiny, skinny and narrow feet.
So no wonder walking is hard!

There you have it.....my thoughts on the subject.

So we're going to be practicing our walking

and I'll keep you posted on progress!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Capturing Christmas

Yesterday we had "Christmas" with my family.

On Thursday we're flying out to Arizona for a WEEK (yay!)

to spend the holiday with Carey's family.

So, yesterday was the one day
we all could get together to exchange gifts.

We had a wonderful time!

Anyway, the reason for the post is that I got a very
exciting Christmas gift from my Mommy and Daddy. :)

Something I've been wanting for a while......are you curious?

A Nikon D3000!!! With a 18-55mm lens AND a 55-200mm lens.

(Perfect for up-close portraits of the cutest subject ever).

I am already in love.

The quality of the pictures = amazing.

And I can capture Lucy's expressions because
the camera takes immediately!

So be prepared for lots of cute pictures. I'm having a ton of fun!

I have a lot to learn. These cameras are complicated!

But thankfully the "auto" setting is perfect for beginners like me. =)

Here's a few of the pictures I've taken so far.

Whatcha doin', Mom? How many pictures do you plan on taking?

Too much Christmas. I need a nap.


Lucy with her Christmas gift from us. A Build-A Bear Bunny!

Christmas!!!!

My little beauty.

This picture captures the personality of my Lucy. :) I love it.

So if I didn't already take a million pictures of Lucy before....

I am also excited to take some pictures while we're in AZ.

Contrary to popular thought, AZ is not all warm and sunny.

Carey's family lives in the mountains

where it's cold and *hopefully* snowy! :)

There is endless beautiful scenery for me to photograph!

Thank you, Mom and Dad for such a generous gift!

I love you!!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Birthday Girl

On December 7th, Miss Lucy turned 1!

Here's some highlights from her big day

(actually big week---the celebrations kept coming and coming!).

The Wednesday before Lucy's birthday
we celebrated with Momo and Grandpa.

They got her an awesome cake! Check it out!

You think that's cool? Look at the INSIDE!

You guys are going to let me eat that!?

Yes, rainbow cake was everywhere!

But it was oh so yummy!
After cake, Lucy had a bath and then it was present time!!

The picture above is of Lucy dancing to music. Lucy got a Touch and Teach Turtle which keeps her occupied for long periods of time--thank you!! :) She also got a kitty cat piano, a fun walker, and a Little People Nativity!

Thank you, Grampa and Momo!!!

On Lucy's real birthday we had a small party with the 3 of us.

Mommy and Daddy stayed up late the night before
baking a cake for our princess.

(The tiara was our inspiration. I might look silly, but who cares?) =)

Here's Lucy enjoying her cake! Mmm!!!

Good stuff. After cake, Lucy opened her gift from us.

What could it be??

Just what I've always wanted!!!

A shopping cart with play food! Mom and Dad, you guys are the best!

Lucy then spent 30 minutes taking the play broccoli out of the cart and putting it back in. Who knew that could be so much fun? :) We picked the right gift!

Now Lucy and Mommy spend lots of time "eating" and "shopping."

Lucy also got a super cool Disney Princess ride on toy

from Grandmother and Granddaddy Wilson.

Pictures to come.....but this provides hours of fun!

It lights up, plays music--the works!! Thank you!

I can't believe Lucy is ONE! Such a big girl. Still not walking. Her record is 3 steps. :)

But she's doing lots of talking!

Here's her vocabulary so far: ma-ma and mom, da-da and dad, bath, hi, bye-bye, nigh-night, eye, more, uh-oh, oh-no, eggs (yes, because Lucy and I eat them frequently for breakfast!), banana, bottle, yum, mmm!, puppy, grampa, momo, TJ (my parent's dog. She wakes up talking about him most mornings.), yeah, no, no no no (haha!), mine, tree.

There may be a few more I'm not thinking of.
Pretty good for 12 months!

She will also repeat most things you say.

Today she said "coffee." :)

Lucy also learned how to blow kisses this week.

Cutest thing ever.

It melts my heart.

That what's happening with our 1 year old! Love her to pieces!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Merry Christmas! Love Carey, Tali and Lucy

SO, check out our Christmas card above!! Shutterfly has really made me love them this year. I got $120 worth of cards---FREE! I just had to pay shipping (which could have been cheaper if I didn't procrastinate making cards and then have to rush my order!) =)

Anyway, Shutterfly is also giving me $25 to use on future projects just for posting our card on Blogger! Great for me since I don't have enough cards to give to EVERYONE.

Now all my Facebook friends can see our card up close. Yay!

It seems like Santa HAS been good to me this year.

I'm going to use my $25 to Shutterfly on a cute calendar full of Lucy pictures

---just what I've always wanted! So excited.

Merry Christmas from the Wilsons!
Carey, Tali and Lucy

Friday, December 10, 2010

Baking Together

Yesterday I was baking pumpkin rolls and had some sweet company in the kitchen!

Mommy baked and Lucy "baked."
Not sure what she was making, but it tasted good.

Trust me, I know. I had to try it a zillion times. :)

Here is my little helper!

We had fun baking and talking. Lucy is my little talker.
She always has something exciting to say!
She's very expressive when talking too.

Here she is telling me all about baking.

I see lots of fun times in the kitchen in our future! :)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Little Orange Packages of Happiness....

From the moment I received the first e-mail about my little orange package arriving from Shutterfly, I knew we would have a long lasting happy relationship. :) The reason: inside the email there was a note. This note said, "Exciting news. A little orange package is on it's way with your pictures!" For some reason, I loved the way they worded the "exciting news " part. Short and simple. It made me smile.

Since my first picture order I have put together these awesome photo books for some family members. I am currently playing around with their calendars--LOVE them! Maybe Santa will be good to me and bring me some holiday $$...then I will use that $$ for my calendar. :) (Filled with pictures of Lucy, of course.)

Anyway, Shutterfly has made me happy all over again. They are offering Bloggers 50 FREE Christmas photo cards. Yes, please! I have seen a few blogging friends post this and decided I had to get in on it too! I love love love saving money! Plus, Christmas cards didn't get done last year. Our sweet Lucy was born December 7th, and well, Christmas cards weren't at the top of my list. Plus, I was gigantic and didn't want my photo on a card for all to see! Ha!

Here's a picture of my little bundle of joy last Christmas.

This year I have no excuse.

Here are some of my favorite card designs. It's so hard to narrow them down. I love most all of Shutterfly's adorable holiday photo cards. Let me know what you think!