At last - new pictures!!! :)

Today while I was cleaning, I found my old memory card! Recently, the dog had gotten a hold of my 8 GB one and chewed it to pieces. . . which means that my camera was useless. But have no fear - we're back and better than ever! Here are a few from today.

Taking pictures like Mommy

Ready for a nap!

Starbucks on the way home from the store!
(Don't worry - it's coffee free!)

Showing off our bathtime hair!

SHARK!!

We've got clean teeth!

Playing before bedtime

Reading the letters on her rocking chair

Cheese!

A silly girl, ready for bed!

A few Lucy stories

Here's a few "Lucy Moments" for you!!

- Lucy spread out her blanket on the floor and pretended to jump off the edge just like she jumps into the pool. When she jumps into the pool, I always count "1, 2, 3 - jump!" Apparently we need to work on her counting skills some more because she said, "3, 4, 9 - jump!"

- Today, when I sneezed, Lucy looked at me and said, "Bless you, Mommy!" We are working so hard on our manners but every time she says an unprompted "Thank you" or "Please" or now, "Bless you," my heart just melts.

- Lucy is speaking in many phrases now - sometimes even complete sentences. Like all two-year-olds , she often gets her pronouns confused and says things like, "Me want" instead of "I want." So the other night I was eating and Lucy wanted some. . . so how did she ask? "Bite Me!" Ha ha!

Made me think

On the way home from the grocery store this afternoon, I was searching through the radio and stopped on a country stations. Now, I'm not normally a country fan, but there was really nothing on! So this song came on the radio, and surprisingly, caught my attention.

Just Fishin' - Trace Adkins

I’m lost in her there holdin’ that pink rod and reel
She’s doin’ almost everything but sittin’ still
Talkin’ ‘bout her ballet shoes and training wheels
And her kittens
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

I say, “Daddy loves you, baby” one more time
She says, “I know. I think I got a bite.”
And all this laughin’, cryin, smilin’ dyin’ here inside’s
What I call, livin’
And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside

Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She’s already pretty, like her mama is
Gonna drive the boys all crazy
Give her daddy fits
And I better do this every chance I get
‘Cause time is tickin’ (Yeah it is)
And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’
Yeah, aww, she thinks we’re just fishin’
We ain’t only fishin’ (This ain’t about fishin’)

Now it wasn't the fishing part that I liked so much - after all, I am as far from "outdoorsy" as a girl can get! What struck me was the thoughts from the Dad as he and his daughter made memories together. The child was just enjoying time with her Daddy, while he was learning about and building a relationship with his little girl.

And as the lyrics to this song has replayed itself in my head, I keep drifting back to moments with my Daddy. Some of the best times from my childhood that I remember of just me and my Daddy are the times where we were out running errands together, riding around and talking. . . sometimes shopping! :) A memory that stands out above many is when Daddy took me shopping for school supplies. He bought the things that I needed as well as bunch of stickers so I could decorate my notebooks. That was a great evening. . . not because my Daddy bought me stuff, but because he was meeting me where I was at, enjoying the things that I enjoyed. I love those times with my dad. . . running errands, going to breakfast, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

Now as an adult, I look back on those times and realize that it wasn't just about the stickers.. . it was about the conversations, the relationship between me and Daddy.
I am so blessed and proud to be able to call Latimer Alexander my father. What an incredible man he is. I am so thankful for all those "just fishin' " times in my life that we have shared. And I find such joy in all those "just fishin' " moments that Lucy already has shared with her Poppa - I know there will be many more. Love you, Daddy.

These are a few of Lucy's favorite things!

Lucy grows and changes everyday, so these favorites could change tomorrow! But FOR NOW . . . .

Lucy's Favorite:
- Foods: chicken, broccoli, cheese pizza (chee pee, as she calls it), yogurt of any kind (but her very favorite is "Dora yogurt"), sweet potato fries, ice cream, chocolate of any kind, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, applesauce, green beans
- Toys: the sandbox (or hey box, as she calls it), her baby doll and blanket, puzzles, Toy Story Memory Game (not to really play - she just likes to pull out all the squares and spread them around)
- Games: Online games at Fisher Price and PBS kids, Ring Around the Rosy
- Books: All of the "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" series, Fisher Price lift-the-flap books
- Movies: Wee Sing Together, Wee Sing Mysterious Musical Mansion, Wee Sing Old King Cole, Wee Sing Big Rock Candy Mountain
- Things to Do: Play at the park on the "big slide", ride her car and tricycle, go to "new church", get Baxter a treat, EAT :)
- Words/Phrases: No, Daddy please, more, New Buh (her word for Wee Sing), Dora Yoburt, Get Down Baxter, L-U-C-Y - Lucy! (she pronounces her name though as "Luli"), I love you Dadda/Momma (ok, maybe that's our favorite phrase. . . )

I'm sure there are plenty of things I have forgotten, but these are just a few of her favorites. Everyday she is learning something new and changing and growing. She knows all of her capital letters and several of the lowercase ones. She can count up to five and recognizes those numbers when she sees them (although she gets 2 and 5 mixed up!). She understands most sets of opposites (up/down, on/off, under/over, etc.) Lucy can label a circle, square, and triangle. She is beginning to use please and thank you without being prompted, which I will admit, touches my heart every time she says them, gazing at you with those big, sincere brown eyes. She also wants to be where ever you are, doing whatever you are doing. She repeats most everything you say, so watch out! :)

She has her moments. . . some days she seems to spend more time in "time out" than time playing! But what a smart, sweet, precious girl she is! One more month until our fall break and I can't wait!