Lucy Walks! And Dances!

Here are some videos of Lucy - the one of her walking was taken today. She took her first steps last week and seems to be getting the hang of it:



This one of her dancing is from a month or so ago. I'm so glad I got this when I did because she hasn't done this dance since. I love it! We were at my parent's house watching a Brian Doerksen (worship music) video. It really looks like she's worshiping with her hand in the air:



And this picture was taken in May or June but I just came across it in my archives and thought it was so funny - as all parents learn: When silence falls, trouble is never far behind!


I hope everyone has a great week!

Cannon Beach

First off, thank you all for your comments on Maryn's difficult time at ballet. It means so much to be surrounded by supportive family and friends...this parenting thing is too difficult and too important to do alone!

After a good night's rest Maryn was back to her perky self and we were ready for a little spur-of-the-moment adventure. Grandma Kathy's work day ended sooner than anticipated so we decided to make an afternoon trip to the beach. It was overcast as we left and we drove with no expectations for what the weather would be like when we got there. My kids love being outdoors and would be happy to play in the freezing cold so long as they could be outside, so I knew they'd have a great time no matter what the weather held.

All our concerns were for naught when it turned out to be the perfect beach day! Sometimes being impulsive pays off! The fog lifted soon after we arrived and the kids played happily without sweatshirts in the cool ocean breeze. We stopped for ice cream on our way home - the perfect way to cap off a beautiful afternoon at the beach! I hope we can get at least one more beach day in before winter hits full-force.

I LOVE this picture my mom took of me and the girls...especially Maryn's cheesy smile and Lucy's impatient face :)

I deliberatly dressed the girls in matching outfits hoping to get some cute shots of the two of them...they were far more interested in the sand than my camera.

Proof that no matter how much I argue to the contrary, I most definitely throw like a girl :)

Maryn takes Ballet

This week has marked the start of "school" for us. Although Maryn is not yet in pre-school. We had our first CBS (Community Bible Study) class on Wednesday. We are studying 1st and 2nd Corinthians this year and I am really looking forward to it. Maryn is in the young 3's class, or the "green" class. They really do a great job of providing a structured class for the little ones and Maryn learned a lot last year despite our many absences for Lucy's recovery. I hope we can be more consistent with our attendance and work on the Bible stories and memory verses more this year.

In addition to CBS and weekly trips to storytime at the library Maryn will be taking ballet this Fall. She had her first class yesterday. When I asked her what classes or activities she wanted to do this year "ballet" and "art" were the ones she kept repeating. So I signed her up for a class through parks and rec. She has been in love with ballet ever since watching the ballerinas at OBT exposed a few weeks ago and has been wearing her tutu regularly while toting her ballerina doll wherever she goes.

Nerves got the better of her when we actually arrived at the class and while she participated for the first part, the second the teacher tried to interact with her she went running to grandma's lap and remained there for the rest of the class.
I often have a hard time knowing how to deal with this aspect of Maryn's personality - the shy, reserved side where she refuses to interact with anyone new and slinks to my side unwilling to participate. Part of me wants to push her out there, mostly out of embarassment or self-consciousness that my kid is the poorly-adjusted one. But I'm realizing more and more that it's just part of who she is and if I force her agianst her will she'll just be more unwilling to try the next time. I think it will be better next week when parents are not allowed to stay in the room and she'll feel less "watched." It also helps that there were two other girls with the same personality type. I wish I had captured the scene when the teacher had all of the girls fall down and only Maryn and her two shy buddies were standing . I can see them becoming fast friends as the class goes on - if they can overcome their shyness long enough to talk to each other :)

I love how you can tell she's studying the other girls.

Lucy loved watching the girls dance. She wanted so badly to go join them!

A tired ballerina

Lucy's party

Ok, this post is a bit out of order - we're going on a month now since Lucy's birthday party. But better late than never, right?!

Grandma Carol flew up on Lucy's birthday (which fell on a Monday) and stayed through the weekend for Lucy's party. We really appreciated her help as I had lots of ideas for party decorations but am a serious procrastinator. So there was plenty of work to do! Grandpa DB and Aunt Laurel flew up on Thursday night and were also here through the weekend. We had so much fun working, playing and partying - first birthday style!

And a HUGE thank you to my friend Kim for letting us overrun her house and backyard. She even set up a canopy and cool pirate kiddie pool in preparation for the summer heat. I could have stayed all day - lucky for her the kids got tired :)

Birthday cupcakes and a special cake just for the birthday girl.

Our take on edible arrangements. They were surprisingly easy (and fun!) to put together.

Pull-string pinata

Kim's daughter, sweet B

Fireman C

A quiet moment with Grandpa

Playing in the pool with Laurel

Lucy was a little timid with the cake. She only ate a few bites before calling it quits.

But these two had no problem digging in!

What a lovely day spent with dear friends and family. Thanks for celebrating Lucy's first year with us!