Archive for the ‘memories’ Category

Lucy’s dedication last weekend was absolutely perfect. Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for anything better, from the ceremony itself to the weather. It was a wonderful day.

We had about 25 family members and friends there. It was so obvious how loved Lucy is. Some of our good friends drove about 3 hours to get there, which really touched us and meant a lot.

The ceremony was held in my parents’ backyard overlooking their lake. Just about everyone was involved. My dad welcomed everyone; my brother, Ryan, read a Bible verse; my grandpa dedicated Lucy; Joe’s dad said a Hebrew blessing; my other brother, Randy, played a hymn; and the two moms invited everyone to lunch afterward. What made it extra special was that Lucy was the first great-grandchild my grandpa has dedicated. I know it meant a lot to him to be able to perform the ceremony.

We had a haystack lunch afterward — for those who don’t know, that’s Fritos topped with chili beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives or anything else you like — and one of my moms group friends made Lucy’s cake. It was seriously delicious. Everyone kept commenting about how good it was. It was so pretty that I didn’t want to cut it!

Lucy loved the cake, too!

And, Lucy was so beautiful in her white dress. I can’t believe she managed to keep it clean!

And, of course, she had a BLAST hanging out with all her cousins! She spent a lot of time playing with Rivka while Marshall napped.

It was such a nice day full of such great memories.

Lucy’s said her first word. Much to Joe’s delight and my dismay, it was “Dada”.

I love that cute little voice!

Lucy said “Dada” for the first time on Saturday night. We were leaving Tellus after “Night at the Museum”, and when after Joe walked us to my car and headed back to his, Lucy said, “Dada! Dada!” It was the cutest thing ever.

And, I’m not really bummed that her first word wasn’t “Mama”. I’m pretty sure her first sentence will be “I love Mommy more than Daddy!”

So, I pretty much suck at this whole being a mom and blogging thing. I swore before Lucy was born that I wouldn’t let being a mom interfere with blogging because, let’s face it, I love letting you all know what’s going on in our lives (as much as I’m sure you love reading about it!) but, I’m always so busy in the mornings, and by the time I get home, I’m so tired I just crash on the couch.

I’m sure I will get back on track. Eventually. For now, though, it looks like another late update.

A few weeks ago, my two best friends from high school came to Chattanooga, so we drove up to see them (and my family, of course). I only see Penny and Christi a couple of times a year, and this was the first time Christi had met Lucy and I had met her son, Maks. We had a blast, as always, catching up while our kids played.

And, in case you’re wondering, Lucy and Maks are engaged. It was love at first sight. They played. Maks repeatedly tried to hug her and ended up tackling her. It was adorable. Aren’t they cute??

They promised to hold off on the wedding until they finish preschool. Whew! Oh, and since you can’t really tell in the pictures, Maks’ shirt says, “Future man of your dreams.” Christi said he wore it just for Lucy. Can I get an “awwww!”?

We had a blast. I can’t wait to see the girls again!

Last weekend was full of driving. It was exhausting but a lot of fun.

We started out by heading to Atlanta on Saturday morning for the 2010 Arthritis Walk. I always love the energy. It really gets you excited.

Braves legend Hank Aaron, who also has arthritis, was there, and as we passed by we got to shake his hand.

After the walk, we headed south of Atlanta to meet up with my sister, brother-in-law and nephews who were in town for Jacob’s soccer tournament. My parents and brother came down from Chattanooga, so we had a lot of fun. We don’t get to see my sister often.

From there, we headed to Blue Ridge to spend the night at Joe’s parents’ cabin. On Sunday morning, we were off to Mountain City in Northeast Georgia near the North Carolina border for the 2010 Southeast Warrior Dash. It was insane. Most racers were dressed in costumes. I have never seen so many men in dresses before. The best costumes we saw were a group of what we think were frat guys with one dressed in a wedding dress and the others in bridesmaid dresses. And, of course, they all donned Viking hats.

Everyone who participated got a Viking hat. Lucy was a junior warrior.

After the boys checked in, they got all decked out in war paint.

The Dash included a 3-mile run and a bunch of obstacles, including wading through a lake, climbing a wall and cargo net, going through mud and jumping over fire. We were able to watch at the very beginning at the lake and the very end where the fire pit was located. It was hardcore.

I can’t wait to see what costumes the boys come up with for next year.

After the Dash, we raced home to get ready for our LOST finale party. Lucy had so much fun playing with Uncle Randy and Aunt Lisa.

It was a really fun weekend, but now I’m looking forward to catching up on sleep!

Lucy’s first Easter was a lot of fun. We headed up to my parents’ house on Saturday. This year, I didn’t go to the passion play put on by my family’s church. It’s the first year I didn’t go, and I really missed it. I definitely plan to take Lucy next year.

We stopped off at a local church for their Easter egg hunt and “Meet the Easter Bunny” event. We got there just in time for the hunt. Lucy got two eggs, but in her defense, we got a late start because I got stopped to fill out cards for door prizes.

After the hunt, we went to my parents’ for lunch, which was fun as always. My grandma had my grandpa try on Lucy’s bunny ears.

This morning, we gave Lucy her Easter basket, which included a stuffed bunny, a Cinderella CD, and the books “Grandma, Grandpa and Me” and “Little Miss Giggles”. She seemed pleased.

We’ve had a pleasant day just spending time together. Rather than doing an egg hunt for Lucy since she’s so young, we let her play with some plastic eggs in the front yard. She had a blast!

I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

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My 30th birthday was more painless than I thought it would be, thanks to my awesome husband. My big day was pretty much the same as every other year — a birthday breakfast at Wes-Man’s, a local restaurant (unfortunately, my name didn’t get painted on the famous truck since it rained the day before); work and then my birthday dinner at Provino’s.

When we got home, we had birthday cake.

On Saturday night, we headed to Kennesaw to get a new flash for Joe’s camera and to get Lucy’s 4-month pictures taken — except after leaving Best Buy, Joe headed the *opposite* direction of Olan Mills. That’s because he planned a birthday dinner out with several of our friends since none of my friends were able to get to my party at my parents’ house. That was a lot of fun.

Joe got me an awesome gift — private ballroom dancing lessons! And, in May, we’re going to a ballroom dancing party. I think it will be a lot of fun, despite the fact that I CANNOT dance. Lucy gave me a framed picture of us from my birthday breakfast. Awww.

It was a pretty great birthday, mainly because of this little girl:

How can looking at that face not make any day great??

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