Random Shots

My sister just began knitting last fall and for her first project she made a scarf for Lucy. It is so cute and she looks quite stylish in it. I was so honored that Lucy reaped the benefit of Kristin's new craft. 

So the other day Don decided to move the couch to vacuum underneath and here is what we discovered. How can we not have noticed that 11 different toys were trapped under there? Clearly we don't vacuum under the couch enough. 

Lucy loves hanging out with Laurie and Craig. They were one of Lucy Rae's first visitors after she was born. I think she can tell how much they love her because she acts extra cutesy when they are around. She pulls out all the stops! 

Valentine's Day

Lucy had a fun Valentine's Day last weekend. She loved playing with a balloon we got her and a tiny little pink Valentine's bear aka "Pinky." The bear has been her constant companion ever since. Don't you just love that a $2.50 present makes kids happy as can be? Don dressed her in a cute little pink and brown outfit for the day. We also gave her a cupcake, which is a major treat for her (or so we thought). She has only ever had cake on her birthday so I thought for sure she would be excited by this sugary delight. As you can see from the picture below she was less than thrilled. She actually cried for 20 minutes and wouldn't eat any of it. Maybe she didn't like the texture--so much for my attempts at indulging her...


Later we found out what Lucy really thought of her new bear. Not a very nice way to treat a new "friend."
We recently got a membership to the Science Center and last weekend we made a trip over there. Lucy has such a blast exploring and Don LOVES the fact that he is exposing Lucy to "science" at such a young age. She loves the water table and refers to it as the "wallet."

Anytime there are balls around she finds a way to roll them, lay on them, bounce them or throw them.

Two of a Kind

I had just had to do a post on Lucy's favorite playmate, Maria. Every time we pass Maria's street (they live one street over) Lucy says, "Mia" "Mia." She is totally obsessed with her buddy. And lately she has been saying "Katie" (Maria's mom) a lot. We do a babysitting exchange with Maria's parents about once a month which is great because it let's us get some couple time and the girl's get some good playtime in. I am sure you have seen Maria on our blog before, but here are some more shots of the girls hanging out.

Aren't they adorable in their matching pajamas?

Lucy is really into holding her "friends." We refer to her blankie, bunny, and baby as her "friends." And the funny thing is that she has to hold all three of them at once. She never wants to leave any of them out. Thank goodness she doesn't have 6 "friends" or she wouldn't be able to carry them all.

Boo-Boos

Go Away!

So the other day I was in the kitchen with Lucy and I could have sworn she was telling me to "go away." It sounded like "go a-way." I was heating her up some chicken and she was emphatically repeating "go a-way," "go a-way," "go a-way" over and over again. Just as I was about to get offended I realized she was pointing to the microwave where I was heating up her lunch. She was trying to say "microwave" but hasn't gotten the "micr" part down yet.

Inauguration Day

I am still reeling from our experience on Tuesday in DC at the inauguration. It is something I will never forget and am so thankful that we were there to witness this monumental and historical day. Our day began at 4:00 AM and we arrived home finally (after missing our train and being re-routed to another station) at 7:00 PM. When we arrived in DC we were told that the entire mall was full and we wouldn't be able to get a spot to even see a jumbo-tron of the swearing in ceremony. We decided to walk to the end of the mall (opposite the end where the Capitol Building is located). After speed walking 26 blocks in mid-20 degree weather we were elated to discover there were plenty of spots still near a jumbo-tron by the Washington Memorial. Then we stood for almost three hours waiting for the festivities to begin. Never before have I encountered such kindness from strangers and a sense of unity amongst a crowd of a million plus. Everyone had a story and was eager to tell where they were from or how excited they were about the day. We stood next to a mother and her teenage son from Florida who knew the names of every major political figure. We stood near college students who were eager to share their opinions of the wrongdoings of the former administration and a group of middle aged friends behind us who expressed that now they have a newfound hope for employment despite encountering joblessness during these trying economic times. The heightened energy and sense of communal spirit was palpable and difficult to effectively articulate. Everyone's spirits were high and people were eager to help one another. This was demonstrated when a mother lost her 9 year old daughter for about a half hour and the crowd just spontaneously began chanting the child's name over and over again in an effort to locate her. Thankfully the child was found and a cheer erupted from the crowd when she was reunited with her mother. There was a feeling of joy that permeated the crowd. Even the secret service, police, and volunteers were all extrmemly friendly and helpful. One of the most poignant images for me of the day was when I say an elderly African American woman who was bundled up in a bright blue sleeping bag sitting in her wheelchair and being pushed by another African American woman. She resembled a glow worm all covered up so that all you could see was half of her face. I thought to myself how determined she must have been to be apart of this day and imagined her saying how she had waited her whole life for this and wasn't going to miss it for the world. It was surprising that even amidst traffic jams, streets being closed off, and bottlenecks of people that weren't moving, everyone remained calm. When we exited the mall we were elbow to elbow within a mass of thousands of people and moved less than a couple blocks in over an hour. People were cold, restless, and tired from the day and yet everyone remained calm and cooperative. I had this sense that if we could just capture and sustain this sense of shared purpose, this eagerness to serve, and concern for the common good then change might really be realized after all.

Don's Mom's 70th B-Day Party

After Christmas in Chicago we flew to Washington state to be with Don's family for New Year's. Thanks to a new portable DVD player Lucy did wonderfully on the plane ride. One of the main reasons we went out to Washington was to participate in Don's mom's 70th birthday celebration. It was such a wonderful and meaningful event. Don's sister and brother-in-law Jody and Trevor hosted a lovely open house for mom's birthday. She had lots of guests come to join in the celebration and to show her how much she is loved and cherished.
Grandma opening up her birthday gifts with Lucy and Asher nearby trying to help.
The fam (minus Susie and I). Mom and Dad are on the left, then Don's brother, Doug, Don's sisters Leslie and Jody, and Don's brothers in law Trevor and Steve.
A picture of all the Vander Griend cousins: Johann, Lucas, Simone, Jude, David, Michael, Asher, Joshua, and Lucy.
Aunt Eleanor, mom, and Aunt Donna at mom's party

Aren't these brothers a good looking bunch? Don's dad with Don's uncles Orv and Lamar.

We were able to see friends that lived in the area as well. Here is Don with his good college buddy, Trent. It was great to catch up with Trent and his wife, Jenny. They have 3 adorable kids and have settled in Lynden (the town that Don's parents live in).

Lucy had a lot of fun playing with all her cousins, but she particularly enjoyed being with Lucas. He is so sweet with her and was really tender and loving.