I heart weekends!

Yes, we are alive and survived the hurricane this weekend with only losing power for a few hours on Saturday. We also had church cancelled Sunday because it seems we were just in a lucky patch because most people around us still don't have power (as of Monday) and there were a lot of trees in the road etc. So needless to say we had a pretty low key weekend just hanging out at home watching the storm.  

So I can't say I looovveed this weekend but in general I heart weekends! (but really who doesn't?) 

So let me tell you about my weekend 2 weekends ago. 

We kicked it off on Friday with our date night to see "The Help" Wowie...what a kick off. Seriously amazing movie, lived up to the book, never cried that hard in a movie, hilarious...just great. It was fun. 

Saturday morning Deep Run Park was holding a free pirate day festival thing for kids. So we endured the heat and did piratey things including a fun little treasure hunt! 

Then to cool down we headed to the Children's Museum. I love this place probably more than Lucy. It's the best. 

 Can you tell what part is Lucy's favorite? 

The train only goes every half an hour but of course Lucy doesn't understand this. So I spend most of the time pulling her away from the railing. She loves watching others ride the train as well. She waves to them all. It's adorable. 

Our first attempt in the art center painting. Apparently it failed...once she tasted the paint I think she was out. Literally we were in there for like 3 min. and then we were done. Oh well. 

What a fun weekend. Richmond offers a lot of fun things for us to do and we totally take advantage! 

Also...i just finally posted Lucy's 1 year pics on the blog but I back logged them in May. Take a look here. 

Hurricane

Pantry full of food - check

2 packs of water bottles- check

Bathtub full of water - check

Dishes all clean- check

Laundry all done - check

Floors vacuumed, steam cleaned (cuz I rented it this weekend), swept and mopped- check
Garden watered....haha Check! 

All 3 of us showered- check

All candles, flashlights and batteries gathered- check!

Hurrican Irene...BRING. IT. ON. 

and, if your all hype..at least my house will be spotless and we don't have to go to the grocery store for 3 weeks. 

Earthquake

I suppose for my posterity I should blog about the fact that I have lived through an earthquake as of 8-23-11. I know, it's kind of a big deal. I will say that it seemed like a very big deal for the few hours following the drama but now looking back it is a bit comical. But here goes my "survival" story:

So it was nap time for Lucy and I was actually being productive and crafting away downstairs. The house then starts shaking and making a crazy rattling noise and sadly this is not that uncommon around here. My first thought was "what are the maintenance man working on my roof for?" then it was "did I have something in the dryer" (yes- sadly my dryer can make the sound of the earth shaking and cracking open!). But it just kept going for what seemed forever so then I started to panic.

 I sprinted upstairs (another reason to keep working out at the gym-i will be prepared in an earthquake)and on my way upstairs (remember this is all happening in only like 30 seconds) but I remember finally thinking..."wait is this an earthquake?"...then almost dismissing it when I thought "no they didn't forecast an earthquake" haha! Wow I am a good one to have around in a catastrophe!  Anyway I opened Lucy's door about to go after her but instead I just stood there because she was still asleep, and there was nothing above her, and.... I know I am terrible!  But, I really didn't want to wake her up! So I just stood there watching her, listening to everything rattling (my house is old people) and then it finally after what seemed like forever, it stopped.

So then I was still a little unsure of what happened. I was still not convinced it was an earthquake. So I grab my phone and head outside and I start to see neighbors all coming outside looking around and I think okay so this wasn't just happening in my house?!! Right then my across the street neighbor Brittany calls and is like "what the heck was that?!" We talk for a second confirming it was an earthquake, and then I run to my other neighbors house and make sure again I am not crazy and I guess- checking that everything is okay. (which now I am realizing how dangerous this might have been to leave my child alone in a house right after an earthquake...bad mom award!)

Long story short I spend the next HOUR trying to get a hold of Erik which really did not make me feel good. I knew logically he was most likely fine since I mean only one thing fell off my shelves in my house, no biggie, but I couldn't calm the little bug in my ear making me nervous that after a huge event like this I hadn't talked to my husband! Between phones not working and him being in a big surgery we didn't get a hold of each other until about an hour later. It was so nice to finally hear from him! phew!

While I was calling him over and over again me and Lucy, and pretty much the whole neighborhood just hung out outside for the rest of the afternoon swapping scary earthquake stories to everyone who came by. (he!) It was just so surreal. My heart would not stop pumping and i was just still shaky and did not feel like being inside my house. It was a weird feeling that I hope never to feel again. And I know that if it was anything bigger I would have been a mess! I was a panic freak! I am proud to say though that I felt very prepared as far as food and our 72 hour kits go. That was nice to have that reassurance.

Anyway It was crazy to hear later on the news how close the epi center was to our home (about 20 miles) and that this earthquake was felt all up and down the east coast. It was a 5.9! There were very, very, minor damages in some areas around here, mainly to older homes but I think over all Richmond will survive.
I did have to laugh at all the hoopla going on about it on social networking sites. Everyone was in a frenzy. When i saw this I had to laugh...

Despite the drama floating around...this was about the extent of the damage here...so I think we will manage. After all-we are now earthquake survivors! ;)

THAT Kid!

I can't remember if this photo was taken after a Costco "snack" trip. Or after coming home from eating dirt at the park. Either way I think it's safe to say that my child is officially that kid. The one who is always covered in dirt or food. But ya know what...I really don't feel like stressing about it. No outfit is worth the headache of trying to keep it clean. (that's what oxi clean is for!) I am resolved to just let her be a kid! Even if she is that kid!

HI!!!

Lately, Lucy is obsessed with saying hello to everyone she sees. We will be playing outside, like pictured below and a stranger will be walking clear across the street and she is going crazy waving and saying Hi! She usually wont stop until they recognize her! It's hilarious! Sometimes it takes people a few minuets to realize she is saying hello all the while she is following them saying "hi!" "hi!" Sometimes I just want to yell "hey, will you please say hello so my child will stop!" ha! 

 

Her hello's can be quite enthusiastic! Sometimes it even sounds like she is hyperventilating! ha! It's fun having such a friendly girl! 

Another quick story: We were at the park the other day and we had the playground all to ourselves. Another family pulled up that we don't know and started to head down the path towards the playground where we were. Lucy stops playing and starts bolting down the path towards the family. I start following her wondering what she is doing. Well she gets to them and stops right in front of them and say's "hi! hi! hi!" waving her arms at them! They finally say hello back, she then smiles- completely satisfied, and turns and heads back to the playground to continue playing. I guess she was just welcoming them to the park!

Stroller and Baby

I think this is a proud moment of any mother of a little girl...

Lucy does a whole lot of this these days! She LOVES her baby and loves pushing her in her stroller even more. I just love watching her trying to be motherly! Although she is a little rough with that baby of hers! ;) 

Just in time

Today I went to get an allergy shot and I brought Lu. While waiting she saw other kids with lollipops so I gave into peer pressure and against my better judgment I gave her a small yellow (lightest color possible) dum dum. Well by the time we were done and had headed to the car there was barely any left and I really didn't want her to get her car seat sticky so I just took it away.

Now, I knew this would lead to some screaming but I assumed that like always she would get over it in two minutes. Well she must really like bananna lollipops because she was furious! She was screaming! I mean blood curdling screaming! It was so bad, she kept choking on all that saliva in her mouth from her lollipop!!

I was shocked that 10 min. later when we got to the library drive thru she was STILL screaming! -yes my library has a drive thru- best thing ever!- And now that I think about it probably so moms with screaming children can get there books without dragging there screamers inside!

Anyway- so I roll down my window and immediately can feel the difference between the silence in the library and the horrendous noise coming from my vehicle. I give the woman my card and we are there for longer than normal waiting while she finds all my books. And you guessed it, Lucy doesn't. let. up! So, you can imagine my embarrassment and just the pure irony when the librarian hands me my 3 books: Super Nanny, Child of Mine, and the 5 Love Languages. Yeah, I wonder what was going on in her head.

It was one of the moments where you want to explain so badly that your child is "never like this" but it's just not worth it. She probably just was glad I was getting "help" for my little "monster". I hope my sweet Lu doesn't keep this up, but I guess if she does I got my books just in time!

Even after all that, how can you not love a face like this?

The Big 5!

On August fifth of this month we celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I can't believe it, 5 years! Its crazy! I know it's extremely cheesy but they have without a doubt been the best years of my life. I know I couldn't have picked a better partner to be with forever. Erik and I are perfect for each other in every way. I feel so lucky to call him mine. I look forward to many more years of great memories! 

To celebrate we left Lucy with some wonderful friends and spent a night in near by Williamsburg. Neither of us had been since we were young and we have been wanting to go visit. It was a fabulous little trip! It was kind of nice to go smaller in location because then our budget was bigger to actually buy good food and entertainment! haha. We loved it! 

Friday evening we went to a local steakhouse for dinner. yum yum! 

Then we went to Colonial Williamsburgs cute little shopping area. First stop was the candy shop! We got some yummy chocolates! 

I thoroughly enjoyed mine! 

After candy we also got some ice cream...haha. It was delicious! Then we looked around the William and Mary campus a bit and headed back to the hotel. 

I have to mention what Erik had up his sleeve back at the hotel. It was too cute. He had made a little jeopardy game on his computer for me to play. Each question was a video question where he had gone to different locations in our dating, and engagement timeline and shot a little video asking a question regarding that location etc. For example he shot one at his old apartment at BYU and asked "what movie did we watch this night etc." I thought it was the most clever and adorable idea in the world! I almost cried. It had taken him months to put together these videos from Utah and all over Va. It was so thoughtful and right up my alley, I love games! I actually didn't do to hot, which was embarrassing. And the worst part was that he informed me I was playing for real money to spend at the outlets the next day! What pressure!!! But i did alright and got me some spending cash which was sweet! I just thought the whole thing was awesome. It was the best gift I have ever gotten! Highlight of the trip for sure! 

The next morning we got up and headed back to Colonial Williamsburg to look around the village and try to beat the heat. It was a lot of walking and was a little warm, but we still had fun. 

Here is the Governors mansion. Beautiful! 

we got in a little trouble while we were there! ;) 

Then they were having a flea market nearby so we stopped and looked around. They had some of the most gorgeous bouquets I have ever seen! If they would have survived the car ride home I totally would have gotten one. They were stunning! 

Sunflowers make me happy! 

The rest of the day was not documented with pictures but we ate lunch at this fabulous little sandwich joint in "The Cheese Shop."  Which was super yummy! Then we left colonial times and headed to the outlet mall. wahoo! We fought through the crowds and enjoyed snagging a few deals courtesy of my Jeopardy winnings. Then we headed home to pick up our baby...who we did miss! 

Not sure if she missed us though. She had an awesome time at her first sleepover...with a cute boy I might add. I specifically asked for them to not sleep in the same crib..but you just can't trust those Hutchison's! he he! Lu had a great time playing with Charlie and then later with the Gibbons kids! Thanks again to our great friends for keeping Lucy. It was an awesome little anniversary get away!

Eden

Our last week in Utah my family rented a condo up in Eden. Eden is above Ogden and it is absolutely beautiful!! We were right by Pine View lake so we brought up some jet ski's and the ATV's and just had a ball! 

It was stunning up there! I have never seen Utah so green! 

Our condo

We found some awesome trails! Again the views were breath taking! 

Grace ready to RIDE!! 

We are never allowed to eat dinner in front of the t..v at home but we were on vacation and you really can't pull us away from this...

The SpongeBob movie!! It was actually pretty funny! My Mom was a little peeved that THIS is what we were doing on vacation and we couldn't pull away even to eat! ha! 

I love vacation with my family because they know how to pack treats! We ate so much candy that week...I loved it! We also played games at night and watched a few movies. We watched Mobsters and Mormons- which normally I am not so into those  kinds of movies but this one was really funny! We also re visited "I am Legend" which I actually kept my eyes open for this time.  

 During the day we spent pretty much every free minute at either the pool or the lake. We did take a few breaks to go play at the park, play soccer and basketball, and also visit a monastery there( random i know).

Gracie and Lu were beach pals. Lucy did sooo well there! For no nap and there not being much for her to do she did so well! 

We did keep pumping her with snacks...which I am sure helped! haha! 

Gracie and I soaking up some rays! 

Our make shift play pen...jk! She wasn't too happy in there, but it would have been a brilliant idea! 

Isaac and Brigham being pulled on the tube. Erik and I did this together and it was a riot! We also had a knee board. I LOVE knee boarding but I must be out of shape because I struggled quite a bit...I did finally get up and there is nothing like it! It feels awesome! I mainly enjoyed being the flagger on the back, while Erik drove others for a ride. 

Going on a ride! 

Lucy wanted to ride them so bad! She kept asking to go on them. So when they were parked on the beach we let her play on it. 

By the afternoon the water got so choppy which was crampin our floating time..so we held on to the rope tied onto shore! ha! (it didn't work to well!) 

Thank you so so much Mom and Dad! This vacation goes down as one of my favorites! We had so much fun! I love my family so much! 

Help!

Sorry to break up these Utah posts. I know you all are DYING to see more ;) but I am in some desperate need of advice and of course my blog readers are who I turn to. So here is my problem:

Lucy used to be a fantastic eater. She would eat anything, even things I don't like. Then she started getting used to her regiment of typical foods we would feed her and then she would never try anything new. That was annoying but now it's gotten even worse.
She will now pretty much only eat (for a main dish) Mac and Cheese and PB& J. Now i know this is somewhat typical for a kid. But what KILLS me is that I KNOW she still likes cheese Quesadillas, and green beans etc. Well I guess I don't know for sure but how can things go from being her ever day staple that she loves to now she wont even touch it! I almost feel like she is just purposly defying us.  Like we have this power trip thing.
We have tried a few things but I don't feel like any method is working to get her to eat more things again. We have seriously resorted to feeding her baby food again. We do that often and I just feel like it's a step backwards. So, what can I do?

What are ways you got your one year olds to eat?
Should I not fight it? Are there any methods to get her to eat?
Is it okay that she still eats baby food?
Any books out there I should read on this?

Thanks in advance! You guys always come through for me!

Piano Pals

 

Anytime Uncle Brig was playing the piano you could bet Lucy was right by his side! She loved "helping" him play and dancing to his tunes! I guess I got to get me a piano...oh and a Brigham. 

The 24th of July

On the 23rd of July my parents held a little court of honor for my brother Noah in our background. It was short and sweet and a great way to celebrate Noah's accomplishment. We are glad we got to be there for the big day! 

Us with the big man. 

Our Eagles. 

The Fam. (not a great look for either Brig or Gracie-sorry!) 

The Lu bug sportin her 24th of July outfit for the big night. Or- at least for about 2 hours before she went to bed! 

After the ceremony and ice cream sundaes the boys immediately changed and hit up what they love most. Playing basketball! I usually will play too but there were way to many boys out there that night I stayed clear.(notice my hubby schooling those boys!)  

And us girls do what we do best- cheering them on! 

This is our 24th of July picture...

The whole clan waiting for the fireworks. Noah is a pyro and since it was his day he was finally allowed to light and arrange the fireworks himself. Although we rushed him and were all a little distracted by the neighbors amazing aerial fireworks it was still a job well done! The one aerial firework we had was a big hit! 

Aunt Jiyhun pumping up the crowd (Korean game show style) Sooo funny! 

And.... sparkler time!! 

We loved celebrating the 24th in the state were it all happened and with the family we love!