Lucy loves the fishies.

We took Lucy to the Seattle Aquarium this weekend. She's been before, but not since she learned to make a fish face and squeal FISHIES at the top of her lungs.

The important thing about this first pictures is the binky. Notice the binky in the water as Lucy leans over to pet the starfish and sea cucumbers and whatnot.

Now...notice the binky. Fish-water to mouth in one fell swoop. Also notice that neither of the "responsible" parents noticed this until AFTER we got home and reviewed the pictures. One day you're picking the binky up off the floor at Target, wiping it on your shirt, and shoving it back in....and one slippery slope later, it's fish-water and oblivion.

It was "Octopus Week" at the aquarium...so Lucy took advantage of the coloring tables to add her artistic flair to the community art project.

Lucy wasn't scared of the very realistic octopus legs. The picture can't portray her grunts as she tried to pull the whole display off the wall. Must. Destroy. EVERYTHING!!

What would be funnier than this picture would be one of the BACK of this cutout...so you could see Brian holding the back of Lucy's pants to keep her from running away while he balances on one foot and tries to smile at the same time.

Lucy pet the octopus stuffed animal. What they don't tell you about these exhibits...how to explain to your toddler that, actually, no...the stuffed animal will not be coming home with you. Also, it will in fact stay here, to be sullied by the sticky hands of the eighty gajillion toddlers who will pass through these halls in the next four minutes. Lucy was displeased with this plan. Very, very displeased.

I like this picture because it makes Lucy seem peaceful. Really she's probably performing a complex mental algorithm about the thickness of the glass vs. the hardness of her skull and what it will take to get to those FISHIES!!!!

NO NO NO MR. PURCELL - DON'T FEED ME TO THE LUCY!!!!

Lucy needs to put her feet up and rest a spell.

Today Brian and I took Lucy to the mall to play in the indoor playground. It was cold and rainy and horrible here, so needless to say we weren't the only people with that bright idea. It's also safe to say that between going to the mall, chasing Lucy around a playground with roughly 900BILLION other children, and then going up and down the escalator 40 times (NONONODON'TPUTYOURHANDINTHERE!), Brian and I both have PTSD. Lucy is the one that took time for a little rest though, in this very toddler sized lawn chair in the Housewares department at JC Penney. Sometimes a girl needs to take a load off, ya know??

Lucy wonders why this thing is on her head.

Yesterday was President's Day and I had the day off work. Like any dedicated parent, I sent Lucy to daycare anyway and spent the day shopping and lounging on the couch. I know, I know. I bought this awesome barrette for Lucy, which is a little clip with a piece of maribou on it. It's very...fluffy. Lucy kind of hated it at first, but eventually she found her zen with the help of Daddy and some "cwackoos!" Cwackoos, otherwise known as crackers, in all their splendiforous forms, are pretty much the base of Lucy's food pyramid. Followed closely by cheese, noodles, and blueberries. I would be more worried about her diet, but hey...blueberries!!

Lucy is just as dangerous as ever.

Brian and I continue our efforts to be responsible parents by child-proofing the house as much as possible. Lucy kept stuffing things (including herself) into the toilet, so we (by "we" I mean "Brian") installed a toilet lock to keep the lid clamped down tight. Which is awesome, because that creates a nice, stable, flat surface to stand on while she's leaning over the hard tile floor, against the porcelain sink, and into the basin of scalding hot water. GREAT SUCCESS!!!

Lucy has the Valentine's Day spirit.

OK, honestly, Lucy probably doesn't really know what Valentine's Day is. But *I* do...and it involves heart shaped barrettes, heart patterned pants, a glittery heart shirt (thanks Miss Rebecca!!), and a whole lot of glitter-themed arts and crafts.

I for one am all for toddler arts and crafts and reasons to stick glittery hair accessories onto the head of my totally unwilling child...so YAY Valentine's Day!! Nothing says "I love you" like Forced Accessorizing (tm).

Lucy is the queen of the tumbletrack.

As promised, we took Lucy back to the toddler gym this weekend, and with Brian there for moral, physical and emotional support (SO MANY TODDLERS - ACK!), I got some pictures of Lucy on the trampoline runway...which I've learned is formally known as the "Tumbletrack." Although I like to call it the Trampletrack (tm), based on my how many times Lucy got run over by other kids as she ran down it. Oh, who am I kidding? That nickname is 100% based on the number of kids Lucy ran right over on her way down the track. I think Brian and I are going to just start shouting "FORE" when we put her on the track. Sure, we're not golfing, but we need to warn everyone somehow, and I'm pretty sure all of the other words we know aren't appropriate for the toddler gym.

Lucy already knows this story.

Oh Daddy! Tell me the one about the baby who's allowed to sleep in her galoshes again!! Her parents are the NICEST PARENTS EVER. Unlike you.

Really? Dr. Seuss again? There is nothing about sleeping in galoshes in this book. We've been over this.

Lucy is a blur.

Lucy went to the indoor toddler playground this morning. Brian couldn't make it, so I was on my own as the sole barrier between Lucy and certain death (not that she cares about such things as "safety" and "PLEASEDON'TJUMPOFFTHATOHMYGODMYHEART!!"). I tried to take some pictures and, lest you think that I have an unsteady hand, let me quiet your fears. The pictures aren't blurry...Lucy is! From the minute her feet hit the mats, she made it her mission to run and touch EACH and EVERY piece of equipment. Twice.


One thing I didn't get a picture of is the toddler trampoline runway. It's a trampoline, about 15-feet long, and looks like...well, a catwalk I guess. The toddlers can run, jump, and bounce their way down the trampoline as the parents lurch along the side, tripping on the super-soft mats lining the sides. Next time we'll take Brian and I'll get a picture of Lucy's look of pure joy as she ran down the trampoline runway with abandon. So cute!

Lucy laughs at your childproofing efforts.

As any regular reader of this blog already knows, Lucy the Destroyer has never met a portion of our home that she can't systematically dismantle. In a half-hearted effort to be responsible parents, Brian and I tried to "childproof" the house. Lucy accepted that challenge head on, and here you can see her removing the outlet covers like they aren't even there. Which is a good thing, because Brian and I can't figure out how to work them, and I need to charge my Kindle.