Lucy can do it All By Herself (tm)

Lucy's new favorite phrase is "I DO IT MYSELF!" This applies to, literally, anything. Like, she would definitely drive the car and light every candle in the house if we would let her.  On the day of these pictures, Lucy insisted that she could walk on the rocks ALL BY HERSELF, but thankfully Daddy was there to save her when the waves got big.  I would like to think there is a really precious parenting metaphor there, but really, given a choice, I'm sure Lucy would roll her eyes, and be like "Daddy!  I said.  I could do it.  BY MYSELF.  GEEZ!  Why do you always treat me. Like a baby?  UH!"  And then she would run into her room and slam the door and throw herself on her bed to listen to Midnight Oil and write in her diary and we would suddenly realize she's actually a 15-year old girl and this is the payback my mother always talked about.

Lucy will find all your eggs

But....only if they're filled with jelly beans and she feels like it.  Because, let's face it, when you're 2, you pretty much don't have to do anything unless you feel like it or someone is bribing you with candy.  Oh wait...is that just our house?

 

Lucy will tell you her Top 10.

Lucy's favorite things, in order:

10.  Mommy
9.  Daddy
8.  Mickey Mouse
7.  Macaroni Necklace
6.  Stuffed animals
5.  Fruit snacks
4.  Cantaloupe
3.  Sticks
2.  Rocks
and....
1.  THROWING STICKS AND ROCKS AT OTHER THINGS!! LIKE WATER!  (may substitute Mommy, Daddy, Mommy's car, windows, and/or the house if water is not available).

Lucy has been busy, but she's back now.

I know, I know...it's been awhile. What can I say? Lots of stuff going on...including walking pneumonia for one of us (Lucy), three weeks of single parenting (me), and a three week business trip for Brian. To South America. Poor guy. At any rate, in honor of Easter, I thought I'd share these pictures of Lucy dying her fingers Easter eggs, and sampling the fruits of her efforts.

Needless to say, she was *very* impressed that there is a sanctioned activity where one takes a delicate object and then dips it into a vat of dye, over and over and over and over again.  Until your fingers the object is just the right color of purple green orange blue gray.  This is so fun that soon maybe she'll stop asking if it's Christmas today?  

For those of you keeping track, Lucy is turning into a really curious, funny, and some might say slightly...ahem..manipulative (editors note: charming) child.  Much like a certain game show beloved by her Grandma and Grandpa Dietz, she answers everything now in the form of a question. We're taking a bath?  I'm having dinner?  My fingers are purple?  

Now I just have to figure out how to explain to her why a giant rabbit dressed in a pastel vest hatches eggs made of chocolate and then hides them in blue plastic grass.

The only thing better than intently watching the same exact Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode for the 400th time? DADDY! He's hilarious. And I have the pictures to prove it.

Lucy went to the zoo!

Last weekend there was some weird, super-early Spring here in Seattle...60-degrees and sunny. Sometimes we don't even get that in June! So, we took Lucy to Point Defiance Zoo, which also has a bunch of hiking trails, picnic areas, and is very near historic Fort Nisqually, where we also stopped so Brian and Lucy could learn about history, and I could practice sleeping while standing up. Anyway, it was a big day of firsts for Lucy...first carousel ride, first time feeding a goat, and first visit to a boring historical landmark with Daddy, who thankfully stops to read each and every sign so he can keep up informed about the big events in 1893. I kid! Sorta.

Lucy loves a good snowpocalypse...

So, for those of you not "lucky" enough to live in Seattle, we had an "Extreme Weather Event" last week. These pictures represent Snowpocalypse Part 1 - The Snow is Still Beautiful and Fun (ie: STOCK UP ON WINE - MORE IS COMING!).

The first couple days were actually really idyllic. Beautiful white snow! Walks in the snow! Making angels in the snow! Family snowball fights with giggling and pink cheeks!

And then...the forecasters started talking about the "Extreme Weather Event" bearing down from...well, I don't know where...let's blame Canada, it's cold there. In Seattle, this is basically like announcing that the Donner Party is coming to dinner. HIDE YO KIDS! HIDE YO WIFE! THE SNOW IS COMING!  And it surely did, although not to the crazy levels that were predicted - thank goodness since Brian was lucky enough to be in Las Vegas through the entire thing.  We'll have to talk some other time about why it's never ME who is out of town during emergencies/teething/"Extreme Weather Events"/etc.

Lucy did eat snow for the first time though. I warned her about the yellow snow. See, I have a heart!