An Audience with Princess Lucy

We had a wonderful visit this past weekend with Grandma and Grandpa K. They came from their desert to our desert and we had a great visit with them. I wish I had taken more pictures; we were just enjoying their company so much that I never thought to break out the camera. (Memo to Grandma K.: if you'll email me the pic you have on your camera of you and Dad and Lucy, I'll post it up here.)

Lucy was a little shy at first, but warmed up pretty quickly. We went out for pizza the first evening, and I think Lucy said "pizza" at least 17 times. (And each time was at the top of her lungs.) At the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, Lucy did a chalk drawing on the street, while Grandma and Grandpa were talking with one of the sellers who immediately recognized them as being from out of town. (Or I guess didn't recognize them, and that's why she knew they weren't from around here.)

After a scenic drive, lunch, and a nap for Lucy, our mediocre dinner at the Chinese restaurant was followed by Lucy's first swim! She was a little nervous at first, but got into it after just a short time. She jumped off the edge over and over again, even after getting her head dunked under the water. She slept GREAT that night.

We're so glad Grandma and Grandpa came to see us, and we're looking forward to the next time we get to visit together. By then, Lucy may be quite the swimmer!

Princess Lucy

Isn't she pretty? And serious? She was trying to keep the headpiece on, and hold the flowers, and smile, but I think the smile gave way to serious concentration. Even still, I think the picture turned out nice. The entire ensemble is an Aunt Cindy Original--and part of a small collection of dress-up clothes. Lucy isn't too excited about playing dress up yet. I don't think she's all that excited about just getting dressed, but give her a few more months, and I probably won't be able to take her to the store without her tiara and heels.

Petrified!

We took Lucy to the Ginkgo Petrified Forest on Saturday. That's a real, honest-to-goodness petrified log she's sitting on. I'm not sure why they call it the "Ginkgo" Petrified Forest, since we learned at the Interpretive Center that they only found 2 Ginkgo trees in the whole forest. But wait! David just explained this to me--they call it the GPF because it is rare that they found Ginkgo trees at all in the U.S., and they are petrified to boot. I don't know why they're petrified...I've lived here my whole life, and I'm not scared about it. Of course, I guess if I saw a wall of lava heading straight for me, I'd be petrified too.

But enough about me.

Lucy had a great time crawling on the logs outside the Center and there were lots of petrified wood pieces inside to touch. Her voice also echoed very well inside the building, and she enjoyed making various sounds and hearing them come back to her. On our way back to the car, Lucy took a leaf from one of the Ginkgo trees. The park ranger said this was fine because she said Mother Nature would be taking the rest of them in a day or two anyway. Thank goodness we were saved from Lucy having to pay a hefty fine or serve jail time for removing something from a state park. RCW 79A.05.165

After a picnic of cheese and crackers, carrots, etc., we decided to check out the hiking trails. I was disappointed because although the petrified logs are still in the ground next to the trail, they are covered by heavy metal grates. For some reason, Douglas Fir just isn't as impressive sitting in the ground under rebar. Lucy had a good time bouncing on the grates, and was highly disappointed when we didn't join her. Sorry, Lucy, I don't want any misdemeanors on MY record.

Light Reading

I'm not sure if reading the dictionary means I need to get more children's books for Lucy, or if I should be putting together her application for Harvard, but either way, I thought it was funny that she was looking through it. Please note, though, that she is reading it upside down. (So I guess I can put Harvard on the back burner.)

On Wednesdays, Lucy and I go to the toddler storytime at the library. It's 15 minutes of stories and songs, and 15 minutes of playing with toys. After that, the library is open and we go in to check out new books for the week. This usually means I find appropriate books for Lucy while she wanders around. Sometimes Lucy goes over to the free-standing racks of romance novels and spins them around and around. The librarian (who knows Lucy by name) just smiles. Thankfully, she is VERY easygoing. By the time I've found 4 or 5 books, Lucy is waiting for the next person to open the main door so she can go get a latte while I get the new books checked out. Then we head for home.

Most of the time Lucy loves to have me read to her, but sometimes she just likes to do her own "reading". I wonder if Lucy will be taking that pacifier with her to Harvard.