Let's hear it for the girl!

Happy first Birthday Lucia Davina! I got an email from babycenter with, "Your toddler this week," in the subject line. Really? At one year they are trying to throw you into the toddler realm? Just because you happen to toddle? I beg to differ. You are my little teeny tiny baby. I really do wish I could freeze time. I love your sweet angel face more than just about anything in this life.

Lucy's little shin-dig was a hit! Everything went great, except her banana cream pie... which she loathed beyond all description. I tried to put just a little in her mouth so she could at least know what it was before rejecting it completely but it just made her even more fiery hot with anger. She hated the messy whipped cream on her fingers. Truly a little lady.

She was surrounded by many who adore her. Thank you family to all who were there!! We had cake and custard and pizza and presents and then I had all 30 of our guests watch the birthing video. I could really feel how much watching it bonded the group together. (haha. We didn't really watch the video.)

And a little something for history's sake:

• Lucy loves giving open mouth kisses on the cheek, and gives them now upon request (which means you will hear, "Can I have a kiss?" about 1200 times on any given day at our house).
• She doesn't just "walk", but now cruises at a pretty impressive pace, arms straight up in the air, right arm always raised slightly higher than the left.
• She gets into EVERYTHING, cupboards, drawers... pulls every last item out of every single purse/bag in the vicinity.
• She loves LOVES her baby doll and walks around with it all day.
• Is obsessed with peek-a-boo. Still!
• Says "mama","dadda", and "hi" indiscriminately (meaning we are still not sure she knows what she is saying).
• Screams/shrieks the highest pitch shrieking you have ever heard (terradactyl style) for no real reason, mostly just out of excitement for life. She also grunts and sighs a lot to communicate. And she laughs so so much. She laughs all day long. She thinks I'm pretty funny.
• She is unbelievably social and friendly. She walks around all day at church just holding her arms up (signaling the "pick me up") to people she doesn't know. Makes friends easy I guess.
• Only nurses for a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes at night. I really don't feel the angst to be done nursing like most. I could keep going for a long time. But, I'm pretty much following her lead and so I guess that means we are on our way to weaning. Sorta makes me sad.
• Falls asleep on her own now. I never felt anxiety to make this happen. I've always sang to her and rocked her to sleep, and have absolutely loved it so it sorta makes me sad, too. :(
• Sleeps at night from about 8:30 pm 'til 7:30 am, and still takes 2 full naps (thank goodness); usually from about 10 until noon and again from 3 til 4:30 or so. A good little snoozer.
• Drinks out of her sippy cup like it's a flask of liquor. Just throws it back.

I don't remember what life was like without you Luce! I can't believe you graced us with your presence just one short year ago. How very, very lucky I am to be your mother. We won't even get started on what you've done to your dad. He is so in love. Happy Birthday little sis!

The Wild, Wild West.

Yes folks, the time you've been waiting for finally arrived.  We had the annual Christensen Family retreat (appropriately named, "The Christensen Connection") this past week and it did not disappoint.  Jason, Lucy and I spent the 4th of July in Idaho Falls with my parents and then we headed north for a full week of fun and sun in the fresh mountain air with Jason's side of the fam.  This year we stayed in Ashton, Idaho and went all through Island Park and Yellowstone.  Being from Idaho myself, I, naturally, was the family authority on the native plants, wildlife and local Indian tribes.  On more than one occasion, by simply licking my finger and holding it into the air, I was able to pick up the scent of an approaching predator and usher all 30 of us to safety.  It's amazing how my primal instincts come rushing back so quickly once I am really in my element.  Another week in that wilderness and I would have been down to my loin cloth again.  Those city slickers would have seriously wasted away without me. 

 Anyway, have you seen Dan in Real Life?  That's pretty much our Christensen side.  Hilarious.  Family get-togethers often include water balloon fights and/or water balloon volleyball, skits and talent shows, group singing, late night 80s movie nights and late night heart-to-heart talks, occasional drama with sleeping arrangements, lots of people losing things followed by search missions and modern day miracles, (I won't tell you the whole story but let's just say I did lose our camera and we all did look for a long period of time and I did say an earnest prayer and Jason did miraculously spot a woman 30 feet away from us amongst a sea of people, while it was raining, carrying it in her hand, we did retrieve it and I did ugly-face-cry for a long time afterward) and an unbelievable amount of food... oh and about 5,000 pictures.  Jason is one of 7 and all of his siblings were there along with their families to join in the hoorah.  

Here we all are setting off for Mesa Falls.

Let's take a closer look at the Pap-in-law, catching just a lick of that fountain water being sprayed in his direction.

Lucy thought those stairs were a rollercoster! Yes!! She high fived me once we reached the bottom, pretty much the same thing she did when we took her to six flags.

Mesa Falls...

Daddy and Lucy Dirt. (sister to Joe)

Right before snapping this I said, "Lucy! Do mommy's face on this trip!" She does such good impersonations.

Sweet cousins

Lucy was very much at one with the bears.  That's why we are renaming her "Stands-with-a-fist -next-to-her-brother-bears".  She is a fierce little warrior.

Lucy has become a bit of an awkward kisser.  She always goes for the open mouth and always plants it when we are least expecting.  Worse than Kiptyn and Jillian.

Our brother-in-law (and dentist), "water skiing" while the raft clipped along at a smooth .3 mph.  If any of you are looking for a dentist, here's your man!

Hooray for Yellowstone! Hooray for waterfalls and geysers!  Hooray for smelling like rotten eggs all day!  Hooray for the Christensen Connection!  Can't wait 'til next time!

Cutest. Child. On Earth.

I really do believe it.  Now we have tried not to let Lucy completely take over the blog.  But sometimes she just needs a solo shout out.  I want to curse at how delectable she is.  (We just wish she was a happier baby.  Maybe a smile would be nice once in a while.)

I think my heart just might burst.

P.S...ACS. (Abrupt change of subject).  Does it not make you batty how deep of a sleeper your husband is?  Does anyone feel me out there?? He is over snoozing away on the couch and I've been cleaning up the kitchen, banging around all the pots and pans on purpose, talking loudly on the phone... and absolutely nothing from him.  Not a peep.  You'd think his breathing would change or he'd moan or something, but nothing!  Is he even alive?! I might be the world's lightest sleeper, like when he quietly gets out of bed in the night to use the bathroom I will frequently startle him, "Where are you going?" the moment his foot touches the floor. I wake up at EVERYTHING! So naturally, I am often overcome with jealousy. It's a curse.  I think I'll take a blow horn over there now. Or maybe fire off a round of ammo. I'm disgusted by his peacefulness. 

Exciting new things at 11 months.

Sad and happy that we've embarked upon this new territory.  I guess I might as well embrace the coming of age of this little turkey because there is no gettin around it.  She is so thrilled with herself! And that wobble makes me beam like nothing else!  Sure makes up for the days that I have to remind myself that I indeed have a brain in my head that enables me, if needed, to do more than endless amounts of laundry and talk cave-man all day.

SO happy he was born. Let us celebrate!

Jason's birthday happened to fall on Father's Day this year.  I sorta felt sorry for him at first, the poor chap having to cram two special occasions into one little day.  However, as we inched closer to the time of festivity, it became apparent that it was instead a brilliant stroke of luck that brought these two days of adoration and jubilation together! A text conversation between he and I went as follows last week:

 Me: I'm missing my husband.  Can't wait to celebrate your birthday! I love you.  Him:  Well that's a nice thing to say.  I love you too and I can't wait to celebrate my birthday ALL weekend."  I think I started hearing, "But it's my birthday..." as early as Thursday.  Anyhoo, it was a glorious weekend, glorious indeed!  Oh how I love that husband of mine! (I know there is a lot of bragging about how much husbands are loved on many-a-blog out there, probably even lots more around Father's day, but I really do love my husband so much more than any of you love yours. :)

Lucy was very eager to get her little mitts on all the birthday loot.  And yes folks, that's a chainsaw! Thanks G-ma and G-Pa Christensen! We have some great pranks planned for Halloween, and it will be so much funnier now that it's a real one! ha!

Jason has become quite the connoisseur of macaroni and cheese.  LOVES the stuff.  Call it comfort food, but this particular dish brings me no comfort. This dish below is the object of great love and of loathing in our house.  Morton's mac and cheese- are you familiar with it?  Stay away from it if you're not- cream cheese, parmesan cheese, swiss and cheddar... along with a cup and a half of heavy cream (6 grams of fat PER TEASPOON).  Unfortunately I did the math and that means in cream alone there is 432 grams of fat in this casserole dish you see.  I wanted to off myself after that revelation.  So you can imagine how absolutely delectable it is!! Definitely a once-a-year dish.

Lucy ready for church on her Daddy's day... maybe more delicious than the mac and cheese.

 And of course, we had to go big with the traditional seven peaks party all day today.  Go big or go home!!  Love the high school cheerleaders we got in the background posing in their photo shoot! They were practicing cheers most the day. Funny.

She loves that dadda.

Lots has changed in Lucy's life since Dad's last birthday hoorah.

Lucia last year:

Lucia this year:

What an unbelievable husband and father Jason truly is.  How fortunate I am.  How fortunate Lucy and I both are to have such a man.  We couldn't love him more.  Happy Father's Day and Happy Happy Birthday to my hubbers!