Nine months old - and on the GO!

Well, Lucy started crawling THE DAY she turned nine months old. Most babies start out with an army crawl, or a stink bug move to get around before they get the crawling motion, but not Lucy, for her it was all or nothing! She has been getting up on her hands and knees for over a month now, but then she would just sit there or rock back and forth, then go back to a sitting position. For the last couple weeks she has been moving backwards, just kind of pushing with her hands and sliding on her knees, but now she has finally got the forward motion! On February 16th when I got off work I set her down on the floor and started to build a fire, the next thing I knew she was coming up behind me. It was the cutest thing, almost like she was taking baby steps, but crawling. Of course I ran to get the video camera, and the battery was dead. By the time my battery had charged she had gained more confidence, and was crawling more normally, so I totally missed the first "steps"!Now that Lucy has figured out how to move herself around, she thinks she has to move ALL the time. She used to just lay there while I changed her diaper, but now she tries to roll over and get away. Also, if you are holding her while walking around and suddenly just stop, she starts grunting and leaning forward to indicate that you are supposed to keep moving. Lucy is also starting to climb up to things, and she loves to stand next to the table, couch, or her piano toy.
Lucy still loves to eat, but we have found some things she doesn't like, and I can't say that I blame her! Meat baby food is just nasty (I've never tasted it, but the smell is enough to make a person gag!), and green beans and peas are not too far behind. With her newfound freedom, she has tried eating some things besides food as well - mud, manure and small pieces of wood. Not that I TRY to let her eat these, she is just too fast and finds EVERY little spec on the floor! Thanks to this love of food, Lucy is growing like a weed! She now weighs 18 lbs, and has grown out of ALL of her clothes.
I am probably a little prejeduce, but I LOVE Lucy's eyes! They have stayed blue, and her lashes have grown thick, dark and long. Also, they are so expressive - even if she has her binki in, you can tell when she is smiling. Other than her beautiful smile face, she has some other cute faces too. When she gets really excited or worked up about something she makes a big 'O' face and makes the cutest little grunting noise in her throat. And when she wants to, she can make a cute little crusty face. Usually this happens when her Grandpa Grover is paying more attention to her cousin Aspen than to her. These two cute girls usually get along really well, until Grandpa walks in, and then the competition is on! It is really amazing that kids this young can be so competitive for the attention of someone. Lucy also does this cute little chuckle that seems to come from her throat - I haven't figured out how to mimick it, but it is SUPER cute!

Here are a few cute "Lucy" faces:

Lucy is a super good baby, and is happy most of the time. She is such a joy to have around!

Thanks so much to Candice and Suzie and ALL of my family for taking such good care of my kids while I am at work! It is so nice to know they are in good hands. I can't thank you enough!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was kind of a scrooge this year, and didn't plan on doing much for Valentine's Day. I got Stetson some Valentines to take to his friends at school, but that was about it. I probably would have forgotten all about it, except that Kenny's dad brought Lucy and I some beautiful flowers Sunday evening. I have to say this is probably one of my favorite things about being in the Black family. There has not been a Valentine's Day since I have been married that I didn't receive flowers from my father-in-law. Even when he was in Africa, he remembered to have flowers delivered to all his daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters. I hadn't even thought that Lucy would get some this year. Thanks so much dad! The flowers are beautiful, but they mean so much more than that! We love you!

Then Kenny stepped up to the plate and cooked a SUPER yummy dinner for us on Valentine's Day - Steak & Shrimp. He did such a great job, I think HE should take over being the mommy for awhile.

Since Valentine's Day is the holiday of LOVE, I would just like to take this opportunity to send my LOVE out to ALL my wonderful family - you guys are the BEST!!!

I'm the Mommy

It was Sunday morning, and I was getting ready. I had my jewlery out, trying to decide what to wear, when Stetson came to "check" on me. He picked up my long black bead necklace and put it on. Then he said, "okay, I'm the mom". I thought that was pretty cute, so I decided to play along. "Oh good, this mommy needed a little break," I said. "Since you are the mom now, can you make breakfast?" "Sure", he said, strutting away like he was the COOLEST mom in the world. A few minutes later he said, "Dad, breakfast is ready." Of course Kenny thought he was talking to him, so he went into the kitchen. I could hear Stetson say, "you aren't the dad, mommy is." Laughing, I said, "so what's for breakfast, mom?" He came and got me and took me into the kitchen; there was a gallon of milk and a block of cheese on the table. By this time Kenny and I were both just rolling, but Stetson remained very serious. "Here you go," he said, and then left the room (I guess moms aren't supposed to eat).

Looking back on it, I realize that Stetson would probably eat cheese and milk for every meal and be perfectly happy. Oh that we could simplify our lives like little children. I am so thankful for all the things my kids teach me!

Welcome Home!

On February 3, 2011 the Grover family headed up to Salt Lake City to welcome home a missionary we had not seen for two years. All the kids were so excited to see Elder Grover again. Stetson got a little nervous with all those people around, but that was okay because he stuck close to mom and didn't get lost.Lucy was her happy self, waiting to meet J.J. for the first time. I think Kenny was more excited that anyone, he was really looking forward to having J.J. help him on the ranch!It seemed like we waited FOREVER after his plane landed for him to come down those stairs. But once we finally saw him, it was definately worth the wait! J.J. has been in Guatemala, and has fought with parasites and other strange diseases, so he was a little skinny - but other than that, I think he looks GREAT!I love this picture because it shows just how much J.J.'s nephews look up to him. Thanks for being such an awesome example Elder Grover! I'm sad this picture turned out fuzzy, but I wanted to include it anyway. It was definately a tearful moment when father and son reunited. And I think this is the happiest mom in the world! I've come to realize more and more what a sacrifice it is for moms to send their boys out into the world, but so worth it when they return with honor!These two boys grew up next door to each other, went to school and scouts together, and played on the same sports teams. Elder Josh Lyman spent two years in France and Elder J.J. Grover spent two years in Guatemala. How cool that they would arrive at the Salt Lake City airport, just four minutes apart from each other! It was great to see these friends reunite!We love you J.J.! Welcome home!