Sam has been out of town all week, and it took about everything in Lucy’s power to stay up for him to get home tonight. Of course his plane would be delayed over an hour too. As soon as he came in the door, it was not long before Lucy was out!  

 

We finally were going to meet up with Brandi and baby Maedreigh today at the duck pond. What started off as a beautiful cool morning… 

 …brought THIS right as we drove up! Really?! This was the first outdoor activity we have planned in a long time. Rain hasn’t even been in our forecast for a LONG time. I was SO bummed. Lucy had fallen sound asleep in the van on the way to the park, so I decided I would just wait to see what would happen with the rain, and let her sleep in the van in the process. 

 The rain did stop after about 30 minutes. Lucy and I got out and decided to check things out. I love Bethany Lakes! It is really a great little park, especially for walking with babies. Lu and I found a crazy group of geese, however, that she realized she did NOT like. Lucy had a major 4 month old overstimulation cry, so we tried to leave them alone. We had quite a parade going on for a while. 

 Brandi and Maedreigh were able to join us, which was so exciting. They are just FABULOUS! I see special times ahead with these two little girls. I can’t wait! Of course Brandi and I forgot to get pictures of the girls, but we are going to story time together on Wednesday, so we’ll make up for it then. It was probably best to not let the girls be eaten by the geese. 😜

Storytime sure wears Lucy out! She always sleeps so hard after we get home. Today, she fell asleep before we even got home, with her library book in her hand still. 😆 I think I am having dejavous of some other Hardy kid. 

 When Lucy woke up, she was ready to play. Her absolute favorite toy right now is this darn VTech carousel that her Aunt Emily gave to her. Lucy loves it so much, but it is really age inappropriate for her. It is made of hard plastic, and often falls in her face. Lucy tries to play with it, but often times gets very frustrated and starts yelling at it. I’ve tried to hide it to avoid such issues, but when she catches a glimpse of it, her arms and legs start swinging and she starts panting for it. If I walk away without letting her see it, she will start to cry. 

  

 I have a hard time saying no to a baby. 😉 The rest of the day got pretty crazy. Wednesday night is Church night, so we are usually in the car. At almost 5 months old, Piano Guys is STILL the peacemaker in the van if Lu has had enough driving. Tonight was one of those nights. I need to update her Piano Guys video. 
 

Lucy sure slept a LOT today! I had to wake her up early this morning so I could bring the boys to school. She was happy and wanted to play. 

    But when it came time for our walk, she fed the ducks, fish, and turtles, then fell sound asleep.

 She slept until 10:00, woke up and played for a little while more, then fell asleep around 11. This time she slept until 2:00! I fed her, went to pick up the boys, and then she was out again.

    Celebration Park closes their splash pad in a few days, so  we took one last trip. Lucy is finally strong enough to swing, so I tried her out in the infant swings. She loved it! I am hoping that since she had plenty of stimulation at the park, her day of super naps will not affect her nighttime sleep.
 

Today was a bit of a crazy day. I had to help with the Parent Teacher Conference dinner that they were doing for all the teachers at Wylie High, so Lucy had to tag along with me most of the day, without much her time. She was such a good girl though. She even fell asleep when I brought everything to the school. That made things MUCH easier! 

When the kids got home from school, they were so patient with everything, I took them swimming as a special treat. Sam is out of town until Friday, so we could eat dinner early and head out. This will be our last visit to the neighborhood pool this season. Next summer, Lu will be able to get in with everyone. Those will be exciting times.

 
   
   

Sundays after church, Sam usually lets me take some time for myself while he helps with Lucy. I either finish some sort of project, grade Vet Science papers, or take a much anticipated nap. Lucy woke up several times last night, so I needed the nap today! She got her nap at church in the Mother’s Lounge. 😉 

 Lucy and Daddy clapped together, then came to get me when it was time for Lu to eat. She loved scratching my pillow. 😆 

   

Lucy does love to have the kids home on the weekend. Someone is always there to entertain her. Today, Nate wanted to play. 

    
 Naps are hard to come by on the weekends though. Too much activity makes Lucy not be able to fall asleep. She has to catch some shut eye when she can, which is usually after nursing with Mommy.

 

Well, maybe, yes we did. Tonight we rented Cinderella. Natalie has been dying for it to come to RedBox. It finally did, so we had a family movie night. We don’t put our babies in front of the TV, but tonight we did. No, we’re not bad parents. Just having a little bit of family time. Mom, dad, the kids, and the dog. Lucy was amazed. She just kept talking, and spitting,   to the TV. It was so funny. The other kids were cracking up.

   

Okay, I thought I was losing my mind, but Sam confirmed it. Lucy is beginning to clap. She does not quite have her hands fully open yet, but she definitely knows the word clap, what it means, and how to do it. I was holding her at Mrs. Jamie’s house and told Lu to clap. ( knowing full and well that she couldn’t. Or so I thought.) She looked intently at her hands and brought them together and open over and over again. I just thought it was a fluke. When Sam got home from work, I told him about it, and he said that he thought she was clapping last night too, he just forgot to tell me. She is really amazing to me. Just a little lady, revving to jump into the world and let nothing stop her.

Very carefully! Lu and I went for a walk this morning. This was the first time to go feed the ducks in our new neighborhood. Lucy loves being outside, and loved the ducks (and geese). They get really close when they realize you have bread though. I didn’t want them to bite Lucy while I was trying to get their picture, so I had to be quick. 

 Lucy didn’t want to miss a thing, so she forced herself to stay awake the entire time we were out. But as soon as we made it in the house… 

 …she was out! Our day was so busy, that she fell asleep on Daddy the second he took her from me too. 😆