Indiana Initiation at the Indy Speedway

We couldn't come to Indiana without visiting the Speedway - in the Hall of Fame they have each car that won each years' Indy 500 race for the past 101 years - AWESOME! 

With a combined age of 3 - these girls are ready to take on the races.

"It's my favorite!" The Pink Zinger - Winner of the 1955 Indy 500

Yea Cummins Diesels!

 No Lily - absolutely no being a Speedway girl. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

And she's off!

And she wins! 

Waiting to graciously receive Lucy's trophy at the Winners Circle

On the starting line!

At The Creation Cafe post speedway

St. Louis

We made a small detour on our way home to stop by St. Louis, Missouri so my mom could visit the gravesites of some of her ancestors. However, we also wanted to see some of the sites - and a fabulous, free zoo is always at the top of our list. 

As awesome as this zoo is, the temperature of the day was 103. So we stuck to the inside exhibits, and I was forced to step inside a Slyerine house common room. 

This made me insanely nervous - glass or no glass. 

The girl's favorite exhibit of the entire zoo. A boy painting. I think we're going to have problems when these girls get into high school.

The Allen family. I knew my mom had family members from St. Louis but I don't know why Rick didn't mention his relatives. 

A 20 minute ride on a choo choo train. Lily was in heaven, and even Lucy sat relatively still. Please note the word, "relatively".

Jordan still was able to tell Lily their nightly stories of "Lilo and Luco" - their parents names are Jordash and Tabatina - and they all live in a castle and each night Jordan tells her one of their amazing family adventures. Lucy seized the moment to play with her sister's new magnetic Cinderella book. 

No trip to St. Louis would be complete without stopping by the famous "St. Louis Arch" the gateway to the west. 

Some kids walk like drunken pirates. Lucy walks like a T-rex.

Last month Lucy started walking - and this month she's moved onto break dancing. Busta move. 

Nauvoo

Outside Carthage Jail. Let's just say this experience was painful, and not just because of the memories of what happened to these amazing men. A mobile, dramatic, tired-from-the-long-drive 12 month old is NOT recommended for a 40 minute reverent(aka, no noise allowed) and sacred experience. 

The girls did a little better at the grave sites of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma - and I was able to feel a little more of the sacred feeling that resides in this little town.

My parents, Mom and Rick watched the girls for me one morning while I did a session at the temple - and as wonderful as the the trip was, this was by far the highlight - as evidenced by an excess of pictures by the temple. I felt within the temple a strong and peaceful spirit that I will forever remember. 

My mom bought them darling matching pioneer bonnets. Aren't grandma's great?

Lily loves hearing about the story of the 2 brothers, Joseph and Hyrum. When I put her down for naps, I tell her a little bit of the story - she loves hearing particularly how they are similar to her and Lucy.

Fair Oaks Farm

My mom and Rick came to visit us here in Corn Land - and we decided to leave Jordan home to work long hours while we went on a road trip. Along the way we found Fair Oaks Farm.

33,000 cows. That is what one will find at Fair Oaks Farm. Along with gallons of interesting cow facts.

We went on a bus tour of just part of the farm - the bus to protect us from the smell. Something I learned was that the farm puts a specific culture of bacteria into the manure which releases enough energy to supply the entire farm. 

One of the most special parts of the farm tour was the birthing center. The farm averages 80 calves being born each day - and a few lucky cows get to give birth with an audience of spectators. The crowd was asked to show respect by maintaining the silence.

Of course Lily's favorite parts of the farm were the non-farm activities. Such as this choo-choo train. She rode it at least 1,439 times. 

Another great part of the farm was the cheese. They handed out samples of 5 year old extra sharp Cheddar cheese - and Lily loved it! She also loved the gouda, smoked sweet swiss, havarti, ect. My family would live in a cheese house if we could. 

1 year!

Being a model is tough work. 

Oh dear. Lucy has learned to open the front door and escape on her own. I discovered that the bolt won't do any good, as it automatically unbolts itself as soon as someone open the door from the inside. 

Climbing + emptying the dishwasher = favorite game.

Fill 'er up Dad!

Lucy's 1 year old Stats

Height: 28 inches - 17th percentile

Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz. - 18th percentile

Head??? They measured it but didn't tell me what it was.

Teeth: 10 - I didn't even know until her doctors appointment that she has recent gotten 2 molars! I stopped checking for new teeth when she started chomping down on my fingers with her 8 other razor sharp teeth.

Shoe Size: 2 1/2

Clothing: 9-12 months

Most people look at Lucy and say, "Wow, she's a big baby!", but I think it's just her darling chubby cheeks that make her look so big. 

She says 3 words: Mama (used frequently), Dada and Hi! She mimics a lot, but I don't think she actually knows what she's saying at those points.

She doesn't crawl any more, even though she still falls down a lot when walking, she just stands back up and keeps going. 

She's fearless- thus why we call her Lucy the Lionhearted. Example, Lily has been afraid of the vacuum since she was 9 months old, and still prefers to be in a room other than the vacuum. Lucy on the other hand, chases after the vacuum. 

She has two power options. On and Off. She will go, go, go, even if it's 3 hours past bedtime, until I put in her crib (and only her crib) - and then she puts herself to sleep in 30 seconds or less. This makes church super fun.

Lucy is active and independent. She refuses to sit in her high chair for anything other than macaroni and cheese. She also acts like I'm poisoning her if I try to spoon feed her anything other than yogurt. I hate buying the fruit/veggie squishies, but it's the only way I can get her to eat fruits and veggies other than bananas (the only raw fruit I can get her to eat. Honestly, who doesn't like Strawberries?)

Both of my poor girls are tired of having their pictures taken. When they see the camera Lucy simply continues what she's doing and without looking at me, simply wags her tongue (what I do to get her to look and smile at the camera) and Lily, also continuing with what she's doing, shouts out, "Cheese! Cupcake!" 

Climbing everything (she got the Elliss Gene) and Peek-A-Boo make her happy. 

Her little face lights up like it's Christmas everyday when her Daddy comes home!

She is a little flirt. She will walk up to and smile at everyone and even hold her arms out to random people - but as soon as she's in their arms, escaping is her only concern.

Lucy throws a tantrum with the best of them - collapsing to the floor, arching her back and wailing if I simply take black inked pen out of her hands. She is a girl who knows what she wants. 

Lucy is a fun, darling girl who is loved and adored by her family and will certainly be a mover and a shaker. It is so fun to watch her little personality emerge!