This is 15!

 This morning my baby turned 15!  She celebrated by having some friends over last night and having her sister surprise her by coming home from college!  It was a great night, full of laughs, smiles and lots of hugs.  

 Lucy still loves to spend her time in the kitchen.  She bakes, she cooks, and now she even does a little more cleaning.  When I can't be home on time, or if she is feeling inspired she cooks dinner for the family, which we always enjoy.  

Lately you can find her spending time in her newly designed and remodeled bedroom.  We figured it was time since nothing had really been done to it since we moved here 12 years ago.  She made it all her own and her kitties love nothing more than snuggling her on her cozy bed, with so many pillows!  

Lucy is excelling at school. She is always on top of her school work and she loves most of her teachers, and seeing her friends at school.  We can't wait to hear her voice shine during her choir concerts again this year!

We wish you the best year yet, full of lots of driving practice, Instagram minutes, freshly baked goods, laughs with your friends and all the love and support we can offer. We love you Goosey!  

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an adult!

 18 years ago I became a mom for the first time. The labor and delivery was not fun, but everything here after has been amazing.  Izzy became the light of our lives and so many others.  She was sweet, kind, creative, cuddly and bright.  She has continued to be all of those things and more.  You can still find her spending her days cuddled up in her bedroom reading a book, unless she is hanging out with friends which has become one of her favorite things to do!  She is starting her senior year of tennis with Reese and loving every minute of it. She and her friends ventured out on their own this spring break and explored San Francisco.  I was a little worried, but not about her and her choices, just about the big scary world around her.  They did amazing, and had a great time.  She is definitely ready to explore her independence and is now tasked with making the difficult choice of where she is going to attend college.  We know that no matter where she chooses to go she is going to grow and learn and have new experiences, good and bad.  We are looking forward to this next chapter of her life, while also mourning the little girl that came with a vengeance 18 years ago.  WE love you so much Izzy and can't wait to see what comes next. Happy trip around the sun our little peanut! 

 

Lucy turns 14!

 Today is the day that my baby turns 14.  We spent last night recounting her birth story, and most of her remarks were to her sister about how her birth was easier and therefore she is clearly the favorite child. So, yeah, that's how that is going!  

Lucy is a kind, fun-loving, extrovert.  She enjoys spending time with her family, cousins and and friends.  She still loves the water, and a good baking/cooking show.  She is definitely still a "swiftie" you will find her belting out her best tunes while in the shower.  She loves to research new recipes and try them out for the family. Lots of changes came for Lucy this year. She left the farm middle school, and her dad, and ventured into the world of public school.  She is attending City, like her parents, and so far the reports are mixed.  She doesn't love sitting all day long, but she is doing well with her school work and is excelling in French.  She has also joined Choir, however, whenever we ask her to sing us something they are working on she says, "Not now Mom!"  

Lucy is definitely a sports fan.  She can give you all the stats and info on the sports of the week, but her favorites are tennis and basketball.  

14 years ago we welcomed the 4th person into our family, and it completed our unit.  We love having Goosey around to help us remember to be humble, make us some delicious concoction, update us on the latest stats, and give us some of the best hugs around.  We love you Goosey!  Happy trip around the sun!  

17!

 Tomorrow Izzy turns 17. She continues to amaze us with her dedication and hard-work.  She is driven to succeed and always wants to do and be her best.  She is busying herself with tennis, book club, college visits, reading, homework, SAT prep, watching NCIS with her sister, learning to knit, listening to music, and hanging with friends.  Izzy is still a vegetarian and a picky eater, however this year she has been more willing to try some new things, broccoli, and came to like/tolerate them.  She still enjoys her alone time, but she loves to spend a night playing games with her family as well.  She is juggling a lot right now and is learning the art of the balance game.  She is our puzzle finisher, our family taxi cab, storyteller, and willing helper.  She is patiently waiting for her dad to complete the basement so that she can spend her senior year in the basement with a new, giant bookshelf. While some might describe Izzy as shy, we see her as a witty, brainy, old soul.  We love you Izzy and hope that this trip around the sun provides you with many things that you love, and great opportunities for growth, fun and excitement.  

Teenager Status

 Lucy will be bridging into the new world of teenager.  She is ready to rock it!  With a new found love of watching sports with her dad, (while yelling "What the Sigma?")
she and her sister have also been playing some tennis with him and he couldn't be happier to share one of his favorite sports.  Lucy is happiest when she is surrounded by people.  She loves to hang with her cousins on both sides of the family and enjoys spending her days at school with two of her cousins.  She is a "Swiftie"!  You might find her in her room listening to a Taylor Swift album on her new record player while snuggling with one or both of the cats.  Like Taylor, she is definitely a cat lover and spends her lazy mornings snuggling with Jude and having him "nurse" on her ear.  She enjoys to spend lazy weekend mornings watching reality TV or the latest TV drama.  She continues to be a leader at school, and is very motivated to do well and complete all her school work in a timely manner.  She can tell you everything you know about the Celtics as she eagerly awaits the 24-25 basketball season.  Lucy is a lover and loves to make us all laugh and loves playing games and snuggling on the couch with her mom.  Even though she is turning 13 this year, she still loves to have her dad serenade her to sleep while singing Boom-Di-A-Da.  I love this little routine of theirs.  

This year will come with some change, as she will need to make the big decision about where she will go to high school next year.  We know that wherever she goes, she will surround herself with friends and fun.  We love you so much Goosey and we can't wait to see what this year brings for you.  Thanks for brightening our days with your silliness.  Happy trip around the sun Goose! 

Sweet 16!

 16 years ago I was waiting for my first baby to arrive, and tomorrow I will watch as she drives herself to school in her own car.  It is hard to fathom that 16 years have passed, and that we have watched that baby grow up into an awesome, young woman.  

Izzy has spent her 16th year of life working hard, and studying hard.  She continues to be a great student who cares about her grades and  is always interested in learning new things.  She has been babysitting to earn money so that she can embark upon another trip to Europe with school.  She has embraced our new kitties and has a love for them that I never saw with our last cats.  She has created the perfect reading nest under her loft bed, and already has plans for her new bedroom in the basement, when it gets completed.  She has recently picked up tennis and is playing JV with her good friend.  After her first match she told me, "We weren't the worst losers."  I am so proud of her for trying something new and dedicating herself to getting better at something that interests and engages her mind, and body.  

Izzy continues to be a voracious reader; frequenting the library a couple times a week to pick up and return books.  She hopes to someday work for the library.  She finds bookstores and libraries to be her happy places.  On a recent trip to Philly we were able to visit both, and she was ecstatic.  

Izzy is thoughtful and kind, she is most comfortable around little kids and adults.  She is fiercely independent and is still a vegetarian, and a picky one at that!  This year will bring her a new sense of independence and she tells me that she is most excited about driving so that she doesn't have to inconvenience her dad and me!  

We once again celebrate this birthday with bittersweet memories of the baby that she was and wishes for the young lady that she is becoming.  Happy Birthday peanut!  We love you and hope that you have the best year yet, full of mango, books, safe car rides, first big concerts (Hozier), adventuring in Europe, ice cream, kitty snuggles, good music, and lots of new experiences.  

Her Golden Birthday!

 My baby is turning 12!  Lucy is full of life, excitement and a bit of sass.  She is ALWAYS up for a good time and ready to be an extrovert.  This year she turns 12 while attending a "new" school.  She has joined the adolescent program at the farm where Marcus teaches.  They spend their days together, which for now, seems to be working out great.  She passed her swimming test (3 minutes of treading water, followed by 2 minutes of treading with hands out of the water) She is assimilating into her new surroundings and tackling homework like a champ for the first time in her school life.  

She, Izzy and myself have been binge watching Gilmore girls this summer.  Lucy loves to watch shows about relationships and adult topics.  She is already asking what the next show is that we can watch together.  She recently learned how to play Euchre, while she was up north with her friend Leighton, and her family.  She loves playing games and will play just about anything with anyone at any time.  She is not super competitive and just enjoys playing to play.  

We recently welcomed two new kittens into our family and she is loving playing with them and snuggling them, while also being fiercely protective of Max and the attention that she gives him.  She still continues to love animals and learning about them.  Now she gets to spend her days with the goats at the farm

Lucy has become quite a sports fan and enjoys talking to her dad, Papa, Auntie Marla and Uncle Jake about sports.  She is eagerly awaiting the Celtics upcoming season, and in the meantime she is watching tennis every chance she gets.  She and Izzy are also recently interested in learning how to play tennis. Marcus has been taking them out and running them through some drills.  

She continues to enjoy the water and had many chances to swim in the pool, and in the lake over the summer. She enjoyed time with both sets of cousins and thrived during our "cottage" weeks with family. She is a girl who loves to be busy and loves to be creative. She is still interested in baking/cooking.  I often find a text message from her that includes a new recipe that she wants to try.  She will offer to take over dinner prep for me when she sees that I am busy, and I love her for that.  She is kind, considerate, and loving.  We can't wait to see what new experiences and adventures she encounters during this trip around the sun.  We love you Goosey!