Lucy Archives - Page 33 of 59

In the meantime

November 6, 2008/2 Comments/in Family, Fun, Lucy, World /by Megan

It feels so strange to be writing something for this site, knowing I now have a new president. Throughout the last few months, I was told by many people, those who agree and disagree with me, to not take the whole political process so personally. To not let it affect my daily life. To know that all I can do is vote and then move on, and whoever wins, wins.

After Tuesday, I couldn’t disagree with that more. This process was very personal to me. Deciding who will lead my country in to the future is an important decision. Choosing the person who will pave the way for my daughter’s generation…yup, that’s personal to me. Realizing that the first president she’ll remember is Barack Obama…so very personal.

So to all of you who read this site the last few weeks (months) and had to deal with my political rants, I commend you. I can’t apologize for it, because I am surely not sorry. It’s not the first time I’ve disagreed with readers and it won’t be the last. Just know I have the utmost respect for anyone who participated in the electoral process. Everyone who wrote about a candidate, knocked on doors, made phone calls, donated funds, voted, attended rallies and put a sign in their yard. No matter whose side you were on, now is the time for all of us to come together as Americans and forge a new future for our kids, nieces, nephews and selves.

OK, I’m done for a while, I promise.

Want to see something fun!? Me too. Throughout all of this election madness, I completely forgot to write about Halloween! This year Lu decided to be a Carebear, as she is a bit obsessed with them, despite the fact that they creep me out. She was the one with the rainbow on it’s tummy, and I spent half the night explaining to people that I had no idea which bear she was, I just know she’s the one with the rainbow on her tummy. (OK, I just looked it up, apparently she’s Cheer Bear. Thank God for wikipedia.)

We went to my sister’s house, as I figured Lucy would do better trick or treating if she was with her cousins. My niece, Sloan, has complete control over Lu, as Lu idolizes her, so it worked out well. Sloan was a zombie cheerleader, which made me happy because I could tell my sister didn’t love it. It cracks me up when kids start disagreeing with parents, although I’m sure that will come back and bite me in the ass in a couple of years.

I dressed up as Darth Vader, as the mask was $4.99 and I was “required” to wear a costume to work. Turns out my nephews where two characters from Star Wars as well, we made quite the group.

Here’s a video of part of the night. Trent noted while watching this that Lucy seems to have my sense of balance. True, but at least she’ll always know how to get back up.

Halloween 2008 from Megan on Vimeo.

And when she gets back up, she knows there’s a fun size package of M&M’s in it for her. Like mother, like daughter.

{And yes, I know my giant butt is what the video froze on as a starting icon. I blame Trent. And apologize to you.}

A Snippet

October 27, 2008/0 Comments/in Blond, Lucy /by Megan

We’re driving down the highway after a long day spent cleaning out our old residence. It’s just Lu and I, myself covered in splotches of floor cleaner and smudges of dirt dotting my forehead. I can see Lucy in the rearview mirror, sucking her thumb and twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Her eyes are sleepy. She’s just come from her Aunt Mikayla and Uncle Heath’s house, where she napped through our cleaning marathon. In an attempt to get her into the car quickly, I just scooped her out of the make-shift bed and into her carseat, sans pants or shoes. The 30 minute drive to our new home is boring for her, I can tell.

I turn on the radio and start checking the dial for anything but a commerical for hair removal surgery (seriously, are people in Kansas City that hairy?). I turn to a mix station and hear a familiar beat. I crank up the volume and start bopping around in my seat. George Michael’s voice booms through the speakers, telling me that I gotta have faith. I peek in my rearview mirror and see Lu’s face light up. She starts bouncing around to the beat. We both are singing along.

“I gotta have faithafaithafaith-ahhhh!”

This is why I love my kid. She’s unequivocally the most awesome person in the world.

Try not to sing along, I double dare you.

In Limbo

October 14, 2008/1 Comment/in Happiness, Lucy, New House /by Megan

Last week, after I signed my life away to the bank funding my mortgage loan, we finally got ourselves together and started moving several carloads of crap from one side of town to the other. One of these days I will write a post describing this strange transition, how you can feel like you’re in a different country when in reality you’re only 40 minutes away. Not only are we changing addresses and zip codes, we’re changing states. We’re leaving our urban lifestyle for suburban bliss. On Sunday, Trent even mowed the lawn at the new house, which wouldn’t seem like a big deal except at the old house a guy named Rave brings his lawnmower to our house in his broken down van and charges $15 to mow our patch of a yard.

So right now we are living a life in limbo. Half of our stuff is at the new house, half at the old one. I pack my car up with junk everyday and take it to the new place over my lunch hour. Most of the non-essential living items have made their way to the suburbs. Things like photos in frames, books, albums, paintings and extra sheets. This past weekend Trent’s wonderful mom, step-dad and sister came up to Kansas City and helped us paint a few rooms. I now have an orange kitchen and a yellow bedroom, which makes my mother shudder, but makes me very happy. I can’t wait to start living there.

Most of the essential living items are still at the old cottage, preventing us from staying at the new place full-time. Beds, cribs, cookware, tables and giant server racks are still waiting patiently for this weekend, when we will stuff a U-Haul full and leave the cottage for good. This makes me a bit sad. I am excited to move, much more excited than I was a few weeks ago, but it is still hard to leave my old life behind. Our old house hardly looks like the place I love, as it’s covered in boxes and spots of white spackle dot the walls where art was once hung. It is bare and cold, but there are still whispers of my life there. I can still remember pacing the creaky floor, holding infant Lu close to my chest, praying that she would sleep. I remember decorating my first room, our bedroom, while Trent was away on business and his horror when he realized I’d bought mosquito netting to cover our bed. I remember the morning I awoke to flowers and a proposal. I remember birthday parties with friends, walking down to the Plaza and stumbling home in a drunken stupor. There is so much to recall, and so much to be thankful for.

Last night, after filling the car with another load of stuff (this time, toys from Lu’s room), Lucy and I sat our on our wonderful front porch, playing in her sandbox. Lately, she’s been very clingy to me, as her life has been turned upside down. Each day she asks me where that painting went or why her toys are gone or who broke her bookshelf. We try and explain that we’re taking all of these things to the new house, and she usually says okay and moves on. Yesterday, as we sat outside on a cool October night, like we have many times before…when I pregnant with her, when she was an infant, after she learned to walk and now, as a kid that seems smarter than myself on most days…she came up to me and whispered in my ear.

“Mama, you happy!”

Indeed.