Spooky Girls

A few weeks ago the mama group that I belong to had it's annual Trunk or Treat. It is so much fun! Our family has gone all 4 years that they have had it. Here we are this year. Piper's costume cracks me up! I got it last year at Target during their 90% off Halloween clearance. It is some sort of skeleton bat girl and she LOVES it! Violet of course is a purple witch which I also scored the same day. My costume as well as Ruby's are old, old, old!

Ruby and I won the Mommy and Me costume contest. It is b/c I have some really loud friends that cheered for us - ♥ them!

Here is the one dressed up as a bean who was camera shy. We will welcome this little one the end of May. Our family is so blessed and excited!

Read more...

WW - I want to remember

I was somehow blindsided that Piper was going to be in school. I knew it but when it came right down to her going I thought "Now, really. It's too soon." I am paying special attention these days to moments and funny things they do. How Piper and Violet still wear their headbands "Flashdance" style. How when I am able to finally get Ruby to sleep the older girls and I enjoy picnics in the living room. How they will still climb on my lap for hugs & kisses. I have blinked and my oldest went from a babe to Kindergartner. My middle is going to start preschool. How my heart is breaking watching these firsts and I can't imagine it will get any easier from here on out. These are the times I wish I were better at scrapbooking or even buying my youngest a baby book.

There is a special closeness that my girls and I have. I know that it isn't going to always be this way but oh how I wish it were. Matt says they are my army - have I mentioned that before? We have a chant "1-2-3 Lucas Girls!" Watching them do it makes me smile every time :)

More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and for the more chatty ones like myself there is Wordful Wednesday.


and also

Read more...

Try 1

Not sure if we got it or not but since it was a balmy 75 degrees today we tried for the ever elusive Christmas card picture. This year I actually dressed the girls in nicer clothes b/c Piper is all about the velvet and Violet is all about what Piper is all about :) Piper got a new skirt, Violet and Ruby get hand me downs. Ruby gets lots of hand me downs :)

While out we saw this crazy looking caterpillar. I have never seen anything like this just out and about in town before, generally you have to find woods but there was none to be seen at the college campus nearby.

We bribed the heck out of the older girls - we'll just have to wait and see what we got. Every year it seems that I am snapping a few weeks before Christmas and just once I wanted to be on the ball. Afterwards we fed them ice cream and headed to Lowe's. We got a dwarf blue spruce - Matt's we are on a planting spree and now it will be Christmas every day around here! Now I sooo want a bird bath so that we can watch the birds fly around from our front window.

I am off to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day with the family. It has been awhile since we got a Zoo girls shot so we got one today.

Read more...

Relay for Life 2009

May 29th was the night of Relay for Life - this year both girls participated. We chose some of their toys that they are not using and sold them on Craigslist and a local mama board that I belong to to raise some money to donate for the cause. Each girl walked about 1 lap and rode a lap. I made the mistake of only taking the single stroller rather than our double b/c Piper said she wanted to walk. Sure, until we actually got on the track and she had to walk then decided she wanted to ride. The scowl face is b/c she is angry with me for telling her that Violet was riding and not her. Love the pout :)

I commented to Megan, who joined us again this year, how moving it is to see all the supporters there that will spend the night walking. What also got me this year was the amount of YOUNG survivors and how many children and teens were there walking - so awesome! The girls got some suckers and then also got their faces painted - it was a really nice time :)

Although bad and you can't actually see my babe this might be the only picture of us that I get for some time.

and finally home again and happy!

Read more...

"I want to hold the baby"

Suddenly, both girls have taken an interest in Ruby. Actually I think that Piper has taken an interest in holding the baby so Violet wants to do the same. Again they both want what the other has but they are really gentle with her and it makes me happy to know that they like her. So often I hear of siblings not liking the new baby that comes into the house and not wanting anything to do with babe. I know that I have posted a lot lately about our girls being so naughty but they are very sweet just as often - 50/50 isn't bad for a 2 & 3 year old right?

Here is a picture of the girls and I from yesterday (Pica decided she wanted in the shot too) - baby weight still hanging in there but I have hope. Yesterday I bought myself something, Shred. Check back in a month which is probably when I will get around to posting another picture - I am so slack. You aren't allowed to totally diet when breastfeeding but I would be happy with 5 less pounds of me in 30 days :) Wish me luck!

Read more...

The Girls of Summer

This morning Ruby went down for her few minutes of sleep and the girls and I decided to do our nails for the beginning of summer sandal season :) With a new babe around who has time for a professional pedicure? Sadly I only had about 35 minutes to paint all of our nails and post this picture - which could be why my polish looks so bad. Beautiful weekend in the Carolinas and we are already outside and enjoying every bit of it!

Read more...

Happy Easter 2009

What is more fun on Easter morning than to get up and hunt for baskets? How about eating chocolate before 7:30? Well, it is fun for a 2 & 3 year old but not so much for the parents who now have to say "No more candy" every 3 minutes or so afterwards :) Here are Piper and Violet with their stash. I took this picture before they knew that there was candy in those eggs - had they known maybe the smiles would have been bigger or perhaps Violet might have actually looked at me for more than a second :)

Yesterday I had Matt snap a photo of the girls and I. This would be the first one with Baby Ruby. YUCK!! You would think that after pushing out an 8 lb babe that I would have actually lost 8 lbs - ummm nope :(

Read more...

Done, Done, Done!

So many things are *hopefully* done this week.

I am not sure that I have ever been so ready to have a baby and so over being pregnant before. Today I am 38 weeks pregnant and know fully well that I may have to go another 2+ weeks before delivering but that does not change the fact that I wanted it to happen yesterday. No, not that yesterday was such a great day but I want it over, done with. I want to meet our new babe and our new life to start already. With Piper I had so much patience with my pregnancy and Violet came a few weeks early so she was a surprise - maybe that is where this is coming from b/c it happened early once so I am hoping/praying constantly that it will happen that way this time too. We have had some nice cool weather the past few weeks so I have had zero swelling and I feel pretty good still so that is a bonus.

Today I had an appointment and they said babes head was nice and low - that was it folks! The girls and I went to an outlet mall sort of near our home and walked it and then I had a spicy burrito for lunch, I will do every old wives tale (well except castor oil) until our bean makes it's appearance :) Tonight I will be enjoying sushi with the girls - I wonder if wasabi counts as "spicy" since the heat only lasts for a few seconds. Like I said I am hoping SOMETHING works!

Ok, enough preggo complaining. How about NC? 11 degrees Monday morning and 70+ Friday afternoon - got.to.love.this.state!! Is winter officially done - it would be nice.
Violet has been really funny about Frosty melting outside. She keeps us updated on his deterioration.

Here is what is left and the only reason that this is still here is b/c we don't get too much sun in the spot we made him.

This weekend is supposed to be equally beautiful so I am hoping for our yard to dry out and some fun activities with the kiddos out back. Maybe I can even get a walk out of my husband - he is sick of me being pregnant too, says I am mean. I AM NOT MEAN!! :)

Read more...

Rainy Saturday

We need the rain but with us being sick for such a long time we are going stir crazy around here today! I am hoping that we get to hook up later with some family who live south of us but for now it is puzzles, dress up, coloring, and crazy web cam pictures :)

Muwah Daddy!



Yes, it is noon and we are still in our pajamas :) The girls are going down for a nap though and like I said we have been playing dress up - don't judge us :)

Read more...

Just us girls

Back when I had Piper a friend of mine told me that the pictures that I was taking of her were really cute but I should hand the camera over and also be in front of it so that I could be in a few with Piper too. Thank you Julie, after 3 years, another daughter, and a new one coming next month I might actually try to start listening. Through a friend I found another mama's blog and she takes a picture of her and her kids every week, now I am not sure that I can keep up with that pace but I will try monthly at least. Here is our first :)

Read more...