America The Beautiful

What a wonderful weekend our girl had!  Not only did she get to celebrate for the first time being an American citizen in this great country, but she had two very special guests come for a visit.   Cousin Lindsay was here visiting from Indianapolis, and then my friend Layne came in from NY for the 4th.  Lucy loved having her guests here!  Lindsay is so sweet to Lucy; it is such a joy to watch their relationship grow.  After having Lindsay here for 4 days, Lucy has definitely been in withdrawal this week with just boring old mom and dad.  Thanks to Lindsay for being so kind and attentive to our girl, and thanks to Layne for making the trip. 

There were many other firsts for Lucy….

She got to play in her small outdoor pool for the first time.  Unfortunately, she also experienced her first bee sting.  Being the active and curious child that she is, Lucy went over to our air conditioning unit to check things out.  She started banging it, as she often does when exploring something new.  It seems some bees had decided to start a hive right where she hit; they came swarming out and two landed on her face.  Poor girl was scared and hurting after the incident, but managed to rebound quickly.  Thankfully, no bee allergies here…

 Another first:  a trip to the zoo!   For those who have never been, I highly recommend the Cincinnati Zoo.  We got a family membership and will definitely be going back.  I think Lucy enjoyed the birds the most.  Mama’s favorite was the monkeys; how sweet to watch the instinctual need, even in animals, to want to protect your child.

 On the eve of the fourth, we sat out in our backyard and were able to see fireworks from all directions.   Lucy seemed to enjoy them and tried her hardest to say “fireworks.”   She is quite verbal, our girl…  On the actual 4^th of July, Lucy went to her first concert!   A local community (Blue Ash) always puts on a great celebration with a free concert.   Lucy got to experience Yes and Peter Frampton, both of whom put on great shows.   She loved the music and all the people (50,000!).  Dada took Lucy home before the fireworks display;  Lindsay, Layne and I stayed to enjoy this great celebration of our country’s independence.   How blessed I am to be an American.

Next Monday  (July 12^th) Lucy will experience another first (and hopefully last):  she is getting tubes in her ears.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.