Gracie's One Year Photos

So much has been going on lately and I haven't had time to post. Now to catch you up on things: Grace is walking now. She always looks so funny because her arms are always up in the air for balance. She only drinks a bottle about once a day. The rest of the time she uses a cup with a straw. Little uncoventional I know, but sippy cups always ended on the floor and she loves straws. She still loves feeding herself. That is how she wants to eat and she looks like a pig. Speaking of eating, Grace loves meat. It is her favorite thing to eat and turkey is her favorite. When she takes a bite of meat she immediately begin smacking like it is the best thing she has ever eaten. And did I ever write about her rug "thing"? She loves to feel of the back of a rug. She will lift up the rug and just rub the back of it and it doesn't matter where we happen to be at the time. Now on to the picutres.

She started out all serious.



But quickly loosened up and that expressive face of hers came out.



Isn't she beautiful?

A few photos...

My little climber loves the stairs.


I got Grace this little chair for her birthday and she hasn't really sat in it unless I sit her there. It was so funny. Yesterday we were in her room playing and she just plopped down and grabbed a book. Then she preceded to grab another in the attempt to pile them all in the floor!

Three Birthdays and a Wedding

In the last three weeks my immediate family has celebrated three birthdays and one wedding. Needless to say Grace has been the center of attention and getting a lot of extra loving. A little too much maybe.

Grace has always been such a good baby. That makes her "new personality" a bit of a surprise. She now thinks that she should get constant attention and everyone should be focused on her and hold her all the time. All the extra attention she has received has turned her into a diva.

Before if she woke during the night (for no apparent reason) she would talk to herself and fall back asleep. Now she immediately begins to yell at the top of her lungs. This isn't a cry - it is a demanding little yell. And she has staying power. She has to stop and rest peoriodically, but she can keep it going for a long, long time.

At first I was concerned there was something wrong. But if you move toward the bed she stops crying. Earlier this week she was in her playpen in her room yelling. When the sitter checked in on her, she was sitting there playing with a toy and yelling.

This must be preparation for those teenage years.


Grace with her cousins at one of her first birthday parties.


Grace with newlyweds Joel and Crystal


Kristan, who takes care of Grace while Mom is at work, celebrates a birthday.


Nanny celebrates a birthday!! We got very creative in our quest to have enough candles.


But in her mind...it's all about Gracie.

Happy Birthday Lucy Elise!!!!

One of my favorite girls is one year old today. Miss Lucy is growing up so fast. It is hard for me to believe that the girls are already one year old.

This was the first picture I saw of Lucy. Kelly and Justin had just gotten their referral and emailed me the photo. That evening I took this picture to church with me to show her off. At the time I was waiting for my referral and when I walked in with the picture everyone started screaming thinking she was mine! Little did I know that my Gracie was in the bed next to Lucy at that very moment.


Lucy was just the tiniest little thing when we met her in the orphanage. She was lost is the big red sweater she was wearing. When we left that day the girls were side by side in their beds.


The next day Lucy officially became Kelly & Justin's daughter. Here's Kelly and her daughter at the G&R. Lucy is once again dressed in a big sweater!


I am so thankful that I shared my trip to Vietnam with Lucy and her family. Here's a photo of Lucy, Kelly, Justin, Gracie and my sister Terri at our hotel in HCMC.


This is the last photo of Lucy and Grace together before we parted to travel home.
After being home for a couple of months we reunited in Nashville for a great visit.


Here's Lucy when we met up again in Nashville a couple of weeks ago.


Happy birthday Lucy! I can't wait to see you again. We love you.