Good Friends

I am a little behind posting this, but Grace and I had such a fun time last weekend. We traveled to meet Cliff, Chandra and Boo. I feel like I have known Cliff and Chandra forever and it was great to meet them in person and to see Boo who I have followed for so long. Also there were our very dear friends Susan and Petunia who I feel like I have known forever.

We meet up in Susan's room at our hotel. Petunia and Boo were so sweet and shared their toys with Grace. We had the best time. We visited, ate lunch and went to a nearby farm. The girls had fun watching the horses and the ducks. I barely got any pics because I couldn't let go of Grace. She was determined to get in the water and see the ducks closer. I have no doubt that if I had let go we would have been fishing her out of the pond.

Grace is such an inquisitive (a nice word for nosy) child. My family keeps telling me I am paying for my raising because I was the same way. The hotel room was such a playground for her. New stuff to explore. She loved hiding in the closet (she is not at all afraid of the dark) and got so upset when I didn't look for her. She also had big fun cleaning the room. That's what I said - cleaning the room. My mother has passed on her OCD onto Grace. My mother is a clean freak, she sees a little spot on the floor and has to wipe it up immediately. Grace has seen this so much she imitates Nanny. In the hotel room she occupied herself by taking a washcloth and scrubbing the windows, sofa, etc. I have some great video of her cleaning frenzy that I spontaneously took on my cell phone. I just have to figure out how to edit it. I kept turning the phone and some of it is sideways. It is hilarious though.

When we woke up Sunday morning Grace was immediately ready to go downstairs for breakfast. I was juggling Grace, coffee, etc. and was trying to get juice. Sitting a couple of feet from us there was this nice older couple we had met the day before. Grace walked up and began talking to them. I glanced away for a second and I heard her ask the man to pick her up. I then turned around she was in the man's lap eating eggs! That scared me to death, that happened so fast and I was practically standing beside them. I am so glad she is friendly, but Grace is too friendly. She likes to say hi to people and talk to them, but she has never asked someone to pick her up before. Scary moment aside, it was a fantastic weekend. I hope we can do it again soon. I did manage to get a couple of photos while holding onto Grace...

Gracie and Petunia playing at the hotel. Petunia is such a little petite thing, Grace towered over her.


Grace and Boo admiring the horses. Grace found a spot where one side of the bottom bar was down. Fortunately I caught her just as she was going in.


Boo is just as sweet as she looks. She has the sweetest smile and those cheeks are just as awesome in person.


Petunia and her Mommy admiring the ducks.

Is this a sweet baby or what?

My nephew Brody is getting so big. He started out as just a little thing, less than 7 lbs. Now he is 2 1/2 months old and weighs in at 11 lbs. Before he was born I was worried about how Grace would react to her new cousin. She had been THE one and now she would have to share with another little one. I continue to be amazed at her response to Brody. She is so interested in him and not at all jealous. She likes paying attention to him. She will point out his eyes, ears, hair, etc. and name each part like she is teaching him. It is so precious. She sings Rockabye Baby and is just very gentle. The gentleness was a definite surprise, thankfully she treats him much better than she does her dolls. For now at least.



I told Grace she needed to show Brody how to go to sleep. Lately she has been doing this fake snore when she is feigning sleep, so she did a great job at demonstrating for Brody.

How sweet is this?

Hello It's Me

I cannot believe that it has been so long since my last post. I don't even have a good excuse, just laziness I guess. The weather has been so cold and I find myself missing the 100 degree days of summer. The recent ice storm barely missed us. The area 30 miles north of here was devastated and many are still without power. You run into these poor folks at restaurants and in stores and my heart just goes out to them.

After all the frigid temps it was nice to get a couple of pretty days last week. We made it outside and it amazed me how much Grace has changed since summer. Not just in size (now at 28 lbs and 35 1/2 inches) but in maturity. Before she looked for you to entertain her outside. Push my swing, come here, etc. Now she explores and does her own thing.

Look at my little daredevil. I shouldn't be surprised she ran straight to the ladder and climbed to the upper level.




She could make it up to where the bump in the slide and that was it, but she kept trying.


She was fascinated by the grass growing through the spaces between boards.


This is the beloved Nanook.


Grace is growing up so fast. She has always loved music and is on a Justin Timberlake kick again. She likes to dance with his dvd. She spots him on magazines, advertisements, you name it. I really need to find a G rated dvd so I can quit having to fast forward the dvr. I think this little quirk comes from her love of music. She is always singing, playing a toy instrument or listening to music.


This is a bad picture but she was so into her dance.