I Love Mother's Day!!!

Mother's Day is a very, very big deal in our family. For my entire life we have gone to visit Mother's family on that day. My Memaw passed away a few years ago, but my Aunt Florence carries on the tradition. It is the one occasion when everyone does their best to be there and we always have lots of extra friends join us. We even visited with my cousin Paul and his family, who live in Brazil, via Skype.

My desire to be a mother was always magnified on this day. The year I was waiting for a referral was particularly melancholy. Now it is such an awesome thing to be there with my Mother and daughter. It was a great days as always.

Grace with her cousin Claire. We are so proud of Claire. She just lead her team to victory in the Arkansas high school softball championship. She is a freshman and a pitcher who was chosen MVP!!

Three mothers I admire so very much. My mother, my Aunt Florence and their cousin Eda Claire

Going Fishing

Well I figured I should be proactive about my blog...fish or cut bait. Don't you love those Southern euphemisms! I have been terrible about blogging lately and I am going to try very hard to do better. I have been keeping this blog for Grace since the wait for referral and it would be too sad to abandon it now. Therefore I am going to do better about documenting things in Grace's "online baby book." On to news on the climbing front.

Monday was simply awful. I walked in her room and she was kneeling on top of the chest of drawers. I know she had been there before, but I was not prepared for the sight of her in such a precarious position. I grabbed her swatted her on the diaper and put her in time out. I immediately put the chest in the bathroom. After I calmed down I realized that she had to LEARN not to climb and just removing things wasn't a solution. So I moved it back into the room.

Tuesday morning she was playing in her room, clanging pots and pans in her kitchen. When the noise ceases I go to investigate and find her sitting on her stove. She instantly knows she is in trouble for climbing. Now when I spank Grace it hurts me more than it does her...literally. About 90% of the time I miss her bottom and pop myself on the hand that is attempting to hold her still.

As I walked toward her she started to whine and shake. She looked afraid! It was all I could do not to burst into tears and stop dead in my tracks. Thankfully my sister had just had a long talk with me about being strong. I have to be firm and consistent because her safety depends on it. So I swatted her diaper and put her in time out. The rest of Tuesday and all of today went without incident! I know this is probably not the end of the climbing but I am very thankful for a good day! I am just going to try and be as consistent as I can and hopefully she will keep her feet on the ground. As far as the fearful look goes...my mother told me to just wait until we are in public shopping or something and she gives that fearful look!

I will try to do better about taking pictures too. I got a semi-hard case for my camera for my birthday and it makes it super easy to grab and go. I really love it.

This sad photo is the only picture I took today. Her legs look so long (she is 36 1/2 inches)! Her hair looks long too. I haven't cut it in a while, just shaped up a few times.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Today I turned 39 for the third time. Today I am feeling all 39 + 2 years. Grace has given me a series of near heart attacks this weekend. Her climbing has been out of control!

There are multiple contributing factors to this behavior. She has been sick for a week. First an ear infection that was treated by a HUGE shot of Rocephin. It literally took two nurses and me to hold her still on the table for the shot. Then she developed a snotty nose. I taught all week and when she feels bad she tends to whine for me, even when she is with Nanny. Thankfully her last molar came through a week earlier. That would have been too much. For the record- the perpetual drooler finally quite drooling when the last tooth broke through!

Another problem has been the continual rain! I feel like I need to get my ark ready. She hasn't been able to play outside and climb on the gym set in a very long time.

OK that's it for the excuses, back to recent events. Yesterday morning I am fixing Grace breakfast. She was busy looking at books in her room. I had been in the kitchen for just a few minutes and I hear my dad at the front door. I go to the door and he asks me if I know where Grace is and I said I thought she was in her room. He moves aside and there is Grace on the porch in her panties and t-shirt. I live behind my parents and Mother just happened to be looking out the window and saw Grace and Ellie leave the house. Daddy then ran to the rescue. Grace had climbed on a chair and opened up the one door I didn't think she could open.

The climbing has been horrific. She has spent so much time in time out. I have spanked her (controversial I know, however at our house dangerous activity constitutes a spanking), nothing has deterred her from her activities. I have found her climbing her kitchen and climbing on top of the dresser. But I did not witness the worst transgression. There are two lanterns I bought in Hoi An hanging above her chest of drawers (see the picture for height). I found one of the lanterns in the floor. When I looked I could see where she climbed on top of the kitchen and crossed to the chest displacing the objects on top of it. I wanted to throw up when I saw this.

Maybe I should replace the hardwood with a bouncy floor like they have at gymnastics! I am praying for good weather so we can get outside this week!

She loves to take the sink out of the kitchen and climb in.

Is that check high or what? Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.

Pappy had a birthday recently and here are Grace and Pappy opening presents. She had a problem pottying with her dress, so she is wearing her nightgown.

A Fun Weekend

Friday started out a tough day for Grace. Just before lunch we were at my sister's house and when she reached out to pet one of her dogs he growled at her and jumped off of the couch. When he jumped he his head hit just below her right eye, leaving her with a swollen eye. It scared us all, I thought he had bitten her when it happened. Then just a little bit later I caught Grace standing on top of Ellie's crate (seems like a dog thing going on). I told her to get down and when she bent to get down she fell off the crate head first. I felt so terrible, like I caused that one. I should have just walked over and put her on the floor. Hindsight is 20/20.

Every spring businesses in my town sponsor a mini-carnival with free rides for all the kids. My sister and I made plans to take Grace after her nap on Friday. I was a little skeptical about taking her after the morning's excitement. Our track record for the day wasn't too good. I wanted to avoid a carnival mishap. However we went as planned and had a pretty good time. The carnival is mainly for school age kids, so she could only ride the carousel and the swings. She looks so sad in the photos. She most enjoyed the $20 in cheap blow up crap she won at the duck pond. You can't have too many plastic trumpets.


On Saturday we went to Reilly's house and had a great time. Reilly is such a sweetie and is just one of those kids you love being around. At one point during the day Grace asked my friend Karen to play some music. Karen asked her what kind of music she liked. She immediately said "rock and roll!" One of the highlights of her day was playing the piano.

I ♥ Faces Amateurs - Spring/Easter

I took this photo last spring right after I got my "big girl" camera. I love the light and shadows and how Grace is really soaking up the sun. Check out all the other talented people at I ♥ Faces.

Happy Easter!!

We had a wonderful Easter. It is always nice being with family. This morning's service was wonderful and it is always nice to see the church full. I wish it were like that every Sunday. We have a wonderful church family, everyone is so caring and I feel blessed to have them in my life. In addition to all the loot she got from "the Bunny" and family, she left church with three Easter baskets.

I have been so proud of Grace and her awareness of Christian holidays. I want her to enjoy Santa and the Easter Bunny without losing the reason for the celebration and joy. She ADORES Santa and still is singing Jingle Bells. She was Miss Christmas and is still celebrating even though it is April. In spite of her love of the bright lights and Santa she would always tell you that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.

I wanted her to enjoy all the candy and fun while still knowing that Easter is about Jesus. Since resurrection is a bit much for a 2 1/2 year old, we said that Easter is Jesus' special day. She would always tell you that when you asked her...until today. I wanted to show my sister how smart Grace was so I said "tell Aunt Terri whose special day is Easter." She shouted happily "THE BUNNY!!!"

Just like last Easter she loves that crazy duck with the bunny ears. Sadly it sound really sick and I doubt it will be around next year.


Don't they look so sweet in their blue outfits? He is sooooo white. I am so used to Grace's skin that he looks so pale.


Isn't he adorable in his little hat?

Fun with Friends

Today Karen and Reilly came to visit. Karen is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Her daughter Reilly is one year younger than Grace. Reilly is just the sweetest, friendliest little girl and was the perfect guest. Grace was less than perfect in the hostess department. She isn't used to sharing her room and toys with someone else and it was hard at first. Reilly would get a toy and Grace would grab for it immediately. She was much nicer when we went to Nanny's house. She shared like a big girl and even let Reilly ride Trigger.

Grace got tired of my multiple attempts to get the cute picture on the horse.

iHeartFaces - Green

I have enjoyed seeing all the photos that others have shared and I thought that I would share in the fun. This week's theme is green. This was taken last summer. I can't wait for summer. We have so much fun outside. Check out all the other great photos.

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Before Gracie

Life was much different before Grace. I was a completely different person that the mommy in me has trouble identifying with now. I don't know what I did with my time before I had Grace. I spent a lot of my time doing single people stuff with my single friends. I loved to paint. I traveled a lot. I loved my Minolta 35mm and I thought digital was a dirty word. I loved shooting and painting landscapes.

These days I spend a lot of time doing mommy stuff with Grace. Instead of oils I use finger paints. Travel is different, no more jumping on a plane with a carry on bag. Travel now involves many bags and is family focused as opposed to the self focused travel of the past. The Minolta is on a dusty shelf in the back of my closet. I now have the most vibrant, beautiful subject and I am leaving the landscapes to Monet.

I am now working on getting my negatives together and having them converted to digital images. This is a long overdue project. These photos were taken with my trusty Minolta and are from my last grown up trip to the south of France.


I stayed in Paris a couple of days before I took the train south. I am at a cab stand trying to get this shot as my cab drives up. I was practically lying on the sidewalk and the group of Japanese businessmen behind me got perturbed.

Mont Sainte Victoire - It was early morning and I was standing outside the kitchen of my apartment in my jammies.

Boating in Marseille

Marseille Harbor

Chateau d'If

Snow

It snowed this past weekend. This was Grace's first opportunity to get out and play in the snow. I was worn out by the time we dressed to go outside. It was really windy so Grace wore her kitty ski mask. It is great to protect her ears against those nasty ear infections. It wasn't so great when it slipped over her eyes and caused her to fall. Falling in the snow was the end of Grace's adventure. She did not like falling in the snow one bit. She much preferred going indoors and riding Trigger.

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.