Strange Places

Lately I've been finding things in very strange places. Take the sippy cup in Jeff's shoes for example...

And then there was Elmo in the pantry...

But this afternoon Jeff and I found our most surprising discovery of all. Our printer has not been working for many months. We tried to fix it, but the paper just wouldn't feed correctly. Today we really needed to print something, so Jeff finally just tried turning it over and shaking. What do you think fell out? One small goldfish cracker! Lo and behold, the printer works again!!

Life is always interesting with a toddler around! =)

Merry Christmas!

We've had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas over the past couple days. Instead of writing about it, we'll just let the pictures show off the fun we've had!

Gracie holding stocking #1 at Grammy and Bop's house.
(She hasn't really put Ernie and Bert down since she found them in her stocking!)

Uncle Ryan and Lindsay showing off their Christmas spirit!

Gracie looks groovy in her new sunglasses.

Stocking #2 on Christmas morning

She still enjoys the boxes as much as the toys!

Gracie showing off her new backpack.

Our twirling ballerina in her new tutu!
(Shortly after this picture she twirled right into that door behind her and gave herself a HUGE bruise on her forehead. OUCH!!)

Boppo always reads the Christmas story before we start opening gifts. It's a great way to remember the real reason we're celebrating!

Whoa! Stocking #3 is HEAVY!

Playing with cousin Jacob...they are so cute together!

Daddy and Grace read a book while she cuddles her new bitty baby and sock monkey (who also has a tutu!)

Mrs. Potato Head's accessories look good on Gracie too!
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Choo! Choo!

All month long Grace has been finding surprises in her advent calendar. Sometimes there is a piece to her nativity set, sometimes a yummy treat, but usually some sort of activity for the day. Today's activity was helping Jeff set up his train set. I'm not really sure who was looking forward to it the most. (Actually, I'm pretty sure it was Jeff!) Gracie had a great time helping him put the pieces together and quickly learned the difference between curvy and straight.
Gracie was a little scared once the trained started moving, but as long as Daddy was holding her, she liked pushing the button to make the train go "Choo! Choo!" I'm sure putting together Daddy's train will become a Christmas tradition that she looks forward to each year!

Pizza Party

Last night our good friends Joe and Jennifer and their girls Clara and Hannah came over for dinner. We made homemade pizza and the girls had a great time making their own. They both chose to have pineapple and olives on their pizza (yum! yum!) but ate the toppings as quickly as they put them on. I've never seen pineapple devoured so quickly! Gracie even took a huge handful of dough, cheese, and sauce and ate it. I think they actually ended up eating more of their pizza before it was baked than after! Clara amused us all by wearing our Christmas stockings as socks! The girls started out eating at Grace's little table, but quickly began enjoying the independence of not being strapped into a highchair and decided the floor was a much more comfortable place to eat!

Small Spaces

Gracie's favorite new activity is making forts. Well, that's what she calls them. They are actually more like nests. She finds or creates a small space then piles as many "treasures" in as she can. It can be any small space really...a basket in her closet, the area behind the couch cushions, her bed, under a table, even her highchair. She gets such delight and squeals every time she adds something new to her fort. At the end she climbs in and just sits. She doesn't really play with what she's brought in. She just likes to sit and enjoy her hard work.

All Dressed Up

Here's our cutie pie all dressed up to go visit Santa!

Round and Round

Yesterday Gracie's Grammy and Bop took us to ride the holiday carousel in Westlake Center. Neigh-neighs (aka horses) are Grace's very favorite thing, so we thought she would love riding one. We were wrong! She was a little frightened by the whole experience and ended up riding most of the time in Daddy's arms. She loves talking about it now though and calls it a "round and round" or "up and down".

Jeff just informed me that Gracie is upstairs fully clothed playing in the bathtub. And yes, the water is running! I guess I better go help. =)

Let it Snow!

We've been having a great time playing in the first snow of the season! We weren't quite prepared, so Gracie went out with a hat from last year that is too small, tennis shoes, and socks on her hands. She looked hilarious but had a great time!

This morning when we woke up it was still snowing, but now it's turned to rain. We hurried outside to have some playtime and Jeff made a snowman outside our family room window for Gracie to watch. Unfortunately, she has already had to learn about the life cycle of a snowman and isn't taking it too well.

Grace and Jeff with the finished snowman. We were also a little unprepared for this! Please note the celery nose and Hershey kiss eyes and mouth. =)

About 30 minutes later the snowman starts to lean....

Ten minutes later, the snowman tips over and the constant chorus of "Snowman? More Snowman" begins.

He led a short life, but he was loved! =)