Fun in the Sun!!

We FINALLY experienced some summer weather this past week, and Grace has been loving playing outside. I was a little surprised, however, when she came running in on the first sunny day wearing Jeff's gloves and proclaiming, "I'm ready to play in the snow, Mama!" Really, you can hardly blame her with the weather we've been having!

We set the sprinkler up to help her stay cool which is one of her very favorite things to do. There's just nothing quite like being a kid in the summer!

Three Months

I'm a couple days late, but here's our little guy (or not-so-little guy!!) three months and a couple days old. Boy, time flies! His latest skills include grabbing toys and putting them in his mouth, babbling all the time (he must get that from his big sister!), and breaking out of his miracle blanket swaddle. He continues to be an incredibly happy and content baby and he's got a smile that can light up a room!

Nighttime Mischief

It used to be that we would put Grace to bed for the night and not hear another peep at of her. (Nap time has always been another story!) However, recently, Grace has started playing in her room before going to sleep at night. It's usually short-lived and she goes to sleep without any trouble.



Last night as I was going to bed around 10:30, I noticed the light on in her bedroom. I opened her door to turn it off and make sure she was actually asleep, and this is what I saw:




How precious is she?!?

Charlie's New Friend

Charlie has made a new friend. His name is Mr. Octopus and he is a HUGE hit at our house. Even Gracie can't seem to put the guy down which is funny because all he really does is play the same 3 songs over and over. Charlie is just now starting to show interest in toys and it is so cute! He tries to get the octopus's feet into his mouth, and when he hands don't cooperate he stretches his neck as long as he can trying to get his mouth to the octopus. This toy is finally giving some motivation for Charlie to lift his head up while on his tummy. He usually just turns his head to one side and lays there content (as usual).

Conversations with Grace

Grace is very verbal. That is the nice way of saying she talks NON STOP. Do you remember the Volvo commercial with the little girl in the backseat who keeps talking and talking and talking? That is Grace. We were at the park the other day and another mom commented on Grace's vocabulary and how clearly she speaks. I told her that she gets A LOT of practice!


Actually, one of my favorite things to do with Grace is just sit and talk. It's quite amazing to me that she is able to have a real conversation, and she usually has something quite hilarious to say. (Plus it's nice to sit down for a few minutes!) Here are some of our favorite conversations that we've had recently.


Jeff had this conversation as he was putting Grace in bed.

Grace: I'd like the door open please Daddy.
Jeff: Are you going to be a big girl and stay in your bed?
Grace: Um...maybe close the door.


Last week we had tortilla soup for dinner. Grace filled her hands with beans and chicken and flung it up into the air making a mess of the walls and floor. I took her tray away and ...

Me: Uh-oh. You must be all done eating.
Grace: Me not done eating!
Me: We don't throw food.
Grace: Gracie no throw food. Gracie go like this! (She reenacted flinging her arms up into the air.) Gracie JUGGLING!!

I searched for something to eat for lunch today as Grace munched away on her mac 'n cheese. I finally made a decision...

Me: I think I'll have some eggs.

Grace: For a little protein?

Me: (Stunned at her nutritional knowledge! =0) How did you become the smartest 2 year old around?

Grace: Me go to Issaquah.

Sometimes it's all in her timing. The other night we put her to bed at her usual bedtime, around 7:30. At 8:45 she was still banging around and talking upstairs, so Jeff went up to see what was going on. (We usually avoid going back in because she tends to get upset, but it was getting really late!) When he opened to the door, he found Grace completely naked, a wet spot on the bed, and the entire floor covered in baby wipes. Grace had one thing to say with a huge grin on her face...

"Gracie all done sleeping, Daddy!"

Bakin' Away the Rainy Day Blues

I heard this month has been renamed Junuary and for good reason. This rain is driving me batty! New baby + insane gas prices + rainy weather = a mama with a serious case of cabin fever. We've been trying to get creative with ways to have fun inside, but after building forts, reading a gazillion books, playing with all the colors of play dough, "spelling" with magnetic letters, and dangling colorful objects in front of Charlie so long that his eyes look like they're going to pop out of his head, there is only one thing left to do...bake!



Yesterday we made banana bread. Grace is especially good at mashing up the bananas. Today we made cinnamon rolls. From scratch. (Just call me Martha!) Actually, Jeff has requested cinnamon rolls for his Father's Day breakfast, and since we have a very busy day on Saturday, I decided to try making them ahead of time and freezing them before the dough rises the second time. I'm not sure if it's going to work or not, but at least he'll know we tried! As always, Grace was very helpful!



I sure hope the sun comes out soon so I can start walking off all this baking! (The totally ironic part of all this is that AS I WAS TYPING this, the FedEx guy delivered my new BREAD MACHINE! I guess I should have waited to make that dough...oh well! Hmmmm...I wonder what we can bake in it tomorrow?)

Charlie, Mr. Always Content, doesn't seem to mind all the rain. He's just so stinking cute!!

Spaghetti

Gracie reminded me of one of my favorite poems from childhood tonight...

Spaghetti
Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place,
Up to my elbows—up to my face,
Over the carpet and under the chairs,
Into the hammock and wound round the stairs,
Filling the bathtub and covering the desk,
Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.

-Shel Silverstein

For Nana Bea and Grandpa Oral

On Mondays, my cousin Cary helps my grandparents check our blogs, so I usually try to put up some new pictures for them to see. We don't get to see them nearly as much as we'd like, so I'm very thankful for this easy way to share a little of what's happening in our lives with them. Even though she hasn't seen them in several months, Gracie asks about them often and almost always includes them in her prayers. We're looking forward to visiting them this summer and introducing them to their newest great-grandson!

So, here you go Nana Bea and Grandpa Oral!

Megan is no longer Megan in our family. We all call her by the name given to her by Grace, Momo. Here is Momo just a few days after her oral surgery with Charlie. Can't you just tell how much her mouth hurts?!?

In true Charlie fashion, our little guy drifted off to sleep while Jeff read the newspaper. That kid can sleep anywhere!

My mom used to put my hair in these same "Princess Leah Buns". Do all little girls where their hair this way, or is it just my family?