The Dentist Chair

Grace had her first visit to the dentist this week. Although she's very determined to be a doctor one day, she is very afraid of actually visiting one. The last time we went for a check-up with her pediatrician, she screamed when they asked her stand on the scale and could only be coerced into letting the doctor check her out if she ate goldfish crackers while it happened. Since she couldn't really snack and have her teeth checked at the same time, I wasn't really sure how she'd react to the dentist.

When we first got there, Grace didn't want to sit in the dentist chair, so Charlie showed her how much fun it would be. Then she decided to try it out as long as I sat with her. We got to go on lots of "rides" as the dental assistant made the chair go up and down. Eventually she decided to sit in the chair alone and even let the dentist "count" her teeth. She was doing great until that crazy spinning toothbrush came out. Once she saw it, she was done. The dentist was great and didn't try to talk her into anything she didn't want to do. She left having a great experience and thinking that dentist visits were a lot of fun. I guess that's a good first step. Maybe next time we'll get those teeth cleaned. =)

Charlie checks out the chair

Grace feeling a little timid at first

The kids get to wear these groovy sunglasses to keep the bright light out of their eyes. I think I'll ask for a pair myself at my next check-up!

Wedding Day

We had such a fun time on Saturday being a part of Ryan and Lindsay's special day! Grace started her day out with a bath and a long session of sitting really still so that I could put the curlers in her hair. Here she is reading a book while she waited to go to the wedding. Once we got to the wedding, Grace immediately took off her sweatshirt and ran around in nothing but jeans and curlers...classy! Here are some shots of our time getting dressed.

The best idea of the day...bringing our portable DVD player. Grace's TV time is usually pretty limited, but in this situation, being able to put Dora on throughout the day was a lifesaver.

Once the kids were dressed, it was time for pictures! Lindsay looked absolutely stunning! (And, of course, Ryan looked very handsome as well!) Getting the kids to both cooperate for pictures was a challenge. Notice Charlie bum-scooting his way out of this shot. After pictures we had a lot of downtime waiting for the wedding to start. My sister, Megan, spent the day helping with the kids. (On second thought, that was the best idea of the day!) Jeff was busy with his Best Man duties, so having her there to help was invaluable!! Gracie spent some of this time practicing walking down the aisle and checking out where the ceremony would take place.
And, of course, there was lots of time for taking snapshots!

Finally the big moment arrived! I helped Charlie perform his ring bearer duties by carrying him down the aisle. Then it was Grace's turn. I have to be honest. Even up until the last second, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from her. Would she make it down the aisle? Would she cry and run away? But I'm telling you, this girl could be a professional! She walked slowly down the aisle, looking curiously at all the people who had filled the seats that had been empty just a little bit earlier. She dropped her petals in just the right spots, and then she found her way to me so that we could exit while everyone was distracted watching Lindsay come down the aisle. She was absolutely adorable.
Then it was onto the reception! Jeff gave a great toast and we all enjoyed a delicious meal. The kids were seated at a separate table from Jeff and I, so we actually got to eat. (Thanks Ryan and Lindsay!!)

If you ask Grace what her favorite part of the day was, she will tell you "dancing". She was the dancing queen! Even while everyone else finished their dinner, she was out twirling on the dance floor. I had to leave part way into the reception with Charlie who had missed his nap and was at the very end of his rope, but I hear as the reception progressed, she continued to dance, dance, dance. At one point, there was a circle of Jeff's relatives around her and she danced in the middle.

Too pooped to party!

It was such a fun and special day. We are thrilled that Lindsay is joining our family and can't wait for many, many more years of fun memories together.

If you still want to see more pictures, you should check out our friend Spencer's album here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ChanPhotos/RyanAndLindsaySWedding?authkey=1u3Dmvi-HQ0&feat=email# He got some really great shots of Grace and Lindsay right before their walks down the aisle. And thanks to Mom and Megan for sharing so many of your great photos!

A Sneak Peek

We're back from the wedding. There are lots more pictures and stories to come, but I'm too tired to sort through them all tonight. Here are a couple to show off how adorable the kids looked. One was very willing to have their picture taken. The other not so much. I'll let you figure out which was which.

(Yes, of all 94 pictures I took today, this is sadly the best of them. I'm hoping that someone else was able to capture some better ones.)

Love is in the Air

Tomorrow Grace will be the flower girl in her Uncle Ryan's wedding. She is VERY excited about her special job, and with all the wedding talk, we've had some very fun conversations. She is suddenly interested in planning her future. Here are a few of the things she's told Jeff and I.

• When she gets married, she wants to live next door to us. We will share a backyard with a big swimming pool. It will still be okay for Mommy to come kiss her goodnight while she's sleeping.

• She's going to wait awhile to have babies, but she does want to have a lot.

• Even though she's going to be a mommy, she still wants to be a doctor, too. And an artist.

• She told Jeff she wanted to marry him. She told me she wants to marry "Charlie Bear." I guess she gets big idea that you marry someone you love. We'll have to work out the little details later.

Dedicated

We had Charlie dedicated at church this past weekend. Its really more a dedication of the whole family to raise the baby in a way that encourages them to love and follow Jesus. Our pastor, Jayson, prayed for Charlie and for Jeff and I as his parents. It was a very special night and we loved having our families there to be a part of it.

Interview

Today I asked Grace what was on her birthday list. She told me:
Jeans
My own box of Cheerios
A Library Book
A Box...to put stuff in like babies, mommies, and potatoes
More big girl cups

That's a wish list I can accommodate!

I also interviewed her for a new tradition I want to start. It's called a New Year's interview, and the basic idea is to ask your child the same questions each January and record their answers year after year. Better late than never, right? Here are Gracie's answers.

What is your favorite….
Color? Orange
Food? Enchiladas
Toy? Play dough
Restaurant? Red Robin
Holiday? My Birthday
Cereal? Flakes
Vegetable? Not roasted broccoli
Drink? Eggnog at Christmas
Book? Dora, Swiper and Boots
Game? Candyland
TV Show? Elmo’s World
Place to go: The Museum

What do you love about…
Charlie? When he takes a nap and I can paint
Mommy? Playing Candyland
Daddy? His blue sweater
Yourself? Hopping on one foot

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Grace Anne

Where would you like to go on vacation? Monsterland where there are lots of monsters

Who do you like to play with? Clara and Hannah, and Charlie Bear

What makes you feel…
Happy? When I eat
Sad? When I’m in my room
Scared? Dogs and Kitty Cats

What wishes do you have for this year?
I wish you a Merry Christmas
To go to Grandma’s house

I'm pretty sure that if I had asked her these same questions a couple days ago, I would have gotten many different answers, but I love that its a snapshot of what she's thinking right now. It will be fun to see how her answers change and stay the same over the years.

Charlie the Duck

Charlie has a couple new tricks...

(Make sure you watch all the way to the end and have your volume turned up!)

This takes Charlies grand total of words up to 7:

Mama, Dada, Bop (Jeff's Dad's name), dat (that), duck, clock, and truck. (I know, clock...random!! Jeff taught him that one the other night by taking him through the house and showing him all the clocks.)

And THANK YOU to Ryan and Lindsay for bringing the lovely duck whistle into our home. We especially appreciate it now that we have 2 kids who like to make lots of noise with it. =)