Is It Monday Already?

I can’t believe the weekend is already over.  But I guess that is what happens when you are having fun!  We really had a great weekend.  Friday night was just a night in, which is always a nice change of pace after a busy week.  For the last two weeks we have been meeting ourselves coming and going.  I can honestly say the week before last I saw Matt about 24 hours total all week between both of us working overtime.  It was nuts.

Saturday morning we all woke up earlier then we all really wanted to…actually I take that back…Gracie woke us all up about 10 minutes before the alarm went off.  I love getting woken up by a little girl saying “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Dorda on the PB.”  Yes, every weekend she asks for Dora first thing.  I think she likes Dora more then she does the Wonder Pets, dare I even say that!?  Anyway, the post was hosting a 5K Fun Run/Walk.  So I strapped Gracie into the stroller and we walked the whole thing with our friend Jamie.  Matt, being the PT guru that he is, ran the whole thing, then turned around and ran back half way to walk back with the girls. I personally think he is crazy, but that is my opinion!  Afterwards, Matt went home to relax and the girls headed out for some window shoe shopping.  I did come home with a pair of cute $6 dollar shoes!  I got them 75% off.

After we got home, I was stoked for a visit from a friend of ours.  Earlier in the week, Rob and I had been talking about Matt’s bike and how he wanted to put a louder pipe on it (apparently it was too quiet).  So, Rob and I cooked up a plan to surprise Matt with this pipe.  Rob got her about 4 and had it on there in no time.  Gracie didn’t want to be inside, she wanted to be right in the middle of the action so she just took a couple of her toys out to the garage and played with them while the boys messed with the bike.  Matt was really excited to finally hear his bike being loud again. 

Saturday night and all day today, we have just taken it easy.  We have attempted to get all the laundry done for the week amongst all the other chores that seem to fall on Sunday.  I am hoping to have a calmer week this week.  I haven’t loaded any new pictures on my camera today so I will post them tomorrow.  I am exhausted and have been fighting off a headache all day so I am going to take my shower and hit the hay early!  So happy Monday to you…man I hate that it sneaks up so fast!

Is the end of the week here yet?

Oh what a long week it has been.  I already told you that Gracie was sick earlier this week.  Well, I took her to the doctor yesterday and my suspicions were correct, it was yet another ear infection.  We saw a different doctor, which ended up being a great thing.  He reviewed Gracie’s history and realized that her ear infections usually happened during high allergy seasons.  So he decided that Gracie needed to be on allergy medicine.  We are going to try it every day for a full month to see if her congestion gets better, on top of her runny nose, snoring, and every thing else that comes with having chronic congestion.  So I am hopeful this works, although I do have to admit I am apprehensive about having her on medicine every day.  But I am going to take it day by day and see what happens.

Even though Gracie is healing from an ear infection, doesn’t mean that she isn’t herself.  She has been on fire lately.  Everyday she asks to watch “Dorda on the PB.”  Goodbye Elmo, hello Dora.  Everything is about Dora.  Now don’t worry, we still love Wonder Pets and Yardi  (Backyardigans), but if she has a choice, it’s going to be Dora.  She has a few favorite and new things lately:

• She will take her shopping cart, push her baby around, and go “hopping.”

• We are still working on the potty training.  She now tells us that her diaper is wet and will take it off THEN go potty.  Kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me, but we will figure it out in due time.
• She loves sitting at her table.  Gracie drags that thing all around the house and put it in where ever she wants it!

Here are a few more pictures from the week!

I got this dress for our trip in May…I just couldn’t pass it up!

   Not only does she love my shoes, but she loves my purses.  She carried my purse all around the clinic!

Two of my favorites!

 

So when I woke up this morning, I looked over and couldn’t see Gracie…this is what I found:

Sick Baby…

Well, our weekend was uneventful.  Gracie has been crabby, moody, clingy, and all that goes with her having an ear infection.  I was hoping now that we are 2 that we would see an end to the ear infections.  I am not completely sure that she has one, which is why I took today off to take her to the doctor but since they are booked, I have to wait until tomorrow.  She seems to be doing better so hopefully I am over-reacting.  Either way she was running a fever yesterday so she could not go to school today.  I will be sure to keep you posted!

Potty Training=Not Easy

Ok, just a quick post to tell you that potty training is not fun.  Gracie likes sitting on the potty for like 15 minutes better never tinkles.  I will tell her all about getting a treat…nothing.  She throws a fit until I put her Dora panties on her, so I do, and guess what, she pees with in 5 minutes of having them on her.  I think we are going to really try to hit it hard this weekend.  She loves to be naked.  She takes her diaper off all the time.  I seriously think this is the hardest thing I have done yet as a mom…but we haven’t given up on the mink yet either.  One thing a time!  Ugh…I will keep you posted!

A Surprise Visit

OK, I know it was weird that I said I was taking a break from the blog for the weekend and I was very secretive about our plans…but it was all in good fun!  Our friends Leda and Brian moved to Albuquerque about a month ago.  Leda is celebrating her birthday at the end of the month so we decided to surprise her (with the help of her husband of course!)  We left after I got off of work on Friday and came back Sunday afternoon.  It was a very nice and relaxing trip.  However, the drive between El Paso and Albuquerque…very very boring. 

On Saturday we all got up and decided to go to the zoo and the aquarium.  It was such a nice change of pace from our small town zoo here, not to mention the extra bonus of the aquarium.  We had so much fun just walking around looking at the animals.  Gracie fed the ducks and got to ride on her first train ride.  She would get so excited from one place to the other, she would start running and tell everyone to hurry!  It was so cute!

  She loved playing with Leda and Brian! 1-2-3 SWING!

The aquarium was just as fun.  Gracie made sure she had a front row seat for all the fishy’s.  Even if that means she had to stand in front of everyone!  Leda and Brian couldn’t keep up with her since she kept running back and forth. 

   

Another first we had this weekend was big girl panties!  We have been really working on the potty a lot.  She has her good days and her “I don’t care” days.  But it is definitely a work in progress.  I have to tell you, there is nothing like a wake up call that your little girl is growing up when you see her in little undies!

  And just because she makes me SMILE!

Baby Dolls and a Girly Girl

I always wanted a little girl, for many reasons, but mainly so I could dress her up, play dolls with her, and just do all the “Mommy, Daughter” things.   Well, I got my wish.  Gracie loves her babies.  She has about 4 of them she plays with, one of them being one she has had since she was about 6 months old.  I have already told you about her putting them to nighty night, but now we are all about everything that goes a long with babies.  She loves to:

• Carry them around or push them in their stroller.
• Put them in a blanket to rock them to sleep.
• Play with their hair.
• Take them wherever we go, even if it means they get dirty.
• Talks to them like a little mommy telling them “no” or “eat.”
• Informs me when they have pooped and they need a “piaper” change.
• Invites them to watch Dora on the PB (TV)
• Basically anything she does!

This picture was my favorite of the day!  We came home and went outside until the sun went down and it got cold.  She came in and just wanted some one on one time with her baby.  I heard her talking to her baby and grabbed the camera.  Well, as soon as Gracie saw the camera, she said “Mama, baby, me, picture.”  She posed and demanded I take this picture and I love it.

Tonight, Matt and I were on the couch taking it easy.  Matt looked into the playroom and saw Gracie with her play high heels, a phone to her ear, and a drink in her hand.  he then asked me who I thought she was mimicking…yeah that would be me!  She is a pro already at walking in heels, she can even climb up the stairs with them on.   

I also did some re-arranging in her bedroom.  She is honestly getting to big for her changing table, so I officially took it down.  With all that empty space, I decided to display her doll her Nica got her for Christmas last year.  It is so pretty.  I thought it looked great.  I am in the process of redoing her room, well as much as I can since I can’t paint (we are renters and quite honestly I don’t want to paint it back!).

Well, I am taking the weekend off from blogging so I will catch up with you on Sunday!  Enjoy your weekend!!!!

There are times…..

There are times when all of the sudden, in the middle of what I am doing, the feeling of “wow, I really do have a child” just sweeps over me.  Friday night, when the house was quiet, Gracie was already down for the night (in her new toddler bed), Matt was asleep on the couch (a usual I might say), I went to the fridge to get something to drink.  This is what I saw:

So then I walked around the house looking at different things that reminded me of how much I have and what so many people take for granted. 

 

I got this for Gracie right after she was born, when I read it, I got that same feeling that likes to sneak up on me from time to time….

My precious angel, Do you know how much I cherish you? Do you know how I count each overheard giggle, each pitter-patter down the hallway, each moment I get to spend with you as a perfect blessing?

Even when I have the daunting task of cleaning up the playroom the next morning, I am still thankful….

That I have a beautiful, happy, healthy little girl, asleep in her bed.   

Even when I felt like all hope was lost, that I would never have a little one to hold, to hear their sweet little voice telling me they love me, God had a different plan and blessed us with our sweet little Grace Anna.  I will forever be grateful for our small little miracle.

Almost Midweek Update

Happy Tuesday!  This has been a quiet week so far in our household.  We are getting back into the routine of being back at work.  Gracie loves being back with all of her friends at daycare.  She asks for them each night, it’s really cute.  I am really happy that she loves her classroom like she does for a multitude of reasons.  My newest reason has to do with my new goals for this year.  I am going to put more of an effort into being healthier…not just loosing weight, but cooking healthier, promoting more outside activities, getting more sleep, stuff like that.  I am on day two of my gym routine after work.  Since Gracie loves being at school so much, I don’t feel guilty about her being there a little bit longer.  Matt is also giving me incentives once I reach a goal (a new movie, earrings, a pair of shoes, etc.) to help me stay motivated.  Also, we want Gracie to love the right food and to love being active.  Lately we have taken the easy way out on a lot of things, watching too much TV, eating easy snack foods, etc.  I really am focused and feel really strongly about this.  It is also a family goal, not just a personal goal.  I will keep you posted on ideas I come across or what works for us.  I think our society has become too lazy.  I miss days in Germany when we would spend all day walking around a castle or a little German town.  One of my favorites was walking around Bad Nauhiem’s park.  It was gorgeous.

Well, honestly, that is really all that is new.  Matt is feeling better so that is great.  Gracie is being Gracie, which is a lot of fun.  Have a great week and I promise to have more pictures this weekend!

Weekend Update

We spent all weekend at home…and let me tell ya, it was so nice.  Granted Matt was sick all weekend which wasn’t fun, but that aside, it was very relaxing.  We ended taking Matt to the doctor today since he was feeling so bad.  The doctor gave him a penicillin shot and a steroid shot to help with the pain.  He is feeling much better tonight which is good.

Gracie had so much fun playing with all of her toys.  She has so many it is amazing she plays with anything twice.  We also turned her crib into a toddler bed.  She is adapting pretty well which is good.  For the past two weeks she has been waking up in the middle of the night crying.  We will have a night here and there where she sleeps through the night.  She does go back to sleep quickly, but still, I wish she could get a good nights sleep.

We are all about singing lately.  At the beginning of the weekend, we were all about singing on the potty, now we sing every where.  At dinner tonight, I took some pictures of her singing her three favorite songs: “Wheels On the Bus” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “If your happy and you know it.”

If your happy and you know it clap your hands…

If your happy and you know, then your face will surely show it…

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout,

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…

“I love to sing! YEAH!!!”

Well, I am going to leave you with a few more pictures and another video.  I hope you all have a great work week…it’s back to full work weeks…ugh!  These pictures I took outside today when we were trying to run off some pent up energy!  I thought they turned out so cute!

 

Lastly, another video of Gracie singing and playing.  I thought it was so sweet! 

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Reflection 2009

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

Goodbye to another year.  It is hard to believe yet another decade has come and gone.  I look back over the last year and realize that it was one of the most challenging and rewarding year for me.  There has been a lot of  joy, a lot of tears, and a lot of hope.  2009 made me realize that I have a lot to be thankful for, no matter what life brings me, I have my friends, family, and most of God on my side.  Instead of worrying about my resolutions or my new goals this year (I have many, I will post a blog about those soon), to close out the year, I am going to focus on what I am very thankful for.  (Thanks to Liz and Nicki for the idea!) 

• Grace Anna-With each passing day I am more thankful for this bright ray of sunshine in my life.  She has brought the joy and happiness that Matt and I longed for.  Gracie is so happy, we are very lucky to have her as our daughter.

 

• For Matt-He is the most wonderful husband.  I loved him for longer then a decade, but that love has only gotten stronger.  That love has gotten us through some really tough times, but love will carry you through.  He is my rock, my best friend, and the person I always run too.  I could not be happier then when we are together.  I miss him when he is not with me.  I am so thankful he is in my life!

 

• My family-Each and every one of you have touched my life in a way that is unique and played a part in who I am today.  I look forward to being closer to all over you in the future so that many more memories can be made.  Thanks for all the support and love you have given me over the years, it is noticed and appreciated.
• My friends, near and far-Your always there to lend an ear for advice, stories, or memories.  I love that I can laugh or cry with you.  I miss my shopping buddies, I miss the long talks, or the many dinners out.  Thank you for all that you are and I look forward to all our good times in the future!
• God-even though my faith has been tested a lot this year and I am not the most faithful Christian, I always know that in good times and in bad times, God is always by my side.  I grew up in a Christian home with a family that loved God.  I only hope that I can give Gracie the same kind of home to love and grow up in. 
• Life-life is short, even on those days that seem like they are never going to end.  My new favorite “quote” is-Life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”  Treat each day like it could be  your last; enjoy each and every moment. 

___________________________________________________

Our New Year’s celebrations were very quiet this year.  We went to the Sun Bowl this year since I was able to get some tickets from work.  It was a great game!  David Archuelette  (probably didn’t spell that right) from American Idol, performed the half time show.  That was Gracie’s favorite part, outside of the playing with the pom poms Oklahoma provided for the fans. 

At first, we had intended on it just being the two of us, but then we got a call from the daycare saying Gracie had broken out in a head to two rash.  She did have a rash from some time of allergic reaction but it wasn’t anything serious so we decided to just take her with us.  Gracie had a great time with the exception of the sun being in her eyes so much.  (You can tell by the pictures…there are very few of her smiling…just a whole lot of squinting.)

After the game, we came home and just relaxed watching movies.  I have to confess, we didn’t make it to midnight.  We were exhausted and I still had to get up at 5 to go to work for a couple of hours.  Not fun.  But all in all it was a great way to bring in the new year.  I loved being able to spend it with the two people I love being around the most. 

We hope that all of you have a very delightful year full of joy and happiness!  Happy New Year everyone!!!!

 

Running out all of her energy after being smooshed between Daddy & Mommy at the game.

 

I love her little hat!

Having a great time rooting for Oklahoma with the pom poms!

 

The Golden Knights Army Paratroopers

Go Sooners!

Gracie was enjoying her fruit snacks in this picture, but I still love it!

David Archuletta