Bowling & a Lil’ Gracie

Last weekend was a nice and relaxing weekend.  We made a killing on our yard sale (El Pasoan’s love their yard sales!), we bought a new truck, and we went to a bowling party!  Gracie loves bowling.  I mean LOVES.BOWLING!  We had a great time hanging out with friends and getting a strike or two!

   

We ended up buying a new truck over the weekend.  Matt had a couple of offers on his truck during the yard sale, so we thought we would just go take a look.  That is one thing we aren’t very good at, we always just go take a look.  Well, they gave us a great price for the truck and paid off my Escape so Matt is an official owner of a 2011 Toyota Tacoma.  Believe it or not, I don’t have  picture yet, but I will soon.  I haven’t even took out my camera this week. 

Gracie, is just Gracie.  She is becoming more and more a little girl every day.  She is in love with all thing dolls.  At least one of the babies have to go with us where ever we go it is so cute.  Some of my favorites from this week are:

“Momma, Cinderella poopening, she needs a diaper change, she STINKS!”

“Momma, who is dat?  Is Harley barkening?”  “Harley, no barkening.”  “I thought I told you no barkening!”

“I wanna eat Skaghetto’s.  I eat all the skaghetto’s.”

I am sure that there are a million more, but I am drawing a blank.  It is actually 11:03 and I am sitting here typing this, but I know I slacked again this week so I wanted to get a blog out. 

We are going camping again this weekend.  This is our last weekend together as a family for 2 months so we are doing something fun.  You know I am going to take a ton of pictures so I will post them on Sunday! 

First Haircut

**Don’t forget to scroll down to hear about our camping trip**

So, it has been how many weeks that Matt and I have tried to take Gracie to get her haircut?  Oh I would say about 5, at the least.  Last night, I finally gave in and let the want of the pictures at the professional place go.  Yes, you know what I did…I cut her hair.  I was so nervous, but all I really wanted to do was cut her “tail” off.  Ever since she finally got hair, she had this little rattail going.  It was so pretty and curly, but their comes a time when you just have to let go.  I did, but it didn’t happen without tears.  The tears weren’t from the hair being gone, they were from another first happening.  They are becoming fewer and fewer.  Now I realize that she is almost 3, but still it made me sad.  However, it is definitely a much needed improvement and very cute!  PS don’t mind the naked baby…it was bath time! (Don’t worry, I fixed the longer piece towards the middle.  Cutting curly hair is not an easy task, next time I will be leaving it up to the professionals!)  

A very dear family friend gave me this adorable little first curl holder!  When I got, I was praying I would have a little girl with curls.  I am so glad I got my wish!

A proud Gracie showing off her new hair style!

It looks like I cut off so much! But it really wasn’t that much, really.

  Settled in for safe keeping!

First Family Camping Trip

Ok, I realize this happened over a week ago, however, time got away from me every night.  I honestly don’t think we were home before 7 pm each night.  Which meant that by the time we got dinner fixed, baths taken, and the little one put to bed, my brain was inoperable and you would have gotten nothing but a bunch of jibberish.  I apologize…so let’s get down to business.

Our first camping trip was a blast!  I honestly didn’t think I would even remotely like it, but I loved it.  Of course, I do have my limits and expectations, but the way we camped, was right up my alley; just rugged enough but with some amenities that are necessary  (like a toilet even if it is in the porta-potty family!) 

So we met Jamie and Wes after we all got off of work on Friday and started our way up to Cloudcroft, NM.  It was so nice to get out of the desert and into the cooler, greener part of New Mexico.  We got up there right as the sun was going down so the first order of business was to get the fire going so we could fix dinner, hamburgers over the camp fire.  Hands down the best hamburger I have ever had!  Gracie slept all the way up there so we had to wake her up to eat.  I was so happy that she wasn’t grouchy, it really could have gone the other way.

The next morning we woke up to a nice chill in the air.  That was very welcomed to us El Pasoans that are still dealing with summer temperatures.  Wes and Jamie took us to this awesome little cafe that had awesome pancakes, I still think about them, they were so good!

For the rest of the day the girls went shopping in Ruidoso and the boys went riding on their bikes.  The evening was much the same as the previous night.  There was nothing like sitting under the stars around a camp fire.  It reminded me so much of the starry sky you see from the mountains of Colorado. 

Sunday we packed up and went home.  We were all sad to go.  Gracie kept asking to go camping.  As a matter of fact we have been hearing about her birthday plans a lot lately and it includes camping (along with a trip to Jamaica).  It was a nice weekend spent with friends!  Now on to the pictures (I know you have been dying to see them).  I kid you not, I took about 250 pictures so I will only show you my favorites, or at least a few of my favorites!

These overalls were Matt’s when he was little.  Doris gave them to me when I was pregnant with Matt.  We have many pictures of Matt when he wore them, now it is Gracie’s turn!  She loved them too, she kept sticking her hands in the top part, so cute! I loved her little boots! I hope she can wear them again before she outgrows them, she seems to be outgrowing everything so fast lately!!! 

I know the three of us can’t wait to go camping again.  We are supposed to be camping in a couple of weeks before Matt leaves for school, but with our crazy schedule who knows!!!

Update on the Big Move…

Well, we are no longer in suspense, we know what is happening.  We are…….

stay in El Paso.  Apparently there is still a major need for Career Counselors here at Ft. Bliss.  So that means that the Cunningham’s are staying put.  No Ft. Bragg or Ft. Leonard Wood (we came down on official orders for there last week but it was for Matt’s current job not his soon to be new job so we figured this was a long shot).  It was very disappointing and a very big emotional rollercoaster but all in all, there is a positive.  You all know that I am a very positive person and that hasn’t changed.  Even though this wasn’t what I had expected, it does have it’s perks.  I have been amazingly stress free the last two days.  I no longer have to look for a new job or a new house, worry about how the dogs are going to do on the trip, worry about finding Gracie a new daycare, etc. etc. etc.  The disappointment is hard to swallow, but being an Army wife, you kind of learn to roll with the punches and always look for the silver lining.  Even though there is still a change….1% mind you…that we could be moving, we are planning on staying here.  It will be another 2 years before I will get to look at greenery that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg to have, I will not experience a real fall, I will not get to next to Liz and Mike, but I will have my husband, my daughter, our two mangy mutts, which is all I need.

Well, we are off on a camping trip (I know, I know yes I am going camping).  I am sure I will have details upon details upon details since I have never been camping.  Those of you that know me know that I love to be outdoors but expect to sleep indoors.  So we will see how this adventure goes.  I am willing to try anything once!

What does…..

a little girl do before bed?Piles at least 3 babies in the play pen… makes a train of toys, and wears mismatched shoes. At least that is what this little girl does!

Labor Day Weekend

Shoo Wee…what a week.  It was filled with A LOT (and I mean a lot) of ups and downs.  Between waiting not so patiently to hear what the word is with our move in the early winter (more on that later in the week…it’s too complicated to explain until we have the real answer) and feeling pulled in a hundred different directions, it has been a very big emotional rollercoaster of a week.  Which is why I was very happy to have a relaxing day with Matt on Friday.  I went in to open at work and left at 8 to meet Matt to drop of his bike and splurge on a day at the spa.  We both got a massage and utilized the Jacuzzi.  It was so nice to have a couple of hours with Matt to just talk without hearing mommy or daddy.  Afterwards we went to the Corner Bakery for lunch.  It was the right way to end the week.  We also wanted to get Gracie’s haircut but the salon wasn’t open…not for sure why, but it wasn’t.  Did not make me happy at all, but hey, her hair isn’t going anywhere right?

Saturday we babysat for this little cutie, Lucas: Gracie sure had a fun time with him.  Although, she was quite upset about him using her little car.  But other then that, there were very few “mine” incidents.  After he left, I headed over to the outlet mall to find Gracie some fall clothes.  We are going camping next weekend and she has very few clothes that still fit her from last year.  She was mostly in 24 months last  year and now she is in almost a 3t.  It is crazy how big she has gotten, especially when I see her against Lucas who is only 18 months.  I found some stuff that will get her started for the fall.  Keep in mind we live in El Paso, our “fall” is still about a month if not two away!

Yesterday and today we have seriously been lazy.  We have just watched TV and hung around the house.  We did take some time to run to the park, but it was too hot to stay long.  The one thing I don’t understand about El Paso is we still have time before the summer temps finally leave, but they shut or take down everything.  For example, most playgrounds have sun canopies over them to block out the sun.  Apparently, they come down once school starts.  I don’t understand it.  Poor Gracie couldn’t go down any of the slides.  She was not a happy camper.  I am glad I thought to take her bike so she could at least ride around for awhile.  She is such an easy going child.  There was not one breakdown about park playing at all.  I was so proud of her. I love this face…this is her pre-attitude face.  Oh yeah, her attitude has made it’s lovely appearance.  Can you sense the sarcasm?  This picture cracks me up…she was trying to tell me “no picture Mommy” and this is what I got! ha!!! 

Gracie is also proving to be a strong willed child.  Not so much where it is straining but enough to make me realize that I am going to have to start picking and choosing my battles.  For example, on Sunday we ran to the commissary right after we got out of bed.  I had gotten Gracie these new pajama’s last week on sale for like 4 bucks and finally got them washed so she could wear them.  Well, I put them on her Saturday night for bed.  She was so tired she didn’t think twice about it.  On Sunday morning, she got REALLY excited about her jama jama’s with the tutu.  So I had no choice but to leave them on her.  It was not with the fit.  Well, that turned into this: 

Yep, we went to the store with sunglasses and princess shoes.  She was the cutest little girl there!  

This little girl is going to be the best thing ever.  There is never a dull moment when she is around!