Much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving 2007

We are thankful for getting to play outside in the leaves in our pajamas...

...for uncles who will get down on the floor and play with us...

...for Nana to play "beans and rice" with us...

...for men who enjoy and are willing to do "projects"...

...for Thanksgiving leftovers...

...and I am working on being thankful for this most beautiful art project that Nana concocted in honor of our great-great-aunt (ask if you really want to know)...

Grace's Birthday, Part 2

For all the parents out there

If your child is like Grace, and is addicted to a certain song before bedtime, you might find this can spice up your life! Did you know there was more than one verse of "Twinkle, twinkle little star" to sing adnauseam? Note to grandparents- learn it quickly, as this is a common request at our house!

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Then the traveler in the dark

Thanks you for your tiny spark;

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Grace's Birthday, Part 1

For Grace's birthday (which is October 11th, by the way- yes, I know I am behind as usual in my blog) we bought a family pass to the zoo. Even Aunt Sara got to go with us. It was a perfect day when we went, weather-wise, and it was "Halzooween" at the zoo, where the kids got special treats along the way. We got to see all of Grace's favorite animals, except the giraffes, which were curiously missing because their exhibit was getting a facelift. I'd really like to see that going down the freeway- a semi with a few giraffe's sticking out of the top!


"Uh, Dad, don't get to close to that thing!"

"They gave me two treats! Even the zoo knows it is my birthday!"

What a surprise, the little monkey thinks the monkeys playing are hillarious.

How did "say cheese" ever morph into the super-hero-arms pose?

Mama said there'd be days like this!

Do you have days like these? Let me tell you about ours, that started Monday night. We got 2 1/2 inches of rain during the day on Monday. A miracle, considering we were a third behind on our yearly rainfall and suffering a severe drought. Then from midnight through 8 am, we received another 2 inches. It continued to rain on Tuesday during the day (you know what they say- when it rains it pours! Pun intended...). As a creature of habit, I was having my usual cleaning day on Tuesday. I put Grace down for a nap and proceeded to go down into the basement to clean up after 14 rug rats we have down there every Monday night with our Bible Study.

Squish. Oh no! Water leaking from the ceiling? No, that's dry. Proceed to walk further into basement. Squash. Feel carpet. Uh-Oh. Continue walking to the door leading to the unfinished part of the basement, knowing with dread what is on the other side, hoping that I'm wrong. I'm not. Nope, there are rugs and other items floating in standing water, with the sump pump apparently on strike.

After Erik finally was released (or did he release himself?) from the ball and chain called work, we spent hours after Grace went to bed bringing up garbage bags and box after box of wet and ruined items. The garbage man is going to flip when he comes to our house tomorrow!

The update today after the restoration crew got here was all the carpet and pads had to come up and be trashed (tile in the bathroom anyone?) but so far there are no signs of mold. We have an army of fans and dehumidifiers down there that will remain until Monday. It sounds like an airport down there right now.

The Week Of Calamity actually started on Friday, when I came down with a stomach bug, which led to Grace having a lot of unsupervised time, pizza for Grace and Erik two nights in a row, me trying to make a conference at church that I had signed up for months ago (and really wanted to attend) and not making it much past lunch (duh!). Erik's exam in a week and a half when it is major crunch time and he can't possibly deal with more. Enter the "Flood", Erik stuck at work with a project that should have taken three weeks, but they gave him three days; me left with a basement full of water wondering what to do; and Grace still having too much unsupervised time.

By the way, how did I revive the sump pump on strike, you ask? Well, kicked it of course!

Better late than never (updated)

Well, these pictures were taken about a month ago. But you understand, right? We had an ultrasound because the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat, but not to worry, Baby was in there swimming around on the ultrasound! (And as an update, at 16 weeks, I can feel it kicking more than Grace did! Eeek!)I think I was showing about as much at 11 weeks as I was at more like 16 weeks with Grace. A little scary, but the ultrasound confirmed only one baby... so I guess I'm just fat. :) And when we were looking at the ultrasound with Grace, she said that the Baby was wearing glasses... she also thought she had a baby in her belly- nope, just a big breakfast!

A Trip For Two: What Grace Did

Now, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for the days that Grace was home without us while we were in Montreal, eating up her time with her beloved Nana and Papa. But these pictures will have to suffice. I'm sure there were things we weren't told, but what I do know is there was play dough for the first time, lots of trips to the playground, lots of swimming in the backyard baby pool, and a bin of dried rice and beans with small plastic animals hidden in it (which apparently is more fun than any expensive toy you could buy). I think a good time was had by all.

We interupt this program...

I think the cat is out of the bag and everybody knows, but in case we missed you, I am pregnant again! My due date is officially April 6th (although as usual I have some issues with how they arrived at this date). I am well into maternity clothes, and have been for a few weeks, unlike last time where I was in my second trimester before I darkened the halls of the maternity department at the stores. I have had two good days in a row (sorry, Steph) and am wondering if the sickies are starting to be behind me. Last night I actually ate half a chicken breast (in addition to many other things, but meat as of late has been revolting). Grace has no clue what is in store for her in six months, and I am kind of wandering the same thing about us. Dixie is probably the most prepared out of all of us this time because now she has been around so many babies with our weekly bible study at our house.

As a side note- Erik, unfortunately, is not quite done with his exams yet. In fact, at this very moment his is hunched over his books at the dining room table. He took one exam in May and passed (woo hoo!) and has his last one in November. Then he will be done, Lord willing. These two exams are for his final degree, his EA, which allows him to sign off on government work. And then I think he might be better decorated than anyone in his office.

A Trip For Two: What Mommmy and Daddy Did

At the end of August, Erik and I went to Montreal- sans Grace! When we first started planning the trip months ago, I was paranoid. Five whole days without Grace? We had only been apart for hours at a time since she was born. Sick, I know. At Erik's insistance (I'll admit, I was on the fence) we planned the trip for just the two of us. The purpose was two fold. Erik had to go a for an ethics seminar (a joke for anyone who knows Erik well) as the last requirement for his FSA (Fellow of the Society of Actuaries) degree. So we tacked on a few days and made a trip of it. A little fun, a little work (Ok, all fun for me). At the end of the seminar, there was a graduation ceremony and dinner.
We did things on the trip that we used to do without much thought . Went out for dinner, and actually took more than 20 minutes to eat because there wasn't a toddler to watch. Had adult converstaions- for an equally long period of time. Rented bikes and rode to a market, picked up strawberries, croisants and cheese for lunch then rode for several hours and stopped at a park to eat. Stayed out past 8 o'clock! Slept in past 7am. Needless to say, it was a grand time.

And I just want to say again, for the millionth time, how proud I am of Erik. Only those who have really gone through it can know how much work it takes to get this degree. He often says it is like having a full time job working 50 hours a week, and going to grad school full time. You get the idea. He has been studying since we first got married. Six years of hard work. Congratulations sweetie!

A bonus post!

Today as we were running errands, we drove by a place where they were doing construction. There was a backhoe digging in the ground, and from the back seat comes "short!" or "wart!". I had no idea what she was saying until I looked to see what she was pointing at: the backhoe. She was calling it a "Snort"!

For all those without toddlers in the house, let me backup and tell you about a book called "Are you my mother?". In this book, there is a baby bird who falls out of the nest and goes looking for his mother. It is not a kitten, not a dog, not a cow. Then it thinks the giant backhoe, which makes the noise "snort" and thus is called Snort by the baby bird, must be his mother. The Snort puts the bird back into his nest where he is reunited with his real mother. Grace loves to read, but I've never really known how much was absorbed until recently when I watch her read to herself, and she remembers some of the words on the pages. I guess she remembered the Snort from the book, and not knowing it was called anything else, was estatic that a Snort really exists! She told Daddy all about it when he got home. Aparently, it was the highlight of her day.

Are you still with me?

It's not just you... I feel like we have dropped off the face of the Earth these last 6 or 7 weeks as well. We have been incredibly busy. From the middle of July until Labor Day weekend, we have either been out of town, or have had company, with only a few days between each time. I'm not sure Grace knows where she lives, or who is supposed to be living with her! There have been grandparents coming and going, and even Mommy and Daddy left for the first time ever!

There are so many things to catch people up on that I will try to post something new every other day (Hey, at least I didn't say every day! I know my blogging limitations.).

So, in no particular order (ok, the order in which I stumbled upon the pictures on the computer) here is the first item of interest. In July, Grace and I went up to Albuquerque to visit with the Westbrook clan and both of Grace's Great-Grandmothers. We also held our bi-annual meeting of the Grace Admiration Society (see photos at left and below). By the way, when you go swimming in Albuquerque, Papa puts warm tap water in your pool!

A Sweet Anniversary

On Saturday Erik and I celebrated our 6th anniversary (whose symbol is candy, by the way; my kind of anniversary!). We went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant downtown, the kind that serves several "gifts from the chef", like mozzarella stuffed squash blossoms and goat cheese filled puff pastry. It was the kind of food that a wanna be chef gets really excited about. The restaurant was in an old historic hotel and the dining room was done in Art Deco. We got all dressed up, got a baby sitter for only the second time, and got to take our time with the meal. At one point Erik said, "So what should we talk about since we don't have to be playing tag team with a toddler at dinner time?"

But in the end, there is nothing like coming home, having your little girl run to you yelling "Mama, Mama!" and run her hands through your hair as she gives you a hug. We decided it was one of our best anniversaries, but there's also no substitute for having dinner with a child, having to show your elbow to a giggling toddler for the millionth time.

Mexico trip with the Westbrook family

So, we finally got the Mexico pictures online! Here are a few to tempt you with... for more check out all the uploaded ones at Snapfish.

http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=334141181871338346/l=269348839/g=19070380/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Flashback

I meant to post these a long time ago. But I didn't. Then I thought I would put them all (there were some more) on the website and send out the link. But I didn't. Is anyone really surpried by this anymore? So enjoy these pictures from March and just imagine our trees with a lot more leaves now, and our grass a lot browner! This was an unusually warm day in March, but we paid for it with a freeze a few weeks later that did a number on our rose bushes and kept most of our Spring flowers from flowering. And now it's so hot even writing "freeze" makes me laugh!

P.S. I did not dress Erik and Grace the same- I happened to notice it after we took the pictures! (At least Erik isn't wearing pink shoes.)

May pics

I planned on posting some pictures from our vacation to Mexico with my family, but they were just all too wonderful and I couldn't pick! That is, the ones excluding me. I doubt you will see me in a bathing suit on the internet! I will send out a link instead to our photos when I upload them to Snapfish. These pictures in the park are from our Mother's Day picnic right before we left for vacation. Grace loved picking the "flowers" and having us "smell" them.

This is how Grace "helps" me cook. I think my dirty utensils have doubled since she has decided to be my sous chef.

Grace and a potential suitor, Grant Sexton, playing. Doesn't Grace look coy? I think its because its her turf.

Grown-up girl

I know this blog is totally out of context, but I wanted to post this picture for Grace's Daddy and show him what happens when he goes out of town for a week... the girls go wild! This was the first time that Grace has ever had her toenails painted, and it surprised me that she wanted it done. I think she saw me doing it, and thought, "If it is good enough for Mom, must be good for me!" I painted one nail cautiously, but she kept asking for more, so I did them all. You know my tenderhearted child, so this is really shocking. She freaks out with a stamp on her hand at story hour. Just hope she likes it tomorrow morning when the socks come off...
P.S. I thought you might find this little story funny from the past few days. It probably is funnier to hear her say it- maybe I can get her on video tomorrow. For over a month, Grace has been saying spoon as "spoon". Regularly. Consistently. On the day before we got home from vacation, she bumped her head pretty badly. Two days later, now home, she wanted a spoon. It came out like this- "shuuma". We had no idea what she was talking about until we saw her point at it. Do you think she has a concussion or just decided the latter word was a lot more fun to say?

The Gracie Times

On the Front Page:

"She speaks!" We have a working list of words that Grace has started using. She barely made the quota of 10 words by her 18 month check-up, but now she has about 20 words that she even uses on a somewhat regular basis! There are the ever popular no, mama, daddy, Dixie, outside, shoe and "nana" (both for banana and her grandma, Nana, and she knows the difference). Some less useful ones include arm, cracker, and this.

On the Sports Page:

"A Dare Devil in Kentucky" Grace went down the park slide without crying! A big slide, outdoors, from the top and wanted to go again and again! For those who find this unimpressive, consider the evidence: A couple of months ago she cried when she went down a slide two feet off the ground, indoors, on carpet. That's right. She's a bona fide wimp (my friends call her cautious and less adventurous, but honestly, lets call it like it is).

On the Local Page:

"Daddy's exam in two weeks!" Erik has been studying for his 9th actuary exam. Will these ever end, you ask? We are wondering the same thing. It has proved especially challenging this time because Grace is so tempting to play with and work has been extremely busy. We are looking forward to a family vacation to Mexico right after his exam with the Westbrook clan.

One the Life & Art Page:

"Friends and Fun" We had my Mom here for about 5 days in April. Grace learned "hold you" for when she wants to be picked up. The kids are at the age where they actually play together at playgroup, and occasionally fight over the favorite toy. Grace has also been into coloring and stickers. I can actually put her in her booster seat, slide her up to the kitchen table and she will color contently for quite a while. She also has been "helping" me make dinner. She slides the chair up to the kitchen counter and asks to get up. Erik's job after his exam is to make some sort of stool with rungs on three sides so it is safer. Don't judge me here on the safety issue- 30 minutes of getting to cook dinner without a whiny toddler hanging on my leg has got to be safer for all those involved. :)

Works for me Wednesday

I have never posted one of these because I don't feel like I really have the authority to do so. I feel like I am constantly behind, so how can I have good household management skills? But here goes...

I do my laundry a little oddly. Instead of doing all the laundry once a week (full loads or not), I have Monday as my laundry day but only do the loads that are full. For example, when Erik is getting down to his last undershirt, I do a massive single load of socks, undershirts and other whites (we have a front loader conducive to this). I feel like this saves water and time (less sorting). What I have found very helpful is using clothes pins on Grace's clothes because she is the dirtiest member of our household with stains on everything. When there is a stain on her shirt (when isn't there?) that needs to be re-treated before the wash, I put a clothes pin on the stain and put it in the laundry basket. When the time comes round for me to wash her clothes, it is much faster to find the stains this way than having to hold up every shirt in the darkness of the laundry room and hope I caught them all. Obviously remove the clothes pins before you wash the clothes.

P.S. I guess it is never to early to start teaching them responsibility using chores! Here is Grace helping unload the washing machine. She loves to do it and it teaches her the concepts of "empty" and "full". I plan on keeping it as one of her chores because the machines are the perfect height for kids and adapts to any age.