Family at the Farm

We went down to Clarkston to see Brooke perform in her school play last weekend. She was the QUEEN, as you can see. She did a great job--four performances in a weekend! She is a sixth grader this year, so she and her classmates got the lead roles in their rendition of Sleeping Beauty. They did a great job!


Jeff and I thought that we'd have to take turns watching the play from the hallway with Grace, but she stayed with G'ma Joan in an aisle seat and was as content as could be during the whole thing. She liked the LIGHTS the best. We thought she'd get fussy with the people going by and the lights going out but they didn't phase her. She made G'ma Joan's day!


On Saturday we went out to Tomato Street to celebrate my birthday. We rarely go out to eat when we go down to the farm, so this was a special treat. The best part was seeing Dad's face when they brought his lunch-sized lasagna that could fit in his palm! Brooke and Jeff split a Creme Brulee--because she'd never had one--and shared bits of presidential trivia at the end of the table.


"Can I hold Gracie, now?" Abby loves to hold Gracie. She wants to pack her around and kiss her and read to her and feed her... Gracie is so fun! Abby was quite intrigued with G's baby food, but we couldn't talk her into tasting any..."Ewwwww!"


Superhero, Gracie! Abby and Megan got to spend the night with us at G'ma and G'pa's house. They had lots of fun with Grace--especially in the high chair with her bib-cape.


Megan informed me that this is "Queen Gracie of the Little People." The crown kept falling off.


And of course, I had a few candles to blow out. :)

Lazy Monday

Another Monday holiday--we love being teachers in the winter! I had to take this pic of Jeff and Grace--he let me sleep in and this is what I saw when I finally got out of bed. They were sleeping too!

Then Grace and I were being silly with her onesie.

What's going on, guys?

This is our favorite Gracie expression these days. She LOVES to see what you're doing--even when you're across the room. Love this little neck-stretch inquiry.

A Face (& Hands) Only a Mother Could Love

Gotta love teething biscuit residue--comparable to cement when it dries.

Brooke's Game

Brooke had a BB tournament last weekend and we got to see a couple of her games. Grace was a great fan and especially liked all of the attention she got BETWEEN games. Brooke and the team played really well--they got 2nd in their tourney! Great job, Brooke! (Next time we're bringing banners and posters...anticipate!)

Baby's Menu

Last weekend we used our Olive Garden gift certificate. Grace was given a kids' coloring page and CRAYONS. She wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but she knew what to do with the BREADSTICKS. Delicious! Thanks to OG for the great kid distractors--Jeff and I were able to eat! :) And thanks to Jeff's HS soccer team for the gift of dinner out!

the month of LOVE...

Jeff loves January. With this month he sees a fresh start...a clean slate...the world is brand new, and no mountain is too high for him to climb. (In this month I see leftover snow, afternoon darkness, and holiday let-down. Ha!)

I love FEBRUARY. We still have snow, but the days are getting longer and I get to decorate the house with MORE RED!!!



Lots of good things happen, and HAVE happened, in February:

1. Jeff and I got engaged on February 4, 2005--what a great day! I can't believe he surprised me when he asked me--I should've caught on after a day of flowers, breakfast at the OE, reading at my favorite coffee shop, painting pottery, and going downtown for dinner. Here we are on the bridge on our way to "go get the camera he left in the car"...sneaky, sneaky.




(These are the plates we painted that day: "January" by Ellie, "February" by Jeff)

2. Valentine's day is a great excuse to tell people that you love them--and a great excuse to take pictures of your child eating hearts.



3. My birthday! It's coming up! Nothing like a birthday to help you get through the blahs of winter...and this year Gracie is 9 months old on my birthday. I may or may not be turning 29...again.



4. College basketball is in full-swing...GO Zags!...soups are still excellent choices for dinner...and spring break is now in view on the distant horizon.

All-in-all, it's a 5-star month.

Bottle Flipping

It's a new sport.


Hold the bottle...


...examine the bottle...


...flip the bottle...


...try this side of the bottle.

Gracie loves to flip her bottle over and over, end-over-end. She thinks drinking a bottle is a "get-milk-all-over-her-whole-body" experience.

Social Butterfly

Our friend Heidi watched Grace the other day--she and the girls took Gracie to Chuck E. Cheese! What a fun day! When I picked her up after school, Heidi informed me that we have a very social child. We weren't surprised to hear that she was very excited when they were out--with people buzzing about (we can just picture her head craning to see everything), and that she did NOT like it when Heidi or the girls had to walk out of the living room and leave her alone, even for just a few seconds.

At daycare, Grace is so social that she can only afford to take cat-naps--we're pretty sure she just likes playing and doesn't want to miss out! When I drop her off, I try to snuggle with her a little, but she usually wants nothing to do with me and is busy looking around and waving at babies and her teachers. When Jeff picks her up at the end of the day, she sleeps for an hour in her car seat--exhausted from a day of play.

I think these laundry pictures capture Grace's budding personality--she was most content being part of the folding process (waving the socks in the air and babbling), rather than on the sidelines watching me from her playmat. She's SUCH a good helper. :)

G'ma Camp

Gracie got to spend the day with G'ma Colleen and Papa Scott on Saturday when Jeff and I went to a YL Retreat. She had a great time playing with G'ma's toys and hanging out with her new favorite just-her-sized friend, BRODIE. G'ma Dorothy heard that she was visiting for the day and came over to get her Gracie-fix. This girl is so loved--and SPOILED! :) Thanks for a fun day, G'ma and Papa!

The Future's So Bright...

Stuck in Reverse

Gracie is getting really good at her backward inchworm crawl.


After distancing herself from her toys she whines until we pay attention...


...and then she grins and grins while rocking back and forth.


Mom, this floor could sure use a date with a MOP.


Wait, I'm the mop, right? :)

Put Me in, Coach!

G'ma Dorothy and G'pa Harvey bought this hat for Gracie--her first baseball cap! She loves it, even though it's a bit big--if you look closely you'll see the chip-clip that is keeping it fastened. Quite a funny gift coming from Harvey, the former track coach! (We're saving the mitt for her birthday!)