Happy Birthday America

We spent a wonderful 4th of July weekend as a family! On Friday, we attended the Lakewood 4th of July parade, and Grace and Ella loved it. Too bad I forgot my camera because it was so fun to see! We arrived right on time and found a nice spot in the shade. Grace and I took our place on the curb, and she didn't know what to think. Then, she realized they were throwing candy, and she was so excited! Unlucky for us, there were two ornery boys sitting beside us, and they kept swiping all the candy around Grace. After a few minutes of this, I decided to help her out, and she said, "Thank you so much, Mommy! I love candy!" Let's just say she comes by that honestly, and I'm grateful that her daddy is a dentist :) While Ella wasn't into the candy, she did enjoy watching all the floats and happily performed her latest trick--clapping her hands! She figured it out on the 2nd and has been showing off ever since. What a big girl!

Later that day, we headed out to Rockwall for Papa Jim's 4th of July fish fry. The food was yummy and the girls enjoyed being entertained by lots of family and friends. They both loved Uncle Sam...

We wanted to stay for the fireworks, but by 8:30, Ella was beyond ready for bed. She was mad!! But, after we got her buckled into her car seat, she seriously fell asleep in about 30 seconds--before we got out of the driveway! Grace didn't make it much longer, but woke up when we stopped for frozen custard. She was so tired that she didn't even finish hers and quickly went back to sleep. As we were driving in, we could see the fireworks at Fair Park and Lakewood Country Club. Grace woke up and loved all the colors, but she did not like the loud noises. I guess she's still to young to really enjoy fireworks. Maybe next year.

On Saturday, Grace and I had a "GLAM" (Gracie Lula and Mommy) shopping trip. I needed to pick up a couple of things for our trip to Mexico, and Grace was more than happy to accompany me. She insisted that we stop by the mall and Target, and I didn't argue with her.

That afternoon, we played together as a family. Aren't they silly?

Ella is really loving the "new car" as Gracie calls it, and we let Lamby have a turn, also.

Ella is pulling up on everything now and desperately wants to walk.

Our tent has gotten a lot of use lately. We usually keep it upstairs in the playroom, but we brought it into the living room, and Grace and Ella had a blast!

As you'll notice from the pictures, Grace likes running around the house in her panties now. I think it's cute and take as many pictures as I can. One day, I'll embarrass her with these:

Ella has a tooth!

Yea! After lots of fussing, a tiny tooth popped up in Ella's mouth today. She refuses to let me take a picture of it.

Grace is 32 Months Old!

Where have the past 2 years and 8 months gone? Grace is just as precious as ever and continues to amaze us with her sweet spirit and love for life. There is no denying one thing--she is a girly girl! She loves chewing gum (ALL the time), playing dress up and acting like a big girl. Here are some cute pics of her having fun:

How do you like her red hair?

She's too polite to smack her gum and didn't even want to open her mouth for this picture.

She loves pretending to put on Mommy's deodorant, "So my underarms won't be so stinky."

Of course, she also likes Mommy's makeup, especially the lip gloss.

She likes to paint nails (her own and mine).

We continue to savor each day with our first baby girl!

Helping Mommy Cook

Lately, Grace has been very interested in helping me cook dinner. So, while I'm cooking, she likes to make spaghetti "for Daddy." She keeps herself busy by breaking up the noodles, mixing in a little water and stirring away. Last night, we were doing this and I decided to let Ella join the fun. I gave her a couple of pots and a spoon and didn't know if she would really know what to do with them---but, she did! And, she had a blast! Now, she gets to help Mommy cook, too.

Fathers Day Weekend

We spent Fathers Day Weekend in OKC with Poppy and Dori and had an absolute blast! Grace has been wanting to use her Barbie fishing pole for quite some time, so she was happy to try her hand at fishing off the dock. There wasn't a real hook on it the first day, but Poppy helped her get used to casting and reeling it in.

Ella wasn't interested in fishing, but she enjoyed watching the geese on the pond.

Travis didn't come in until Saturday evening, and both girls were so happy to see him! Gracie had just woken up from a nap (hence the panties) and wanted to fish, fish, fish! So, we put a real hook on her fishing pole and baited it with bacon, in less than 30 seconds, she'd caught her 1st fish! She was thrilled with her perch, and her daddy is happy to have found new fishing buddy! For dinner on Saturday, we ventured into downtown OKC. Travis has been wanting to eat at a BBQ place called Leo's ever since he saw it profiled on The Food Network. After driving around lost for a while, we finally found it. It may not look like much, but it was really delicious and made Travis very happy!

I am so blessed to have two amazing dads in my life--Poppy and Travis. Poppy has always been such a wonderful example for me, and I'm incredibly lucky to have married a man that shares such a deep passion for fatherhood. Watching him with Gracie and Ella makes me love him more than I ever thought possible. Ella's shirt says it all: her Dad rocks! Happy Fathers Day!

Here's are some comparison shots of Travis with Ella and two years ago with Gracie:

Ella is 7 Months Old!

Another month goes by, and she just gets cuter and cuter...

Summer Fun

Our summer is off to a great start! We have enjoyed the nice (but hot) weather lately by taking a couple of trips to the Arboretum (to visit the frog fountains) and swimming at Grammie's neighbors' house (Ella's first time in a pool).

Gabby has also taken the girls to the nearby splash park several times, and they're still enjoying their outings to North Park for story time. Ella continues loving the water and doesn't mind getting water in her eyes. Grace, on the other hand, seems to have regressed a bit and doesn't want to swim under water. After trying out the swim school near our house, we didn't like their lack of structure, and tonight we start back at our original school.

Ella just amazes us with her physical abilities. She's sitting up on her own and crawling--at 6 1/2 months! She can even push herself up from her tummy to a sitting position, and she's pulling up on her crib railing. Travis and Gabby have caught her trying to escape--pulled up with her legs through the railing--a couple of times! Yikes! Grace slept in that crib until she was 26 months and never once tried to get out. Even now, when she wakes up in her big girl bed, she calls for us to come get her out. It looks like Ella is not following her lead on this, so we might have to invest in a crib net. Ella also continues to babble. Although I haven't personally heard it, Gabby and Travis have heard her say "mom" and "mama!" Yea! I'm surprised she hasn't said "da da" yet because she is in love with Travis.

Grace continues to speak like no other 2 1/2-year-old I've ever known. Here are some funny things she's said lately:

1. Grace: "Mommy, you love to pump!" Me: "No, not really. I just do it so Ella will have milk." Grace: "Oh, well, when I grow up, I want a pink pump. Will you buy me a pink pump with pink stars on it?" Me: "Are you sure you want a pink pump?" Grace: "Yes. I would love a pink one!" Me: "Okay, I'm going to remember this when you have babies."

2. Grace: "Mommy, what's wrong with your panties? Oh, they're stuck in your tiny hiney. I will get them out for you." Me: Unable to speak, but laughing hysterically. Travis: "Gracie. That's called a G-string." Grace: "When I grow up, I can have a G-string, too?" Me: "Sure. When you grow up you can have one, too."

3. She's also entered the "why" phase. Me: "Gracie, it's time to get ready for bed." Grace: "Why?" Me: "Because it's almost 8:00." Grace: "Why?" Me: "Because it was 7:00 and after that comes 8:00." Grace: "Why?" Me: "Because that's just how time works." Grace: "Why?" Me: "Come on, let's just go upstairs." Grace: "Okay."

4. Grace: "Mommy, God made me?" Me: "Yes, Sweetheart. God made you." Grace: "Mommy, what is my God's name?" Me: "Well, you can call him God or Jesus." Grace: "And my God lives in my heart?" Me: "That's right." Grace: "Oh, good. I can feel Him there." Me: Speechless, overwhelmed, and thankful that God gave me such a precious gift in her, and that I'm at least doing some things right in being the mother He wants me to be.

The Story of Cast Off Day

Again, I apologize for the delay in posting, but we've been moving full speed ahead since Grace's cast came off on May 20. So, here's the full story. After nearly 6 weeks in the body cast, Tuesday, May 20 was met with much anticipation. Travis and I and Poppy took Grace to Children's for an 8:15 a.m. appointment. She was very excited, but nervous at the same time. As we waited for our name to be called, she curiously checked out the other kids, many of whom had casts on and others who had just gotten them off. When it was finally our turn (or so we thought), we got moved to yet another waiting room and then finally to the x-ray room. Grace did NOT want to be put down on the table, but the nurses were really great. They said they couldn't believe that she didn't smell bad because most kids in body casts for 6 weeks show up really stinky. That's a testament to how rigorous Dori and Gabby were with sponge baths and diaper changes. Something else they couldn't believe--we potty trained her in the cast! Yep, no more diapers for Grace- YIPEE!!

After the x-ray, we were sent back to the waiting room. Grace was still really nervous, especially when she could hear other kids getting their casts off in the next room. That saw is really loud and was met with lots of screaming. After a while, they called us into an exam room, where they looked at her x-ray and proclaimed that her leg was healed! So, off to the "cast-off room" for us.

Now, this was the terrifying part. The nurse could tell Grace was scared, so she said, "Don't worry, Sweetie, it's just like a vacuum cleaner." I'm sure she was trying to be comforting, but this was not the right thing to say to a child who absolutely hates vacuum cleaners. Grace immediately broke into tears. They asked her to lay flat on the table, so Travis and I stood behind her. He covered her ears, and I held her hands. She basically screamed bloody murder the entire time he was sawing her cast off. It took a while because he had so much to cut. After a couple of attempts and some prying, the cast was off! Grace dried up her tears and told the tech, "You did a great job, but I'm ready to go home now!" He laughed and told her he loved her pink sparkly shoes. She replied, "You can get some at Target!" Yes, she must have inherited this disease from me. If someone gives me a compliment about something I got at Neiman's, I would never tell them where I bought it. But, if it's from Target (or Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, Forever 21, etc), I can't help but blurt it out. Like mother, like daughter.


After the cast came off, Grace was very uneasy. They said her leg would probably be sore and that it might take her a while to start walking normally again. They were right. She said it was still broken and wasn't excited at all. When we got home, she just wanted to cuddle with me. Then, she wanted her legs covered with the pink leopard blanket again and wouldn't take her hands off them. She didn't want to eat and was really fussy again, kind of like she was when she first came home in the cast.

She's definitely had a tough time walking. Her tiny legs looked even tinier outside of the cast, and she lost a lot of muscle tone. She couldn't stand on her own for a while because she didn't have any balance. A couple of things that helped were the walker and the jumparoo (Ella's favorite things), so we let her hang out in those for a while each day. It's been a slow process, but after almost 3 weeks, she's finally walking unassisted. Her hip and knee are still stiff at times, but she's almost back to normal. More posts about what we've been doing since cast off day to follow.