January has flown by at our house.  It seems the days are long but I looked at the calendar last night and realized the month is over!  I cant believe it. 

Most of Grace and my time this month has been spent taking care of Daddy.  Bill had aortic aneursym repair surgery Jan 8 and is recovering very well.  It is a slow recovery process but we are almost there!  Grace is quite the nurse; giving Daddy lots of hugs and kisses, bringing him Gatorade from the fridge, and she even leaves her beloved Blankie with him each morning before going to day care.  She loves to tell people about Daddy's boo-boo and that Blankie is taking care of Daddy. 

It is amazing how much she has grown lately.  I realized that her winter coat my mom bought for her was getting a little small when layered over sweaters.  So I went out assuming I would simply buy her a 4T coat.  Nope.  I had to venture into the "real" kids department for a kids size 5 coat.  No more baby/toddler section for Grace.  It broke my heart just a little.  My baby is growing up.

-Jaime

Time flies when you are having fun!

Grace is having such a great time lately.  She has really turned into a little kid......the baby and toddler stage are drifting away so quickly!!!  Little Miss Independent most of the time but every once in awhile, she will crawl over to us sitting on the couch to curl up and cuddle.  Those are the best moments!

Christmas prep has been a ball this year.  I took Grace to see Santa at the beginning of November.....would she like him or scream in fear?  We werent sure but thought we would give it a try.  Well, she loves him!  I had to peel her away from his chair so that other kids could talk to him.  Grace shared her crackers with him and said over and over "I a good girl, Santa Claus".  I think she got the idea that if she is good, Santa brings toys.  She talks about him all the time and even convinced her Aunt Meggie and MoMo (aka Kathy) to bring her to see the Big Guy again this past weekend. 

She is getting so smart!  Watch what you say near her little ears because immediately after you say something, she will repeat it.  We learned this the hard way!!!!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakah, etc, etc, etc! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

The day started early with Grace insisting on wearing her costume to day care.  There was a party at day care for all the kids and parents but Grace wanted to wear her witch costume all day long, not just the 2 hours for the party. 

Our neighborhood is horrible on Halloween---not many young kids, a ton of older couples with their lights off and no candy to give.  But Grace hit the 5 houses directly around us that do actually celebrate the holiday and did pretty well.  By the last house, she had figured out the whole Trick or Treat thing and loved it. 

Next year we will have to scout out other neighborhoods near us for the good Halloween streets. 

New pictures are posted of the prettiest little witch ever!

I was in Nashville for 9 days the first part of this month for my association's annual conference.  Needless to say, I missed Grace and Bill so much while I was away.  (I did have a good time in TN though!).

It's amazing that 9 days seems like a lifetime in terms of how much a child grows up.  I feel like when I left I had a toddler.  Now that I am back, I have a kid.  Yes, there is a difference.  Grace wants to do everything for herself, has her own ideas and thoughts, and can carry on a full conversation with you about various subjects.  She is so amazing for a 2 year old.  I cant get over it.  Where did the baby girl go?! 

While I was gone, Daddy took Grace to get a haircut and they had a great time meeting the newest baby in our group of friends, Dylan.  From what I hear, Grace was so good with him; kissing him gently and reading a book to him. 

Well, more later.  Mommy is tired and still has 2 loads of laundry to fold!!!!

-Jaime

The past week has been a little rough at our house.  Bill had eye surgery to repair a detached retina last Thursday. While Jaime stayed home for a long weekend of playing Nurse, Grace got to spend 3 nights at her grandparents' house. What a good time she had!  Mommy, of course, packed her bag full of adorable summertime clothes (the cute sundress, shorts and tees, sandals---all appropriate August wear).  The weather took a turn towards Fall.  Yes, Marmee had to take her granddaughter shopping for long pants.  What a shame!!

Grace is a tough one to dress lately.  She definitely has her own opinions about what is pretty and what she does not want to wear or do.  Size-wise, she is a challenge as well.  Somewhere between 2T and 3T is Grace's size.  Mommy is not good with a needle and thread so hemming is out of the question----Grace will simply have to deal with the capri pants look and skirts/dresses this year until her height and weight balance out.  For now, she will just be tall and skinny----there ARE worse things in the world!!    Grace's hair is finally long enough for pigtails though they stick straight out like Pippy Longstockings. 

Now that Grace is home, she is such a good little nurse to her Daddy.  She gives his "boo-boo" kisses and cuddles with him on the couch after day care.  And she is so curious about the eye drops when Mommy gives Daddy his medications.  Its so adorable to watch her take care of her Daddy.  Adorable and oh so sweet!

Pictures Note:  I uploaded a bunch of the professional pictures from Meghan's wedding to the Wedding Folder.  Check them out---what beautiful shots of Miss Grace.

Okay, so Mommy has not updated this site in awhile (sorry!!). 

This past weekend, we went to the beach.  Grace loved it!  The surf was really strong so Mommy was nervous everytime Grace went near the water but she was fearless!!!  At one point, the waves knocked her over, she did a back flip in the water and came up with sand all over her face.  She was laughing hysterically the entire time.  She is definitely just like her Daddy when it comes to the ocean!!!!

A trip to Ocean City would not be complete without a trip to the Boardwalk.  Grace played a game and won herself a stuffed monkey that she carried around on her back for the afternoon.  The newest member of our family also joined the clan at Ocean City----Grace's new pet hermit crab, named ME.  Mommy asked her what his name was and that is all Grace would say so ME it is!!! 

Check out the August pics to see how adorable Grace was for yourself!!!

Happy Birthday Marmee!!  I WUV WU! 

Wow, its been a LONG time since I wrote a new hournal entry.  Summer is always a busy time at the  house! 

June was the craziest month ever!  Bill was in Europe on a work trip for the first half of the month.  He spent 11 days in the wine country of Spain and France.  Grace and I had a good time at home together but we missed Bill a ton!  I now have a whole new respect for single parents!!!!  As soon as Bill return, I was off on work trips as well to Louisville, KY and Atlanta, GA.  Fun times but boy was I glad to just have the whole family together at the end of June. 

Fourth of July was a big party weekend at the house.  Grace had a ball with all her aunts and uncles and buddies around all weekend, playing in the pool with her.  She has become very brave in the water....there is no fear in her!  Mommy has a ton of fear when she is near the water but Grace loves it.  She is catching on pretty quickly to kicking her feet and holding her breath when she dunks.  In fact, her favorite thing to do in the pool is to be thrown between all her uncles and also to jump into someone's arms from the side of the pool.  And yes, she looks adorable in her 50 bathing suits and Barbie sunglasses!   

 What's going on now?  Well Grace has turned into a real KID.  No more baby here.  Every day she is picking up new words and is speaking in full sentences.  She is even able to ask a question, get the answer, and understand consequences (i.e. Naughty Step, courtesy of SuperNanny!).  Its so amazing to watch her grow.

Come visit us soon!!! --Jaime

Last night, Meghan and Chris got married.  And Grace was the flower girl.  All dressed up in her pink dress and matching pink sparkly shoes, she was the prettiest girl there (she and Meghan shared that honor!). 

After spending a few hours playing with all the bridesmaids and the 2 ring-girls, Grace was exhausted by the time the ceremony started so Mommy carried her down the aisle.  However....once she saw Uncle Chris ("K"), Uncle Brian (Buddy), and Daddy standing there, she was off running.  For most of the ceremony, Gracie sat at her Daddy's feet and called out to all the people she could see in the audience.  It was precious---"Hi Papa!!  Hi Bop!  Hey, Papa!! Hi!!!" 

Meghan and Chris were the perfect wedding couple---kind of reminded me of Ken and Barbie actually!!!  We all danced all night and had a great time!!! 

Pictures are posted for all to enjoy under the "Wedding" album on this site.