First Story Time

Today was such a special, fun day! My mom and I took Grace to story time at the library. Lance and I both love books (almost as much as my mom :). I've been so excited that Grace loves them too! She's at the age were she definitely has a say in which book she wants read and she'll let you know it too if you choose a different one :) Some of the gifts we have received for Grace that I love the most are books - The Giving Tree being one of my all-time favorites, although Grace is a wee bit young for that one! Her current favorites are anything Elmo, DOG, Mary had a Little Lamb, her ABC books, Baby Cakes, and Mama, Where Are You? . I asked Lance what his favorite book was as a child and he said Dr. Seuss, especially one about the zoo, although he couldn't remember the exact title. I don't remember what mine was, but I do remember loving La Pequena Lulu (Little Lulu). So if you read this, drop me a line and let me know your favorites - I'm always looking for great books!

Here's Grace waiting for story time Grace loved the songs in between the two books the storyteller read. She actually protested when each of the songs was over! She was such a trooper, too - especially since she'd skipped her nap so we could make it to the library on time.

And some sweet ones...Grace with Noonie Mama and Grace Great memories for sure!

Today, Noonie taught Grace some new words: "doctor" and "neck" (a little background, Noonie retired from her medical practice as a pediatrician/neonatologist when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Grace, hence the significance of the word "doctor" :)

The extended version :)

Thanks, mom! So sweet!!!

A new park

Grace loves being outside, so Saturday morning (before the temperature hit scorching numbers), I took her to the grounds of a local art museum. She loves running around all over their grounds and picking little blades of grass or sticks. It's so nice that with all the trees it's really shady and quiet. Since it was a spur of the moment decision to break up our errand run, I didn't have a chance to pack up a picnic, but I'll have to next time (picnics are hands down my favorite, especially in early spring and during autumn with all the leaves changing colors - so dreamy!).

Enjoying Nature
Wanting to (take) "picchoo". I let Grace press the camera button a few days ago and now all she wants to do when she sees the camera is take pictures. She comes running toward me with her finger sticking out ready to press the button! Clearly, not ready to leave!

To continue our 4th of july weekend fun, we decided to take Grace to a local park that she had never been to. We have a local park that's designed for easy access by children in wheelchairs. Such a neat concept, I think! Grace had fun checking things out and playing with other children.

Hmmm...this is new. I like this xylophone!!! I like this new type of swing. I think I'll call it my spaceship! (clearly this swing is designed for bigger kiddos :) Meltdown Alert!
Running away from Mama and Daddy 'cause I don't want to leave!!! Thankfully, a sippy cup of ice cold water and some goldfish averted this tantrum :)

Celebrating Independence Day

We had a fun 4th of July weekend. For the 4th, we decided to have a little get together at our house. Lance had been out of town for work the whole week so it was great to have him home to celebrate as a family. He grilled and I baked - great combination for us :) Lots of our friends stopped by and Grace had a blast hanging out with all the kids. Lance even set up our very own "backyard water park" for the kiddos to splash in. Unfortunately, as I was chasing kids for most of the day, I didn't get to take too many photos, but here's a few fun ones.

Yummy Patriotic Cupcakes Daddy, are the burgers ready yet? Now, this is a different kind of flag Hmmm...I wonder how it works? There, I figured it out! Playing with Madeline Michelle with Maye and Beau - I just love seeing everyone with their red, white, and blue! Hanging out with Daddy - Now since when did purple and gold become 4th of July colors? LOL, can you tell who's a die hard LSU fan???!! Finally, cake! Mama's little (smirking) pumpkin Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th!

Sweet Little Pixie

Recipe for a cute pixie picture:

1 part oooey gooey, chubby-cheeked, cute-as-can-be, blue-eyed little pumpkin named Grace (MAIN INGREDIENT)
1 part sweet little outfit by Cammie of My Little Fairytales
1 part "tweet tweet" pretend birdie (aka MAIN INGREDIENT's current obsession)
1 part distractionary silk flower (works great to keep little hands busy)
1 part beautiful location on the grounds of local art gallery
1 part digital camera with fast shoot feature and LOTS of free memory card space (100 frames = 3-5 hard copy keepers)
1 part accomplice, ahem, I mean doting grandma named Noonie willing to pretend to be a bird flying through the air, complete with arm movements (SECRET FLAVOR guaranteed to bring on sweet smiles from MAIN INGREDIENT and belly twitching laughs from last ingredient)
1 part mama with a love of photography, but most of all, an undying love of MAIN INGREDIENT

Combine together, add a dash of humor and persistence, mix in a sprinkling of fairy dust and POOF! you'll get a sweet moment caught in time!

P.S. Everytime I see a fabulous photo of a child taken by a professional photographer, I'm reminded of all it takes to snap that perfect shot and feel a deep sense of respect and admiration for their talents and skills.
P.P.S. Now, if only I could get hubby to understand my photo obsession and why professional photos cost $$$, THAT would be an accomplishment :)

Blueberries, Playhouse, and "Sparkle"

I've been having a hard time brushing Grace's teeth. I tried the automatic toothbrush the pediatrician said to get and it worked for a while until Grace decided it was more fun to put her little finger on it, "ET phone home" style, than have Mama brush her teeth with it. Next came a little pink toothbrush with ladybugs, but she'd rather point to the ladybugs and say "bugs", than have it in her mouth. Finally last week I spotted a mini pink tube of baby Orajel gum cleaning gel in the baby aisle at Target and BINGO! it had a picture of Elmo. Armed with my Elmo "toothpaste" I decided this might just do the trick. So that night after her bath, I pulled out the pink brush and pink Elmo gel and Grace just smiled with excitement. She let me brush her teeth, gums, tongue - you name it! (Now, I realize you're probably thinking, why is she writing about this. Well, if you're a mom, then you understand how excited we get over these little everyday accomplishments. Plus, I've never had a cavity, so I'd like to instill good hygiene early on :) ) I also told Grace, now you can sparkle! And she took the bait! So everytime I say to her, "show me how you sparkle", this is what I get: Not bad, huh?

Sunday afternoon, Noonie brought over blueberries that one of their neighbors had grown. They were delicious! Grace had never tried them before and when she did, she puckered up and made a face at the "balls" as she called them! Along with the Elmo toothpaste, I picked up this pop up playhouse on sale at Target last week. At first Grace wouldn't go in it, but once Noonie went inside, she figured it was safe and happily climbed in Noonie's lap for her favorite "a,b" book. I can just picture the girlie sleepovers to come!

Weekend Fun - Part II

Tales from the Crib~

Picture this: Mama tucks in a sleepyhead Grace for an afternoon nap, although it's a little later than her usual time. Grace decides sleeping means she's missing out on something fun and refuses to nap. After about 20 minutes of fussing, Daddy gives in and goes to get Grace since it's obvious 1) she's not going to sleep and 2) if she DID fall asleep now, it would mess up her bedtime since it's close to 5PM. Grace (relieved that Daddy rescued her from that mean old crib) sees Mama and excitedly says, "Mama!"
Mama: "You didn't take a good nap. You're going to be sleepy, tired, and grouchy later."
Grace: "I happy."
Oh, my! She's only 15mo. old!! What are we in for???!!!

So we quickly switched plans and decided to have some good old fashioned backyard fun. Check out Grace's hands. Can you see a trend? Grace LOVES holding on to stuff. She calls these her "tools". Love those piggy tails! Fun in the summertime

Weekend Fun - Part I

I just love the extended daylight hours! Makes me feel like we have extra time to do fun things! Now, if I could do something about the heat...Anyhow, Grace had so much fun this weekend. She loved playing with this air ball toy until she figured out that just holding on to the balls was even more fun! Mimi to Grace: How does it work, Grace?
Grace: Press right here, Mimi! Thanks for the cute outfit, Mimi!

Saturday, we went to Madeline's birthday party at a video arcade. I can't believe my sweet goddaughter is already 5 years old!! My, how fast they grow! I remember holding her when she was just moments old...sweet memories, for sure.

The birthday girl Make a wish! Grace loved riding in this car! By the way, that's Uncle Brian (Madeline's dad) laughing in the corner! Playing with Daddy HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, MADELINE!!! Aunt Jessica loves you!