Christmas Day

When we finally got home from our week long trek across the state we were both terribly sick.  Between staying up all night and eating lots of sugar/unhealthy food we were done.  I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed!
Christmas morning we got out of bed around 8:30 and went out to help Gracie open her gifts.  We decided not to get gifts for each other this year though we did have a few things from my family to open up.  She was so funny when she saw her toys under the tree.  I didn't wrap many things and so when she walked out there she had the biggest grin on her face and she ran over to the tree. 

We spent the morning opening presents and drinking lots of fluids.  It was a wonderful Christmas.  Gracie loved everything she got but, her very favorite was from My mom and Shel- The princess walker/bike.  OH MAN.  That toy is her pride and joy.  She will walk around pushing her bike, find wherever we are, and then just sit on it and wait for us to push her around.  She cracks me up. 

Since Christmas Gracie has been talking more and more and walking all the time now.  She is trying to run but can't quite get it yet...give her a couple of days :) I can't believe my baby is almost a year old!  Merry Christmas everyone.

It's Christmas Eve!

 For Christmas Eve this year we were with Beau's family.  It was so much fun!  The entire day ended up being such a wonderful time.We started off the day with a trip to the ice skating rink.  It was a blast.  I hadn't been ice skating in years.  Sadly, they wouldn't let us skate and hold the baby so luckily Aunt Stacie was there and she played with the baby so we could skate.  Thanks again Stacie!!  We had so much fun skating around together. 

When we got back home we put the baby down for a nap and started to play a game of tripoly.  While playing we also watched Christmas movies, munched on veggies and got dinner ready.  We had a very yummy dinner of Steak, potatoes, salad, beans, rolls, and a pear cobbler for dessert.  It was so good. 

After dinner we all settled down to hear dad read the Christmas Story and to talk about the miracle of Jesus.  It was such a special moment to hear him read Luke 2 and then discuss the choir of Angles that were there when that happened.  I hope I was one of those angels singing at the top of my lungs Glory to God! 

When that was over we went to the more commercial side of Christmas and opened the gifts.  We had Jens and Tiffany this year and they had us.  The boys got Gracie the most DARLING purple batman shirt and a little duck that has a string and it walks with you.  So much fun. They also got us a cocoa maker, cups, cocoa, and some yummy goodies, all wrapped up so beautifully.  Mom and Dad got us a cast iron pot, blanket, a majhong set, etc.  It was a wonderful Christmas.  Gracie wore her red Christmas dress that Grandma got her and boy did she look so beautiful.  We had an amazing Christmas eve and we are so grateful for the love that we felt while we were with everyone. 

Swim Time!

Beau used to swim in high school.  He swam competitively for three years and he loved it!  The Ben Lomond swim team holds an alumni swim meet every year in December where the alumni swim team compete against the current high school swim team.  It is always so much fun to participate in for all of us. 

Beau is the one in the middle.

Christmas time is here...

Beau's amazing artwork for Christmas

Our little home all lit up for Christmas

 As we prepared for the Christmas holiday we realized that we had packed our schedules super full.  We were going to go to Moab for the beginning of the week to help my mom move out of her house and then we would be back in Ogden for Christmas Eve, and finally back to Logan for Christmas Day.The night before we left we had a house full of people over to eat turkey and celebrate the holidays.  It was so wonderful.  We love our friend here in Logan and are blessed to have them all in our lives. 

We headed down to Moab after spending two days battling a stomach bug, and arrived on Sunday night.  We were blessed enough to stay with my best friends mom and let me tell you, going there is like going to my second home.  I love her parents so much and I love their home.  I honestly consider her a second mother to me and being at her house always makes me happy.  I also get to see my best friend who lives in Moab so it's definitely a win win situation.  Our time in Moab was a whirlwind but, a wonderful one.  It was very bittersweet helping pack up my childhood home.  I stood in the kitchen imagining all the times I had friends over to cook with me.  I looked in my bedroom and remembered summer nights when I would leave my window wide open to let in the desert breeze.  Dates, parties, girl night out's, family dinners, etc...it was hard to let go. But, change in inevitable right?  I guess you can't hold on forever.  We had the opportunity to see my friend Cassie and her wonderful family and that was such a blessing.  I miss her and her listening ear soooo much.  I can't wait to go back and see her again. It was also great to spend quality time with my wonderful family.  We miss them.  Gracie had a wonderful time with her girl cousins.  Emily was thrilled to have Beau there, in fact, she made him play barbies with her stating "but you have to be a girl because I don't have any boy barbies" heheh.  Eventually though, we had to say goodbye and return back to Ogden.  It was hard to leave and we are already planning when we can go back.

rockin around the Christmas tree

Finally I caught her walking escapades on video!  It's kind of dark but, you get the jist.  Isn't she the most beautiful, darling, fun baby in the world?

Ten Months

My Beautiful Queen is almost eleven months old I have forgot to tell everyone all the amazing things she can do!

She loves to play in the Tupperware drawer.  She will literally spend an hour sitting in the drawer, looking at Tupperware piece by piece, and then throwing it on the floor.  It is her very favorite game.

She has started this new thing where she totally ignores me.  She she will look away while I am trying to talk to her and then she sort of turns her eyes back to me.  It is hysterical until it drives me nuts.

If she doesn't want to eat, she sticks her tongue out so the food falls.  Real cute.

She loves to dance to any kind of music or beat.  Even if it's just my singing she is grooving the whole time.

She loves to say her words: Hello, Hi, Papa, Mama, Love you, no, etc.  She is a very good talker and we are working with her more on that every day.

She will walk, but only if I don't try and make her.  It can be very frustrating at times for me but, she will start running when she's ready.

She gets really excited when we go to get her out of her crib when she wakes from her nap.  She will bounce up and down laughing until I get in there and go to grab her and then she will drop down and crawl to the corner as fast as she can so I can't reach.

She loves to laugh.  We spent most of our days laughing at nothing.

She makes this monkey face and goes "ooh ooh ooh" it is hysterical and I have no idea where she learned it from.

She will smile her famous smile at anyone.  We have a hard time getting through the grocery store because everyone wants to stop and jabber with her.  She will go through the whole store yelling "HI" to anyone who will listen.

Her very favorite game of all time is Peek-a-boo.  She will play it with anyone or anything.  Even if they don't play back.

We love our little darling.  She is so much fun.  Gracie is breaking four top teeth at once right now and man is she ornery but, she still manages to make us smile all the time.  Beau and I are just busy like normal.  Nothing new for us.  He works and is finishing up school and I am home with the babe.  We got our house all decorated for Christmas and it looks beautiful.  So far Gracie doesn't even care that the tree is up.  We have a train that goes around the base and she cares more about the train than she does about the tree.

We had a  really good Thanksgiving this year.  We went to Beau' parents house and had a wonderful feast and then played games with the family.  It was really great to see Connor and Logan.  They are such little miracles and to watch them play is just a joy.  Gracie loves them both but, Logan is her favorite.  She will do whatever he does and follow him around.  It is such a sweet thing to see Logan play with her.  Everywhere Connor and Logan go, Logan with turn around and say "come on Gracie lets go".  It is DARLING. She really thinks he is the bees knees.  At the beginning of the month we had our family home evening and Gracie was taking a bath.  Both of the twins were dying to get in.  Beau was the one bathing Gracie and so as we are all in the living room we hear Beau yell "Jens, Logan wants to get in the bath with Gracie" So Jens, knowing that they were going home soon says "Logan why don't we take a bath when we get home." and then we hear Beau yell "umm Jens, he is already naked" hahahaha so we run in there and apparently he had just stripped down and was about to jump in when Beau yelled for Jens.  It was so funny.  Those two boys are so well behaved and such good sharers.

My mom gave us an umbrella stroller and you know, if you can't find Gracie she is probably climbing on something.

Daddy teaching Gracie to do a pull up

Beau's amazing window art for Thanksgiving.  He is so talented!

Her favorite place to be!

Gracie helping to hand ornaments to momma as we decorate our tree

Gracie with her favorite people ever

once again, couldn't find her and then I realized I left the bathroom door open.

She is such a goof

We got to go to Moab earlier this month and it was wonderful.  We stayed with my very best friend Janece and her daughter Addisen.  It was so fun...almost too much fun.  I sometimes forget that I am not nearly as young as I used to be and really, staying up until 4:00am the first night, 2:00am, the second, and 1:00am the third, plus waking up with a baby, isn't the smartest thing we have ever done but, oh the memories.  I loved  being there and it was fun to see Gracie and Addisen play together. 

Addisen and Gracie looking for toys

This month has been filled with ups and downs as usual, sometimes it feels like more ups than downs, but we will continue to persevere.  I will try my hardest to be better at blogging.  The days just go so fast that by the time evening is here, the baby is sleeping, and I am in bed, all I want to do is go to sleep.  Ahh well, that is what you get for chasing a baby around.