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.  

Heart Broken

Lacie Jo with newly born Gracie Leigh and Me.

I have a wonderful friend named Lacie Jo Robinson.  She is one of those people that is nice to everyone.  She radiates love, kindness, service, charity, beauty, and perseverance.  Ever since the first time I met her in the old 27th ward we have been great friends.  We were in the same classes and so we got to sit by each other and become close.  Lacie is the type of person you aspire to be like.  She is truly an amazing person.  Lacie and I graduated together and traveled to Disney Land together.  We are like soul sisters.  We were meant to be friends. 

When I found out I was pregnant I struggled a lot.  Lacie was one of the first people we told and she supported me through it all.  I had a lot of opposition, especially amongst family, about my pregnancy but I always had a shoulder to lean on with Lacie.  We always joke that I named Gracie after Lacie :) Gracie has loved Lace since the very beginning of her life. 

As I sit here and hold my beautiful little ten month old baby I can't help but choke back the tears.  My heart is just breaking.  This wonderful woman I have told you about has gone through more in her short 25 years than anyone I personally know.  She has not only had to bury one child, but two.  It breaks my heart to think of the pain and turmoil she has had to suffer.  I feel like Lacie deserves to be a mother more than any woman I know.  She is already to a mother to so many.  She takes care of everyone's children as if they were her own children.  It takes a special woman to do that. 

I don't know what the Lord has planned for Lace.  Sometimes, when I pray for her, I just wonder why someone would have to go through all of this.  She must be being prepared for something miraculous.  She already is miraculous.  What I do know is that her angel babies are waiting for her.  They were born on this earth perfect and they returned to Heavenly Father just as perfect.  They were more righteous that this world was prepared for.  They didn't need to be tested because they were elect spirits of God.  So why must it hurt so bad?  I wish I would take some of the pain away for Lacie.  She doesn't deserve the heartache and trials.  So all I can do is pray and ask that you all pray too.  Pray for Lacie and Tayce.  They are two of the most gentle, kindhearted people you would ever meet in your life.  Know that if asked, they would do the same for you.

So today I will complain a little less that my daughter is teething and crying all day, and I will sit with her on the floor and hold her a little closer knowing that I am very lucky to get to be a mother.  And I will say another prayer for Lacie, Tayce, and little Alice who returned home to be with our Heavenly Father and her brother so they can wait together for their momma and poppa to come to Heaven and be with them for eternity. 

baby love

The most beautiful child in the world lives at my house! Can you believe it? And yes, she is as perfect as she looks. :)

Happy Halloween!

Beau and I LOVE Halloween. It is our favorite holiday. We usually celebrate all month and do lots of festive things. This year the month of October has been busy and I was sick for most of it. But, the week before Halloween we managed to get some good fun in.

We went to the Pumpkin Walk this year with The Ashcrofts and The Palmers. I was so tired and still getting over my chest cold/pneumonia so I wasn't in the best mood but, Gracie loved it. The local farmers donate lots of pumpkins to different organizations around Logan and then they get carved and put together in scene's. This year the theme was "the magic of animation". It was so cool to see things like The Muppets, Finding Nemo, etc carved out of pumpkins! Stupidly though I didn't take my camera. To see pictures of the pumpkins go to www.pumpkinwalk.com

Beau didn't have to work one day this week because of snow so, we put on our warmest clothes and began to do our tradition of painting the window for the holidays. Beau is an amazingly talented artist and he free drew the picture and then I helped fill in. Everyone in our ward that drove by was so impressed at his talent. I was also very very impressed.
On friday night we went with our friends to a huge costume party at one of their friends house. It was a blast. This year I was Wendy Darling, Beau was Peter Pan, and Gracie was Tinkerbelle. We got a babysitter from the ward to come over and we got to hang out for a couple of hours with just some adults. It was GREAT! We had a wonderful time.

On Saturday we went to our wards trunk or treat. It was raining so we held it in the gym. All the kids were dressed so darling but, the cutest one of all was this little green Tinkerbelle. She loved grabbing candy out of people's bowl it was so cute!

Today, as in the real Halloween, we are watching movies, carving pumpkins, eating soup, and making caramel apples. Happy Halloween everyone!!

Spaghetti Night

When I was a little girl I loved spaghetti night. It was my very favorite meal. I would fill both of my fists with spaghetti and shove it in my mouth as fast as I could until a nice orange ring would form on the lower part of my face. I am happy to announce that Gracie loves spaghetti as much as I did and still do. She was so funny the other night when we gave her noodles for the first time. She tried to eat her bowl and then she dug right in. Good thing she isn't afraid to eat!

9 months old

Today, my darling, you are nine months old. Where did the time go? You are getting so big and I can't seem to stop time from moving. I have now almost had you in my arms as longs as I had you in my belly :) What a precious blessing you have been in our lives. At nine months you have many things you like to do.
- stand
-crawl super fast
-eat all foods....and lots of it! I think you must have a hollow leg because I don't know where you put the food.
-grab fists full of cheerios and stuff them in your mouth until your cheeks are bulging.
-laugh- you are so silly all the time
-crawl away when momma comes to get you
-put everything in your mouth
-smile so big whenever anyone is around
-clap your hands
-read stories-well I guess I should say you like to EAT stories...we never get through a story before the book is in your mouth
-play with kids your size
-watch the dog play catch- you think he is so silly
-sit with mom
-be tickled by daddy
-talk all day long- words you can say "no" "momma" "dadada" and then lots of blabble
-playing peek-a-boo- in fact, you will play peek-a-boo with anyone around, including the dog.
-give momma kisses

You don't really like taking naps and you still aren't a fan of the car seat. Ahh well, maybe when we can turn you around you will love it.

Milestones as of 10/11/2010- you took your first THREE steps today without anyone holding onto you or helping at all. You just stood up and walked. You amaze me every day my darling child.

3rd anniversary

You are the Cheese to my Macaroni'.....

the Peanut Butter to my Jelly...

The Sugar to my Cookie.....
The French to my Fry.......

The Fruit to my Loop.....
the marshmallow to my smore'...
the hand to my glove...
the twinkle to my star
the remote to my tv
the stem to my apple
the seeds to my orange
the music to my song
the stars to my nebula

And I can't think of anyone I would rather share my eternity with.
Happy Anniversary Beau James
I love you