Idaho

...Sarah Grace will not put down this purse, we had to take it every where we went yesterday...she even napped with it! Gracie had to be in her Nannie's lap while she did her sewing! Between Nana & Poppa's and my Aunt & Uncle's, Sarah Grace got PLENTY of time on the piano. Sarah Grace had a blast pushing Braydon around....handsome boy! Jennifer's boys are so fun to play with! This picture of Corbin and Ella is just precious! Aren't they cute?! Darling, darling kids, we soooo love them! Isn't that hair gorgeous?

Since we took an eleven day trip we thought we would spend some time with family in Idaho! The visit was quick, but we were completely spoiled by my aunt & uncle. I was able to visit with my cousins and their spouses, and play with their adorable children. I stayed up late every night talking to my aunt "Nannie" and doing fun projects with her. I so adore spending time with all of them and Sarah Grace had so much fun! Aunt Melda made some cookies that I'm pretty sure Gracie demolished all on her own. She would walk into the kitchen and ask for cookies. (I need that recipe aunt Melda!) We wore Sarah Grace & Eric out by taking them to a million quilt shops, the DI, and at least 3 or 4 other stores! Eric was able to spend some time with his cousin and he got to see Harry Potter! Thanks for the awesome trip to Idaho...I do miss the cool air at night!

*We did get to see Katrina & Steve...but those pics are for later! I have way too many and too much blogging to do!

Utah trip...part 1

I loved this picture of Gracie at the Parade! Before the parade started, all Sarah Grace wanted to do was play in the rocks! Sarah Grace just ate up her Nana and loved spending time with her! Nothing beats wearing scrambled eggs on your face, right?

Our trip to Utah was absolutely wonderful! We had tons of time with family and some with friends...unfortunately not all of our friends were seen! (So sorry to those I missed, we will be back soon, I promise!) We went to a parade, saw fireworks, visited Ikea, hit a few good restaurants all within the first few days. I have soooo many pictures to post, I'm going to try and break them up a bit if I can! This bunch of pics are from the breakfast that the American Fork Marching Band had and a parade that we saw Aunt Michele in! I also threw in a couple of Gracie hanging out with the fam. She had so much fun while we were there, she was able to learn everyones names and could point to them. She really did get spoiled while visiting!

On our way...

We're all packed and getting things loaded into the car! Just a few more hours and we'll be on our way to SLC! My nerves are at an all time high and I'm not thrilled about flying at all. I think my lack of sleep last night didn't help either. Oh well, hopefully tonight I will get the sleep I need or maybe even a nap on the plane...that would be even better!

Just doing some packing!

If she looks a little doped up, its because she is...we had immunizations the day before, joy!

This is what we have slowly been doing the past few days. I pack, Gracie politely unpacks it for me, then I repack and she plops down in the suitcase! Progress has been slow I guess, but we're getting there! Can I just tell you that I am so not looking forward to our flights. The last two times we have flown with Sarah Grace she has pretty much slept the entire time, but I just keep thinking that this time may be different. Lets just say that Sarah Grace has a set of pipes on her...think Mariah Carey. The girl can hit some pretty high notes and sometimes when she gets angry she goes into a ballad. I don't think the other passengers will appreciate her talents very much. I've packed a special book bag for her to take that has little forms of entertainment and I'm really hoping that they're enough. I guess I'm mostly praying for a sleepy baby. I suppose my anxiety level is pretty high right now, I'm really wishing Eric were a psychiatrist...I could really use something to just "take the edge off." Oh well! Hopefully I can manage to calm down once we arrive. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and spending time with family and friends.

*Also feeling a little concerned about Sarah Grace's hair. Down here in the south she gets lovely little curls in the back, but I'm thinking without the humidity we may be in trouble. She may be rocking a mullet while in Utah...I've already packed her pony tail holders in hopes that she will leave them in for pig tails! No child should rock a mullet...its just not right!

This is not what I want my child to look like while walking the oh so stylish streets of Salt Lake!

18 months

Saturday, I worked a really long shift. It was a pretty busy saturday filled with the usual appointments and cases, mixed in with a few emergencies. When my brain wasn't thinking about medications and catheters, I would let it wander off to think about my Gracie girl. I was reminiscing about how tiny she was and the way she smelled when she was a newborn. That was 18 months ago. My little 6lb infant is now an energetic toddler running around and exploring her world. I'm so grateful that I have this blog to look back at and to help me remember all of the little details about her at each new stage she has entered. She is such a precious baby and I adore her! Wow, I have a 1 1/2 year old!

At 18 months:

*she wakes up saying bow and wants one in her hair immediately, maybe she realizes without one her bangs would be everywhere!

*she is super fast at running away from me, jumping, and climbing

*she is very artistic...loves to color, paint, and draw on her new chalkboard

*Tries to sing along with songs and of course dances like a mad woman

*she is adding new words to her vocab weekly...I'm kind of amazed at how quickly she is picking them up.

*she says cold when you pull her out of the bath or pool and loves to snuggle in her towel

*she tells Scout to "go" when she is being stalked while eating

*she has now figured out that Spurrier is Doot doot and loves to sing her the "doot doot" song!

*she tries so hard to be helpful.

*she is now off of formula...but I think she still prefers it over milk.

*she does great at the gym in the play center...she really loves being with other kids and when I pick her up to leave she waves goodbye to everyone working out on the treadmills. Its hilarious...people love it!

*Went to nursery for the first time today and had a meltdown when Eric made her leave.

*she has 11 teeth now

*loves taking care of her baby dolls

*hates getting out of her car seat and stroller

*loves riding in buggy's especially the car ones at Home Depot and the grocery store.

*she gets a huge smile on her face when you put her shoes on her... I guess she knows she's going somewhere

*loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba & Sponge Bob Square Pants (I kinda forgot how funny that show is...I was tearing up the other day watching it) and of course is OBSESSED with her princess video.

*she is so not a picky eater...favorites include:strawberries, bananas, blueberries, yogurt, cheese, graduates ravioli, peanut butter sandwiches, and scrambled eggs.

*loves reading, brushing her teeth, going for walks, dancing, throwing rocks/balls (left handed), singing, ripping things apart, and hugging/kissing/snuggling.

*she likes to put her arms around you while she falls to sleep

*she is seriously hilarious and keeps us laughing all day long

*So apparently Eric was spying on her while she was in nursery today. He said she went in and sat right down for music time and was really interested in the pictures being shown. When they had coloring time, each child got to pick out a crayon, my sweet baby chose a white one! I guess she didn't really color though, she was too busy collecting and passing out crayons to the other children. During snack time she would walk around and feed the other children. So helpful...haha I got a kick out of that and only wished I was there spying on her too!

Thoughts late at night

Peanut butter sandwich anyone? She's always willing to share!

Eric is snoring pretty bad and I can't sleep, I think I have probably kicked him a dozen times. Kicking usually works, but not tonight! I thought I would just post a few pics from the last week and a half along with some random thoughts.

-Stripped Sarah Grace down tonight for her bath & she took off running which led to diarrhea everywhere!

-I got a new fitted sheet for my bed a few days ago...I love the color, Eric says it doesn't match, but I don't care, it makes me happy!

-Finished another project around the house!

-Realized that we are one day closer to our busy weekend, which means we are that much closer to our trip to Utah next week!

-Realized how much needs to get done before the big trip to Utah!

-Having some anxiety, we have a week between our family vacations this summer, which means I will have one baby who is gonna be so off schedule. (That is off of the schedule that I somewhat keep for her-I'm not really into the whole strict schedule thing, doesn't work for us)

-Currently craving some Honey Nut Cheerios!

-Found the perfect Halloween costume for Sarah Grace online & I even found the fabric! Yay!

-Also currently listening to Eric laugh in his sleep!

-I'm absolutely adoring the stage that Sarah Grace is currently in!

-Noticing that I really need to go to bed...2:30am is not a good bed time!

To celebrate Stephanie's 20th birthday...

I give you 20 reasons why Steph is the coolest!

1. She always has her nails painted and they usually look amazing!

2. Stephanie is not afraid of color...clothes, nails, accessories, they are all bold.

3. She is super smart!

4. She puts others before herself.

5. She bites her tongue when she concentrates or is angry.

6. Stephanie is very diligent about reading her scriptures everyday!

7. Stephanie is an amazing aunt, I think she loves Sarah Grace like her own!

8. She is stubborn and although its annoying, I think its a wonderful trait.

9. Steph lets me boss her around!

10. She is absolutely gorgeous and doesn't see it at all. Really Steph? Are you blind?

11. She is quick witted and calls you out when you are being dumb!

12. Stephanie has the BEST shoes...I love her pumps and her calves always look great in them.

13. She has adorable curly hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

14. She is always willing to do whatever crazy or stupid thing I have conjured up in my head.

15. She is very protective of her family and would do anything for them!

16. Stephanie is loyal to her friends and always sees the positive in people!

17. She is my other half (the better half would be Eric) even though we can be opposites in some ways...I need her!

18. She is going to be an excellent wife and mother someday.

19. Stephanie could eat cereal 3 times a day if you let her!

20. Stephanie is the greatest sister anyone could ask for and I love her dearly!

Happy Birthday Stephanie, sorry we couldn't be there to party with you tonight!