Ni Hao Brown Cow!

GOTCHA DAY 2008

Wow. Wow. Wow. Two years with my baby girl. What a happy celebration!! Gracyn was very specific about her Gotch Day. She requested a "big, pink, strawberry cake and fluffy pink icing just like Ruby's...and I want sprinkles and pink candy!" Ask and she shall receive. And she also had "noodles" (Lo Mein) for dinner and capped off the evening "peddling" with her family on her brand new PINK tricycle.

You want the moon Baby? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it!!

WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN YESTERDAY!!!!

Who's in Charge Here????

Well, it's official - summer is again upon us and yet, it's too chilly to swim which is driving my little girl up the wall! Although we attended a graduation party last evening at a house with a pool. Apparently my opinion that it was too chilly to submerge my two year old was a bit old-fashioned as every other parent there with a child carted in swimsuits and water wings right along with their gradutaion gift. Gracyn was ticked and responded to her prude of a momn by stepping into the pool in her new capri outfit., However, mere seconds passed before she was wailing that it was too cold. So, mommy scopped her up and wrapped her soggy babe in a towel as 150 people frowned at me - presumably thinking I hadn't been paying attention as my daughter toppled into the pool. Not true - I watched the whole thing amused and wishing I had a camera. Yes, Gracyn is the president of the family. She's a little bossy but the ultimate joy. Just check out the "I'm in Charge" look on her face in the pics below....

Tiny Bubbles

What a beautiful day in central Ohio - 82 degrees, sunny and bubbles galore! It was such an exciting day that Gracyn wouldn't go down for a nap, though we tried for over an hour. But bubbles will do that to a girl, who are we kidding??? I hope the sun is shining where you are!!

Spring is in the Air!!

This morning Gracyn woke up and said, "What do ya want to do today mommy?" The possibilities are endless now that the sun is FINALLY out! Take that Seasonal Depression!!! Away with you!

Life is good here and we have been keeping busy over these past grey months with frequent trips to the library, MOPS group, play group, Chinese playgroup and the endless trips to the kids area at the local mall (...I refer to this as the rotovirus pit but it passes the time nonetheless).

Gracyn is such a talker - and her obsession with Dora has given way to a passionate affair with Max and Ruby. Personally, Ruby drives me nuts, though without her, I would never get any housework completed.

It was a bit of a chore to begin to leave Gracyn in the nursury twice a month - you would have thought that I was sending her to a torture chamber for two hours of hell. But alas, she has come to enjoy the group and refers to it as going to school.

I hope the season is springing to life wherever you are - until next time -

  This is Gracyn and Daddy in Florida where they met a friendly turtle!

We're Baaaaaack!!!

Wow. I am not a blogger. My apologies to our friends who check in on us periodically only to find we are stuck in Halloween mode. Life is crazy and mama is lazy  - what can I say?!!

Rest assured all is well in our home and the holidays and new year were great to us. Gracyn is so much company and so amazing - she is like a four-year-old in a two-year-old's body - she talks clearly and constantly and carries on conversations like a chiikld much older. She loves puzzles, playing kitchen, and all things Dora. For Christmas she received a trampoline and a doll house which has kept us busy during these cold weeks. We slipped up to the lake last weekend with family for sledding and toboggoning fun and we have made frequent trips to see Grammie & Papa and sister Kya at Ohio State. But enough chatter - see for yourself how she is growing! (We are finally in 24 months clothing and size 5 diapers and she's tipping the scale at 26 lbs!!!!) Mommy just tips the scale.....

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Happy Hauntings!

I love this time of year and I love it even more seeing it all thru Gracyn's eyes. This week was full of Fall fun and Halloween parties - and we haven't even finished her costume yet! She is entralled by any and all pumpkin patches and loves to go out and light her pumpking each night. Never one to be grossed out, her favorite Halloween candy thus far are Gummy Eyes - yuck! Every day she says, "Mommy, I want more eyes!" Hope your week is frightfully exciting!

FALLING for Fall

Can I just express to everyone in blogging land how much I LOVE this time of year? The weather is excellent, the house is cozy, the Buckeyes are undefeated, and my little punkin' s personality is as colorful as the turning trees.

As usual our mundane life has mysteriously become packed with activities ranging from gymnastics (yea, that's right, my little girl who couldn't hold her own head up 15 months ago is the Queen of the Beam!) to four, count 'em FOUR Halloween parties on the schedule. I have been working feverishly on her witch costume and am now wondering if it would have been easier, if not cuter, to just buy one. I wanted to make it because I figure my window of opportunity is short - next year I'll be buying some Disney character upon her insistance I'm quite sure. So I thought I would seize the opportunity to make her costume like my mother painstakingly made mine. Two tubes of glitter fabric glue and a few burnt glue gun fingers later, I'm rethinking that decision....

In the meantime, here are some fall pics from this week - Baking and playing with Carson (my step-grandson), gymnastics, modeling her new cape, etc. Enjoy!

We're Back!!!!

Well, we slipped into Blogging oblivion but after a long hiatus, we have returned. What a packed summer we had. Brithdays at the lake, a week at the beach, a trip to NYC, and so much more! Fall is just as busy as Gracyn has started gymnastics and is busy with her new puppy. She talks so much and is so bright - she amazes me daily. It's like having a four-year-old instead of a two year old. She has quickly become my best friend and I can't imagine life with her! Look how she has grown!

Where has the summer gone?

I can't believe it has taken me sooooo long to sit down and post to my beloved blog. But between trips to the lake, Grammie's and NYC, I haven't had a moment (...or if I have, I haven't spent it on the computer!) I guess the best way to convey what life has been like is to skip the small talk and get right to the pictures. But before I do, I must say what a fabulous trip we had to New York where we reunited with travel-mates Lucy & Tommy and their princess, Jenna. Those reunion trips are priceless and we were blessed to be able to make that one. Note my favorite pic, of Gracyn at the WTC Ground zero. Also included, a family shot on the top of the Empire State Building.

Also, if you have a prayer in you today and in the days ahead, please add the name of my friend Nikki Clark to the list - she has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer at age 34 and has two small girls and a worried husband.

And on to the pictures - enjoy!   

Let Freedom Ring!!

Happy Belated Fourth to you all! We just returned from a week at the lake in Indiana and it was so much fun! So many family members came and went all week as their schedules allowed and Gracyn was in her element. Talk about a firecracker! She donned a different red, white and blue outfit each day and performed endlessly from her vast repertoire of tricks - jumping, singing her three songs, turning somersaults, and calling everybody by their correct names. She LOVED the fireworks and after each one would motion "more" while saying, "Mommy! More fireworks! More fireworks peas!" She made an appearance at the beach, drove the big boat, swam with Papa and visited Amish country with mommy. She played fairly well with her cousin Benny ( they are two months apart and are either hugging & kissing....or pushing each other and fighting over something stupid like a straw or a poker chip.) We are glad to be home for a few days and will then head back up this coming weekend. Don't you love summer????? Oh, I also must mention that Kya brought her friend Lindsay up with her this week. Lindsay is a gymnast and an instructor and showed Gracyn how she walks on her hands. Gracyn spent the next hour trying her hardest to kick those chubby legs in the air - to no avail (Thank God!) Her eczema continues to frustrate us and isn't any better. But we are fighting a good battle. Does anyone else have this problem? The backs of her knees just bleed at night from her scratching. It breaks my heart. Any advice would be great. (She's seen a dermatologist and her doctor...) Anyway, have a great week!!!