Angie and Gracie

Santa Monica 2010 (May?)

2010-06-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the Santa Monica beach I think at the end of May. It took forever to drive there as everywhere in CA does, but it was worth it...

I had to play this game...reminds me of all those times I played it with my little buddy Josh.

She won a banana!

This was at home after the beach.

Her faces make me laugh!

Ferris Wheel at the beach.

In Need of an Update...May 2010

2010-06-10T09:59:00.001-07:00

So May was pretty uneventful but that's a good thing :)

This is Gracie being brave on the rope at gymnastics!!!

New goggles :) Ha ha.

She's got a lot of new tricks!!!

A New Start at Life...

2010-05-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Laguna Beach with the family :)

2010-04-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

These are from Laguna Beach. We took my brother and his family to the beach after the Easter Egg hunt on Saturday...

Brooke and Reagan.

Gracie and Reagan.

Pretending to eat the seaweed for my brother.

Burying Reagan.

The first of many posts...

2010-04-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

So these pictures are kind of out of order and the Easter and beach pictures will be a different post. My brother, sister in law, and niece came to visit over Easter and we had so much fun! Now I've got a sick little girl with a fever, cough, double ear infection and pink eye!!! Bummer.

Swimming...just as we were lifting my brother into the hot tub there was an earthquake! We however did not feel a thing.

Palm springs zoo...the girls being crazy as usual!

Their first hug in a couple months.

They love each other!

Playing the Wii

Dressing up!

That's my girl with the big lips!

Dying eggs

Making cookies.

Playing with Papa.

Swimming!

The zoo.

Butterfly Garden at the zoo...

Gracie gettingprincess treatment before the zoo.

The girls and my mom (Pubby to the girls).

My brother showing off!

Gracie waiting for them to come from the airport!

swimming

2010-03-30T14:34:00.001-07:00

2010-03-30T14:22:00.001-07:00

Video of Sledding

2010-03-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sledding in CA!

2010-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, thanks to are awesome friends, Lucy, Tim, Sebastian, and Sasha we were able to go sledding today in Forest Falls, CA. Now the snow is not like Utah's, but it's snow :)

That's my girl in the funny hat :)

Laguna Beach

2010-03-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today we went out to Laguna Beach on the spur of the moment with some friends. We had a blast here are the pictures...

The Start of the Easter Projects...

2010-03-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as many of you know, we are not exactly the most religious family you know. However, we do participate in most holidays! I have found that Easter has many, many fun projects, so here is just the start of what's to come :)

St. Patrick's Day parade at gymnastics. Where did this girl come from?! I was so shy at her age!

Egg people and animals... didn't turn out exactly how they we thought, but pretty good I think :) They are now displayed in Gracie's room :)

The process :)

Summertime in March!

2010-03-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

We took another trip to Palm Springs last weekend and it was so hot! This week here it's been in the 80's and warm enough to swim! It's crazy!!!

Park in Palm Springs.

Going for a run with me to the pool.

Swimming.

Her new trick.

Ice cream!

Yeah, this is how she does it!!!

Rainforest Cafe.

Gracie at the Pool in March :)

2010-03-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

Palm Springs

2010-03-07T00:46:00.001-08:00

Palm Springs was our destination today. We went to the Living Desert Zoo. We only did a little section of it, but got year passes so we're going to go explore the rest next week and when my brother and his family come out in a few weeks. Gracie held a butterfly and she was so proud of herself!

This was the first one and she was a little nervous!
ha ha still nervous.

Then I reminded her that Fancy Nancy holds butterflies and got a big smile :)

Crazy Gracie.

Zebras.

Butterfly.

Petting zoo. She's brushing him!

Drums? Don't know why?

Fun times

2010-03-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Gracie's purple bath :)

Gracie took this picture :)

Me and my baby :)

A few recent pictures of Gracie...

2010-03-02T23:50:00.001-08:00

We were just out shopping today, replacing one of Gracie's fish and she kept wanting me to take her picture, so here they are...

some hot tubbin

2010-03-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Fun Stuff...

2010-02-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

These cookies actually turned out!

Ice cream in February!

Victoria Gardens

This is what we do when I don't work...

2010-02-24T22:23:00.001-08:00

Here we go again with the job hunt in CA. I have been so disappointed with the company I was working with for quite some time, but last week it all came to an end when one of my clients went to go after his friend with a knife and nobody called me back about it for 2 days! 2 days! Does anyone care what happens to these kids? And the call I got back was in the form of a text at 4:45 am from the supervisor who is basically non-existent. Who texts their employee at 4:45 in the morning? Not to mention I never got a hold of him and later he left me a message about a completely different client. Apparently he doesn't listen very well. I hated to leave like I did, but I didn't really have a choice. It was not a safe environment. I'm hoping to do something low key while I go to school. Oh and ha ha ha, the doctor who asked me out when we first moved here, well he's married and 10 years older than he said! I've had enough stress for a bit. :) I'm still training for the half marathon in April, but today I think my tendon started to tear again, so I'll have to take it easy for the rest of this week. Gracie's been Gracie. She still just wants to be 2 and a half forever as she says. I've never met a little kid who wanted to stay little. Tonight she told me she likes being little because she can sing and dance and play. She's my funny little munchkin who can still fit in her 18-24 month clothes! I swear only her hair has grown. I love her so much and have enjoyed having a little more time to spend with her. It's getting lonely out here so someone come visit us!!!!

Not sure what she was doing.

This is her heart hug :)

Happy to make cookies.

Very happy to make cookies.

Sorry for the duplicate I don't know how to erase it!

So this is a chair that flies and the ribbon is her seat belt.

She made 6 hearts for me :)

Play date!

Throwing coins in the fountain.

Cupcake at Starbucks!

Color Me Mine painting a Cinderella box.

Gracie said this is her new trick.

And this is her other new trick.

Oh and another new one.

I came downstairs and she was dressed in her Fancy Nancy doll's clothes.

Her wii shoes.

She drew this by herself!

This is how I'm supposed to carry her around the house :)

Valentine's Day Fun!

2010-02-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

Here's an addition to the other Valentine's day post... Every time I'm stressed out from work I need to look at these pics and realize that CA isn't all that bad :)

My cute little niece who cut her own hair!!!

Gracie and her tools! Yes, I got hit a few times by them.

My absolute favorite!

not such a great pic of me :)

Looks like she's going under!

She's such a nut!

My mom and dad.

Just the girls!

Me and my mini me :)

This is what she got for Valentine's Day.

We found a new park and it's only 30 minutes away! Welcome to CA and the lovely traffic :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Yes I ran 10 miles...

2010-02-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

So I did make the 10 miles in about an hour and a half, so I've got a little speed to gain before the 13.1 half marathon in April. I want to try to finish in 1:40 or so. It was quite the experience running today. I went on a road that I have never been on and saw quite the variety of people. Then I got chased by 2 huge dogs for about a mile until they almost got hit by a car and decided to leave me alone. But I made it home, ran straight through and feel pretty good. Shooting for 11 or 12 next weekend. I'll probably do between 4 and 7 throughout the week. I love running!!!!

10 miles?

2010-02-13T09:36:00.001-08:00

So I'm just about to attempt a 10 mile run. I'll let you all know how it goes :) Wish me luck!

Girls Night Out :)

2010-02-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

This is the birthday girl Nicole.

Kristy and Nicole.

Gracie loving the attention!

Kristy, Heidi, Nicole, me, Gracie, and Krystal

So last night I had a well deserved girls night out. A few of the girls from work, Gracie, and I went to CPK for dinner. Gracie was a little ham and we had a blast! Can't wait to do it again!

This is what we do on the weekends :)

2010-01-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

"We want them to run to us, not away from us."

2010-01-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

Ok so there is something behind the title of this post, but that will have to wait. 11 weeks until the marathon. I'm going to wait and decide if I'm doing the half or the full depending on how my ankle holds up. I ran 8 miles this morning and ran through shin splints...not smart I know. But the run helped me get out all of my frustration that I had with work this last week. I'll be looking for a new company soon because once again I'm so disappointed in the way they want us to work with the kids. I've never been in the field of Autism for the money, and I'm never going to be. I want to work with the kids and families and help them suceed. So, I'll be posting again soon. Thanks Jen for the title of my post :)

January 2010

2010-01-20T22:05:00.001-08:00

Not too much new has been going on this month. I decided to run a half marathon in April so I've been training for that and so far no injuries! I'm sick once again though :( I'm so hoping that Gracie doesn't get it! Here are some recent pictures...

My little goof!

Making a valentine.

The little gymnast!

I love this one!

Practicing for her performance.

Her favorite pose!

Rudolph #2!

2010-01-11T00:53:00.000-08:00

So here is Gracie once again trying to get the words to Rudolph right. I think the guitar messed up her focus. She knows the words, but whenever I record it she says them funny. Gotta love her :)

San Diego/Start of 2010

2010-01-11T00:37:00.001-08:00

I love San Diego and it was a perfect getaway from a week full of drama at work!

It says no climbing but she had to for a picture :) Those red shoes...she wore them all weekend too bad they only match one outfit that she has!

Yay! 2 Shamus!

Merry go round at Seaport Village.

Yes those are ducks in the swimming pool!

Jumping up and down yelling, "I'm so excited!"

Christmas!

2009-12-26T00:07:00.001-08:00

I took so many pictures and really only ended up with a few good ones. They were funny because Gracie was making crazy faces in them or it would be a picture of a toy held up right in front of her face. But trust me, she had so much fun and I'm sure she'll be asking when Christmas is coming again for the next year! :)

Mickey Elf (She just woke up a while ago wanting to hold him.)

The only picture of Gracie and me!

The Wii: She is flapping her wings!

New Jammies.

The Princess house that she, "always wanted."

Christmas!

2009-12-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Gracie had so much fun! We all did. Of course she stayed up until almost midnight Christmas Eve so I had to wake her at 10:00am. You can tell in the video that she is still a little confused. I love Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

It's midnight and Gracie just fell asleep. I cannot wait to see her face in the morning when she sees her presents! Here are just a few recent pictures. I hope everyone has a great holiday!

This is reindeer food :)

NO JOKE...

2009-12-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

Gracie is asleep in this picture!!! She was taking a nap and I told her there was a present for her. She grabbed it, opened it, made this face, ran to her room and cried. Then 5 minutes later she was sitting up and didn't remember that she opened it!

Wow! Time Flies!

2009-12-19T23:51:00.000-08:00

So I just came across this video! I can't believe she's grown up so much. This was before she was even walking!

Gracie is 3! Well, she says, 2 and a half!

2009-12-16T23:39:00.001-08:00

My Little Gymnast!

2009-12-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

So Gracie has started gymnastics and totally loves it!

Gracie

2009-12-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures I took today...

Gracie can sing Rudolph

2009-12-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

So I had to post this...It was probably the 5th or 6th time in a row that Gracie had sung this song and she could not remember the words. She messed up and said, "Rudolph" twice so she looks at me and says, "Oh there's 2 Rudolphs." The end is the best :)

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry these pictures are all out of order but it's 1:00am and we just barely got back from Salt Lake! It was bumper to bumper traffic for 5 hours! 2 days to get home to Cali! Of course we got stuck in a snow storm the first night driving back and had to drive the rest of the way today. Wow! We had sooooo much fun hanging out with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. We had an awesome house to stay at thanks to my friend! I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving! Now onto Gracie's birthday and Christmas! I am so sorry that I didn't get to see many people on this trip. We're still trying to figure out how to visit family and friends when we come out. Please Please forgive me ! :)

Here is Gracie sooo excited to stay at a cheap motel when we got stuck in the snow storm in Ceder City!

Me and Grace at breakfast with Santa.

Las Vegas with Gracie and the drink machines.

My brother, Gracie and me.

My little cheese ball!!!

Gracie and my mom.

Gracie and Mrs. Claus

The girls with Santa.

Trolley Square.

So this was funny! Gracie had been terrified of Santa to the point where she didn't even want him to bring her presents. Then Reagan went right up to him so Gracie went too! When she was done she said to me, "I was scared before because I didn't have a friend!" You can see how proud she is of herself in the picture!

Gracie fixing Matt's wheels!

This was how Thanksgiving went!

Me and Reagan.

Snow!

Snow at midnight!

Ah! Cute cousins!

Sea World

2009-11-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome weekend. Right after I got off work on Saturday we went to San Diego to go to Sea World. Gracie liked it a lot more than I thought she would and now my memories of the place are great!

By the penguins!
Tricks...

Gracie and my mom laughing at the show.

Ha ha ha! She looks so happy!

My dad winning a prize for Grace.

Gracie petting a cat from the Pets Rule show!

Pets Rule show!

Shamu!

Not to leave out, my right eye had been twitching for 5 days from lack of sleep and still is!

Silly girl by the hot tub. Look at the steam!

San Diego

Box heads!

2009-11-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

Gracie and Reagan being box heads!

Some Videos...

2009-11-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

So here is my crazy girl dancing her butt off! Not sure where she learned! Gotta love the Minnie Mouse underwear!

This one is so much better than the other but unfortunately I only got it on my blurry phone camera.

This one is clear.

Halloween

2009-11-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

Halloween was great! Gracie had 2 costumes and decided to go as Cinderella. We went to an amazing party and she had so much fun with all of the kids. Here are a few pictures...

Gracie and her boys!

I went as Tink at Gracie's request.

Funny Gracie

2009-11-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my baby is almost 3! Wow time flies! Here is Grace being a complete nut as usual...she is very entertaining! I will post on Halloween after I get the little princess to sleep tonight!

Gracie's tongue trick...yes it touches her nose!

She said this is her best trick.

Gracie getting ready to wash the car...love the outfit!

She found my pink camera which is now her camera!

Ha ha!

Crazy Little Cousins Part 2...

2009-10-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

So here is part 2!...

This is how you dance in front of Mickey Mouse...
Yay...

This is how you decorate a haunted gingerbread house...

This is how you pose for a picture!

Ok are you ready? This is how you dance in the bathroom!...

This is also how you dance in a bathroom!

And...nobody knows what this move is!

Crazy Little Cousins part 1...

2009-10-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Oh my! So here is some evidence of how crazy these little girls get when they are together!!!

This is Reagan eating spaghetti...

This is Gracie eating spaghetti...oh and yes at a restaraunt!

This is how you make a cement angel....

And how you get your cousin to join in!

This is how you squeeze each other to death...

And this is how you play, "box heads."

This is how you become a box head!

Update!!!

2009-10-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so huge amount of pictures! My brother and family is in town visiting and it's been sooooo much fun! I've had to work a lot while they've been here, but we made it to Disney and the kids have had a blast. Here are some Disney pictures...more of their visit to come :)

The whole family with Mickey!

Cute little Reagan wanted her face painted.

What is my little Gracie doing? And her shoes are on the wrong feet.

I love this pic!

Minnie's house!

The girls with Goofy and Pluto.

Small world. Reagan and Papa.

Reagan, my mom and dad.

Matt laughing at the way they got him into the Small World boat!

Me and the girls!

Gracie on Alice in Wonderland by herself!

Matt, Brooke and Reagan.

Girls at the castle.

What is Graice doing???

New Camera

2009-09-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Need to update!

2009-09-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

So my laptop has a huge virus on it so I'm waiting for it to get fixed so I can post some pictures! Not much new has been going on though. I was sick sick sick for about a week and am finally feeling better. Gracie is getting so much older! She ran up to me when I walked in the door today and said, "mommy I was missin' you." I got her a pair of sparkly pink shoes and she said, "I'm so excited I love them alot alot alot! Thank you mommy for my new shoes! Can my cousin have a pair too?" She is hiliarious! Her new thing is to say, "no problem." and, "here goes nothin'" and another one that I love is, "What can I do for you today?" I started her on B12 vitamins to see if it can help with some of her OCD tendencies and it really seems to be working. I haven't heard, "take the dirt, kiss, say off of me," in quite a while. Her need for order is still around although not to the extent where the computer has to be in line with the drawers on the desk (Yes she is only 2). I'm hoping that the B12 is working and we won't have to revisit some of those things! :) I'm loving work, picking up extra hours when I can. My brother and family is coming out in a couple weeks and we're soooooo excited. Another trip to Disneyland. This time for trick-or-treating. Yay! Anyway, pictures are coming!!!!

HA HA HA!

2009-09-05T23:48:00.001-07:00

Ok so I had to post the pics with Gracie in her tube and goggles! She is so paranoid about getting water in her eyes! Today she got a, "swim to me doggy," which she named, "Cookie." This is her new best friend. I love it thought because it gets her in the pool! And when it's over 100 degrees you need to swim!

DISNEYLAND!!!

2009-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

So our friends came out to visit and took us on a trip to Disneyland for 3 days! It was so hot, but so much fun! Gracie loved getting the characters to sign her book! I was impressed with how well she did. I ended up having to carry her most of the time though! Now that she knows Disneyland is not far away she has been asking to go back all day! She wants her, "augraph book" to be full! here are some pictures!

I haven't seen this movie and neither has she, but she was all for a picture!

Dancing with Goofy at breakfast.

Pluto

Group shot

Fireworks from hotel.

ah Gracie and Mickey.

Riding by herself like a big girl!

She loved Tink!

Giving her pen and, "augraph" book.

The letters.

Group shot.

pointing out what she wanted me to take pics of on small world.

Dumbo...she wanted that green one and she got it :)

First character picture.

Minnie or Mickey's house.

Yay!

I have no idea what to name this one...

2009-08-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

So I was taking pain killers for my torn tendon in my ankle all the way to CA and this is what I just came across while looking for my College psychology degree (long story). I must have written this :) But I don't know what to name it.

6/25/09

“?”

The baby sleeps
In the back seat,
Her head against the window
Blind to the journey
She’s begun.
I look at her sleeping eyes,
Lashes turned up,
Hair back in braids
And know that I’m giving her a better life
Away from the stress
We can let go of our disguise.
She’s mine
Yet sometimes I can’t believe
I’ve created something so sweet
I’m thankful for every word
She speaks
Ever cry she weeps
Every kiss I can give and receive.
A fresh beginning,
A bittersweet good-bye
The long road ahead
To new memories,
Stories
We can begin to put together
My precious little girl
Will help guide me along the way
Keep me from making the same mistakes
Which I’ve been known to make.
Those baby blue eyes
Will keep me safe
And help me show her the right way.
This new journey
Will bring us hope and strength.

Gracie's art

2009-08-15T22:53:00.001-07:00

So here are just a few of the things that Gracie has been making. All she wants to do is art. Which is fine with me because she is always so clean about it!

This was an experiment so the next shirt will be better. I accidently stepped on her cousin, Reagan's so we'll be making more tomorrow!

Picture frames...

She painted both of these all by herself.

She said this was a cup?

This is our wall of pictures. It gets overloaded quite often!

How we've been filling our time!

2009-08-15T22:36:00.001-07:00

So as many of you know, I have not been working since we got out here. I have found an amazing job now and am ready to go, but in the meantime this is what Gracie and I have been doing to fill our time. It's been crazy not working at all, but I've been lucky to have this time with her to try new things and let her be creative. She's done a ton of art projects which will be an entire other post and I'm hoping to get a mural started on her wall by an awesome company. Gracie has been having quite the imagination lately and keeps talking about a show where the, "dad has an aligator when he was little like my age and he put it in the washing machine and when they opened it up, the aligator was ruined and there was green fuzz all over. The dad cried and cried." Her EXACT words! I have no idea what she's talking about and have been on the search! So here are the pics...

We've been sleeping in :)

Flying paper kites with ribbon tied to them :)

Dressing up as fairy princesses with crazy headbands...

Crawling on the stools to the new table to make her like the new table...

Yes, making pink eggs...

Gracie is learning to wash dishes? She is actually teaching herself!

I cannot tell you how many desserts and dinners we have made together...

we pose for pictures together...

She did this all by herself!

New House Pictures

2009-08-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

So my dad went crazy with the camera today and there were about 20 pictures but I didn't think anyone would care to see all of them so here are just a few...

View from our backyard of the lake.

Pool and hot tub...my favorite although I can't get Gracie in very often :(

Front of house

other random things from July and August...

2009-08-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Rainforest Cafe

Long Beach Aquarium

Trip to Salt Lake July 2009

2009-08-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is a late post! Gracie and I went back to Salt Lake to visit at the end of July. We had so much fun! We got to see most of our friends and family and hope that we can see everyone else next time! Gracie misses her friends and her "sister cousin" so much! Here are some of the pictures of our trip...

Gracie put this head band on all by herself :)

Rebecca and Josh at the Pez party playing the Wii

Rachel and Gracie at Cherry Hill.

Cottonwood Heights. I went off the platform but I'll have to post that picture later.

I love this picture!

Making cupcakes. Gracie likes to lick and frost at the same time!

chocolate marshmallows. And this is my baby who hates to get messy!

Dino museum with Matt, Reagan, and Brooke.

Reagan and Gracie with the shark.

Dino museum.

Silly cousins!

I absolutely love this picture of them!

I need to catch up!

2009-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

So these are totally random pictures and I need to update this blog but that will have to wait until later :)

Gracie at the Beach

2009-07-21T09:07:00.001-07:00

Gracie's performance!

2009-07-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

So Gracie put on a performance in the pool yesterday and I just had to share :)

USAAA conference and Gracie at the beach

2009-07-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

So the last few days have been crazy but so much fun. My friend came out to go to the USAAA conference in L.A. (Autism conference) and it was the first time in so long that I had to wake up early. We had to leave by 6am each morning to make it on time and wow, L.A. traffic is not fun! However, the conference was great! We met so many amazing people and learned a lot. Gracie had fun with her grandparents (Pubby and Papa) while we were gone. She went to the beach and I was very jealous! So here are just a few pictures. There are also a couple of Lake Arrowhead and Gracie on the rides there.

Craziness...

2009-07-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

So I didn't write anything about the move so I thought I should now that we're pretty much settled in here. Gracie has adjusted so much better than I thought she would. She understands that she is far away from her cousin, uncle, and aunt and all of her friends and sometimes she will say that she doesn't like it here, but for the most part she is her happy little self. She loves the pool and her play room and has attached to one of her old dolls. Of course she named her, "Baby." She also named her kitty, "Kitty." I finally ventured out and tried to find my way around this place. It's so hard! But hopefully with time it will get easier. I love it here, but do miss everyone. Here are a few pictures that I took today of Gracie on her scooter...

The beginning of the big move!

2009-06-26T10:11:00.001-07:00

The truck loading up
Vegas: This is what you do in Vegas when you don't drink anymore!

Belagio!

Our new pool and hot tub!

It's Been a While!!!

2009-06-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a while! Things have been crazy busy here and I haven't posted a thing...so here are some random things we've been up to, but there is more to come!

Grace and Reagan wrestling as usual!

Rachel's birthday at Little Gym!

Kangaroo Zoo!

More birthday at Little Gym!

Such a big girl!

Future gymnast!

Liberty park!

Ha ha ha...Becca is scared!

Silly cousins at dinner!

Fair at McGillis

Mother's day!

2009-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ok I was horrible with the camera today! I didn't get a single picture of the mothers! OOPS! However, without these little munchkins we wouldn't be mothers so it was worth it to snap these shots. Happy Mother's Day to all my family and friends who are mothers!!!!

Reagan's hair! Gotta love it!

Crazy cousins!

Reagan, Cora, and Gracie.

The little piano players!

My flexible little monkey!

It's already May?!

2009-05-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

And here is a short post to kick off May...

At Rachel's Sneetches play. These are Gracie's buddies :)

Yeah, she had to wear a crown :)

Matt's Ph.D graduation! Wohoo!!!

2009-05-09T22:16:00.001-07:00

Yay! My brother got his Ph.D in Economics from the University of Utah! Congrats brother! We are all so proud of you! After the graduation they had an awesome party at their house! Here are some of the pictures!

Cute little family :)
Daddy and daughter!

Me, my brother, and my hiding daughter.

My grandpa and the grad!

My mom, dad, and brother.

The whole clan!

And again :)

Father and son :)

Reagan looking for her daddy through binoculars!

It was a long ceremony...at least they had each other!

Reagan's happy face!

Gracie's crazy happy face!

Yay!

After graduation toast (there were quite a few)

Cheers!

My dad was very proud!

Brooke was smart to put her name on her cup!

Baby Cora and Gracie!

Gracie telling Matt congrats!

Random PIctures from the end of April

2009-05-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

So these are completely random pictures from the end of April. I got Gracie a scooter and she informed me that she needed a helmet to go with it. She wouldn't take it off the whole day. I was finally able to convince her that she didn't need to sleep with it on!

This is Josh my best little buddy! On his birthday being a funny kid posing for the camera!
Yeah we do need all of this gear at the park!

Jumping on the Grover's tramp.

Gracie with my birthday balloon.

I love this picture!!!!

Children's Museum...

2009-05-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ah how sweet!
They had more fun pushing Matt as fast as they could than they did at the museum!

She loves her Unlce Matt!

This is the very first time she has held Matt's hand! I love this!

Sitting in a baby seat and thinking she is cool!

I told her she had to smile before I got on the swan with her :)

Mommy and Tigger.

Building a tower with Aunt Brooke and cousin Reagan.

What a little toughie! So cute!

Matt showing Gracie how to work the water.

Determination!

Taking Matt and Brooke on a ride!

So funny...Reagan checked everyone out at the market!

The big horse!

I'm not sure what this is.

Getting groceries.

So I've really been slacking on the posts and uploading my photos! I guess my 2 year old finally hit the terrible 2's and hey, I just haven't had time! :) But we have been having a lot of fun. This post is of the Children's Museum with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. The kids had a blast, and yes...that's my baby girl dressed as tigger!

MRI

2009-05-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

So I got the MRI...I must add that without insurance it cost me $700! Ugh! There are 2 tears in my tendons right behind the ankle bone. I have extra fluid around my ankle and brusitis. Awesome huh. But they can't do surgery because the tendons aren't completely torn. So...I've been an idiot and have been running on it the past few days. I just can't stand sitting around waiting for it to heal or get worse!

ugh!

2009-04-24T21:45:00.001-07:00

So I went back to the doctor yesterday for my ankle thinking that he would say it was ok to start back up again at least with walking, but...looks like I have shredded some tendons, ruptured a blood vessel, possible stress fracture and possible nerve damage. Awesome huh! No insurance :( bummer! I am getting an MRI done next week...let's hope no surgery!

Warm day!!!

2009-04-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Reagan's 3rd birthday party was a blast!!! Although...I got bit by a pig!

So here is Gracie kicking a ball :)

Here's also a video of Gracie petting the baby animals at Reagan's birthday party!

Easter!!!

2009-04-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

So even though Easter was a blast and I took a ton of pictures, I'm only going to post a few because we have 4 birthdays coming up this week!!! Yay!

We celebrated Easter at my house with Gracie in the morning and then headed over to my brother's house. The pinata was a hit although I made it too thick and we had to rip it open :)

Pinata!

2009-04-11T22:45:00.001-07:00

Yay I finished the pinata!!!

Silly girls!

2009-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

Dinner!

2009-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Funny stuff!

2009-04-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

Gracie's bath tricks! This is my favorite!

HA HA the Easter Bunny and Gracie!

2009-04-03T19:24:00.001-07:00

Gracie spinning and singing!

2009-04-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our tent!

2009-04-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

So I built Gracie a tent on my day off!

Bored at home on my day off

2009-04-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

So these are just some random pictures of Gracie. Some with my dad, some in a silly outfit she picked out and some with her underwear on her head!

Gracie's many faces!

2009-03-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

2009-03-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

So I told Gracie we were going shopping for spring clothes a few days ago and she said she was going to go get, "ready to go." This is what she came out of her room in and yes, this is what she went shopping in! :)

Gracie's new skill!

2009-03-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ha ha so Gracie is now trying to wink!

Being sick is not fun! But Gracie has made the best of it!

2009-03-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

So we have both caught this illness that is going around and it really sucks! But today we HAD to get out of the house for just a few hours while babysitting. Gracie was so wired the rest of the day and was talking nonstop until about 5 minutes ago when she finally feel asleep. She was even making up words by this time because she didn't have anything else left to say! Yes, even when she's sick she is still a little chatterbox!

Disney on Ice and more...

2009-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be a short post because I am going on 4 sleepless nights because Gracie has been sick and now I am too. But...My mom and I went to Disney on Ice this past weekend and although Gracie was sick, she loved it! Her favorite part was watching Goofy fall on the ice. We had great seats and she's been wanting to go again every day!

I'm starting to teach Gracie letter recognition and number recognition. She knows her ABC's and how to count, but I want her to be able to put them out and put a label on them. She is loving this! I will have to get a video up soon.

Gracie being a little manipulator!

2009-03-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

So today we were at Barnes and Noble and Gracie has been asking for this stuffed octopus there. I told her she could have it today and she grabbed it and said, "Oh I love him. I can have 3. Is that a good idea?" After I said no she gave the octopus to me and then said I could have that one and she would get one for Reagan, her cousin, too. Just so you all know....I only bought the one. She just makes me laugh. She has also been obsessing over the little backpacks that they have there and today she said, "I have never seen the Hello Kitty or the car ones. We don't have them at home." She just cracks me up sometimes. And at this very moment she is sleeping with her precious octopus, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and a Hello Kitty rattle. Not to mention she is taking up the entire bed! Yep, that's my little nut :) Gotta love her!

Video of Gracie and Reagan attacking my brother and more...

2009-03-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

So my brother's cute little family came over for dinner the other night and of course Gracie and her cousin, Reagan went nuts as usual! Reagan decided that the nets to catch butterflies were meant to be hats and Gracie decided to push my brother's wheelchair away from him and attack him! Fun times! Reagan also showed off her stunts in the wheelchair!

Easter Bunny House and Snow White Dress :)

2009-03-07T21:28:00.001-08:00

We had a fun weekend. I took Gracie to the gymnastics meet with the Grossman's at the U on Friday night and she absolutely loved it! Although, I re-injured my ankle/made it worse while walking into the meet! We also made a gingerbread Easter bunny house and I bought Gracie a fancy Snow White dress for Mickey on Ice next weekend...Here are some pics!

Random Things...

2009-03-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

So today we went to the zoo and Gracie absolutely loved it. She's been saying some of the funniest things lately...

1. Tonight at the restaraunt she told me to, "close my mind," so that she could put her hand in my drink. Of course she meant, "close my eyes."

2. I got lotion on her fingers after her bath and she hates lotion on her hands and cheeks for some odd sensory reason, but she started yelling, "get it off my skeeners!" That meant, "fingers."

3. We're going to go to Mickey on Ice and she keeps telling everyone she is going to sit on Donald's lap...hate to break her heart!

4. Gracie has been pretending to be my mom and tucked me in tonight, turned on the fan, gave me a Melatonin, and said, "I love you all the times!"

5. She has been pretending that remote controls are phones and calls my brother on a daily basis.

6. Tonight she insisted on dressing my mom and me in her pajamas...she was so serious about it that we had to make the best attempt to get them on as far as we could. When she pulled out the top of her two piece bathing suit I just had to put a stop to it!

7. She is getting way too old, way too fast!

Quote

2009-03-02T00:12:00.000-08:00

Ugh...So I tried to post this as 2 different posts but it didn't work...

So I have started (really just barely started) reading Maureen McCormick's book. and if you know me, there are obviously some similiarities...

"I missed the structure and routine provided by my fictional TV family, and in a way, I missed Marcia. She'd given me an identity. Without her---I had to figure out who I was---a next to impossible task for someone doing everything she could to avoid the truth about herself?"

Making Cookies :)

2009-02-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

So with my ankle still hurt there's not much we can really do, but making cookies always makes Gracie happy! :) Especially when she can sneak some chocolate chips out of the bag when I'm, "not looking!"

Old Pics that Need to be Posted!

2009-02-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

So here are some pictures that need to be posted from the past few months...sledding, play dates with Kelly, Gorgoza Park tubing with the

Grossmans...etc...

And here are a few of my favorite baby photos of Gracie...

2009-02-22T23:10:00.003-08:00

And...Here are some of my favorite baby photos of Gracie :) Look closely at the ultrasound picture...it's Gracie's face and unfortunately she is flipping the camera off!

My Daughter's Crazy Hair...From Day 1 !!!!

2009-02-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

So since I started this blog I decided it wouldn't be fair if I didn't add a few pictures of what defined my daughter from day 1...her hair! At the hospital, they put a red bow, not pink, in her hair and it was stuck there for almost a week. Gracie didn't get a hat from the hospital...and she was born right smack in the middle of winter! I guess they thought her hair would keep her warm! Anyway...She had mohawk (sp?) for the first 9 months of her life! No matter what I did, it would just stick straight up. Not only that, but it was jet black! Funny, funny, coming from a blonde family! Here are some pictures...Enjoy!

Our New Fish!!!!

2009-02-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

So Gracie had a fish about a year ago and he tragically ended up accidently being dumped down the kitchen disposal during a cleaning...seriously it was an accident and I screamed for 5 minutes not knowing what to do, and unfortunately I couldn't find, "Spunky!" Our new fish was named, "Girl," for about a minute and then she became, "Elle," the name we have stuck with. We bought her today with the sister of one of the kids I work with (which is why the fish is named Elle because this little girl has a fish named Elle as well :) ). So here she is!!!! You have to search to find her! :)

2009-02-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

Kangaroo Zoo

So my sister-in-law invited Gracie and me to Kangaroo Zoo today... Gracie had a blast with her cousin, Reagan while I limped around like an idiot :)

2009-02-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

So I made a huge mistake! I said, "I can't walk," in front of Gracie (I have hurt my ankle extremely bad) and now she is paranoid because of my brother using a wheelchair! Poor thing! And of course, I feel like an idiot!

2009-02-16T22:52:00.001-08:00

So I am totally new to this blog deal, but I thought I'd update everyone who reads this on Gracie. I am going to list a bunch of random facts about her in case anyone wants to know...if not, here they are anyway :)

-She loves, loves, loves, purses and bags...I have to turn her the other way if they are in a store. This includes the cheapest, most hideous gift bags. If it's a bag, my Gracie girl wants it!

-Now that she's potty trained she doesn't think she needs underwear as well as diapers. I have to tell her that her cousin wears underwear to get her to put them on.

-She loves her, "Papa," (grandpa). Ever since he went back to CA she has been saying, "No___, I want Papa," to everyone!

-She insists that her name is only, "Acie Tyer Lund," and you cannot call her anything else or she will correct you.

-Tonight she informed me that Papa was, "texting" me! what?!!!! I haven't ever used that word around her!

-She loves, loves, loves the kids I work with along with their parents and siblings. She makes up stories about each of them.

-She thinks that pajamas should be worn EVERYWHERE! I have to tell her that certain places won't let her wear them...of course I let her wear them if it's to the store,etc. Gotta choose your battles!

-She thinks that everyone says, "oh my heck!" and if you ask her what someone will say if they see something, this is her response.