Birthday, Wedding, Baptism

We had such a lovely weekend (almost a month ago now), I took off from work; Friday we celebrated Kate's 10th birthday; Saturday Andrew, Grace & I attended Luz & Tylor's wedding; Sunday we baptized Grace; and all this while Nana Laurie & Papa Homer were here visiting. Lots of pictures ahead, 25 to be exact! I knew this would be a long post, and therefore I have been putting it off. Well, here it goes.


Friday when Kate walked in the door from school, she was ready to see what preparations had been done for her guests, who would be arriving in less than an hour. Nana Laurie did the grocery shopping & the majority of the preparations for our gourmet cooking themed party (and sleep-over), and with Grace in her pouch, I was merely the helper.


Nana Laurie made these aprons for each one of the girls, complete with embroidered names & embellishment! How many weeks of preparation did she spend before coming to Denver? I even got an apron that was black with ruffles & pink lining, also with my name embellished!


We cleared out the formal dining area, aka baby play room, for a place for the girls to sleep. Grace & I wrote on Kate's easel, and Andrew picked up the balloons on his way home from work. If I had a scanner, I would scan in the invitations we sent out. They were fabulous! Little aprons with the invite stuffed in the pocket. My favorite part of any party is the invitations & thank you notes. I love stationary... Hallmark, Papyrus, you name it!


Nana Laurie also made each one of the girls a cookbook to take home with the recipes we prepared that evening. Here the girls are toasting with pink lemonade & shirley temples. For appetizers there were vegetable spring rolls & Kate's version of bruschetta (tomato, basil, olive oil on top of a toasted crustini); the main course included pizza squares & inside-out cheeseburgers; the dessert round was decorate your own mini cupcakes, marshmallow squares, & Oreo truffles. Andrew & I traded off Gracie and helped where we could, but Nana really ran the show.


10 year old girls being goofy! Every picture I took of them, we did a serious one, then a goofy one. Oh to be 10 years old again without a care in the world! (And to convince Kathryn to just enjoy being a kid and not try to grow up too fast, is a whole other issue in and of itself).


All the girls with their lovies, some dating back 10 years, others brought their latest and greatest Webkin. Some girls have 20+ Webkins. Kate probably has somewhere between 10-15. For those who don't know, these are little stuffed animals that come with a code that you put in the Webkin website where you get to name your animal, decorate their room/house, earn money by playing educational games, do virtual gardening, feed & care for your pet, and meet up with your friend's Webkins at the park or playrooms. Sound like fun?


Whenever Kate is having a melt down or too hyper or just needs a reality check, Andrew has always done this with her. "Time for a deep breath, come on, do it with me", you breath in while lifting your arms in the air, then out while lowering your arms. It was getting quite loud before bed, Laurie & I were in the kitchen, and we hear Andrew say "okay girls, time for some deep breathing, do it with me." Had to grab the camera for that one!


After reading the back of 3 movies aloud, discussing the options at length, then voting, the girls decided on The Princess Bride for movie time. Perfect choice, nice and slow, so we were hopeful that they would fall asleep sooner rather than later. They brushed each others hair, and decided they needed some popcorn, after brushing their teeth of course. "Really girls, you are still hungry after all you ate tonight?" Growing boys eat a lot? Watch out, growing girls can put it away with the best of them. Sometimes Kate eats more than Andrew & I. Umm, where are you putting all that?


After water, a coughing spell, talking/whispering, giggling, many trips to the bathroom, and a few friendly reminders, the girls finally fell asleep, somewhere between 11 & midnight I imagine. Peaceful; still the sweetest when they are sleeping!


In addition to their aprons & cookbooks, the girls took home these goodie boxes ala Nana Laurie filled with the dessert goodies from the night before. I had never had Oreo truffles before, but you better believe I'll be making them again. Yummy!

Thank you Nana Laurie for all that you did to make Kathryn's 10th birthday a very special & memorable one! We appreciate you for all that you do!


Papa Homer was wise and arrived the next morning right before the girls left. He is quite taken with his newest granddaughter and was ready for some Papa/Gracie time right when he walked in (after washing his hands of course). Just for the record, he sings to her in Latin while rocking her in the lazy boy in the nursery. It is too sweet! Grandpa's with their granddaughters is really a special thing to watch.


Our little sweetie pie, who is turning out to be a perfect blend of Andrew, Kate and I. On a side note, she had her 4 month check up last week and is doing wonderfully, growing appropriately & developmentally, hitting all important milestones right on time. Now for the stats: 15 1/2 lbs (80th percentile), 25" (65th percentile), and head 41.7 cm (70th percentile). The pediatrician said breastfed babies are generally chunkier in the beginning, and round out later after solids are started. We have a few more months before we start solids, so our little butterball may get even chubbier. I had a friend at work tell me that babies should be fat, there is just something not right about skinny babies, and imagine this being said in your best "Aunt Jemima" like voice/accent.


Gracie at the ceremony of our friend's wedding. She was quite well behaved, we were impressed; although I did bring the pouch, which she stayed in for most of the evening. This was also the first time that all of Andrew's friends from college were able to meet baby Grace.


Andrew, Grace and I with Tylor & Luz at their wedding reception. Don't they look lovely! These are some of Andrew's friends that have been dating since the beginning of college, so for close to 10 years. I think everybody pretty much considered them married, and we are so pleased that they finally tied the knot & joined the ranks. Andrew said that this was probably the last time everybody would be together in the same room, as Luz & Tylor were friends with everybody.

On another subject, isn't Grace's carrier too cute? For those looking for a carrier that won't kill your back (like the Baby Bjorn), and that you can use to carry them in the front, back, and hip until 45 lbs, then check out the ERGObaby. I LOVE this carrier and take it everywhere. I don't even bother carrying her in anywhere in her infant carseat because I know she will not last in there. She can sleep & nurse in here, and I can get things done because I have both of my hands. They even made "suck pads", those white things that the baby can chew on, then you can remove and wash. The only think I haven't figured out is how to change her diaper in here? Rest assured, I may figure it out before it is all over with.


While we were at the wedding, Nana & Papa took Kate to the rec center for some indoor swimming. I know they had a wonderful evening together, and Kate got some much needed one on one attention. Nana also took her to the Museum of Nature & Science that weekend, but that picture didn't make the cut. I started with 40 pictures and decided I had to trim it down.


The next morning prior to getting ready for church, Kate & Grace doing their morning routine of hanging out in Mom & Dad's bed. I love seeing my girls together! We are so lucky to have two healthy, beautiful, intelligent young girls and are enjoying all the special moments that entails. Who knows what the future might hold, the possibilities are endless!


Grace's baptism was so very special! We stood up there as a family and took the vows to raise Grace in the church and in God's word. It wasn't too long ago, only 3 1/2 years to be exact, that we stood up as a family and took the same vows for Kathryn. What a glorious moment and one we will never forget!


An upclose shot of our baby girl. She wore the same dress that my mother made for my dedication to the church when I was a baby. It was just perfect! Our good friends Brittany & James joined us and took pictures for us to remember this day by. Can you tell that Daddy is proud?


Reverend Cindy said a few words to the big sister who had attended the baptism class with us. Kathryn of course had questions during the class and Cindy referenced them during the baptism. And for those who know Kathryn well, they were very thought out, in depth questions, and the people attending the class were quite impressed. At this moment, however, her exact questions have seemed to allude me. Kate also walked around the sanctuary with Cindy while she was introducing Grace to the congregation.


Not to lessen or down play the significance of this moment, but this picture reminds me of the movie The Lion King where Simba is held out over the cliff for all to admire. Andrew concures.


The actual baptism with the sprinkling of water on Grace's precious little head. I love that Kate wanted to be a part of everything. She wanted to carry Grace back to our seats afterwards, but it made me nervous having her carry Grace down the stairs, so I said no. She was very disappointed.


But then her opportunity came during Children's Time, when they call all children to come to the front of the church. She looked at me, "please Mom?", so I let her take her. After service she said to me, "Mom, did you hear when I carried Grace up to the front how everybody said "Ahhh"?" Yes Kate, I did. Boy was she a proud big sister that day!


Grace sitting in Mommy's lap during service, no doubt taking it all in. This is after we spent most of the service in the hallway making lots of noise, nursing, and needing our diaper changed multiple times. What a busy little baby she is when I don't want her to be, and not when I have the time. Babies will definitely teach you a lesson in patience, and lessening your grip on a strigent schedule. You think you are going to do one thing and the baby dictates otherwise. Fortunately when they are 10, you are able to regain control (for the most part).


Afterwards we went out to lunch with Andrew's parents, and Brittany joined us too (James had to head out to work). I love this picture. It captures the essence of the day perfectly, beauty in its purest form, children being children. Kate picked this dress out with Aunt Justina for her birthday for this occasion. Do you think we had to twirl in the dressing room to make sure it made the cut? Absolutely!

What a wonderful weekend, that we will never forget! -SR

My Nephews

I have 2 younger sisters, Rachel & Anna, who both live in Texas. Anna, the youngest, aka Aunt Boo, is not married (yet, uh hum, Daryl, time to propose already), but has built a brand new house that she & Daryl will be moving into this summer. My other sister, Rachel, the middle child, is married to Uncle Richie, and they have 2 boys. We do have an older brother also, Daniel, who is divorced (a good thing), and has two adorable kidos, a boy (Stephen) & a girl (Linnea). You may be asking why I am telling you all of this? Before I launch into this post, I just thought you should have some background information on my siblings and our kidos. On a side note, Rachel & I are convinced that no matter how many children we would have, she would always have boys & me girls. Hence, I don't have an overwhelming desire to have a boy because my nephews (all though far away) are very special to me.


This is Gavin Pierce, he was born in August of 2009. I haven't met him yet in person, but am looking forward to meeting him this fall. I hear he is a very sweet natured baby, always happy, and he does coo affectionately at his Aunt Sarah on the phone. I am also planning on getting Skype set up for my Houstonian family so that we can "see" each other more regularly.


Mister Gavin in my parent's backyard, Gram & Pops, riding in his wagon. He has such twinkly little eyes that he got from his dad. All of us Laughlin kids have giant eyes and he is the first grandbaby to not have these. We think that is a blessing, see next.


Gavin with his Aunt Boo! The whole reason I decided to do this post was to ask for prayers for my youngest nephew Gavin. He was diagnosed just a couple weeks ago with a very rare (like one in a million) congenital anomaly called Morning Glory Disc Anomaly. As you can see, his left eye is crossed, and he is also mostly blind in that eye. There is no cure for this. They have started him on wearing a patch on his right eye to strengthen what little sight he does have on the left side. He hates this, as you could imagine, going from seeing just fine to barely being able to see & not being able to understand why would be very upsetting. We know that God can heal all & provides miracles everyday. We are thankful that there are no developmental issues associated with this and that he does have sight. Of course, Nurse Aunt Sarah did as much research as she could and guess what... there isn't much of anything on this because it is so rare. The most I learned was on a message board for people living with this disorder.

So here is what I need from you... Prayers! I know that God has wonderful things in store for this little one and I also know that God never gives anyone more than they can handle. It breaks my heart to think that he may get made fun of in school, because let's face it, that's what kids do. I pray that God helps the doctors he sees have the knowledge to give him the best treatment available, and from that that Gavin has the best possible outcome. I also pray that God gives Gavin the strength in life to stand up to those who don't understand and therefore say hurtful things. Most of all, I say thanks that he has sight in his right eye & that so far there are not any other comorbidities associated with this that we know of. I feel very blessed that Gavin is a part of our family and is a happy, healthy, normal baby boy!


This is Ethan Nicholas, Gavin's proud big brother. He is and has always been a character. He wants to be just like his Pops! He is wearing a pair of cowboy boots that belong to my dad, the only pair that he is "allowed" to wear. Ethan is also very mischievous, he wants to do grown up things just like "Pops"! This gets him into trouble a lot! And although he is almost 5 years old, you can't take your eyes off of him or you never know what you might find.


He is ALL boy! Like I said before, whatever Pops is doing, Ethan is doing too. My mom said that she wouldn't put it past him to try and use one of my dad's power tools that he has seen him use, so for that reason, my dad only works with these when he is not home or out of sight.


Mister Ethan being his normal goofy self. I wish I had a picture of the face he makes when he knows he is being mischievous. I am sure I do somewhere; or Mom send me one if you are reading this, you know the face.

Anyway, these are my precious nephews and as close to sons as I will ever have. Thanks for letting me share my extended family with you! -SR


Thanks Aunt Boo for sending me this one of Ethan when he was 3 years old. This captures that infamous mischievous face he makes perfectly. What a pumpkin!

Food for thought

This is true: http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp


. . . Something To Think About . . .


In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.


About 4 minutes later
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.


At 6 minutes
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.


At 10 minutes
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.


At 45 minutes
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.


After 1 hour
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.


This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?


One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the
most beautiful instruments ever made . . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?


Not sure who the original author is of this, but I received this from my aunt via email & thought I should share. -SR

Just because...

...we finally got a new computer! This has been on our wish list for years, but as most of you know real life usually gets in the way, and wish list items get put on hold. Much like our vacuum & camera, we finally got new ones when the old ceased to work any longer. Now my blog postings will not take nearly as long as they use to. Woohoo! And, we can finally return Andrew's parent's little netbook that they lent us to Skype. For those living far away, feel free to email us for our Skype Name. It is lots of fun! I just have a few pictures to post, but will have more after this weekend. We have quite a weekend planned!


Kathryn turned 10 years old on May 2nd. Man how fast time flies! I can't believe that when Grace is Kate's age, that Kate will be 20 years old and in college. And college is not optional, period. Kate came home from school the Friday before her birth date & saw this balloon sticking out of the fridge. We had a fun night of family celebration planned!


Nana Laurie & Papa Homer had sent her a fruit bouquet, hence the arrangement being in the fridge. What a nice surprise!


We enjoyed snacking on the fruit bouquet while Kate enjoyed opening a few small gifts from Mom & Dad. What a treat the fruit was, thank you Nana & Papa! Written in her card was the clue for her big gift surprise, which we were taking her shopping for that evening. "I ride on two, while sometimes you ride on four. What am I?"


Check out the cute new headband from Vera Bradley. I have a matching black one, and just received a red one for mother's day. She also got a bottle cap necklace which was invented by a 12 year old girl, who now runs the company, making & designing these. Who would of thought a piece of stretchy cotton with a washer attached to hold a decorated bottle cap glued to a magnet would be the latest preteen fashion. She also got a cute little pair of sterling silver tiny hoop earrings, but will have to wait a year to wear these (Mom read the directions for ear care on recently pierced ears after I bought them).


Grace & I waiting in the car while Kate gets her kickstand put on. Miss Gracie had had enough of the store so we headed back to the car for a diaper change, feeding, and change of scenery. I am horrible at taking these kind of self pictures. I just saw that they came out with a camera that has a screen on the front for self portraits. What an idea! I am surprised my husband/inventor didn't think of that. He is always inventing things that he could retire off of.


Kathryn Elisabeth with her brand new bike sporting the "I'm Unique" shirt that her cousin Hannah in Texas sent her for her birthday. Andrew just finished finals yesterday, and April showers seem to have brought us more May showers, so Kate has only practiced riding a hand full of times. We are going to have to keep working on it. She gets her balance, Dad lets go, she pedals 3-4 times before she realizes Dad has let go, then dumps her bike & jumps off. I keep envisioning that one day she is just going to take off. But hey, the agreement still stands that she has to learn to ride her bike before she can learn to drive a car. It's all up to her!


Kate making cupcakes to take to school on Monday. She actually did everything herself with little guidance, except for the oven part of course. They were delicious! She made me an extra special one with lots of icing that I enjoyed with my coffee Monday morning. Nothing like dessert for breakfast with coffee! I had to work that weekend, so I told Kate I would make her cupcakes Monday morning and bring them up to school. I was impressed that she took care of it herself. I am usually good for nothing on Mondays, as I just finished working 26 out of 48 hours, not including drive/preparation time. What a thoughtful daughter I have.


Grace pondering the water being splashed in her face. She kicks her legs a lot in the bath & splashes water on her face, then wonders where it came from. Oh the joy of experiencing things through the eyes of a baby. How cool is it that mundane daily things to us are things they are experiencing for the first time. Fascinating!


P.S. Aren't those chubby cheeks super cute! I can't believe it has already been over 3 months since she was born. We look forward to bath time everyday, one, because she loves it, and two, because it marks the start of the bedtime routine. Bath time, baby massage, story time, goodnight... and our little bundle of joy sleeps through the night, how considerate of her.

Like I said above, we have a busy weekend planned. I have the weekend off from work, so of course I had to make it count. Andrew's mom, Laurie is coming in tonight to help with all the festivities, and Andrew's dad, Homer will be joining us Saturday morning. Friday night is Kate's gourmet cooking & sleepover birthday party, Saturday night is Andrew's good friends wedding (Luz & Tylor, who have been dating since college, so like 10 years, are finally saying "I do"), and Sunday we are baptizing Grace Elaine. I will have lots of pictures to post! -SR

Month 2.5

April is always an interesting month. It usually marks our last snow of the winter & first rain of the summer. I know that technically April is a spring month, it just always seems to be a transitional month of weather also. We have had a very eventful month! We celebrated Easter, my birthday, returning to work, moving Grace from our bedroom to the nursery, and our last round of visitors came too. It was also a month of transition from that magical time of maternity leave, visitors, and a brand new baby, to settling back into "real life". Andrew put it best when talking to a friend at church, "we are defining a new normal". I like that; and, it's true.


Miss Gracie with her binkie. With as much as this child likes to eat, I am glad she will also take a pacifier to soothe herself.


Kate and Grace on Easter Sunday. How many more years of matching outfits do you think I will get? Kate was so excited about matching. She actually chose her outfit based on what they had to match in Grace's size. Got to love The Children's Place!


Kate posing alone with her Easter basket. Doesn't she look lovely! She picked out the shoes because they had small heels. However, they were too uncomfortable to actually wear anywhere (umm, couldn't we have figured that out before we bought them), so we changed into a pair of old white sandals from last Easter before we left for church.


Grace Elaine looking precious in her matching outfit (binx & all). We set her in the bouncy next to her Easter basket for the picture, but her hand was in her face for that shot. No head exchanges for me (a poor attempt at a photoshop joke aimed at my mom). I think Kate really enjoyed being able to open two Easter baskets, as well as all of the gifts Grace has received. She gets just as excited to open a gift for Grace as she would for herself. Not to mention she sounds like a little adult, "look Grace, how cute will you look in this outfit" or "ooh Grace, a new book, I can't wait to read it to you". We think it is sweet!


Nana Laurie made Easter baskets for the girls. Aren't they awesome! I casually mentioned that I thought I would order the girls some Easter baskets from Pottery Barn Kids & these showed up on my doorstep ala Nana's workshop. Thanks Laurie! I know we will enjoy them for many years to come!


Aunt Justina & Uncle Gene came from Kansas City to visit and meet Grace. Actually they live in Texas for half of the year, so technically they drove home to Kansas from Texas, then here. We celebrated Grace's arrival, my birthday, and Kate's birthday all in one! Here was a card Kate received. We had fun watching her figure out how to pop it up into a 3D card. I think she even said this was the coolest card she's ever seen.


Kate & Grace with Aunt Justina. Grace received a beautiful dress from Aunt Justina & Uncle Gene for her six month pictures to go with a sweater & booties that Auntie Em knitted for her. You'll have to wait and see! Grace also got some new books that Kate read to her the next day. Thanks Justina & Gene for all the wonderful goodies & a nice visit! Hope to see you again soon.


My favorite time of day has become the mornings. It used to be the evenings, but by then I am so exhausted, and Grace is usually fussy, that I now much prefer the mornings. Kate gets ready, Grace is all smiles, and I enjoy my coffee & watching the news on mute while reading the closed captions & sometimes talking to Andrew on his way to work or school. We all three hang out in bed and have breakfast together. I took this picture earlier this week. What beautiful girls I have been blessed with!


Kate loves to hold Grace. She asks multiple times a day if she can hold her or read to her or help with her bath. She will even take her turn when the babe is fussy. Couldn't ask for a better helper! Grace had her fussiest evening ever last night, Andrew was at school, and Kate & I had to attend Grace's baptism class at church. By the time I got home, I was ready to pull my hair out. I know I was being short with Kate trying to get her ready for bed, and she turns to me a says "Mom, I know the baby is fussy and you are stressed out, but just like you tell me, sometimes you just need to ask for help. Now let me take her for five minutes while you take a break." I could of cried. What a sweetheart!


New haircut, new glasses, (and unfortunately a new body) to go along with my new life. The person taking the pictures is never in the pictures (my mom can attest to that), so I took this one of myself with my phone & decided to post it so no one forgets what I look like. Just kidding! -SR

2nd Month

Month 2 was jam-packed with lots of activities! We have settled into a routine with the baby that has no particular consistency in schedule whatsoever, imagine that. However, we wouldn't trade it for the world!


Big sister Kate reading Harold and the Purple Crayon to baby Grace in the nursery. Everyone loves this chair! Shortly after this picture was taken, Kate fell asleep too.


This picture is somewhat out of place, but when I was uploading pictures to the blog, this one placed itself. Nana Laurie & Papa Homer came for another visit at the beginning of their spring break. This is a proud papa here, who enjoys rocking Grace & specializes in calming down the fussy baby. He got her to sleep in her crib twice for an hour each time. Impressive!


We set up her playpen downstairs in the new area we labeled the "playroom" (Kate seems to think this means she can leave her toys on the floor in there too). This area was designated for the baby because it is the only area downstairs with carpet, not to mention the table that was in the formal dining room just collected dust. This is a much better use for this space. I attempted to lay Grace down here while cooking dinner, but it only lasted about 20 minutes. She prefers the swing or bouncy seat that vibrate. Someone should invent a vibrating playpen... Graco, I'd be happy to accept royalties for that idea!


We took Grace on her first walk in her stroller, the doggies were there too, and as far as we know she enjoyed it. She slept the whole time. It was nice outside, but a little windy, so we bundled her up in this cute outfit my grandma sent her (below). It was so nice to get out in the fresh air & go for a walk. As March is our snowiest month, we've been limited as to how much we could be outdoors with a newborn. I am ready for the spring days & summer evenings that allow for eating on the deck again & going for nightly strolls. I am sure our dogs are ready too!


A close up of Miss Grace in her bear outfit staying cozy warm. I know I am biased, but what a cutie!


Daddy holding Grace for the full cute-bear-outfit effect:)


I am so very spoiled in the mornings! I may be the person getting up many times a night with the babe, but Kate gets herself ready for school in the morning with little help from me. Andrew makes coffee for me before he leaves for work & leaves a cup on the counter, and Kate brings me coffee in bed after her shower. Love it!


Again, I know I am biased, but here is our adorable sleeping beauty with chubby cheeks! She had her 2 month check-up last week and is in the 75th percentile for weight (and 50th for height). Are breastfed babies always a little chunkier? It sure has been my experience that it is so. Opinions? Kate was formula fed and although I know that has nothing to do with her being small now, she was a small baby too. At Kate's last check-up she was in the 5th percentile for height & weight... lucky duck with her amazing metabolism, maybe she'll get to keep it.


Daddy comes home for lunch most days & I have to remind him that he is there to eat lunch. He usually takes over baby duty while home & I make the lunch. It is nice to see him during the day when he doesn't have school.


Papa Homer could sleep anywhere, truly!


Nana Laurie (& Papa Homer, taking the picture I presume) watched Grace while I went for a haircut. My hair was so long & thick that a pony tail had become the daily do, not to mention the baby pulling it when it was down. I needed something easier & faster, so I chopped it off and donated my locks. It was so nice to have them visit, as always! Laurie went grocery shopping for us again & filled our freezer with prepared food, just like she had done when she was here previously. It was such a luxury to pull food out of the freezer & pop it in the oven for x amount of time, and dinner was served. Thanks again!


Kate had to pick a Colorado character to be for their wax museum project. She chose Mary Elitch Long (Elitch Gardens sound familiar to those who live here; now owned by Six Flags, for those who don't). Nana Laurie created a costume & Kathryn approved it over Skype. S-p-o-i-l-e-d! Andrew stayed home with Grace & I got to attend the 4th grade wax museum. It was too cute! The kids stood perfectly still, like a statue, until you pressed the button at their station, and then they came to life & told you about their character. Kate did a wonderful job! I have video, but the IT department is a bit tied up with school these days.


One of Kate's friends had a French themed birthday party. This was Kathryn's ensemble. I thought she looked great! They served quiche & crepes at the party. It was a big hit! The new thing is themed birthday parties. Another one of Kate's friend had a sleep-over party that was a night at a five star hotel party complete with the five star treatment. Another one of her friends is having a backwards party where she brings gifts for her attendees, etc. With Kate's 10th coming up, we are trying to rein in our BIG dreamer because she thinks she needs multiple themes.


Nonna Janis came to visit from Texas and was so excited when it snowed while she was here. Kate & Nonna made a snow bunny complete with Easter eggs, if you can see the bottom that well. They had lots of fun and were out there for about 2 hours.


Miss Violet, the corgi who loves to pose for pictures. Seriously! She posed in both my maternity shoot & Grace's newborn shoot. She just poses herself & beckons for her picture to be taken. It is too funny!


Kate decided that she wanted her ears pierced. Up until now she had always told me that she would never get her ears pierced and would just use clip-on earrings. I was shocked because she had just made up her mind one day and didn't waver for a couple of weeks. Here we are before. That is Hershey, the Webkin ferret, in our lap for moral support.


And here we are after, still smiling. She was so brave! Didn't flinch at all & wasn't the least bit nervous. They pierced them at the same time & right after it was done she had this look on her face like "what just happened." I told her it was okay to cry and she got a little teary eyed followed by "I'm okay, I'm okay" in a shaky voice, & then we were all smiles. When I checked out, the girls who worked there told me that she was the most mature 9 year old they had ever met, so articulate in her words and mannerisms. For those who know Kate, she is quite an old soul. Nine going on thirty!


We ended the evening with a birthday celebration to Mary Poppins on broadway. My mom sent this to Kate & I for our birthdays (mine in April, Kate's in May). We had so much fun! It was so nice to have an evening that belonged to just the two of us. At the theater Kate's face was glowing & eyes sparkling. It was a night I will always treasure. I remember thinking that night that my oldest daughter is growing up and that she looked so beautiful. What a wonderful memory, thanks Mom!

So as I round out maternity leave this weekend, I can't help but think how fast time flies by the older I get. I am blessed to end maternity leave with Easter weekend & taking both my girls to church together for the first time. I start back to work next weekend and then it's all Daddy on the weekends & all Mommy during the week. Being a nurse definitely has its perks! -SR