The Glasgows

Testing, testing!

2012-01-17T16:17:00.003-06:00

Pretty sisters!

Vacation in Jasper

2010-10-25T20:58:00.004-05:00

Well, sorry to all friends and family for not updating the blog regularly! We've moved twice in the last couple of months, first to an apartment and now to our new house. We're finally getting settled, but life with two little ones is hectic so I can't promise anything! But hopefully I'll do a little better, because they are so stinkin' cute. Here are some of the best shots from our recent trip to Jasper. Grace is almost 2 1/2 and Andrew is almost 10 months.

Yup, he's just that beautiful!

2010-09-04T20:46:00.006-05:00

Clay did a little photo shoot of Andrew today and I just had to share!

Cute, smug little grin!

I wouldn't exactly say Drew is crawling, but he is super close, and can still scoot around to wherever he wants to go!

That's my boy! I love him so much! This is such a fun age (8 months tomorrow!).

My Cute Kiddos

2010-08-19T17:53:00.002-05:00

Here's Gracie working on a puzzle and wearing a dress from Mimi. I tried to get her to stand up and let me take a good picture, but she refused, so I snuck up on her playing to get this shot. Oh, and Sabrina.

And big news from Andrew! He has started scooting!

He started at the boppy....

And just inched his way forward!

Proud fella!

Family

2010-08-06T16:52:00.005-05:00

Mema and Pop got to come for a visit recently. Andrew was in awe of Pop! Andrew just stared at Pop and smiled!

Andrew just loves his exersaucer. We borred this one from Kekoa, and it's been fabulous!

Sabrina went to the groomer today and came back with a bandana and bows!

When I brought Sabrina home from the groomer, she jumped into Andrew's carseat, just like she did in the picture on the top right with Gracie some several months ago! We pulled over and I had to drag Sabrina back into the trunk area of my SUV. Silly dog!

Cuties

2010-07-24T20:19:00.004-05:00

Gracie just graduated to her big girl bed. We are thankful for a super smooth transition. When she wakes up, she gets out of bed and knocks on her door and we come and get her. If we go in before she knocks, she makes us leave and close the door so she can knock!

We recently saw David and Elizabeth and Elizabeth's family. They are due September 7th with Lillie Anne.

Cheesin' for the camera.

Ahhh, so precious!

Daddy dancing with Sabrina.....

and then with Grace.

Playdate with Kekoa. They play so well together, I think because they are so close in age (4 days apart!).

Playing in Gracie's room.

They are starting to play together, and it's really sweet. If Andrew starts crying, Grace hands him a toy. Andrew just adores Gracie, and looks at her with love!

My sweet doll face! Or in Clay's words, a good looking young man.

Sweet kisses!

We have such sweet kids. Just tonight Andrew ate summer squash for the first time, and except for a face during the first bite, he loved it! And Gracie girl ate all her cucumbers before she even touched her pizza--my vegetable lovin' gal! Love them both so much!

My Sweet Babies

2010-07-02T12:42:00.003-05:00

Gracie kept bringing me bows to put in her hair. As she would say "fun funny!" Grace was in the 97% for height at her 2 year checkup! Tall girl!

Andrew tries out the high chair at Mimi and Papa's house.

She smiled for the picture, but Papa's tractor was "too noisy."

Mohawk boy. Funny how my kids hair is following the same patterns. Andrew even has a few curls when his hair is wet, but I think it's going to stay on the straight side.

Gracie's favorite summer pasttime--sprinklers!

Andrew's favorite pasttime--being doted upon by anyone and everyone!

Taking a break from helping daddy wash the cars.

We're having a fun summer. It's going by way too fast!

Gracie is 2!

2010-06-05T19:32:00.011-05:00

Gracie had such a fun birthday! She had two parties. The first in Branson, MO with Clay's side of the family. We all went up to Table Rock Lake and spent a few days. Here's a group picture with Mimi and Papa, Aunt Dana (with Maggie Jane in utero), Uncle Matt, and the Swager clan (Tim, Jaynie, Lauren, Rebecca, Erik, Emily, Amber, and Daniel).

Gracie has such an adventurous streak! She loved the frog ride with cousin Lauren at Silver Dollar City.

Andrew took long leisurely strolls through the park.

Cousin Rebecca is pictured here with Gracie. Rebecca and Lauren made this gorgeous cake for Grace!

And delicious!

We had a great time up at Table Rock Lake. Cute cabin, campfire, smores.......family fun!

Here are Gracie's birthday flowers--our gorgeous hydrangeas. They bloom just in time for her special day!

Part 2 of Gracie's birthday. We spent the day at the Little Rock Zoo with Nana and Papa. Gracie enjoyed a camel ride! She has loved camels ever since we saw one at the Crossett Zoo. She always talks about "camel dirt," a.k.a. any kind of dirt that gets on her and needs to be washed off. This is Emily the Camel. Gracie wants to go back and ride Sassy next! Present time!

I love this shot of my parents.

Love her cheesy grin!

Checkin' out her new shades.

Cake time! Gracie associates birthdays with sharing cake. It's very sweet that she wants to share--she doesn't want to eat alone.

At the end of the day, we pulled the curtains and Clay got our present to Gracie set up on the deck. I wanted to get her swimsuit on while Clay was setting up, but all she wanted to do was go outside. When we finally pulled the curtains and showed her the pool, she cried "happy, happy, happy!" And then got into her suit in a jiffy. What a fun day!

Spring Fun!

2010-05-10T20:41:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture of smiley Andrew at Pinnacle Mountain. We have been two weekends in a row. We went there this past Sunday with my parents to celebrate Mother's Day. A good time was had by all! Gracie's favorite past time these days is watering the plants. We are now keeping plants alive, thanks to Gracie.

Looking on from inside

Cuties!

Gracie voluntarily set the table a couple of nights ago. What a sweetheart!

Professional Pictures

2010-04-26T13:29:00.005-05:00

We recently had pictures taken by the lovely Jill Brannon. She came to our house and did a beautiful job. Don't worry, family, your pictures will be coming soon! I've ordered one of each from our cd from Walgreens to see what I like, then I will order enlargements and send to you all!

At Long Last

2010-04-19T14:58:00.003-05:00

At the haranguing of my friends and relatives, here are a few pictures :) Boy is life different with two kiddos! Not enough time for the blog, but my mom told me not to shut it down, so here are a few new pics. Hopefully I can find a routine to update though it certainly won't be as good as it was (although, I was pretty bad about updating before Andrew too!).
Here's Drew buddy at Easter. Handsome!

And my beauty

We just had family pictures taken, and we have the rights to them all, so I'll post some as soon as we get them back!

Sweet Family

2010-03-07T20:05:00.006-06:00

Gracie had a good time this winter with snow! She calls it "snome." Works for snow and snowman.

Yummy snome! Wish we'd had some sweetened condensed milk on hand to make snow ice cream--oh well, maybe next time! Like in 5 more years...

Our snowman. Grace was ready to go inside at this point, but she really had a great time building the snowman with daddy.

Mo-hawk boy. Or fatty! Just kidding. He weighed in at 11 pounds, 12 ounces at his 2 month checkup, which is right in the 50%. He is also 50% for height, but I can't remember how long he is.

Enjoying one of her favorites--pizza!

Mimi's joke is that Gracie's paci is homemade, Andrew's is store-bought!

Gracie has been going through a naked phase, or "nake" as she calls it. I think she's finally gotten used to her new "jeams" though. At first, she thought jeans were just too tight to be able to climb up on the couch or other important things like that and would always complain "hard!" Maybe that's why she's so into being "nake."

Gracie really does love Andrew. Anytime we sing "Jesus loves his little Gracie," she always says "Aner!" and I have to sing the song with Andrew's name as well.

Peace

Now that Andrew is over 2 months, he's been giving us more smiles each day! I love it!

This was our second year to go to the Flower and Garden Show with my mom (Nana). It is really neat, and I love it, even though I did not inherit my mom's green thumb. It's held at the statehouse convention center. There were 3 or 4 huge gardens set up inside--complete with trees! And most of the local nurseries were on site selling plants, trees, mulch, you name it!

Heifer Project had a booth set up and Gracie enjoyed petting the baby alligator.

The goat was also a huge hit, as well as the bunnies.

Andrew also had a good time! One of his precious smiles.

Here was our latest art project--paper sack dress. Gracie colored the front herself. She left it on for a good half hour, but once she was finished she didn't want to have anything else to do with it, so off to the recycle bin it went!

Our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Ruby, sent over these garden gloves for Gracie. She helped daddy pick up pine straw on Saturday. She decided to wear the hat by herself. Cute :)

Life certainly has been full of change, and at times, a bit crazy, but we are continuing to adjust and enjoy our family of four. Oops, five, counting Sabrina!

Pictures now, words later

2010-03-03T16:28:00.002-06:00

Gracie's Room

2010-02-03T21:26:00.006-06:00

I've been meaning to post pictures of Gracie's new room, and since Andrew and I are up anyway while the rest of the fam is asleep, I thought I'd post them now! Here is the crib we borrowed from Clay's parents and some fabric artwork I made (or "ot" as Gracie calls it!). I went with brown curtains to break up all the brightness of the pink walls.

Gracie's big girl bed and her name "ot." We will probably transition to this bed this summer sometime after her 2nd birthday. I found the 4-post bed at a garage sale for $25!

The toy corner. Kinda crazy, but at least the toys are out of the living room now! Well, for the most part....

Clay painted this dresser and I found these cute pink crystal drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby.

One of my favorite things in the room--her table and chairs, found at Midtowne Antiques. Clay spray painted them this perfect shade of green. She has another green chair, but it currently has its home in the living room.

Gracie is growing up so fast! She is about to be 20 months old. She has started identifying a lot of colors (her favorite being pink, of course!), and she tries counting all the time (one, one, one, one! with inflection in her voice :). She will say other numbers, just not in sequence. She also can identify the letter "H" and sometimes "Y," "G," and "U." Why she always knows "H" and only sometimes knows the first letter of her name, I don't know. For some reason, "H" has made an impression on her! I think the one of the coolest things is that she knows the difference between numbers, letters, and colors. If I say "ABC," she will undoubtedly say "H." And if I talk about numbers, she will name some. She also is a little parrot and repeats just about everything you say, and talks up a storm at home. I'm very proud of her as you can tell!

This Past Month...

2010-02-01T14:50:00.004-06:00

Well, I was so good to get pictures up when we got home from the hospital, but as you can tell, it's been a while! We've been busy adjusting to our new family of four. Gracie has been adjusting very well. She is sometimes extra sensitive and emotional, but for the most part, she learns to love Andrew more and more each day! Here she is helping with the pacifier.

Gracie's latest favorite thing to do is go go around naked, or "nake" as she calls it.

Andrew's not sure about the pink room. The walls give him a pink hue, don't they?

Right before a snooze...

Craft time... a sock puppet. I must remember to buy washable markers next time!

Hey, this roast beef sandwich is good! Who knew?

Getting ready to play in the snow...

My little snow princess.

My sweet babies

Cute Feet and the Poor Dog

2010-01-14T18:36:00.003-06:00

Such a cutie, I must say!

And poor Sabrina doesn't know what to think of all this. Lots of change for our firstborn :)

Andrew!

2010-01-09T19:55:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures of our first moments with Andrew! 6 pounds, 6 ounces, 19 inches, born at 4:32 a.m. Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Proud mama and papa!

Gracie meets Andrew

On our way home!Our sweet family

Hey! Put some clothes on me! It's cold!

Pretty boy!

The short story for those of you who haven't heard--My c-section was schedule for Wednesday morning. But Tuesday at 1:00 in the morning, I started having contractions. They went immediately from 15 to 10 to 7 minutes apart. By the time we gathered everything together and my mom came over to care for Gracie, they were 5 minutes apart. We got a hospital room at 3 a.m. and the contractions were more like 4 minutes apart and I was dilated between 4 and 5 centimeters. The nurses put a rush on things and by 4:00 (and at that time contractions were 2 minutes apart) I was taken to the operating room and given my epidural/spinal. Andrew Thomas was born at 4:32! The whole thing was super fast! Although it wasn't our "plan," everything went wonderfully and we are so grateful! Today is Saturday evening, and my recovery is going well. Each day gets better and better. Gracie is adjusting well and asked to hold Andrew today. More pics to come soon!

And our baby boy is named.....

2010-01-04T11:51:00.002-06:00

ha, ha, made you look! He's set to arrive Wednesday morning and then we'll let ya know his cute name! We may be in the hospital until Saturday, so it will probably be next week before the blog is updated with our newest addition.

Christmas Part 2

2009-12-30T11:10:00.008-06:00

Christmas afternoon my family took its traditional trip to the capitol to see all the decorations. Gracie loved them! And here she is in her cute new outfit from Nana and Grandpa.

The huge tree with hand-painted ornaments from each county in Arkansas.

Gracie's favorite activity of course--climbing the stairs. When they got to the top and were ready to go down, though, she said "Oh no! Up!" But soon wanted to go down herself afterall.

Attempting a nice posed picture.More like it!

Well, we tried.

Christmas last year at the capitol!Don't you love Gracie's curly mohawk?
Christmas night, Clay's parents (Mimi (Mi) and Papa (Pa)) came into town, along with his sister Dana (Na) and her hubby Matt (she says Matt fully!). Dana and Matt cooked delicious chili in bread bowls and had all kinds of delicious snacks and treats to go along with the meal. Here is Gracie in her new rocking chair from Mimi and Papa--a huge hit!

And the day after Christmas, all dressed up in her new Christmas coat from her great uncle Bobby and aunt Jo Lynn and her new winter coat from Mimi.

Gracie and Aunt Dana. Everyone went over to my parent's house for brunch the day after Christmas. It was fun to have both our families together on Christmas day after!

What a great Christmas! Wish I had some up close shots of all the family, but I spent most of the day sitting down and enjoying everyone's company instead!

Christmas Part 1

2009-12-29T16:11:00.004-06:00

We had a fabulous Christmas this year. It began on Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Here is their lovely tree. My mom goes to a Christmas tree farm every year and picks out the perfect tree! That night we had our Christmas Eve traditional meal--cornish game hens, baked with red potatoes, carrots, and onions, in a garlicky butter sauce--yum! Gracie loves Nana (Na) and Grandpa (Pa) and of course the Cat. She asks for the cat all the time, but is actually a little skiddish around the cat because the cat is skiddish around her. My mom or dad has to hold her down so Gracie can pet her.

Me and my big ol' belly!

Christmas morning at our house! Here is our tree and you can see the grocery buggy Santa brought Gracie. We decided to tell Gracie there is a story about a man named Santa, just like there is a story of Peter Pan or Cinderella. She obviously didn't get it all, but was very excited at the present!

Our tree once my parents arrived with their loot!

Gracie's favorite present from Nana and Grandpa--pajamas that she carried around with her most of the day!

And a book from mom and dad!

Part 2 to come soon!

From the Photographer

2009-12-21T08:38:00.004-06:00

Graeme was the resident photographer on our recent trip to Tanyard Springs. Here are some of his shots--they're fantastic!

Hugs!

What's up?!?!?!?!

Yummy dinner, Layla!

Sweet friends and happy memories!

Belly Shot

2009-12-18T09:34:00.002-06:00

I am now 36 weeks and 4 days prego, and this pic was taken about a week ago. Sorry, baby boy, that I haven't taken more of these shots! Time is just flying! On another note, I actually thought I might be going into labor last night. I was in bed and started having bad lower back pain. I got up and went to the couch, and also got really shaky. I called the after hours doctor, and by the time he returned my call the pain had subsided, never to return. Could the boy come early? We'll see!

Tanyard Springs and Reflections

2009-12-15T10:50:00.012-06:00

We just got back from an absolutely phenomenal weekend in Tanyard Springs with two other couples from our house church. The weekend was incredibly energizing in so many ways. It truly felt like we were on a trip with family. Each family provided different meals, and mealtime was always my favorite as we got to sit down at one huge table together. I'm pretty sure it used to be a conference table, so it could seat all of us plus the kiddos. Here we are enjoying Layla's baked zitti--yummy! Another highlight was staying up late (the adults) and playing games. Mad Gab, Graeme's version of the newlywed game, and Apples to Apples were a ton of fun. And I am pretty sure one day years from now I will burst into laughter as I remember some of the embarrassing moments that were shared when we played the newlywed game. But don't worry, to those of you involved--my lips are sealed!

Reese quickly discovered the best place to play--in the kitchen cabinets! She did this all weekend and had so much fun!Grace's favorite pastime was blowing her nose on a wipe and then "cleaning" the huge picture windows in the house. This huge window had amazing views, but unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of them! Gracie had trouble adjusting the first night and was up with us pretty late. But by the next day she took naps and went to bed at 7:30 Saturday and slept until 7 on Sunday. On Saturday the guys and Reagan hiked down to the waterfall. It looks absolutely gorgeous. I want to go back and see it myself!Each morning, Graeme led in a devotional around the breakfast table. And Sunday morning we gathered together and celebrated Advent. Advent has been new for most of us, and I have really enjoyed it. Advent looks at the birth of Christ with the expectation of His second coming. To me it has been a more complete look at Christmas, and I can honestly say it has been the best Christmas ever as we have read scripture and prayers together, as well as singing songs about Christ and his second coming. Next year our family hopes to also do the daily scripture readings as well as the weekly readings. As you can see, Reese was totally into the candles on the Advent wreath!

On the way home, Clay and I reflected about the weekend. It was amazing to me that we felt so totally energized, when you would expect us to be exhausted (although we all took pretty good naps Sunday afternoon!). I think a couple of things energized us--one, being able to spend so much time with friends in an un-rushed way. There was no agenda to follow, just having fun. Another thing that really energized was being able to share our lives with one another. Each family had time to share things going on in each of our lives. As we each deal with taking steps of faith in our Christian journey, it was so wonderful to be able to share our concerns, needs, and our excitements about the future. John 13:34-35 says"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." For the first time in my life, I am beginning to understand those verses. Others will know of Christ because of our love for each other. And as we have been a part of this house church, I have seen our love for one another grow. We actually talked one morning about what that means to have love for one another. It is so much more than being nice to each other on Sunday mornings and then going on about our weeks as isolated families. It is more about truly sharing life together. We all believe we've only just scratched the surface of what it means to love one another, but this weekend got to experience more of it, and even talked about how to be more in community with one another when we return home.

What a great weekend! Thanks Ramseys and Goldings for making it so special! Oh, and Graeme took a fantastic group shot that I'll post as soon as he sends it!

Recent Fun

2009-12-09T21:03:00.002-06:00

Gracie and I had a playdate with Iris and Kekoa over Thanksgiving break. The kids were so sweet together. For those of you who don't know Kekoa, he was born 4 days before Gracie. We always have fun with these special friends! Here we are at Chick-fil-a. They loved the balloons.

Our fabulous friends Luke, Courtney, and dog Lucy from Savannah came for a visit on their way to Rogers for Thanksgiving. We love Luke and Courtney so much! We are able to be our goofiest with these friends, we always pick up where we left off, and are already planning another friend vacation with them! Gracie loved them too, she just wasn't in a picture mood.

Gracie loved Lucy. I think she enjoyed playing with a dog more her size! Lucy was great with Gracie too.

For Nanny

2009-12-08T13:57:00.003-06:00

My dear, sweet Nanny passed away on Friday, December 4th. My dad delivered a beautiful eulogy and we had a sweet time remembering her full life. This picture was at my brother's wedding, a year and a half ago. Nanny actually picked this outfit out herself. 4 generationsNanny loved Gracie. She really came to life whenever she was around her. We'll miss her, but I am grateful for the full life she had and grateful to my mom for caring for her for the past several years.

Shower for Baby Boy

2009-12-03T15:14:00.005-06:00

I had another sweet shower for our baby boy with another group of precious girls. We all know each other through our time at Markham St. Baptist. It was held at my fave restaurant, Victorian Tea Garden. My rehearsal dinner was held there almost 7 years ago! What a sweet time with sweet people! Here's the cake--lemon with buttercream frosting--ooh la la it was good!
The baker, Layla. She's a baker extraordinaire!All the gal pals.The fam. I was so glad they could make it!The whole crew and cake.A special gift from Clay's Pop--little train overalls, just like the ones Pop used to wear as a child, straight from his favorite store in Crossett!Thanks again girls for showering me with love and goodies for our baby boy! It was fabulous!

Thanksgiving Part 2

2009-12-02T10:00:00.005-06:00

Finally found my camera cord and case! It was in Clay's car all along. I thought I left it at the Victorian Tea Garden from my shower, and turns out someone has found a case there, but it's not mine! If you're missing yours, try checking with VTG!

Part 2 of our Thanksgiving was another round of food, family, and fun. Gracie calls for "Nana (rhymes with Dana), Matt, Dais (Daisy) and Jo Jo (the dogs)" all the time now.

This shot was just too funny. It captures how Gracie is constantly on the go!But one perfect shot! This was is frameable for sure!

Stay tuned! I have a shower, playdate, and overall cuteness of Gracie to post soon!

Thanksgiving Part 1

2009-11-29T19:41:00.004-06:00

Hello all! I'm back! I'm hoping to make a better effort with the blog over the next few weeks. Here are pictures from Thanksgiving #1. We spent Thanksgiving Day in Sherwood with my parents and Uncle David and Aunt Lizzy. We also got to see Uncle Frank and his wife, as well as my Aunt Melinda and cousin Ashley. Gracie is so busy these days, it's difficult to get a good shot, so we had to catch pictures of her on the go, or reading.

Gracie's gotten a little more cuddly lately, which is so sweet!

The next post will be Thanksgiving #2 with Clay's family in El Dorado. And I have a ton of other pictures on my camera I'll get to next! The pictures from this post were from my mom's camera....I've temporarily "misplaced" my camera cord....hopefully it will show up soon!

Gracie's First Trumpet Lesson

2009-11-04T19:13:00.002-06:00

Clay broke out his trumpet tonight! He hasn't played in years, but gave it a go again! Gracie was intrigued from the moment he brought it out. I think we have a musician on our hands. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch, Shower, and Halloween Party

2009-10-26T07:59:00.009-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to the pumpkin patch in Mayflower. Gracie had a great time! Here we are on the hay ride. Gracie and Kekoa explore the patch.

Daddy found us the perfect pumpkin!

We went with Matt, Iris, Kekoa, and Josh, Rebecca, Jacob, and Haven. Fun times with good friends!

This farm also had a little zoo. Gracie loved the ducks, and wanted to climb in the cages.

Last week, Beth, Jill, Lori, and April threw me a shower at Canon Grill. Baby boy Glasgow got some cute, cute clothes, blankets, and diapers! This was such a special girl time. I know there are not too many people who can say they are still friends with people all the way back to elementary and jr. high school. We all grew up together and went to college together as well, so we have a special bond!

And on Friday Gracie went to her first Halloween party! My brave girlfriend Mandy from Moms and More had 15 kiddos over to her house! That's 15 kids and about 12 moms! It was a houseful, but she graciously cooked grilled cheese and potato soup for us all, as well as let the kids play with all of Noah's toys and even had a craft and costume contest! Here's my little pumpkin.

Gracie loved Ruthie the duck most of all.

Grace loved the toy horse.

What a cute table! And delicious treats!

Grace also loved this oversized dog. Her costume didn't last too long, so we all decided she was a ninja instead.

Gracie also loved this car. It's funny how she finds just a few things and wants to play with them over and over.

And here's the winner of the costume contest...Little Indian Annette!Believe it or not, the kids sat still for several minutes while we snapped photos, all the while singing "Old MacDonald had a Farm." They are just precious! Mine didn't turn out too well, but if you visit my facebook page, several other girls have added their shots.

What a fun fall it has been so far!

Wonderful Wednesdays and the Cutest Little Boo Bear in the World

2009-10-09T15:23:00.002-05:00

I love Wednesdays! Gracie and I go to the library for story time and she loves it! I love to see her face light up and all the progress she is making. I began taking her to story time when she could barely sit up on her own. Now she is an active participant!Here she is during the "Brown bear, brown bear" song, based on the book. As an animal is called out the kids are to pick it out and put it in the sack. Gracie doesn't identify the animals during the song, but if I point to the picture of the duck she can say it. There's a couple of other animals she can tell me if I point to them. One neat area of growth for Gracie is that she can now go to the front all by herself and get a bag from the teacher and (usually) go put it up at the end of the song!

Ringing bells is a favorite for all the kids.

My active listener!

And this past Wednesday, we had an extra treat. Wendy came over for lunch and Gracie (and I) had a blast. I think Wendy read every single book we had just checked out of the library to Gracie.

And here is some video of my cute little boo bear. My mom recently bought her this bear backpack harness. It has a "tail" that attaches so I can hold on to her so she can't run away from me. We practice at home, and hope to make a public debut soon. Meanwhile, it is one of Gracie's favorite new toys. She wants to wear the bear all the time and it's just the cutest thing!

Happy Birthday to Clay!

2009-09-30T20:39:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Clay's 30th birthday today! He had a good day--breakfast at work, lunch with co-workers, a special visit by Gracie to the office today, and then a special dinner at home. Filet mignon topped with bacon, baked potato and creamed spinach. Yummy!I sometimes have trouble getting Gracie to eat meats, but she knows a good thing when she sees it! She loved the filet mignon.Then present time.And last but not least, cupcakes! I think Clay had a good birthday. And after all, as they say, 30 is the new 20! Ha!

P.S.--Somehow some of my text became a link. Don't know how that happened or what happens when you click on it. Oops!

Gracie's First Camping Trip

2009-09-27T16:22:00.007-05:00

Gracie went on her first camping trip this weekend. As you can see, she was terribly excited to be going! We went to Albert Pike, the same camping grounds Clay grew up visiting every summer. It was the highlight of his year (better than Christmas!) and I think it will be the same for Gracie. She did great in the car--Albert Pike is a little over 2 hours away on the Little Missouri River.

Our home sweet away from home. The view of the Little Missouri River from our campsite.

Dear old dad did all the set up (and tear down) and did a great job!

We made the short hike down to the springs, and Gracie had a blast in this little spring.

"This is so fun!"

"Don't eat the rock!" We barely caught her before it went in her mouth....oh well, as they say "God made dirt, dirt don't hurt!"

Notice her foot totally submerged in the water. This water was frigid, but she played and played anyway. She only cried when we pulled her out and hiked back to camp.

This was also baby boy Glasgow's first camping trip. It's funny how different this pregnancy has been--I've got the total basketball belly this time around!
"Thanks for the ride, dad!"

More pretty views.

Sabrina had a blast as well.

Baby doll had to come along, too, of course. This is her water baby given to Gracie on her birthday from her Mimi. The good thing about water dolls is you can put them in a pillowcase and wash them in the washing machine, which made her the perfect camping companion!

In the morning after Gracie's first night in a tent. She went down fine in her pack-n-play, but kicked off her covers and got cold. We put her between us on the floor of the tent after that (atop an eggshell mattress). There were some strange hooting sounds going on throughout the night, though, that woke us all periodically. Perhaps not the best night's sleep, but definitely worth it!

Breakfast. Powdered sugar doughnuts! And daddy also made bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches--yummy!

Sabrina also got to engage in her favorite past time--fetching a stick from the river.

As they say, "a good time was had by all." We had a very memorable first camping trip, and look forward to many more!

For Daddy

2009-09-23T18:30:00.002-05:00

Here's some pictures for daddy who had to be out of town tonight. Gracie got a couple of new fall outfits today. Here she is sporting the one she picked out herself. I held two outfits in front of her (same style, different color), and this is the one she chose! Cutie, if I do say so myself.

Something New

2009-09-15T19:00:00.002-05:00

Gracie just began practicing with a fork and spoon this week. I'm pretty impressed at how quickly she's catching on! On one hand, meal times now take longer and are messier (for the time being), but it was nice this evening at dinner when I gave her a spoon and fork to "practice" with, and we ate in peace while she attempted to eat with the utensils (she had already eaten some and wasn't famished, don't worry!). Then of course we helped her finish up!

Latest Stats and Sayings

2009-09-11T15:14:00.002-05:00

Gracie had her 15 month check up this week. She is in the 75% for height (we thought she looked tall!) and between the 25-50% for weight. Gracie is talking up a storm. She can say many words (by "say" I mean she attempts, getting the first consonant sound correct, and usually the vowel, but not many final consonants yet). She can say mama, daddy (da), dog, duck, door, doll (she loves the d words :) ball, eye, nose, and had begun saying bye bye and baby completely. The cool thing is, when we ask her to say a word, she almost always attempts and almost always gets that first consonant right. There's a whole host of other words she says that I can't remember right now. She can also identify several body parts (head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, arms, legs, feet, hands, toes, belly button) and can identify those parts on me and Clay as well. She even pointed to Sabrina's toes the other day. Gracie continues to love pretend play with her baby dolls and snack cups. I'm smiling just thinking about her....she's pretty amazing!

Okay, enough bragging for one day...more pics and video to come soon!

Everyday with Gracie

2009-09-02T19:10:00.005-05:00

Here is Gracie looking out the window at the neighbor's yard people. Thanks, mom, for the pants...we actually needed them today! Gracie loves carrying around my shirts, but usually just certain ones. She was carrying this one around in the above picture, but it was a different day. I decided to put it on her, and boy was it cute! She also found this chain and loves playing with it.

Gracie looooooooooooooves her babydoll!

We knew she loved to read, but this commentary on the book of John is pretty advanced, huh?

Here is Gracie trying to put a piece of cereal in her doll's hand. Before I had the camera, she tried to put the cereal in the doll's mouth. Gracie loves playing with her doll. On Wednesday, I saw her carry her doll to her high chair, put the doll in it, then go bang on the pantry door a couple of times (her version of opening it and getting a snack out) and come back and "feed" an imaginary cracker to her baby. It was precious! She is going to be such a big help when her baby brother arrives!

I am pretty sure Gracie could live outside if we let her. Here she is just enjoying herself!

Oh so Flexible

2009-08-15T18:46:00.003-05:00

The Adventures of Sabrina and Gracie

2009-08-11T07:30:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time since I wrote about the adventures of Sabrina and Gracie. Gracie LOVES Sabrina. Most of the time, Sabrina loves her back, but occassionally she leaves the room when Gracie enters. Thankfully, Gracie doesn't understand what is happening when she does that! This morning I mentioned that Sabrina needed her hair brushed. A few minutes later, here's what happened.....
After I took this video, Sabrina rammed over Gracie, knocking her to the floor. Gracie just laughed and laughed and laughed! I think they are going to be good friends!

Pretend Play--Snack Time!

2009-08-10T18:50:00.003-05:00

Gracie has begun pretend play! She loves to get a cup or bowl out of her drawer in the kitchen and pinch "snacks" out of it. She will "eat" them or give them to me or Clay to eat. Sorry the video isn't too good--I was trying to get in on the snack action!

Bloggy Catch-Up

2009-08-09T15:35:00.006-05:00

Gracie has taken off walking. It only took her a couple of days to shed crawling, and walk full time! She has been walking for around 3 weeks, I think. The other day we went to the grocery store around 4:00 and Gracie hadn't eaten a big lunch that day. I immediately bought her an apple for her to munch on during the shopping trip. I didn't hear a peep out of her the entire trip, and when we got home, she kept munching while I brought in the groceries!

She ate quite a lot! My only mistake was forgetting a bib--next time I'll even buy one while I'm there if I have to!

Gracie is so proficient at walking that she can walk and drink at the same time. Notice how she only has one shoe on. She loves to go in her shoe basket and bring us a show to put on her foot. We have started to wonder if it's bad for her to go around with one shoe on, so today I told her "go get the other shoe" and she went back to her room and brought back the match! Such a smartie :)

My favorite time of day is getting Gracie up after her nap. She loves to play in her crib.

Doesn't she look so old here?!?!?! My cutie is growing up!

Yesterday Clay worked in the yard, clearing away some branches and cutting down a small tree in the yard.

Timber!

That's my hubby, a hard-workin' man!

Our sweetie.

Twighlight Zone

2009-07-23T13:49:00.003-05:00

Gracie went through this stage where she would put any scrap anything she found on the floor in her hair--bits of fuzz, paper, if she found it she stored it in her hair. The other day Gracie handed Clay this bit of straw or leaf she found on the carpet. Clay decided to "pull a Gracie" and put it in his hair. What I saw on top of his head is just about unbelievable, except that we actually have proof!

Weird, huh!?!?!?!?

Funny Babies

2009-07-22T15:22:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs

Okay, so this is not video of Gracie, but it's still worth a look. Hilarious!

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!

2009-07-20T18:58:00.005-05:00

Gracie takes several steps!!!! She has done a couple here and there, but this was hardcore walking! Don't think she's finished with crawling, but our little munchkin is definitely "taking the next step!" Oh, and by the way, Gracie loves holding her little washcloth to her nose and blowing. She also loves to hold it up to our noses so we can blow. :)

Jam-packed fun times

2009-07-20T10:55:00.009-05:00

We have had a busy but fun several days! First of all, Gracie and I took our very first trip alone together! We went up to Rogers Thursday and Friday to see my brother David and sister in law Elizabeth. It was a fun trip, seeing their new house, hanging out, and letting Gracie spend time with her aunt and uncle! I am mad at myself for not bringing my camera though!!!

Then Sunday Clay, Gracie, and I went down to Arkadelphia for a reunion. That was the weekend of the Flight 1420 Ouachita Singers reunion. Several of our college friends were in that group and were gathering for the weekend. We met them Sunday, along with our pastor and his wife and family from college who now live in Atlanta. It was such a sweet time with good friends. Here are a few pictures of Gracie and daddy at Crackerbarrel Sunday morning. Trying to keep Gracie occupied while we waited.

The hostess of our fabulous day...Amy. She and her hubby had us all over after we all attended our college church, Park Hill Baptist. It was so fun to see all those familiar faces! Brings back good memories...

James, Blake, and Clay

James and Kristin. They have 3 adorable kids! Wish I had gotten pics of them.

Blake and Gayla, and their sleepy Sarah! Blake is the pastor who married us, almost 7 years ago!

A close up of Sarah (though I caught her mid cry I think!). Sarah is their miracle baby, and it was so fun to see her and Gracie together!

Me and Melinda. We rode with Melinda to the airport and had fun catching up. Her poor hubby was at home with their 3 kiddos and some German students!

Sunday evening we made it in time to attend Brooke and Mike's going away party. We had a blast spending time in the Ramseys beautiful backyard. Gracie had fun playing on the steps. .....

....and loved the slide! I think we're going to get one for our backyard.

And here's the crew! It was so fun for us to all be together. The Ramsey's sweet neighbor took our pictures, and wasn't too familiar with all our new-fangled cameras. I think this one was one of the best shots!

We'll miss you Mike and Brooke! Keep in touch! Thank goodness for blogs and facebook!

All She Wants to do is DANCE!

2009-07-14T12:43:00.002-05:00

Our Foodie

2009-07-10T21:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, no pictures for this one yet...but I had to write about Gracie's latest in food. Yesterday she ate some corn on the cob. Sure, I shaved some off of my cob and put it on her tray, but no, she wanted to eat off the cob! It was cute as can be, but of course as soon as we got the camera, she was finished. Tonight she devoured my ricotta manicotti! That would be a good picture too, but I was too busy cutting up manicotti to cool for our little darling! Hopefully we'll catch some good food pictures soon.

Happy 4th! I know, I know...late

2009-07-10T21:00:00.003-05:00

We had a fabulous 4th of July weekend in Springfield, Missouri with Uncle Matt and Aunt Dana. They took us to this huge 4th of July spectacular in Springfield. There was a huge music presentation (both Christian and patriotic) and of course fireworks. But not just any fireworks--the best we've ever seen! The cool thing is that one of the local (and large) churches put on a patriotic presentation each year, and it grew so big that finally the city of Springfield cancelled their own event and turned it completely over to them. It was majorly impressive, and fun!

Gracie did good, but got kind of tired...after all, the fireworks didn't start until 9. Gracie actually began crying right before the fireworks started, but once they began......she was enthralled! Thanks Dana and Matt for the fun weekend, and for the marvelous accommodations!

Daddy Daughter Time

2009-07-09T20:33:00.003-05:00

One of the best times of the day for our family is when Clay takes Gracie jogging. I get to finish cleaning up or relax since I couldn't begin a jogging routine since I'm pregnant :) Ready to go!

Returning home....

Clay will be running in a 5k this weekend.

The cool down....

How Gracie usually ends the jog.

I've been pitiful at keeping up the blog, but I'm gonna try better! I've got some video to upload of our cutie.

Gracie and the Potato

2009-06-23T18:28:00.003-05:00

Gracie and I took a quick trip this afternoon to Fresh Market for a couple of baking potatoes. She loves grocery shopping and wanted to hold a potato. I kept telling her over and over not to put it in her mouth, and she just held it and laughed and smiled. We get up to the checkout line and when I have to take the potato from Gracie, she lets out the loudest ear-piercing cry she has ever cried. Before I could even blink an eye, the teenage cashier weighed the potato and quickly gave it back to Gracie. I knew I should not let her have it, and shouldn't teach her to cry for what she wants like that, but I was dealing with a rare afternoon of pregnancy sickness, and just didn't want to deal with it. Anyway, a now happy Gracie and I walked to the car (potato still in hand), and I let her hold the potato on the way home. I again told her not to put it in her mouth, but.....this is what I found when we got home.... She even spit some out and handed it to me when we got home! Silly girl! She is just so precious, though, how can you stand it??!?!?!?

And here's the first belly shot of this pregnancy. I'm about 11 weeks now, and this was taken last week. Already showing a little!

Birthday Cupcake

2009-06-14T14:06:00.003-05:00

Buttercream Frosting

2009-06-14T14:00:00.004-05:00

Here is the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe courtesy of Southern Living March 2009.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz.) package powdered sugar
3 to 5 Tbsp. milk

1. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy
2. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 3 Tbsp. milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Beat in up to 2 Tsp. additional milk for desired consistency. Makes about 2 3/4 cups.

For Blackberry Buttercream.
Omit milk. Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1, beating in 1/2 cup fresh blackberries and 1 tsp. lemon zest with butter. Proceed with recipe as directed, beating in an additional 1 cup powdered sugar. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

So there wouldn't be any seeds, I pureed my blackberries and sent them through a strainer, which gave me about 1/2 cup of blackberry syrup.

Gracie's Fabulous Birthday

2009-06-10T08:45:00.008-05:00

We had the most amazing, better than I could have ever dreamed, first birthday for Gracie this past Saturday. It was nice that her actual birthday fell on a Saturday. We invited the family and loaded up and went to Pinnacle Mountain. Here is the birthday girl eating her birthday lunch, turkey and cheese.

I had a great time coordinating the "purple" party. Here are her cupcakes...yellow cake mix with homemade blackberry butter cream icing. Yum!

The purple theme of the party was chosen because of our hydrangeas, which were blooming when Gracie was born. As they started blooming this year, Gracie and I would walk out and look at them. I always called them her birthday flowers.

Gracie was not too thrilled with her birthday hat! Here she is with Mimi and Papa.

With Nana and Grandpa. And wrinkling her nose.

With Aunt Dana and Uncle Matt.

With Aunt Lizzy and Uncle David.

With mom and dad and Sabrina!

We begin to open presents......

Her first baby doll!

And she absolutely loved her new clothes, especially this sundress. She held onto it the entire time we opened presents!

Always a favorite, a book!

Pretty in her purple party dress.

Opening her last gift....

A t-shirt with a special message!

We surprised our family with this gift. Gracie's gonna be a big sister come January!

The birthday girl was getting a little sleepy.....
And the much anticipated first cake! Gracie loved her cupcake. Video will follow soon.

Gracie was such a good little girl! She even managed a little nap at her party!

The funny ending to the party--Clay bought these little watermelons from Fresh Market and the first two he opened were terrible. He decided to chunk one over the ravine, but sure enough, as it broke open, he noticed how incredibly red it looked! He went over to take a taste, and of course it was the best one of the bunch! Oh well, a squirrel enjoyed a little birthday treat!

We had such a wonderful day celebrating Gracie. Thanks to all our family for coming in the midst of some super busy times and celebrating with us!

All the Latest

2009-06-03T08:31:00.004-05:00

Gracie has been up to all kinds of things! She loves attempting to put on shoes, ours or hers. I put these on for her and she was thrilled! Another favorite past time of Gracie is putting things in her hair--leaves, bits of paper, fuzz, whatever she finds on the floor....she sticks in her hair. I guess her hair is substituting for pockets! Gracie had her first illness last month. You can see in her eyes how puny she felt, pictured here with Nana, who brought us dinner one night. She ran a fever for 3 days, and it took almost a full week for her to be back to normal. I am grateful that it was only a cold, and that this is the first time in all her life that she has been sick. The doctor said to expect for her to be sick more as we stop nursing :( But on a bright note, we only have her morning feeding left. Freedom is around the corner!

Here is a laughing video from the middle of May. Gracie wanted to sit in her bumbo that we had pulled out for little Reese one night.

And here is Gracie with another favorite thing....climbing! She lost her balance at the end, but she's okay!

Our Crazy Morning

2009-05-20T14:03:00.011-05:00

Gracie and I had a little adventure this morning. I had just given her a bath and wanted to change the sheet on her crib. I wanted to contain her to her bedroom while I was doing that and straightening up her room, so I naturally closed the bedroom door. When we first moved into this house, her bedroom door didn't close quite right and so our carpenter simply shaved off a little of the door so it would close properly. But with changing weather, the door expanded and still doesn't close properly. We just haven't done anything about it. When you close the door now, it doesn't latch all the way and smart little Gracie can open it if she wants and crawl away. So I shut it tight to prevent her from leaving. Well, I straightened, she played, then I sat in the rocker and let her play some more. Finally it was time for lunch and I went to open the door--- WE WERE STUCK! I could not open the door. I tried forever to open the door. I was about to jiggle the knob loose! The only way for the door to open would be for someone on the other side to push hard at the top of the door where it was stuck. I had no cell phone and all the doors to the house were locked. The only thing I knew to do was to open Gracie's window and yell for help! It took a little while for me to get the window open. The main window opened easily, but the second window was tricky! Finally with a burp cloth in each hand against the latches, I was able to get the window open. I preceded to yell "HELP! IS ANYONE OUT THERE?" Over and over. Thankfully, Gracie wasn't scared, she just started singing when she heard me yell out. No one was around, I mean no one! I started to think who might come and when, and realized all the neighbors had already had their lawns mowed this week, so there would be no lawn boys to rescue me. It was too early for Mrs. Ruby to check the mail. No one was out walking. "HELP! HELP! HELP!" I cried out several times then kept trying the door again. Finally, I decided to take off the screen window and that I was going to have to climb out the window and go to a neighbor to call Clay. The screen wouldn't come off, of course, so I got one of Gracie's plastic hangers and tore it apart. As I hung my head out the window, I realized it was a little farther down to the ground than I thought. Not only that, if I decided to climb out and go to the neighbors house, I would have to leave Gracie in her room alone. I decided to call for help a couple more times, when my neighbor opened her window and asked what was going on. This neighbor is from the country of Georgia and had a little bit of difficulty understanding what I needed. I finally communicated that I needed a phone and she said she'd bring me one. It seemed to take her 5 minutes to leave her house and come out. By that time Mr. George and Mrs. Betty next door started calling out asking if there was anyone who needed help. Thankfully they had been working in their yard and heard my cries! They met my other neighbor in the side yard, and I started calling out "Mrs. Betty, Mr. George, it's Jennifer, come over here!" Finally, I got a phone and called Clay. He was in a meeting downtown and didn't recognize the number, but after 3 calls in a row, he finally answered. I assured the neighbors we would be okay until Clay got here. By that time, Gracie was very hungry, and a bit tired I guess, because she just sat in my lap with a stuffed animal until Clay got here. He rescued us and Gracie got some lunch.

Curls, Cute Shoes and Shades, and Cat

2009-05-15T23:17:00.003-05:00

When Gracie wakes up from her nap on a humid day, we have curls! Lovely, lovely curls! You might see the little tear falling down her face. This was her new afternoon snack on day 2 or 3, and cheerios helped her forget about nursing. Showing off her shoes from Aunt Dana and Uncle Matt. Gracie loves shoes--she loves to try and put them on herself.

Cool shades! Fun with Nana

Fun with Grandpa

Gracie is always so excited to see the cat (named Cat) at my parent's house, but as you can see, Cat isn't excited to see Gracie! Here she is hissing away as my sweet baby laughs!

Growing Up

2009-05-12T18:45:00.003-05:00

Gracie and I are beginning a new stage....weaning. She is almost a year and I am ready for her to be a completely independent eater. And she is growing more ready herself each day. For day 1 (today) I substituted her nursing afternoon snack with a cup of milk. She loved it! I am so grateful she enjoyed the whole milk and is doing well with a cup. We are going to continue with this for a few days before I substitute another meal with the cup. If you have any tips on weaning, send them my way!

Our Little Foodie

2009-05-05T14:54:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of Gracie's first pasta and meatballs with sauce. She loved the meatballs the best! Food has been a bit of a challenge lately. Once she tried seasoned veggies, she wouldn't eat any plain ones. Today she had some broccoli with cheese. One day she likes green beans, the next she doesn't. It's all a learning experience and I'm trying to just enjoy each stage. Oh, but one exciting thing is that she likes meats just fine even though she's only had 4 or 5 bites of pureed meats. Who can blame her, though? She's had turkey, ham, and these meatballs. Enjoy these pics of our little sweetie!

Daddy's Number One!

2009-05-02T18:22:00.003-05:00

Without a doubt, Gracie is her daddy's #1 fan!

Story Time!

2009-04-26T20:20:00.005-05:00

Grace loves to read. My hope is that one day we'll be able to read side by side. Right now, however, she wants whatever book I'm reading, so we stick to her books.

15 Seconds

2009-04-23T22:29:00.002-05:00

To read about my 15 seconds of fame, asking a question to Dave Ramsey during the Town Hall for Hope, check out my soapbox.

Daddy, don't go!

2009-04-21T13:39:00.001-05:00

Gracie's New Favorite Activity

2009-04-17T11:32:00.003-05:00

Easter

2009-04-16T19:47:00.002-05:00

We had a great Easter in Crossett visiting Mema and Pop and in El Dorado with Mimi and Papa. Here we are in our Easter finest. Papa preached at a hispanic church and we enjoyed being apart of that service. It was a great experience.

Grace and the Easter bunny.

Where's the candy???

Old and New Friends and our "Vacation"

2009-04-04T21:08:00.007-05:00

We had the privilege this weekend of seeing an old friend and meeting two new friends. Benison has been a friend since college. We went to Park Hill Baptist in Arkadelphia together and he was even an usher in our wedding. We finally got to meet Benison's beautiful wife Lum (I hope I spelled it right) and their cute-as-can-be little boy. His name is pronounced ti-ah-wah, and I'm so sorry I don't know how to spell it. Ben, we have got to say.....you married up! :) Benison and Lum are both from Cameroon, Africa. Ben is currently in law school in Indiana and Lum is getting her MBA. We'd sure love for them to move to LR one day.....fingers crossed! Little T was on the go and was crawling, pulling up, standing and having a good time! In the short time we got to visit, I could see Lum is such a natural with kiddos!

Man, he is so cute! And definitely a man on a mission.

This weekend we are on "vacation." We had plans away, but ended up having to stay home. But it has been a wonderful weekend anyway. We spent the afternoon at Pinnacle Mountain. Of course, Gracie loved being outside.

By one of the big cypress trees on the trail at Pinnacle. One more day left in our "vacation." Looking forward to more relaxation, reading, and family time.

Dinner Party

2009-04-04T11:18:00.006-05:00

Our friends Josh and Rebecca recently won a cooking demonstration and dinner for 8, and asked us to be apart of the experience. We hosted it at our house and had a wonderfully delicious time! Pictured are Greg and Natalie (J and R's friends from Paris!), Josh and Rebecca, me and Clay, and Patrick and Elizabeth. The chef and sous chef were from Cafe 42 at the Clinton Library. They did a wonderful job in preparing the food and explained anything we wanted to know! Here is a pic of us watching them cook.Here is the preparation of the appetizer. Let me see if I can sum it up...."A scallop mousse with lobster piped into the flower of the squash plant deep fried and served over shredded cucumber with an orange hollandaise sauce and chives for garnish." I must say, AMAZING!

Enjoying the appetizer.

The main course...."Halibut prepared with spices, cooked in the iron skillet over a bed of morrell mushrooms ($30 a pound, people, and he used 2 pounds!!!) with spring onions and a black plum garnish." Again, delish! You know, we could prepare the halibut and it would be good, but it's the addition of those special ingredients and the perfect blend of spices that makes it unforgettable!

And dessert...."prickly pear mousse with a chocolate coating, sitting on a pistachio cookie with olive oil ice cream." Yes, olive oil ice cream! It was incredible! Very subtle, yet you definitely felt like you were eating something very special!And best of all, the chef (Jacob Peck) brought dishes and took them away afterwards, so cleanup was a breeze! Thanks again Josh and Rebecca for the invite to this amazing dinner party! Good food, good friends, fun times!

Girls Time

2009-04-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

I hosted a special girls night in honor of my dear friend Layla. Layla and her family are moving to Fayetteville for 6 weeks while Jason is doing a rotation at a hospital up there. We had a yummy snack supper (my girls know how to make delish snacks!) and then did our "secret" activity. I had pretty stationery for us to pass around and write down what we loved or what was special about each person. Then we prayed for Layla and sent her off well! We'll miss you Layla, but will be praying for you on this adventure!

Uniquely Gracie

2009-03-31T18:00:00.003-05:00

Gracie has been crawling for about two weeks, but this past week she has perfected her form. Enjoy!

Oh, What a Wonderful Life!

2009-03-15T16:03:00.009-05:00

We have certainly been up to a lot these days! Here is a snapshot of the past couple of weeks....

Gracie during devotional time...she loves to turn the pages, or try climbing on whatever she is near. Realizing we need to work on manners...

At the flower and garden show

Getting her first balloon

Eating the yummy chicken and dumplings Clay made the evening it snowed

Looking beautiful in a white dress from Mimi

Playing with her favorite dog (du, du, du!)

Working on the sippie cup

Loving cheerios

Going to the zoo

Deciding the people were more like animals on free zoo day

Having a great weekend with Uncle David and Aunt Lizzy

Getting stuck under the side table

And having fun in her rocker at Nana and Grandpa's house!

Gracie's Boo-Boo

2009-03-12T09:25:00.005-05:00

Gracie took a spill this morning while trying to climb up the molding around the closet door. She fell into the molding and put a bump on her forehead. I called her pediatrician and the nurse told me to keep her awake for another hour and to watch that her eyes don't become dilated. She is doing well and just went down for a nap.

Just after the accident happened, the carpet cleaners came to give me an estimate on our floors. Gracie was fussy so I told them what happened. One of the guys said he walked in the kitchen the other day and his one and a half year old was on top of the kitchen table, scaring him to death! Well that is totally believable. However, the other guy pipes up..."My wife called me the other day and said she couldn't find our child (also one and a half) and I raced home. When I pulled in the driveway I noticed he was on top of the roof! We had left a ladder by the side of the house." Really???? That story is so bizarre I cannot imagine it to be true. Anyway, I guess we'll never know!

Saying "Dog" and Just Being Cute

2009-03-07T18:23:00.004-06:00

The first 30 seconds or so of this video are of me watching Gracie and looking silly but then it gets better! The best laugh is in the last 2 seconds!

New American Idol Judges for 2010

2009-03-06T14:32:00.002-06:00

Thanks, Court, for the picture! :)

9 Months

2009-03-06T13:49:00.002-06:00

Gracie had her 9 month checkup today. Here's her latest stats:

17 pounds 13 ounces--40%
27 1/2 inches--50%

It's funny--we think she is soooooooooooooo big, but she's right in between most girls her age!
She is making progress in all areas of development and the doctor was very pleased!

I am having trouble uploading pictures right now, but as soon as I can I have some cute shots to post.

Huck, Honk! and More Family Updates

2009-02-27T08:44:00.008-06:00

Last night our little family attended a HuckPAC party,or Huckabee Political Action Committee party. The point of Huckabee's PAC is to help elect conservatives to office and also to get his message across. I highly recommend his latest book "Do the Right Thing." It was fun to connect with people and we also heard the official announcement of Mike Darr of his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor. HuckPAC was hoping for 50 similar parties to be going on around the US last night, but there were more than 130! It felt good to be a part of something so grassroots and to support someone we admire so much. You will be hearing more from us about HuckPAC!

In other news, one of Gracie's favorite things to do is to pinch my nose while I say "Honk!" Yesterday she pinched my nose while I said "honk" and her little thumb got hooked inside my nose and scratched the fire out of me! I think she was as shocked as me to see a bloody nose! We'll have to be more careful next time. This morning she was also trying to pinch a freckle off of me. She's so detail oriented! Oh well, a little pain for me, but a lot of learning for her!

Tuesday Clay and I attended the AR Business Awards banquet. Clay's firm received the Small Business Philanthropy award. It was exciting to see the partners accept the award. I felt such pride for Clay and the accounting firm he works for! We were also able to cheer on Georgia Mjartan as she was nominated for Non-Profit Executive of the Year for her work at Our House. And on top of it all, I got a new dress! Wendy was so sweet to come over and babysit Gracie. Gracie had such a good time, and played till she dropped!

There's so much going on in our lives. Just wanted to share a little!

Milestone

2009-02-21T11:29:00.004-06:00

I put Gracie in her crib to play while I ran her bath water. I came back to this. Enjoy!

Update!

2009-02-21T08:30:00.002-06:00

Clay informed me that I forgot some of our nicknames for Gracie. How could I forget? Stinker (Clay's nickname-he has more than he thinks), The Grace Child, and The Babe Grace.

As for each other...Clay just calls me "J" most of the time. In fact, if I hear "Jennifer" out of his mouth, I know something's wrong :) And sometimes he calls me Jim-jay-fus, shortened to Jim. I know--we're weird! And then I rhyme and call him Clim-clay-fus, shortnened to Clim. Double weird.

You asked! :)

Post 101 and the Many Names for Gracie

2009-02-20T13:14:00.004-06:00

Alright everyone, let's celebrate! This is post 101! I actually wanted to make a big deal about the 100th posting on this blog, but Clay did that video and I missed my chance. I can't believe we've sat down to post 101 times. So fun.

Do you have pet names or nicknames for your little one? We have so many for Gracie that Clay is afraid she will have an identity crisis one day. Correction, I have many names for Gracie. Clay has pretty much one name and its variations that he calls her.

Okay, here goes.

Booger (I know that's awful!)
Boogs
Boogere (think French--boog air)
Boo
Bugaboo
Sweet Pea
Sweet Pete

And I'm sure I"ll think of some more. All pretty silly for sure. Poor girl.
What are your pet names for your little ones (or your spouse)?

Night-Night Mema and Pop

2009-02-15T18:59:00.004-06:00

My (Clay's) grandparents are spending the night with my parents tonight, so this video is for them:

Love me some Huckabee

2009-02-14T15:25:00.003-06:00

Come be a part of a HuckPac AR houseparty with us!

Thursday, February 26th at 7:00 p.m.

Larry's Pizza West House Party

12911 Cantrell Rd. Little Rock, AR 72223

Please RSVP with Katie Beth Harris at katiebeth.harris@mikehuckabee.com

Okay, so Huckabee won't be there, but you can come and learn some cool stuff and meet some new people who heart Huckabee!

Food and Fun

2009-02-10T18:21:00.002-06:00

Gracie is making progress on her food. I decided that maybe I was expecting too much too fast, and scaled back to one solid food meal a day (lunch). She has done great with our new veggie, zucchini. At 9 months, I will add a second meal, and by 10 months try to be at 3 solid food meals a day. Gracie still hasn't touched my applesauce, but I may try some store-bought applesauce soon. She does like bananas alright, and I made some pears for her to try this week.

Gracie's new favorite thing to do is look at her beautiful self in the mirrored closet doors in our room. She plays in the mirror with her toys, but her latest act is leaning forward and licking the mirror! It's really cute. I'll try to get some pictures or video of it soon.

Anyway, just wanted to share the latest on my cutie! She is growing up so fast!

Birthday and Sweet Pictures

2009-02-07T19:53:00.006-06:00

Once again Gracie's birthday has passed without an update! Her 8 month b-day was on the 6th. I am already thinking about her one year birthday party we will have at our house with our families. I think I've already got her birthday outfit! One of my favorite antique/flea market stores (Midtowne Antiques on Markham and Rodney Parham) has a little booth of baby clothes right now, and I found a super cute little blue outfit with smocking for her.

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Gracie with her Aunt Melinda at the Oyster Bar.

Gracie with Aunt Miriam and Uncle Andre. Uncle Roger and daddy are in the back. Gracie's latest favorite toy--balls. Gracie's had a couple of rough nights here lately. Her daddy took this shot one morning after we pulled an all nighter and I ended up sleeping with her on the couch. We think she's cutting more teeth, but we've yet to see any new ones. And she's almost mobile! She was in a sitting position before this shot. She will go from a sitting position to one like this, and can inch forward a little, but she hasn't quite figured it all out yet. It's just a matter of time, though! She is also pulling up a little bit.

Nanny-Sitting

2009-02-07T19:32:00.009-06:00

Tonight my parents are hosting a large dinner party, and I am Nanny-sitting. My Nanny began an adult day-care this past January, and we have seen a big difference in her since she began. She has Alzheimers, but now that she has more daily interaction with people, she is able to speak a little more clearly. Tonight she played with Gracie and remembered that she was a girl (she used to call Gracie a "he"). When I put Gracie on Nanny's lap for these pictures, she said "Boy, she's heavy!" and "I have to hold on tight to her!" because Gracie was so wiggly! At dinner she asked to say the blessing and said a very coherent prayer about God helping the children to grow up (she meant Gracie) and blessing the food. I wish I could remember her words exactly. But my favorite line was during dinner. I asked Nanny if she wanted another bowl of soup and she said, "Well, I have to watch my figure!" She finally agreed to just a little more broccoli and cheese soup.

It's so nice to have moments like those. Tonight she looked around my kitchen and said "I really like your.....bicycle." And she has tried to open the car door twice while on the interstate with my parents. Now they have to sit her in the backseat with the child locks.

So, I'm grateful for the good times, snippets of good conversation, and the way she interacts with Gracie. Nanny is taking a little snooze in our comfy rocking chair as I write this post. She just woke up for a minute and I told her I was working on the computer. Her response was "I hear people talking about the 'puter, and once the fix it they don't have to fuss about it any more." Well, said, Nanny!

The Natural State

2009-02-04T12:29:00.001-06:00

I was outside windexing my windows, and Sabrina started raising a commotion. I turn to look, and there was a whole family of deer in our backyard! Sabrina tried to frighten them off with her ferocious barking, but the deer family just looked at us and casually made their way into the woods. I love living in the Natural State!

The Big Race

2009-01-31T14:39:00.009-06:00

Well, folks, once again it is time for the Big Race. The JPMS Cox annual busy season race! A short history--you may recall the story of the first race, a few years ago.....my beloved hubby blew the dust (on pavement!) near the beginning of the 40-yard dash. The next year the race was moved to the grassy knoll. That year I believe he (in true Jerry Seinfeld fashion) chose not to run. Last year he came in second place! And this year (drum roll please).........4th place! This year, a newbie has stolen the spotlight.
What a great place to work! An "activity coordinator" schedules fun, short activities for Saturdays during busy season. Now everyone has lots to talk about for the next year, and it's not quite as bad going into work on a Saturday. This year's race was finished off with a partner chili cook off. Yum!

Cuteness

2009-01-28T09:50:00.002-06:00

Breakfast date! To give us something fun to look forward to, we began Saturday family breakfast dates at Panera Bread. Daddy is having to work Saturdays right now as it is busy season for our CPA (fyi, he's an auditor, not a tax guy, but their busy seasons run around the same time). But a yummy breakfast sandwich, juice, and coffee as a family helps us begin our day right! Gracie loves to play in her crib while I clean her room or the hall bath. Oh, and we lowered the crib this week as she began pulling up some on the bumper pad when left to play! Best of friends for sure! Water play! And yes, when I turned my back for a second, she dumped the pan all over herself and the carpet! Next time, water play will happen on top of a blanket. Sabrina thought this quilt was set out for her. Cousin dog Jo Jo. Gracie loved Jo Jo's tag. She wanted to examine it, and then eat it of course!
Kisses from Jo Jo! She looks so big in her jumper now! I remember when her feet wouldn't touch the floor! A rare moment for our active little girl--asleep in Mimi's lap.

A Word from Huckabee

2009-01-20T20:45:00.001-06:00

I'm friends with Mike Huckabee on facebook :) and thought he had a great word to say today.

With Prayerful Hearts
From Mike Huckabee
Today at 12:21pm
by Mike HuckabeeAs of this afternoon, we have a new President. I had hoped that the 44th President would be a guy named Huckabee, but that didn’t happen. I don’t lament the results of the election, I celebrate the process of our great Republic that gives us the privilege and responsibility of voting and choosing our leaders.I have stated repeatedly that I will pray for the new President in the same way that I would have desired for my fellow citizens to pray for me had I been successful. I know that some, even on this blog, have been hesitant to commit to pray for and support the new President. I believe that it is my Christian duty to respect the office, to honor the process that led to the selection of the President, and to seek to put my country and its best interest above that of my party or even myself. I might find myself in disagreement in some of the policies that President Obama puts forth, but I will express my disagreement in the spirit of respect and civility that I wish had met President Bush when his critics disagreed with him.Today, I am above all an American. A proud one. Proud that we have transitioned power without soldiers, bayonets, or bloodshed. I celebrate America. Now, the task is to stand more firm than ever in the convictions that life is precious and is the basis of liberty. I will work to elect good men and women to help shape this nation. It will be a long journey. I hope you’re ready to join me.Prayerfully,Mike Huckabee

Momma and Daddy Time

2009-01-19T08:37:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd write a few words about....me and my hubby! This blog has been turned over to our precious little girl, but I thought we could snag a little time on it too. Last night was a fun night for Clay and me. I've been needing more adult interaction since staying home, and so I thought playing some games together would help. Last night we did a little "game" I got at my moms and more bible study, where you answer questions about your spouse to see how well you know them. Many of my answers for Clay were close, but his answers for me were right on! Sometime this week we're going to break out King's Court, a checkers-type game we played a lot in college. Anyway, this gaming is good for us and fun, but it's hard to find two-person games. Any suggestions? What are your favorites?

P.S.--Pictures of our little girl coming soon. :)

Just a spoonful of cereal....

2009-01-16T12:49:00.005-06:00

helps the vegetables go down! The best way we've found to get Gracie to eat her veggies is to serve it up with a side of ceral--rice, oatmeal, barley, doesn't matter! I give her a spoonful or two of cereal, then try a spoonful of veggies. With squash or carrots she does great with this method. She was pretty grumpy with her green peas today, though. I've also tried feeding her solids before nursing, but today she was upset so I nursed her first. We're going to try the peas again tonight, maybe food first, then nursing. I never knew this would be so hard!

Sweet Potatoes and H2O

2009-01-09T14:41:00.002-06:00

I haven't done much updating on Gracie's solid food intake, so here goes! Around 5 months (she's now 7 months) we began cereal and she took to it like a goldfish to water--she loved it! We have a video posted on the blog of those first bites. From that I assumed we would have it easy with food, but boy was I wrong! I decided to make my own baby food because of the many health benefits, its cheapness, and relative ease. Around the 6 month mark I made a batch of applesauce--delicious! I must say it was the best tasting apple sauce I had ever eaten. But what did Gracie think? Horrible faces, and jaws clamped shut! I have tried applesauce several times in several different ways--mixed with milk, mixed with water, mixed with cereal--all to clamped jaws, and horrible faces when it actually makes it in her mouth. I tried once more today with her oatmeal, and as I made airplane zooms all around her mouth, she smiled with lips tightly sealed! It was so funny, even though another serving of applesauce went to waste.

Finally I decided to try vegetables. I made acorn and butternut squash. One of each made around 25 serving! All for about $3. Anyway, once Gracie got a taste of the squash, she was a happy camper. She doesn't go for it quite like the cereal, but we are making progress!

Because Gracie cannot live by squash alone, we have moved on to other vegetables (I tried bananas earlier, which was met with the same disdain as the applesauce, and decided to just stick with the veggies for now). Sweet potatoes came next. As you will see in these videos, it takes a lot of patience, but she is getting the hang of it. We're going to try carrots next, and then move on to the green veggies. Wish us luck!

Water has been really fun. I decided to help Gracie get mastery of the cup before we used a sippie cup. She really loves her water! The other day I had her on my hip and was drinking water myself, and she looked interested. So I put a little water in her cup and put it to her lips. For the first time, she took a sip then grabbed the cup herself to get some more! She's learning!

Catch Up Time

2009-01-08T14:31:00.011-06:00

On New Year's Day we had some great family time and took Gracie out to our land. She loves being outside and we had a wonderful time traipsing through the woods. By the way, if anyone is interested, we will probably be selling our 3 acres (since we bought a house instead of building), so let us know if you want more info!Last weekend we had Graeme and Wendy over for dinner and a couple of games of Cranium. Graeme ruled the "creative cat" portion of the game, but Wendy was all over "word worm." Can you guess what he made? Check the comment section to see if you're right! Graeme was super confident in his clay-modeling technique. As soon as he looked at the card he's grin and say "Ah, that's so easy!" And I think his teammate (first Clay, then Wendy) always guessed correctly!Can you guess my creation?Yesterday I had the privilege of watching Jacob while his mommy and daddy went to find out whether they were having a Lil' Cowboy or a Texas Rose. Go to Rebecca's blog to find out! Here is Jacob enjoying his snack and checking out that big dog outside.

Exchanging toys. Gracie played with Jacob's phone for at least 20 minutes straight! It was hard to get good pictures because Jacob is a man on a mission! He is a great crawler and loves checking out his world!

Best friends.....or does Sabrina just want some pureed squash?A cute pajama pic. Stay posted...sweet potato and water videos coming soon!

Christmas!

2008-12-29T17:21:00.013-06:00

Gracie had a WONDERFUL first Christmas. Actually, she had 4! Earlier in December we celebrated with my brother, David, and his wife, Elizabeth. My mom made her traditional cornish game hens with yummy fixin's. Uncle David and Aunt Elizabeth got Gracie a soft picnic basket with food that crinkles, shakes, rattles, and rolls! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and don't have any pictures from that Christmas.

Christmas Eve Clay and I exchanged gifts and gave Gracie her gift from us (a cute outfit and socks).

Then on Christmas day, my parents and nanny came over to our house. Clay made a DELICIOUS beef tenderloin and some more yummy fixin's. We went to the capital to see the Christmas decorations and take pictures. And of course, we opened presents. Gracie loooooooooved the paper tearing most of all!

Christmas night we headed to El Dorado and had Christmas #4 ! I had turducken for the first time--turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken. It had cajun seasonings and was really good! And of course, more yummy fixin's! And an overdose of desserts. Clay's cousins made it for Christmas, so there was lots of fun and plenty of people who wanted to hold Gracie. More presents and fun and family! We also had family portraits done by the talented cousin Lauren. We will post those when they're ready (including pictures of Clay's parents--I didn't get many snapshots). You may remember Lauren took some amazing pictures of Gracie when she was two weeks old.

Here three of Clay's cousins recite a passage from Matthew. We had plenty of entertainment!

It was a wonderful Christmas, and we thank all our family for the wonderful time we spent with each of them and the wonderful gifts they gave us.

Soapbox and Christmas

2008-12-29T11:07:00.002-06:00

Just wanted you to know the Soapbox has been updated today, and Christmas pics on this blog are coming soon (probably tonight). Now it's off to eat lunch and do some laundry.

6 Wonderful Years

2008-12-28T20:05:00.005-06:00

Clay and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary today. We are so grateful for our relationship and thank God for the many blessings He has given us, especially our little Gracie. We celebrated tonight at Bonefish Grill and our sweet friends Jill and Brett babysat. Gracie had a wonderful time with Auntie Jill and Uncle Brett, and we enjoyed yummy salmon and mahi mahi and "adult" conversation. Love you bunches, Clay!

Engagement photo Summer 2002--don't we look young?Married December 28, 2002Auntie Jill and Uncle Brett--such naturals! Brett and Jill were recently married and make such a great couple!

Going out to celebrate--yay for dates!

My Happy Girl

2008-12-16T19:45:00.004-06:00

What a beauty!Watching "tv"

Okay, she's not always happy. "Come on mom, some clothes here!"

So beautiful!

Prim and proper!

Best friends

6 Months!

2008-12-12T11:51:00.009-06:00

Well I'm pitifully behind with this update! Grace turned 6 months on the 6th and is at such a fun stage. The other day she said "ma ma" twice while we were in Kroger! I am convinced she didn't know what she was saying, but I made a big deal of it anyway, and they were the sweetest words I have ever heard! Grace (now 16 pounds) loves to giggle, especially when someone shakes their head in her direction. She also thinks the word "yuck" is really funny. Enjoy these pics and videos!

Doing her pilates. I should join in.
Grace loves play time!
Daddy thought it would be funny to pull her t-shirt over her head.He was right!

Amazing Grace

2008-12-02T13:02:00.006-06:00

I attend a bible study at Fellowship called Moms and More. Today they had free childcare, but no group time so you could shop or just have some time by yourself. Our group decided to get together anyway, and have a Christmas brunch and gift exchange. The gift I received was perfumed "buffing" wash from Glo in their "Amazing Grace" scent. On the bottle is their "philosophy" of grace. I quote:

"if grace has a definition it is undeserved favor. if grace has a response it is thank you, forgive me, pardon me, or may i help you. if grace has a destination it is in the safe arms of someone you know truly loves you. if grace has a feeling it is deeply soft, smooth, and non contracting. if grace has a face it smiles and is lit from within. if grace has a smell it is heaven scent. if grace has a goal it is that we all live in harmony and sweet peace. if grace has a job it is that we pray for one another and give thanks throughout the day. if grace has a child it is the child inside that never grew up and knows to believe in miracles. if grace has a song it is amazing."

Oh, I pray that my Gracie will exhibit those qualities and fall in love with the Creator who makes it all possible!

Thank you to Meleah and Morgan for the gifts and delicious brunch and to Mandy for hosting!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T19:45:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent a couple of days in El Dorado visiting Clay's family. Mimi gave Gracie a new hairstyle with some gel--she got some cute curls! Gracie also tried apple sauce mixed into her cereal for the first time, which was fun for us because she made some funny faces. Gracie also had her first bathtub bath. You can view El Dorado pictures here (sorry I wasn't sure how to get them onto the blog directly).

Over the weekend we had Thanksgiving #2 with my family. This is when we discovered a Thanksgiving miracle....Gracie's first tooth! Gracie had not really been herself over the holiday (although she was still surprisingly happy most of the time), and finally on Friday night when I woke up 3 times with her, I finally ran my finger over her gums and discovered the little tooth starting to come through!

She is really loving her cereal!Getting some cherry flavored orajel

Cereal Update--Nature's Own

2008-11-25T15:01:00.003-06:00

Gracie continues to do well with her cereal if......it's made to her liking. I've tried a couple of new things since I dislike pumping so much. I've tried cereal with water, which was met with disinterest. But the worst, was when I mixed cereal with formula. The girl actually cried after the first bite! So, it's back to nature's own...mommy's milk. I just remind myself that this is for a season, and it will be gone all to soon. And anyway, I sure wouldn't want to eat my Lucky Charms (on sale for $2.99 for a huge box, Becky! You gotta get Josh to pick some up at Kroger! :) with water, or formula either.

My Sweet Pea and a New Baby

2008-11-22T14:28:00.006-06:00

Bundled up for the cold weather. My new favorite picture of Grace. I love these tummy pics because not that long ago, all the kids in the nursery were lined up on a mat on their tummies for a picture, and Gracie was face down in the mat while all the other kids held their heads proudly for the camera. Now my girl can do it too!

Sitting pretty. Introducing Reese Abigail Ramsey! Little Reese was 7 pounds 2 ounces, 18 1/2 inches long, and had a head full of dark hair, much like another baby I know!

Layla did so well and looked fabulous! Here are all the kiddos. Gracie looks huge compared to little Reese! We are so glad Reese is here and that mom and baby are doing well. Can't wait to get to know this little one better!

Eating, Part 2

2008-11-18T18:15:00.005-06:00

Here is another video of Gracie's first try at cereal. Wish the video quality was better.