I love my monkey!

Today at church, I whispered to Grace, "I love my monkey!" She leaned over and whispered back, "I love my bear!" Cracked me up - she hasn't ever called me a bear before, but I guess it is accurate! I can be as cuddly as one with her, or as ferocious!

Also, during the song service, she was dancing her little heart out! She was doing a cross between ballet and moshing! My little ballerina would head bang during the fast parts!

Children's Museum of New Braunfels

On Friday, Grace and Kate visited the Children's Museum! It was GREAT! I loved it almost as much as Grace did. There was so much to see and to do. At first, it was quite busy, but as the day went on the school kids (on field trips) left and it calmed down quite a bit. We did so many things....

I think Grace's favorite activities were the things located outside. The water station and the archaeological dig (things hidden under recycled tire bits for them to dig up and find). She loved playing with the little ducks, lining them all up just so. She also is quite the monkey - almost crawling into the water bin to reach the ducks. She was having so much fun - and, of course, got soaking wet - then extremely dirty! I was so happy that I brought a spare change of clothes!

Inside, she really liked playing doctor, watching the butterflies, grocery shopping (she liked that so much she literally wet herself - second accident ever, so she is still doing really well), and the trains. There was also a little house with a radio in it that she stood in front of and danced for quite a while. Of course, she loved the art room - she loves painting almost as much as her Nandy does!

She didn't care a bit about dressing up like an astronaut...she left that to Kate who was adorable. She didn't really like the cave with the mice and bats in it, though she went in there a second time with Kate and was fine.

I think the thing I liked best was the fact that she fell asleep around 4:45pm that day and didn't wake up until the next morning around 7:45!!

Grace's New Favortie Toy

Jeanie went to CA and visited Disneyland while she was there. She brought Grace a little bag full of princesses back with her. Grace LOVES them. Everywhere we go, they go. Since there are 6 of them, she has to pick just two to bring in a store. It is so funny watching her contemplate which to bring...she goes back and forth over and over.

She calls them "my girls." As in, "Mommy, I need my girls" to take to the store, or to take in the bath or to sit on the couch with her. It is so funny.

The other day, she wanted to bring her girls with her on a short road trip to the Children's Museum of New Braunfels (more on that later) and I told her if she brought them, she would have to share with Kate (who was riding with us). She decided she didn't want to share, so she left them standing in a circle on the couch talking. Then, we reached the door to leave and she wanted to bring them and share. We ran back to get them. Got to the door and she didn't want to share...left them talking on the couch again. Got in the truck...and she wanted them again! LOL We did end up bringing them and she did share them with no problems! Although, I think Kate wanted to bring her 3 home with her at the end of the day!

Easter Day

My goodness, have I ever mentioned that Grace is so very loved?!? Some would call it spoiled - I call it loved! She got quite a few goodies for Easter this year. The "Bunny" was really good to her this year. All of her grandparents sent her goodies; Unc and Jeanie got her princess stuff; and her basket was full!


We had planned on going to church, but we all started playing with her goodies and we started painting finger and toe nails and the next thing we knew, church had started 15 minutes ago! So, Jeff made pancakes and played some more.

Then, I put Grace's Easter dress on her and we went outside and took some photos. She is so adorable! I can't believe how old she is looking, she totally looks like a little girl now.
The big bunny was given to her for her first Easter - I am trying to take a picture of it with her every Easter to show how much she is growing!

Easter Crack

Grace still calls craft time, "Crack Time!" - Cracks me up every time! (Pardon the bad pun).

She and I dyed eggs with Rachel this year. Jeanie was there as the official photographer! I'm not sure who had the most fun, Grace or Rachel. Well, Grace kept messing Rachel's eggs up, so I am sure Grace had more fun!

Here are some cute photos!

Of course, with her little friends, we had to do an Easter activity. This year, I baked some cookies and got some of the edible food markers for the kids to color them.

Easter Egg Hunt Take Four

Yes, I know - I am laughing, but we really took Grace to TWO egg hunts in the same day. The first one was spur of the moment. This one was planned!

The city of Buda (really close to where we live) had a city-sponsored Easter Celebration. We planned on going with Kate, so we didn't want to disappoint the girls by skipping out because of the birthday party.

The first thing we did when we got there was to let the girls ride the train. As much as they love trains, this was super fun for them. I think they enjoyed it more than they enjoyed the Egg Hunt. I am always so surprised at how well Grace does waiting in lines. She and Kate happily chattered and played - no whining or complaining.

Here are Kate and Grace waiting for the hunt to begin:

Here is Grace getting ready to start gathering Eggs. She really is getting into finding eggs and getting the prize (which better be candy) out of them! This was the CRAZIEST egg hunt I have ever been to. Not only was it super crowded, but the moms were NUTS! They were collecting eggs faster than the kids could.

After the hunt was over (thanks to the weird parents it only lasted about 30 seconds). We took the girls to the little petting zoo. Grace fell in love with the little ducklings that were colored as brightly as Easter Eggs.

While we had fun, I think we will skip the Buda hunt next year. The YMCA one was way more fun and a lot less crowded!

Easter Egg Hunt Take Three

Yes - I know that we have already been to 2 hunts, but last night one of neighbors invited us to her son's birthday party. Of course, who can say no to free cake? And, if there is an egg hunt, then all the better. We headed on over to one of the cutest back yard parties I have ever seen. In addition to the Egg Hunt, there was a craft table, several games (Lasso the Cow, Stick Horse Races), there were animals hidden in hay for them to find, tattoos, etc. Grace had a great time!

Rachel went with us and helped Grace find eggs. I don't think Grace really needed her, by this time she is a pro! She was finding eggs faster than some kids her age. This was the first hunt she has had where the eggs were hidden and not just tossed on the ground.

The Things You Do At Two

Just some cute (and some not so cute) things that you are doing right now!

The cute:

Most mornings you wake me up by yelling, "It's time to wake up!! The sun wake up! It's time to wake up!!" Then when I walk into your room, you hold up your little hand and sign, "I love you!" and tell me, "Good morning, mommy, I love you. I have to tee-tee."

Your nightly prayers include a list of your friends, almost always in this order, "Grace, Mommy, Daddy, Kate, Aubrey, Jenn, Beck, Kristy, Noah, Tova, Rachel" - then on to other family members and grandparents.

Every prayer ends with, "Tell Poppy hi."

You love to sing (and know all the words to) Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and The Itsy Bitsy Spider - not to mention a ton of Kindermusik songs.

You also love to sing the ABC's - but only with the CD or with someone else. You are starting to learn letter recognition. Any time you see letters in a book, you say, "Look, lots of ABC's."

You walk up to me at random times and give me a hug and say, "I love you, mommy."

The not-so-cute:

You tend to use a low, deep voice when you are upset or think someone else is upset. You make a mean face, get right in someone else's face and use that voice. Sometimes it makes me laugh, because you might be expressing concern for a friend that is upset, but you succeed in only upsetting them more. Other times, it makes me crazy, because I know you are being disrespectful and rude since you aren't getting your way in that moment.

You have taken to hissing and growling at people. You got in trouble in ballet class because you wouldn't quit scaring the other girls with the hissing. We are still working on this. Right now, you are only doing it when you are getting in trouble, not getting your way or feel threatened. You aren't doing it in ballet any longer and are learning to express your feelings in a more productive way when you are upset.

The other day you threw your first ever (and probably not last) full-blown-out tantrum. And I should say Tantrum with a capitol T!! Rachel and I took you to see Horton Hears a Who with your friend Aubrey and her mom and little brother. After the movie, we decided to go to Chik-Fil-A for some lunch and play time. On the way out of the theater, you told me you had to go potty. There was a line a mile long, and the restaurant was less than 4 minutes away, so I made an executive decision to go there instead. For some reason, you got it in your head that I was going to make you tinkle outside in the grass in front of everyone! From the door of the cinema to the truck, it was like you became possessed...you were screaming, crying, hitting, kicking. Rachel and I finally got you strapped into your seat. It took you a couple of minutes to calm down and understand that you were still going to the potty. I looked at Rachel and said something along the lines of what happened to my sweet little girl. Thankfully, you haven't had another one like that (not that you haven't thrown any fits) since. I hope that my reaction was enough to stop it from happening too often!

Best Friends!

Grace is so blessed to have several friends. But, her friendship with Kate amazes me. The two of them play so well together and rarely fight (notice I said rarely, not never!). They love to show each other new things they have discovered, help each other out when needed, play together - to do just about anything together!

Click here to see some cute pictures of them on Kate's Blog.

Easter Egg Hunt Take Two

On Sunday, we took Grace to her second Easter Egg Hunt of the year. This was a Southwest Austin community hunt sponsored by the YMCA. It was perfect for Grace and her little friends. They had crafts and face painting, games and a moonwalk - they even had a petting zoo! Add all that to the Hunt and a free lunch (hot dogs, Frito pies and ice cream) and you just can't go wrong.

The first thing Grace did was make a Bunny Ear hat - which she is still wearing daily. Of course, she puts it on backwards, but hey - it has actually kept her attention! After that, she went to get her face painted! Thanks to her cousin Sarah, she is ALWAYS wanting her face painted. She picked out a pink glitter Easter Egg.


Kate and Aubrey (along with their parents) were also there, making it even more fun for Grace. As soon as the girls finished getting their faces painted, we headed towards the hunting grounds. Grace knew exactly what was going on this time and was eager to get started. I took the camera so Daddy could have some fun with her hunting. Together, the two of them found one of the two prize eggs! I'm not sure who was having more fun, the child or the grown up! There were no egg limits this time and Grace had so much fun finding them.
After the Hunt, we all had lunch. Grace got a Hot Dog, but between the candy, chips, cookies and ice cream, I don't think that she had even one bight of it!

There was an Easter Bunny there to take photos with. Grace didn't mind at all. She went right up to him, climbed on his lap and smiled for the camera. She couldn't understand why in the world Aubrey didn't want to sit on his lap. You can see her freaking out here!

Here she is deep in conversation with the Easter Bunny:

She is dismayed because Aubrey "made the bunny sad" by not sitting on his lap:

We then took the girls to the petting zoo. Unlike other zoos before, this one had a pig in it...and Grace enjoyed checking out a "real" piggy tail. She was also able to hold a bunny (I'm sure she enjoyed that more than the bunny did!), pet some ducklings and chicks, hug a baby goat and talk to a pony.

Easter Egg Hunt Take One

Saturday was the first Easter Egg Hunt of the season. Our neighborhood put on the cutest little Easter Celebration, and Grace had a wonderful time.

Her first Easter, she was around 8 months old and totally didn't get "The Hunt" - even though her Nonni and Poppy put one on for the kids. She just cared mostly about the chocolate bunny they gave her. Her first of many experiences with chocolate!

Last year, it was FREEZING the week of Easter so all of the hunts were canceled. Our play group did a cute little indoor hunt, but this year is her first real experience with hunting for eggs!

Saturday was a beautiful day - sunny, not a cloud in the sky. As you can see from the photos, Grace was squinting in most of them! Even though there were no smiles, she really did have a great time and wanted to do more. They had a glitter tattoo table, an egg in a spoon race (thankfully they were wooden, because Grace thought she was supposed to throw the egg!), a bean bag in a hoop game, sidewalk chalk and several other little things.

She also got to meet the Easter Bunny - I was surprised that she wasn't scared at all...she walked right up to him and smiled pretty for the camera! Each kid was allowed 10 eggs, and after finding them, Grace promptly sat down to find out what she got for her "prizes." She was extremely thrilled that there were candy and stickers in all of her eggs.
Lining Up:
Finding Eggs:

Looking for Prizes:

Decorating the Sidewalk:

With Rachel: