A casserole?

Gracie is "beside herself" happy to have Daddy home! Last night was almost as emotional as the departure. At the dinner table, Daddy got to hear her special prayer for his safety, as well as several spontaneous leg hugs and "I missed you so much" 's. She REALLY did not want to go to sleep last night. She asked several times if Daddy was going to leave again. Brey was rocking her and she looked up at him and said "I am so glad you are home Daddy!" I think his heart nearly broken in two. If that was not enough, he had to report to the office this morning at 7:00a.m. (for all of 5 minutes). She woke up super early (of course calling for him). After cuddling for a few minutes he started towards the door and she said "Daddy, PLEASE don't go. . .". She has been on him like glue today and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Maybe Momma will go shopping ~ alone!!! I am certain she would not notice. They were on the computer this morning; when I came in to check on them and she said "NO Momma! You just go out there and make a casserole!" I know Daddy is loving the attention. She is so lucky to have a Daddy that missed her as much as she missed him. . .

By the way, I just wanted to thank you all for caring about our life. Today we reached a Blog milestone. . .1000+ hits! I am truly blessed to have people in my life that care enough to be part of the everyday silliness!

Daddy's Home!

Daddy's Home. . .enough said!

Gracisms. . .

1. "It makes my heart broke. . ." Her comment after she put all of her "guys" in the house she made out of books. I often tell her that my heart aches when she does something extra sweet. I assume that is where she was trying to go. . .

2. "You are the best mom. . ." Oh, this is one of my all time favorites! My Mom bought her a book titled The World's Greatest Mom. Since reading it at Amma's last weekend she has spontaneously told me that I am the best mom at least 10 times! She usually looks me square in the eyes and follows it with a body hug (where she grabs whatever body part is in reach and squeezes tight). Thanks for the book. By the way, for those of you that don't know, I have the World's Greatest Mom!

3. "Are you Daddy?" Tonight when I put Gracie to bed I told her that Daddy would be home tomorrow. She repeated "Tomorrow?" and I told her after she slept it would be tomorrow. Some 30 minutes later she called out for me, so I went in to her room silently and began rubbing her back. That is when she looked up at me and said "Are you Daddy?" She is so excited for Daddy to get home, and so am I !

Happy Birthday Benjamin and Cole!

What a fun morning! We went to celebrate two of Gracie's friends 3rd birthdays. They ran and splashed and ate cup-cakes, candy and more candy! She loves to be with these kids ~ I wish we could do it more often! Thanks for inviting us; I don't know who had more fun, the kids or the moms:)

I love this photo. . .They look so mature!

Pop-up bubbles ~ who knew?

Gracie and the boys!

Cake time. . .

Yard work???

I am so fortunate to live by my family, especially when Brey is away. Papa and Grammy came over for a "dinner and lawn-mowing" party. Gracie was thrilled to have them and I think Dad actually enjoyed "mowing". Funny, I did not know an ATV could cut grass. . .

In all seriousness, thanks a million for helping. I know Brey will be thrilled we he comes gets home!

The bird wreaked havoc. . . (plus puppies)

For those of you wondering, nap time went o.k. yesterday but bedtime was a nightmare; it was storming with big thunder and lightening, plus "the bird" was fresh in her mind. After an extended routine, six trips, more rocking and lots of talking, hugs and kisses, she finally fell asleep. We started at 7:30p.m. and it was not until 9:10p.m. that she actually gave up. Poor thing! I woke up at 5:45a.m. ~ holding my breath to see if "IT" would return. PRAISE THE LORD, no bird today and sweet baby slept until 7:00a.m.!

Update:

OOOOH MYYYY GOSH!!! While Gracie was napping the UPS man brought a package. I did not want to wake her so I left it on the step until she got up from her nap. I told her as she was getting out of the crib and she said "It's for me?" I said "Probably not". Well sure enough Meme and Pappy (Brey's Parents) did it again! When I told her they had sent a present, she said "I told you it was for me!" It was wrapped in beautiful paper with ribbon that she ever so carefully removed. Then she gently tore off the paper and lifted the lid. . .She found the most precious outfit and and fall sweater! They always know exactly what she needs and more importantly loves! Thanks (AGAIN) for your wonderful generosity! She has already admired herself in the mirror wearing the hooded sweater and mittens and now she is demanding I remove the tags to try on the sweet little lamb outfit. To say the least, we absolutely love them!

Here are the pictures from our dinner with the puppies. . .
They are walking (sort of:)) and their eyes are beginning to open, plus they have tripled in size!

6:20 a.m. . . .

Well, he's back. . .I don't mean Brey and, unfortunately, I'm not referring to Jesus; I AM talking about the woodpecker ~ again! Right on schedule, he announced his arrival on the metal flashing outside of Gracie's room. As I held my breath, "MOOOOOOOMY" instantly came through the monitor. I don't blame her for being petrified; it stinks to wake up to a jack-hammer in your precious, peaceful nursery. This is the same bird that caused the "I scared" phase last spring. She has finally settled down but the true test will be tonight. Who thought one could have such ugly thoughts towards a beautiful little bird? He better hope Brey gets home soon ~ I may have to take matters in to my own hands. . .I know there is ammo around here somewhere!

2 and a half year photos. . .

I decided we would escape the monotony of our routine and head over to Amma and Poppy's house for the weekend. Gracie's Aunt Lara (Low-a) and Uncle Ken were in town with Nikki and her friend, so it was a perfect opportunity to play catch up. Thanks for all of the help ~ we really enjoyed seeing you. They have a decent photographer near by so, I scheduled an appointment for Saturday; I was not the least bit intimidated by the task. Gracie usually does o.k. during the session but they always come up with something fabulous. I guess the variable in the equation was AGE. 2 1/2 * busy photographer + crazy momma wanting the perfect shot = (see below):) Hope you enjoy. . .

Off to a great start. . .

Oh, I am so silly. . .

Missing Daddy. . .

I promise not to only blog about the deployment, but I have finally confirmed Gracie's sleep problem is directly related to missing Daddy. Last weekend, Gracie started requiring more attention during the bedtime routine. Each night has been more difficult than the last and I did not know what was driving this behavior. So this morning Gracie finally got to talk to Daddy on the phone. She was thrilled. I will usually give her a few ideas to talk about, but not today. . .it was a full-fledged, two sided conversation with her own ideas and questions. After breakfast we went for a walk and she talked about Daddy for at least a mile. "I miss Daddy, I want Daddy to come home, I love Daddy so much!" It was so sweet and surely helped me understand her perspective, but unfortunately it was during the "uphill, both-ways, with no shoes on" part of the walk. I think she may of gotten a few "me toos" and "soon", but I did not get to capitalize on the moment (due to inadequate oxygen levels). I wish I would have explained why he is away and reassured her that he is coming home and loves her very much. We will discuss it during the "ritual" tonight and hopefully put her sweet mind at ease. . .

On a totally different note. . .
Yesterday we were shopping at Target. I was trying to decide which diapers to buy when Gracie found the Dora Pull-Ups. I am not a fan of Pull-Ups because they usually leak, plus they are ridiculously expensive. However, Grammy, being a typical Grandmother, is not inhibited by these things and lets her use them at her house ~ and Gracie LOVES it! We have been using the potty a bit more; I wish I could say she is coming to tell me, but in instead, I have finally learned her body language. So when she demanded the Dora's I said "When you start telling me you need to use the potty." She instantly replied "I have to go now!" So we did, and she did and now the Dora's are neatly tucked in the drawer where the diapers belong.
I am such a sucker. . .

Oh, that reminds me of another story from our shopping trip. This actually starts a few weeks ago when we were supposed to go to the Rockies game (and more importantly see Bob and Larry from the Veggie Tales). We decided not to go at the last minute because of a storm, but she still asks (almost daily) when we get to go. So yesterday we were supposed to go to the zoo with Poppy and her cousins. The schedule got shifted to the afternoon so I decided we would not push her since she has not been sleeping. While shopping at WalMart she kept asking when we were going to the zoo, not to mention begging for anything that had a princess or Dora on it. So out of guilt Gracie got her first (and PROBABLY only) pair of light up shoes. They are definitely not my thing but she absolutely loves them. She has only taken them off to bathe and sleep. After she realized she would get to keep them she asked "why?" I told her Momma is a "sucker":) She then announced to every person we passed in the store that "Momma's a sucker!" Most people laughed and so did I:)

Sorry for the blurry photo, the lights were messing up the flash!

PUPPIES!

Gracie keeps saying "where's the club?" and I keep asking her what club? Everytime she points to the computer. . .sadly, she is asking where is the BLOG! I fear I may be spending too much time on the computer. So I guess I will just post a few photos and actually sit down and have lunch with my sweet baby. If you want to see more, click on Claire's Blog on the right, enjoy. . .

The Daddy Calendar. . .

Well, the good news. . .today is puppy day! I will post more pictures later today. As expected, Daddy is off to Fort Carson and Gracie and I are settling in to the "new norm". Funny how a child makes everything so much more emotional. I remember the first time Brey went to the field just after we were married ~ I was devastated! I think I cried for 3 days. Obviously, over time, it became routine. "Field trips" turned into business trips and it was just a normal part of our life. Since Gracie's arrival he has been home bound. I know how much he loves spending time with us but I don't think that was the reason for the emotion. As the thought just crossed my mind it actually made my stomach sink. . .I think it is the fear of long term deployment and today was like a dress rehearsal. So I think I will head back to Psalm 91:) By the way, these pictures are of Brey explaining the "Days until Daddy comes home!" Calendar. I think the look on Gracie's face speaks volumes. . .

"Deployment"

All I can say is I can not imagine the night before an "extended" deployment. I know he is only going to be gone for 2 weeks and is less than 50 miles from home, but a weird sadness is lingering in the house. Gracie has been extra clingy to daddy for several days. . .she did not even know that he was leaving until tonight. The dogs have been mopey all day, and quite honestly, so have I. Two weeks is not much longer than many of his past business trips; I think I am nervous because of the attention the DNC is getting, not to mention the few snip-its of news that I have actually seen this week. So will you please pray for Brey and his soldiers over the next few weeks, as well as Gracie. It is so hard for her to understand. . .I know the anticipation is worse than the reality, so tonight I await the "new mercy" that will come with the morning. Thank you, Lord for allowing me to rest under your wing (Psalm 91).

Dear Gracie,

My precious child, this is one evening I did not want to end (and I say that lightly since I am not sure you are actually asleep). . .From the silly games you were making up to our grocery store trip in the rain, we've had so much fun today! Tonight after dinner we all sat together and watched the Olympics. I did not think it would hold your attention, but you loved it! You kept going back and forth between daddy and me. Then you put La La in her stroller, "so she could watch, too." You sat next to her on your stool like such a good mommy ~ you are becoming such a big girl! When bedtime rolled around you told me "Not now, I'm watching the Olympics." I laughed and said "You crack me up. . ." and you replied "SANKS!" I love you so much. . .sometimes my heart feels like it is going to explode! It was so sweet to watch you curled up with Daddy on the couch ~ both of you completely content. We all (including the doggies) read your favorite book tonight laying on the rug in your room; it was the one with the heart that lights up at the end. You absolutely loved it when we made it completely dark so all you could see were the sparkling lights. You have the most precious giggle that comes out when we have these "family moments". There is nothing that makes you happier than when we are all together, with out any distractions, cuddling and playing. I hope you know how much joy you bring in to our lives. I pray every day that I will me the momma that you need and deserve. . .
Thank you Lord for this day; nothing unusual, but such a blessing!

Sharing???

Happy Birthday to my wonderful little sister, Lindsey!
We love you very much and look forward to celebrating this weekend. Gracie has been singing Happy Birthday all day. . .as well as talking about how she will "share your cake with you"!

Who said "only children" don't share?

THE PUPPIES ARE HERE!

We have exciting news. . .the puppies arrived very early Monday Morning! Our dear neighbor, Miss Claire, has a litter of Golden Retriever puppies that are about 24 hours old (ears and eyes completely closed, no real movements, everything done by smell). We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. Gracie had the opportunity to feel the babies move in Maria's tummy, as well as hear the heart beats and see the X-Rays. This will all make more sense when you know that Miss Claire was a science teacher for many years and is also on the AKC Golden Retriever Board of Directors.

Surprise, Surprise ~ Pinky is Gracie's favorite!

Here are a few photos from our time this morning . . .

Momma Maria with her first born son.

Gracie with Pinky.

Pinky and Gracie cuddling!

Because I am helping Claire with photos for her "puppy blog", this will become a weekly addition for the next few months. So join us as we see how these sweet babies turn into fun-loving, bouncing bundles of energy. . .

SIDE NOTE: Last night at the dinner table Gracie stunned us once again. . .
Out of the blue she started spelling her first and last name! My "Mother of the Year" friend suggested I make up a song to help her learn to spell and I'll be darned if it did not work! So for safety reasons we are not posting the video, but if you really want to see it I can email it to you. We immediately called Meme (Gracie's grandmother that spent 30 years teaching children English/Reading). To say the least, she was quite proud of her Dumplin'!

Alyssa's Picnic. . .

We had an awesome day at Gracie's cousins' picnic. All of the girls played great together. She made a precious sand bucket craft that Aunt Amy stuffed full of toys. They served all of her favorite foods and she even got to meet Alyssa's kitten, Marty ~ she loved how the kitty's fur felt on her face:) Overall the trip was awesome. We did run in to one glitch ~ who decided clowns were for kids? I haven't ever met a child that naturally gravitates towards clowns. . .With that being said, Gracie's Great Uncle Gary (Great in the sense it's her cousin's grandpa, but more so in the fact he is just plain fabulous ~ silly, loving and totally engaged when playing with the kids) decided (all on his own) he would show up at the picnic in full clown garb to surprise the girls with treats and games. Well, he definitely surprised Gracie! She went in to full "scream and cling" mode, similar to her response to Chucky Cheese. Poor Uncle Gary, I think he was more surprised than anyone:( He took off his wig and nose and she settled down a bit but it was not until he came back sans clown that she was o.k. By the end of the party Gracie and Gary were best buddies. When we left she said "I love Uncle Gary, he's so fun". Yes, I agree, Aunt Amy, Aunt Sue and Uncle Gary are great! Thanks so much for including us in your fun!

Impromptu Tea Party. . . (UPDATED)

I always thought our first Tea Party would be a big ordeal. We would dress up, invite La La, EB, BoSo and Belle, use our special "Pink Rosebud" tea set and sit at the table in HER kitchen. Well, surprise, surprise. . .as I was making a cup of tea this afternoon she said she wanted one, too. So we used her special cup (thanks, Aunt Mary Anne) and prepared a yummy raspberry tea. She dipped the tea bag and stirred the honey, and when it was just right. . . we sipped:) I can not believe how much she (we) loved it ~ both the tea and the event! She made daddy join us and each time he would walk away she would say "Daddy, I have some more tea for you. . .". What a fun way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon (especially since we were supposed to go to the Rockies Game).

We are so glad to have our friends home safely from Switzerland! They came over this morning to pick up "guest dog" and brought us some wonderful surprises:) We love all of the gifts but are mostly glad to have you back. Even though it is the middle of August, Gracie continues to put on her new sweater (and momma keeps taking it off so it won't get dirty) ~ it was the first thing she asked for after her nap! She has been playing with "Yodi" (since I have no idea how to spell spvigly) and La La for an hour. So I thought these wonderful gifts deserved a very special thank you "note". . . (Don't forget to pause the music on the Playlist below).

County Fair. . .

Here are a few photos from the Douglas County Fair Parade. . .

Gracie's favorites were the drummers in the DCHS Band and the Cheerleaders:)

Nature vs. Nurture. . .(UPDATED)

My Czech heritage often shows up in a Ziploc bag after a visit with my grandmother. I could not tell you when I had my first kolache, bublanina or babovka, but I am sure it was love at first sight. Although unscientific, my research is complete. . .Heritage is "nature", not "nurture". This morning I offered Gracie two choices. I knew she would jump at the chance for Barbie fruit chews, so that was our control factor. When I asked if she would like a Barbie snack or Zucchini Bread she started dancing around the kitchen singing "BIKINI BREAD, BIKINI BREAD"! So, I am thrilled to report that she has the Czech genes but unfortunately, sweet baby girl, there is NOTHING about zucchini bread (or any other Czech food) that correlates with swimwear ~ it's quite the opposite. Hopefully we can teach you "pastries in moderation". . .not to mention, the art of actually baking these fabulous concoctions, since Nana is the only one that can do it! Thanks for the bread Nana, it was really yummy!

UPDATE: After I posted this morning I thought if she is going to learn how to bake kolaches I am going to need to teach her. . .so, after 4 hours, we have our first batch of kolaches. We really did do it together:) I will admit, they are not Nana's, but they are really good (and huge????). So here are a few photos from our Czechoslovakian baking adventure. My favorite one is Gracie putting on the topping. I think every child in our family has done that job, which was usually supervised by my grampa. . .Surely he is smiling down on us today. I know Gracie would have loved him as much I did.

Not for the weak stomach. . .

I don't know if this speaks to Gracie's potential type A personality or if she just really enjoys time with Daddy, but she is walking around the backyard pointing out piles of doggy poop (which are numerous with 3 dogs) so Brey can "Here's one, scoop it up, Dad!" I am sure Brey is thrilled with this quality time, seeing that he has been home all of ten minutes. . .he has also had to clean up a pile of "previously chewed food" (there is no nice way to say barf ~ sorry) and overhaul Gracie's Pink Pool (she can't stand bugs)! Thanks for taking care of business Daddy, we love you:)

Toddler Logic. . .

I was making a few phone calls to research fundraising for our new MOPS group when Gracie asked "Who you talking to?" I told her the grocery store; with a perplexed look on her face, she replied "Grocery stores don't talk, momma!!!" I love watching her brain work:)

Where has my baby gone?

One of Gracie's favorite errands is to go to the bank. She is constantly getting money out of daddy's drawer to put in her piggy bank (so one day we can add it to her savings account). She also loves going because they always give her a sucker. So today we were sitting there with the teller and Gracie opened up her purse and said "Here is my money." She proceeded to hand the very gracious teller her money (which was of course invisible) and then zipped up her purse and said "Sank you and sanks for the sucker." We all laughed out loud watching this little baby girl be so mature. Somedays I look at her and think "Where has my baby gone?" Obviously she knows this look because today she informed me that she was no longer a baby ~ she was a big girl! My heart broke a little when I heard those words, but it is already on the mend just thinking about all of the fun things we will do as she continues to grow. So here are a few of the things I can not wait to do with my big girl. . .

1. First and foremost, Mani's and Pedi's. . .
2. Tea at the Brown Palace
3. The Nutcracker
4. Skiing
5. Recitals (piano, ballet or whatever she desires)
6. Baking
7. Picking her up from pre-school
8. Did I mention Mani's and Pedi's?
9. The Denver Children's Museum
10. and finally, being potty trained!!!

Oh, by the way, you may be a big girl to the rest of the world, but you will ALWAYS be my baby!

We've entered a new phase. . .

All I have to say is. . . WHY?

Or should I say "why, why, why,why, why?" Consider this your warning ~ next time you see Gracie, you better bring your "A" game; she will not be ignored, nor will she settle for "because". So when you call me in the late afternoon and I sound like I've lost my marbles. . .you'll now know "WHY":) I do love your curiosity, tenacity and enthusiasm sweet baby girl!