Thank you, Lord. . .

Tonight we had one of those moments that every parent prays will not happen ~ Gracie got a pink marshmallow (yes, pink) stuck in her throat at the dinner table. The worst part is that Brey and I were sitting right there and had no idea that it was happening. We were carrying on a conversation when she started crying. . .really crying. We assumed she had bitten her lip but she kept shaking her head while I tried to retrieve a soggy marshmallow from her mouth. When Brey saw the size of the marshmallow, combined with the lack of teeth marks, he realized what had happened. He asked her if it had been stuck and she started crying harder, just shaking her head up and down. My stomach sank as I realized how quickly something awful could have happened.

Thank you, Lord for watching over her when I can not. Thank you for protecting her and thank you for this small exercise in trusting You with my precious baby. Oh, how you appeared in all of Your glory. Thank you for being our El-Roi, our Jehovah-Shammah, our Jehovah-Jireh, our Jehovah-Rophe and now as I sit here reflecting on the moment. . . my Jehovah-Shalom. You are so good!

Who's kid is this????

Every day this week Gracie has DEMANDED to take a bath. When I've told her "not now", it resulted in a full meltdown! On Tuesday she said to me "ballet made me really stinky!" (No, it did not:)) but in to the tub she went ~ for 45 minutes! She loves how it feels to walk around the tub (which I do not allow her to do), she says she is a "space walker". Where does she come up with this stuff? Today, gave me a glimpse in to the future. . .she washed her own hair! I was actually able to sit and watch the news! Granted I had to get all of the soap out, but otherwise she was really thorough. So daddy just got home and snuck up on her:0 She looked at him and said "What are you doing here?". . .right before she ran and leaped in to his arms! Guess it's time for dinner. . .

Disney on Ice. . .

What a blast. . .we took Gracie to Disney on Ice this weekend! It was a slight glimpse into what Disney World will be like when we go next Christmas! She was completely overwhelmed by the vendors with the Disney Merchandise (of course, several items made it home with us!) as well as the idea of the ice skating. She can not wait to learn to skate. . .she often scoots around the hardwoods on two paper plates pretending she is skating:) Anyway, she was amazed by the show. . .until the Incredibles Villain showed up! For the remainder of the show she had a blanket on her head so she could cover her eyes at a moments notice. I'm a bit mad a Disney for making the event "scary". Granted most of the other kids seemed to love it and overall, so did Gracie, but as the parent. . .I thought it was a bit much. The good news is she was not scared of the large creatures. I have been concerned about her reaction at Disney World because she is petrified of Chuckie Cheese (can you blame her ~ he is pretty creepy). Overall, I think it was a great introduction ~ for both of us. This kid can be very demanding. . .she nearly had a meltdown when she saw the Cinderella Barbie! Through this process, Mommy also learned a bit more about about sewing:) I can honestly say this is the first thing I have ever made that was worn out of the house! I think I am totally addicted to applique! Here is a picture of Gracie and Cinderella. You can imagine how much she loves this photo. . .she keeps it on the table next to her chair! I will add more pictures to this post when I get them from my friend that went with us. . .

Busy Bee. . .

Now that Gracie is three, she seems to do a lot more on her own. For instance, when I was plowing this morning (yes, it "surprised" snowed again while Brey was out of town) she quietly played Barbie's until Aunt Lindsey was awake. Last night, Lindsey and I carried on an adult conversation for a few hours while she played dress up and cooking. It is really wonderful for me to have a few moments to get things done. So today while I was cleaning up the lunch mess she was playing make-believe ~ she was "working". So when I finished the dishes I found her in Daddy's office. . .PULLING ALL OF THE KEYS OFF OF MY COMPUTER! The good news is that I am finished re-assembling the keyboard. . .the bad news is I am down a "K", "," and "Ctrl" key! Boy, am I looking forward to the conversation with the Dell support person. . .normal communication is a enough of a challenge. . .how on earth am I going to explain this one?

Beautiful?

All I can say is, if you think she looks good . . . you should see Mommy!

Daddy's Home. . .

Daddy's been in Baltimore all week and we are thrilled to have him home! He surprised Gracie today at lunch and I think she nearly fell out of the seat trying to get to him:) He has started a wonderful tradition (for us) when he travels. . .he always brings surprises! I am so looking forward to my She Crab Soup and I will let her gifts speak for themselves. . .
Welcome to the family "Balty"!