Happy October!

Well, it looks like we missed September altogether. How does that keep happening?

It has been a fabulous fall for our family so far (try to say that three times!). I am happy to report that Gracie was able to wear 100% of her spring/summer wardrobe at least once while it was warm (even the 18-month stuff). Now that we've switched seasons, we are trying to get a head start on her fall/winter collection of frocks and britches. Lately, Gracie's feet have been growing like crazy! She went from a size 2 to a size 4-going-on-5 in just a few short months. No wonder she runs so fast!

Grace's vocabulary is growing just as quickly as her feet are. In addition to mimicking most animal sounds ("tweet tweet" is the newest and sweetest), she repeats a lot of what she hears. It takes a few tries before Chad and I catch on to what she's saying, but that's not her fault! She knows exactly what she's saying. A few weeks ago, we were hanging out in the backyard when all of a sudden, Grace stopped what she was doing, turned her ear toward the sound of a train in the distance, and said "choo choo!"

Another new thing Grace has started to do is clean up after herself. We call it the clean-up game. After she plays with her toys for awhile in the evening, we'll tell her it's time for dinner; then she puts everything back in her toy box before she runs to her highchair. In the bathtub, after she's all clean, she'll take the washrag and "wash" the tub. It's hilarious! She's a baby after her mother's own heart!

It seems like we've been really busy since our last post (big surprise!), so I'll just briefly touch on some of the highlights.

We went to the beach to stay with my mom over Labor Day weekend. Grace had a great time playing with Grandma's toys, walking on the beach, visiting Great Grandma Z at her new house, and going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium with Auntie Nina and Uncle Chris.

At the end of September, we took a trip to Central Oregon to visit Mama Ashley, Papa Mike, and much of GG's birth family. We went to the play cafe where Ashley works, visited lots of family on both Mike and Ashley's sides, and spent some time at an outdoor craft market.

Last weekend, my mom and Ron came to stay with us for a few days. Of course, they spoiled Gracie rotten! Well, she could never be rotten, but she's definitely spoiled. Anyway... we had fun going out for ice cream on Saturday; then GG had some good one-on-one Gma and Gpa time that night while Chad and I went to a movie. On Sunday, we spent the day at the Saturday Market and rode the trolley around downtown. Geege even got to stay out of school on Monday to hang out with Gma and Gpa!

This weekend, we're planning a trip to the Children's Museum to check out the Bob the Builder exhibit. Then on Sunday, we're going to visit Brenden and Rubie and their 'rents. In a couple weeks, GG will go on her very first airplane trip! We're going to SoCal for a long weekend to visit my dad and Barbara, as well as other family members in and around LA. I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to share!

Right now as I write this, Chad is watching the Oregon State vs. University of Utah football game and wants me to report that Grace's favorite colors are orange and black. I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but based on her tiny OSU cheerleading outfit and baby Beavermobile (Chad totally decked out GG's outside car with OSU stickers, orange cheerleading pom poms, and a sign that says "Beaver Girl"), one would definitely think that she's a Beaver fan in the making.

Anyway... that's about all I have time for tonight. We are just enjoying the heck out of our little girl. She's a bundle of energy, and we're having a great time trying to keep up with her!