Word to My Mother

Happy Mom's Day to all you mamas out there reading this! I honor my wonderful mom, step-moms, moms-in-law, grandmas, aunties, sisters, and friends on this celebratory day... but I am MOST grateful to Ashley for giving me the magnificent gift of Gracie. Thanks to Ashley's loving courage, I am able to experience the richness and joy of motherhood. For that, I am truly blessed.

Every day is a celebration with our Gracie Girl, but today was really special! We spent the day at a beautiful garden about an hour away from home. It was sunny and warm, so we walked around the pathways and saw a huge bullfrog near a pond, tons of flowers and trees in bloom, and some really cool birds. When we got home, Gracie played with her puzzles before dinner. Here are a few pics:

Yesterday was the opening day for one of our favorite farmers' markets, so we took advantage of the sunshine and spent the morning checking out the local goods. Gracie liked being pulled in her wagon and taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the market. There's a fun playground and water fountain close by, so we also spent some time there. Of course, Grace got soaked in the fountain.

Last weekend was pretty special, too, and it wasn't even Mother's Day! See, I told you that every day is a celebration with GG! Before I go into that, I must report on Grace's growth. Last week, Chad took GG in for her 2-year check-up and found out that she weighs 28 (!!!) pounds and is 34 inches tall. What a growth spurt, huh? She's around the 50th percentile for both measurements. She got a clean bill of health and doesn't have to go back until July (for a booster shot).

Then, that same day, Grace had her very first dental exam & cleaning! Chad took her to a highly recommended children's dentist, and Gracie did so well in the dentist's chair. She wiggled her tongue for the hygienist and showed off ALL of her teeth (it's confirmed: the dreaded teething phase is officially over for Miss Gracie). She got a thorough cleaning, including a fluoride treatment. Chad said she was a champ. And guess what? No cavities! In addition to twice daily brushings, we just started flossing her little teeth; so hopefully she'll be cavity-free for a long, long time to come.

Anyway... back to last weekend. In celebration of May Day, we took Gracie to a children's fairy festival at a local farm. We dressed her up as a ladybug fairy with wings, wand, and a tutu. There were dozens of toddlers dressed as all types of fairies, but Gracie was the only ladybug! Here are some pics of our little lady making a fragrant fairy potion, creating a fanciful fairy garden, and enjoying other fun fairy festivities:

And this one is just so stinkin' cute. Have you ever seen a more precious child?

As you might know, Gracie, Chad, and I have birthdays all within a week of each other. So, the end of April was chock-full of birthday reverie. For one of several celebrations, Grace had a little party with her friends at school. Here's the birthday girl in her party hat:

In an effort to encourage the kids to abstain from eating until everyone is served, the teacher has them hold their arms in the air. We thought this was so cute:

We brought mini-cupcakes and stickers for Gracie to share with her friends. Here she is enjoying her little confection:

On the day of Gracie's actual birthday, Chad took Gracie to one of her favorite places: the zoo!

Nice collar :-)

Later that night, we had a mini-party with Benji and his moms. Chad made Gracie her favorite dinner (spaghetti and meatballs), and I made her a cake. As you can see, she was a little freaked out by the candles.

Then she opened all of her presents.

Here she is with the supermarket from Mike and Ashley, and the cash register from Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Al:

Afterwards, we played outside. It was warm, so we let the kiddos splash in Gracie's new pool.

Well, it's late and I still have a ton of photos to share from as far back as Easter! So, I'll be adding more to this site later in the week. Be sure to check back soon!