Francis Family Fun

We had a great time hanging out with Mark's brother, Brian, and his mini Francis family. His wife, Tia, and their little boy, Dylan, made the trek over from Cleveland to do a little job-hunting in Eastern Washington. Since they came all that way they decided to make the most out of it and head on over to the other side of the cascades to visit us - we couldn't have been more excited to see them! Their son Dylan is 10 months older then Gracie - so, naturally we couldn't wait to see the two little buggers together! I do believe they had a great time playing with eachother. We met up with eachother Sunday night at my in-laws. The adults played boardgames while Dylan and Gracie watched a movie. I made them a little bed on the floor while Tia hooked up their portable DVD player and Grandma popped some popcorn for them. Mark and Brian put them in their jammies and they were set! We got a good 45 minutes of fun before Gracie started getting antsy. We tucked Gracie in bed and then we were able to play about an hour longer - we had a great time! The next day we met at Jungle Playland (where Gracie had her b-day party this year) and the real fun began!!:) We all had a blast playing in the ball pit (except for Tia who was too nervous she'd find a dirty diaper in there!:) AND the slides were contagious! The kids played for 2 hours before we packed them up - they probably could have played a little longer but we were all so very hungry. We had lunch at Red Robin and went back to our house for more boardgames and some dessert. We played a Cranium tournament (best 2 out of 3) in which the guys team won (if cheating is allowed) and the girls team won (if cheating isn't allowed) :) The kids took a super nap (2+ hours) so we were able to play uninterrupted - it was wonderful! We had a great time... lot's of laughing - just really great memories. It's amazing how you can really get to know someone by playing boardgames with them - everyone's true colors were revealed! We don't get to see Brian, Tia, and Dylan a lot so we are grateful for the time we had with them. I had a lot of fun and I look forward to getting together with them again!! (Hopefully sometime soon!;)

It's official...

It's official - Gracie is 2 years old now. We had her birthday party last weekend at 'Jungle Playland' and it was super fun! Initially I was going to do a small family party at our house but as I thought about it I realized that for the same amount of money that I would spend on dinner and dessert I could rent a room at one of Gracie's favorite places, invite some of Gracie's friends, and I wouldn't have to lift a finger - no cooking, no dishes, no mess AND guaranteed fun! So, I made the reservation and sent the invites... it was a piece of cake! Speaking of cake, I made a 'frog' cake this year (last year I made a flower cake for Gracie's b-day) I figured since the invites had frogs on them we would just go with the whole "jungle" theme. For those of you who came to wish Gracie a happy birthday I want to say thank-you... I know some of you traveled far and we really do appreciate it.

I can't believe my little girl is 2 years old. The past couple of weeks I have been looking at photos of her when she was just a tiny little bug and thinking about the sweet moments I had with her - bath time in the kitchen sink, naptime on mommy's chest, cooing in her crib... the list goes on. I wish I would have known how much I was going to miss the tiny, more dependant version of her - I probably would have cherished those special moments more. If only I could go back in time to hear her midnight cries and feel her fury head snuggled up next to my neck. I miss molding her tiny body in my arms and singing tone deaf ballads to her. Every morning as I'm changing what will soon become some of the very last diapers that ever graced her little rump (potty training in progress) I fondly think of the far less potent, runny yellow poop that once filled them. If I could go back in time I wouldn't eagerly anticipate the milestones she made like crawling, babbling, cruising, and walking... instead I would live more in the moment and be pleasantly surprised when she achieved them. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this... I imagine it only gets worse. I suppose I should just get comfortable with this "growing up" business - after all, there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Going to the Dentist

This past Saturday Mark and I took Gracie to her first Dentist appointment. I made the appointment at the end of last month and so for the past few weeks we have been anticipating the big event! As we got ready we kept reminding Gracie of where we we're going and what a big girl she is now... although I really don't think she understood what we were talking about! We must have spent a little too much time jibber-jabbering with Gracie because as we left our house we realized we were going to be late... does this really surprise anyone? After a quick 22 minute ride up to Bellingham (that should have taken at least 35 minutes) we finally arrived. Gracie was eccsatic to ride the elevator up to the third floor where our dentist's office is and her excitement only intensified when she came face to face with a bunch of quarter machines filled with tiny toys (no sugary-sweet candy in these machines!) We waited in the lobby until it was our turn to see Dr. Dillard. She danced around, played with some toys and talked a bit with the receptionist (who told us about a 100 times how cute Gracie is - as if we don't already know this!:) Our time came and we took Gracie through a big door that lead us down a hallway to a tiny room where the nurse made small talk with us until the doc was ready. As she was preparing to leave the nurse asked us to place Gracie in the patient chair - we smiled, said "okay" and then waited for her to leave the room - Mark and I gave eachother the 'yeah right' look... then we quickly brainstormed a better way. I sat in the big green chair with Gracie on my lap - there was no way she was going to sit in that daunting chair unless she knew it was safe. Just minutes before Dr. Dillard entered the room we decided to place Gracie in the chair by herself so that we could get some photos - she sat there just fine while she brushed her stuffed animal's teeth... then in came Dr. Dillard. Dr. Dillard is from the middle east and has continued to live his culture while here in the U.S. - no problem there except for the unncertainty it put in our little girl... let me explain. There Gracie was, sitting all by herself in that gigantic chair (with all sorts of odd tools lying around) and in walks Dr. Dillard - a tall man with black eyes, a long black beard and a grey turbin on his head. Now, as if that's not alarming enough (for a two year old), what he proceeded to do definitely was... Dr. Dillard sat down with his face about a foot's length away from Gracie's and he grabbed two blue latex gloves (at this point Gracie's eyes caught mine and from the frightened look on her face I just knew that it would be seconds (if not miliseconds) before she started crying). I raced over to ensure her that everything was fine while Dr. Dillard proceeded to strech the gloves out within inches of her nose - cue the tears! Then the good old Doc proceeded to put them on his fingers just like they do in creepy movies, totally unintentional but scary nonetheless! Mark and I got Gracie to settle down a bit (tears were still flowing but the whailing had stopped) when - with his hands reaching for Gracie's mouth - Dr. Dillard says,"Can you open up please?" (as if Gracie's some veteran at going to the dentist!) Gracie began screaming and wouldn't stop... which made it a lot easier for the Dr. Dillard to examine her teeth since her mouth can get pretty wide when she's crying!) In the end Gracie did calm down and she left the dentist office with nothing but her beautiful smile and a few waves of goodbye. In the car I wondered what our dentist was thinking? My brother-in-law will graduate from dental school in May, so I thought I'd share this story - it's sort of a 'how-not-to'... Brian, if you're reading this - take notes!!:)I guess it went about as good as it could have, given the cicumstances - Although, knowing Gracie, I think she probably would have cried no matter what!:)

Gracie sitting in the dentist chair by herself.


Gracie giving the stuffed monster's teeth a good brushing.

Gracie showing Daddy her pearly white smile.

Two years ago...

Two years ago my life changed in a way that only God can make possible... I became a mother. Gracie will turn two at the end of this month and so I've been reflecting a lot about the time we've shared together. From the moment she made her grand entrance into this world I knew she would be a force to be reckoned with - I do believe both the top and bottom floors of the hospital could hear her first cry! As I layed there looking at her, while the nurses cleaned her, I wondered, "Where did all that hair come from? This has to be a mistake... the baby I had envisioned for these past 9 months was bald!" In shock, I suppose from the whole experience (and perhaps even more so from the incredibly hairy baby I was now supposed to care for) I felt completely overwhelmed... and then she was placed in my arms. From the moment I layed eyes on her I felt at peace. I watched her as she layed there sweetly sleeping - she had Mark's nose & hairline, my ears & skin coloring and a perfect blend of both of our lips - my shape and Mark's size (move over Julia Roberts!:) I felt completely swept away and I knew in that moment that no mistake was made - she belonged to us and we belonged to her. There hasn't been a day that has gone by that she hasn't made me stop to say a little prayer - most of the time it's under my breath as I'm doing three things at once, but I've always said at least one. Some days I pray for patience and some days I pray for wisdom (toddlers are mysterious little beings) ... but most days I pray just to say "thanks"... "thanks" for the opportunity to know and care for such a wonderful little girl. Grace is fun, energetic, smart, curious, loving and let's not leave out adorable!:) I know the Lord loves me and everytime I look at Grace I am reminded of this. She has filled me completely and I'm so grateful for her - she is everything I could hope for. I love the way she holds my head in her tiny hands and plants a big wet kiss on my lips every morning. I love how she dances anytime she hears a beat. I love how she says 'mama' and I love how she helps me clean. I love how she runs to the door when daddy comes home and I love how she talks to her toys. I love how she hikes (running the whole time) and I love how she says 'oooh ooh oooh!' when she gets excited about something... I love everything about her - even the way she can't sit still during church (although it's stressful in the moment, all in all, I'm thrilled that she is so lively and animated.) It's hard to believe that the tiny little baby I held just two short years ago is now capable of so many things...time sure does fly by! Here's to a wonderful first two years - I love you Gracie! Happy birthday baby!

The joy of running

I woke up early this morning around 2am with this incredible desire to run. If I weren't a mommmy I probably would have tore the sheets off of me and made a mad dash downstairs where the treadmill is kept, but the thought of chasing a two year old (and a new puppy) on only a few hours of sleep kept me tucked in bed... however, the need for speed kept my lids partially open and I vowed to start running again once the alarm bore witness that my sleep cycle was complete. Mark woke up at 4:30am to prepare for work (his shift starts at 5am this month) I woke up with him to let Parker outside and I still felt the tingle in my toes - today was going to be a good day! For three months now I haven't worked out - once the holidays came I shifted my priorities to baking goodies, decorating the house, making crafts and hosting get-togethers with friends and family... what a mistake that was! The further I drove myself away from running, a passion I developed in high school, the less content I found myself and the harder it was to find the motivation I needed to wake up early. For the past week I have been consumed with endless thoughts of starting my exercise regimen again - each day I promised to start only to fall short due to piles of laundry, dishes, and dirty toilets. Excuses. Truth of the matter is I just couldn't find the ummph I needed to kick my own butt into gear! So, when I woke up this morning and I could still feel the joy of running in my veins... I was thrilled, to say the least. A good run will keep the joy alive and before I know it I'll be "back on track" so to speak. Here's to laced up tennies and beads of sweat!:b

Tis the season!

This holiday season flew by for us! I can't believe Christmas is over...it seems like we just put up the old christmas tree yesterday! It's kinda sad to think that all of the fun we had been anticipating for so long has passed - there's always next year though! That being said we definitely had a blast this year and it will be hard to top it! So many great things took place - family gatherings with family members we rarely see, a new puppy, an excited little girl and let's not forget the unexpected snow! Having a yard blanketed in white powder made the lights and decorations on our house all the more festive! We had a blast playing outside with Gracie in the snow and it was such a treat to wake up Christmas morning with big fat snowflakes falling - it was almost magical! It's been a long time (at least 10 years) since we've had a white christmas here! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with family and friends and we wish moments like the ones we just shared could happen more often! As Christmas day approached I started to reflect upon all of the goodness that is in my life and I couldn't believe how blessed I truly am! I have a WONDERFUL family! Over the years Mark and I have grown to be the very best of friends - we have so much in common that the little things that irritate and annoy us seem to dissapear rather easily with a look, a kiss or a good old fashion 'goose'! I count the strong marriage that I have as one of my biggest blessings from God. Another one of my big blessings is my beautiful baby girl - Ms. Gracie Lynn. She is a riot!! Those of you who get to see her often know exactly what I'm talking about - she's spunk and sass and a little bit of silly... I just love her to pieces - some times I want to squeeze her so tight that I think I might brake her! I love this season for all that it represents and for the sweet spirit that seems to hover over all of us like a wisp of air. We had so much fun and we're now looking for ways to keep Christmas in our home all year long - I think we'll keep the mistltoe up - we are trying to have another baby after all!:)
Oh! Below you'll find a video of Gracie with her new gifts... a puppy and a stroller - need I say more?:)

Merry Christmas!!!

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