Grace's First Parade

This morning Grace and I went to the Chuy's Children Giving to Children Christmas parade in downtown Austin. I think it'll be a new tradition! Grace seemed to enjoy her first parade, and I had a great time too. Her favorite part ~ the HUGE Hello Kitty balloon, followed closely by seeing Santa! My favorite part was seeing loads of kids so excited about giving toys to kids in need. We were standing near a little boy who asked his Mom at least a dozen times when he could "give the toys away." I'll admit I got teary when they stopped the parade, and kids flooded the street to donate toys. What a beautiful sight and a great way to teach kids about sharing their gifts with others! A built-in stewardship lesson for families in and around Austin! I love it :-) Rumor has it that they collected 30,000+ toys today...awesome!

After the parade, Grace and I paid a visit to the hospital to give our best wishes to Grace's wonderful caregiver, who had an emergency c-section on Wednesday. She gave birth to a beautiful, but tiny, little girl named Avery, who is still in the NICU. Please keep her in your prayers!

We closed out our day at home with naps, followed by football, and of course, more Thanksgiving leftovers! It was a wonderful Saturday!

Christmas Trees Galore!

This picture sums up Grace's reaction to each of the three Christmas trees I put up last night while she was spending the night with Nana and Pop-Pop in Waco. Her joy was so heart-warming. Words can't begin to describe how fun it was to watch Grace discover each tree! I've been smiling non-stop since we got home a few hours ago.

I've always loved Christmas, and this has always been my favorite time of year. This year my excitement and anticipation are at a whole new level, knowing that Grace's 2nd Christmas will bring many smiles, much laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime.

By the way, this picture is my new desktop image on my laptop. It makes my day every time I see it. Grace has that effect on me daily.

From our home to yours...

We wish you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving! Be sure to take time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for...it will do your heart good. And tell your family and friends how much they mean to you. It's the perfect day to surround yourself with the love and happiness that only family can bring!

On this day, we are particularly grateful for our wonderful family, great friends, and a life that often feels like a fairytale. We are abundantly blessed, and we are thankful today and every day.

Grace is 18 months old today!

A year and a half old already? Seriously? The last 18 months have gone by far too quickly! We cherish our beautiful daughter and all the joy she brings to us on a daily basis!

She has her 18 month check-up on Monday, so we'll fill you in how much she's grown then. For now, here's a list of some of the words and phrases Grace likes to say these days:

Mom, Mama, Dad, Dada, Nana, Pop-Pop, Uncle, Billy, Anna, Chanel (her caregiver), Kayla (Chanel's daughter), Aidan (her 2 year old pal from day care), NO (her favorite word), ball, "Ewww, poo poo," sippy, cup, sit down, come on, here you go, up, on, one, two, moon, sun, dog, puppy, woof woof, cow, moo, kitty, Santa, "Ho Ho Ho," doll, apple, potty, get down, baby, nose, shoes, socks, toes, belly

Right before our very eyes, our newborn became an infant. Then our infant grew into a toddler. Grace Calleigh, slow down and stop growing up so fast! Happy 18 Month Birthday, sweet girl :-) We love you.

Booster Seat Time!

Today Grace officially graduated from her high chair to a booster seat! This picture shows her having her first meal, Spaghetti-O's, in her new booster seat. We've also moved past the days of us feeding anything to Grace. She wants to do most things herself these days. My little girl seems to have her mother's strong desire for independence. She's in a rush to grow up just as I was...now I know how my parents felt when I tried to hurry through my childhood years. I find it fascinating how we're in such a rush to grow up; then we reach a time in life when we want to be young again. Ahh, the circle of life :-) I'm feeling very reflective these days. With the holidays on the horizon, that's no surprise.

Speaking of the holidays, today Martin and I accomplished more Christmas shopping. We're on a roll! I hope to have most of our shopping finished before December begins. I'm getting so excited for Grace's 2nd Christmas! You can be assured that the decorating will begin this Friday. After all, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

I'm finally starting to recover after being under the weather for most of last week. Whatever I had really took its toll on me. I'm glad to be back in the land of the living. Being sick and having a toddler do not go hand in hand; I'm happy Grace managed to stay healthy. Even my sweet husband, who's rarely ever sick, didn't feel well for a few days.

That's all for now. Three cheers for our big girl & her new booster seat :-)

Laundry Basket Ride -- Whee!!!

Grace loves to be a helper...one of her favorite things to help Mommy with, "folding" laundry. She spreads the clean clothes all over the house and even tries on our clothes. She's not impressed when Mommy actually gets all the clothes folded and back into the basket. She knows that then her fun is over.

Tonight we found a new use for the laundry basket, and Grace liked it even more than helping to fold clothes. Martin, Uncle Billy, and I each took turns racing Grace around the house in the basket, which brought hysterical laughter from Grace and shortness of breath for the three of us :-) Neverless, fun was had by all.

Getting so smart!

Our little girl is getting more and more clever by the day! Tonight she spent quite awhile with her Old McDonald book. In this picture, I asked her, "Where's the kitty cat?" And she pointed to the kitty cat. I then asked her to find the cow, and she did. It's thrilling to watch her learn about the world around her.

I'm sure it's not shocking to anyone that Grace is talking up a storm! I've lost count of the number of words she can say now. She's great at repeating, so we're constantly trying to teach her.

My favorite word she's repeated so far...CHAMPIONSHIP! Daddy said it, and Grace repeated it! How cool is that?

As I'm sure you can tell, we are SO proud of our sweet girl!

Hello, Anna!

Today Martin, Grace, and I visited Uncle Brian, Aunt Jen, and baby Anna at their home in La Vernia. It was so amazing holding my niece again...this time Grace let me hold her for a bit longer before having a tantrum. I savored the moment!

Anna had her eyes open a lot during our visit, and she seemed curious about her relatives who had come to see her. As she grows up, she'll come to understand how incredibly loved she is!

Grace was pretty curious about her cousin. She watched her for a bit while she had tummy time. I know Grace will shower her cousin with hugs and kisses in the years to come. It will be fun to watch them play together as they grow up!

This afternoon Grace and I went out shopping and had a good time. I couldn't believe how many people were out and about today! The holidays are coming, and folks in Austin seem to be getting prepared. Martin and I are getting really excited about Grace's second Christmas!

Tonight we're looking forward to having our friends, Keila and Brandon, over for dinner. We'll be making steak and salmon on the grill. Yummy yum yum! Can't wait!

Introducing Anna Marie Moyer!

At 12:56 pm today, my brother, Brian, and sister-in-law, Jen, welcomed their daughter, Anna Marie, into the world! She's a perfect angel, weighing in at 6 lbs, 9 oz and 19.5 inches long. We are thrilled to welcome Anna to our family!

My Mom (the proud Nana), Grace, and I went to San Antonio this afternoon to meet Anna and congratulate the new Mom and Dad. There's something magical about witnessing the first hours of a child's life. A friend of mine put it best, "A newborn child is proof of God's undying faith in us."

Grace did a lot of playing at the hospital, but she had quite the temper tantrum when I held Anna. I guess Grace isn't ready to share her Mommy just yet! She recovered awhile later and kept repeating Anna's name for us. This had us all giggling! I'm so glad Grace now has a cousin close by to grow up with...some of my best childhood memories involve hanging out with my cousins in PA.

Welcome to the world, Anna Marie, and more importantly, welcome to the family! You can be assured of our unconditional love today and always.

Ring Around the Rosie!

During a visit from Nana & Pop-Pop today, Grace learned one of Nana's favorite grandkid activities
~ RING AROUND THE ROSIE!

Grace's favorite part is when "we all fall down." It makes her laugh every time! This picture captures Daddy, Nana, and Grace having a blast doing Ring Around the Rosie together :-) Another wonderful family memory!

We have a new President!

This evening the United States of America elected a new President, Barack Obama!

This was the first election of Grace's life, and Martin's first election living in the U.S. We watched as the results rolled in, and Grace clapped every time she saw people clapping on TV. Unfortunately, she wasn't awake by the time the new President was announced.

This picture shows Grace during President-Elect Obama's acceptance speech.