Journaling

I have been printing my blog posts and saving them as my form of scrapbooking and have a few Grace stories I want to get posted so I never forget them!

1st...

After leaving gymnastics last time Grace complained that it was too dark. After turning the corner where it became a little brighter she said, "That's better. But I still can't see much." I was pretty frustrated with her performance that night, but of course it all (well, mostly) melted away when she said all this!

2nd...

While I was doing her hair in our bathroom, she noticed that Tim was almost out of hair gel and wanted to buy him some more. We were going to Walmart that day, so I told her to remind me and we would get him some while we were out. "Ok, but we need to get green, not blue." (Why, I don't know) When we found the hair care isle, she went for the first green bottle she found - Shrek shampoo! (Marketing well done on Walmart's part!) When I convinced her that it was not for Daddy, she conceded on the only gel they had - blue.

3rd...

Tonight I carried her into her room for bed, but she wanted to walk into her room herself. So, I put her down and she walked all the way to the other end of the hall did an about-face (An actual pivot on one foot!) and walked herself right past Tim and I and back into her room! (I don't know if this one is as good in print as it was to watch, but I'll never forget!!)

Where does she come up with this stuff?!?!

So, if you read all that, you've earned another picture of the cutest Drakes around!

Christmas is one week away! I'm so excited!!!!!

Toddler Time

I don’t know if a couple steps makes you a toddler or not, but it’s official, Cooper took his first steps yesterday!!! I still remember that first month home, with the postpartum hormones, the lack of sleep, learning to feed him, the worry of blood tests and genetic disorders, and feeling like he would always be that helpless little infant and never grow up. Now, he is walking! The time has absolutely flown by way too fast! He is nothing but joy to have around and I still find it hard to picture him anything but a baby (or now toddler)! But, soon he will be one year old and unstoppable! I’m looking forward to it.
He will be nine months old next Wednesday. We have a well baby check up in Peru and blood work orders for Riley. He seems absolutely healthy so I am praying the test results will show the same.

Congratulations Cooper on the first steps! Way to go!!!

Cooper and I had a little Mother - Son time (and we met Aunt Mandi, too, of course) and went to paint his hand print on his mitten. He did way better than Grace did!

Potty Training 101

I'm not sure this was what my cousin had in mind when she gave me this book. Do you think it will work?

Feed the bird...

And the best part is, he knows he is so cute!

How does that saying go?

Burn me once, shame on you,

Burn me twice, shame on me.

You'll recall last year's tree incident.... This year I took preventative measures! (Hee,hee!)

Here are the kids with their blankies from Grandma Patty. Thanks! We love them!! And I think we may move the play yard for Christmas morning. I don't think Cooper even knows there is a tree in there!

Pottery Painting Play Date

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we met my cousins for some pottery painting time and a play date! It was a good time!

Miss Abigail doing her handprint.

Miss Ava doing her hand print.

Allison and Adrianna painting.

Allison doing her FOOT print.

Anna painting her puppy.

And this is what Grace did:

Ate candy.

Played with Abigail.

And, screamed when I did her hand print!

But it was nothing a good cupcake couldn't fix!

Building Blocks

Here is Cooper showing off his new balance while Grace works on building her funeral pyre.

That's right... when your dad is a history teacher, what else would you expect to build after you have mastered the tower!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's time to make cookies!

And now we decorate them.
Such focus and determination!

Works of art!

And it's time to decorate the house!

Here is Grace decorating her tree.

Cooper "helping" Dad with the tree.

Eventually we had a barricade of pillows to keep him back!

Finishing touch.

I walk past this nativity all day and it finally caught my attention. Tim had told Grace that the people were all coming to see the baby Jesus - hence the circle around him. And when I questioned her about the animals she said they were looking at the picture! I love the way her mind works!

And, here's Mommy having fun dressing the babies...

(Somehow Elmo always ends up in the picture.)

Oh, yea!

Look what I can do!!!!

Thanks to Sesame Street and nap time I get a few precious minutes to blog our adventures!