Grace & Landon's Blog

Catching up...

2010-09-05T22:42:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON!

2010-03-23T23:06:00.006-04:00

The Birthday Boy this morning

1 year ago...

The day he was born...2 years ago today! I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY IS TWO!! Time sure does fly by!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!

Birthday party

2010-03-23T22:50:00.007-04:00

Here are some pics from Landon's Birthday Party last Saturday. We had to go with a sports theme since the boy is completely obsessed with every type of sports ball! I was able to find some really cute stuff for the prize bags too; usually it is a challenge. I made the cake again this year and I have to say it turned out pretty cool. The pictures are a little out of order, but at least you can get the jist. We weren't sure how things would go since he had been sick that week, but was feeling much better on Saturday. He had a great time and got some great gifts. Thanks to everyone for coming!

Fun at Beba & Grandpa's

2010-03-23T22:33:00.005-04:00

The butterfly gardens

Grace liked looking at the btterflies, but she did not want them to touch her! She was a little freaked out when they got close :)

We went to visit Beba & Grandpa a couple of weeks ago. Matt planned a little evening getaway for us and they watched the kids with Aunt Megan's help. We also squeezed in a trip to the Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies!

DDR fun

2010-03-23T22:18:00.004-04:00

We recently bought Dance Dance Revolution for our wii and set up a little "tournament" with Gavin's extra dance pad one sunday eveneing when the family was over for dinner. The kids really had fun with it!

Recent Randoms

2010-03-23T21:50:00.008-04:00

Here are some recent miscellaneous pics from late winter/early spring. We took the kids to the bowling alley/arcade a few weekends ago and they had a lot of fun! There are lots of pictures of Grace dressing up. She is quite the little dancer; actually a mini-me! I used to get dressed up and put on "recitals" all the time for my family :) Now we just need to get her into a dance class and she will be all set!

More Florida Pics

2010-03-23T21:27:00.004-04:00

I have been looking for these pics since we got back from FL and finally found them. There are some great shots of the kids with their cousins having a blast in Florida :)

Winter fun

2010-03-02T22:39:00.004-05:00

Christmas

2010-03-01T21:48:00.009-05:00

These are pics from our early Christmas celebrations before heading to FL and potential Christmas card shots. We took a lot of pics for the cards but only had a few where both kids cooperated (and the pictures actually turned out)! The ones we didn't use are still fun to look at though :)

UPDATES!!!!!

2010-03-01T21:31:00.005-05:00

A few pics from our trip to Florida over Christmas. Grace was quite the little fish; very brave in the water too! Once she had her life jacket on she was jumping in by herself. Landon loved the water too, but was content sitting on someone's lap in the pool. The beach was a different story! Both of them loved the sand and running in and out of the ocean. Overall we had a blast!

Happy 3rd Birthday Gracie!!!!

2009-11-15T13:58:00.007-05:00

How's the cake? Unfortunately she enjoys the frosting as much as her mother :)

Check out the size of this bite! This little man doesn't mess around!!!

My castle cake; it turned out pretty cute (for a non-baker)!

The favorite toy of the night; a new dollhouse!

Don't ask. Landon decided to bring his booster out to the couch, put it up there himself and was sitting in it when we came out of the kitchen from dinner. Crazy kid!

Little miss pout-pout face. It was a no-nap day and this is what she looked like as the party was starting! She got better though as soon as dinner came around.

Here are the princesses and princes together! Gavin was a prince William/James bond prince all in one :)

My little prince :)

Hollywood - here we come!

Mommy & Daddy took Grace out on a special trip to the bowling alley for her birthday

She decided she would rather do indoor putt-putt and play in the arcade

The morning of Grace's Birthday and her new toy from Mommy & Daddy

Which can be enjoyed by both :)

Grace had a great 3rd birthday on Friday, Nov. 13! I can't believe my little girl is already 3!!!!! Wow - time flies. She woke up and came downstairs to a decorated house for her big day and a big present to open up. We found a Playhut house/tunnel thing that we thought both kids would enjoy this winter. She also got a Crayola glow station and another glow painting kit from us.

We took her out for a few hours for her special day and went to the bowling alley. She decided she wanted to play indoor putt-putt but had more fun running around playing with rocks etc. and then playing in the arcade.

Then we headed home to get ready for the big Princess Party! We found an adorable Princess dress on clearance from Halloween that was perfect for the occasion - it even had a hoop skirt-too cute!! She got some great gifts and as mentioned above the highlight was the new dollhouse and accessories. All in all it was a fun day, and a perfect way for my little princess to celebrate her 3rd birthday!

Halloween

2009-11-15T13:35:00.002-05:00

I wish I had more pics to post, unfortunately I was too busy chasing around the little monsters to take many pics on my camera. They're all on Megan's and I STILL haven't gotten them yet! I'll post again when I do :)

Fall pics (so far)

2009-10-11T00:28:00.009-04:00

Today at the Oden Fish Hatchery...Brrrr! I can't believe I had to break out the winter gear!!

Last weekend at Pond Hill farm. We went on a hayride and saw the farm animals :)

Rowing to the island at the Lower Falls

We had a family getaway to the UP about 2 weeks ago and rented a "mini" cabin in Newberry. It was perfect! Heated, bathroom, refridgerator, microwave...all the necessities for traveling with young children. They had a blast and so did we! We went to Tahquamenon Falls one day and then the GarLyn Zoo the next day. It was great!!

Wedding

2009-10-11T00:15:00.008-04:00

Here are some of the pics from Karen & Kyle's (Matt's sister) wedding. They just got their professional photos back so we have some great family shots I will post when I get them. It was the first saturday of June and on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan at a golf course in Harbor Springs. Beautiful, but FREEZING! It was in the lower 50's and we were freezing our butts off!!! At least it didn't rain though :)

It's about time! (I know, I know)...

2009-10-10T23:21:00.014-04:00

Big girl bike!

You can call me Captain Landon

a rainy night at the fair

Mackinac Island trip...I wish I would have taken more pictures! (We were a little busy with these two!!!)

We finally found a back-up night-night (thanks again Kel)!

more zoo fun

Grace had packed for a trip to go see Daddy (who was away for work)

John Ball Zoo

Wow. I can't believe it is already October! Where did the summer (and spring for that matter!) I apologize for being SO TERRIBLE about updating the blog!!!! We had a lot going on with Karen's weedig (that we were all in, and I designed the invitations, programs, etc.) and then jsut being outside with the kids when not in work etc.

Anyway, I'm going to pick some highlights from the past SEVERAL months to post below. I will definitely try to be better now that summer is over!

Recent pics

2009-05-16T23:03:00.006-04:00

Lookout American Idol...is 2-1/2 too young to audition?

Our Karoke queen (singing a little Dr. Knickerbocker from the new Wiggles cd)

Landon is a fan of his new Adirondack chair

These are pictures from Aunt Megan's visit the weekend after my B-day. We had a fun but busy time. Tanks goodness she was here to help! One of the things I asked for was to build a small swingset for the kids. We decided not to list the house this summer and enjoy it as the market is not so hot, so we figured why not build a small swingset for te kids? They L-O-V-E it. It is tough to get Grace off of it!

Formal Atire

2009-05-16T22:59:00.002-04:00

Our whole family will be in Matt's sister's wedding in 3 weeks. Here are some pics of the kids in their formal atire. Landon is less than thrilled (actually it is because he wanted to go upsatirs and was not allowed; but I am taking bets on who thinks this is how he'll look the day of the wedding)! Grace on the other hand may enjoy her dress a litle too much :) She's rocking the model stance and then the twirl is captured in action!

April updates

2009-05-16T22:34:00.006-04:00

I don't like this one of me, but it is the only one of Landon in his bunny ears

Grace liked the Dinosaurs, but was a little nervous of a few of them (it was an exhibit of mechanical moving life-like Dinosaurs)

I know, I know- it hs been quite some time since I have posted pics to the good ol' blog. I just don't have the time to keep up these days. I have been putting stuff on my facebook page instead.

I am posting lots of pics from April including Easter. We had a nice one in GR visiting Beba & Grandpa. We took the kids to the VanAndel museum and have a few pics from the dinosaur exhibit.

VACATION PICS!!!

2009-03-05T12:42:00.008-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T21:16:00.006-05:00

The magic of Photoshop...

These are all of the Christmas card attempts and a shot of the tree. It is a good one this year!

The day before we planned to take our Christmas photos Grace bumped her forehead at daycare (go figure) but we went ahead and took the pictures anyway. I worked my magic with Photoshop and they turned out great!

Miscellaneous

2008-12-22T20:49:00.005-05:00

Dress up

Grace talking on the phone to her Nonnie in FL

First "official" sleep over with Gabby

Wrestling with Wyatt

Grace is 2! (almost)

2008-11-09T22:55:00.007-05:00

She had to try a taste first to make sure it was ok :)

Check out miss "Hollywood" in the sunglasses that came in her new purse

Landon enjoyed some frosting too!

Ouch! He chomped down in the process (this boy is getting 2 more teeth- he will have 8 soon!)

We celebrated Grace's birthday last weekend even though her actual birthday isn't until Thursday - we have to celebrate around opening weekend for hunting if we want the men to attend :)

We had a good time and Grace enjoyed it! The only downfall was that a water main break occurred in the City of Petoskey so we couldn't use water without boiling it first (I didn't realize how inconvenient this could be especially the day of a party!) But we worked it out and everything went pretty smoothy.

We got Grace a kitchen and a bunch of play food and dishes and boy was she excited! We didn't even give her the baby that goes on the potty (we decided to save it for her real birthday because there was too much going on). She ended up getting a new baby doll and stroller, clothes, books, a Dora bath toy, a purse with fake makeup, and other stuff I can't even remember right now!

And she gets to do it all over again this weekend when Beba, Grandpa and Aunt Megan come to our neck of the woods to celebrate!

I will probably have more of the pictures from Halloween, the Baptism and Grace's birthday party when I get the ones that everyone else took! So I will post some more of the cute ones soon.

Landon's Baptism

2008-11-09T22:43:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Landon's Baptism on Sunday, Nov. 2. He did such a good job! We were most worried about him spitting up all over the minister, but he managed to hold it all in! He did try to go for his glasses once though. Grace did a really good job too. We had a cute moment when the choir stopeed singing and grace said "more" really lound (she was actually asking my mom for more fruit snacks) but the timing was perfect and she craked up the congregation. Thanks again to all who made the trip and to my parents for entertaining!

Halloween!

2008-11-09T22:34:00.005-05:00

Our little "stinker"bell wouldn't let me get any good shots of her in her costume.

We celebrated Halloween with Beba, Grandpa and Aunt Megan which was lots of fun! Grace had practice the weekend before when I took her trick-or-treating to the stores in downtown Petoskey. At first she didn't want to put her costume on and go, but once we got there she didn't want to leave! Once she knew what was to come there were no problems getting her dressed up the second time! Landon even went for a little while too.

A few random shots

2008-11-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

These are just a couple of cute pictures we took of the kids a few weeks ago. :)

Our Little Pumpkins

2008-10-20T22:02:00.007-04:00

We finally picked out our pumpkins last weekend. We went to the pumpkin patch and Grace had fun helping us pick out her pumpkins and scraping the dirt off of them with a pumpkin stem she found. We had Landon in a carrier and he wasn't too thrilled, so no pics of him at the patch...
At lease we got a couple cute shots of them at home with the pumpkins. We were surprised when we carved the pumpkins that Grace wanted nothing to do with it (as you can see on the video clip)!

Hayride/petting zoo

2008-10-20T21:50:00.005-04:00

We went to Pond Hill Farm to do a hayride and see the animals. Grace loved the animals!! She walked right up to a sheep that was wondering around to get a closer look. We fed the cows and some more sheep and checked out the pigs, chickens, & geese too. Grace wasn't too fond of the tractor for some reason (maybe because it was nap time and she was getting crabby, who knows?). Overall we had a great time! I accidentally deleted a few of the animal pictures so I am bummed about that - they were really cute! But at least we still have a few.

Grace

2008-10-20T21:45:00.005-04:00

Grace noticed the bottom shelf on the buffet table one day and decided it looked like fun to crawl on! We captured the moment and some silly faces too!

Photo Shoot

2008-10-20T21:29:00.005-04:00

We decided to try and set up our own "photo shoot" to get some cute pictures of the kids. There aren't a lot of options up here as far as photo studios, and we were less than thrilled with the last place so I guess we'll have to make do until we can get to a bigger city to have some professional shots taken. We got a couple of cute ones and a lot of goofy ones, but they're still worth keeping! Of course you see my hands in some because Landon would start tipping over and I would have to catch him & sit him back up. We don't have any of Grace by herself because once we get Landon done and the two of them together she is outta there!

Fall Fun

2008-10-20T21:09:00.005-04:00

Finally I was able to update some pics - it has been bugging me for awhile! Here are some miscellaneous photos from the last 2 months. The kids are always keeping us on our toes, but we wouldn't have it any other way :) Grace is talking like crazy and always cracking us up as we approach her 2nd birthday in November (where does the time go?). Landon is sitting up, scooting and rolling so it won't be long before he is crawling all over the place. He has lots of teeth now - 6 to be exact! He just had his 6 month checkup at the doctor and he is 26 lbs 4 oz, 29 1/4" long. He is in the 99th percentile plus (off the charts) in both height and weight and his head is 95th. We already knew he was a big boy, but at least he's proportionate!

Pumpkin Carving Time

2008-10-20T17:05:00.014-04:00

Here is a quick clip of the fun (or lack thereof) Grace had while carving her pumpkin last weekend. Landon busied himself with his finger food as he watched on.

Halloween preview

2008-10-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

Aunt Cathy made some cute Halloween t-shirts for all of the kids and we had a little photo op last Sunday night- ADORABLE!!

Just a taste...

2008-09-11T22:04:00.005-04:00

Our Inland Waterway trip over Labor Day

Grace's "shoes" - this was pretty funny; she found her cousin Wyatt's socks
and put them on her feet (inside out) and ran around saying they were her shoes...

feeding the huge fish at the hatchery

Cool shades guys...(they were uncle Mike's until Grace broke them)

Swimming at Beba & Grandpa's

S'more's...YUM!!!

This is just a taste of what's to come so to speak...I have a bunch of pics to upload. I am buimmed though because our memory card conked out on us and we had some really cute pics from the county fair that we lost! More to come....stay tuned!!!

Finally, some new pics!!

2008-08-19T10:42:00.006-04:00

Grace at 3 months

newborn Grace

my babies

After a Dairy Queen cone

Trying on flower girl dresses last weekend

What's so funny Grace?

Landon's 2 teeth!

Bath time

Gracie's Mohawk

Grace & Landon talking (they do this all the time)

Playing with Gavin at a family party

Landon holding his bottle (for a second)

How do those fingers taste, buddy?

Playing at Aunt Cathy & Uncle Mike's cottage

My happy boy

In case youu are wondering about the first couple pictures, I just figured out how to email them from my cell phone so they have been sitting on there forever! They were so cute I had to share them.

It seems I am always saying this, but we have been extrememly busy lately so I have been awful about getting things posted. Sorry!! I can't believe summer is almost over already- where does the time go? I guess it makes things a little tougher when things are busy with work, a house for sale with showings and open houses, 2 kids to keep up with and lots of weekend plans!

Last weekend we took a girl's trip to Saginaw to help Karen look for a wedding dress, try on bridesmaid dresses and flowergirl dresses- of course I forgot my camera! I did get a cute one of Grace on my cell phone though.

Tonight we are taking the kids to the fair, Thursday I have to go to Jackson for work overnight and am meeting Matt & the kids at my parent's house. Grandma & Grandpa (and Aunt Megan too) are babysitting the kids so Matt, Cathy, Mike & I can escape to Chicago for a quick overnight trip to celebrate our Anniversaries this month. Should be lots of fun!

I'll try to be better with the pictures- hopefully things will slow down a little soon :)

A few more...

2008-07-11T23:22:00.003-04:00

Croquet anyone?

Grace after we got out of the lake...and ready for more!

all 5 cousins

These were taken the Sunday after the fourth when we got together for the day to hang out at Nonnie & Papa's becuase it was 80 degrees! Grace had a blast swimming. So much so that she didn't want to get out of the water even when she was shivering and her lips were turning blue (the water is still a little chilly and it was pretty windy that day on the water). She kept slapping the water and telling Matt, "No - MINE" Then she realized that probably wasn't the best approach and she said, "more" in a cute little voice. Nonnie wanted a picture of all the cousins together and it didn't go quite as planned. These were the best ones that I got on my camera- I guess we'll have to try it another time.

Fourth of July

2008-07-11T23:04:00.003-04:00

Family & Friends watching the fireworks from our house

We had a great 4th! We went to a family party at Matt's aunt & uncle's house all day then had family and friends over to our house to watch the fireworks over the bay. My parents & Megan came up to visit and we had lots of fun!! Grace made it up for the fireworks - for about the first half anyway. She had a great day & even took a good nap, but just couldn't quite make it.

Lots of firsts!

2008-06-30T09:56:00.008-04:00

giddyup doggie!

All smiles on the way to the zoo!

Daddy, Grace & Beba checking out the monkeys

As you can see...Grace was VERY intimated in the petting zoo :)

First trip to Grandma (a.k.a. Beba) & Grandpa's house

Gracie "Doing it" herself (eating chocolate pudding)

First time in the mega saucer

First time in the big girl bed!

First trip to the zoo

Checking out the new Lion exhibit

First ice cream cone

First swim in the pool

Well, let me first start by saying that these pictures are a little out of order - sorry! We have had a really busy summer so far! We moved Grace into her big girl room. She loves it and wants to go up and play all the time in her new room. Landon is out of the bassinet and sleeping in his crib now too. Overall it has been a successful transition for everyone :)

Our house is for sale so it has been a challenge getting it ready and keeping it clean with 2 little ones, but we're starting to get a routine. We've had a showing and an open house and are having another open house this Saturday, so we'll see what happens!

We visited Grandma and Grandpa 2 weekends ago and had a great time. This kids did awesome in the car. We took them to the John Ball Zoo and Grace loved it! Landon was sleeping most of the time. When we got to the petting zoo I thought Grace might be a little nervous, but she got right in there and had no reservations about petting all of the animals. Maybe it is because she is used to a big dog?

We're gearing up for the festivities to come this week too. We have lots of family coming to town so it should be fun! Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Megan are coming to stay for a few days too. I have a feeling that Grace will be into the fireworks this year. Take care & have a great 4th!!! I'm sure we'll have lots of new pics to post :)

Our little helper

2008-06-05T11:20:00.004-04:00

Here ya go Landon!

I can do it!

All smiles!

Cool hat Gracie!

Our big man

Don't boxes make the best toys??

Taking the "new ride" for a test drive

Finally big enough to eat with my cousins!

We've been busy as usual- it's getting harder and harder for me to post regularly! Landon is growing like a weed; we had to take him to the docor and he weighs 18 lbs! Yes, you read that correctly- 18 lbs. His soon-to-be 19 month old sister weighs around 25 lbs on a good day. We have a big boy on our hands :)

Grace is very busy these days, singing songs that she learned in daycare and counting. She absolutely loves to play outside!! She is also becoming quite the little helper as you can see. When we took that picture she was trying to feed Landon which she thought was pretty funny. She kept giggling which made Landon smile- it was too cute!

She is also all about feeding herself, and when I try to help her she says "DO IT"! The other day we were talking about something being funny and Grace said (as clear as can be) "too funny" which her Nonnie says all the time :) She's getting to be so big!!

Aunt Megan's pictures

2008-05-18T10:12:00.006-04:00

What is it with this kid and the refrigerator? :)

Grace with her Beba (That means Grandma in Gracie talk)

What 'cha lookin' at buddy?

These are the pictures aunt Megan took a couple of weeks ago; she's quite the photographer :)

Updates

2008-05-18T09:44:00.006-04:00

Big sis & little bro

Look at those buns! (He's going to love this picture in 16 years!)

Grace picked out her hair accessories this day...can you tell?

New bath Crayons

"Trying on" her new swimsuit and water shoes

Look at those chubbers :)

Landon's new toy

Here are some new pics of the kids. Life has been crazy as usual and I am finding it more and more difficult to keep up with the blog now that I have started back to work (just 2 days a week until after Memorial Day). Nonnie has been kind enough to babysit Landon the days that I work until I go back full time so it has worked out perfectly so far. Grace loves her new classroom at daycare. She is learning so much! She loves to sing and dance at circle time and can count to 10!Apparently she was holding hands with an older boy one day last week too! We'll have to watch out for that one :) Landon is getting on a little better routine, but still waking up about 2 times per night and every morning at about 6:15 am like clockwork. This is our life :)

New pics :)

2008-04-23T10:56:00.005-04:00

Trying out the trike

Eatng with the big kids

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Sidewalk chalk is fun!

Grace checking on Landon

Landon with big cousin Wyatt

What a big boy!

Hugs for daddy

Taking a spin in Gabby's Jeep

Yee-haw!

Nonnie and Landon

I haven't had much time to post lately- it's been a little busy around here :) We have had some really nice weather and Grace absolutely loves to be outside! She is also moving over to the toddler room at daycare full time so she is really enjoying all of the fun new activites and friends. Landon is getting huge! We think he weighs about 12 lbs now (if our scale is accurate). He loves to eat!! He's starting to get on a routine, but still sleeps a lot during the day. Grace is doing great with him, so that is a relief. I guess that is about all for now...

Landon Mark Lancaster

2008-04-01T14:29:00.007-04:00

I awoke at 2:30am with contractions on Monday, March 24. I woke Matt up, and told him he didn't need to get up yet, but I just wanted to let him know. I went downstairs and walked around a little to see how close together they were. Matt came down fully dressed about 5 minutes later. We decided to pick up the house a little and time them for a little while (my parents & Megan planned to come when I went into labor & we didn't want to leave the houe trashed). So we proceded to clean and unload/load the dishwasher, get all of our stuff together, etc. We left the house around 3:45am to drop Grace off at her Aunt Karen's and head for the hospital. By the time we arrived at Karen's house, unloaded all of Grace's stuff and got her settled the contractions were coming pretty hard and close together. We left for the hopsiptal and realized we forgot Grace's car seat so we had to turn around and drop that off. We arrived at the hospital & checked in around 4:30am. By the time I got into the gown and was checked, I was dilated at 5cm. Fortunately my doctor was on call, so we waited until about 5:45 and the nurse paged him in. They broke my water around 6:30am and he was born at 7:09am! He was 8 lbs, 11 oz and 19.5 in long.

Easter

2008-04-01T14:12:00.006-04:00

The cousins before Easter dinner

Easter Egg hunt #2

Coloring Eggs

Pretty Easter girl!

The Easter Bunny came!

Easter Egg hunt #1

We had a great Easter this year! It was so much fun coloring eggs and going through the Easter basket with Grace. She loved the Easter Egg hunts and was pretty good; she found most of the eggs without help from us! We spent the morning at our house and afternoon at Aunt Cathy & Uncle Mike's. The kids had another egg hunt over there and they all helped Grace find eggs (of course she found a few all on her own too). Wouldn't you know we left the video camera and digital camera over at their house so I told Matt that I would probablly go into labor that night just because we had no cameras! He said that no one goes into labor in the middle of the night, so apparently Landon & I had to prove him wrong!

More Grace Pics

2008-04-01T13:32:00.004-04:00

Good practice Grace!

Static much?

Helping mommy make bread

Grace on "the belly shelf"

Funny girl

2008-03-10T21:48:00.005-04:00

Grace taking her baby for a stroll (notice the backpack with baby supplies)

Playing dress up?

I'm ready for my brother now...lets go! (Tell me about it Grace!)

Painting is fun

Lounging in the baby doll's stroller...with a bib on...

Grace climbed up in the chair with her doggie

The new stroller we got from the grandparents for Grace & the baby

These are some pictures from the last few weeks. Grace is quite busy these days. It seems like every time we turn around she is always getting into something. She has been really funny lately about wanting to wear a bib around in the house. She'll go get it out of the drawer and bring it to us. We've been playing a lot with her baby too; we're hoping it will be good practice when her brother comes.

Bob

2008-02-16T21:46:00.006-05:00

Because Grace is OBSESSED with the movie Finding Nemo, we decided to get her a fish for Valentines Day. We asked her what she wanted to name him and she said, "Nemo," then pointed to the bubbles and said, "bubbles," then we asked her again what she wanted to name her fishy and she said a few words that we couldn't understand. We asked her one last time and she replied, "Bob." She loves her new pet :)

Everyday stuff

2008-02-16T21:32:00.006-05:00

"Playing" daddy's Wii

Grace watching her favorite movie - Nemo

Mmmm....strawberry shake!

Kicking back

Mommy's little helper

This looked like a fun place to sit

These are just a few pictures from the last 2 weeks. Grace really likes to "play" Wii when Matt is playing. Her favorite game is Super Mario Galaxy. She also loves Finding Nemo. She'll just stand in front of the the tv and say "Nemo Nemo Nemo" over and over again when she wants to watch it. Nothing else too exciting to report- I just wanted to share some new pics!

Snowed In

2008-02-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

I think I can hear my brother in there...

Peek-a-boo!

Riding the trike & practicing for summer

Weeeeeeeeeee!

Pretending to be a doggie

We had a really bad storm last week and everything ended up being closed one day. It was something like 100 schools in the area including the college and daycare. The police even asked people to stay off the roads unless it was an emergency. So we all stayed home and hung out together. We had lots of fun playing inside for the day!

I'm a big kid too

2008-02-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

Grace has to be just like her big cousins. When everyone came over for dinner one night she had to have a big kid sippy cup like her cousins. Then, when she was all done eating, we got her down and she went right over to Wyatt's empty chair to sit at the big kid table and start stealing their milk. She cracks me up!

Caught red-handed

2008-01-21T21:44:00.000-05:00

Matt busted Grace going through my purse last night. He sat back and watched her for a few minutes to see what she would do. She pulled out a bunch of stuff, but focused on a pack of gum. She figured out how to open it, then pulled out several pieces. She opened one piece and even put it in her mouth! She is quite the handful, but I wouldn't have it any other way. What a little stinker :)

Sledding

2008-01-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

We took Grace & Gabby sledding on Saturday and here are some pics! Grace seemed to like it, although she couldn't move in her snowsuit :) It was freezing outside though so we only made it about 15 minutes, but it was fun while it lasted!!! In the last pic Grace is wearing both of our neck warmers; one around her face & one on her head.

FLORIDA!

2008-01-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

The Aquarium

Daddy & Grace in front of a giant stingray

Grace trying to touch a stingray

In the pool at Nonnie & Papa's (in front of the sweet ride)

At Siesta Key beach

Daddy & Grace in the ocean

Mommy & Grace playing in the sand

Time to get rid of the sand!

On the kiddie rides at Busch Gardens

Someone is pooped out!

Jason holding a sleeping Grace

Grace at the pool (in her pool)

Waiting for Dinner

Mmmm...I love Mommy's virgin strawberry daiquiri!

We had a great trip to Florida! It wasn't the most relaxing with our little monster, but it sure was fun spending 10 whole days with her and no daycare. She definitley learned a lot and seemed so much bigger by the time we got home. We spent some time at the pool (which was short-lived because she had to swim in a kiddie pool and that lasted about 20 minutes max). She absolutely loved the beach though!!! We went to Busch Gardens one day and to an Aquarium in Sarasota another; she really seemed to enjoy both!

It was great spending time with the family and Nonnie, Papa & Grams!!

Fingerpainting

2007-12-19T22:43:00.001-05:00

Grace trying out her new fingerpaints!

Family Christmas

2007-12-19T22:24:00.001-05:00

"Christmas" morning (last weekend)

The Lancaster "Christmas"

Gracie feeding her new baby

The McIntyre Christmas Party

We celebrated Grace's second Christmas last weekend. She had fun opening her gifts and got some cool stuff. She got a new baby doll with a stroller, a tricycle and a vtech interactive tv system from Nonnie & Papa, Aunt Karen and Aunt Cathy & Uncle Mike. She also got a learning laptop, fingerpaints and some other small stuff from Mommy, Daddy & Santa. Now we're getting ready to head to Florida on Saturday for 10 days. It should be a lot of fun! Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas card attempts

2007-12-09T22:20:00.001-05:00

This year was interesting. We thought it would be a lot easier, but with her being so mobile it was still a challenge. We got some cute shots though and she was a very good sport. Matt put up our Christmas village this afternoon which she really likes!

Christmas Tree

2007-12-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

The finished product

Grace "helping"

Gabby & Grace decorating

The girls

Last Saturday we went out and got our tree. It was pretty cold so I ended up zipping Grace inside my jacket.

She had fun looking at all of the trees. Then we babysat Gabby that evening and after dinner the girls helped me decorate. I had to move most of the ornaments because they were all in the lower front section, but they had a good time.

Grace loves all of the lights, and suprisingly she has been really good about the tree and ornaments! Now we are working on getting our Christmas card photo...wish us luck! :)

Some random pics

2007-12-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

Just a few fairly recent pictures of Grace to share. The last one is "the face". Grace likes to scrunch up her nose and smile - she's not a ham!!

I finally got the halloween pics!

2007-12-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the red eye- I tried to remove them but wasn't able to...oh well!

One year ago...

2007-11-13T22:28:00.001-05:00

On the way to daycare - we got to turn her seat around when we got home!

Dressed in her cute new birthday outfit

Hmm...this is familiar!

Try some Daddy!

Wow, it's hard to believe that one year ago at 6:45pm this little girl came into the world!! My, how time flies!! Our baby girl is no longer a baby (tear). She had a good day today though- she must have been excited because she was ready to go at 5:30am!! I tried to get her to go back to sleep but she thought it would be fun to play peek-a-boo with her blanket instead. We brought some cupcakes into daycare today to share with all of her friends, then we had her favorite dinner- grilled cheese & grapes, yum! When the cake came out it was all too familiar. She wasn't shy this time & dug right in!!

The Big Birthday Party

2007-11-13T21:57:00.000-05:00

Where's Dessert?

My very own cake!

I'll just try a little...

MMM...this is good stuff!

The finished product

It's party time!

Gracie & Aunt Megan

What do we have here?

The birthday girl

Gracie & her Great-Grandmas

Gracie had her big birthday party last weekend. She was a little nervous with all of the people around, but we were so glad they could all share in her (and Gabby's) birthday! She had her own little cake and she destroyed it!! We had a great time, thanks again to all who ccame and for all of the birthday gifts!!

More random pics

2007-11-13T21:46:00.001-05:00

This looks like a good place to sit...

Mommy's old rocking chair = my new favorite toy

Aunt Megan's Kitten, another new toy!

Halloween

2007-11-13T21:34:00.000-05:00

I just realized that we only have one picture of Grace dressed up in her costume on our camera. I will have to get some from my parents & the Aunts from Halloween. Grace was a ladybug- she looked so cute! We went trick-or-treating with her cousins, but didn't stay outside long because it was cold and both Grace & I were sick. There are also some pics of Gracie's jack-o-lantern. We helped her get all the stuff out, then Grandma carved it for her. She sure liked to look at them when they were all lit up!

Hayride

2007-10-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

We all went on a hayride last Sunday. It was fun time - a little chilly, but at least the sun was shining. We had fun picking out pumpkins, gourds and even picked popcorn straight from the stalks (we haven't tried popping it yet- we'll see how that goes). We also had to have some cider and doughnuts afterward. Grace got a little tired about halfway through and snoozed on my shoulder for part of the ride but she really liked checking everything out, especially the big tractor that was pulling us. We put gloves on her hands and she didn't even try to take them off so that's a good sign!

Finally!

2007-10-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

swimming lessons

So big!

On the go

Up the stairs

I tried posting some pictures last week but there was something wrong with the site. We have had a lot going on lately! Between working on the house and swimming lessons Grace is really on the go!! Her favorite things are the stairs, the dog dishes and she always makes a break for the bathroom to get into the toilet, so we have gates up and doors closed all over the house.

She has been doing "so big" for a while now, waves bye-bye, blows kisses, and is walking (a few steps on her own) she isn't real confident yet, but she is trying. She really likes to show off all of her tricks :)

Cookie Monster

2007-09-17T22:07:00.000-04:00

First oreo cookie

mmmmm....

one more please!

Daddy & Gracie snuggling

Grace & Sammy

Checking things out on Grandma & Grandpa's boat

I love bath time!

I know I said that I would have lots of pics to post from Labor Day weekend, but I need to get them from Megan! She has some great ones on her myspace. We had lots of fun in GR - there's never ennough time! grace has been crawling for about a month now and is really getting close to walking. It won't be long now!! She also has 4 more teeth on top! She just started saying "mama" so I am pretty excited :)

It's about time!

2007-08-27T21:49:00.001-04:00

First fireworks! (the re-do for Festival on the Bay)

Thumbs up for boating!

Ahoy!

It's about time that I got some pics posted again! These are from a few weeks ago. We've had a lot going on lately. I'm sure everyone knows by now, but Gracie is going to be a big sister in the end of March. It happened a little sooner than we planned, but we're very excited to expand our family! I should have lots of pictures to post after this weekend, we're headed to see Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Megan in Grand Rapids for Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the holiday!!

Afternoon at the park

2007-08-05T21:37:00.000-04:00

Eventful weekend

2007-08-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

Grace & Aunt Karen

Matt celebrating his big 3-0 with Gabby & Wyatt

Mom & Wyatt

Gracie's new face

We had a busy weekend. My parents came to visit and we celebrated Matt's 30th birthday! Grace has been coming up with new things every couple of days. This weekend it was sticking out her tongue and shaking her head no. This little girl cracks me up!!!

My blue-eyed girl

2007-07-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

Just a few pics from today, and a couple from last week of Gracie and her daddy in front of the bay. She's getting so big! Grace is grabbing our hands and pulling herself up - pretty quickly too! It won't be long now before she is cruising around on all of the furniture. She is also super close to having her two top front teeth in. They have been trying to push through for over a month, poor thing! She's handling it pretty well though. Grandma & Grandpa are coming to visit this weekend so we are looking forward to seeing them again. Next time it is our turn to head back to GR.

First trip to da U.P., eh?

2007-07-15T16:28:00.000-04:00

My parents, Megan and my uncle from FL came to visit so we thought we'd do the cheesey tourist thing and take them to Mackinaw City and across the bridge (Dad, Meg, Uncle Andy and Grace had never seen the bridge or been to the U.P.). So we decided it would be funny to stop at Castle Rock and climb it. It was exhausting! Especially carying an extra 20 lbs in that heat! Luckily about 3/4 of the way up there was a bench so Grandma & Gracie waited there while the rest of us climbed to the top. We have a couple of cool pics from the top of the straits of Mackinaw.

Ride Em' Cowgirl!

2007-07-15T16:11:00.000-04:00

Another post with miscellaneous pics. It seems like we've been nothing but busy lately. Anyway, here are some pics of Gracie trying out her "new" pony, playing on her boppy pillow, standing (and walking with assistance) and drinking juice all by herself out of a sippy cup. I can't believe she is getting so big- 8 months already!!!!!

Quick update

2007-07-03T07:30:00.001-04:00

We've been so busy lately, I just wanted to take a quick minute to update some pictures of Gracie. We have lots of family in town/coming so there's sure to be some great pics. Stay tuned!!!

Happy 4th everyone!!!!!!!

More pics

2007-06-20T22:22:00.000-04:00

Somebody fell asleep while playing...

Gracie and her big cousins

Grace with Aunt Cathy

Gracie and Gabby

Grace's first pool

Traveling

2007-06-20T21:53:00.000-04:00

Gracie and Grams

Grace is finally getting hair!

Two weeks ago, we went to Chelsea to stay with Grams (Gracie's great-grandma) for a night because Matt had to wrap up some things at Xelapack before his last day. Then, it was on to Grand Rapids for the weekend to visit Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Megan. We took Grace to the zoo and were able to take her to meet Maddy, our friends Mike & Erin's little girl. We had a great time with everyone!

Then, last Wednesday, we headed back to Grand Rapids so Grandma & Grandpa could baby sit for the night and Matt & I went to Chicago. It was easier than I thought, but that was only because I knew Grace was in good hands (and we were only away one night). We left on Thursday morning, went to the Field Museum, checked in to our hotel, then shopped a little, went to a wonderful dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe (thanks for the recommendation Mike)! After dinner we went to see Wicked - it was INCREDIBLE!!! The best part was I was able to sleep all night and sleep in (sorry mom). Then the next morning we went to breakfast, and on to the Shedd Aquarium, which was really cool. Grace did great and we really appreciate Grandma and Grandpa watching her. Thanks again Mom & Dad!!

Our little fish!

2007-06-03T10:05:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day again yesterday. In the upper 80's and sunny. We took the top off the jeep and went over to nonnie and papas for a few hours. It was a sight to see; Samson in the passenger seat and Gracie and I in the back. She slept the whole way, so I guess she didn't mind it. We attempted to go for a boat ride, but Grace wasn't having her life jacket. So we just went back and decided to go swimming. The water was a little on the cool side, but again, Grace didn't seem to mind. We were only in the water for about 10 minutes but she was splashing and laughing. She's going to be our little fish this summer I think!

Story time

2007-05-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken last week when it was really hot out. It felt like it was about 85 degrees in the house, so we stripped Grace down to her diaper. She seemed pretty comfortable!

Grace sure loves her books!! She's so funny - she likes to hold them and turn the pages.

We had a nice Memorial weekend. Friday we went to Bob's, and Saturday Matt, Grace & I worked on our yard. Well, Grace mostly watched from her megasaucer, but she was content playing on her own for a while. Sunday we finished our yard and Monday we went for another boat ride. Hope you all had fun!

Beautiful Day!

2007-05-23T20:42:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of Gracie and her big cousin Gabby. I picked Gabby up from preschool today and Karen met up with us so we could all go on a picnic by the waterfront. The weather was beautiful! The only problem was there are tons of little bugs by the water right now, so we ended up by the river instead. It was still fun though!!

Grace had her 6 month appointment on Monday, here are her updated stats:

17lbs 1 oz (70th percentile)

26 1/4" (70th percentile)

She did pretty well with the shots this time and calmed down within a few minutes, but it is still so hard- I just hate that part!!! At least she won't need more for a while.

Some pictures from today...

2007-05-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

Six months

2007-05-13T13:36:00.000-04:00

Grace is six months old today! Wow, the time flies!! I can't believe she is half a year old already!!! I caught a good shot earlier today during a snooze and this afternoon at Nonnie and Papa's house. She has discovered Club crackers and man- you do not want to let her run out of them!! She will let you know how she feels about that! Anyway, I thought the pictures of her eating today were so cute because she was such a mess. She also had a special treat for dessert- her very own bowl of vanilla ice cream. She sure liked that!!!

I had a great first Mother's Day today. It felt a little more "real" this year, since I was pregnant last Mother's Day. The Guys made us moms a nice meal with no complaints :)

Happy Mother's day everyone!

First Boat Ride

2007-05-13T13:24:00.000-04:00

Grace went for her very first boat ride on Friday. We just went for a quick spin around the lake and she did NOT like her life jacket!! She'll have to get used to it this summer though. It was a great day and we had lots of fun!! By the way, her daddy took all of the pictures, that is why every picture is of Grace and me.

Little Cutie

2007-05-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Here are some cute new pictures of Gracie! The first 3 were professional photos that we have been trying to get for a while. By the way, she has had 2 more teeth pop in sice the last post. She is also starting to sit up alone and roll over. Now Grace can pick up cheerios and get them in her mouth. She's getting SO BIG!

My two front teeth...

2007-04-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

I had to put some shots of Grace's teeth on for everyone to see- they're so cute!

We had a big weekend- Matt's parents (Gracie's Nonnie & Papa) came back from Florida. It is great to have them back, we all missed them! They got home late Friday night so we all went out for dinner on Saturday to Bobs. We hung out again today when everyone came over to our house for dinner.

Extra pictures

2007-04-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Since I have not been too good about posting lately- it seems we are always busy these days- I have a bunch of extra pictures. Everytime we see Megan she takes about 5 million!

Sunday Best

2007-04-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

Here's Gracie in her Easter dress! We went to Grand rapids for the weekend which was really fun. We Went on Thursday (in the SNOW) but it was nice to have all day Friday. Grace & I met my friend Erin for breakfast on Friday and she brought her 2 boys. It was great to catch up and see Jack & Mikey. Then we spent some time with family friends who stopped by- it was great to see them again! On Saturday Grandma & Grandpa babysat so Matt, Megan and I could go to a movie. We saw Blades of Glory which was hilarious! If you're in the mood for a funny movie- I'd highly recommend it! We went to church on Easter and Grace did a pretty good job. I did have to walk out for a few minutes when she got a little too vocal, but overall she did well.