It has been a while...
Our apologies:
With being sick, having family in town, and enjoying our summer, we've let the blog get away from us (again). I know that there are some of you who check my blog every day in hopes of seeing what we're doing. To you, I apologize. Here is a look at what has been happening for the past three weeks...
Stayin' cool...
We really are enjoying the summer sun, but since it has been so hot, we have been forced to stay inside for parts of the days. in the comfort of our air conditioned home. 
The fair, day one...
Back when I had my throat infection, the Washington County fair was happening. On a last minute whim, Merrick and I decided to take Gracie before bed. It was late, so we didn't stay long, but she loved every minute of it.
She now has many animal noises down, so she liked "talking" to this goat.
Free mini-golf was fun for all of us, but it was especially cute watching Gracie trying hard to be a big girl.
She didn't quite understand that she needed to leave her ball on the ground. She just wanted to carry it with us.
The fair, day two...
Since admission into the fair is free, Shannon and I had made plans to take the girls. It didn't work to go on opening day, but we were able to go for a bit on Friday (July 25). The kids had a great time, and I always have fun spending time with Shannon. The one disappointment was that by this time I was really getting sick and we had to cut our visit short. When we got home, Gracie and I took a three hour nap. 
The horses, Grace and Ellie. My cousin's daughter is Eleanor (Ellie for short) so I thought it was funny to see the two horses side-by-side. There is also a "Hannah," but I didn't see the need to take yet another picture of me next to the horse.
Gracie got to pet the horse named Grace. The sweet owner was going to put Gracie up on the horse, but she was a little scared. Hmmm, I wonder why...?
Sophia and Gracie got tired of riding in the strollers, so we let them out to push. It was loads of fun until Sophia stepped in some sort of animal droppings. Yuck!
Big truck, little girls. We were so proud of them for (mostly) standing still and posing while we snapped 50 pictures of this.
The fountain...
Our Bible study group managed to find a day to get together at the fountain in Beaverton City Park. We had a great time playing in the water and visiting with friends. The other kids in the group are much older and I don't have any pictures of them playing together.
This shows Baylie looking lost (pink suit), Gracie heading into the water (blue suit) and Sophia heading out of the water (red suit).
My poor white baby found the one spot of shade in the whole park - and she lounged there watching the other kids (whose dad's have pigment in their skin) playing in the hot sun.
Chores...
This is silly, but since I took a picture, I thought I'd share. I recently bought a one dollar clothes line and have been hanging my laundry in the back yard to dry. I don't know how much money this will save, but it sure helps with keeping the upstairs of the house cool and saves a little energy in the process.
The goose pond...
There is a very nice pond area in a local business park, so we took Gracie down there to see the geese. We didn't have any food (which is fine because there are signs all over saying not to feed them), but they ran up to us begging none-the-less.
Gracie loved chasing them around and squealing at them.
She also enjoyed the walking paths and bridges over the pond.
Cousins...
My nieces, Mariah and Maleah, spent a few weeks in Eugene with their grandparents. They decided it would be fun to come up for a quick visit - and I do mean quick. We were able to take a short walk to our neighborhood park, but didn't stay long. It was really hot and right in the middle of Gracie's nap time. Mariah carried her all the way home, and by about half way Gracie was sound asleep in her arms.
The drawers...
Gracie has these two drawers that we have been letting her play in. One has her bibs and baby silverware, and another is my kitchen towels. We have been finding spoons, bibs and towels all around the house - and other treasures have been put in the drawers. I'm curious to know what she thinks she is accomplishing, but she goes at it very seriously as if it is her job.
This drawer has a wee people, a ball, a pedometer and one of her shoes in it... all logical, right?
Wallis...
Forrest and Amy are back in Hawaii, so we got to have Wallis for a few days. It was fun to see Forrest, Amy and Ephraim on their way through.
He is getting so big and chubby - and he LOVES to smile.
Gracie loved having Wallis in the house, and for a few days after he left, she was going around panting (her "word" for dog) looking for him.
Little cousins...
My cousin, Carrie, needed a sitter for a few hours, so she brought her boys here to hang out. They are fun kids, and pretty easy to entertain. Aiden is almost three, and had fun looking at all of Gracie's stuff and finding new ways to play with baby toys. Nathan, who is 7 months, is very advanced (lots of teeth, crawling around, and in general a big boy). Gracie didn't quite understand that he couldn't play with her the way she wanted. They are almost exactly the same size, so Gracie wanted him to act more her age. It was cute to watch.
Big bonk...
Gracie got her first big owie the other day. I didn't see what happened, but I think she fell against the column in our living room and slid her face down it... wall burn I guess. She was pretty sad at first, but bounced back quickly.
A new Bethany...
My cousin, Anthony, is getting married. His fiance's name is Bethany. His sister (my cousin) is also Bethany. To make things even more strange... my grandpa is Roger, Anthony's dad is Roger, and Bethany's dad is Roger. So, Anthony is going to have a grandpa Roger, a dad Roger and a father-in-law Roger.
So, Anthony and the new Bethany are getting married in a few weeks. We had a small wedding shower for them here on Sunday. It was fun to have family over to celebrate and just spend some time chatting and getting to know Bethany a little better.
The best part, in my opinion, was that Mandy made the cake for me. It was so pretty. The shower colors were brown and sage green, and I'd say she nailed it! It was absolutely delicious too - although I've now been sick for two days because I ate a piece. I still think it was well worth it. So, if you have a party coming up, and need a great cake - I know just the person for you!
Word processing...
Gracie loves typing and playing with the computer mouse, but I don't think she understands that you don't have to sit on the keyboard to make it work.
Other news...
- We have been watching a lot of Olympics - and not sleeping much because of it.
- I got my allergy test results back and have been avoiding pretty much every food known to man (cane sugar, wheat, yeast, dairy, cranberries, processed soy, garlic, sesame, etc...) which is probably why the cake Mandy made didn't sit well in my system. =)
- Merrick is still very busy at work, and anticipating an upcoming deadline (beginning of October).
- Gracie is growing, developing and changing every day. Her vocabulary is exploding, and she is a pro at walking. So much more to catch up on in this category, but we'll get to that a little later.
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