Thankful Thursday...

Today I am thankful for...

• The rain and (slightly) warmer air - it is a nice break from the freezing weather we have had for the past week.
• My refrigerator (see this post below!)
• Nap time (for Gracie and me) - not because I am lazy - just because I have been needing to catch up on lost sleep.

Rip City, USA...

Tonight we had the unexpected fun of getting to go to the Blazer game! Unfortunately we went because poor Jeff and Kristen are sick and weren't up for the adventure. (Hope you guys feel better soon). Anyway, Jeff called at about 4, so we had to quickly make up our minds and pack up to head out to try to catch the 6 p.m. tip-off. Merrick had a bit of trouble getting away from work, and traffic was horrible (big surprise), so we were a few minutes late. The irony of us attending this game is that it was nationally televised, so we (non-cable havers) would have been able to watch it on t.v... live was MUCH more fun though, so we aren't complaining.

At one point during the third quarter we looked up to see ourselves on the jumbotron. So now Gracie can say that she has been on t.v.
I don't think Gracie quite understood the concept of the noise makers. Rather than banging them together, she was content to sit quietly and just suck on them. In fact, she was possibly the quietest one in the crowd last night.

The Cavaliers were in town, so we got to see LeBron James play. He didn't have a great game, but stepped it up in the last quarter and made the game winning shot with less than 1 second on the clock. So the Blazers lost a heart breaker. It has been years since I have been to an exciting game, one that was sold out and all of the fans stayed until the final buzzer. Even though it was a disappointing loss, it was still a fun night out, and a great experience with Grace. We are looking forward to many more family outings like this!

Baby it's cold outside...

...and it's a really good thing it is!

About a week ago I noticed that our freezer didn't seem cold enough. The popsicles in the door were a little soft, so I turned it down in hopes of cooling it down a bit. I mentioned it to Merrick, but we decided to take the "wait and see" approach to fixing the problem. Well, the next day the chicken was looking a little defrosted (never a good sign), and by the third day, all of the homemade baby food was runny. Bummer!

So, last Thursday Merrick came home early from work to take a look at it. He decided that yep, sure enough it was not cold enough (as if the defrosted food wasn't proof enough). He tinkered around until the middle of the night, and found what he thought was the problem. One of the circuit boards was burned. Now, it was 1:30 a.m. and he wasn't sure what to do with all the food. (We had already discarded everything in the freezer, but the fridge was still cold enough to salvage what was in there). Since it has been in the 20's and snowing around here on and off for the past week, he decided that the backyard was as good as a fridge. So, in the middle of the night, he unloaded our fridge into our backyard... it was quite a site to wake up to... too bad I didn't think to grab my camera.

On Friday we ordered the necessary part. It would be ready to pick up Saturday morning. Well, the freezing rain put a temporary hold on our plans, but we were able to get it by Saturday afternoon. Sure enough the fridge started working again, but something was still a little wrong. So, a little while later, after a little more tinkering (not to be confused with tinkling) Merrick discovered that the compressor fan was not running properly. So on Monday we called the appliance place again, ordered a replacement fan, and by Tuesday afternoon we were back in business!

I can't tell you how hard it is to live without a fridge. I guess I take for granted the huge machine that keeps my food cold and fresh every day. I am very sad that we lost all of the baby food I had made, and milk we had been storing for Gracie, but I am very thankful that it happened now and not in the middle of the summer. It could have been much worse.

From Thursday night to the following Tuesday night we ate out of the cooler on our back porch. Actually, we ate most of our meals from restaurants, but we kept our soy milk and other necessities cold in our cooler. On Tuesday, once the fridge was up and running again, I made the rounds to all our grocery stores (Costco, Winco and Trader Joes) to re-stock.

Tonight I begin the process of re-making baby food!

Arts and crafts...

Stealing yet another idea from Shannon, I thought it would be fun to let Gracie do a little finger painting. She is working on quite a few "special" projects right now. As you can see, she takes this very seriously...


And, another bath picture... painting requires a bath for clean up... tonight she discovered the water spout and played and splashed around in that fountain. Cheap entertainment!

What's up doc...

Gracie, our "wascally wabbit," is loving her veggies. Yesterday we started her on carrots, and today was such a mess that I had to get out the camera. Don't be fooled by the food running down her chin, she really did gobble them up! And, guessing by these smiles, I think she loved them.




After she was finished eating, it was time for clean up. Good thing today was bath day! I gave her a wash cloth, and after a few minutes in the tub, her face was pretty much clean. (Her little nose is perma-orange, not from stains, but because most of the food she eats are orange, so it is dying her skin.)

Rubber ducky, you're the one...

Gracie had a big barf this morning that required a bath for clean up. Usually she is an every other day bather, and usually just showers with one of us, but today was an exception to both "rules." She loves bath time, and really LOVES the little squirts she got for Christmas. She usually plays until she gets wrinkly, then it is time to get out and dry off.



Since a bath was unscheduled, it fell right before nap time. It was a little shorter than usual, but as you can see, she was sleepy. We dried her off, got her dressed, and put her to bed. She slept for two hours, and I had to wake her up so we wouldn't be late for our lunch date.

Mr. Sandman, bring me a bink...

Gracie has the funniest sleeping habits, so I had to share this picture. Merrick and I don't put her in the crib this way, but we often find her in this same position... wedged tight horizontally in her crib. I am not sure why this is comfortable, but she seems to like it. Sadly, she is growing quickly and this position won't work much longer.
Later, that same afternoon, I went up to check on her during a nap and laughed at what I found. Count the binkies in this picture. I count four loose and one in her mouth... I guess that is just extra bink security. This way she is sure to have a back up when she pushes the first three out the slats of the crib. (Which, by the way, is a new "game" she plays. I have watched her do it, and know that it is not accidental.)

Thankful Thursday...

Wow, another week has gone by with no blog updates, but I was reminded last night that today was Thursday, so here I am...

Today I am thankful for:

• My friend Kelsie - who I don't see or talk to nearly enough, but I know she loves me all the same!
• My in-laws! I married into a great family, and I am so thankful for a mom and dad-in-law that love me and Grace unconditionally.
• Merrick - who works harder than anyone I know and provides the opportunity for me to stay at home with Gracie. He is a great husband, an amazing dad, and my very best friend. I love you, buddy!
  

For Peet's sake...

We have been spending quite a bit of time with our friends lately (by "we" I mean Gracie and me). It is so nice to live close to other stay-at-home mommies who have similar schedules as we do. On Friday we all met for coffee and lunch in Tanasbourne. The new Peet's just opened out here, and for the first month they have free beans Friday, and free drip coffee all day on Saturday. We met at Peet's for lattes and then headed down the street to the new Noah's for lunch. It was delicious!

After lunch, Shannon and Marisa came over to scrap book. We spread out in the bonus room, make a huge mess, and (as usual) get nothing at all done. Well, Marisa actually got a lot done... Shannon and I mostly just watched. I am playing catch up on Gracie's baby book, but need to order some photos for it, so there isn't a whole lot I can do. I am very thankful, however, that I have kept up with her life on our blog, otherwise I would have no idea what day she first crawled, smiled or waved.

Here are a few pictures from our time with Friends. They aren't all from the same day, and some I stole from Shannon's blog.


There is a great video of Sophia kissing Grace on Shannon's blog ... check it out here!

Thankful Thursday...

Okay, so the other Hannah had a "blog resolution" to have a new header each month. It made me think that perhaps I too need to have a blog resolution. I can't promise a new header every month because I am pretty slow with photo shop still, but I resolve to do my best to keep up with Thankful Thursday. I sort of slacked off toward the end of last year, so I am jumping back in the saddle...

Today I am thankful for:

• Life!
• Unexpected blessings and God's constant provision in our lives.
• A perfect, healthy baby.

I have so much to be thankful for, but these are the things that have been at the top of my mind lately.

Happy Thursday!

A little behind...

Once again I have been neglecting my blog. I get to the point that I am so far behind that I don't know where to start to catch up. I figured out that there is a way to back-date, so my posts will remain in chronological order! (I've been blogging for 2 years and just figured that out). It gave me the motivation I needed to play catch up. Here is a list of recent posts I published this morning.

• Flying By (12/23)
• On our first day of Christmas (12/23)
• On our second day of Christmas (12/24)
  
• On our third day of Christmas (12/25)
• This little piggy (12/27)
• Growing family (1/1)
  
• A little puzzling (1/2)
• Teddy bear picnic (1/4)
  
• Two colors of the rainbow (1/12)

As for other news, we have had a fairly low-key weekend and beginning of this week. Gracie and I are both back to "normal" health wise, so we have been able to spend time around friends and family again. It was fun to go out with the Riders and Colemans on Friday night, and to spend time with my mom and dad on Sunday.

I started a digital scrapbook/blog book last week, and I'll be honest, I have been spending a LOT of time working on that. It is so addicting and really fun! I can't wait to finish up 2007 and get it printed! I have included my past blog entries in my book for 2007, and it has been fun to go back and re-read stories from the past... many that I had completely forgotten about. I am planning on doing digital scrap books for each year starting in 2004 when we got our digital camera. I just haven't had the time to keep up with "real" scrapbooking, and am so far behind, that we will never see finished books in this life time. Seriously! So, I'll scrap through the college years, and our first year of marriage, then it will be all digital!

Well, I woke up early because I was hungry, but now I am tired and think I'll sleep a while more before the girl wakes up.

Smile, and enjoy life today!

Two colors of the rainbow...

So far feeding Gracie has been fun, and relatively easy. She hasn't rejected anything we have given her, and seems to really enjoy most foods that she eats. The hardest part has been cleaning up the stains from the orange and green foods.
She has enjoyed:

• rice cereal
• avocados
• sweet potatoes
• oatmeal
• peas
• butternut squash
• green beans

She has a green-orange-green pattern going... mostly because the veggies that are good for babies are that color. We haven't decided what to introduce next... in keeping with our pattern, perhaps we will try pumpkin!

Over the river and through the woods...

Gracie and I spent the afternoon at my mom and dad's house... they weren't home, but we were able to visit with our friend, Karen Dorsey, who happened to be in town and on her way home. Soon after Karen hit the road my mom came home and started getting ready for bunco.

While mom and I were bustling around the house, getting ready for bunco and eating a bit of dinner, Gracie was playing happily on the floor. Just this week - about three days ago - she started sitting up by herself, which has made her much more interested in toys. Last Christmas, when we told my family that I was pregnant, we gave my mom a Fisher Price gumball machine. (Those of you who know my family at all, know that my mom collects gumball machines - her house is FILLED with them - so this was a very appropriate toy for grandma's house). Gracie hadn't ever seen it, but I brought it out last night just to see how she would react. It is marketed for 9-12 month old babies, so I didn't think she would get the hang of it, but might have fun looking at it. Anyway, for the first part of the afternoon she loved the peek-a-boo balls that came in the gumball machine. Once mom got home from work, Grace started pressing the lever and making the machine dispense the balls, sing and flash. She loved it - and was so proud of herself. She would push the lever over and over, then look up at us for praise. It was very cute.

I had to post both videos - they are pretty much the same, but I couldn't decide which I liked better.





Bunco started at 7 p.m., and since a few of the "regulars" couldn't make it, I was able to be a sub. I had a great night and ended up winning first prize! I have subbed a few times over the years and have never won anything. The best part of the night was how great Gracie did. She sat and played happily by herself for most of the time, only needing attention toward the end of the evening. Then, she was happy to sit in grandma's lap watching the dice rolling and listening to the funny ladies chatting, laughing, and yelling BUNCO! I guess I was the one yelling bunco most of the time. =)

The good ol' days...

Do the names Blaze, Gemini, Ice, Laser, Nitro, Storm, Thunder and Viper ring a bell? Those were just a few of the original American Gladiators. I felt like I was reliving my childhood as I sat and watched the new and improved show. Now hosted by Hulk Hogan, and with crazy light effects and fog machines, it is better than ever. Okay, I am being a little silly here, but there was something great about Sunday night - sitting on the couch with Craig, Kristin and Merrick - watching a show that I haven't seen since I was about 12 years old, and getting excited when the amateur athletes were preparing to battle the gladiators on the rings, up the wall or jousting. It all brought back fun memories.

Sunday was a fun night in general. After being quarantined for a week with a sick baby, we had my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner, video games, and of course Gladiator. Kristin recently bought Rock Band for their XBox 360, and it is one of the greatest games I have ever played, perhaps second only to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). I am terrible at both, but sure have fun trying. So, Craig and Kristin showed up at our house with a guitar, a drum set and microphones. We plugged it all in and rocked out for two hours. Yes, two hours. And, after they were gone, Merrick and I were sitting around wishing we were still drumming to our favorite tunes. I guess I am saying that if you have a game system that runs Rock Band, it is well worth the investment. The only reason I would prefer DDR is that you are forced to move and sweat - burning calories as you play. I don't think I burned anything other than a few brain cells as I drummed. And, judging by the number of chocolate chip pumpkin muffins that were consumed, I think DDR would have been beneficial for all of us. =)

Teddy bear picnic...

Gracie got a couple new bears for Christmas. One very cute one from my grandpa and Joan (the little brown guy with a red sweater) and one HUGE bear from my parents. Once I had her room picked up, and her bears put away, I decided to take a few pictures.

Here are a few more pictures of her "tricks." My mom nick-named her "snow-plow" because she is still just scooting across a room, head down, plowing things over as she passes.

A quick clip...

Here's a quick clip of our girl's tricks. The whole sequence was almost 5 minutes long, so it doesn't looks like she is really going very far. This just shows how she literally scoots on her head. Seems painful, but she didn't fuss until she was turned the other direction and scooted onto the air vent on the floor. Ouch!

Good news, bad news...

Well, the bad news around here is that our poor little baby has RSV - Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Basically it is a bad cold, but in babies it can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia. She first got sick on Saturday evening, and on Sunday night she had a fever. We called the advice nurse at our pediatrician's office to see if she needed to be seen (a fever with a cold isn't normal). At first the nurse didn't think we needed to bring her in, but then she heard Gracie coughing in the background and changed her mind. The doctor did a quick nose swab and sure enough... RSV. There isn't a specific treatment, but they gave us a list of things to watch out for to make sure it doesn't turn into something much worse. So, we canceled our New Year's Eve plans and stayed home. After reading their blogs, we are pretty disappointed that we missed the party with the Burchs, Gibsons, and Schilperoorts.

I, inevitably, came down with the same thing Gracie has. I don't have as much trouble breathing as she does, and (believe it or not) I can blow my own nose which helps immensely. She squirms and fusses when we get within a mile of her nose with a kleenex in hand. =) So, the two of us have been "camping out" in the living room to try to let daddy (aka: Merrick) get some rest since he has to get up and work each morning.

The good news - or more like fun news - is that Grace started crawling today! I guess it is actually more like scooting. She gets up in her classic yoga pose, head down on her toes, and uses her little feet to propel her across a room. It is the funniest thing I have seen. Her other baby friends started by scooting, which looked more like an army crawl, so this is a new trick to me. I did get some good video of her in action, but I am still not exactly sure how to upload my video onto my computer, so it may be a while before I can post it.

A little puzzling...

I love jigsaw puzzles, but usually only do them around the holidays. I am not sure why, but it just seems like the right time of year to get out a puzzle. That, and I usually get a new puzzle for Christmas. Anyway, we have had a puzzle out on our table for the past week, and Grace is fascinated by it. She loves to sit up on the table and "help" us by scattering the pieces around and trying to suck on any pieces she manages to get in her little hands.

A growing family...

On New Year's day I headed out to Newberg to see my family -the Minthorne side. My grandparents hosting everyone at Friendsview on New Year's has become a tradition. It is fun to gather and hang out, eat, play games, and catch up on each other's lives. Unfortunately, since Gracie was sick, I went alone. It had been a year since I had seen some of them, and a lot has changed since then. My cousin, Brady, got married, Gracie was born, and now Carrie and Bethany are both pregnant and due in 2008. The Minthorne family continues to grow and change, and it is fun to welcome new family members (I really like all of my cousin-in-laws). I can't wait until next year - no weddings planned (that I know of), but there will be two new babies!