You say tomato...

...and I say MESSY! Another spaghetti meal at the Brownlee house. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the mess around the mouth, but I am baffled by her need to rub her eyes when her hands are covered in sauce. Sorry for my lack in posts for the past few days. There has been a lot happening, but mostly I've been absent because I have been really sick. I'll spare you all the dirty details, but I had quite possibly the worst sore throat in the history of humankind. I had a 101 degree fever, my body ached, my head pounded, and my throat hurt so badly I could hardly swallow my own saliva. Finally, at my second visit to the doctor, they gave me a prescription to amoxocillin and vicodin for the pain. I was able to sleep, and eat, and now I'm feeling like new!

Now that I'm back up on my feet, I'll try to gradually get my blog back up to date.

13 months...

Here is an update on our last month.

• Gracie is now walking everywhere.
• She seems to have new words everyday. She says please (sounds like peace), baby, plane (says pain and points to the sky), bear, ball (ba), balloon (baaa) duck (du, du, du), berry (bee), daddy (da, da, da), mama (only when mad or sad), hi, grandpa (papa or papi), happy (learned from Sophia), night-night (ni-ni-ni)
  
• She makes a few animal noises - puppy, monkey, dolphin (she thinks all of her bath toys are dolphins).
• She loves her books and loves to sit in the big chair all by herself and "read." Her newest thing is to kiss everything on each page of every book. Not quite sure where she got this, but it is pretty funny.
  
• When we say "I'm gonna get you" she will "run" away from us.
  
• She is still nursing, but only twice a day now.
• She has learned that please gets her what she wants. She will whine and fuss and finally stop and say "peeees, peeees." It is cute, but now we need to teach her that there are times when please won't work.
  
• She is a great sleeper and goes down for naps and bed time like a champ!
• She still loves music and loves to dance. She also likes it when we sing.
  
• When I ask her to sniff her toes she grabs her foot and pulls it up to her face, scrunches her nose, and then will either cough or laugh (we usually sniff, gag, cough, and then say eeewwww, stinky feet. She thinks it is hilarious, so she is trying to copy what we do).
  
• She only uses her binky when she is in her bed, and has gotten very good at sharing. We just have to ask for it and she pops it right out and hands it over.
  

I know there are things I'm forgetting, but it is late. I'll try to post a few pictures tomorrow.

Twins...

I want you all to meet Elena. She is Gracie's twin!

Back in June I discovered that you can visit the child sponsorship page at worldvision.org and search for a child by birthday. You can't specify the year they were born, but you can put in how old you want your sponsored child to be. I plugged in June 22 and picked under 1 for the age. A few seconds later Elena popped up and immediately joined our family!

Elena and Gracie share a birthday, and in many ways are very similar, but are also worlds apart. Gracie is learning to talk, Elena is learning to talk - in Spanish. Gracie is starting to walk, Elena is learning to walk - in Honduras.

I've sponsored other children through the years, but this little one really grabbed my heart. I just thought I'd share her picture with you all, and let you know that your child's birthday twin might be out there waiting for you. If you have any questions, let me know. I'm no expert, but can point you in the right direction.

Vote for us...

My friend, Laurie, who I've know since we were teeny tiny, is moving across the country and needs a new title for her blog. Her blog is currently "NoPo DeBos" (North Portland DeBoards), but since she and her hubby will no longer be residents of North Portland, the name needs to change. She has had a renaming contest, and Merrick and I are in the finals! I came up with "AutoDEBOgraphy" and Merrick's entry is "De Bulletin Board." So, if you're up for a little blog-stalking, click your way on over to Laurie's blog and vote for us! (Oh, and it is a vizu poll, so you can only vote once from each computer.)

Long end of the stick...

You all know by now that my friend Mandy is back living in Portland. She recently moved into Tori's adorable little house in north Portland. Mandy is living in the basement, and getting a bed into her room is proving to be a difficult venture...

After measuring the stairs Mands realized that her queen sized bed would not come close to fitting. I offered to switch beds with her - just until she moved into her own place and had a bit more room. We have a bed in our guest room that we bought from Dorsey that is only a full size, so after measuring we were pretty sure it would make it into the basement. Well, Mandy's folks loaded up her big bed, drove to my house where we traded, and then took our smaller bed to Portland. At one point during the exchange Mandy looked at me and said, "I'm not going to lie, you're definitely getting the long end of the stick." It made me laugh because it really was true.

Two hours later I got a text message from Mandy that just said, "bed didn't fit." It didn't fit by less than 1/2 an inch. Uh-oh. Now what? Well, I haven't yet mentioned how incredibly heavy Mandy's bed is, and because of that no one wants to move it unless they have to. So for now it is staying in our guest room, and our little full bed is at Mandy's parent's house in Newberg. I know this sounds like a great deal, but we very rarely use our guest bed, so mostly we are just storing it in a nice place for our good friend Mandy. We may bring the full bed back too, just so we can officially open the Brownlee House Bed and Breakfast. =)

So, basically Mandy's folks spent the day exchanging beds with me for no reason at all... and poor Mandy is back at square one. If you happen to have a fairly nice twin bed that you need to get rid of or could loan to my good friend, do let me know. She is a little tired of sleeping on leaking air mattresses.

Monkies, seals and bears...

Today we headed over to the zoo. Gracie and Merrick were just there last week, but it was a nice day, so we packed up and went back. I am not sure if it was the warm weather, the shinning sun, or the crowds of people, but the animals were out in full force and performing in ways that I have never seen. I can't think of a single animal that wasn't in full view - and many were right up next to the glass.
All three orangutans were parked next to the window. This big guy had his back turned to us and right as we were getting ready to move on, he turned around and stared right at Gracie.
Once he turned around she became more interested in him, perhaps realizing that he was alive.
This guy was swinging in the tire, but again as we were leaving, he hopped down and came right to where Grace was standing. I wish the glass had less of a glare, but I love this picture. You can see her holding her hands out to the ape - which is the same thing she does when she is expecting Merrick or me to hand her something.
The polar bears were sure showing off too. He was rolling around, throwing the ball up in the air, jumping on top of the ball and diving in the pool after it.
I love stellar cove - it is so peaceful under the water.
We haven't ever gone into the petting zoo area, but it was empty today so we went ahead and let her try it out. She was so excited about the goats and kept saying "oooh...oooh...oooh..." and clapping her hands together (which is her sign for "more").
This is another bad picture because of the glare, but you can see Grace and Merrick reflected in the glass right in front of the black bear. He kept pacing back and forth, and Gracie was loving watching him walking right in front of her nose. When we saw the bears from the top of the exhibit she was roaring at them.

We saw all sorts of other animals, and even got to see them feeding the penguins. We had a great time, and are already looking forward to our next trip. One more time and we have paid for our membership in less than two months!

A long list of updates...

Okay, so I think I am (almost) caught up with the blog. We have had a busy couple of weeks, and once I get behind, it is hard to get caught up again. I am writing to remember, so that is why I have gone backwards a ways. If you care to read what we have been up to, here is the list of posts I have just completed. Click on name, and it will take you straight to the correct entry.

Happy reading!
July 18 - "Mr. Murphy and mowing..."
July 14 - "A shower for Kristen..."
July 12 - "The Indian Nation..."
July 7 - "Hand-me-downs..."
July 6 - "View from the top..."
July 1 - "Strawberry fields forever..."
June 27 - "Partying with friends..."
June 20 - "Brrrrr..."
June 10 - "Play day..."

Mr. Murphy and mowing...

My good friend, Mandy, moved back to Portland this week! We are so excited to finally (after almost four years) have her "home." During her time in Telluride, Mands acquired a friendly little dog named Murphy. He looks like a stuffed animal, and is a very sweet man. We have enjoyed spending three days this week with Mandy - and today Gracie woke up from a nap and Murphy was in her house. What a treat! He is so patient with her and puts up with the overwhelming attention that comes from her.

Welcome home, Mands. We're so glad you (and Murph) are here!

Tonight, after a yummy sushi dinner, Merrick decided to mow the lawn. Once Merrick is home, Gracie doesn't like if he leaves again - even for a minute - so she sat at the front window and watched his every move. It was cute to watch her trying to peer around the corner when he would disappear from her sight.
I finally took our jogging stroller in to be fixed. It needed new inner tubes in the tires, and just some general fixing up. After a quick trip to REI, and a bath in our driveway, it is looking good as new! (We are very thankful to have gotten it as a hand-me-down from the Diefenbaughs, and hope to get many more years of use out of it). We haven't been running for two months (since my foot injury), so we packed up the girl and headed to the park. It isn't too far, but was a perfect distance for me getting back into the swing of things. It felt so good, and the stroller ran so well, that little Grace fell fast asleep on the way home.

A shower for Kristen...

On Sunday it was Kristen's turn for a baby shower! It was such a fun time to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Tigist and Mihiretu.
About 30 friends and family members were able to come have lunch and celebrate with Kristen.

Half of Hancock St. House!

Emmett did such a great job playing - mostly alone - until Merrick was able to come rescue him and took him home to play with Grace.

Rather than playing games, we had a time for Kristen to talk about the adoption process, and answer many questions the women had. We were also able to spend time in prayer for Kristen, Jeff and the kids. It was powerful and emotional, and the perfect way to wrap up her question answering time. Marisa was able to lighten the mood some when she came in carrying two rolls of toilet paper and announced "this is all I have in the way of kleenex." That got everyone laughing, and led straight into gift-giving.

Since it wasn't a typical shower, Kristen didn't receive typical gifts (binkies, bottles, blankets). Instead she got lots of books, clothes, bedding, and decor for the kids' room! I can't wait to see it all put together and set up. It is going to be perfect for them!

Congrats again to the Greenes! We can't wait to have these babies home safely!

The Indian Nation...

This week Gracie and I drove up to Yakima with Shannon and Sophia to visit Brent, Hannah and Emmett. We had such a great trip and we are so glad it worked out for Shannon and Soph to come too! Rather than write all about what we did, I am posting a ton of pictures. This will give you a better idea of how we spent our time...

On the way up, we had a quick pit stop at Multnomah Falls.

The girls seemed to be fascinated by the water.

We got into Yakima shortly after lunch time, and Emmett was eagerly awaiting our arrival so he could show off his new house.
How to get back inside when mom sends you out to play...
The great mirror in the hallway...
The fun toys he got for his birthday...
Getting kisses from the girls...
Gracie loved this toy - she would climb up it, and then Soph and/or Emmett would push her across the floor. That's safe - right?
"Yep, it's sturdy alright!"
"I'd like to go inside now, please."
Emmett snuck into the guest room and helped Gracie wake up from her nap.
Emmett took the girls to his grandparent's house where we spent the day floating in the pool. The kids loved it - and Hannah, Shannon and I weren't complaining about the hot sun and warm water either.
Dinner time!
Bath time! After a day of playing in the pool, playing outside, and eating a yummy dinner, these kids needed a bath desperately. The water was the most disgusting shade of gray I have ever seen after a bath. Hannah had to scrub the tub to get the soap and sunscreen ring off the edge.
Silly girls playing with their blankies.
Emmett's car was also a big hit.
Feeding the ducks!
Picnic at the park!
Dipping toes in the kiddie pool.
Lounging in the chair.
What fun times were had by all!

She's a climber...

Sorry for the blog-break. We just returned home from an extended trip to Yakima! We had so much fun, and I have so much to blog about, but am not quite ready to do so yet. So instead I'm going to post these two pictures of what I found Gracie doing just now. She has been climbing things for a couple weeks now, and really enjoyed one of Emmett's toys that she could use as a step stool to get on other high things.

Anyway, I was sitting here catching up on email and blog reading (I've been gone all week) and I felt something at my feet. I looked under the desk, thinking I would find her sitting by my feet, but I saw this...I was laughing so hard I fell out of my chair, and that made her laugh-squeal back at me. I ran to the car, grabbed my camera, hoping she wouldn't decide to get down before I could snap a picture (or 5). I love the look she gets at times like these that just says, "I'm cute, I'm funny, and I'm very proud of myself up here!"I've been home for an hour and so far she has pulled out all the towels from the drawer in the kitchen, climbed into the game cupboard and pulled out "her" playing cards, and she climbed up onto this shelf to read my Photoshop book. I think it must be nap time!

Hand-me-downs...

We have been so blessed to be getting boxes and boxes of hand-me-downs from all sorts of friends and family. Not everything fits Grace during the right season, but every once in a while we find something perfect. This dress was one of those finds. I think it came from my niece, Laney. We put it on Gracie for church one day, and she just started acting like she new how pretty she looked. It was hilarious.

You can click on this picture to make the image bigger!

View from the top...

Grace has a fascination with looking out the windows. She is always finding ways to get tall enough to get a better view. I caught her standing in her car (which she does often) but she was swinging her leg up into the window sill. I don't think the ledge is wide enough for her to get onto, but needless to say the 28 car is no longer parked under that window.

The second fourth...

Happy (late) Fourth of July! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as we did! Before I dive into the details of our weekend, I wanted to share these two pictures. I only took one picture last year, and three this year.

Gracie on her first fourth...

Gracie on her second fourth...I say this all the time, but I can't get over how different she is in one year.

Okay, on to our adventures...

We met up with Forrest, Amy, Ephraim and Amy's mom and brother (Barb and Ryan). Barb lives on the Willamette River, and it seemed like the perfect place to congregate and celebrate. Well, we did congregate, but we didn't really celebrate. After a busy day on the river, getting drug on my face behind a ski boat, taking a hot shower, and sitting down on the softest carpet you can imagine, I never got up again to even see one sparkley explosion. We had a busy day, a fun day, a day full of good friends and good food, and to be quite honest, I didn't really miss the fireworks this year.

I don't have many pictures, but will hopefully get some soon from Amy. Forrest was snapping away all day, and I know there are some good ones! We were on the river by 10 am to beat the crowds. The boys wake boarded in the morning, while the girls and babies watched from the boat. I think that both little ones actually fell asleep - wind whipping in their hair and all! After lunch Amy and I decided it was our turn to jump in. She has been doing this for years, and it was fun to watch. I, on the other hand, have never been on a wake board, snowboard, skateboard, surfboard, long board, or any other kind of board there may be out there. I strapped in my feet, jumped in to the water (which was a "warm" 66 degrees) and hung on as tight as I could, with no luck (this time). I'm not one to give up easily, and if my feet hadn't been yanked out of the board after my last attempt, I might have kept on trying. I decided, however, that my aching body needed a bit of a rest. (Man, that sounds like I am an old woman - yikes!) One cool part was that after many many tries, I was floating flat on my back in the middle of the river, and a bald eagle flew over my head. It sort of swooped down fairly close (maybe 30 feet away) before landing in a nearby tree. I was so excited and started shouting to the people on the boat - but they all just laughed because they had seen it way before I had.

After dinner we cleaned up and settled in for the evening. We played a round of good ol' Bible Pictionary (a Brownlee/Arnold tradition), and a little bit of Hoopla. It was getting late, and so we decided to have a slumber party. We spent most of Saturday with the Arnolds as well, but didn't do anything much. It was just fun to be able to spend extended time with friends that we don't see nearly often enough.