Its Finally Fall

Well- Fall has finally arrived and the season is changing. We put away the summer clothes and brought out the warmer gear. The 3 of us went for a walk the other night and we bundled Grace up in a coat,hat and mittens. She looked so cute and tolerated looking like an eskimo- which suprised me.
Grace is changing every day. Her vocabulary is exploding and boy is she a strong willed little girl- just like her mother. I have a feeling that she is going to be more of a handful as she gets older. Right now I don't see how thats possible!
We carved pumpkins last night and I haven't done that for so many years. I forgot how hard it was. I bought one of those carving kits and though it was going to be easy, but it wasn't. All in all I think I did a pretty good job. I broke the little saws in the kit, but its done!
I'll try to spost ictures later on.

What Cookie?

I was baking over 200 cookies for a dinner my company was serving at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle- and my daughter did a little counter surfing/ 5 finger discount of a cookie. The picture says it- "what cookie are you taking about mommy?"

Here are my coworkers and myself at the event- we had a great time and served dinner to some great kids and their families.

Scott and Grace

One big thing that Scott wanted to to do was to dance with his daughter at the wedding- on her birthday. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to pull out the camera to document it.

Grace turns 2

Saturday marked officially my little girl turning 2. We had a wedding to go to and she was all dressed up for the big day. She wasn't crazy about sitting still for the ceremony so we walked around the church grounds the entire time. It was raining so I was thankful they had covered walkways. We said our ABC's and 123's a million times. She now is able to finish with W,X,Y,Z and 8,9,10 all by herself. It so funny to hear her talk and carry on. The transition to the big girl bed is going to come sooner than I had planned I think. She isn't trying to crawl out of her crib, but she is so mature in other ways that I think she can handle it. Now that isn't to say I can, but she can. She is now telling us when she needs to go potty and wants only to sit on the big toilet- forget the potty chair, that's for babies!

Musical Genius

Grace will be the next Beethoven I am certain- or the next Yo Yo Mah

She LOVES the musical Piano Crystal! Yes, I usually am not a fan of toys that make a lot of noise that don't educate- but this one has my approval. I know she will be composing in no time!

Now if Scott will only let her pay with it more.......

Grace's Birthday Party

Sunday the 14th we had Grace's Birthday Party. The weather was perfect and we were able to have it outside in the back yard. Grace had fun visiting with everyone that came and got so many great presents. Favorites so far include but are not limited to a Kungfoo Panda viewmaster and an ABC vtech toy and a doodle pro and Legos. Lots of puzzles (which she has already mastered) My sister sent an electric piano that makes all sorts of sounds and music. Grace LOVES the button that makes it meow songs! My mother sent her some adorable clothes from the Gap that she is sure going to look great in. She also got a subscription to wildlife babies magazine. So every time she gets one in the mail its a special treat! I just want to thank those of you who came to make her day so special.

Pink frosted cupcakes were for dessert- and I have to say they were pretty darn tasty.

I jus can't believe my baby is 2 years old already. Time is flying by too fast- she is so smart and remembers so many things. Its so hard to fool that gal!

Oh yes- and for those of you who haven't seen me lately- I chopped all of my hair off. It was time for a change

New Friends

We met up with Joe and Tara- people we met when we started our adoption process. They started at the same time as we did, but they finished sooner and got their referral many months before us. We had delays, but I do think it was for a reason and it all worked out great. Why? Well- we have Grace!

So it was out first time seeing their daughter Remi who is 7 months older than Grace and friends they met in China, Rich and Lisa and their daughter Camille.

The girls had a great time playing and we of course stood around and drank wine, beer and ate tapas. It worked great for us all!