tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44649258531708006482024-03-04T21:56:41.150-08:00Becoming GraceFinding out what really happens after "happily ever after"...Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.comBlogger735125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-37551362158316314382015-09-08T07:36:00.001-07:002015-09-08T11:18:15.419-07:00A New Chapter BeginsGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-49231446278769132592015-01-07T13:14:00.001-08:002015-01-07T13:14:37.184-08:00This is the story of a girl....2014 had its highs and lows. I really do try to focus on those highs, but the lows keep coming back to haunt us.
During the last year we attended 3 funerals for my husband's family. He lost his great grandmother, godmother, and grandmother, in that order, in less than 6 months.
Cancer is not friendly, and we honestly looked around in mid-December and told ourselves that 2015 had to Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-64503510117161061362014-07-11T11:23:00.000-07:002014-07-11T11:23:26.538-07:00If You Are Still Out There, I Have A Story To ShareYou deserve to laugh on a Friday. I just hope if you are ready that you enjoy potty humor.
Literally.
James is now 3, and not potty trained.
Please no judgement. His usage of words is still not a lot, but he talks enough and knows things. We get a new word a day, at minimum, that we didn't even know he knew.
That being said, I didn't want to potty train someone who wouldn't Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-38565841868704417022014-02-14T09:10:00.002-08:002014-02-14T09:10:40.180-08:00Love - True Undconditional LoveJames loves me for no other reason than I am his and have been since the moment I knew I was pregnant.
Even before then.
Today I am watching him snuggle in our huge bed, smile back when he smiles at me, and run to snuggle when he points at the pillow next to him.
No parent should ever have to outlive their child.
My heart is breaking for a family in CA who had to say goodbye to their 6 year Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-90160599829095542112014-02-13T13:18:00.001-08:002014-02-13T13:18:33.013-08:00Food Fight - And Not The Fun KindGetting James to eat something new is our latest battle.
Well, unless it's chocolate.
We have been concerned because his diet stays about the same. So we added Pedia Sure shakes, which he inhales to the point where we have had to limit how many he gets to have or else the result is constipation.
Now, one of his favorite things to eat are animal crackers. We, being the logical Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-17427512688097820172014-02-12T17:06:00.001-08:002014-02-12T17:06:14.481-08:00Wordless Wednesday: My Web Crawler- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-70353629793434887872014-02-10T16:43:00.000-08:002014-02-10T16:43:04.004-08:00The One Where He Does It His WayJames is pretty good at figuring things out.
Whether it is on his own or by watching us, he only has to see you so something once or twice to get the hang of things.
Course, most times he will do things he is own way.
Case in point:
We bought a new stroller last week. The old one goes with the infant car seat that his new cousin is using, so we handed that off to my SIL and invested in Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-32150239392370766922014-02-04T10:34:00.001-08:002014-02-04T10:34:47.257-08:00Hello, FebruaryWork has been killing me. Add to that the loss of a work laptop, having to relocate to our bedroom to work on my husband's computer during the day, and I have no itch to really do anything related to a computer at the end of the day.
Which is why I am taking a minute to say we are all alive. The cold weather didn't get to us, the rain hasn't flooded us again, and things are pretty Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-89584492999329429172014-01-01T14:41:00.001-08:002014-01-01T14:42:18.714-08:00Wordless Wednesday: Last Picture of 2013
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-71923364309060152652013-11-25T09:08:00.001-08:002013-11-25T09:08:44.703-08:0030 MonthsDear James,
Someday I hope to share all of this with you.
With that being said, I need to tell you that I never intended to stop writing the way I did. Life just got turned upside down during this busy period at work for me. Add the new addition of your Uncle Ian and Aunt Courtney to the mix and most days have been more activity and visitors than we have ever had in the Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-5118992628761836502013-11-13T13:30:00.002-08:002013-11-13T13:30:37.336-08:00Wordless Wednesday: Happy Fall!Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-11929781459819898012013-09-19T08:05:00.003-07:002013-09-19T08:05:14.642-07:00Level Unlocked: Gamer At Age 2One of my favorite stories about one of my "nephews" is the one where his parents had to take away his handheld gaming device.
Why?
Well, after the little guy (who is now taller than me) was having problems with staying awake in school, even with an earlier bedtime, they walked into his room to find him playing video games. He'd hidden it away so that after everyone had gone to bed he Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-28783516627608110772013-09-17T03:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T03:00:15.433-07:00The One Where He Makes A Confession"I think I kinda hate kids."
"Excuse me?"
"At first I thought it was little British kids with those accents in movies that made me cringe. But after watching these kids on this cooking thing I realize that it's all of them. They just seem too full of themselves at such an early age."
"......"
"I'm sure it will be different with James."
"Well, he'll be more like us, so I hope so."Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-34853128793536783612013-09-16T06:57:00.003-07:002013-09-16T06:57:52.661-07:00The One Where James TalksAfter 3+ years here, we've made friends.
Non-family, real, actual, friends.
Which meant going out to a casual diner and enjoying dinner and drinks on a Friday night.
With James.
Now, we are the only ones with children that are human and not of the four legged variety. At first we wondered how this would work, and after much discussion about how this was fine, we enjoyed a night out.
Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-85085532573350188572013-09-09T06:23:00.002-07:002013-09-09T06:23:47.590-07:00The One Where I Think We're Doing It WrongThe next big step for James will be potty training.
While I am going to be happy to be rid of diapers, I am wary because there are a couple of crucial things I think he needs to be able to do in order to have success:
Pulling down his pants.
Telling us he needs to go.
Currently, if I say I have to pee, he runs ahead of me to the bathroom. He lifts the lid off the toilet and then waits.
Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-85090715731705738502013-08-21T03:00:00.000-07:002013-08-21T03:00:00.446-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Not So Long Ago, In A Bedroom Down The Hallway...Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-65077722955000004342013-08-20T07:30:00.001-07:002013-08-20T07:30:11.450-07:005 Things He Learned In 5 WeeksWe've been a family again for about a week now and there are some noticeable changes in James.
For better or worse, he has learned a lot this summer, and not from us. His great grandparents have been actively involved as they basically took care of him for the 5 weeks we didn't have a home.
Here is what we've observed:
1) He can and will twist the top off the bottle of anything that can Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-87364607296210287302013-08-15T06:58:00.000-07:002013-08-15T06:58:44.078-07:00They Grow So FastJames came home Tuesday after his nap.
I honestly think that once he saw his things it took all of 2 minutes to decide he was not going anywhere. When his great-grandparents left he had no problems closing the door for them.
Getting him out to do some shopping was a little harder, but we made it.
The big thing about his homecoming was that we moved him to a toddler bed immediatelyGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-7961384642208219142013-08-14T06:05:00.001-07:002013-08-14T06:07:52.228-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Home At LastGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-35340072659322619902013-08-05T07:34:00.001-07:002013-08-05T07:34:21.048-07:00The One Where The Door Is Slammed In My FaceThe carpet installers arrived Friday.
With only enough carpet for the 3 bedrooms. Leaving the hallway, dining room, and living room still a concrete mess with carpet tacks along the edge.
Needless to say that James has not come home as planned.
We visit him nightly. Either we play there or go to a park or the mall or swimming. Something to get him out and spend time with us.
Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-41434561682958262322013-07-31T06:10:00.001-07:002013-07-31T06:10:47.405-07:00Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Best 18 Seconds Ever<!-- Fallback content -->YouTube VideoGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-59930965618816515162013-07-30T13:51:00.002-07:002013-07-30T13:51:20.468-07:00Exhaustion, My Old NemesisToday we are taking a break from parenting.
I know, you are rolling your eyes.
We haven't been full time parents since July 9th. But I think it's been harder this way.
Working 40 hours, grabbing dinner, and then finding something to do with a 2 year old until his bedtime is exhausting enough when you are at home. Add the complication that you can't take him home and have to Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-3355890282779292622013-07-29T08:59:00.002-07:002013-07-29T08:59:30.998-07:00Never Ever Say You Have A PlanWe are still without carpet. Which means that James is not home with us.
The weekends have meant time at a hotel so that I can spend every moment with him. This has lead to swimming and play time at the mall and a dip into co-sleeping.
He has loved every moment of snuggling with me. I sleep well with him next to me. Overall it is a win.
Before we move on after our Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-14485507109126497552013-07-17T04:55:00.001-07:002013-07-17T04:55:13.233-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Every Boy Needs A HobbesGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464925853170800648.post-71915909964155456962013-07-16T07:21:00.003-07:002013-07-16T07:21:58.776-07:00I Actually Envy NoahWhen the great flood happened in the Bible, Noah received advanced warning, and so had his belongings, family, and all those animals all set to go.
There was not rush or worry about what would happen to their belongings.
Especially not their electronics.
Last Wednesday there was some flooding in Roanoke, and our apartment was a part of it.
Enough so that the carpeting in our bedroom could be Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754422180489960281noreply@blogger.com0