More of Gracie's Photography

Today Brent had a day out of school due to the cold weather. It was a workday for me though, so the family ventured out at one point to visit me on my lunch break. Gracie got a little bored in the pharmacy break room, so when that happens she gets the camera out of the diaper bag. Behold, her work.

I don't usually strike a pose for the camera, but you have to follow the photographers directions! She gets very testy if you don't listen to her prompts!

This picture is being posted to please Jeff Bozarth, who has complained that he isn't seeing enough of Brent on the blog. Enjoy! :-)

My Helper

Some days Gracie chooses to be such a big girl. Today she wanted to try feeding Ella her supper, which is not the easiest task for anyone to take on. They got along quite well though, so Gracie was quite pleased with herself!

A Future Battle

Gracie sometimes lives in her own little pretend world where she is a "fairy princess ballerina." She dances, prances, talks to pretend people, and pretty much dismisses the real world. Meanwhile, back in reality...

Little sister can be in the same room, Gracie's room, destroying everything she comes in contact with. Do you think Gracie even notices? Never! I'm sure someday this will be something they wage war over, but for now, Gracie doesn't mind Ella getting into her toys. Now her coloring books are another story. Don't even think of touching one of Gracie's coloring books! They are sacred.

While Gracie is living the life of a fairy princess ballerina, Ella is trying out the new vanity Gracie got for Christmas. She spent much time fixing up Aurora.

Ella has recently been picking things up, and showing us she understands their use. For instance, in this picture she found Gracie's brush and put it to her head, trying to brush her hair. It's fun to watch our little ones grow and change. I just wish I had the time to document every cute little thing they have been doing lately.

Gracie's Tri-County Christmas Program

Gracie's school finally got to have their Christmas program tonight, and let me tell you...Gracie was the star of the program. You'll see!

Let me start by saying that it is almost impossible to take a good picture in our church because of the weird lighting, so none of these are very good. That being said, this is Gracie's pre-kindergarten class playing the handbells. It is so cute to watch their little bodies shake as they try to aggressively play their bells. The teacher sits in front and holds up color coded cards so they know when to ring their bells.

I like how Zachery, mister green bell, is ringing his above his head. It didn't rattle Gracie though. She was focused on the teacher!

I told you she was the star of the program. Poor Gracie had to stuff herself into a star costume that was too small. She looked a little uncomfortable, but she was really pleased with herself. She got to stand up higher than everyone else, which made it great for us to see her better. Her class sang Silent Night, Away In A Manger and recited Luke 2. I didn't get a picture of the whole nativity scene, but there were kings, shepherds and sheep lined up beside Mary, Joseph and the angel.

We really were so proud of Gracie. Last year at her school's program she was ushered off to the side of the stage by the principal because she couldn't stop crying. Mrs. Helton held her hand on the end of the stage while her class sang. This year, she was full of spunk and ready to perform.

What do you do when you get bored at a doctor's office?

I know what we do when the doctor makes us wait. Gracie had a dermatology appointment today in Kirksville, and we had to wait over an hour. She was getting very antsy, so she grabbed the camera from the diaper bag. The next 10 minutes were spent taking some very "special" pictures. I would have deleted several of them, but they were just too funny.

Finally, a cute one! Oh, and the end result of the appointment...her treatments seem to be helping, but there were two new warts this time. Very tiny, though. All in all, her hands look much better than a few months ago. She had 6 warts this month. Next month we are hoping for zero!

Twice the Trouble

Gracie was sitting at her new Sleeping Beauty vanity when little sis decided to join in on the action. It was pretty cute until they noticed we were watching. Gracie was busy chattering away to Ella about the beautification process. It's a good thing our house has three bathrooms since they may each need their own bathroom in future years.

Happy 11 Month Birthday, Ella!

Little Ella is eleven months old today. It's hard to believe we will be celebrating her birthday soon. She is such an active little girl. She loves to stand up at her new activity center and bob her knees to the music. It is pretty cute to see her "dancing." She climbs up the basement steps now, gives high fives and has a fake laugh she uses when she hears us laughing at something. It's hysterical to hear her force a laugh. She's always learning something.

One thing Ella has learned is that big people food is better than jars of baby food. She mooches food worse than any dog I've ever known. Today she tried her first Popsicle. Brent was eating one when she noticed that she should get over to him in a hurry so she could participate. I have promised myself that I will not allow her to grow up to be a picky eater. I know I don't have total control over that issue, but I'm going to do my best to keep her interested in a variety of foods. Maybe she can teach Gracie to be more adventurous during mealtime.