Hot! Hot! Hot!

The theme this week is how to keep Gracie cool.  Thanks heavens daycare is air conditioned!  I wish it were a little cooler so the kids could have more outdoor playtime. 

Some of the highlights of the last week are:

• Aunt Arlene & Uncle Dave stopped by on Sunday to drop off an old-fashioned Radio Flyer tricycle for Gracie to use.  It was one their kids had used and is much bigger than the tricycles you can find today.  Gracie was very excited.  Now it needs to cool off so Gracie can do a little riding on it and strengthen her legs.  
• Grandma & Grandpa D, Aunt Kathy, and cousin Maria hung out with us on Sunday afternoon.  Gracie had fun splashing everyone with the water from her pool.  They all deserved it though because they are the ones who taught her to do it.  They also encouraged her to go into the pool with all of her clothes on...which she did.  Who knew a pull-up could retain that much fluid...I swear it weighed 10 lbs. or more.
• On Monday, Gracie had fun at daycare.  Their theme right now is fairytales and they read the story of Billy Goat gruff.  Then the kids all made bridges out of their bodies and they rolled balls underneath to help them learn the concept of over and under.  Gracie loved this.   She was a tired girl that night.
• On Tuesday, Gracie had the best day at daycare EVER!  A fairy tale story teller came to daycare with his pet dragon "Spit".  That was a huge hit.  Gracie talked about "Spit" all evening long.  They also had a fire drill at daycare and they said that Gracie recovered from that much more quickly than they anticipated.  She told me "It was too loud!"  Gracie participated in all of the group activities.  Gracie usually listens and watches, but is too shy or unwilling to participate. Well on Tuesday all the kids got a turn to name an animal and then say what sound it makes.  When they asked Gracie if she wanted a turn, much to her teachers amazement she jumped right up, but had a hard time thinking of an animal.  So they helped her think of the animal "mouse", then she very confidently said "Squeak!  Squeak!"  They said it was so cute and they were so proud of her.  Mom and Dad are pretty proud too.  
• On Wednesday, Gracie had a very rough day at daycare.  Her teachers said they are just sure it had to do with the impending storms, as all the kids were on their worst behavior.  When Jeff went to pick her up, he watched her on the monitor in the lobby for awhile.  She kept knocking toys over.  Needless to say when daddy arrived, she was made to pick them all up.  She settled down a bit after that and had a great evening.  Last night we had a lazy night and watched some old Cosby show episodes.  Gracie loves these and does a great imitation of Bill Cosby.  
• This morning, Jeff went to lay down with a sleeping Gracie while I went to take a shower.  She rolled over, saw him, said "mean guy" and then went back to sleep.  That is Gracie's new joke, she calls Jeff a mean guy because she knows he reacts to it.  One day earlier in the week, we were at home and Jeff was coming home from work, I told Gracie "Look out the window, see who's home."  Without skipping a beat she said "mean guy".  For all those of you who know Jeff well, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body, which makes this extra comical to me.

Tomorrow at daycare they have a fire truck visit.  That ought to be fun...it's also water day...maybe the firetruck will hose the kids down.  Ha!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie 

The Week So Far

Gracie had a very rough day at daycare on Monday.  She was very overwhelmed as many of the kids were back from vacation and there was a very full room.  Add to that she was tired as she had trouble falling asleep the night before.  The lead teacher took her out of the room a couple of times to sit in the teachers lounge and listen to music to calm her.  That would help for a little while.  At one point she knocked over all the hats in the dramatic play area and when she was picking them up, she hit herself in the eye with one, so the area around her eye was swollen and the eyeball itself was red.  When I picked her up and asked her how her day was, she told me it was a "sad day".  We gave her extra TLC that night and tucked her into bed nice and early.  She fell asleep immediately. 

Tuesday was a much better day...and it was WATER DAY at daycare.  All the kids get to bring their swimsuits and play outdoors in the sprinklers.  Gracie loves this!

Today Jeff and Gracie are spending the day together.  She was so sweet this morning when I left the house.  "Momma hug!"  "Momma kiss!"  She was so loving I didn't want to leave.  I think Gracie and daddy had a busy day planned.  I'm sure she will have stories for me tonight. 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Busy, Busy, Busy

We've had a busy and fun two weeks:

Thursday, June 28, 2012:
A petting zoo came to daycare and Gracie loved every minute of it and was very up close and personal with the animals. They had a camel, a donkey, a talking parrot, chickens, baby ostriches, a turtle, a potbelly pig, some goats, a snake, bunnies, and a few more fun animals. Gracie got to hold a bunny and thought that was GREAT!!!

Friday, June 29, 2012:
We all went to pick up my sister at the airport. Gracie was thrilled to have Aunt Norma from Texas spend some time with us. She was a little cautious at first, but warmed up fairly quickly.

Saturday, June 30, 2012:
This was a Gracie and daddy bonding day. They had a great time playing and just hanging out. Rumor has it she even got McDonald's chicken nuggets for supper. Mommy snuck away for an all day "shop til you drop" day with her four sisters.

Sunday, July 1, 2012:
Lots of errands with mom and then some outdoor time in the pool and sprinklers while daddy started a landscaping project. This way Gracie could be by daddy, but still busy and not too much in his way.

Monday, July 2 & Tuesday, July 3, 2012:
It was back to daycare for Gracie. It was too hot to do much...so they played inside most of the time. She has been such a good girl at daycare the last couple of weeks. I think she is finally feeling comfortable and understanding the expectations. They had red, white, and blue day on July 3rd...we made sure she looked very patriotic.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012:
We had a big family picnic, complete with delicious food, lots of family, and lots of fun. A small inflatable swimming pool and a sprinkler helped keep Gracie and others cool. There were some water fights and a good day was had by all. Gracie loves family time. She was so tired by the time we left, but she stayed awake the whole way home and was very chatty.

Thursday, July 5, 2012:
A representative from "Bikes for Everybody" was supposed to come to our house, but a family emergency came up for her, so this was postponed til Sunday. Gracie was tired and kind of needy this day. We just let her play and spend some time in the pool again.

Friday, July 6, 2012:
Back to daycare. She had a great day and even took an hour nap. She rarely naps at daycare.

Saturday, July 7, 2012:
We drove to Grandma and Grandpa B's house for the afternoon. There was lots of family around and Gracie enjoyed herself immensely.

Sunday, July 8, 2012:
The representative for "Bikes for Everybody" came to our house and we tryed a few models out for Gracie. Gracie loved it...we're still not sure what we are going with...they are going to drop off a bigger model at our home for Gracie to try for a few days. The options range anywhere from about $250.00 to $1600.00, and of course the one that Gracie loved and felt the most secure on was the $1600.00 model. I think some of the smaller models will actually help Gracie work on her skills. Still trying to decide what to do. Gracie was VERY sad when the bikes got packed up to go...she thought she was getting one that day. Grandma & Grandpa D came over for supper. Gracie was pretty tired though and occupied her time by removing all the box and canned goods from my pantry...one box or can at a time.

Monday, July 9, 2012:
Gracie had a bloody nose through the night. When I went to take a shower I wondered why I had blood all over my arm (she had been sleeping on my arm). Her pillows were full of blood, her blankie, her pj's, and her face. We had to quick wash her blankie so it could travel to daycare for rest time with her. She wasn't too sure she wanted to stay at daycare today and was looking kind of sad when I left.

Hoping the cooler temps this week will make for a more comfortable girl.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie