I know Grace is still young, but lately she has been all about being "mommy's helper". She LOVES to stand on a chair and help me mix up batter for brownies, or apples for an apple pie. And she also loves to "help" me clean. I am loving it, but actually running into problems because she always wants to help, even when I'm cooking on the stove and she really can't. Anyways, it's a lot of fun, and even though she's young I'm excited to teach her the trades of the kitchen and share that special time with her. I can see also, even at her age, how good she feels about her self when she gets to help and can accomplish a small task like adding an ingredient or stirring.

Here are some pics. Happy Thanksgiving!

A beautiful fall day.....

I wasn't exactly for Josh's schedule of 4 - 10 hour days. The weekends were nice but our evening family time was cut a bit short, and I like my routine. However, I am coming to love it and don't remember how I managed to enjoy a two day weekend, I need three! Our routine has molded to our schedule and although part of that routine is Grace absolutely melting down every day 15 minutes before Josh gets home, while I am trying to get dinner ready, I am starting to love it. We enjoyed a particularly refreshing Monday off this past week consisting of a gorgeous day, a hike in the woods, some lunch at one of our favorite c-town spots and some starbucks. (Well coffee for Josh and hot cocoa for me and Grace.) Here are some pics, it was such a beautiful day I had to share! P.S this was one of these really foggy days lately but the fog cleared just around where we hiked!!!

And then there were four!!!!!!

Grace has a special announcement to make! She is going to be a big sister! We (all three of us) are super excited, and just wanted to share with you, our friends, that we will be having baby number 2 sometime next June/July! We will keep you posted! Love you all!

Christmas Trees in October!

Ok, anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. I love all holidays perhaps a bit more than normal, but I really really love Christmas. Last year, for instance, we were going to PA for Christmas to be with Josh's family. And sometime in late October Josh said to be something like, I guess we wont need to get a Christmas tree this year since we will be gone all of Christmas break" and my response was nothing but blank stares, like he was speaking a foreign language. Needless to say, we got our tree last year the weekend BEFORE thanksgiving so I could enjoy it the appropriate amount of time before we left. (The guy at the tree farm didn't even have his sign up yet!!)

Don't get worried though, I did not bring home a Christmas tree before Halloween, although I hadn't thought of that before, a fake Christmas tree could be brought home whenever! Anyways, someone that Josh works with has a grandpa who owns a Christmas tree farm outside of Corvallis, and he lets people come as early as labor day (which if I had known I would have gotten a tree for my birthday!) to pick out their trees, mark them, and then come back the weekend after Thanksgiving to pick them up! So we picked out a great tree, and I can rest assured knowing that it is safe and growing and getting ready to be cut and sit in my living room!

This is all silly I know, but Its getting me in the mood for the holidays!!!

Gracie and I did a project yesterday! Super easy and fun! Just two bags of plastic pumkins and real pinecones. (A mixture I got at Micheals for %60 off!) And a glue gun! Oh, and a twig wreath I used for Christmas last year! Grace helped by being my "style editor". Meaning she ripped off whatever she thought just didn't fit. Happy fall!

You moms are great!

Thank you so much for all your great advice! It warmed my heart this morning to see all of your replies! You are all such great friends! I really appreciate your advice, stories and encouragement. We have had two straight days of not one single successfull potty-going. I am tempted to try the diaperless thing, but I'm kind of thinking she's just not ready. Plus, I realized that Grace and I cuddle whenever she wakes up, in the morning or from a nap, and if I have to put her on the potty we will loose that! She's already growing up too fast, and we don't have much of that down cuddle time, and I'm just not ready to loose it!
Thanks you guys! You made my day!

Potty Help!

I need advice from those of you who have kids out of diapers! Grace and I (and Josh) are on our second round of trying potty training. She wasn't ready before, she did it for a couple of days but then didn't want anything to do with it and I didn't want to force her. I've heard and read that forcing potty training can do a lot of harm. This time I thought she was more ready, and things have calmed down and we're finally "home". But its pretty much the same story, sometimes she asks to go, a lot of times I put her on it at what I think are good times, before and after nap and after meals and such, but most of the time she has already gone in her diaper. I know she is only just two. I just feel like I should have three things accomplished by the time she's three, potty trained, out of a crib, and not using a binki at night. What are your thoughts? Are these timelines unneccessary? I was focusing on potty now, because I don't want to do all three changes at the same time.

Help me more experienced moms!