Here I go again

I am leaving today, heading back to India for work. I am excited to go, probably more so than I was last time. I now know what I am doing, people at work, and have done this before. So this round I can spend more time enjoying the trip rather than being in culture & new job shock. This will be true for the first week, because the second week of my trip I will be in Penang, Malaysia. Another place I have NEVER been and probably would have NEVER had a chance to visit. I am excited, but a little anxious - i guess would be the right word. It's a new place, a new experience, who knows what I will encounter! Regardless, I am excited and thankful to have a job that allows me to go around the world.


There is one downside to this, and that is time away from my family and my most prized possession. I love you baby and I'll see you soon!
 

Conversations with a 2 Year Old

Last night I was giving Gracie a bath and the conversation was just to priceless not to share. Enjoy!

The bath started off as normal...bubbles...singing...playing with her ABC letters, etc....then the chatting really kicked off!

(Gracie sees her reflection in the metal faucet)
Gracie: Mommy, I see my boobies.
KQ: Oh really?
Gracie: Yes, mommy. Look my boobies.
KQ: Yes Gracie, I see them.
Gracie: Mommy, NOT LOOK AT MY BOOBIES!
KQ: Oh sorry...

A few minutes go by, we sing the ABC’s a few times...

Gracie: Mommy, I have a booboo on my knee.
(I look, no visible injury)
KQ: Oh no, how did that happen?
Gracie: Daddy hit me.
KQ: Daddy hit your knee?
Gracie: Yes, daddy hit my knee, Bailey hit my knee, Caileb hit my knee, Desiree hit my knee.....
(you get the idea)

More singing, more playing, then time comes to wash her hair. So I put soap in her hair and she is standing up so I can rinse it out using a big cup filled with water.

Gracie: Mommy, not get water in my eyes!
KQ: Ok I won’t. Keep your head back.
Gracie: Mommy, the water is going in my butt!
KQ: What?
Gracie: It is going from my hair to my butt!!
KQ: Oh, sorry....

Not Tell Me NO!!!!

I knew when Steve and I found out that we were going to have a baby that we would have our work cut out for us. I mean, I am bossy, stubborn, loud....Steve is hard headed, devious, and VERY opinionated. So what else can you expect when you have a child together? I’ll tell you what you get, a little girl named Gracie who knows exactly what she wants and does NOT want.

Her latest thing to say....’Mommy, not tell me ____________’. For instance, I might say, Gracie you need to put on your shoes, and she will reply with, ‘Mommy, not tell me I need to put on my shoes.’ Or ‘Mommy, not tell me close the door’. Or ‘Mommy, not tell me go potty’. And what is my reply....”Momma gonna tell you what to do whether you like it or not. The End.’

Lord help us.

Need Help, Will pay

Well again, I have fallen off the blogging wagon…and thanks to friends like HEATHER who seem to find time to blog ALL THE TIME, I feel even worse. ;-) No really, where does my time go???

So what have we been up too? Well....

1. Lots of birthdays...me, my dad, Ethan…he turned 1! And my sister is now 31…..and still a cougar ;-)
2. Several weddings...Mike & Andrea...Kyle & Candice...and Steve’s friend Joe from college.
3. We took Gracie on her first beach trip….and let me just say we had an AMAZING time!
4. living life!

Well that is it for now, because honestly, I should be WORKING!!! I’ll be back soon……I promise.

Birthdays, Baptisms, and BOO’s (Halloween that is)

Man it has been busy. October is always a busy month for us. We have lots of birthdays to celebrate: Steve, my grandmother Mormor , my uncle Gary, and my cousin Elizabeth. Work is ALWAYS crazy in October, and this year was no different. Steve’s parent came to visit one weekend. Ethan was baptized; and to top it all off, it is Halloween.

So now that you know what happened…here are some pics incase you missed any of it.

Steve’s Birthday: Steve turned 29 this year. We celebrated by going downtown with friends to Maggie Mae’s. It was the same night as the Texas vs Oklahoma St. game, so Austin was crazy! Luckily the Horns won so everyone was in good spirits. Lot’s of people showed up, and we had a great time ….even though we were escorted out by the police at the end of the night….never a dull moment with the MF crowd! ;-)

Ethan’s Baptism: It turned out to be a beautiful Sunday day. The whole family made it. Ethan was on his best behavior. It was such a special moment. We love you Ethan!

Halloween: We moved into our new house on Halloween day last year, so there was no time for trick-or-treating; but we made up for it this Halloween. Gracie had a full week of fun. On Tuesday, Steve took her up to his office for their Halloween party. She wore her outfit the whole time and everyone loved her. She really made her daddy proud! And today, they partied at daycare, and then we went trick-or-treating all around the neighborhood tonight. It was so much fun. She walked all by herself to every house carrying her candy basket. She even knocked on a few doors as well. Unfortunately, we did learn that she is not afraid of strangers since she tried to go inside several people’s houses; as well as wanted a hug from our neighbor that she has only met once! But at least she had fun!

Well, that is about it. Even though it has been busy, it has been a great month. Let’s hope November turns out to be just as good!

Gracie Marie: The Crazy Dance

I came home today and Steve and Gracie were hanging out in the back yard, which if you don't know, is Gracie's favorite place to be these days. Anyways, she was running all around and then started doing her new 'dance' as we like to call it. I finally got a little of it on video. Enjoy!

Who can talk more than Kristina…….

Yep, it’s Gracie! She is talking up a storm these days (mainly words that only Steve and I can decipher). She says: NO, daddy, momma, do (aka. Dog), gotcha ya, shoe, juice, bobby (her name for pacifier), Shhh, and on and on. And as much as she says, she can understand and remember 100 times more. We can no longer say BATH, EAT or BOTTLE, because if you aren’t planning for one of those to happen when you say the word then look out, because the tears are coming. She understands simple commands too like, go get a book, let’s go to daycare, or take this to momma/daddy.

Independence is also her newest thing. She likes to do everything herself. We can’t feed her anymore; instead she holds a fork in one hand and grabs the food with the other hand. Although it is a messy way to eat, that is the way she likes it. She also enjoys playing in her room by herself sometimes, even closing the door for privacy; which now has a weight in front of it so she can’t do that anymore.

She is growing by the minute, learning every day, and becoming a little person before our eyes.

Where is the green frog?

Gracie will be 17 months old tomorrow. In my mind that seems so young, mainly because it is, and yet she surprises us everyday with how much she is learning. A few days ago, we were in the living room. Steve was watching The Rangers, Gracie was playing with her toys and I was doing dishes. Since Gracie loves to pull out all the dishes that you put in the washer (especially knifes), Steve was trying to distract her. He said, ‘Gracie, where is the green frog?’ Now, to everyone but Gracie, this means nothing. But she has a book that she and Steve read, and he will ask her to point out things. Where is the yellow duck? blue pond? And green frog? And most of the time she will turn to the correct page and show him. So Gracie looks at Steve, and then the wheels start turning. She begins to wonder around the living room, at first looking in the place where her books used to be. But of course her crazy mother (me) had cleaned and reorganized, moving the book basket to the other side of the room. She paced around the living room a few more times….searching….and then in almost an instant, she goes to the basket, grabs the book and opens to the page of the GREEN FROG!!!

We couldn’t believe it! We clapped and cheered for her, and then she clapped for herself. It was amazing.

And then, as if to remind us that she is just as normal and funky as everyone else’s kiddos, she picked up something off the floor and ate it.

Summer Heat

We are almost halfway through August and it is HOT! We have had over 40 days of 100 degree weather this summer, which is well over the norm.
Although it is hot, we are still finding time to get out side. Gracie and I have been going on lots of walks. She loves to be outside and LOVES to go places in her stroller. We now have to put the stroller in the closet as soon as we get home so it is out of site. If not… there is a lot of crying, screaming, and hanging on for dear life if she sees it and decides it is time for a walk. And it didn’t help that one of her grandmothers pushed her around in the stroller inside the house…..I won’t call you out; but you know who you are! ;-)

We have also spent a lot of time just hanging out in the backyard playing in Gracie’s pool. She really loves it and since our backyard is shady we can play out there in the middle of the day without getting too hot or too much sun.

Video from August 2nd

July and the Escape Artist

Wow! What a month. July. July. July.

First off, my job has been very busy. We had a big launch for the Arizona Back to School campaign. We had been working on it for months and the countdown ended on July 1oth. It really turned out amazing; but I was ready to wrap it up after months of hard work and many many late nights. (Check it out extras.azjeans.com and www.facebook.com/azjeans)

Then, Steve started a new job at a company called Marsh. He was really excited to start and see what new opportunities it opens up for him. We also celebrated my dad's birthday this month (more about that below) and then this weekend was Heather's Baby Shower.

And, while all this was going on, Gracie was busy planning her escape.....

Yes, it is true, Gracie escaped from the house. Well only for a minute, but OMG!

It all started a few weeks ago when she realized she could put things outside through the doggy door. It was like her secret hiding place. We found bowls, shoes, toys, cups, etc., all in a little pile right outside by the doggy door.

So there we were, in the living room, just hanging out. Steve asked, "where is Gracie?" We both figured that she was playing in the kitchen, but we didn't hear her, which is not normal. So Steve go up to look around, and there she was....on our porch. She had escaped through Scooter's doggy door and was so happy with the thought that she had figured out a way to get outside without Mommy or Daddy. So Steve ran outside and scooped her up. Gracie kicked and screamed on the way back inside, and then sat at the doggy door and cried when Steve closed it.

Well unfortunately for her AND Scooter, her new found way outside remains closed. So if Scooter didn't despise her before, he really does now!

Oh no, she can climb!

Yes, not only can she crawl, walk, and run, but now Gracie is climbing. This has been going on for a while. She started a while back by climbing on a tool box that I had in the kitchen. Then she moved to standing on top of her toy table. Then she got a table and chairs for her birthday. So she climbed up and down, and up and down on those chairs all day long. Well today, I guess she was ready for a big girl chair, because she just climbed right up and had a seat....then slide right off! I guess I will need to stock up on band-aids and floor pillows.

Want some asparagus?

Big Kid car seat

So Gracie has officially moved out of the 'infant' stage and into a toddler!!! Since she was still under 20 lbs on her 1st birthday we were not able to move her to her new big girl car seat, but we have now met the required weight of 20+ lbs! Whoohoo!

Here she is on her first trip in her new forward facing car seat. Oh how the time is flying by!