Just a quick post to say HAPPY 7 MONTHS GRACIE and...(drumroll,please)



we have TEETH!

Catch Up Post

Well, I am just realizing that July has almost gotten away from me and I have yet to post, so here's my attempt at a catch-up post...
First, an addendum to Gracie's 6 month post-forgot to include her most recent stats! She weighed in at 16 lbs, 11oz, which lands her in the 50th %ile; she measured 26.5 inches long, which places her in the 75th%ile for height, and her head circumference was right on target as well. (although I'm not quite sure how accurate the measurement was, just because this little lady rarely stops moving!) She has also cut her first little tooth, which I will attempt to get on film soon!

We rang in the beginning of July with a trip down to Oma and Pop-pop's house to see Great Aunt Sherry, who was in town from Virginia. We were excited for Gracie to meet her, then realized that Josh, (now almost 7!) had never actually met her in person. We had a great, though whirlwind visit. We really need to see you guys more often!


Such a serious face for my happy girl..........

Oooh, pretty jewelry......

So good to see you Aunt Sherry!


Then it was on to our first tent-camping trip (that deserves a whole post unto itself), as well as all the shots below........

Picking currants in our backyard for makin' jam...


Gracie sitting pretty while waiting for the boys to come back in....



First family bike ride!



And the boys have been playing lacrosse every Monday and Wednesday. This will give me a good chance to work on my action shots.....as will soccer camp, which starts tomorrow and goes until Thursday. Tons more shots to come, for sure!

Six months of Grace

Dear Grace,
To my dear sweet baby girl, you are 6 months old! Daddy and I still can't believe that you are ours to keep-you still feel like a dream come true. It is so very hard to find the words sometimes, but you are a truly amazing gift. You have completed our family and completed me.
"You finally got your girl" strangers will say to me when we are out in public. True, yes, we got a girl. We didn't necessarily have a preference, though, when we were hoping for one more, so to assume we wanted a girl was to assume too much....
But oh how we adore our beautiful girl and your blossoming personality....

And how you rub the bottoms of your feet together when playing on your tummy.
And how you press your gums together when they bother you, making you look like an elderly lady in need of her dentures.
And how you go to sleep so easily in your crib with your taggie blanket to snuggle, rolling onto your side to suck your thumb.
And how your smile lights up the room like no other.
And how your wide eyes take in all of your brothers antics.
And how you still nuzzle into my neck when you're tired.
And how you just go with the flow of our family, happily traveling to and from your brothers activities without complaint....
You are truly amazing and the best third child that anyone could ask for!

You are a sturdy sitter already-a milestone that I just couldn't wait for. Now we can enjoy dinners out as a family, without schlepping the bulky infant car seat, while you sit in a big-girl highchair, AND family bike rides in your new bike seat! But feel free to stay here for awhile, no need to rush crawling yet!

Happy 6 months, baby girl! It sure has been for all us!
All our Love, Mommy, Daddy, Ben and Joshy


Gracie's first big girl bath



Playing piano with Bubby







Did I just make that sound?

Father's Day

Just a little behind, but still wanted to include this post.....

We are so lucky to have so many wonderful dads, grampas, godfathers, and uncles in our life. Happy Father's Day, guys! We love you!

Breakfast in bed-mmm.....




I like this daddy-daughter shot. Note Daddy's new shirt that we made-the first with a tiny pink handprint!


Love this one of the Dads and their daughters.


And this one of Gracie checking out her new cousin Claire....


And here is Gracie and her godfather. You didn't need this nose, did you Uncle Terry?







and i LOVE this series....Pop-pop, we are so happy that your new position allows you to "pop" in to see us, just like when we first moved to Pulaski!

Olympic Day

Well, things must be a bit busier now that the boys are out of school, because it seems like i've been trying to finish this post FOREVER...
Anyway, another big event in our town that everyone turns out for is Olympic Day, and this year was double the fun since Josh was in kindergarten and both boys were able to compete. Just take a look at their faces-they illustrate so perfectly their polar opposite personalities when it comes to competition of any kind....

Tug-o-war
Here's Ben-all smiles....


And Josh, taking it a bit more seriously....




And Ben in the 4x100 relay-again smiling for the camera, and often looking to either side of him and behind him to see who's nearby...


And here's Josh's relay race...Check out that determination as he tries to catch up...He was the last leg and wasn't sure where to finish, so instead of coming in third, he kept running his heart out, finished a whole lap around the track, and ended up coming in first for his own 3x100, 1x400 race! We didn't have the heart to tell him....The funny part was that two other kids kept going with him!




And here they are with their GREAT friends.




And here's Miss Grace taking in all the action, though it looks more like she's watching a polo match in her pretty sunhat...:)



Here are the boys after the last day of school, with the banner that was waiting for them when they got off the bus...Summer here we come! :)

Look at this prune face! I just LOVE her expresssion here, despite the fact that it's disguised a bit in the prunes.......



I finally got a new camera the other day, so hopefully my photography will slowly improve, as soon as I figure out what all of these settings are for...
Here is a fun one-I think the angle is neat....





And I love the light in this one...





Gracie seems to get more fun by the day. Here are two videos that demonstate my point. Just ignore the annoying and giddy narrator (me) in the background-i just can't help myself when I'm around her!




Friday, June 12 was the big Flag Day parade and ceremony at the elementary school. As the following pictures illustrate, Pulaski has a lot of patriotism for a little town. Just about everyone turns out for the event, and although some of these are blurry, (I'm attributing it to trying to take pictures while walking and pushing a stroller) I just love all of the red, white and blue in these shots.

Here is Gracie looking excited for the occasion. Wish I got a better shot of her adorable flag day dress!



A salute from Josh.......
The little girl next to him had her fingernails painted in alternating red, white and blue...


Once the parade got started, Josh took his "line leader" role VERY seriously....





Here's Ben and his good buddy, along with their teacher.......He has had such a great year, I'm sorry to see it end.....




Love all of the flags in this one....



Can you find Josh in this one? (Where's Waldo?)




Relaxing at home after a full day....