An update

So here we are August 31st... Gracie is almost 14 months and things are moving and shaking for that little one!
Developments:

• She is walking! Everywhere! Which means we are running! Everywhere!
• She had 6 teeth come in within one week (she had 2 teeth for 8 months before)
• New words: Baby, Kitty, Key, Ruff Ruff, Uh Oh, Thank You
  
• She signs for more, please, hungry and thirsty
• She sleeps through the night (when she is not teething) usually around 5 she will wake up and come and sleep with us
• She goes outside, pats her chest and says "kitty Kitty" (like here kitty kitty)
• She kisses icons, books, ducks... everything, but not Mommy and Daddy very often:(
• Her favorite game is chase... running around the house with mommy and daddy hiding behind doors and screaming when she finds us... SOOO CUTE
• No longer eats baby food!
  
• She loooovvvvess blackberries and peaches (from our land)
• Takes 2 hour naps! (yippee)
• Loves slides and WATER!

There are many more, just hard to think of them all at this point. She is so fun, happy, smiley, lovable, huggable, kissable... WE ADORE HER! Even her face when she cries is cute, (not the sounds that come out) I am so happy to spend my day with her, and I am so happy when she sleeps!
I am done working 30 hours per week!! I will work 10-20 now, whenever I can, I continue to baby swap with another mom so we don't have pay for childcare.. In essence... you work 10 hours and get paid for 5 because you're watching someone elses child.... But, in this whole first year, I only paid a babysitter once!!! It's all about who you know!
Stephen works M-F 8-5 and is just an amazing dad. So patient, caring and fun! It is a beautiful thing to see him develop into this fantastic father... He loves every second of it.
Moved in, getting into a normal routine... I love normal, I love my family, I love my life. God has truly blessed me! Thank you God!

Gracie Turns ONE!!!

Way back on July 1oth our beautiful little baby girl turned one! We had two parties for her, one on her birthday at my sisters Aimee's house, and another a month later when we moved into our new house!
Here are a few from her first one.... Man did she love that cake!!!!!







These are a few from the second one.


Both were special, we decided to have two because at our new house we had room for Stephen's Mom and my sister Chrissy to stay, as well as my parents who came to both.

Moving... worth it, but man does it take a lot out of you!

So, we are officially moved! It takes about a month total, 2 weeks packing, cleaning and moving the old house and 2 weeks cleaning, unpacking and fixing up the new house. 2 weeks was pushing getting our house together, but it was my grand idea to have a housewarming/birthday party for Gracie 2 weeks after we moved in... Inviting my parents, sister, Stephens mom and friends... so not only did our house have to be ready, but those rooms that we just put boxes in to get them out of the way had to be unpacked as well. It was sooo tiring and hard, but it was worth it, we loved having our family here, and for the most part we can relax in a fully put together house now.
Gracie loves her new digs, plenty of outside for her to play in, grass instead of wood chips, flat land instead of a sloped backyard... we just let her get dirty, and dirty does she get! We used to give her baths maybe two times a week, but now it's a daily occurrence, sometimes even 2 because she likes to body paint with her food.
I love being so close to my Church, so nice to be able to walk to services and BBQ's and man... we live on 4 acres of land!!! Gracie goes on walks everyday, looks for kitties, eats blackberries, plays on the swing, plays with all the rocks... she cries when we take her in.
We went from a family who at least had the TV on in the background pretty regualry... to hardly watching it at all... For those of you who know me, know what a big feat this is. Getting chickens in the spring, starting to plant fruit trees right now, it is just so nice and relaxing to work on this house for some reason!!!
Bottom line is that we could not be happier.
Here are some pictures of it

One view of our living room

The most beautiful fireplace
Outside deck
From the deck
THE KITCHEN!!!! I love it!