November 17, 2009 · filed under: Grace Evelyn by Jill

With all three sets of grandparents present throughout the weekend, Grace had lots of time to find trouble. Let’s just say we are sure there was some spoiling involved!

First, Grandpa and Grandma Janes came to visit on Friday night. Grandma Janes brought some new outfits for Grace for the holidays, so they played some dress-up. Then, on Saturday morning, Grace hung out with Grandpa and Grandma Janes while Dad and Mom tailgated at the ISU game. It appears from the pictures that in between the necessary morning naps and feeding, Grace got plenty of attention.

More spoiling was to be had later that afternoon when Grandpa Paul, Grandma Darla, Jake and Hannah arrived to watch Grace during the ISU game. Again, the pictures seem to show a record of lots of playmates with Grace as the center of attention.

Finally, on Sunday Grace attended her first Cheney family dinner with Grandpa Ron and Grandma Donna. On the way back from Deep River, we all stopped at the Bass Pro Shop. Grace had quite an adventure shopping with Grandma, seeing the fish, and braving her first time sitting on Santa’s lap!

It was fun to share the weekend with everyone, as noted by the additional pictures in the gallery. With the upcoming holidays around the corner, we look forward to more family time!

And until then, here are some videos of Grace’s new tricks:

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November 9, 2009 · filed under: Grace Evelyn by Jill

Last Wednesday marked Grace’s half birthday. Mom and Dad have noticed that our pictures of Grace are getting a bit outdated. A 6 month photo shoot wrapped up our weekend. Grace was cooperative in looking adorable, with just a few temper outbursts when she had enough of the camera. Here are a few of our favorites, and some of the bloopers, too.

Turning six months also meant some major milestones had been reached. First, her teeth are finally easily visible, illustrated by the following picture:

Next, a trip to the doctor for a 6 month check-up was in order. At 27 inches and 17 pounds, our little girl is growing up fast! She was a good sport for her shots and even kept a playful mood while helping Mom make dinner that evening.

Dr. Fedderson gave the okay for starting solid foods, so the next step for our big girl was to taste her first vegetables. Since one of the few veggies Dad likes is peas, that was the main course for her first big meal. Enjoy the footage of those first few bites!

Plus, a video of her having fun in her bouncer:

And don’t forget to go check out all of the additional pictures in the gallery.

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November 1, 2009 · filed under: Grace Evelyn, Holidays by Jill

What a weekend it has been! Grace’s first Halloween was a frenzy of fun as both Mom and Dad eagerly began some festive new traditions. The Halloween fun began on Wednesday and carried us through until the big night on Saturday. I’m sure you can imagine just how many pictures this first holiday entailed…483!  Luckily, we have numbered them down to just a few favorites to share here.

Excited to make Grace’s first Halloween special, we started our festivities on Wednesday. In an attempt to share the holiday with others, the whole family became involved in creating some Halloween gifts from Grace. The giant pumpkin that Dad had picked out for Grace (the biggest one on the block, according to one of our trick-or-treaters!) served as an accessory for her Halloween photo shoot. Posing by her pumpkin, Grace created postcards to send to family. Then, she was cooperative in allowing Mom and Dad to paint her orange thumbprints, resembling pumpkins, on little mailing labels to complete her postcards. Extra labels adorned the pumpkin shaped rice-krispie treats that Mom made for Grace to share with her friends at Heather’s house. It was a busy night!

The fun was just beginning, though! Thursday night meant pumpkin carving. Grace watched Dad carve her giant pumpkin with a face like hers–just two teeth on the bottom and a happy grin. After the carving, Mom and Dad let her play with the pumpkin guts before bathtime.  When all of Grace’s excitement wore her out, the sleepy girl went to bed while Mom and Dad carved more pumpkins and enjoyed a spooky meal with Nick and Emily.

Friday meant costume time. Grace donned her adorable ladybug costume and entertained her friends at Heather’s in it. She lasted most of the day in costume, without making any major messes! That evening, the little bug took a trip to Urbandale for trick-or-treat night at Abby and Corey’s house. She had fun watching Jackson the bumblebee in costume, too.

Finally, the actual Halloween day arrived! The afternoon was spent cheering for the Cyclones with Dad. Then, the ladybug costume made it’s second debut. After visiting a few friends and neighbors, Grace settled in to watch the trick-or-treaters. It seemed our little bug was a pretty happy girl, as she babbled away with her new sounds and greeted the neighborhood kids at the door.

And, to top it all off, Grace decided to excite Mom & Dad with her new babbling talk. This new trick of Grace’s is much preferred to the screech!

A fun and eventful weekend was capped with a beautiful day on Sunday to spend outside. With all of this behind us, Mom, Dad & Grace were whipped. What a memorable weekend! And don’t forget to check out the additional pictures in the gallery.

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