One Quiet House!

A couple of months ago, I had this bright idea that I would send Grace to Indiana for a few days so I could get some last minute things checked off my to-do list before Baby's G's arrival....................and then I really started to think about what I did. As the date approached, I got more and more emotional about her leaving. Was this really a good idea???

I decided to go with it, and she left with Mom and Dad on Father's Day afternoon. Grace was talking about going to Nana and Papa's and getting ice cream for a good couple of weeks beforehand. She was excited and ready to load up in the car, but kept asking Matt and I to sit down as we were buckling her in her car seat. I started getting nervous that she was going to get upset so Matt and I quickly went back into the house. As usual, she did fine and it was me that an emotional wreck after they left! What I really wanted to do was sit down, watch a sad movie, and feel sorry for myself.......and then I remembered that 1. this was MY idea and 2. I needed to get off my rear and get to that to-do list that was a mile long!! I had periods of small breakdowns when I would wake up and see her empty bed or hear her little, squeaky voice talking to Matt on the phone. Grace is my constant, little companion and it was SO strange not to have her with me 24/7. I can't remember this house ever being so quiet. She starts talking from the second she opens her eyes until the end of the day when has finally gave in to exhaustion. And there's rarely a dull moment in our house with her excitement and dramatics! So needless to say, by Wednesday I was having full conversations with Pete! HAHA!!

Grace had a blast in Indiana. She got spoiled rotten with ice cream after every meal, new toys and clothes galore, gator rides, and LOTS of hugs and kisses!!

She got to spend time some much needed time with Sophie, Vince, and Ava who she hasn't seen since January. Grandma and Jack took her for her first visit to the Wonder Lab which I hear she was THRILLED about!

I left to get her on Thursday morning, and could not wait to squeeze my little punkin' head! I spent a couple days with her until it was time to head south. I wish we could've stayed longer, but we had to head back to TN on Saturday to get back to the daily grind.

Thank you to everyone involved who took such good care of Grace!! I know she ate up every minute, BUT I was so happy to have her back home!

Father's Day!

This post is A TAD late, but better late than never! We had a great Father's Day weekend and got to celebrate the big day with Nana and Papa. They stopped to see us on their way back from Florida with plans to take Grace back to Indiana for a few days.

Grace LOVES her daddy and she has a small party every night when he gets home from work. What a great feeling that is to have someone SO excited to see you every time you walk in the door! She usually whips out one of her "tricks" before he sits down for dinner just to make sure he's still watching her. Her eyes light up when he walks in the room or when she talks to him on the phone to tell him she went potty. She loves helping him water the flowers (and spraying him occasionally), watching him mow the "green grass", making Pete "run", and playing "toys." Every night after dinner, I hear "Daddy come play toys with me" at least 12 times before bedtime. There is nothing sweeter than watching a daddy play with his little girl!

Matt - I couldn't ask for a better father for Grace. From the minute she was born, I could tell that she had forever changed you and already had you wrapped around her finger. I remember you saying, "How am I ever going to say no to her?" before she was 24hrs old. (Please remember this Grace when you're 16 and wanting him to buy you a car!) I can't wait to see what's in store for us after Baby G's arrival! Happy Father's Day!!

I also want to say Happy Father's Day to my dad! You are everything that a little girl could ask for in a dad! You have more PATIENCE than anyone I know. That's a good thing since you raised 3 girls!! :) You even went to the store when we ran out of "feminine products" and just asked us what "flavor" we needed!! (Sorry, I had to include that b/c it still cracks me up!) I always looked up to you as a kid and couldn't understand why I couldn't take off my shirt to mow like you did! Hahahaha! I know I don't say it enough, but thank you for everything you have done (and continue to do) for me!

Finally, Grace helped Nana make a peach pie for our dessert. It was quite comical to watch and apparently she has the same problem I do..............................................................................

it's really hard to wait on something SO good!!!!!

Happy

Father's

Day!!!

First Swim of the Year!

It's been a HOT week in TN!! With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, it's been a great week to slather up with sunscreen and head to the pool! Our neighbors, Erica (who is also pregnant and due 2 weeks before me) and Jackson, joined us both days. I'll be the first to admit that I'm am the biggest pansy when the water is cold and it takes a little coaxing to EASE my way into the water.......something that Grace doesn't seem to understand! :) The water felt great after a while and felt REALLY good on our pregnant bellies! Ahhhh relief!!

I got Grace some floaties and a boat to sit in last weekend and I was hoping that this year she would want to get right in. She sat in the boat for a few rides on the first day but just wanted to throw it in the water on the second. She really isn't keen on her floaties quite yet, but I'm hoping she'll warm up to them after a few more visits. Grace and Jackson loved playing on the steps and filling up cups, throwing balls, and blowing bubbles. BUT I think Grace enjoyed running around the pool and throwing her floaties in the water a million times the most! Her swimming lessons start on June 28th. If running around the pool is one of the lessons Grace will need to learn, she'll be a top notch student!

Time for a goldfish break and this mommy to get some sun!! As my friend Julie says, "If you can't lose it, tan it!" Or something like that!

Nothing could top the excitement of finding a frog in the pool filter today! Luckily, Andy (Erica's husband) showed up in time to get it out. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem reaching in and getting it myself. However, today the frog was surrounded by some sort of foreign hair and slime that I wasn't about to touch! GAG!!!

I'm sure the 4 of us will make our swimming trips more frequent the closer we get to our due dates and as we need more relief from the back pain, swelling, extra weight, etc. that the 3rd trimester brings along!! And hopefully by the end of the summer, I will be able to report that I have a little fish that doesn't want to stay out of the water! :)

Happy Birthday......to ME!!! :)

Tuesday marked the big 3-1 for me, and as most of you know, I consider my birthday to be a national holiday. I generally start talking about it a good 3 months in advance......just in case someone happens to forget what day it is. Surprisingly enough, this year I didn't start talking about it until last week! STRANGE I know! I guess I have a few other distractions this year to keep my mind occupied. :)

We went to Peerless to enjoy a dinner out and I wanted to share a few pictures. The quality isn't great since they're taken with Matt's phone inside the dark restaurant, but I thought I'd pass them along anyway. As you can see, the chocolate sundae was what Grace AND I were waiting on the entire meal!!

First Fishing Trip!

On Saturday, Matt and I took Grace on her first fishing trip. I was SO excited because she has really taken an interest in people fishing the last few times we've been at the park. Luckily, the people around here are pretty friendly and have let Grace all but help reel in the fish!

Grace picked out a princess fishing pole and we headed to the park as soon as she woke up from her nap. We could've forgotten the actual fishing part once she saw the worms........that was pretty exciting!! She wanted to "get nother worm" every time Matt cast the hook into the water.

Matt and I were pretty fired up! He got to go fishing, and I couldn't wait to get some decent pictures. He cast out the line.........and we waited. After a few hundred tries, Grace got distracted and decided she needed a break from fishing. She played on the kayak ramp and splashed in the water and would check on Matt periodically to see if he caught one. And then back we'd go to splash some more.

Then it FINALLY happened........he caught one!!! One small problem......his line was tangled in a tree and the fish got away before Grace could see it! HAHAHA! BUMMER!! Unfortuately, that was our only catch of the day........BOO!!!!

The bad news is that Grace didn't actually get to catch and touch a fish. The good news is we had a great time taking her on her first fishing trip. She got to use her new princess fishing pole, splash in the water, and even play on the swings before we left. We'll have to try a different park next time.........and hopefully get to take some pictures with an actual fish!!!

For Your Viewing Pleasure........

I got a couple, cute videos of Grace last night. She was eating "ice crean" and "brown" (brownies) after supper. Last year, Grace wasn't so sure about ice cream, but this year she has decided that ice cream is pretty darn good!




And sometimes you just don't want it to end!!!

Memorial Weekend!

Summer if officially (well not quite officially) here, and we had a nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend to kick it off! The weather was hot and humid and it felt like it was the middle of July instead of the end of May. We enjoyed a cookout with friends, HOMEMADE ice cream (thanks Misty!), lazy mornings, long naps, golf, and LOTS of playtime outside!

We didn't get many items checked off of my nesting to-do list, but a restful weekend was exactly what we all needed. And as you can see from these pictures, we were well fed the entire time! HAHA!

Our neighborhood pool opened over the weekend, but we didn't make it down for a swim. I think I'll let Matt take the lead on that mission as I'm sure the HOA would like to keep ALL of the water in the pool!! HAHAHA!!

I also have an update on Baby Gentry. I went to the doctor today, and I am now measuring right at 32 weeks (right where I should be!) I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that! I've been having some occasional contractions so the doctor went ahead and did a fetal fibronectin test which helps determine if I'm at risk for going into preterm labor. The results came back negative so I can put my mind at ease! I'm sure this baby is simply trying to tell me I don't need to carry Grace around all the time! Sorry little one!

I hope everyone had a great, long weekend!!