Playing Catch Up

Where did August go? My goal was to post at least once a month this year... oops. I admire the moms that manage to post weekly and capture every moment on camera to tell the story of their day to day lives. I often find myself saying "this would make a great post," but 90% of the time those imaginary posts are simply stored in my memory. So here is, yet again, another recap:I see my little baby turn more and more into a little girl. She can now clap her hands on command and twirls her soft hair like her mommy from time to time. I can no longer eat anything in front of her without sharing... even when I know she is not hungry. She is a little fish and can't get enough of the water. She's even been under a few times and finds it funny to come up coughing out any swallowed water.

Playing in Nana and Papa's hot tub on our trip to Utah (it was cooled off of course, just in case you were concerned). More pizza please...Playing dress-up at Nana and Papa'sRiding on Papa's boat...Barbeque with friends... thanks Rache for organizing everything... it was a blast!!Lunch date with my friend Lindsey... always a treat!I just had to throw this picture in... "Mom, I think I'm teething..."Steve has been busy with rotations, but manages to make time for family and finds his daughter irresistible. We realized that we hadn't been out on a date, just the two of us, since our anniversary in May. You might think this is crazy, but we absolutely love going out with Grace. We've taken her out to dinner, to the movies, and over to friend's houses in the evenings (she'll just sleep in her carseat in a different room).

Here we are in Scottsdale at the Fairmont Princess Resort. We wanted to go on a little trip over Labor Day weekend, but didn't want to travel far. We scored an awesome deal on Hotwire.com, it's was blast. The pools were amazing and very baby friendly too!And here are some updates on my life other than being a mom 24/7:

I have been working from home and absolutely love the flexibility it gives me. I usually can finish most of my work while Grace is napping. I have also been going into the clinic on Saturdays and fill in on a few shifts a couple times a month... it's great!

I'm officially registered for the Sedona marathon in February. I'm so excited for this race... the course is beautiful and I'm excited to run with some of my AZ friend's! Aside from running, I'm really enjoying my twice-a-week yoga class... I feel so much stronger and flexible doing this than my usual routine. The instructor really is inspiring (she is nearly 70, but looks as if she's in her 50's)... I hope I look like that when I'm her age; it must be the yoga.
And lastly, I can't seem to stay away from the craft/fabric stores. Hobby Lobby is one of my new favorites... they have EVERYTHING there when it comes to crafting and sewing. I have so many projects I want to do, but there just isn't enough time.Carseat canopy and diaper cake for my friend Kristin's shower.

She's Earned Her Wings

I have been not so good with the blogging as of late, but then again, Grace and I have been on several trips over the past few months, so I guess that it is a good excuse. Although Grace just barely turned 7 months old, she has already flown 5 different times (excluding layovers) So, here is a brief recap of our many adventures:

In May, Grace and I flew to Detroit for a friend's wedding. I was so busy taking care of this little one, I had no time to take pictures. So here is the one picture that the wedding photographer took at the reception:After that, Grace and I flew from Detroit to visit my sister and her family in North Carolina. It was beautiful there; I love how green everything is. Once again, I didn't take too many pictures since Grace and I both didn't get very much sleep on this trip. We were able to spend time with these adorable kiddos:Then last week, Grace and I found ourselves in beautiful Pullman, Washington to visit my brother and his family. They live a small town, so our highlights consisted of the blue water tower, the metal statue, the yellow plane, and the garage-o-mahal (fancy name for a storage unit). The weather was amazing! Especially, since it is 105-115 here in AZ! It was a blast spending time with Yaks, Boo, and Diddles (nicknames):

This pic was taken at the SLC airport. I purposely planned a 3 hour layover, so I could spend time with my mom, sisters, and Grace's cousins... and of course, I had to have some yummy Cafe Rio for lunch! The only downside was I had to go back through security; not an easy thing with a 7 month old!
Experiencing some jet lag... "all of this traveling is wearing me out mom!"
Diddles after some spaghetti... it's hard to imagine Grace getting this messy, but I know it's coming soon!
Yaks and Boo riding their bikes... they earned a dollar or a piece of candy for each lap they completed... I don't think they realized that a dollar could buy more than 1 piece of candy (they usually took the candy over the dollar).
Having a photo shoot on Sunday. If you look close, you can see some little accessories on this gal's ears. Yep, I got her ears pierced. The pediatrician Steve was shadowing on his last rotation said he would pierce them... this gave me some peace of mind since I was a little nervous about it. She only cried for a minute and then was happy as can be afterwards.
And of course, we have just one more adventure planned. We are flying up to Utah this coming Sunday to see the rest of the family! Here are just a few more pics taken over the past few weeks, sorry I can't resist this little girl and there are too many cute pics!

Enjoying all of these new tasty foods.... "mmmmm... sweet potatoes!"
Going out for a swim...
If you need tips on flying with babies... I've got plenty to share :) I have even managed to breast pump while on a plane since Grace doesn't nurse... crazy, I know.

Grand Canyon Getaway

Steve is officially all done with his Step 1 boards now!!! He finished about 1 week ago and I'm so glad they are over. He has been studying nonstop for the past few months, and hopefully all of the hardwork will pay off when he get his scores back. He feels pretty good about them, and that means a lot coming from Steve. He starts rotations next week so we have had a little bit of time off before things get crazy again. To celebrate we headed up to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff for a few days. Neither one of us had been to the Grand Canyon so we were both pretty excited.

Here is some proof of why Steve has spent countless hours of studying. He also had to tell me that each one of these pages had been read at least "3 times". I wonder how many trees have been sacrificed for this:
Here is a better perspective:

Grace: "Daddy, does mom know your taking this picture? I don't know how to stand on my own yet & I'm not sure if it is safe to lean me up in this corner."

Enjoying the nice cool air while camping in the Grand Canyon. I'm glad we were able to get some use out of this adorable jacket. There is not much use for it in Phoenix when it is 105 outside.

Hanging out in Flagstaff. I told Steve we could put Grace in the stroller, but he insisted on holding her... I think he likes to show off his little girl. Enjoying a little day hike with spectacular views. And you'll have to excuse my sunglasses in all of these pictures; I've had some issues with my eyes and they are extremely sensitive to light... these were the darkest pair I could find that covered my eyes well enough.Sunset in the Grand Canyon... just beautiful (minus the haze from the fire in Flagstaff).

Grace loves to hike in her Baby Bjorn... to bad I can't get her to stay in it any other time.

4 Years and Counting!

Steve and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on May 20th. Of course, it is just like me to post this kind of news a little late, but better late than never! Our anniversary took place amidst finals and such so we didn't have a chance to really celebrate until a few days ago. My friend Lindsey watched Grace, and we enjoyed a night out to ourselves. We went rocklimbing and then had some yummy food at Claim Jumper. I feel so blessed to be married to such an amazing guy... thank you, Steve, for 4 fabulous years!

Who needs a thumb when you have a foot!

So, I thought for sure that Grace might turn out to be a thumb sucker... especially if she is anything like her mother. Let me clarify: no, I do not suck my thumb, but yes, I did for a very long time. My thumb was my comfort and soother as a child. I was nervous that Grace might fall into this same habit. Fortunately she has not, however, she has found some other methods of pacifying herself:

So much to say...

"Mom, haven't you taken enough pictures already?"
"I spy with my little eyes..."
"This pool is the perfect size for a little peanut like me, thanks mom!"
"I like big books"...... "I like big chairs too"

Always Keeping Busy

So, it's been a while... but I have a good excuse for not being so diligent about blogging. First of all, this little one keeps me so busy. I think we have hit the teething stage and it seems that Grace is always a little grumpy. She does have her cute and happy moments though and I am amazed by all the new milestones she accomplishes.

My second good excuse, as some of you may know, I still work about 20 hrs a week for the clinic I worked full time at before having this little one. I have been doing medical transcription from home... it's a huge blessing. I also work a few hours every Saturday and teach a class for overweight children twice a week. It's fun to have other things to occupy my time, but it definitely can be pretty busy at times.

Last week, my friend Lindsey and I had a little photo shoot with Grace:

And of course I find some time for crafting. I made this onsie for a friend who actually had her baby prematurely... she probably won't be wearing it for a while because she is so tiny.
And I find some time for running. Grace loves the jogging stroller, but we'll have to start going early in the morning since it's starting to heat up.
And I also have to thank our little sweetie for being born on the 31st of December (just 4 hrs. short of the tax deduction deadline!). Thank you, Grace, for helping mommy and daddy with a little extra money.
I just can't resist those big blue eyes. Love you Grace!
And before I forget, my friend Emily took some amazing pictures of our family. I tried uploading them, but I was having some technical difficulties. So if you want to see some more pics of our little fam click here. There are also some pics from her blessing. Em, your awesome... thank you for some great memories!

And one more thing... little Grace has become such a copycat. It's amazing how much of an influence you can have on a little one.