Camping Trip

Last night we got back from a long lake trip.  As usual, it was a wonderful getaway, filled with plenty of activity as well as rest.  The first half of the trip was a new experience for me.  Ryan got Gracie and I all set up and then headed over to Bennett Springs to fish for the weekend.  My sister and her kids came down to hang with G and me for the weekend, along with our mom.  It was a total blast having us girls and the 4 kids!  We spent lots and lots of time in the water, and I even took us for a boat ride out to the Nemo Bridge.  Before heading down, my sister stopped to pick up Puddle Jumpers for the kids to wear while swimming.  If you haven't seen them before, these floaties are awesome!  All the kids were able to swim independently (although not far from an adult) and enjoy being in and out of the water on their own terms.  Such a great investment!  Even though Gracie is 5 pounds smaller than the weight minimum, she had no problems 'swimming' like a big girl in her Puddle Jumper.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from our girls and kids camping weekend.  I think the fact that Team Adults was outnumbered might have been the main contributing factor.

On Sunday morning, Ryan came back to Pomme to celebrate our 6 year anniversary and to finish out our camping trip.  We all suited up and headed out to the water to enjoy our Sunday.  All the kids (minus Natalie) got a chance to tube in the cove... going very slowly.  Gracie and Kia rode with an adult.  I so wish I had taken some pictures of the experience!  Kyle took his turn first.  He jumped in the tube and from the boat, all you could see was his little head sticking up out of the center of the tube.  Then Aunt Nerned and Kyle rode out it the main channel together.  I couldn't stop giggling as I held on for dear life.  Kyle was unphased, but I was pretty sure he and I were going to get dumped!  We didn't though... which is probably why he is so eager to go again!  After Kyle was back in the boat, my mom decided she'd like a turn.  Ryan promised to take it easy on her... she jokingly reminded him that she is the mother-in-law, so he'd better be careful!  She rode on her belly and on her back and quite honestly, she did a great job!  The kids all got a kick of seeing Graham Cracker ridin' the waves!  Next was the little girls' turn.  I rode around the cove with Gracie and Kia rode with Grandma.  Gracie sat pretty quietly and just took it all in.  She liked waving at all her family back in the boat.  Kia also quietly enjoyed the ride as well, but once Uncle Ry-Ry gave it a little extra gas, she said "There we go!" as if she was waiting for him to go faster!  

After a short lunch, my family headed back to Kansas City.  It was a super fun way to enjoy a hot weekend, that's for sure!

Ryan, Gracie, and I stayed at the lake until Tuesday, so we had a few extra days of play.  The fun just continued.  We were able to swim and boat, as well as fish, take walks, and fly a kite and an airplane.  It was an all around fabulous weekend.  One night, Ryan and I even got 11 hours of sleep... simply heaven!  I was able to get out the camera for the second half of our camping trip.  Here are some of my favorite shots!

Shoveling rocks on the shore

Helping Daddy drive the boat and waving at everyone who passes by!

When we originally upgraded to our new boat, we did so because we didn't feel comfortable taking a little one out in Ryan's old fishing boat.  We also wanted to have a recreational boat for playing on the water as our family expanded.  So last year, our first year with the boat, we were stoked to enjoy fishing and playing in it.  We tried multiple times to take our then one year old out to fish, and for a variety of reasons, it just wasn't in our cards.  She always did well with fast boat rides, in fact, the faster, the better.  But fishing brought out her co-dependent tendencies and resulted in one of us fishing and the other trying to entertain Gracie in the heat.  Not fun at all.  Both Ryan and I were super sad and kind of wondered if it would be years before we enjoyed fishing together again.

We tried again on Monday night.  Ryan was pessimistic, but I packed snacks, water toys, a baby doll, and a cell phone with YouTube for backup.  We filled the live-well with water, which made a perfect water play tub for Gracie.  When we got to our fishing spot, I pulled out play pots and pans, cups, and a water baby for Gracie.  She began giving her baby a bath and making soup right away.  She went through a couple packages of fruit snacks (whatever makes you happy!) and also wanted to help me fish.  Turns out she's a lucky fishergirl!  She reeled in 4 casts, and of those 4 casts, she caught 2 fish!  She was giddy each time we brought the fish to the boat, although didn't want to touch them at all.  That's okay, I don't touch them either!  We release our fish after we catch them, which was confusing for her.  She'd say, "They go back to their tank?"  I think she was likening these fish to our goldfish at home.  It was cute!  So here she is with her first fishy!

Before we headed home on Tuesday, Gracie wanted to fly her kite.  The wind was perfect for kite flying!  We'd also bought a styrofoam airplane at Dollar General to fly on a windy day, so we pulled that out, too!  It was a really great time!

Daddy and Gracie flying the kite way up high!

Gracie likes to hold the string, but almost always lets go!
So Daddy is holding on, too!

So cute together!

Getting a flying lesson.  She looks so cute in her ponytail!

3...2...1... Take off!

Chasing after the grounded plane was her favorite part!

Daddy taking a turn

Momma and Gracie working together!
Momma wasn't so good... lots of crashes!

Another flying lesson... such a good student!

Tysie Lou Dog watching the plane go by... from the shade!

The wind was so good that Gracie could fly the kite all by herself!  

Running with her kite!  So much fun!

A girl and her dog heading back to camp.
Both looking so confident!

Bye Bye Paci

So this week has been a super crazy parenting week. Without revealing too many secrets, suffice it to say that a mouse chewed up Gracie's pacifiers on Tuesday. We had visited the doctor for her two year check up on Monday and the doctor agreed that Gracie is a big girl. A healthy, 25 pound, 34 inch tall, big girl. 

And then it happened. We got in the car on Tuesday morning when Gracie noticed a chunk missing from the tip of her paci. It was quite concerning to both of us, but upon closer examination, we decided maybe a mouse had chewed it. We've never had an issue with mice before, but there was no other reasonable explanation. Surprisingly Gracie was okay with the 'broken' paci, but felt the need to share the bad news with everyone at Hancock Fabrics. We were there buying fabric for Gracie's big girl room... ironic!  

After an exhausting morning of shopping, playing at the park, and visiting the library we got ready for a much needed nap.  And then the worst happened... we noticed the same problem with her only-last-prized-paci. The one from her bed. This was a big blow for Gracie. We called Daddy (again) to inform him of the destructive mouse and his catastrophic damage. I got the feeling that this loss wasn't going to be as easy as the car paci. 

My intuitions were right. After about 55 minutes of crying, Gracie settled down for a nap. It was much shorter than her normal naps, but she was able to fall asleep on her own. A small, but important first step. 

At bedtime she snuggled with Daddy, asking him how to fix her paci. She even ran to find a screwdriver for Daddy to use to fix her paci. It was heartbreaking, in all seriousness, I was really feeling bad for her. Daddy, or shall I say Old Softie, was feeling even more awful for his girl, I kind of wondered if a trip to Walmart was in our future. 

That night, Gracie was very chatty during prayers and singing, and employed every stall tactic known to man... which is a new thing I don't enjoy. Anyway, she cried for quite a while, even calling out 'I need you, Momma!' which broke my heart further. So I had to go in. We rocked and talked and prayed to Jesus to help her (and me) on this journey to being paci-free. 

Our prayers were answered because after about 5 minutes of crying on her own, she was sound asleep until 8:30 this morning. 

Day 2 was both better and worse than day 1. She cried for a total of 90 minutes at nap, but didn't cry at all at bedtime. I'm hoping that the worst is behind us, but I promised myself that we would make it through this. 

It's kind of ridiculous how dramatic this all sounds. I mean, really, I'm sure I'll look back on this years later and see that I'm totally making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be.  I seriously have worried that her security has been taken and she will have anxiety or something as a result of this experience. So hopefully that research is all wrong and she will be a confident, well-adjusted, good-sleeping kid despite that darn mouse. 

She and I have had so much fun together this week though. In an effort to exhaust her (thus making it easier to fall asleep) we have been to the park, the library, the zoo, Grandma's work, the pool, and done lots of outdoor play as well. There's more on the agenda for the next several days. I want her to know that she doesn't need her paci... she has been dependent upon and deeply in love with her paci for quite some time. Before the attachment grew any stronger or dental issues started occurring, I wanted her to make the jump to Big Girl Gracie.  And we're mid-jump with no safety net at the moment. But I think we... I mean, the mouse did the right thing. I think. 

And for all interested parties... Daddy caught the mouse and he should no longer be a problem. 

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

This weekend was busy for our family. We celebrated Father's Day a little early on Friday night before Ryan and I headed to Iowa to visit Ryan's Uncle David.  Gracie wanted to take Daddy out to 'Rob Robin' for burgers. She was pleasantly surprised when she got a balloon to take home. Big excitement!  She helped tear open Daddy's presents, since she is now a pro at opening gifts!  A recordable story book was Gracie's favorite gift, but I think Daddy preferred the MLB game for his PS3. 

Once we returned from our Iowa trip, we had Ryan's family over for pizza and strawberry pie. It was nice just to visit and relax together. We ended the night with snuggle time in Daddy and Momma's bed watching Disney Sing Along Songs!  Karate Kid was sporting her new robe (made by me!) and soaking up lots of lovin' from her Daddy. Moments that make me smile!

Happy Second Birthday, Gracie!

Our little lady turns two today!  Where does the time go?!  She's absolutely a toddler these days, 'not a baby anymore,' as she would say. We're all excited for her Princess Party this morning and for the chance to celebrate with friends and family. We have so much to be thankful for when it comes to Gracie. Her life has been a total blessing to our family and we're beyond grateful God chose us to be her parents. Happy Birthday, G-Monkey!  I love you to the moon and back!  

I'll post party pics later, but here are my favorites from the past few days.  Gotta love how she smiles so big that her eyes close. Adorable!

Summer has arrived!

With Friday being my last day of school and this past weekend being our first camping trip, it's quite obviously summer at the Weaver house.

Momma is so ready to be home for a while.  Mostly to spend time with Gracie and her cousins, but I'd be lying if I didn't also include my desire for some afternoon naps. Oh boy, have I missed those naps!  

Our first trip to the lake was a fabulous time. We had a slight issue as a result of severe weather on Friday night. We spent half an hour in the shower house waiting for the severe storms to pass through.  There's nothing quite like cozying up on the nasty shower house floor with your kid, your dog, your husband, and about 20 random (some of them toothless) strangers. Honestly, if we didn't have Gracie, I think I would have felt differently. But thinking of the worst case scenario when you've got a little one relying on you makes your blood pressure go up a little. I'm not usually a nervous person, but I felt it that night for sure. Luckily a few minutes into the ordeal, I noticed two familiar faces.  We met Ray and Diana last year and quite enjoyed their company.  They were hiding out too, which for some reason made me feel a little better, almost as if my parents were there.  After a bit, the severe weather threat cleared and we were able to get on with our trip.  

It was a gorgeous spring camping weekend. Chilly, but perfect for outdoor fun!  We met some old friends down there who have a son just about Gracie's age, which made for some fun with sidewalk chalk and duplo blocks.  We also found time to take many walks, fly a kite, play on the twisty slide, paint pictures outside, and build a campfire.   Gracie is the perfect age for camping and she completely loves everything about the lake. When we were on a walk, Ryan took a deep breath and said, "Ah... I love the lake."  And Little Gracie simply replied, "Me, too."  It was sweet. We're all a bunch of lake rats!

The only slightly bad part about the lake is Gracie's carsickness. If anyone has any advice for preventing a toddler from vomiting all over the place TWICE on the way down to the lake, I would really love to hear it. My poor baby girl handles it like a trooper, but I just feel terrible for her when it happens. Misery. 

As usual, no pictures from our trip. The photographer (me!) was too busy having fun to capture anything on camera. Here's one picture from our stop at Osceola Cheese on the way home.