Happy Second Birthday (party), Gracelee!!!

So we celebrated Gracelee's second birthday this past Saturday! I cannot believe how time flies!

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We celebrated in style... Sweets and Treats in neon hot pink, green, purple and blue.

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I have to admit... it turned out pretty cute!

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The candy bar was a huge hit!

We had homemade cupcakes, with the choices of Hot fudge sundae with a peanut butter cream filling and marshmallow frosting topped with heath toffee bits,

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough filled cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and a homemade fondant zebra decoration

And Gracelee's favorite (and momma's too) was the funfetti cupcake filled with a red vine candy filling topped with vanilla buttercream and pearls... oh-so-girly!

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She has been waiting for this party for a looooonnnng time, bless her heart. She had sung "Happy Birthday" to many of her friends and she was so ready for her turn to blow out the candles!!

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She was so excited that she even sang it to herself! LoL!!

Pure joy and elation!

And she even shared some with momma! Sweet girl!

Cousin Kennedy came in town for the party... these two girls have the best time playing together and are sure to be great friends as they grow up together! Kennedy is going to be a great big sister to her baby sister circa August or September 2011... Yay!!!

As you can see, Gracelee has 2 Aunts that are ready and willing to spoil at a moments notice! Gracelee loves her Aunt Amanda and her Auntie Ke so much! And it is very evident that she enjoys the time she spends with them!!!

Gracelee, look at how blessed you are, my love!

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You have so many people that love you!

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So many people that want to celebrate you... even those who couldn't make it sent their very best wishes and love you so much!

Caleb is such a sweet boy, and dotes on Gracelee all the time! I love him so much! It is so nice to see a gentle soul in a little boy who can be so sweet and gentle and then whack a Pinata with all his might! Caleb sat right next to Gracelee and held her hand and patted her back...

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and really melted my heart!

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Jess and Kevin, you are such dear friends and are such an inspiration! Thank you for raising an incredible son and sharing him! Gracelee is a product of her environment and your son has been a WONDERFUL role model! For that we are truly grateful!

"Two"- tu fantastic!

Isn't she cute?

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My Tom-boy, rhinestone, glittery Princess!

The park was so wonderful! The kids seemed to have a BLAST!!!

She did the slide and the swing all by herself!

Next up... Pinata time!

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It was a homemade pinata by yours truly...

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This event was fun to watch and participate in!

And then leave it up to Uncle B and Uncle TJ to invent one of the most fun games ever!

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Introducing: Confetti Egg baseball!

We decided to do presents back home since the wind was blowing a little and we really just wanted the kids to play... As I have said before, I really don't want her to be present oriented, so this was a good way to get around that...

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We had family over for pizza to watch her open, but clearly, she was not in the mood...

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She got some REALLY cool stuff, though!!!!

She has the slide in the back yard from momma and daddy

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a pink radio flyer from Cookie, Paw Paw and TJ

And a piano from Papa Deek and Grammy

She got savings bonds, clothes, money, coloring stuff, and much much MUCH more!

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We had a great day! Gracelee is going to be 2 officially on Wednesday, and with that I leave you with this...

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Beethoven eat your heart out!

Fruit of the Vine

Weeks of anticipation led to this enormous amount of excitement!

The first ripe strawberry from her own little plant!

And she sure made it look delicious!!!

Good til the last nibble!

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Good job baby girl! I love you!!!!!

Spring Break/ Reflection

As the dough is rising for my homemade cinnamon rolls, I decided it was time to update the blog... Ha! I know I am not the best blogger, and I appreciate my faithful readers that still check...

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Being a school nurse has it's definite advantages... Spring Break being one of them. This, by far, has been one of my favorites! Gracelee is really coming into her own and it is so cool to watch her! It is truly something new every day!

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She is quite the character with her puckered lips and furrowed eyebrows, telling me in her deepest voice that I am in "BIG TROUBLE" and that I need a time out... of course she is only kidding because she giggles right after she says it! * She loves the new TV show, Bubble Guppies, and her favorite episode thus far is "We Totally Rock," and in Gracelee talk it translates to her playing daddy's guitar and singing, "I totally rock!"- Very funny! * She wants to do EVERYTHING by herself... EVERYTHING... no, really, everything! Example: unscrew milk cap (which by the way she can drink an entire half galleon in 2 days), pour into sippy cup, screw cap back on, and "WAIT, momma... I DO IT!!!" screw the top onto the sippy cup.

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She loves her bounce house and her slide that she got for her birthday from momma and daddy... yes, it's early, but the weather has been divine! It was well worth it! * She is into bananas, randomly because she has NEVER eaten them before, and she could eat nothing but fruit and "little crackers" a.k.a. Cheez-Its all day, and nothing else. * She runs, dances, twirls, sings, TALKS (which I cannot get enough of!), tries to jump, wants to snuggle, and is very well- behaved... for the most part... she is not even 2 yet...

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She is a total momma's girl! She loves her puppy, and has yet to fall in love with a doll that ISN'T an animal... * She has her OWN strawberry plant that SHE waters every day (did I mention that she likes to do everything by herself?) and the plant is actually producing 6 strawberries right now! * She knows her rainbow colors, numbers, the ENTIRE alphabet... she even plays a game with her dry erase board where she has letters, numbers, and different colors... she listens to a directive (i.e. Gracelee, erase the blue 2) and follows the directions... it is VERY impressive!

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She can work the blue- ray player, which I have trouble with sometimes! When I am working on the computer, she gets her lap top and sits next to me to work on hers...

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Looking back two years ago at this very day, I was so ready to meet her... every one else that was pregnant with me had their babies already... And I was officially due... and I was very READY... but I had no idea what was in store for me... I had no clue as to how much I could love another human... and how I cannot even imagine being able to share that same love again... God is so wonderful, and He keeps me grounded and head strong and on the straight and narrow through my daughter... I want to be better, provide more, love with my whole heart times infinity, be nicer, and give more of my self because of her!

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2 years...

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Really???

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Spring Break has been amazing! We started with a birthday party for Gracelee's sure-to-be best friend Emily (who turned 2), sang happy birthday to Annabelle (who turned 2), wished Sam a happy birthday (he also is 2), and then MONDAY... we went to the playscape with bestie Caleb, Tuesday- Zoo/ train day, Wednesday- laundry/clean/ visit Pawpaw day, Thursday- shopping day, Friday- water Cookie's flowers day, Saturday- Lyla's birthday party and PUTT- PUTT day, and SUNDAY- REST...

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And now... a couple of videos... just for fun...

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On St. Patty's Day, Gracelee and I went shopping and running through Sugar Land Town Square. She saw some big kids running, and so.... she wanted to run... Run we did, and the whole time she is saying, "Come get me Momma!"

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If she only knew what that did to my heart... nearly leaps out of my chest!

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And now...

"I TOTALLY rock!"

Seriously, she is so funny!

I love you baby girl! I cannot wait until your birthday party... Sweets and Treats and wild neon pink, blue, purple, and green zebra!!!!! Whoo Hoo!

It should say...

"Daddy's Lucky Girls!"
I love her so much!!!