Preschool Graduation and other stuff

Ronnie, my oldest child, has just graduated from preschool & will be heading to Kindergarten in the fall. It has been emotional because I can't believe he's going to school next year. He'll be boarding the bus and will be so grown up. The graduation ceremony was very sweet. They sang songs & each received a diploma. Before the ceremony, Gracie crawled to the alter in the sanctuary and played on it, danced on it, etc (is that sacrilegious?)

Cousin LeeAnn spent the night with Ronnie last weekend and had so much fun. I made brownies & they enjoyed licking the bowl. What a mess, but oh so cute. LeeAnn was reading a book & Ronnie asked her to read it aloud. She did such a great job reading & it was fun to listen to her.

For Memorial Day, we headed down to Jenny & Chris's house. Cousin Neva is just a week younger than Gracie. It was so fun to watch them play together. They even enjoyed chewing on Uncle Chris's dirty shoes. Too cute. Enjoy the pics...

Proud Momma!

Ronnie had a baseball game last night, in the cold rain. Why oh why does it ALWAYS rain on game days? I had Gracie all bundled up & sitting under my big golf umbrella, trying to keep us both dry. She screamed for 2 innings straight as she wanted to be down. Our team was being slaughtered by the other team 8-2, so I figured I would go ahead & go home. It's too hard to hold her for that long when she is trying to get down & it's raining.

Ronnie came home in the BEST mood I have ever witnessed from him. He was carrying the game ball. He told me that he got a single, double, & triple, scored 2 runs, had 3 RBI's & was player of the game. To top it off, they WON the game 10-8!!! I couldn't believe it. The one time I missed his game & all of this happened. He was so sweet & told me not to worry. He would have to hit it again so Momma could see. It was his turn to be picked for player of the game since the team rotates this honor (the kids are unaware). Ronnie was the last to be picked because until now, he hadn't really accomplished anything to be selected. Ron & I were worried that he wouldn't do much this game since it was a given that he would be picked due to the nature of rotation. Wow were we pleasantly surprised. I've never seen my 2 men so happy. Ronnie went to bed snuggling the game ball. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen!

Big smiles from my little girl

Gracie was in such a good mood today (despite not taking more than a 1/2 hour nap!) I had to get some pictures of her big, toothy grin. I also have a few pics from Mother's Day since I'm a slacker & haven't posted in awhile. We had Mother's Day at my house & the kids had a great time playing.

On another note, I am down 18.2 pounds now. Slow, very slow, progress, but enough to keep me going. Gracie keeps me on the go, so that helps me stay active.

Ronnie has pre-school graduation tonight. I can't believe he will be in kindergarten next year. He's getting so big & growing up so fast. He is a great big brother to Gracie & a good boy overall. I'll be sure to post pics of his graduation. He's still enjoying baseball & will occasionally get a hit & make it to first base. He's never made it past 1st. There are still a few more games left!

Please note on the first picture that practically every toy we own went into the play area. Gracie loved it! Ronnie & the neighbor girl, Emily, loaded up the area with toys to entertain Gracie, but I think they had just as much fun playing. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for loaning us this playpen. It's a great way to keep her safe.

Gracie was napping & missed the cousins picture!
Cheese!

Gracie - Another milestone!

Gracie stood by herself for about 10 seconds yesterday! Then she walked one step & I screamed for joy! It scared her & she immediately fell to the ground. But hey, she stood & took her very first step! I'm so excited for her.

Found this picture - Love it!

I was looking back at old pictures & don't know how I missed such a sweet picture. I just wanted to add it to my blog. Mother's Day was yesterday & we celebrated with a meal at my house. The kids always get along so well & had a great time. It's nice to get together with the entire family & all 6 cousins. I will post pictures of that after I have a chance to download them. Becky - don't forget to send me some pics! :)

Had to add this...

Sometimes I know I should be stopping her, but I have to sit back & watch Gracie as she learns. Even when I know I won't like the end result! She learned how to move the baby gate & get around it to crawl up the stairs. And she knew I would be mad, so she booked up as many stairs as she could before I stopped her. Yikes. I'm really in for it with her!

Little Gracie - Another milestone

She said Mommy! It's really "me me", but hey, it's close. She's been saying it all day, but she only says it when she's whiny. When she's really happy, she says dadadadadada! Annoying!

I have to share an oops story about a recent event that involved the near death of my wonderful daughter. Ronnie went on a bike ride & I was pushing Gracie in the stroller to the park. When we got back home, I couldn't get the stroller into the garage because my dear husband had once again claimed all of the space in our horribly cluttered garage. I stopped the stroller at the top of the driveway & proceeded to try & make a space for the stroller to fit into. I had to move the lawn mower, ladders, & a bunch of junk. All of a sudden, Ronnie asked where Gracie went. I looked all over for her & she was no where to be found. Then I looked across the street & there she was - sitting in her stroller in the grassy area. The stroller had rolled down the driveway & across the street & partially into the grass. There were 2 older people on mopeds who had stopped to make sure she was okay. I'm just glad they didn't call CPS! Poor Gracie was just so cute with no expression either way. She just went for a ride & didn't have a care in the world.

As if that wasn't enough, I was meeting my friend for pizza & drove our borrowed mini-van to the pizza place. We arrived a little early & Gracie was hungry. So I hopped in the back seat to feed her, but I forgot to put the van in park. I jumped back to the front seat & put my foot on the pedal to stop the van & accidentally hit the gas pedal! Somehow, luckily, I didn't drive through the window of the pizza place, nor did I hurt the van in anyway. I just had a very pathetic day!

Today, Ronnie had a baseball game & they went ahead & had the kids play even though it was raining. I am a rookie to these outdoor sports. All of the other mothers had golf umbrellas & here I come with baby in tow & no jacket, umbrella or anything. One of the mothers kindly shared her umbrella, but try holding a very active child in a very cold environment & enjoy the screams! She did not want to sit still & screamed for the 2 innings that they played until someone wised up & cancelled the game. I just sat there thinking that this will be my life as a mother for the next 15 years! I need to purchase a golf umbrella! Not any new pictures, so I'm throwing in some random pictures that I don't think I've posted before...

Where do I start?

I am a slacker. I haven't posted pictures in awhile. Spring is such a wonderful time of year. It's been fun getting the kids outside to play. We even had a day that was warm enough for the sprinklers! (According to Ronnie who doesn't mind being cold.) Gracie is becoming quite the climber. She loves to play outside, though she's still a little unsure of crawling in the grass. I took tons of outdoor pics including sprinkler pics. Too cute. Ron wasn't fond of her bathing suit. I guess it was too revealing for a 10 month old! Whatever. Unfortunately, I think poor Gracie has her Mommy's thighs. I haven't been posting about this, but I have been on my "farewell to fat" diet for 6 weeks now & have lost 14 pounds. I'm quite proud of myself, but I still have a gazillion to go! Wahoo! Just watch the fat melt away. :)

Ronnie has played in 3 baseball games now & has another one Saturday afternoon. It's so much fun to watch! He is doing okay & is so proud of himself. He likes to play in the dirt & sometimes he doesn't quite pay attention to what's going on. On to the pics...

Pull me through Big Brother!
I made it to the top!