Blackberry Crisp

by Gracie


First, pick lots of blackberries.  Aim for the black ones, but throw in a few red and green ones for variety.  Talk to the "fwies" who are flying nearby while you pick.


When you mix the secret ingredients, do it with gusto.  As long as 75% of it remains in the bowl, it will be fine.  Don't worry about the mess.  Mom will clean that up later.  After pouring the mixture into the dish, you should really smash those berries.  Yell while you smash--it makes them juicier.

 

Enthusiastically pretend that you cannot wait to eat this delicious dish that you worked so hard on.  Take one small bite, wrinkle up your face, and say "Uck!"  Let your mom eat it ALL!

Bilingual storytime

by Gracie

I have always liked books, but lately I really, really love books.  I like to have some books in bed with me at night. If I wake-up in the middle of the night and go into my parents' room, I always take a book with me, although they have never agreed to read with me at 3AM. (On a sidenote, I'm once again out of the baby jail and in my big girl bed, and the last 2 nights I was perfectly agreeable at bedtime and slept in my bed all night!) I read or have my parents read to me as much as possible throughout the day. One of my favorite books lately is "Princess Baby," and I will share it with you now. Keep in mind that I'm translating the words into Gracienese as I read. Some words that are similar in Gracienese and English include baby, duck, Daddy, Mama, bye, and The End, so listen up for those.

Some other words that I've been saying lately that you might understand include bear, eat, fly, it's okay, cow, swing, slide, Allie, moon, and stars, and I recognize numbers 2, 5, and 8.  I think I'll master English before you master Gracienese!

Big sister lessons with Jillyboo

by Gracie

I had an awesome time with my Aunt Jill during her week-long visit.  I skipped right over the shy phase, and presented her with the books that I wanted her to read to me as soon as she sat down.  She's a great story-reader, and she brought me books about SkippyJon Jones, who is a cat who can paint, and who has a sister named Jillyboo.  I can't say Jillyboo yet, but I will!

We made brief visits to all the best sites in Savannah.  (Brief because that's all my little sister can handle.)  In exchange for my tour guide services, I got to make careful observations of how to be an awesome big sister.  I took Aunt Jill downtown where we took a tour of the historic home of the founder of the Girl Scouts, and visited River Street, including the candy kitchen, the jewelry stores, and a pirate ship.  We also visited the Oatland Island Wildlife Center.  There were alligators and wolves and such, but I really liked the "ducks" (birds), and feeding the turtles.  We made a stop at the beach at Tybee Island, but didn't stay long because my mom and aunt are scared of jellyfish.  We went to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, where I got to see baby sea turtles, baby alligators, and fish, and I got to touch live sand dollars, snails, and crabs.  We ate at restaurants a couple times, which was super fun since I hadn't done that since my sister arrived.  Everywhere we went, I got to hold Jill's "arm" (hand) so that my mom could handle Allison.

Aunt Jilly is also quite skilled at assembling Ms Potato Head, and coloring pictures.  We had a really good time together, however I did share her with my little sister, because big sisters share.  Here they are together.  Allison thought that our aunt was really funny.  And Aunt Jill crocheted her this beautiful blanket with "ducks" (owls) on it.

It was so lovely having Aunt Jill around.  She's so much fun, we got to go lots of great places, and her little sister (aka my mom) was stress-free!  I already see Allison watching what I do, so I hope that I am as good a big sister as my Aunt Jill!

Here's what I have to say:

by Allison

Bop, Grammy Pammy, & Giant Bunnies

by Gracie

It's been a few weeks since Bop & Grammy Pammy were here, and I've fallen behind on my bloggery, so time for a little trip down Memory Lane.  My time with my grandparents was really nice.  I had a constant audience for the Gracie Show, and extra personal assistants for all my special projects like bristle blocks, computer games, and monster puppets.

My grandparents were here for Easter.  We had a fantastic Easter outing to Holiday Farm in South Carolina, where I got to hunt eggs, swing, play in the sandbox, jump in the bouncy house, go on a hayride, pet a donkey (aka "cow"), and race tricycles.  I also encountered a very large rabbit.  Despite everyone urging me to get closer, I trusted my gut feeling and stayed at least 3 feet from this crazy-looking, overgrown bunny.

Grandma and I also dyed Easter eggs.  I enjoyed the way that the eggs plunked and splashed when I enthusiastically tossed them into the dye.  Of course, this technique did cause some cracking, which I repaired with lots of stickers!

A couple more highlights from my time with my grandparents were this super-fancy tutu that my Grandma made for me to wear when I practice my dancing, and sandtable time!  It was fantastic to get to do all these things without having to stop when my mom had to take care of my little sister.  Allison slept through or watched all of these activities.  She's getting a great preview of how fun life will be when she's 2!

Check back soon... I can't wait to tell you about all the fun I had last week with my Aunt Jilly!

Two too

by Allison

Yesterday, I turned 2 months old already!  I visited the pediatrician, and I'm a strong, healthy baby.  I weigh 13 pounds & 6 ounces, which is the 97% for babies my age.  I am 24 1/2 inches long, which is also 97%.  My head is 39.5 cm around, which is 70%.  Might my size be an early sign of my efforts to keep up with my big sister??

I've been watching Gracie pretty closely.  She looks like she has a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to playing with her.  I am not buying into her non-napping philosophies though.  I've tried her methods a couple of times, and it just made me grumpy.

Smiling at people is one of my favorite activities recently.  It's worth pushing myself up off the ground to get a look at this gorgeous baby, who always smiles back at me.

Naptime!