Rockin' with 'Moo
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| Decked out in our Elmo shirts and ready to go! |
My mom had been talking about my friend 'Moo (aka El-mooo, aka Elmo), for several days. She seemed strangely excited. She kept telling me that we were going to see 'Moo... yes, I see him every morning on Sesame Street. I didn't realize we were going to see the real 'Moo in concert!
I have to admit, I really didn't know what a concert was until the lights went out, and Big Bird himself walked out on the stage. 'Moo, Ernie & Bert, Grover, the Count, and the rest of them were not far behind. We sat in the 2nd row, and some of them danced right past me on their way to the stage!!
I had my first cotton candy, played with my spinning Elmo light toy, danced with my cool babysitter, and got an awesome Elmo balloon from my nice friend. Allison even stayed awake the entire time and didn't fuss a bit. She said she liked the colorful flashing lights. More 'Mooooo!
Photo of the Week
Sometimes no words are necessary. Introducing a new feature in the Gracie & Allison show:
Photo of the Week!
Photo of the Week!
Why We ♥ Daddy
by Gracie & Allison
There are so many reasons why we love our Daddy. These are just a few. It would be impossible to make a complete, comprehensive list of the reasons. He is the best Daddy that we have ever had.
*Dad is a human jungle gym. *Dad "sings" his own original songs about us. *Dad reads the best bedtime stories, and reads them different each time. *Dad makes it so Mom can stay home with us all the time. (This one is super important.) *Dad plays the blast-off game, and can spin so fast. *Dad shares his hot fudge sundaes. *Dad taught me (G) how to throw & catch a ball. *Dad makes sure the cashier gives us a balloon at the grocery store. *Dad keeps our mom 
mostly sane. *Dad takes me (G) swimming. *Dad gets all the big toys that Mom says she "doesn't want cluttering up her living room." *Dad gives hugs & smooches. *Dad makes the funniest faces. *Dad plays with us as soon as he gets home from work, even after a long, tiring day. *Dad is amazingly skilled at getting my (G) dinosaurs out of the claw machine at the arcade. *Dad cooks tasty rice.
*Dad drives a very long way to work & back so that we can live somewhere nice. *Daddy loves us. Like we said, those are just a few of the highlights of why our Dad is a fabulous Dad. Happy Father's Day, Dad! Thank you for all that you do to make our little lives so happy. We love you! XOXOXOX
Piggies & Hands
by Gracie
Although we've had a very eventful few weeks, it seems my mother's hands are always too full to take a lot of pictures. I've been attending my music class, shopping at the mall, playing with friends, going to birthday parties, picnicking at the park, and even saw Fiddlin' Dan the Mountain Man perform. And at home, I've been working on puzzles, drawing, teaching stuff to Allison, reading while sitting on my dogs, and working on my vocabulary. I've lost track of all my new words, but I can tell you I know colors bue and yeya, and numbers 2 thru 8.
I am proud to announce an exciting development in my life: piggy tails! They might be tiny piggy tails, but the point is that I finally have long enough hair to wear them.
And in Allie's world, the news is use of her hands. She's holding onto things like shirts, ribbons, blankets, and rings. This is just fine as long as she doesn't start grabbing my toys without my permission.
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| Forsyth Park |
Although we've had a very eventful few weeks, it seems my mother's hands are always too full to take a lot of pictures. I've been attending my music class, shopping at the mall, playing with friends, going to birthday parties, picnicking at the park, and even saw Fiddlin' Dan the Mountain Man perform. And at home, I've been working on puzzles, drawing, teaching stuff to Allison, reading while sitting on my dogs, and working on my vocabulary. I've lost track of all my new words, but I can tell you I know colors bue and yeya, and numbers 2 thru 8.
3 Months!
Hello friends & family!
All is well in babyland. I'm 1/4 of a year old already. My unofficial weigh-in is 14.5 pounds, and I am wearing 6 month size clothes! Between that and my luxurious locks of hair, I might catch-up to my big sister sooner than later.
Blackberry Crisp
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.
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!
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.
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!
