Daily Dose of Gracie

Six years old and wise beyond years.

2012-01-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby turned six. Where in the world has the time gone? She received SO many birthday calls. She was a little overwhelmed and had no idea how to handle it.
We kept things pretty low key, no party, no big hoopla, just a family dinner and a few presents. I told her she could choose anything she wanted for dinner. Texas Roadhouse came up, I was excited, but then, the ultimate letdown. She choose Manwich and chips. Seriously. Nasty. But, that is what her heart was set on, so that is what she got. She also choose a lemon cake with pudding and cream cheese. Dad was not impressed. She and I were the only ones who ate any of it. It wasn't that bad actually.
Today while at the grocery store she needed a drink. While standing at the water fountain she said, "Holy cow! Being six makes it so much harder to drink out of this baby water fountain." Apparently she had some HUGE growth spurt between Monday the 23rd, and today the 28th. Turning six will do that to you folks. Watch out. She also had to pull out all of her "six year old clothes" she keeps in a tupperware under her bed.
She is cutie.
Welcome to the age of six Ms. Grace Perkins!!

Analogies of a Five year old-

2011-12-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight while tucking Grace into bed she said, "Do you remember how badly I wanted my pillow pet last year? I wanted it SOOOO bad! How badly I wanted it, that is how mean I feel you are being towards me. You ALWAYS make me do chores." Other than the part about me being mean, that is a pretty good way to describe her feelings! I was pleasantly surprised with her ability to get her point across. We had a really good talk about the fact that we will ALWAYS have chores to do. We walked through what would happen if we stopped washing dishes, doing laundry, vacuuming, etc. She got the point quickly. She realized it is less painful to take 15 minutes and do the laundry then to go to school naked. That is never fun!
I can't believe my baby is going to be six soon. She is growing up so quickly. I am amazed by her maturity some days, and frustrated by it others. This life is definitely a learning process.
I love my sweet Gracie Aryn.

Christmas time is on the horizon-

2011-12-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have heard of "Elf on the Shelf", get this...Gracie's friend has the elf at his house and asked Grace where her elf was. Well, I had every intention of getting said elf while shopping the other day, but I forgot. Heber is too small of a town to have this cute book, so I did what any desperate mom would do. I improvised. Big time. I concocted a letter from "Roofus". And who is Roofus you ask, he would be a small monkey from the North Pole. Santa sends him out when all of his elves are busy. So far, so good. Roofus returns to the North Pole every night to report on how Grace has done for the day. Grace is slightly freaked out by this little monkey watching her all the time, but on the other hand, she loves it! She wakes up first thing and runs around the house looking for him. So far she has caught him in the fridge eating Jake's pie, climbing the vines over the kitchen table, and roosting in our other plant. Tonight, he will be hiding in one of many balloons which I will blow up and place around the house. We will see how that goes:)

Grace for the past month and a half probably has been talking about a boy in her class named Austin. From the way she talks about him you would think they spend all of class talking. Turns out, he doesn't even sit at her table. She just really likes him. I don't know that I would mark this up as anything, but when Daddy asks her about him, she turns red and won't talk. Pretty funny.

Funny Grace-ism for the day "Mom, have you laughed today?" While holding out a laughing cow cheese. Needless to say, I laughed.

Welcome to Kindergarten-

2011-09-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

My baby started kindergarten. I almost cried. She, on the other hand, was just fine. When I gave her a hug before leaving, she grabbed Hudson (the baby I've been watching since April) and says, "It's ok Hudson. I'll be done really fast. You'll be ok. Sariah will watch you now." Apparently Grace has been the one babysitting, I've just been an innocent bystander. Good to know:) When I picked Grace up from kindergarten, she was all smiles. It was "the funnest thing in the whole wide world." Oh, and my personal favorite, "I had such a great time mom, I didn't even have time to think about you one bit." Sweet. I guess that is a good thing. According to Grace, Bryson cried for his mom two days in a row. She was perplexed that somebody would cry over such a simple thing as attending school. She has friends from church in her class, and a friend from last years preschool so she is doing great. One of her friends is a sweet little girl named Emmaline or Emmy. She and Grace are now bosom buddies. It will be interesting to see if Gracie's likes and dislikes change now that she will have a chance to play with girls. Right now she likes hotwheels, the color blue, mud, big trucks, police cars, firetrucks, playing 'cops n' robbers', and playing babies.

This week both Jake and I have been super clingy with Grace. Both of us wanting to hold her and snuggle any chance we get. Grace was up at 6:29 a.m. Tuesday morning to get ready for school. Jake was late for work because he was just holding her on his lap, kissing her head, and looking....dare I say, misty-eyed. The crazy thing about being emotional due to this change in our life, school is only two and a half hours! It is so short! I am not complaining, it just seems crazy.

On to other news--well there really isn't any other news. Grace is our life. We love our sweet, crazy, backtalkin', procrastinating, "I can do it myself-and better than you", monkey hugging, best snuggler, Pink Panther lovin, daughter. There you have it.

Things that make me go Hhhhmmmmm-

2011-08-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everything that come out of my sweet Gracie's face makes me go "Hhhhmmmm" Jake told me today that we need to get her checked out. Jake and I were trying to take a nap while Grace was on my laptop with the headphones on. Jake and I would just doze off when Grace would randomly shout something like, "Ms. McGuilicutty!! Yellow. AAAAAAHHHHHhhhh!" Seriously. She is something:)

I know I posted this on FB but I need to write it here for posterity! This week Grace and I had to run to Kamas on an errand. The errand took all of five minutes but we wanted to spend a little more time there so we went to the park, a new thrift store, and a few other places. Grace informed me that she was in dire need of using the bathroom. By this time it was around lunch so we decided to go to the deli at the grocery store. While we were waiting for a bathroom stall to open up Grace is jumping around, doing the bum clutch, she was having a REALLY hard time waiting. This little old lady finally shuffles out of the stall and Grace is in there in seconds. As soon as she sits down, she sighs, clasps her hands together and says, "Thank you dear Lord, I nearly pooped my pants." I, nearly choked. Not from the fumes from the previous occupant of the stall, but from laughter.
I never really know what to expect out of Gracie's mouth.

She is so excited for kindergarten to start. I am not. She has been my little sidekick since she was born and it feels all wrong to have her gone 5 days a week. She is a little social butterfly so it will be no big deal for her. I have the feeling though that I will be hearing from the teacher quite frequently. Being quiet is not one of her strong points. She does come by being a "Chatty Kathy" honestly. I was looking through Jake's report cards from grade school, on all of them the teachers wrote, "Jake's penmanship is improving, he needs to work on not talking to his neighbors." Or something along those lines.

This coming week will be our last full week with just the two of us before we both go back to school. I think we are going to go to the lake, park, Dairy Keen, bike rides, and maybe just watch cartoons late one night. Come join us if you'd like!

Summertime Fun

2011-07-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

This summer has been full of fun adventures. Bike rides, playing in the sprinklers, going for walks, fires in the mountains, pretty much we have been spoiled. I love living here in Heber. When Grace and I go out in the morning and there are hot air balloons flying around, the mountains are so green, and the sky is so blue, we just fall in love all over again with this beautiful valley. And that is what gets me through 9 months of winter!

Grace has been in her usual character; saying crazy things, doing crazy things, crying about crazy things, pretty much we would go crazy without her. She is a handful, but such a cute handful if I do say so myself! The current habit I am trying to break with Grace is this..."Hey Woman, aren't you going to feed me today? It is 1100:00 o'clock and I am starving." (or) "Let's go Woman." Grace's wonderful father called me woman, I told him not to, so now Grace does. Thank you Daddy.

Another thing that Grace is into right now is babies. Playing babies. She has four different boys that she plays this game with. From what I have observed this game is played by one of the boys being the "daddy" and Grace plays the "baby". Which means, the daddy has to go to work, fix stuff around the house, and she, as "baby" has to lay around and cry or be fed. The game does have various alterations where they bring an actual baby doll to play the role of "baby" and she and boy-toy play the roles of father and mother. I have heard each of these four boys tell her that they need to finish their game. Funny thing about this game...it never ends! While I have watched her play this game, I have come to a startling discovery; Grace is bossy. (I say startling because it sounds better, but if you recall, she does call me Woman and demand things.) I better lay the smack down before this gets out of control!

Always with the titles...not my favorite.

2011-02-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

It started with Uncle Lee coming...ok, that is not totally true. It escalated with Uncle Lee coming. Grace is completely obsessed with poop. She wants to talk about it, sing songs about it, call people strange names involving it. I hear more about poop in a day than any mother (of a daughter) should. She and her best friend Will make up ridiculously silly ryhmes about poop. Well, I guess she went to far. On Tuesday when she came home from school she told me she wouldn't be getting a turn at helping hands in preschool. I assumed it was because she had had a turn that day. Big mistake. Ms. Katie told me today that she didn't get a turn due to her "potty language". Some kid ratted her out for saying poop. Better to hear her say poop than what she said to Jake and I on Sunday. That conversation went like this; Me, "Grace, would you like strawberries and cottage cheese for lunch? Grace: "Mom, I want sliced strawberries but I don't want your DAMN cottage cheese!" I bawled my eyes out I was laughing so hard. Methinks this is not a great way to discourage your kid to NOT do something:) Oh well. Being a mom doesn't come with a handbook. It is a learning process. Some days I get better grades than others. So now Grace is trying really hard not to talk about, sing about, or make up names about poop.
Even with all my sweet Gracie's talk about poop, I love that kid. Where would I be without her? She makes Jake and I laugh so hard. She is a live wire. Yesterday while I was cleaning the bathroom, she went downstairs, got some of Jake's tools and took a part her piano. Completely dissasembled it. That girl needs her own tool bag and something cheap she can destroy with no strings attached.
Sometimes it may seem that I only blog about Grace because she has done something crazy and that is why I go so long in between posts...I am just waiting for her to act. Ha HA! What a joke. That girl never stops. For instance, three days ago she drew measles in semi-permanent marker or her friends face. Yep. All over his cute little face were little red dots. And the grin on her face could've melted your heart.
All in all, I live with a crazy, cute, loveable, poop lovin, 5 year old that makes me smile:)

Questions from a Pirate-

2010-10-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

"Mom, do pirates wipe their bums? Do they poop over the ships railing? Do pirates buckle up in the car? Do pirates like chicken nuggets? Do pirates always hide their treasures? Do pirates like traffic? Mom, what do pirates say when they get hurt? Do they say 'Ahoy Matey that hurts really bad'? "
This started at 3:30 and ended at 7:30 p.m.
Happy Birthday Ellery!! Grace loved your pirate party! I can't believe that you are already 5 years old. Time flies by like a swashbuckling pirate:)

Sometimes it is easier to talk about the one you love....while they are sleeping!

2010-10-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

Grace has done it. She has hit the "terrible two's". I am so excited! :( She is only 2, wait according to her, 2 and a half years late. She has been the ultimate skunk lately. It would be funny if it wasn't so stinkin constant! (It is 2:19 a.m. as I write this, bear with me.)
It started out funny. I'm on the phone with my nieghbor when Grace comes to sit on my lap. No biggie, she usually does this. Only today she decides it would be funny if she repeats EVERYTHING I say. Okay, this is cute. We laugh, all is well. Then she won't stop! Aaauggghhh. Not so funny anymore.
Now we have moved onto asking 5 billion questions about everything. Example: "Mom, where is hell? Why does Satan live there? What does 'live' mean? Mom, um, do you, um, Mom, now, where was hell again?"
And then there is my personal favorite. Ask me a question and then tell me I'm wrong.
Grace- "Mom, what are bees doing to the flowers?" Me- "They are pollinating the flowers." Grace- "No they are not. Ms. Katie told me they are just resting on them."
Me- "If you know the answer to the question, then why the ~~HELL~~ heck did you ask me?" (This part of the conversation usually is only said in my head.)
But....my skunk daughter has another side. Which I absolutely LOVE! (I love this side, it just takes a lot of patience. Some days I have more than others:)
When I pick her up from preschool and she says, "Mom, I missed your guts right out of you! How was class? What did you do?" Then, she just melts my heart.
She is "Amazing Grace" I never know what she is going to say or do. Like sing to everyone in Smith's while grocery shopping. I am sure that all the shoppers enjoy hearing "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints" belted out opera style while they are shopping.
My sweet Piglet can always make me smile!

Holy Smokes!

2010-08-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week with my little/big girl. She seems to be growing in leaps and bounds this week. She is making me laugh like crazy:) The week started with her learning how to snap her fingers, then she moved on to tying her shoes by herself, then she took her training wheels off (again) by herself and within one minute of me trying to hold on the back of her seat she was off on her own. She is now riding a two-wheeler. What a huge week of kid milestones! She is so excited that she is just grinning from ear to ear. Can't blame the kid. I feel the same way.
Last Sunday morning, she and Jake were lying in bed and Jake asked Gracie if she could go anywhere in the world, where would she go? She responds without any hesitation; "San Diego of course." When I asked her why she said "Because whenever we leave Tom and Monique's house they always say 'bye, come back and visit soon.' So that is why I wanna go back there Mom." Makes perfect sense.
With such a big week for her it seems a shame to end the week with her being sick. Poor thing has a fever, headache, etc...Bladder infection again I believe. No fun.

Questions-

2010-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Why? Do you know that I hate that small word! It sounds so innocent. Before I had a child I thought it was cute when I would hear other youngsters ask this question. I love hearing Gracie tell stories. I love hearing Gracie telling me about her day. I love so much about Grace. I am not so fond of the never-ending questions though! "Why can't I blow bubbles in my milk?" "Why are the ants climbing up that little boy and biting him?" "Why did Will take his toy away from me?" "Why are you rolling your eyes at me?" "Why can't I eat cookies for breakfast?" "Why does Kenny drink so much beer? (the neighbor)" "Why is that car green?"
"Why are you smashing your head agaisnt the wall?" Or, what I am listening to now. "Sariah, can we go downstairs? Can we? Right now? Can we? I wanna go downstairs. Can WE? Downstairs would be fun. I wanna go down there." Breath. "How bout now?" That conversation takes place in about 2.4 seconds. My mind does not work that fast!
Thank goodness for water balloons. "What? I didn't hear you! Splat! Oh, you wanna know why I just threw that water balloon at you? Why? Why? Because I can."
The end.

~Father's Day~

2010-06-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!
I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who is an incredible father. He is such an amazing dad. He inspires me to be more patient with Grace. I am so glad that I married him! For father's day this year, Gracie and I had our pictures taken to give to Jake. He has no pics of just the two of us. Grace and I had a great time having Aunt Faith do our little photo shoot. And Aunt Jack-Attack was kind enough to get us ready for them. I am surrounded by goodness! So, these are for you Jake--

Of course, a post wouldn't be complete without a Gracie story...
While standing in the bathroom getting ready for the day, Grace walks up behind me and puts her hands on the back of my shirt and starts shaking my back. This is how that ended--Grace "UUhh, how come you have a back like that and I don't? Me-"A back like what?" Grace- "How come your back is all boingy and mine is just flat? That is not fair." Me-"Gracie, this back took a lot of hard work. Do you have any idea of how much cake, cookies, milkshakes, and chocolate I had to eat to get my back like that?!"
Leave it to Grace to point out that I have a "boingy" back. Good thing it came across as a compliment:)

Rexburg

2010-06-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Gracie and I drove up to Rexburg, Idaho with my parents. What a great trip! Grace was so excited to see her Aunt Hope:) She loves that girl. Grace played with her cute little cousins Stratton and Jesse the entire time. They played so well together. It was such an amazing weekend just for that reason alone. There was no crying, whining, hittting, biting, etc...They just played, and played, and then played some more. Amazing that three four year olds can play that well together. When we left Rexburg Grace bawled her little eyes out. She was so sad to be leaving her cousins:( Poor thing.

Okay, as I sit typing this Gracie is running around talking to herself and snatching tools out of Jake's shop to work on her dump truck. As she is 'working' on her dump truck she keeps repeating "This jalopy is falling apart!" And, "you break it, you buy it!" Thank you Uncle Chad for buying Jake the first season of "Small Wonder". Grace is now hooked:)

Before I forget--

2010-06-08T12:21:00.001-07:00

On Sunday Gracie was having a tough day. Up too early that morning, up way too late the night before...you get the idea. She was pooped. I was trying to get her to calm down and relax so she would fall asleep.
Here is a glimpse into our evening; Me, "Grace, you need to say your prayers." Grace; " Dear Heavenly Father, I am thankful for this beautiful day. And I am thankful for NOTHING. Amen." She was pretty cranky. Then it was, "No Gracie, we cannot read Olivia saves the circus. We already read our bedtime books. I will be glad to read that to you in the morning when you are not so tired." Grace, "I am not tired Mom!" Me "Okay Grace, you are not tired, but it is bed time. So close your eyes and I will tickle your back." I started tickling her back and thinking about our day. It felt like the whole day was filled with me saying "No Grace. We can't do that because... Or, No Grace, don't do that." As I was tickling her back I just started telling her little things. Me, "Grace, you are so good at so many things. I can't believe how fast you are on your bike. You are so good at sharing your toys. You were so reverent for at least five minutes in church today (not consecutive mind you!). You are so good at giving hugs." No response from Gracie. "Sniff, sniff. I have a bugger in my nose, can I go get a tissue?" She comes back into her room and lays back down. Two seconds later she is BAWLING. When I asked her what was wrong she said; "I, I, you, well, that was just so nice of you to say that I am good at ttthhinngs!! WahWah!" And the dam broke. It was bad enough to pull Dad out of the basement at top speed. He comes rushing into her bedroom thinking I was beating his princess. When Jake asked her what was wrong she said, "Nothing." That's it. She was not about to bother trying to explain this outburst to a man! Even if that man was her Daddy. Jake left the room very disappointed:( We tried the bedtime routine again. Tickle back, take a deep breath, and she was asleep.

Moving on. The other day Piglet asked me to take her training wheels off of the princess bike. I said no. I told her to ask Dad when he got home. Gracie asked Dad, he said no. (Last time we took her training wheels off, she wanted them back on in about an hour.) Jake and I were talking when Gracie disappeared downstairs. She walked up the stairs and straight out the back door. Jake asked me what I thought she was doing. I told him I was pretty sure she was trying to take her training wheels off herself. Why did I think this? Because if somebody had told me they wouldn't help me, then by dang...I'll do it myself. Sure 'nough. Jake said, do you think she really could have found the right wrench out of my huge drawer of wrenches. Yep. By the time we got out the door (maybe four minutes) she had already taken off one of her training wheels. Mom's determination, and Dad's mechanical ability. We are in for a long ride!

Yesterday~~"Mom, Dad and I are sick of hearing you chattin your head off on the phone. We are going for a bike ride. Dad's riding his motorcycle. I'm riding my princess bike. Bye, I love you."

And that, is a glimpse into the life of my 4 year old!

10:24 p.m.

2010-05-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

10:24 p.m. Gracie lying in between Jake and I in bed with her arms folded across her chest. "Well guys, what are we going to do today?" Me- "We are going to bed Grace." Grace- "Well that doesn't sound like much fun."
10:26 p.m. Grace-"ZZzzzzzzz" And she is out!

So after being called a "syphilis donut" by Grace the other day, and then laughing hysterically afterwards, she is now trying to concoct new outlandish names to call me so she can make me laugh more. She is also asking me strange questions such as; "Do you have gonads Mom?" "Nope Grace, I wasn't standing in the gonad line in heaven, missed that one completely. Thanks for asking though."

Two days ago Grace was standing right in front of my face with her hands clear down the back of her pants scratching her hiney (a.k.a. her butt). When I told her to get her hands out of her pants she replied "But my hiney is just so darn itchy. This is the itchiest hiney day ever." Good to know Grace.

I realize how totally random this post is. But then, so is Gracie. I am sure that like my own thoughts, the things she says are somehow connected and make sense. They just don't come out that way!

Mom--

2010-04-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Mom, stick your tongue in my baby's mouth. It tastes so good. You will love it. Tastes just like applesauce. Yummy. Can I have some applesauce please mom?"
This girl is so funny! I may be a tad bit biased, but she really does crack me up:)

Well, my sweet husband turned 33 on Wednesday. My Dad turned 54 on Wednesday. My sister graduated from BYU yesterday. And another sister turns 22 today. My nephew turned 5 on Monday. Oh, and Mom and Dad are on their first official vacation. Cancun, all expenses paid. It has been a busy week! But a fun week. It is always fun to get together with family and hang out. In two weeks the family is going to Moab to camp, four wheel, and eat. I'm so excited!

Okay, on Jake's birthday...I totally blew it. I was the lamest wife ever. Hands down. The only thing I bought him was a pair of jeans. Lame. So on Thursday I went and bought him a 1/8 scale r.c. car. Since he hasn't stopped talking about it, I think he likes it!

2010-03-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Since this is my "All about Grace blog" I thought I would add more "Grace'isms"

Yesterday she had her friend over and while I was in the kitchen making dinner I could hear the two of them chatting at the fish tank. Here is what I heard...Will "Gracie, what are those fish doing?" Grace--"Oh, they are just jealous." Will--"Yeah, they are jealous." Gracie, "They are in jail." Will--"They are bad." Gracie--"Yep, they drank alcohol. They are drunk. See how short they are?"

I laughed so hard listening to them. She is like this all day long! She keeps me on my toes for sure:)

Well-It's only been a year! I can still do this can't I?

2010-03-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ha, I just stumbled on this blog of mine that I started last year. So, here goes...first of my attempt of 2010 to be a 'blogger'. More luck than last time will be needed.
The only reason I want to write on this blog is due to my sweet 4 year old with all of her crazy funny sayings. If I don't write them down, I will forget. And she has some pretty wild conversations, so I'd like to remember them!
Here goes!

Spring

2009-04-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Spring is trying so hard to come! This week has been so beautiful. Gracie has been my little side-kick everywhere I go. We've had a great time. Yesterday we had a great "Happy Un-Birthday" party with her cousin Ellery, and a friend Carly. They kept me in stitches the whole time. They dressed up, danced, ate cake and ice cream, made necklaces, and watched a movie. Good times. Ellery kept saying, "This is the best birthday party ever!" I'll post pictures a little later. By a little later I mean, in a couple of months:)

Its been awhile-

2009-03-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been awhile since I've written anything. It seems like so much has changed in the past couple of months.
Jake, Gracie, and I were able to spend a weekend down in St. George for Jake's "small" hobby. It turned out to be a crazy busy weekend but we had a great time. Jake was finally able to fly his planes with Jay. That is a pretty huge accomplishment. I was able to hang out with my sister Timi Joy, and with Jay's fiance Joy. I had a great time with both.
The week we got home I got a phone call from my lawyer...the 10th district court made their decision on my case, all in my favor! It is still a long way from over but it is a giant step:)
In the same week I got a call from my dad. He told me that my Mom had found a lump during her annual check-up and had to go in for a biopsy the following week.
We found on the next week that she has breast cancer. I still cannot wrap my mind around this. My Mom doesn't get breast cancer. It has been hard to come to terms with this info.
The day I found out about my Mom I was SO sick. I think I had type b flu. Cold chills, fever, cough, hit by a bus feeling. Yuck. That lasted all week long until it turned into a sinus infection which caused 1/2 of my face to swell up to look quite "Who-ish" Jake, my dear sweet husband kept referring to me as "Sariah-Lou-Who" But I really couldn't argue with him. The day I woke up looking like a Who was Friday the 13th. Also my baby sister Faith's wedding.
The wedding was wonderful. I still can't believe my baby Faithy is all grown up and married. She and Jame's seem like a great match. Everyone had such a great time. I love getting together with my family. Jake was so wonderful. He came down to my parents for the family dinner and only made a handful of comments on my appearence. What a stud. Then he went rock climbing with Erika and her boyfriend. Next time I get to go!!
Faith's reception turned out so great. We were loving how casual everything was. The decorations were so cute! And oh...the cheesecake was to die for. Yummy.
Anyway, this is way too long. Now that Faith is married, we are preparing for Timi's wedding which is in a couple of weeks. After Timi's wedding, Mom goes in for a masectomy. No fun.
Since I don't want to end on such a downer, I'll relate a Gracie moment. She's full of those funny things.
Today when we got in the car after church I asked her how nursery was. She told me that Julian, her best friend pulled down his pants to show her his new red dino undies. So she pulled up her dress and showed him her cute polka dot undies. This must stop at this age. I cannot handle this when she is older:)
Grace to Jake today; "Dad, do you think I'm an odd little girl?" What a character:) We have so many laughs with her around.
Sorry this is so long! Maybe I can keep up with this now.

Crazy times

2008-12-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to leave for Missouri tomorrow and we have so much to do! We are excited to get this trip underway. Probably me more than Jake, he hates the drive. I LOVE being in the car for so long. Gives us a time to just chill with each other and answer all of Gracie's questions and concerns. I don't remember if I wrote this or not in another blog so forgive me if I did...a couple of weeks ago when we found out that Monique and Tom were not going to Missouri Jake made the mistake of saying to me joking "Monique and Tom don't love us, they are not going to Mo this year." Gracie overheard him and the next day just started bawling. When I asked her what was wrong she told me she was sad that Tom and Mo don't love her anymore. :( I had to turn around because I was laughing so hard. She was so distressed.
Monique, since you are one of the two that read this blog...enjoy your new found peace. I don't blame you a second for staying home. Enjoy your "new" home with your very own little family:)
And Ann-Marie since you are the second person who reads this blog-have a fantastic trip! Don't worry about Brad:) Weather permitting we will be there on Sunday to help you brave the Moberly ward!
Merry Christmas everyone!

Mom, are they Jewish?

2008-12-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

This is Gracie's most recent favorite question. We were at the store and she just started asking if certain people were Jewish. After she asks about random people she will get more specific and ask about people we actually know. Jake taught her to say "Peurto Rican Jew" except Gracie pronounces it "Pork and Jew" So the ward missionaries are over the other night to meet Jake and Gracie asks me if they are pork and Jews. That girl makes me laugh!

Gracie paints herself

2008-11-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Gracie loves painting and doing anything 'crafty'. This afternoon we painted our pictures and then I went in to wash out the brushes. When I came back in Grace had painted her face and her hands bright blue! I love it. I just had to laugh because she was so excited to show me her creation. Her face is still bright blue, she just had to show Dad when he got home. He laughed as well:)

Yesterday Gracie walked in the room with my purse and says; "Mom, I'm going to San Diego, California. I'll be back later. Love you Mom! -Then- Hi Tom, Hi Monique, Hi Mya! Want to go to the beach?" She has quite the imagination.

Home is the best-

2008-11-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Gracie and I have been home for a whole week now. What a wonderful week!! We babysat for two weeks in Park City. That went well. The kids that we hung out with were great. I took another babysitting job the same day that that job ended. So Thursday morning we dropped one set of kids off at school, took one mom to the airport, got back just in time for the next mom to get in from the airport, Grace was able to squeeze in a nap, take a History exam, then off to pick up a next set of kids, guitar lessons, piano lessons, Jake's done with work, Charity arrives with kids, Michaela, Mark, Seth, Levi, Elaina, sigh...dinner...clean-up, Erika and Ellery come over to visit. So that was an idea of how busy we all were:)
It was great weekend with all of my siblings here, just jam packed. Jake was a saint and he took Gracie while all of my sisters and I went to get facials, manicures, and scalp massages. It was awesome!
Mom's party went well. She walked in about 5 minutes early for her surprise party. Kinda surprised us instead of the other way around. But it was a fun night.
Jake and I are coping with Gracie reverting back to two year old behavior. She's decided that she wants to be potty-trained again because her best friend is. So she just goes the bathroom wherever!! Aaaaaaahhhh:( Frustrating.
For my funny Gracie story of the blog....Gracie wanted to go home with Jake one night while I was in Park City. So I was bringing her over to Jake's work and she was asking me if we were going to Dad's work, when I told her that we were she said; "Mom, are we going to Harm and Evils?" Well the job site is Cam-Harv's so I thought that was what she was saying. Tell about 1/2 hour later I realized that she was referring to when we say prayer in the morning and ask that "no harm or evil will come upon dad" Funny kid! So she does listen to prayers.

"It isn't scary Dad, no bears are coming!"

2008-10-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ann-Marie Marchant came over to play with us. We had such a great time visiting with her. She suggested that we go on the Heber Valley Railroad Haunted canyon ride. It was awesome. This is Gracies version of what happened last night.

"A train did hit a car and it did go right into the water. Crocodiles. Last night, hmmm..Ann-Marie going on a train. We did go'ded in the car and say bye-bye, and all those people were waiting to get on the train. The train Toductor (Conductor) said 'All aboard'. Monsters came in, girls were screaming. There was two werewolfs coming in and out and in."

Pretty much that is the evening in a nutshell according to a 2 year old. The train ride lasted for 35 minutes, the announcer was telling these stories the whole ride up and as he told them we would pass the people outside of the train. Then the train stopped and all these people dressed up as various things came on the train and terrorized/teased all of the kids on the train. Good times!

Yet again, this is for you Monique...

2008-10-25T11:38:00.001-07:00

Jake told me I had to update the blog because Monique said so:) Life is crazy here as usual.

Between being mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, student, leader, ect..ect..I have been trying to get this Boutique up and running. It has been a long time coming and a ton of hard work, but we are open!!

Gracie and I go over there Tuesdays and Thursdays for a couple of hours, and I am thinking about being open on Saturdays for a few hours as well.

Other than that going on, we are getting ready to go babysit for the next two weeks in Park City.

I met the dad for the first time yesterday. This should be interesting. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Life in the Perkins home

2008-10-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have a few moments and thought I'd update...for Monique and Ann-Marie's sake. You both should feel very lucky:)

We had a great time this past weekend. I left Friday night for Id. and Jake stayed at Sharon's so he could hang out with Jay.

Idaho was very fun, but very, very fast! Ben and Kelsie's home is beautiful. Kelsie has the most amazing ability to create awesome living spaces. They've been in their new home for 4 weeks and the whole place is decorated to the tenth degree. Blows my mind. I have about 4 pictures hung and we've been living here for 2 years. Ha! Oh well. The baptism went so well. Ben had already told me the week before that he was going to be emotional. He was right. He bawled like a cow! It was neat how many families showed up to support Eric. During his conformation Gracie, again in her "quiet" voice says; "Uncle Ben is crying mom!" and my personal favorite..."Mom, I have a wedgie, move your arm so I can get it." Yep, that is a once in a lifetime experience. Oh wait, she said the same thing during sacrament meeting. It never ends with her.

When I got home Saturday night from Idaho, Jake and Jay were in Heber getting ready to fly airplanes. So we went over there with them. Good times.

Sunday morning I'm trying like mad to clean up Sharon's (Jake and I have different standards of clean). So I don't do anything for breakfast. Kinda fend-for-yourself day. So it was an all out cereal morning, not a big deal. Then I'm riding back down to Heber with Jay, Jake had ridden his bike up there, and Jay gets a text from Mike saying Happy birthday. I felt like such a heel. Jake had told me it was Monday. We did nothing for him! And he is 30!! Hopefully Jay doesn't hold grudges. Sorry Jay:(

This week I started a little preschool for Gracie and her friend Julien Thomas. He came over and the two of them learned about tigers, and leafs. We had a really fun time. We are planning on doing preschool two times a week.

Well, Gracie and I are off to Traci Johnson's boutique. I've got to get it organized so I can send out fliers to get some buisness going. Next week will be the breaking moment. We are going down to Monticello to do a big sale. Keep your fingers crossed that it goes well!

Another weekend at Sharon's

2008-09-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

We are here in Park City, housesitting for our friend Sharon for the weekend. We really love being here. Her house is beyond huge! She has a putting green, b-ball court, pool table, rockband (for Jake), and a ton of other fun things. Gracie is pretty sure that this is our "other" house. We will let her think that for a while longer.
Tomorrow Grace, Erika, and I are going to Rexburg, Id. for my nephews baptism. We will be back Saturday afternoon. This is a very short visit, but I'm sure it will be fun. Jake is really, really excited because Jay Shelby is coming to visit. He's been wanting him to come for such a long time.
Funny story...today when we were at the grocery store this big guy got out of a truck next to us and moaned as he got out. Gracie says in her very loud voice; "Mom, I just heard that cow moo!" I am loving the fun things she says.

Another week gone by...

2008-09-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

This week has been awesome! We've had such a great time with our family. My sister Charity came with her two adorable kids Caleb, and Johnny Boy on Monday and was able to stay until Wednesday night. Besides Gracie bullying Caleb around, we had a wonderful time. We were able to go fishing, go to the park, go get ice cream cones, just lots of fun things for little kids!

On Tuesday night Erika, Timi, Faith, Hope, Ellery, and Andrea all came up for dinner. There was lots of talking, laughing! Poor Jake was very outnumbered:)

Yesterday we were able to go hiking with our friends in the Uintahs. What a beautiful place we live in! We had such a great time with them. Gracie really held her own on the hike.

After our hike Faith, Ellery, Erika, and James came up. Faith was a sweetheart (like always) and watched the girls while we went on a double date with James and Erika for Erika's b-day.

This was the 2nd date Jake and I have been on without Gracie in a year! Fun stuff!

Today was Stake conference. Gracie and I went and had a awesome time. It was a stake conference with 135 other stakes! It was huge. There was great music and awesome messages.

Another week has gone by! I'm excited for the next one.

--Crazy days--

2008-08-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

This week has been crazy trying to catch up on life. From the moment we got home I feel like we've been going 90 mph. I've been doing fun outdoor things with Gracie b/c it is supposed to snow on Monday. Cramming summer activities into one week can wear a girl out.
My sister Charity is going to come here this week so that should be fun to have her and her two adorable boys to hang out with.
School started on Wednesday. Nothing earth shattering to report about that yet. I'm only taking two classes so it is pretty chill.
Today was a quiet morning of r.c. airplanes, then a crazy afternoon of cleaning and re-arranging. Jake was a total stud and helped me get everything back in place. It feels great to have the house more in order
That is all for now!

Dr. visit

2008-08-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

The doctors visit went well. Besides Gracie crying from the moment the nurse measured her til the moment we got into the car to leave. Not just a few tears, full blown terror, bawling her eyes out crying. For some reason she was under the impression that her doctor was Sonic Drive-In. That was a rude awakening.

Anyway, she is healthy. No worries about eating lbs of sand, dirt, chalk, and other misc non food items. So other than being traumitized by having some strange guy look in her ears, shes great!

Monique...this is for you!

2008-08-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, here goes nothing! I'm officially starting our family blog. Here is proof that peer pressure is real:) We just got back from San Diego, California yesterday. What a great time we had! We were able to spend the weekend with Monique, Tom, Jay, Joy(Marsh), Jeremy Shelby and my sister Erika, niece Ellery, ect... It was a fun filled trip full of great friends, family, and food.
We experienced wild animals, jet skiing, sore muscles, sunburnt bodies, amazing bbq chicken, strange flashing lights in the sky, temple guards, border control guards, bottomless steak fries, full stomachs, and car crashes. Very eventful trip. Jake slept from around 3:00 p.m. til 7:00 a.m. this morning. Gracie went to bed at 8:30 last night and woke up at 10:00 this morning. It is good to be home but only because we were sick of being in the car all night. Grace wanted to know if we were going back to the beach today. I guess the 3 lbs of sand she ate didn't quite fill her up. Which reminds me that I need to take her to the Dr. tomorrow and ask if I should be worried that my 2 1/2 year old likes to eat sand by the lb. I'll let you know!