Grace's B-Day!

Grace had a birthday packed weekend, that's what happens when so many people love you!

Saturday we had a party at Mike's parents house, Grace's aunt Beth came up with a puppy party theme and it fit Grace perfectly. Grace LOVES puppies, dogs, pretending to be a puppy, brushing dogs, feeding dogs-pretty much everything!

Grandma Ruth made this puppy bowl cake, complete with puppy chow (whoppers), and Aunt Caitlin added the paw prints, it really turned out cute!

Before the puppy transformation...

Beth decorated all the kids faces-

Grace even has a dog whistle in her hand-Grace was Puppy Pongo!

Daisy- or Puppy Lucy :)

Max or Puppy Nono.

Grace decorating her dog house

After the puppy transformation the puppies went downstairs to look for bones, they were suppose to crawl like puppies, but they were too excited!

Grace opening her presents-

Max trying to blow the candles out on her cake...yep he's the little brother, and the tease!

Sunday we went up to my moms house and had a combined Mike, Bracken and Grace birthday dinner. Taco bar, one of my favorites! We had cake and pie and hung out as a family.

Then for her actual birthday yesterday we were planning on taking the kids to Boondocks, but Grace wanted to go to the zoo. At first I said no, I had about 15 loads of laundry and it was my cleaning day, but then I thought, how many 50 degree, dry days do we get in January, and it happened to be her birthday- so away we went!

The animals were all really active and we got to see a brand new baby monkey, the gorillas were sitting right by the glass and Grace said "Sit!" and Max sat down and then the gorilla sat down, she was very proud.

When Mike got home from work we still took the kids to Boondocks, they always have fun there.

So, Grace is 4, every January 17th at about 6 pm I think about the day before Grace was born, starting to feel back pain, my water breaking at home and then being in labor for 26 hours. I remember thinking on the way to the hospital about how far I was dilated and thinking that because my water had broke maybe I was at like a 4 or a 5, and then how silly I felt when they told me I wasn't quite to a 1. That was a long, hard day!

But now, 4 years later it doesn't seem so bad. I love to see how smart Grace is. She remembers so many things, she's really good with directions (giving them, not so much taking them), she uses big words and most of the time they are in the correct context.

Grace likes to sing and dance play dress up. She has a tote full of dress up clothes, shoes and play necklaces, every single day she changes into it. I love it!

Grace loves Barbies and ponies, this past year her Aunt Mary gave her a Barbie doll house and

lots of Barbies, she plays with them every day!

Grace's favorite movie right now is Despicable Me- which she bought with her birthday money from Grandma Kate, she also likes Scobby Doo and Harry and the Hendersons. Her favorite TV shows are Martha Speaks (imagine a talking dog is her favorite?) and Spongebob (which I HATE!)

She will not wear clothes with tags in them, she doesn't like jeans because they are itchy and drives me crazy because she likes to run around naked. My mom says she's just like me when I was a kid.

Her favorite thing to eat is spaghetti and candy!

I can't believe that she will be in Kindergarten in 1 1/2 years...panic..panic...

Love you Grace!