Grace vs. Dad

Today I showed Grace who runs this house. Take a look!

Asking for prayer this Mother's Day

Having Grace in my life is like having just the right song come on the radio at just the right time. You hear the first few notes, and something in your soul rises. You turn it up as loud as you can and before you know it your life is lost in the sweetness of the moment. It’s amazing how in some ways it can heal you by the time the song is done. Grace is a captivating melody that I never expected to be so wonderful. And as I love her, some of my pain and despair, some of my anxiety and complexity, just seem to drift away. It’s hard to put into words, but life is just better.

But, as I rejoice in the precious gift of Grace this Mother's Day, my heart continues to mourn for my dear friend, Andrea. Most of you know the story by now so I won't go into many details, but in early February, Andrea, her husband Scott, and their precious son Isaac (same age as Grace), were in a tragic car accident which claimed Isaac's life and the lives of two others. I ask this Mother's Day that you would please take a moment to pray for my sweet friend Andrea and for all the mother's who live with the day in and day out reality of losing a child. The need for healing runs deep and is something only God can do.

Lots to Catch Up On

Okay, so it's been awhile since we've posted some photos of Grace. So, here's a sampling of the past 6 weeks and some of what she's been up to...

A few weeks ago, Grace got a visit from her cousins and for the first time they all got to hang out together. She took her role as oldest cousin pretty seriously and yet wasn't afraid to tussle a bit with Cash. She took it easy on Jackson, but it won't be long before he may tower over her. As you can see, she loves giving kisses.






Here you can see one of Grace's newest pastimes which is taking all of the clothes out of the drawers and finding creative places to put them. On this day she chose a lazy Harley hanging out on his favorite window seat. He puts up with quite a lot!



Grace has recently become very adept at drawing and she meticulously works on her art with Abigail-like precision. She already holds her markers, crayon, pens and pencils with proper grip even though we've never taught her. As you can see, she's quite proud of herself!

Easter

Grace proved to be quite the pro at Easter egg hunting. I had thought that I was going to have to show her what to do, but much to every one's astonishment, as soon as she walked into the yard with her basket and saw the eggs scattered about she immediately started running around the yard and gathering the eggs. It was as if it was instinctive! She seemed a little disappointed when they were all collected. I actually regretted that I didn't really hide them. For a girl like Grace, that would have really made the whole event worth it. And what a wonderful surprise it was to her to find little treats hidden within each colorful egg! She sat very quietly at the kitchen table afterwards and carefully went through each egg to inspect the insides. She would savor every candy in the egg before moving on to the next one. Her favorite treat... Jr. Mints!

An Unexpected Weekend Surprise

This weekend Grace got a somewhat unexpected weekend from her good friend Brooklyn Brus. The two of them had such a great time together that we thought a video was in order. Take a look!

Closing in on 17 months!

In some ways Grace seems to become a little bit more mature everyday. But, in other ways, she's getting all the more kid-like which entails her more zany, rambunctious, and dare we say, defiant, side. She is constantly on-the-go and into some project. Her language ability seemed to change overnight last week. One day she didn't seem to articulate much and the next day it seemed as if she was able to copy most words we would say to her. Her new favorite word: Animals.
Grace is curious and independent, but also extremely cautious. She tends to run most things by mom and dad to see if they're okay. She likes people to interact with her, but doesn't like them getting too close (which has always been the case).
Her latest fetish: Shoes! She daily insists on which pair of shoes she's going to wear. We can't even walk her by a shoe store in the mall without her yelling "shoes" and demanding to touch them and try them on. She even goes up to other people's shoes and presses on their toes as if to make sure they fit (she learned this from us doing it to her when buying her a new pair). Even in Israel, we'd have to stop for regular shoe inspections. She's a total girl!
After visiting her cousin Jackson in Temecula, Grace and I stopped by a duck pond. If you've ever met Grace, you know that she has a thing for ducks (duck was one of her very first words). She was absolutely captivated!
She made a little friend there that seemed to share her duck love.

This is Grace's angel, Ruth. Many of you haven't had the opportunity to meet Ruth, but she is one of the greatest blessings in our lives. She adores Grace and Grace, in turn, seems to have a lot of peace and joy when she's with her. Ruth is also the reason why Grace only says certain words in Spanish like agua, hola, and silla (chair).

Winter Wonderland

On a sunny SoCal Sunday, Gracie pushed her little baby stroller all the way to Finkbiner Park for some fun in the sun. Check out the highlights below

Gracie Welcomes Baby Jackson

Last week Gracie got to meet her new cousin, Jackson Benjamin Gaines. As you can see below she was very gentle and captivated by this new little wonder. She did a lot of staring and then eventually tried to exchange his pacifier for hers. She looks forward to getting to know him and someday play together when Jackson is a little bit older.

To Israel and Back!

Well, on Christmas day we took off for a much anticipated trip to Israel! This was the 10 year anniversary of Jacob and I meeting in this captivating and mysterious place. Bringing Grace along seemed to complete the whole picture for us. Here's a few snapshots from our wonderful adventure to the city that we love so much.
First, I have to note what a wonderful job Grace did traveling. She did an amazing job on the plane trips, barely having one fussy moment! She surprised us with her flexibility and ability to adapt. We know that it was an answer to many of your prayers! Jacob and I say that she did better than we did!
Jacob and Grace atop the Mt. of Olives. It was a very steep climb pushing Grace along, but well worth it.
This is pretty indicative of Grace's morning naps on the go. This is her and I waiting to hop a bus to the Israel Museum to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls.
A view of the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock from the Jewish Quarter. This was a very special place for Jacob and I to go when we were schooling in Jerusalem. So we made a point of it most nights to make our way there.
As any true daughter of ours would, Grace loved Falafel!
Grace also discovered chocolate in the form of Chacobo bars- An ice cream bar with a chocolate bar center that Jacob has had a craving for since the day he left Jerusalem. Like father, like daughter!
I know... I know... Kissy picture! But, I just couldn't resist considering that this was the very rooftop overlooking the New City Jerusalem where Jacob and I first met and then professed our love for each other.
Enjoying the Jewish Quarter. This was our spectacular view from the King David, overlooking Jaffa Gate and the Old City Jerusalem. It was a perfect setting for our last night there.
Dad and Daughter at St. Peter's house in Capernaum.
Collecting sea shells along the Sea of Galilee, or as Gracie called it "Agua."
Beautiful sunset over the Sea of Galilee. Grace walking the ramparts around the Old City.
The Fam at the Western Wall.
Our final night on the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv.

A first time for everything...

So, a couple of days ago, Grace surprised both Jacob and I when she managed to take her own diaper off and then proceeded to take it over to the trash can, open the lid, and throw it away. I guess this shows how she feels about that. Cute smiles in front of the Christmas tree.
Just in case you were wondering... She has her bad moments:)


Grace and I put together our first Gingerbread house. We got it put together with only a few bites out of the walls! She loved pressing on the candy pieces into the frosting!

14 Months!

Grace turned 14 months yesterday! Life is just so much better with her in it.

The Latest

Sorry for the lapse in posts! Here's some recent pics of our sweetheart being silly with some free stickers from Trader Joe's and doing one of her favorite things-- digging through our flower pots! Everyday Grace's personality shines through more and more. She's full of life, energy, joy and determination. It's amazing to me how well she understands and communicates. When I told her this morning that it was time to change her diaper, she stood up from where she was sitting in the front of the house and walked all the way to her bedroom and reached up to her changing table (and this is a girl who Hates getting changed). Grace needs constant projects and tasks to keep her occupied. So, I send her on regular missions like "can you please take this to daddy" or "can you please throw this away" and "Grace why don't you pick a snack out of the cupboard" and "go pick out a book." Giving her a task can divert even the worse temper tantrums. I even put "accidental" spills on the floor so she can wipe them up with a paper towel. Her favorite toys these days are her Beauty and the Beast tea set and her Leap Frog refrigerator magnets that play music (lovingly given by Ben and Mary). Sometimes when she starts to get fussy about something I just tell her to go press "Farmer Tad" a character on the magnet set and this cheers her up 9 times out of 10!

The Sugar Plum Fairy Visits Glendora

Last night the Sugar Plum Fairy made a special appearance in Glendora and won the hearts of the city over as she graced the Glendora Harvest Party in Finkbiner Park with all of her splendor. Grace was too cute for words and seemed to love every minute of her Halloween romp. She went and went and didn't want to take her costume off. Abigail and I both commented how it was probably one of our most fun nights as her parents thus far. Such joy, and such beauty!

A trip to the patch!