A moment worth documenting...

So, tonight I did my usual ritual with Grace before bed (Jacob was gone). Jammies, brush teeth, change diaper, a handful of books, a small bottle, and then I rock her for a little bit before putting her in her bed. As I began to rock her tonight and give her the bottle, she looked up at me (I could just see her eyes by the light of the nightlight), spit the bottle out of her mouth, and said, "Mommy sing songs." I said, "Okay, what song do you want me to sing." Without thinking she replied, "About Jesus." In an instant I felt that little lump in the back of my throat, kissed her head, and said, of course I'll sing you songs about Jesus. I have to mention that I can't remember a time I have said to her that I'm going to sing her songs specifically about "Jesus." I've just sung to her whatever worship songs come to mind and many of them probably don't even mention the name of Jesus. Well, after not even making it through Jesus Loves Me one time through, she had fallen fast asleep (she rarely falls to sleep this fast). The Scripture, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7) immediately came to mind and I had an overwhelming since that Jesus was very near to Grace and that in turn she felt near to Him. It was an awesome moment that I had to share.

A Perfect Day for a Birthday Party!!

Saturday in Glendora was an absolutely spectacular cool, fall day to celebrate such a beautiful life as Grace's! Friends and family gathered at Finkbiner Park for tasty Mexican food (Grace requested bean and cheese burritos), the Big pink cake and little green cake (again Grace's request), and lots of fun hanging out. When Jacob gets some free time, maybe he'll put up some footage from the party (he's the pro at that). We all had such a great time! Today, Grace slept in later than usual and has been a little tired all day. I think she has a b-day hangover! At dinner tonight she was recalling her friends that were there. She was so blessed! Here's a few snapshots (I'm also including a pic of her in her new pink car and her reading her baby book to Nana and Papa on the eve of her birthday). I also wanted to note for those of you who haven't seen her in a while that at her 2 year pediatrician appointment we were told that she's in the 3 1/2 year old range for height.

One week away...

One week from today, Grace will be 2! She's been talking about her party for about a month now. She's specifically requested a BIG pink cake and a little green cake. It's going to be so fun to see the look on her face when she sees the cakes. She even sings the Happy Birthday song from beginning to end to herself (and then of course she likes to go through the whole family- Mommy, Daddy, Harley, etc.).

Her latest interests have been counting and singing. Every night Grace asks for Jacob and I to sing her songs while she falls asleep. The other night I started to sing to her the song, Lord Prepare Me. I got a couple of words into it and all of the sudden she started singing it along with me. She actually got a lot of the words right! It was one of those precious, tender moments when you realize that they're absorbing all that you're pouring out. I remember singing her that song while bouncing on the exercise ball to get her to sleep in her first few weeks of life. It's amazing how things come full circle.

Summer Happenings!

It was so nice to have a whole summer of relaxing and hanging out with the fam. With both Jacob and I off work for the summer, we were able to spend the weeks taking Grace to the beach, gardening, going on lots of walks to the park, and taking a trip to see Nana, Papa, and friends in Michigan. It was wonderful!... Back to work! We visited a few different lakes in Michigan and Grace loved every one! As always, Nana and Papa spoiled Grace with constant fun activities and outings. She was definitely the princess,... or shall we say Queen. Grace loves animals, so of course she was very excited about trips to the petting zoo.
We spent a few days in Port Huron with close family friends. We also met up with Uncle Wes, Aunt Sarah, and Cousin Cash. Grace is the only girl in the Gaines/Lampi clan, and she was lovin' it!
Having a good wrestle with Cousin Cash.
Putting sunblock on mom.
She loved the kayak.She's already got such a servant's heart! Completely on her own, she asked to wash Nana's, Papa's, Mine, and Jacob's feet!
We also were able to spend time with our very close friends, Ben and Mary and their kids.Grace on her first horse back ride! She's such a big girl!
One of the neighbor girls gave Grace this pink princess dress and a pair of tap shoes that she grew out of. Grace was in Heaven! She regularly asks me for her "Princess dress and black, dancing, tap shoes." She always has to wear them together!

Bath Time Punk

Tonight I was giving Grace her bath and we started having fun with her hair. You can see below what resulted. How about those eyes and that smile? Precious!

Enjoying the summer

The Gaines family has been having a wonderful summer doing fun and mindless things. With both Jacob and I not working for the summer months, Grace is thrilled to have both of our undivided attention and it's been great to give it to her. She continues to grow by leaps and bounds each week, always making us laugh with some new little thing she's up to. We both say that we'd love to spend a day in her brain! She's quite the little character.

Honorable Mentions

For those of you keeping track of Grace from afar, here are a few things she's been up to at 21 months...

Ever since she's been able to actually say her colors, she's become obsessed with identifying everything with it's color, i.e. "purple shoes", "black bird", "yellow ball", "blue swing", "green leaves" (to name a few). What a blessing the gift of language is!

Circles have been her shape of choice the past couple of days and she can actually draw one. I'll have to post some video of her drawing circles.

This morning I was sitting on the floor and she came up behind me and started playing with my hair. Just like I do after I finish doing her hair, she would have me look at her and then with a huge smile say "oooh, cute!" Then she'd go back and keep working on it, look at me again and say "oooh, pretty!" Then she actually took me to go look in the mirror as I usually do with her. When I saw the masterpiece she kept say "Cute! Cute!" (It was actually a mess, but I didn't let on) It's amazing what they pick up from you!

Many of you know she's sensitive to hot things. A few weeks ago she thought something was hot that wasn't. I said, "No, Grace, it's not hot." Her response to me was "Warm?" I was floored. Now every time I say something's not hot she says it's warm. I think she's comfortable with this compromise.

Yesterday some friends were over with their 2 year old son. He and Grace were fighting over some toy so I said, "Grace you need to share with Javier." She stood up, with great determination, looked me in the eye and declared "I share!" Then, she stormed into her room and got another toy to play with, as if to say I'll be the big one here.

4th of July Weekend Fun!

Grace and her parents had a festive time celebrating our nation's birthday. Here's some photos of the weekend fun!


For the 4th, Grace sported a patriotic sun dress

Grace absolutely loves grandpa and gramma's pool so she and dad took an after dinner dip where Grace discovered the raft


Hanging with mom and dad at Redondo Beach on Saturday

Abigail and Bill Gates

So what do Abigail and Bill Gates have in common? Yes, they are both the CEO/Executive Directors of their respective companies/organizations. Yes, they are both innovators and culture changers as they have left their indelible marks on their respective spheres of influence. Yes, they are both filthy rich with Gates and Abigail together worth a combined $52 billion. And yes, if you've haven't guess by now, both Abigail and Bill Gates are working their final days today at their respective jobs. Today, Grace and I sent Abigail off to her last day of work in Azusa at the Neighborhood Homework House. I know this is a bittersweet day for her as she leaves a ministry that has her fingerprints in every nook and cranny. I wanted to blogically acknowledge this day as it marks a turning point in our lives and in the lives of so many in Azusa. Abigail has given so much to a city in such need of hope and a way home. She has been a consistent strong wall for kids and families in times of peril. She has been a mover and shaker taking the Homework House from a tiny grassroots non-profit organization to a state of the art, exemplary community organization of which the city can be proud. In a day and age when it seems to popular and cutting edge to be against so many things (like the church, a cause, a candidate, etc.), Abigail has chosen instead to live for things of eternal significance. As has been said of Mother Tersea, so I say of my wife, "It's hard to argue with a life so well lived." Thanks for eight years of incredible memories. Eight years of giving and serving with little to no recognition. Your reward is certainly in heaven. Now get some rest and enjoy your daughter for the rest of the summer. You've certainly earned it. Bill may leave with his billions, but you leave with treasure that no one can ever take from you. Grace and I are so proud of you! Well done!!

Father's Day 2008

Today Grace celebrated her Daddy, Grandpa Aldrich, and Papa Gaines all together! She started out the day by crafting a card for Jacob and helping me make a pancake breakfast for him. Then, we met up with the rest of the fam for lunch. We have such amazing dads in our family!!Grace with Grandpa Aldrich and Sophie
Hard at work on daddy's card.
Chillin' with Papa and cousin Jackson.
Enjoying some handmade tortillas.

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).