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We did something today that we have not done since Grace was born...we got her haircut. Mommy had a REALLY hard time. Daddy has been saying that we needed to get it done since his return from Bahrain, but I think that the kicker was when a complete stranger walked up to him last night and said that she needed one. We went to the Cartoon Cuts place, which "specializes" in cutting children's hair. Grace sucked on a blue raspberry sucker the entire time. In the end, we got her bangs cut and the back evened out. Mommy still had a really difficult time. We have a certificate with a lock of her cut hair on it for keeping:)
Grace has a very difficult time sitting still. There is just too much to see in this great big world. I am always trying to get her to sit still long enough to do her hair. Usually it involves bribery with suckers or goldfish crackers. She usually will leave it up for about a half hour and then pulls it out. I try, but it looks like I am raising a tomboy.
Grace is a little over 18 months and has really started to come into her own. She has started talking up a storm, has developed definite likes and dislikes and strong opinions. The minute we get home in the afternoons or when she wakes up in the morning, her first word is "outside." I think that the child would sleep out on the back deck if we would let her. She loves the outdoors. The last owners of our house were elderly, so whe have a ramp on our deck to get up to the back door. She loves to run up and down. Her two new favorite statements are "no" and "dada's hot." The "no" I definitely understand is a normal word and transition into developing her independence. The "dada's hot," well, I am not really sure where that came from exactly. She will repeat it over and over again. It is really pretty cute.She has also started giving real kisses, as in puckering up to give them. She has gotten so sweet, yet, so independent and argumentative.
This is my hat that I made at school for St. Patrick's Day, because my really slack Mommy forgot to dress me in green for the real day. My teachers were really upset with her, but they allowed me to make my hat to wear at school. Of course, this was the first day that I would actually put the hat on my head and keep it there.
Coming in after a long tricycle ride, waiting for a banana...what else.
This is my new tricycle. I am the coolest on it. It has a seatbelt to keep me on the seat, because I am kind of a wiggler. There is a handle for Mommy and Daddy to steer me, just in case I am too busy looking at the other things in the neighborhood. It is also a little helpful, considering that I cannot quite reach the peddles. I also have a bell. The bell is my favorite part. I usually try to bring it inside with me when I am finished.
Still among our most favorites! Thanks for the spagetti G-G!!!
Grace really enjoyed rocking on the front porch with G-G.
Grace loved the lake. It was beautiful that Saturday. The temperature was almost 80. The water was not NEARLY that warm. Grace did not care. She walked down to the edge of the beach to watch the ducks with Daddy. She walked out about ankle deep and sat right down. Then, she realized that it was COLD.
Daddy's birthday was April 3rd. Granny Hardy made a cake for Daddy, and she let me eat the batter from the beaters. I did share a little bit with Pop...a LITTLE bit:)
Grace and Mommy finished at the museum. Boy, we had a GREAT day!
Ringing up groceries with Daddy.
Grace enjoyed shopping at the Piggly Wiggly at the museum. She did not enjoy having things in the shopping cart. She just wanted to race down the aisles and run into walls of the store.
She really enjoyed picking the vegetables at the farm:) Carrots were her favorite!
While we were at home during our week long trip to South Carolina, we took Grace to EdVenture. If you have never heard of this place, you should go. It is located across the parking lot from the SC Museum in Columbia. This is an all kids hands-on museum for children of all ages. It starts for ages one and goes up through school age. We definitely recommend it! Grace really enjoyed the Little Piggly Wiggly shopping center, the farm and the fire truck.
Getting ready for Church on Sunday morning is such a chore. Between dressing mom, dad, and getting myself ready, I barely have time to get my makeup on. At least I have learned to wait to put my dress on until my hair and makeup are complete.
Grace started swimming lessons on Saturday at the YMCA in Norfolk. She had so much fun at the indoor pool. And with the employee discount, who could not sign up. There are about seven other children in her class. All of them are about her age. She had a great time going under, walking around in the shallow end and floating on the noodle. Looks like we have a true Navy baby. No pictures yet. We were both in the pool with her. We are going to miss the next two lessons, as we will be in SC. We will definitely take the camera for the next one that we make it to.
Riding Daddy's Harley is SOOOO much fun. It is just as fun as my little one in the house. The only problem with this one is it makes noise! Who made it make noise?! I don't like it when it makes noise! Otherwise, I am a really cool biker chick hanging out in my jammies on a warm Saturday.
Grace loves Daddy's gloves. These came home from Bahrain. Now, they are one of the cool new favorite toys in the house.
This is Tyler's new puppy, McCoy. He is a Shiba Inu. Very cute. Tyler loves him. Grace...not so much. Although she loves to point out dogs on the street, sidewalk, or yard, she seems to only choose to admire them from afar. She cries when McCoy chases her. We were going to get a dog of our own. Now, we will probably put it off until we get orders to our next location.
Well, we love Starbucks! Lamar and I are addicted to caffeine. Me, I can take it from anywhere. Daddy has to have Starbucks. Apparently Grace shares her fathers taste in beverages. Tyler's mom picked up a cup of Strawberries 'n' Creme for him a few weeks ago on the way home from school. He, however, preferred her chai tea latte. We took the two of them on a wagon trip around the block; both of them sipping their Starbucks selections. You can't imagine the comments that we got from the other "responsible" parents with their children in their stollers with their juice and milk.
I know, I know. I have been really slack over the past...almost two months. We have been so busy re-establishing routines in our house, getting back to work, transferring to a new classroom at school, etc. that I have had precious little free time. Our world is just nuts! Finally a little normalcy is returning. We will get there:)
Lamar is home! The six months are officially over! Hip Hip Hooray! We picked him up from the airport yesterday afternoon. Grace did not remember him at first, but she has definitely warmed up to him over the past 24 hours. Lamar's family is also here, so she has had LOTS of undivided attention in the past day or so:) She has been up and down and up and down and up and down the street in the wagon. Naps are a thing of the past when family is here. We are all very thankful that Daddy is home, and we continue to pray for those who are away. We hope that they all come home safely.
This is a picture from Christmas, but I just love it.
Well, this time tomorrow Lamar will be in the air on the way home to us. He and a few other Chargers are the last to return from the original group that left for Bahrain this past summer. I do know from conversations that we have lots of boxes coming home. One that is too heavy for me to pick up and being shipped on a cargo plane. I think that it is a camel:) We will pick Daddy up from the Norfolk airport on Friday afternoon after his LOOOONG 8000 mile trip. We will probably make it back to South Carolina some time next month. For those of you who are unaware, the welcome home party will be held on March 25th. We had to postpone the original date of March 10th. That is the Change of Command weekend up here, which translates into, "no you cannot have that weekend off, Lieutenant Hardy." Anyway...everyone mark your calendars for the last weekend in March at PaPa Whetstone's house. Hopefully the weather will be nice, the food will be there, the drinks will be flowing (yes, Walter, the beer is included in this statement,) and the music will be loud. We cannot wait to see everyone! And what a better reason to party than a welcome home from the desert!!
It is ALMOST over. I am kind of afraid to say it out loud. Lamar is scheduled to fly home on the afternoon of February 3rd. What have I learned from the six months of single parenting? I have learned that I definitely would not like to do it forever. My heart goes out to the millions of single parents that have to live it every day with no choice. I cannot believe how tired I am each night after I put Grace down. I can't wait until I have help at night. It is very difficult to give a toddler a bath, go through the mail, cook dinner, clean the kitchen, and everything else with just two hands. And to top it ALL off...we went to the doctor today for the runny nose that we have not been able to shake since Thanksgiving. The verdict...an ear infection. Yippee! We are working through our prescription of amoxicillin now. Luckily, she LOVES it. Did I mention that I cannot WAIT until Lamar gets home? I can't remember :)
I am not sure exactly what she is looking at here. I just thought that the picture was funny. She is sitting on the front porch of Tyler's old house. They have bought the house across the street. Grace still goes over and knocks on the old house door. The new renters move in next month. Imagine her surprise when someone brand new answers the door:)
Yummy to my tummy! These are my cookies! Back off Mommy! Aunt Martha baked Grace her very own tin of Christmas cookies. I ended up having to hide them on the second day, because she would bring them to someone to open every chance she got. Now that the cookies are gone the tin is holding her animals from her Little People A to Z set from Aunt Julie.
Hamming it up for the camera after the Christmas Party:)
Cell phones, cell phones. I think that every person now in America has a cell phone. Grace has called several people on it including "Grandpa" Mark, my old assistant director, and the babysitter. I think that she is trying to call Lamar. Anytime it rings, she tried to answer it.
Thank you ever so much Aunt Laura for this wonderful, ladylike new skill. It has gotten us lots of attention. For those of you who are unaware of this new trick, or have not had the privilege of seeing it yet, never be concerned. We have learned to lie on our back with our legs up in the air each time someone says ta-da. Again, we can't thank Aunt Laura enough!
"I found me a great waterbed, Mom!" Grace spent much of Christmas Eve helping cook, causing her to get a little off schedule when it came to nap time. At about 1:30pm, she walked over to Granny and lifted her arms to be picked up. She subsequently fell asleep within about five minutes. Too Cute!
The couple days after Christmas in SC were filled with amazing weather. We stayed outside as much as possible on those days. Grace particularly enjoyed the courtyard at the house. Mom had picked out a patio set when the courtyard was first completed. Two of the chairs spin around in circles. SOO fun. Grace would spin and spin and spin. Does anyone see a pattern here? Note the snazzy jacket. Aunt Laura gave us the zebra jacket. She wore it most of the week that we were at home and most days since our return.
Each year the spouses' of Lamar's squadron throw a big Christmas party for all of the children. We have moon bouncers, lots of food, games, toys and Santa arrives each year on a helicopter. This year was no exception. The children had a great time. Grace loved every minute of it. Her favorite activities were the bubble wrap stomp, the moon bouncer (as long as she was the only one in it,) and most of all...the duck pond. She loved putting her hands in the water up to her elbows and pulling out the ducks. Santa on the other hand...well, not so much. We really did not have the greatest time sitting on Santa's lap, but he was generous enough to give us a new book for our attempt. Later on in the month she actually went and sat on his lap. That was not a problem at all then. The Squadron Party is great. We all had banners to decorate and send over to the detachments that are gone. Grace drew her daddy a picture on the banner that we sent. It was very easy to pick out her picture.
Grace got this aquarium from Granny and Grampa Hardy. Notice the balls inside of it. Balls still are among the toys of choice. Please appreciate the look on her face in the picture.
This is the Christmas dress that I had to fight for at the store. I had a really hard time deciding on one this year, but I really loved this one. Too cute. And it is still big enough for her to wear next year. Now, all of you who know me....will she wear this next year for Christmas??
Grace and I went home for Christmas. Can you say way too many presents? What is it about family and when you say "money for college," it just falls on deaf ears? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, we are definitely blessed in the things that we received and the family that we love, but the ENTIRE couch at Dad's house was filled to the top of the cushions with presents. It was unbelievable. Now that we are home with them, I am struggling to find a place to put them all. We might have to turn Daddy's office into an exclusive playroom for the Monkey. Right now the toys are overtaking the den. I clean them up every night, and she religiously pull them out every afternoon. She has no problem cleaning up toys at school, but for some reason we do not follow the same routine here. I just do not get it!
Grace and I ended up going home for Thanksgiving. I had not intended on it, but we decided on Wednesday morning to head home. And so, we went. Grace had a great time. She got to meet John Christian, Rebecca's son, and had a fun time with him at his grandparents house. She also met Belle and Beau, Papa's dogs. She loved them too. All and all, we are glad that we went home for the long trip, even though it took an extra two hours to get back up here on Sunday.
Uncle Walter had a Clemson/Carolina viewing party out at the pond. The boys apparently had a great time. Some of them forgot to put their bottles away, though. When we got home for Thanksgiving, Gracie decided that the pool room was the place to be. Note the Mardi Gras beads around the neck. These are Aunt Laura's. Grace decided that they were prettier on her. We had a really difficult time getting them off of her. In fact, we brought several sets of them home, and we wear them to school each day.
