Grace loves Zippy, daddy's stuffed monkey from when he was a little boy. Zippy gets rides in the stroller, is an important inhabitant of all forts, is read to, gets to play catch with the family. Zippy was "in" as soon as Grace saw him.

Grace is headed to her first birthday party! She carried the present all the way down the street and gave it to the birthday boy when we got to his house. She had a blast playing on Caden's playset and eating strawberry cake! She didn't want to leave.

Cleaning up legos is way more fun this way!

Opening presents Christmas morning! It was wonderful being together in our little family:)

Walking down Candy Cane Lane.

We went to Candy Cane Lane this Christmas with Anna. Grace was captivated by the lights, but so was I! It was incredible!

Back in the day when Grace would actually sit on her potty, we liked to browse our favorite books. Now she won't go near it.

Making Christmas cookies was tons of fun this year!!! Grace likes cookie dough . . . big surprise! And she was out of control when it came time to decorate them. We used three bottles of sprinkles on one batch of cookies.

Wild and crazy fun was the theme we were trying to capture in this year's Christmas picture. Thankfully Grace was cooperative!

One of two times we wore a hat this winter.

Grace finally eats the icecream and some frosting off her birthday cake!

Grace blows out her birthday candles the first time. After we cut the cake and started eating, she didn't want to eat any of it. She just wanted us to put the candles back in the cake and say happy birthday and let her blow them out again, and again, and again. We did this until there were no wicks left on the birthday candles. And yes, we got this on video!

Grace's blook-free, sweat-free, and tear-free 2-year old birthday cake!

After dressing herself this morning, btw, Grace and dad build a fort in the livingroom.

Grace enjoys some birthday morning pancakes formed freakishly in the letters of her name. Yeah, she didn't even look. The G went into her mouth with unmeasurable speed.

Gracie plays with her new farm and grandma jo-jo observes. Having someone watch her play is way more fun than just playing, we've found out recently!

Grace was so enthralled by everything at the airshow! She watched people intently, explored unfamiliar spaces, touched as many buttons as she could get her hands on. She loved it!

Grace kept gravitating towards the C-130s at the airshow. She wanted to get right up in front in each one and sit in the co-pilot seat. Strange!! I couldn't get her to leave. She threw a fit, which is a ton of fun in that small space with ten other strangers, but she was having the time of her life and didn't want it to end.

Nolan, Emma, and Gracie pose in the back of a C-130 at the airshow Nov. 8

Grace strolls down the flight line with her second cousin, Nolan.

Grace just woke up from her nap and is examining all the people in her house. We're not sure where the hand in the pocket pose came from!

Guess who gave the bath tonight!

Grace posed for a few pictures this morning and we couldn't believe how responsive she was!

Grace enjoys a snack and shares with a dragon friend one afternoon at grandma jo-jo's and zeda ralphs back in October.

Gracie finally has someone smaller and more dependant than her. And it's clearly up to her to make sure this child's needs are met.

Hanging out with dad is always a blast!

The pink monkey is Grace's sidekick these days. She bosses him around, cares for him, consoles him, etc.

"Do you need something? I'm tyring to read to monkey."

Mom is beaming and dad is rolling his eyes after this one was caught on camera!