Six months of Grace

Baby Grace has brightened our lives for half a year already! She hit her 6-month mark on Sept 10, just in time for college football season, and she's decided she's a baby cougar. Hence her outfit.

Active limbs=blurry pics. I give up. Her face is presh.

Sweetest smile that melts our hearts.

Grace gets cuter every month. She doesn't have as many new updates as she did at five months, but here they are just the same:

• Weighing in at 15 lbs 8 oz, she is in the 40th percentile for weight (her birth weight was 7 lbs 0 oz)
• At 25.3 in she is still in the 30th percentile for height
• Her brain apparently had a growth spurt, because she's in the 94th percentile for head circumference. I personally don't believe that. Her head doesn't look that big. But maybe it's just me.
• She sits up very well for a long time and plays with her toys
• She is officially eating and loving solids, though as of right now she's only had rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, and she went to town sucking on a piece of watermelon
• She stares at everyone as they eat and at everything they're eating. She smacks her lips and gazes at you with pleading eyes that make you want to just shovel all your food into her little adorable baby mouth.
• She touches our faces constantly.
• She has gotten noticeably more snugly with me in the last month, falling asleep in my arms and on my shoulder, and turning her face so our noses touch when I pull her into bed in the morning for a few more minutes of sleep-in.
• She is generally an excellent napper morning and early afternoon.
• She sometimes rolls over onto her stomach in her crib.
• She often cries when I leave the room.
• Her favorite toy currently is probably my lanyard and badge for clinicals.
• She is working on the cutest little scrunchy-nosed smile. I unfortunately haven't captured it yet to post.
• Stranger danger has definitely set in. We handed her off to several different friends at a baseball game and with each of them she busted out the pouty limp and broke into a heartbreaking cry. Same thing last night at a redbox machine. She was in her stroller facing a strange man and she apparently thought we'd just left her in an unknown place with an unknown dude and she had a meltdown.
• While she still fits in several of her 3-mo clothes, she has outgrown lots of them recently and now has some adorable 6-mo-old clothes she's wearing.
• She sleeps in her own room like a champ.

And speaking of her room...I finished it this last month. We live in a two bedroom apartment and we use the second room for both an office and a nursery, so her room is actually a half-room. But it totally works, because our glider is in the living room. I loved decorating this and am really excited about how it all came together and how little money I spent on it.

Owl themed, as you can see. The Pack and Play was more practical since we'll be moving next year. Plus, it was given to us for free by James' aunt Susan! The colors (green and purple) were conveniently a perfect match with the rest of the room!

Bagpack/lunchbox owl from Diane (mother-in-law)

Pillow I made. Jk it's from Michael's.

Vase from Walmart, flowers from Michael's 

Star from Germany (Shay brought it home from her mission. Grace loves ceiling fans and since there isn't one in her room, this is the next best option). Pics from Michael's, TJMaxx, and Babies R Us, and the one of Christ is from Greg Olsen. 

A puzzle I did and glued (from Barnes and Noble for $3.12 because I had a gift card)

Shelf and drawers from Target and Walmart. ($20 because I used a gift card for most of it) Stuffed bear and moon statue belonged to my maternal grandma and the brown bunny is from James' cousin Whitney.All the books and blankets were gifts from baby showers.

This blanket also belonged to my grandma. I painted the letters I bought at Michael's

Rug from K Mart 

Changing table I bought from KSL and repainted. 

Hamper from TJ Maxx 

Cute wall hanging from my mom

Thanks for everyone whose gifts contributed to this adorable and sentimental half nursery for sweet baby Grace.

Oh what do we do in the summertime?

This summer has been infinitely better than last summer. Last summer I worked full time, the water at Bear Lake was too cold to enjoy and we were only able to go for a weekend, our trip to Colorado was for Daniel's funeral, and instead of a cuddly bug baby I had a stomach bug called morning sickness.

This summer I was in my second semester of clinicals which was very part time; I usually only did 20 hrs/wk. The weather and water at Bear Lake were perfect and we were there for an entire week, our trip to Colorado was to do Daniel's temple work, and we have the flipping fetchingest cutest dang baby to accompany us on all our adventures.

And plus also a hundred other things made it a smashing summer.

BEAR LAKE

Bear Lake was our wonderful vaca with the McKean side of the family, although you wouldn't know they were even there by my absolute lack of pictures with them....just James, Grace, and yours truly. The week was filled with sleeping in, jet skiing, games, HGTV, ridiculous "would you rather" questions, bike rides, running, walking, sitting,  reading, tennis,  M&M's, ice cream, guacamole, potato chips, yum yum take me back.....

Baby Grace chillaxin' in her rocker on the beach

Talk to the foot because this baby's too cool for the camera.

What good lookin' folk I call family.

Nakey baby. Mouth full of fists.

Not sure how she feels about Daddy's vacation scruff.

Happy family in front of a swamp.

Sunbathing under a blanket.

Hating on the paparazzi. Or maybe she's actually asleep.

Grace found something on the ground frustratingly fascinating.

 COLORADO

Grace's first flight. Glad that's over with. She had a well-timed blowout just before boarding and a meltdown when the plane momentarily stopped taxing, but other than that (as I've mentioned before) she was great.

The first day in Colorado was wonderful but difficult. It was the one-year anniversary of Daniel's death. As family and close friends, we gathered at the Denver Temple to do his temple work, and at least for me, it was an experience of joy and peace. It was the loveliest way to honor and remember him, and as my parents pointed out-the last thing in mortality we can do for him. It is so wonderful to have gospel knowledge to keep us grounded, motivated, and hopeful for "a better world" (Ether 12:4).

Photo cred to whoever took this. It wasn't me. 

I love this picture. It includes everyone except Grace (and Daniel, of course)

Photo cred to Shay. #evakate #totesadorbs

After the temple session we went to Outback Steakhouse where Daniel used to work (we went to a Denver location however) and was nominated employee of the month several times. James and I were able to visit his headstone for the first time which was very surreal. It was raining, the cemetery was still and quiet, and the headstone was beautiful. We found lots of flowers, notes, etc. near the grave left by Daniel's thoughtful friends.

This wasn't when we went to visit it, but it is a clearer picture. It says "Beloved Son, Brother, and Friend." And below, "Blessed are the Peacemakers," for Daniel truly was one.

It seemed out of place to smile in this picture.

This is Shay, cleaning off the grave. She's the sweetest.

Grace had her first cold while in Colorado, so we missed out on the Sky Sox game(minor league baseball) the family went to because she slept from 6pm-morning, but we got a Redbox and ice cream which is second to none...except maybe to the Dippin' Dots I was so anxiously anticipating at the Sky Sox game. We went on a double date with Morgan and Eliza to Garden of the Gods and to a restaurant to eat delicious bison burgers. We got to catch up a bit with Jimmy and Charina AND Shaleena (my two dear childhood friends who live in TX and OK). What an amazing coincidence that all of us were in the Springs the same weekend for three different reasons! We met both of their newest baby boy additions and now Grace has four choices as to whom she will declare her betrothed.

Garden of the Gods. Voted most beautiful park in the US according to something I saw on Facebook once.

Don't be fooled-I'm the only one keeping that rock from tipping.

Two blond men named James, two brunettes wearing pink v-necks. Unfortunately I forgot to get a pic with Shaleena.

Grace sure loves being outside. And Aunt Sterphenerph

And Eva loves Grace. :)

We also took family pictures in the backyard in Daniel's memorial garden. I don't have a pic of the whole family, but this is the whole family James and I have created thus far.

PARK CITY

I'm embarrassed to say I don't have more than one picture of Grace to document this trip. I'm not embarrassed to say that's because we were having too much fun! This was a two-day offsite/work retreat with James' firm (well, the firm he works for at least). We got to stay in a nice hotel and had access to pool, hot tub, alpine slide, coaster, DIPPIN' DOTS, and a number of other fun and yummy cositas. A great time was had by all. James works with awesome guys who have awesome families.

We all got T-shirts! Even Grace!

Okay, and here's the other picture I took. Haha. Grace asleep in a restaurant.

Since we're talking about James and work...here's James' work pic. Sorry honey, couldn't resist. You're too handsome! :)

ST. GEORGE

I have to admit, our trip to St. George was the epitome of vacation (for me at least. James continued to work hard on MBA applications). My in-laws share a house down there with a few other families, and they reserved this weekend for us. We went to half of a Tuacahn show (rained out after intermission), went on a long walk and small hike in Snow Canyon, took Grace swimming, went shopping, went out to eat, read, watched movies, went to a park, and never wanted to come home. Oh, and Grace learned to roll over, slept four hours EACH WAY on the drive down and back, and was the most pleasant, amazing baby the whole trip.

This face illustrates the kind of baby Grace was ALL weekend.

Testing out this hiking bag at the park. She actually didn't love it. Good thing it was borrowed.

But she did love riding on my shoulders.

Always spitting, but always cute.

Rainy Beauty and the Beast Tuacahn date (cancelled after intermission)

Doughnuts from The Fractured Prune. French toast, banana cream pie, and caramel bliss. SO DELISH.

Cinnamon rolls at the Saturday street market/fair/thing at Tuacahn

James loved this hand-carved wood vase. So we bought it.

We loved this man driving this tiny car that said "Street Legal" on the front windshield. So we took a pic of him.

Books+Grace make for a lovely time outside.

Such a sweet face.

Grace loves this tube.

Our appetizer was the cutest lil "frito slider." Sad face means he was pretending it was his main course.

LOVE

Grace just chilled while we cleaned up the house before leaving.

We had a picnic outside the St. George temple.

And took a family selfie.

And we've done a lot of other fun summer things aside from trips.

Pool time at home

Oakley Rodeo

Hokulia shave ice 

Walks in the stroller 

Friends

Some seriously grumpy reclining on the balcony in the diaper. Actually she's just content, but her resting face when she's outside looks like this.

Shoulder rides at BBQs

More pool time

Healthy picnic dinners

While baby sleeps, parents eat

Walks in the carrier

Free outdoor concerts at the park

Errands with mom...like napping at the church while mom practices the piano

Bowling

Walks in Grandma's stroller

Books sales at the library

Homemade pizza with Grandpa

Holding hands with cousin Lily

In between all the fun James worked on MBA applications and went to work like a man and I did clinicals in the hospital and did online classes like a woman. I am officially halfway done with my ultrasound program!!! Next August I will be done with school and we'll be getting ready to move so James can start school.