Rodeo 2008

Logan got to experience a day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He loved all the animals of course and was in amazement with the whole carnival scene.
We joined Rachel with her friend's little girl Taylor and Tiffany with Gavin and CharleighAnn.

Logan's first time on a roller coaster. It was the only ride he was tall enough to ride yet but you can bet he was more than ready. This kid didn't show a lick of fear and the beginning of the coaster even had the "tick, tick, tick" part up a little hill. I was so shocked at how brave he was.

Here we are looking over the side from the top, ready to go down. He was in amazement with the whole thing and really wasn't very happy when we had to get off.

Playing camera ham during lunch time. I love this shot that shows his big top teeth.

What a fun day for sure! Thanks to Rachel and Tiffany for inviting us!

Here is a video of Logan playing on a hill that was created for the kids to play on and roll down. He was really wanting to roll like the big kids so I had to stop recording to go help him. The video ends when he is really concerned for another little girl who had her paci taken away from her by her mom. He was very interested in her situation.

Mommy turns 27!

My birthday celebration this year was spread over a few days and of course, I wasn't complaining. My girlfriends threw me a little luncheon at Kim's house and Kim made the delicious cake and chocolate covered strawberries that you see in the picture. Logan was a big help in blowing out the candles!
This is a picture of the 4 kids in the gang. There are other little babies and Mason is the older one that wasn't there that day, but these 4 kiddos are only a total of 6 months apart from oldest to youngest. You can bet it's the remnants of a tornado after each one of our playdates!
Logan (17 mo.), Levi (20 mo.), Sydney (22 mo.) and Daylen (16 mo.)

Out to eat Mexican food for my bday dinner.
Logan was having a great time saying "cheese" for the camera.

At the park in Pearland when we went to celebrate my day with Rachel and Joel. Logan wasn't all about posing because he just wanted to be let free!
Big surprise!

Bryan Children's Museum

We went to College Station to meet up with Avery and Brynn and Kirby planned a fun day for the kiddos at the Bryan Children's Museum.

Asher, Brynn and Logan loved getting to run free!
Logan and Brynn really enjoyed playing with the train pieces.

Logan got to paint for the very first time and was very upset when I stopped him to wash him up. He was having quite a good time and as you can see, he didn't understand the need to keep the colors separate. It only took seconds and both paintbrushes seemed to be purple.

There was a "medical" section and here Asher and Logan really liked being pushed around in the wheelchair. Logan didn't last quite as long as Asher but I was able to get them to look at the camera.

In the dress-up area Logan was quick to find the cowboy hat though getting the boots on was quite a challenge. Well, walking in them was a challenge for sure!

Daddy Time

Much to my pleasure, Logan and his daddy have really started to be great buddies lately. Some days Logan can be such a momma's boy, especially now that those teeth are coming in at a pace of about one a week. But, there is nothing Logan loves more than reading time with daddy, even if they are each reading their own books. This is what I saw when I came down the stairs for church on Sunday... my two boys reading their own books, waiting for me so that we could leave.

And then, Jeff loves the snack pack puddings just as much, if not more than Logan does.
So, how do they make the best of the situation... share!!!
Logan knows if daddy has some pudding, so will he!

And daddy has also been one to add the bedtime snack to Logan's schedule. So, here is the nice chocolate face that came just after the bath that cleaned him up from dinner! Logan loves sharing a pudding or some Jello with anyone that is willing! Who can blame him?!?!


An update on the job for Jeff would probably be a nice thing to share as well. We love having him closer to home. He has made time now to work out before work at the gym on the company's property. I mean seriously, they even provide him with a locker and all the toiletries needed to get ready in the mornings! He has been in the door at 5:15 the last three days and the benefits package looks nicer every time we look at it! He will be working 9-80s which means he will be getting his 80 hours/2weeks done in 9 days instead of 10, allowing him to have every other Friday off as part of his regular work schedule. We are looking forward to some really nice three day weekends and I'm sure as the weather gets nicer, Jeff will be looking for tee times and golfing buddies on those Fridays! This is such a blessing in our lives and I know that Logan will really look forward to the evenings more now that he gets to spend lots more time with daddy. It's been so nice to be able to start dinner when Jeff's already home and can occupy the little guy! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support through this. My how blessed we are!

Whooo Hooo!

Anadarko contacted Jeff today making him an offer for a position in the revenue department! We are so excited that Jeff will be closer to home, and we aren't complaining about the #s they offered either! This is such an answer to prayer and we want to thank everyone that has been thinking about us and praying about this situation. Patience has paid off! We are truly blessed and look forward to having more family time in the evenings now that Jeff won't be spending two hours of every day driving!

Handprint Mess

Below are some shots of our attempt to get Logan's handprint into a mold ornament. As you will see it was unsuccessful and we had to let the mold dry on it's own and now we'll have do a handprint on it in ink... It was a fun experience though!

Keep it flat buddy....

Oh, that feels different....

Ahhh.... he attempted to pick it up like it was mud or something.

Wiped it off to try again...

Yet again, he made a mess.

The pictures don't even begin to show all the fun. The table was a mess after about 7 or 8 tries and Logan was DONE when we finally gave in. Jeff tried really hard to help, but there was no use. He just wanted to play with it, totally not understanding what we were trying to accomplish.

Meeting our "Star" cousin

Last weekend I got to meet one of Jeff's cousins for the first time as she was in town for the holidays. We got together for a great lunch and she got to play for a few hours with Logan too. As we were talking she told us about the new commercial that she is in and just last week it started airing... now we see it all the time!!!
It's the new Verizon commercial and she plays the pregnant wife of the "Can you hear me now" guy... she is in labor in the cab with her mother and is on the phone showing how the signal works in the tunnel. It's a very funny one and we are very proud of her! Way to go Lena!! Below is a pic of us with her and her husband Matt.

Logan and Lena together!

He had tons of fun with all of her nephew's toys!

A Little Bit of the Christmas Fun

Well, Christmas was VERY exciting this year and VERY busy, and we sure did have a blast! Here is one of the many videos we took of Logan. He LOVED the piano that Grandma and Grandpa got him and when you ask him to go play you a song, he is very proud to do so. He is still learning the microphone, but we're sure he will develop into using all those additions very quickly... everything else has happened very quickly this last 15 months!!! He was very spoiled this year and I'll have to send out a photo album through email in order to give some insight on all the fun we had!

An interview!!!

This last year has been really tough on Jeff with commuting an hour to and from work each day in order to have a corporate job that provides benefits for the whole family. Ever since we moved to Conroe, 2 and 1/2 years ago, Jeff has been hoping to get a job with Anadarko here in the Woodlands. It's a great company and the commute would be a whole 5 minute drive. We have been intensely praying that God would let us know what path he wants Jeff to take and if accounting is the job for him, could He please find some way to get Jeff closer to home so that the days are more bearable and the time he gets to spend with Logan each night can increase.
Well, today Jeff got a call for an INTERVIEW! It is set for after the holidays, January 8th. We would appreciate all of you praying for us and for Jeff and for God's hand to be on this decision that is to be made. The opportunities would be great for our family but we want this to be what God wants for us... not just what we want for ourselves!

Visiting Gordon

Well, this week started out really busy for us and it's not really going to slow down. Sunday afternoon, Logan and I headed to College Station to sleep before getting up early Monday and driving to Gordon with Logan's Grana to visit Muna and Papa (Jeff's Grandparents). We didn't get to see them Thanksgiving like we normally do so we promised that we would make a trip sometime in December.
Well, is it just me or is December flying by?
We arrived in Gordon on Monday in time for lunch and stayed overnight, leaving after lunch on Tuesday. Arriving back in College Station Tuesday evening, we ate a quick dinner, changed vehicles and drove home late Tuesday night. Attached are pictures from our visit. Logan LOVED playing on Papa's tractor and was quite the ham when it came to photo ops!

"Up please!" This tire is HUGE, huh?

Watch out cows! Here I come! This is FUN!!!

The last two pics are of Logan in our '66 Bronco that we need to get from Gordon to Conroe... hmmmmm another thing on our to-do-travel list! Yeah!

We are home for two days and then will head to College Station on Friday to celebrate our Grace Christmas with Jeff's family, only to return Christmas Eve and celebrate with my side of the family for the last two days of Jeff's vacation.

Wagon Walk

 Well, instead of going for a wagon ride, Logan decided he wanted to take his play wagon outside. You can see, at one point he even wanted to take Santa for a ride. Dylan, as always, was right by his side! What fun play-pals they're turning out to be!

Logan gets his first gift

Ok, so here is proof of truth for people that tell you all little ones need is a box! You can here on the video what the story is and I'm quite sure those of you that have had kids are not at all surprised by Logan's reaction to today's delivery.

I think we're in trouble now

Here you will see that Logan knows how to get onto the couch on his own. After a couple of frustrating tries our son found a solution. He used a box that he often plays with as a stepstool and was very proud of himself the first time he dragged the box over for help. I for one am also very proud of him for being so innovative, but am now a bit frightened as to how many things he may use this new trick for. It took him a second to warm up to the camera, but you can see that he doesn't play shy for long. We don't know where he gets that!
and on that note... you'll have to excuse how loud my voice sounds on camera... so unusual! :-)

Jessica and Jeff

Finally, a picture of the two of us that I like! We attended Jeff's company Christmas party this past Friday and had a really fun time. There was a live band and the food was great... have to say the dessert buffet was a great thing!

Gingerbread Contest

We have a wonderful group of couple friends and we took a night off from the babies and made Gingerbread houses. We had 90 minutes to complete and then we had a vote on the best one. Here is a picture of the one the Jeff and I made:

 

These are the winners with their completed project... very neat little details for sure! Good job Jeremy and Laurie!

It was a really fun night as we roasted hot dogs over a fire and then made s'mores for dessert when we were all done! We have been blessed to have the church home that we have made this year and such a wonderful group of friends to spend our time with. What a difference it was not having all of our little ones to chase around!

Ready for Christmas!

Well, Logan is ready for Christmas! He LOVED Santa at the mall (we have been three times) and he even likes wearing his green hat around the house at Grandma and Grandpa's. We got lots of great shots, but I love this one because he's even eating cookies like Jolly Old Saint Nick! haha!

You'll be seeing how much he enjoyed Santa when you get our Christmas card in the mail!

Logan at 2 Months

Here are some updated pictures of Logan at 2 months old. We have lots of fun photgraphing him now that he is really smiling and laughing. What a joy he has brought to our lives!

Proud Mommy and Daddy

Jeff was so excited to meet his boy. Arriving two days late felt like an eternity to us both!








I was so ready to take him home and get settled. Here we are waiting to be discharged.









Here is our favorite picture of him so far. He just loves to have his hands up in his face and tries very hard to get them in his mouth when we aren't looking.

HE HAS ARRIVED!

Logan Michael Grace arrived on Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 12:20am.
7 Pounds
12 Ounces
21 and 1/2 inches

35 Weeks Along- Hopefully 5 OR LESS To Go!

OK, the countdown has begun! Now that the room is ready and we have found our pediatrician, we are just patiently awaiting Logan's arrival! Here's the belly at 35 weeks... total weight gain as of last appointment- 17 pounds!

The Nursery is Done!

Here are some pics of the nursery now that it is complete and ready for baby.

Entry from the hallway, just about 10 steps from our master. The rocking giraffe is the one piece that got the whole theme started back in February- a birthday gift from my team at Cooper!
Grandma helped me with the painting- actually with pretty much every detail of the room! Couldn't have done it without you, mom! Thanks a million!
The crib was a gift from our very special aunt and uncle and was the piece sent all the way from New York to share with our sweet boy. Isn't it beautiful?! Thank you so much Guidarelli family!
We're sure this rocker and ottoman will be put to great use in the days and nights to follow Logan's arrival. Thanks to the Grace's for such a needed addition!

Famliy and friends have been so generous and supportive in helping us get ready... we can't wait to share our bundle of joy with you all!

Almost 33 weeks

This is the growth in the last four weeks. We have an ultrasound on Friday to make sure all is well inside and to re-confirm the expected date of delivery. If you ask me, I think it's getting a little crowded in there (or at least my ribs would tell you that!) The baby's room is coming along and after we paint next week I'll be sure to post pics!

TAKE NOTE: That's my wedding pic from last summer on the right hand side! WOW- What a year it's been!

Angela's Wedding

Here's a pic of the happy couple during their first dance...



and here's Jeff and I dancing. After the rehearsal dinner on Friday night and the heat of an outside wedding, I'd have to say I was proud of myself for still going through midnight. Probably not the smartest thing for being 32+ weeks pregnant, but how often does one of your best friends get married?!?!? It was a great party!

29 weeks along!

Here you should see some pretty good growth since the 21 weeks pic I last posted. I finally made it into the + of weight gain at about 24 weeks and as of my last appointment I have gained a total of 12 pounds! I guess all that sickness at the beginning was worth it, huh? I've been feeling well and the doc says Logan's doing great! We should have another ultrasound in about 3 weeks!

New furniture

I talked Jeff into getting new furniture for the downstairs living room so we could put the older couches up in the gameroom. Leather is so much easier with a shedding puppy- and can't you see how much he already loves getting comfortable!

Back porch!

Through doing all the moving, my father-in-law, father and husband managed to build a deck in less than three days! This included dodging the daily rainshowers and fitting in time to get all the light fixtures hooked up and the blinds on the back windows! What great help family was through this whole experience!

We Are In!

Well, after months of watching the house come along, the moving took place in just a couple of days and we are in our first home!