Gracie being an elephant

As most of you already know, my dad died on Nov. 26. I want to write a post about my dad, but am still working through it. I have struggled with whether or not to post about anything else before I wrote about my dad, but decided to after a fun evening tonight with Gracie. I still plan to write about my dad, but am not able to yet.

We are so blessed to have Gracie in our lives. Over the past two weeks she has brought so many smiles to our faces. I have struggled with grieving having Gracie in my face, just being a toddler, but I am thankful for those light moments with her. She is such a joy. She is 23 months old today.

On another note...Jason's granddad (Suzanne's dad) is not doing well. He has been at home since late last week (he was at the VA in Tuscaloosa) and Hospice is there. We are not sure he will make it through the night. Julie, Ryan, and Noah are flying in late tonight and will head down to Tuscaloosa. We will go in the morning.

Please keep both families in your prayers. Thank you so much for your prayers over the past two weeks. We have felt them and have been blessed by our friends and family. We have really felt the grace of God during this terrible time.

Sunday after church and nap.

Look at how long her hair is!

Go DUKE!!!

This morning when I walked into Gracie's room to get her out of bed she pointed at my shirt and said "Duke". I grabbed her out of the bed and ran her into our room to show Jason. He was very proud! =) She got very excited too and started clapping and saying "yea!". Jason and Gracie had Daddy/Daughter time earlier this week while I was out and they watched part of the Duke game together. Gracie was so cute repeating Jason as he cheered his team on! That was our big reminder that she's really repeating everything we say! She is so smart (I know every parent says that!) and is talking all the time. She's putting words together a lot. Yesterday we were out walking around with Suzanne and she was holding Gracie and Gracie started wiggling and said "I want walk". Suzanne put her down and she started walking right beside us. She is such a joy right now and we are having a blast with her!

new pics

I took this picture on the way home from Jonathan's 2nd birthday party last night. Gracie was still ready to play! She had a blast playing with Jonathan and Jackson (and Jonathan's new toys...I now have a few new ideas to add to her Christmas list!!).Gracie's hair is growing so fast! I put it in a ponytail after her bath this morning. It slowly fell down as her hair dried, but she loved wearing it back. Isn't her pink jogging suit cute??!!
Gracie was brushing her teeth and dancing with some weird show on tv this morning.

Gracie's own language

This is part of Gracie's own language. She used to make these sounds a lot, but then stopped, but over the past few days she's been making them again. They crack me up! Sorry she's not in part of the video...she's still amazed at digital cameras.

pumpkins and cookies

We carved pumpkins this week and Gracie loved helping Mommy. She kept taking the lid off and walking around with it. Even tonight when they were lit she wanted to take the lid off and look inside. She thought it was pretty neat that we were pulling weird stuff out of the pumpkin.

We were invited to a neighbor's house for dinner tonight. I was told that they didn't ask the new neighbors to bring anything, but I decided to take cookies. I bought cute halloween cookies that are already in shapes (ghost, cats, pumpkins and bones) and there was a lot of extra dough from in between the shapes. I decided to use the extra dough to make a treat for Gracie...and because apparently I have too much time on my hands =) Gracie got to eat the duck and heart after her nap this afternoon and ate the letter "r" tonight instead of candy.

I waited until it was too dark to take pictures of the pumpkins. I have a picture of Gracie and Jason sitting beside the pumpkins, but since I turned my flash off they are hidden in the night =) I think it's fun carving pumpkins...maybe one day Gracie will think it's fun stuff too!

We decided not to take Gracie out tonight after we got home from dinner. We thought it might be a little funny and obvious who the candy was for having two parents to walk around with a 21 month old who can't even say "trick-or-treat". She doesn't seem to understand or care at this point and we were ready to come in anyway. She just knows it's fun to put on her costume. Gracie had fun playing at the neighbor's house and even jumped on a big kid trampoline for a few minutes (I heard she had a tight grip on Jason's finger, who was standing right beside her but on the ground, the whole time she jumped). There were tons of Indians, two Spider Men and a Princess...and a Pink Poodle of course. We didn't get any pictures of Gracie tonight, but I think over the weekend we got plenty! Once we got home a few trick-or-treaters came by. Gracie got scared by a big kid and wouldn't stop crying. I think maybe that's when she got a cookie =) She stayed up until around 8:30 tonight and was so pooped. Hopefully the time change this weekend won't be too bad on any of us!

Sunday afternoon pics

Gracie is such a champ going up and down her slide by herself. She gets very proud when she gets to the top and sits for a few seconds before she slides down. She is totally obsessed with her lawn mower this week. This was Sunday after her nap and she walked around the yard for a long time just pushing the mower...it's out of bubbles, but she still enjoys it. She even pushed it later that afternoon when she had on the poodle costume!
She's just so cute! Gracie put her costume on when Bill and Suzanne were over Sunday afternoon. Bill didn't get to go to the Fall Festival, so Gracie turned into a poodle again to show off for Grandaddy. She had a blast and loved having it on.
Gracie loves her pumpkins and now wants them by the slide every time we go out.

Fall Festival

Gracie practicing being a poodle!Cinderella and "Fi Fi" on the carousel.

What a fun night we had! I'm glad Gracie gets to wear this costume again on Wednesday, because I didn't do a very good job getting a picture of her by herself. She had a blast playing with Claire Ellen and riding the carousel with her. Gracie walked around with us for a while and then she spent some time with Gran while mommy and daddy worked at the Titanic Slide (which by the way was the biggest inflatable thing there!!). I wish I had a picture, but I didn’t get one. Jason sat at the top and directed the kids down either side of the sinking ship. I stood at the bottom and told the kids when they could start the long, steep, dark climb up to the top. I think Jason got a little bored at the top, but we were glad to volunteer for a bit. Gracie enjoyed the blue grass music that was outside. She would start dancing every time she heard the band start up. Gracie ate lots of popcorn and cotton candy (she crashed once we finally got home and hopefully she’ll sleep in in the morning).

Noah's visit

The Bratcher's were in Birmingham a few weeks ago and we all had a great visit. I've posted a slide show with pictures of Noah and Gracie from the weekend. We went to the pumpkin patch with them, but Gracie was tired and hungry, so she didn't get any good pics (well, funny ones, but nothing I would print =)). We said we would go back with Gracie, but time has flown by once again and I'm not sure we'll make it back out there. Tonight is the Fall Festival at Dawson and Gracie is going as a pink poodle (thank you Old Navy for last minute sales) and I'm sure we'll get some great pictures there. If she's up for it after her nap we might have a little photo shoot on the front porch with our two pumpkins. So, check back later in the weekend for new pics. Back to Noah's visit...Gracie did well with Noah overall, but she had her moments of "this kid is staying? and now he's playing with all of MY toys!". She has settled down with the word "mine" and I'm thankful for that. Gracie did a lot of petting Noah's head, hugging him, sticking his pacifier in his mouth, and even trying to feed him goldfish! I can't wait to see these two at Christmas!



In other news...Jason has made the switch over to ERA Oxford and we're really excited about the new opportunities that will bring for him. Jason and his parents are working on their first "flip" and that is going well. If anyone wants to buy an updated, cute house in Homewood let us know =)

Gracie days

Gracie loves coloring these days! Big Thanks to Publix for coloring books and crayons when we go shopping. We've let out the hem from last year's dress and are sending it to Grandmother's to get a new hem, but Gracie just can't wait! She tries on the dress at least once a day and this morning it was with a pair of my shoes (and her pj's)!!

This is a cute video of Gracie from yesterday. She had just finished having a fit and composed herself nicely, but she didn't seem to want to talk...I finally got a couple of words out of her. Her vocabulary is really growing and it amazes me! Now, if we can just get that thing out of her mouth!

ROLL TIDE!!!!

Gracie loves wearing Mommy's shoes! She's very talented walking in them as well.
This was at the end of Gracie's play date today. Most of the kids had gone home already, but we were still chatting with John Michael and Claire Ellen.
We LOVE this weather! She loves being a big girl and pushing her bike around!

fall shoes

Gracie got two new pair of Fall shoes yesterday (Thanks Gran and Grandaddy!) and was eager to try them on today. Gracie is sporting a very cute dress that Leslie Ellis made her earlier this year. We went to the Hoover library with some friends (Melissa, Allie and Kyle Sanderson) this morning for story time and then to the mall for lunch and a carousel ride. Gracie and Allie had a great time together. They even held hands for a bit while walking through the mall.

more new pics

Gran teaching Gracie how to ride a bike (Gran's bike). They had a blast!
Gracie just being cute!
Gracie and Grandaddy. Bill is doing much better and has even gone back to work a little. Gracie loves sitting with Bill in the chair. Continue to pray for Bill as he recovers. He's doing physical therapy now, but is still not able to put weight on his right leg.
Gracie's favorite meal is breakfast by far. She loves eating mini pancakes (anywhere from 9-13 of them!!) and likes to finish off the meal with yogurt or fruit. She's getting so good at eating with her fork and spoon. She would rather feed herself than us feed her. It takes a little longer that way, but I'm glad she's learning (and it's easier to eat with her if I don't have to spoon feed her everything).

We had another accident in the family this week. My mom was in a car accident on Tuesday morning. She was taken to the ER, but is ok. She has some bruising and soreness in her chest and right arm, but all the x-rays came back fine. She has an appointment this afternoon for a check up to make sure everything is still ok and hopefully she'll be back to herself and able to go to work on Monday. She said that if she compares this wreck to the wreck she was in with us in NC, this one wasn't too bad =) Please pray for healing for her body.

Last update: check out www.thebratcherbunch.blogspot.com. Julie posted new pictures of Noah and he is getting so big and is adorable! They will be in town next weekend and I can't wait to see Gracie and Noah together!!

new pics

Mommy, Gracie and Big Al
This picture and the first 2 were taken at my cousin's house in Aliceville. We went for her daughter's first birthday party. Not only did she have pony rides, but she also got a pony for her birthday present! Gracie loved the ponies!! My mom's younger sister Rhonda is sitting in the front with the owner of the ponies. Gracie sporting her new shoes that we got at the beach. I think this picture looks like what her "first day of school" picture will look like (kind of sad!!).

NC visit

So, I've decided that I'm not very good at taking pictures when we're out and about. The only person who made it into a picture from our trip to NC (other than Gracie) was Aspen, RG and Carlita's dog! And it wasn't even a picture, it was a video. Aspen was probably Gracie's favorite part anyway, but it would have been nice of me to take more pictures.

We had a wonderful trip to NC, but we're glad to be back home. Gracie and I did not attend the wedding ceremony, but I heard from many people that Jason did a wonderful job. Gracie really wanted to go into the sanctuary, but she only wanted to watch the pianist and would get a little fussy if we weren't standing right beside her. So, we just walked aimlessly around the church during the ceremony. Ryan and Natalie had a beautiful wedding and a great reception (Gracie and I did get to enjoy that part)! We were so excited that they asked Jason to do the wedding and it was an honor to be there. We stayed with RG and Carlita while we were in Durham and were thankful to have such a comfortable place to stay. We were able to see almost everyone we wanted to see while we were there and that was very nice. We went to UBC on Sunday and even got to read a couple of prayers during the service. It was so special to visit UBC and see our old friends. UBC and NC have a special place in our hearts since that was our first home together, Jason's first church, and where Gracie was born. It will always be a real treat to visit NC. We drove over to Duke today before heading to the airport and bought new t-shirts for the fam, took a couple of pictures at the Chapel and made a quick visit to the Divinity School. Gracie did an outstanding job on the plane both trips. She didn't sleep like I had hoped, but she was content looking out the window, watching a video or coloring. Gracie had a blast looking for other planes before take-off and looking at the little cars on the way down.

After we got home today we made a stop at Brookwood Hospital to visit Bill. He had a bicycle accident yesterday and fractured his tibia and cracked his knee cap. He had surgery this afternoon to put in some pins and a plate. The surgery went well and it wasn't as invasive as they thought it might be. Bill and Suzanne were in good spirits during our visit. They plan to go home on Wednesday. He won't be able to put weight on his right leg for 6 weeks. Gracie was very excited to see her Gran and Grandaddy and enjoyed the visit. She sat with Bill for a few minutes and shared her Teddy Grahams with him. She also enjoyed the nurses who thought she was so cute and she really liked the one that brought her a popsicle! Please pray for a quick and smooth recovery for Bill.



Gracie playing in the fountain at Southpoint

Gracie so excited to be alone with Mommy and Daddy for a few minutes after church

Gracie and Daddy at Duke Chapel (look close!!)

Gracie and Mommy on the plane

Gracie and Grandaddy at the hospital

The little princess

On Monday Gracie woke up early and then crashed before 7:30. Gracie and I laid down on our bed and she fell fast asleep with us. We both got up to get ready, Jason for work and me to take Gracie to the doctor. In the past if I would roll off the bed she would wake up immediately, but Monday she just kept on sleeping. I was able to get ready and get all of her stuff ready while she snoozed on our bed. I'm not sure she's ever been that still during sleep. I finally had to wake her up to change her clothes...I guess it wouldn't have been too bad to take her to the doctor's office in her pj's =)

reorganizing

I promise I won't get carried away with this!!

This is what happens when Mommy gets caught up reading blogs!

The first video!!

Ok, so I am super excited that I can do video's on the blog now!! This was taken a couple of weeks ago. Gracie loves corn and loves eating off the cob! Even if I cut it off for her she still wants to chew it off at the end!

Gracie is feeling better, but still under the weather a little. Thanks for your prayers and keep them coming!

The past few weeks have been very busy in the Cook household and will remain that way for the next couple of weeks (but we’re loving it!). This past weekend Todd, Kathy, and Jackson Rowland came to visit. Todd had a conference in Atlanta so he headed out on Friday and Kathy and Jackson stayed with us. Gracie loved having her playmate back. Friday we went to the McWane Center (we had not been before) and saw the Bob the Builder exhibit, the aquarium (which is really neat) and played in the mini me section. I’m not sure that’s what it was actually called, but it was the perfect size play stuff for Jackson and Gracie. I forgot my camera that day and Kathy’s card was full, so we didn’t get any pictures until later in the weekend. There’s a silly reason why I forgot my camera…Thursday after the Rowland’s had been here for a couple of hours (maybe) the power went out. Kathy was in the middle of peeling some yummy shrimp she brought up from Mobile, Todd was about to feed Jackson, and I don’t know what we were doing, but the power went out! We decide that we would just order takeout so we wouldn’t have to get the kids out in the rain, but not too long after that decision was made it started getting a little hot in the house. We quickly invited ourselves over to Bill and Suzanne’s house and had a slumber party over there. So, in the craziness of trying to pack us all up for the night I didn’t grab my camera.

Saturday we had a pool party with the twins, Eric and Emma, who were staying with Nana and Pops for the weekend, and the trips, Sam, Bethany, and Katie. Jackson and Gracie had a lot of fun playing with the bigger kids. The twins are 3 ½ and the trips just turned 3 this summer. Even though the pool was ice cold we still had a great time.

Monday we went to the zoo (and I finally had my camera). The weather was great and the kids had a blast looking at all the animals. Gracie was so tired by the time we rode the train that she didn’t enjoy it very much at all! Jackson on the other hand loved every minute of it! He also loved the water area, but Gracie didn’t.

We had such a good time visiting with the Rowland’s and were so glad they came to spend the weekend with us.

In other news: Late Tuesday Gracie started getting a little sick and it’s just gotten worse. She’s got a tummy bug or maybe she’s just teething (although I think that’s what we always said and it wasn’t really true). Jason is in Atlanta for a real estate conference and will be back tonight. My mom stayed with us last night, which was very helpful since Gracie’s crib sheet needed to be changed around 4:30 (a.m.!). Please pray for quick healing for her and energy and patience for me as I take care of her.

We’re set to leave on Thursday to head up to NC for a wedding and we couldn’t be more excited!! Jason is doing the wedding of a couple that was in his college group at UBC. This will be Gracie’s first flight in a long time. She flew a lot right after she was born when we were visiting Mobile, but she was a much easier lap baby then =). We have a direct flight, so hopefully it won’t be too bad.

I’ve posted a slide show from the zoo and a few pics of Jackson and Gracie. I’ve got some good videos of Gracie I want to post, I’ve just got to figure out how to post them first. Stay tuned for more videos and pics. As always, thanks for keeping up with us.

week in review

Gracie "reading" her little Bible.
Gracie after a spaghetti dinner last night! She loved it!

Bananas

Sometimes it's more fun to get a little banana in your hair than not. Gracie loves bananas these days and tries to eat the peel sometimes...she's learning.

This is her "uh-oh" face!!