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!!

link added

I would like to be the first to welcome the Bratcher Family to the world of blogging!!! Please visit their new link at http://www.thebratcherbunch.blogspot.com/.

then and now

July 2006
August 2007







July 2006
August 2007









I just wanted to post a couple of pictures from our beach trip last summer and compare them to how big Gracie is this year and thought you all might enjoy seeing them. I would like to note that the white dress Gracie is wearing this year is the same one she wore last year (it's a big 6 month dress) =)

Vacation

For a beach lover like myself it’s hard to put into words how I feel about being at the beach with my family for a week, but I’ll try. We left home Aug.4 and returned yesterday Aug. 11 (Gracie is 19 months old!!!). Our gang included the 3 Cooks, Bill, Suzanne, Julie, Ryan and Noah (5 months old)…what a fun group. We stayed at Romar Beachside (I think) in a great house tucked away from the big high rise condos.

Our week started off great with a Sunday visit from our friends Kathy, Todd, and Jackson Rowland. The Rowland’s are our good friends from Mobile and I was ecstatic to see them and have them spend the day with us. Jackson is about a month younger than Gracie and they were best buds in Mobile. Kathy and I already have great pictures of the two of them to show at their rehearsal dinner!! Kathy and I got to do a little shopping at the Wharf while the kids were sleeping and we enjoyed catching up.

Gracie “played” so well with Noah all week. She doesn’t really call too many people by name, but she definitely has a name or two for Noah. She called him No-oh, No-no, and sometimes just kept repeating the no part…Nononono. Noah was a trooper all week with her but we decided this will probably be the last beach trip where she is bigger than he is. She loved kissing, hugging, and patting Noah. She was even pretty good at putting his pacifier back in his mouth if he would start crying (which was rare by the way)! Noah is such a great baby and is such a joy to be around. Julie and Ryan are great parents and we had a blast being around them this past week. Noah makes the cutest noises and talks so much more than we remember Gracie talking last year. He’s got a great baby squeal and Gracie would occasionally talk back to him too. We’re recruiting the Bratcher’s back to Alabama and we even know a great realtor to help find them a house =)! Gracie slept great and played hard all week. She loved rolling in the sand and only tried to eat it a couple of times. She didn’t get nearly as worked up over sand in her eyes and mouth as she used to. Gracie’s favorite part of the beach was crushing all the sand castles we built. She was the big Gracie-zilla stomping on the castles and she thought it was pretty funny.

On Friday Julie, Ryan, Bill and I went to Waterville and had a great time. It was pretty cloudy most of the day and the lines weren’t long at all so it was a great day. Bill even went down the crazy vertical blue slide. I went down it once and that was enough for me. We all enjoyed the slides and the lazy river. Jason and Suzanne were great enough to stay at the house with the kids. We figure next year Gracie will be all over the kiddie part of Waterville and that’ll be a blast to have her there.

It was such a special week to be with family and this is such a great time to have Noah and Gracie together. Bill and Suzanne were in Grandparent heaven all week. We were so thankful to have such loving parents and family to spend the week with.

On a side note, tonight we had dinner with the beach gang and most of the Warren family…Betty, Jim, Jamie, Emily, Ryan, Eric and Emma were all there (Julie, Jackson, and Jonathan are out of town this week). We were celebrating Ryan Voelkert’s birthday. Gracie had a lot of fun playing with Eric and Emma tonight. We’ve talked about the two families vacationing next summer together and tonight we got a little taste of it (minus three people). It would be wild, but it would be so much fun!!

Well, thanks for reading about our great vacation! I have about 300 pics I think, but I’ll try to narrow it down a bit =)

Ok, so I tried using photobucket to do a slide show since I had so many pictures. An unknown error came up when I tried to put the show on the page, so I'm just pasting the link. Hope it works. There are three slide shows =) Not too many pics =)


http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/sarahcook49/?action=view&current=b60c3834.pbw

http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/sarahcook49/?action=view&current=48683281.pbw

http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/sarahcook49/?action=view&current=285172e2.pbw

more fun pics

We are having so much fun with Gracie! Everyday seems to be a new adventure with this kid! Gracie is learning so much and blabbing all the time. We can't understand everything she says, but her non-verbals are pretty good, so she usually gets the point across. Her newest thing this weekend was putting on our shoes and walking around in them. She's been playing with our shoes for while now, but she's really into putting them on and making the rounds. Gracie loves looking for the phone when it rings and always responds with the sweetest "hi". Yesterday Jason and I discovered the best way to get all of Gracie's energy out before bed...dance with her. She has always loved to "dance" (bouncing up and down and twisting at the waist) and is really into it now. The past two nights we've turned the music on in the study and just started dancing with her. She thinks it's so much fun and loves to try to jump with us. It's really cute when we tell her to raise the roof or lift her hands up and she starts waving them in the air. Gracie was 'gettin her praise on' to a little David Crowder Band last night. If only I could post a video =)

Jason is healing great and is back in the full swing of things at work. He has his first closing on Wednesday and we couldn't be happier! God is faithful to provide for us and we are continuing to pray for more work opportunities for Jason. We are heading down to the beach at the end of the week with Jason's family. Julie and Noah are flying in tonight and Ryan will get her on Saturday morning just in time to hop in the car and head to the coast. I know I'll have tons of pics of Gracie and Noah after the beach, so check back in a couple of weeks!

Thanks for keeping up with us.

This is Gracie's newest response when I say "1, 2, 3, cheese!!"

funny girl

Look at that face!! Gracie was upset because Jason had gone upstairs and we were still downstairs. The tears didn't last long, but they sure were cute while they lasted. Gracie was trying on her new bathing suit over her clothes =)
Gracie showing off her front teeth.
Gracie showing off her upper teeth (all four). She's up to eight now =)

My new favorite hobby!!

Holly and Sarah at Sips n Strokes

Ashley, Holly and Sarah at S&S with our "Abstract Poppies"






This is by far one of the neatest and most creative things I've done. Sips n Strokes is a place where you go and paint and leave that night with your own canvas painting. The instructor is great and makes it low key and not too stressful. She walks you through the whole process of painting your very own masterpiece. Everthing you need is provided. It is byob(beverage) hence the "sips" part. The next month's calendar of classes/paintings comes out the last week of the month. We plan to go back very soon if anyone in town is interested in going with us. You can visit the site at http://www.sipsnstrokes.com/.

Gracie had Manicotti tonight for the first time and loved it (Thanks for the dinner Jenny)! After dinner she walked around with a juice box and piece of toast. Funny girl. We also played peek-a-boo on the couch for a bit and she did a lot of laughing and rolling around.

Jason is the same. Please continue to pray for a smooth recovery.

fun pics

Gracie loves playing with her bows, but she can't put them in by herself. I decided to just put them all in there as she handed them to me. We really know how to pass the time while Daddy is laid up on the couch =)

Gracie and I are feeling great. Jason is still uncomfortable and in some pain, but he's resting well and taking meds for the pain. Thank you again for all of your prayers.

Our Crazy 4th

Well, yesterday wasn't the wonderful day we planned it to be, but we are all alive and very thankful for that. We drove down to Northport yesterday with Bill and Suzanne to have lunch with Jason’s Grandparents. We dropped Bill off at their house and then headed to Dreamland to pick up lunch. Gracie had fallen asleep in the car, so we kept her in there to get a few more minutes of sleep. At the light before turning into Dreamland some moron ran a red light and t-boned our car. We had been sitting at the red light and it had just turned green so we were not going very fast at all, but he was going very fast we think. The impact was mainly on the front passenger’s side door where Jason was sitting. Jason was pinned between the door and the center console. He has three fractured ribs and had a small pneumothorax yesterday, but that has resolved and he just has a bruised right lung and the fractured ribs. Jason was admitted to the hospital in Tuscaloosa for observation and was discharged earlier this afternoon. Gracie was sitting directly behind Jason. It’s a miracle that she doesn’t have one scratch on her little body. She had been sleeping soundly but woke up on impact. She screamed a lot and was reaching for me. I didn’t see any blood on her and the door didn’t seem to be pushed in, so I took a risk and got her out of her car seat. She calmed down fairly well after I got her out. Suzanne was driving and I was sitting behind her. We are fine, just bruised and very achy. We are all back in Birmingham tonight recovering in our own home. We are so thankful to be alive and that Jason’s injuries aren’t any worse than they are. After our wreck in 2004 I didn’t think we would ever have to go through something like that again. Our injuries aren’t as bad as they were then, but the mental trauma you go through is just as bad. One thing we learned from that wreck and have learned again is that you can be in control of your own car, but you can’t control how others are driving around you. During Jason’s recovery over the next two weeks he won’t be able to lift anything over 10 lbs, which means he won’t be able to pick up Gracie. We’re all very sad about that. I’m just praying that she will have some sort of understanding of “Daddy having boo boos” and that she won’t try to jump on him. We were grateful to have my parents drive down so quickly to be with us and for my family in Northport and Tuscaloosa who came to visit with us. A big thank you to those of you who have already been praying for us. We just ask that you continue to pray for a quick and smooth recovery for Jason.

Gracie's hair is getting so long! It's hard to tell how long it really is when it's dry because it curls so much at the ends. Jason enjoys doing Gracie's hair at bath time!