The Pfautsch House

Two Amazing Years!

2010-12-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Fall Fun!

2010-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks, we had fun visiting the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch. Gracie loves to talk about her experience at the apple orchard. "I pick apples. Goat lick me. Camel walking." At the pumpkin patch, pumpkins schmumkins - it was all about the playground, and again, the goats. And, she saw her friend Mason from daycare. That afternoon and evening we heard "Mason pumpkin patch" 100 times. Sometimes she would throw in that Mason was in a stroller with her mommy. Life is good.

Sad to See Summer Go

2010-09-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

We've been having a blast this summer. Fortunately, the river finally dropped below flood stage at the end of August so that Gracie could enjoy the boat rides and beach time that I had been telling her about all summer. She loves to go on Grandpa's boat! We're outside whenever we get the chance. Everyday after school, we walk to one of the 5 parks near our house. It's taken a couple months, but she's mastered blowing bubbles and picking up sticks in the backyard. She tests us every now and then, but she's really becoming quite a polite little girl, saying thank you, please and excuse me on a regular basis. Her favorite expressions right now are one more time, one more hug or one more kiss. She likes to sing Happy Birthday and Jason Mraz's I'm Yours (there's a Sesame Street version). We're having so much fun that we're trying to stretch summer out as long as we can. Here are a few shots of my favorite people.

Chicago

2010-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Mike, Gracie and I had a wonderful, long weekend in Chicago. Highlights included a visit to the Brookfield Zoo with friends, splashing in the fountains in Millineum Park, Rainforest Cafe, the beach, pizza, Shedd Aquarium, dinner with Christen, shopping on Michigan Avenue and the carousel and choo-choo train on Navy Pier. We also had fun singing and dancing on the car ride home. As Gracie likes to say, bye-bye Cago.

Summer Fun!

2010-08-12T18:22:00.001-07:00

Tea Party!

2010-05-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Gracie's new favorite word and place - OUTSIDE!

2010-05-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

We've been spending all our free time outside walking, at the park or playing in the backyard. The minute we pull into the driveway, Gracie says turtle, which means she wants to play in the sandbox. She also loves to run. She yells "ready, go" and runs from one fence to the other, over and over again. Now, we're looking forward to the pool!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful weekend! On Friday, after a trip to the doctor for Gracie's 15 month checkup, my mom and I took Gracie to the mall for some shopping and to see the Easter bunny, but after three shots, she was tired out and fell asleep before we could meet the bunny. Friday afternoon, after Mike got off work, he met Gracie and me at the park to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We started with a trip to The Butterfly House and had fun strolling and playing at the playground. Saturday morning, on the way to Mike's dad's house, we stopped at Purina Farms, and were surpised by the chance to take photos with the Easter bunny! Gracie was a little scared of the bunny and the large animals. We spent most of Saturday outside enjoying the weather with Papa Bob. Sunday morning, Gracie hunted eggs at church and at home, and she was a pro. However, after finding about 10 eggs at home, she was over the egg hunt. We spent Sunday afternoon with my family. I wish every weekend was this much fun!

Brian's Wedding

2010-04-05T18:57:00.002-07:00

Gracie had a blast at Brian & Courtney's wedding reception. Even without a good nap, she looked beautiful, danced like there's no tomorrow and partied all night long (until midnight).

Gracie and her boys!

2010-04-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Gracie got to spend a week with her cousins Logan and Landon while Mike and I traveled to Jamaica for my brother's wedding. She loves those boys, and their dinosaurs, trucks and action figures! Special thanks to Emily and Jake for taking wonderful care of Gracie all week!

I love the park!

2010-04-05T18:48:00.001-07:00

I love it when mommy and daddy take me to the park after work and on the weekends! I don't know what I like more...the swing or the slide. Wheeee!

Ready for sunshine and fun!

2010-04-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Healthy, Happy, Having Fun

2010-02-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

After 2 1/2 months of one illness after another, Gracie's healthy again. We've made it through many common colds, pink eye, two bouts of the stomach flu, an ear infection, a hive outbreak and strep. Despite all the sickness, we've been having so much fun watching Gracie grow and learn. Most exciting is her growing vocabulary. And if she wants to play along, she'll repeat words if you ask her, even her own name. I won't try to hide it, I'm a proud mama!

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-06T19:49:00.001-08:00

We had a happy holiday season at the Pfautsch house! Though we faced a few bouts of illness, the atmosphere of family, friends, parties and presents kept us cheerful. Between her December birthday and Christmas, Gracie shouldn't be bored for a long time. We're looking forward to a new year of fun with our baby girl!

Ready for Winter!

2009-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Warm fuzzy coat and hat.

Check.A fridge full of my favorites - applesauce and milk.

Check.

Michelle Tanner?

2009-12-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you see it, but in this photo I see Michelle Tanner from Full House. This was Gracie's first day wearing pig tails. They lasted 20 minutes, which is 19 minutes and 59 seconds longer than any bow, headband, birthday hat or princess crown has ever lasted on Gracie's head.

Bath Time

2009-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Boy, a lot can change in a year. It's so hard for me to remember teeny, tiny Gracie. I wanted to capture one last photo of Gracie in her baby tub, as she'll soon be transitioning to the big bath tub. We've had a few trial runs in the big tub, and with the distraction of bath toys, she likes it ok. She loves her baby tub, and we love avoiding kneeling down in a small, cramped bathroom with a tub with sliding doors. We're so happy that she loves bath time!

Gracie's 1st Birthday!

2009-12-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Gracie's first birthday with family. She was a little bit under the weather, but still had a great day. She enjoyed opening most of her presents. She loved her baby doll stroller, her three dogs, Mickey Mouse and even her new clothes. She wanted nothing to do with the cake both before and after her nap, but she did finally dig into it the day after her birthday. What a wonderful year!

Fall Fun

2009-11-26T10:57:00.001-08:00

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend we visited a local pumpkin patch. Gracie loved playing in the straw, carrying around her pumpkin and visiting the farm animals. We enjoyed the nice fall day!

Walking and Talking

2009-10-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Gracie started walking the last week of September! At first, she would just take short walks to mommy or daddy. Now she'll walk across the living room or kitchen just because she can. She says mama, dada, cat, dog, toes and a few other words too. She now eats table food....chunks of bananas, avacodos, carrots, green beans, cheese, ham, turkey, watermelon, strawberries and more. She caught the viral infection of hand, foot and mouth disease, and was home from school all week. We had some fun, but it's been a long week of trying to work from home and care for Gracie. We learned that she can be distracted for short periods of time, enough for mom to respond to a couple of emails, by Dora the Explorer. At her last doctor visit, she weighed 24 lbs and 2 oz and measured 29 1/2 inches tall. Our baby girl is growing up fast.

Riding in daddy's old horse!

Laughing with Daddy

2009-09-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Paying Homage to the Man Upstairs

2009-09-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

I love to read!

2009-09-16T18:49:00.001-07:00

Lately, Gracie just loves books.

Our little Tiger!

2009-09-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

Gracie got to cheer on her first Tiger football victory this past weekend!

Working on her cheer...MIZ - ZOU.

She may look a little like a Tiger, but she's just a cat.

Gracie getting a nice pat on the back from Mia!

School is Cool!

2009-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Gracie enjoyed a walk around the house and a little playtime before heading to school (day care.) We call it school, and there actually is a curriculum for infants, so it is school. Gracie loves her teachers, Miss Jennifer and Miss Laura, and her classmates. We're grateful for everything she has had the opportunity to experience at school so far...a petting zoo, art projects, buggy rides through the sprinkler... And she's really gotten into the spirit days, such as wear a specific color, wear your pjs to school, backwards shirt day...Ok, mom's really the one who has gotten into dressing Gracie up for the spirit days. She's not even nine months old yet and she'll be taking her first school picture next week. Crazy! But the absolute best part about school is seeing her face light up when we pick her up at the end of the day.

Rock Star

2009-09-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Gracie was excited for Katie and baby Aidan's pool party shower! She dressed like a rock star!

Summer Vacation

2009-08-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

We spent the past week on vacation, which included a few days at the Lake, a quick stop in Columbia and a few days at home! It's been wonderful to spend so much time together as a family. At the Lake, we had rainy, cool weather, but we made the most of it. We swam a little in the rain, played mini-golf, shopped for a fall and winter wardrobe for Gracie at the outlet mall and lunched on the lake. On our way home, we showed Gracie Columbia. Rush, or should I say Recruitment Week, was in session and it was fun to see the girls lined up and marching into the sororities, songs a-blazin. We lunched at Campus Bar and Grill, which Mike still calls Suds and I call Big 12. We also made a pilgrammage to Tonic, where the story of Mike and Karen began. We've been relaxing at home the past few days, and Gracie is glad to be done with getting in-and-out of the car seat so many times a day. We wish every day was a vacation day!

Vintage

2009-08-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of Gracie in a dress that I wore as a baby.

A happy baby!

2009-08-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Gracie and I had fun playing tonight after work. We usually get to play for one hour before it's time for her to eat, take her bath and go to bed. Check out her seven teeth in the photo below! I caught her clapping today, which was very exciting! Her crawling is speeding up and she's just starting to follow us from room to room. She'll be 8 months tomorrow!

July

2009-08-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

I haven't been taking many photos lately, but here's a few. I've also uploaded a short video of Gracie's new favorite trick. When we put her to bed now, she prefers to stand up in her crib and play. She's crawling in her own unique way. She's been slowly pushing a walking toy across the living room floor. She cruises along the couch and the coffee table. Her favorite word is dada, but she also says mmmmmom. However, we don't think she understands who's who. My mom is so proud that Gracie can wave good-bye to her.

We also celebrated Mike's birthday in Vegas a few weeks ago. We didn't win big, but we had a good time...and Gracie had a good time at her Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Also in July….Mike ordered pizza from Domino’s and was surprised with the D’Marco Delivery. D’Marco Farr, former Rams player and current ESPN radio host, delivered Mike’s pizza, along with 2 Rams tickets, pizza for a year and a chance to win season tickets to the Rams!

http://www.101espn.com/post/14044_dmarco_farr_is_trying_out_pizza_delivery/story

2009-07-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie getting ready for school this morning!

2009-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Gracie made her second trip to the zoo! She had a fun time, even though her new 6th tooth was bothering her. She loved the monkeys, but even more than the animals, she loved all the kids at the zoo. Mike and I loved the tigers. Five tiger cubs were born in April, and we saw 6 tigers running around and having fun.

4 - 6 1/2 months

2009-07-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Amazing Gracie! Our baby girl constantly amazes us. We enjoy every new noise, smile and laugh. She's not crawling yet, but she wants to be mobile. She's been pulling herself up the last few days! Her interest in toys has grown so much, and she loves to soak in her surroundings. She has 5 teeth, hates peas, sleeps well and loves splashing in the bath and at the pool!

My first post!

2009-05-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie convinced me to join the world of blogging today! Ever since going on maternity leave about 5 1/2 months ago, I've been enjoying looking at all my friends' blogs, and I've been thinking about sharing pictures of Gracie through a blog. So here it is! My plan is to back date a few posts so that you can see how much our little girl has grown so far. She's constantly changing, and more fun every day. I hope you enjoy the blog!

3 - 4 months

2009-04-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

We've been having so much fun with Gracie! She loves to talk, especially with her hands in her mouth. She's starting to show more interest in toys and books and our cat Bella. She loves it when Mike lifts her high into the air. She usually gives us a big smile when we pick her up from day care. She still loves bath time! Lucky for us, she's been a good sleeper! She's more and more fun every day! And to keep it honest, sometimes she cries too!

Weeks 7 - 12

2009-03-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

Gracie is now 12 weeks old and we've been having so much fun! She loves to smile, see herself in the mirror and stare at her colorful toys! She's speaking baby talk and we love having conversations with her! And she now sleeps 7 - 8 1/2 hours straight! We've had a lot of fun experiences recently, including trips to KC and the zoo and lots of walks enjoying the nice weather. Gracie is excited to meet new friends at day care on Monday as mom heads back to work. We love our little girl!

Weeks 3 - 7

2009-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Gracie is growing up so fast! It's amazing how much different life is at seven weeks than it was at 3 weeks. We're much better rested (or semi-adjusted to the lack of sleep) and we have a routine established for eating, playing and sleeping. Plus Mike and I have each developed techniques to calm Gracie when she's upset. She's smiling now, and she loves bath time and loves to bounce. We're excited to see her grow up, but we don't want it to happen too fast.

The first 3 weeks

2009-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

The world as we knew it three weeks ago no longer exists. We are now just consumed with love for our little girl! She's eating well and we're working on getting her to be a better sleeper, especially at night. We're having so much fun just watching her variety of facial expressions! We're amazed that she can cry so hard and then immediately turn off the tears and be happy as can be. And we assume that we will, at some point down the road, catch up on sleep.

It's a girl!

2008-12-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

Gracie Ann was born today, 12/13/08, at 12:13 p.m. Mike and I were so happy to meet our baby, and find out that she's a girl! To me, the biggest surprise was her head of dark hair. (I was totally expecting a blonde baby)! She weighed in at 8 pounds and 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. We're so blessed to have a healthly baby girl!