The Sweetest Surprise- An Impromptu Family Visit

Yesterday evening, driving back from my cousin's bridal shower in Omaha I got a phone call from my Dad. He wanted to know if our round-up corrals were ready (translation: We have a load of cattle on, we're going to be late, but we're wondering if we could stop over for the night on our way home from Houston/Austin, TX to Bismarck, ND.) Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!

From 2011-03-20

They were on a whirlwind tour of cattle shows, cattle sales, and some random stops as they hauled cattle (and apparently some goats) across the country. So, I was delightfully surprised to get to see them along the way.

From 2011-03-20

At bath time we told Grace Grandma Janny was coming to see her in the morning. She replies, "Yeah, and Gampa Neil and the cows", as if they had already cleared it with her and this was old news. They better be careful if they ever come to our house without cattle. She evidently has high expectations!

From 2011-03-20

It was so fun to get to see Mom and Dad and a family friend Jim, who was along for the nation-wide tour. Here are a couple more pictures from this morning.

From 2011-03-20

From 2011-03-20

From 2011-03-20

From 2011-03-20

Don't Blink

If motherhood has taught me anything, it's to always pay attention. Those eyes Mom had in the back of her head, mine are developing nicely. Right now they notice a little hand reaching for a pair of scissors or an all-too-generous sister trying to share raisins with her baby brother. But sometimes, I wish I had a second set of eyes just for watching my babies grow.

From Grace

From 2010-09-18

From 2010-04-20

From 2010-10-04

How can it be that Alex is sitting up on his own already and Grace is beginning to say her ABC's? The other day I started to tear up when I realized Grace would be leaving for college in "less than 17 years." I know, one day at a time, Kate.

From 2010-10-04

The passing of my cousin and my Grandpa this year sent a reminder that each day is valuable. They were both incredible men with whom I wish I'd spent more time. I recently found out a college friend of mine is battling cancer. We're too young for that, right? She is also inspiring me to do a better job of noticing the blessings in my life- my beautiful, giggly kiddos, my hard-working and loving husband, my caring and supportive family, and a very decent job that while sometimes frustrating, I am quite blessed to have.

From 2010-10-04

My kids may be growing up to fast, and I might feel like freezing time, but the best I can do is enjoy every moment I can with them. So now to learn how to make it through a day without blinking.

From 2010-10-04

Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun...

....double the diapers, wipes, car seats, nightly awakenings....and about half the sleep. But it's totally worth it!!! Alex Carter joined our family on April 20th, and came into the world much more "quietly" than his sister. It was a surprisingly relaxing delivery, and Alex's personality is following that pattern.

From 2010-06-11

With "two under two" we have a very busy household now. We spend a lot of time trying to rein-in/redirect Grace's enthusiasm for her baby brother. Any time Alex makes a peep she says "Paci" and quickly tries to put his pacifier in his mouth, by any means necessary! She really likes to hold his hand (with a death grip), but her favorite thing is giving him kisses which would usually result in her falling/sitting on him if Mom's hand weren't constantly on guard.

From 2010-06-06

Last week we loaded up the truck and made the 600+ mile drive back to the ranch for the annual cattle sale. It was WONDERFUL to be back and we all survived the traveling (we'll leave it at that). The entire Effertz clan was back for the sale, and it was wonderful to see everyone. Alex met his Effertz family, and I think he was impressed. He was especially taken by his aunties. He spent hours staring into Abbey, Amanda, and Sarah's eyes!

Of course Grace and Anna had a great time playing together, too! Grandpa Neil built a sand-pile and tire swing for the girls and they spent hours playing there. As a result, a very brave Grandma Jan gave the girls a bath (more splashing than I've ever seen). Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

From 2010-06-06

From 2010-06-06

There are LOTS of pictures in our album, so feel free to click on one of these photos to see more.

From 2010-06-06

Cousins

Growing up I had so much fun with my cousins. To this day I treasure those memories we made...writing letters to Emily (I'm pretty sure Emily was my primary source for everything pop-culture and taught me boys are not "cute" they are "so fine"), spending a week in Colorado and Minnesota every summer, the famous Grandkids Week at Grandpa Don's (Grandpa, thank you for being crazy enough to host that event. It is truly one of my greatest childhood memories.), baseball in the park at the 4th of July, and of course babysitting all of my younger Effertz cousins.

I'm so happy Grace has cousins her age on both sides to share those joys and make those memories! It is amazing how they connect already.

From 2010-3-29

We had the pleasure of a visit from Sarah, Abbey and Anna a couple weeks ago, and the highlight was definitely watching our girls play together. It was wonderful! They played so well and would sporadically just hug each other. When they were leaving Anna turned back to wave goodbye to Grace and said, "I love you." (Yes, I'm crying again.) They are just so sweet!

From 2010-3-29

Grace also has the fortune of having Logan so close by. He calls her "my baby" and is so good about sharing his toys with her (a big step for an almost 3 year old boy). They have fun playing together at Grandma and Grandpa's!

From 2010-3-29

From 2010-3-29

Grace's cousin Adam (Lucas' cousin Katie's son) is also just 6 months older than Grace. A few weeks ago we had dinner together and those two had a blast! Adam taught Grace all about tractors and Grace told Adam all about shoes. By the end of the evening they were sneaking away to play hide-n-seek in the hallway. They're quite a pair!

From 2010-3-29

From 2010-3-29

Thank you to all of our cousins for impacting our lives and making us smile!

This one's for Anna...

Yes, it's been FOREVER since we've posted anything here. I believe most of our loyal followers are aware of our most significant news, so rather than recap the past 6-7 months, we'll start fresh.

I understand our darling niece/cousin Anna is probably Gracie's Dugout's #1 Fan. Apparently she spends a lot of her free time reviewing Grace's pictures and calling Grandma Jan to give her play-by-play updates. (ex: "Grandma, I see Grace. Her ride Libby. This is Libby's nose. This is Libby's ear. This is Libby's tail...." all over the phone.) I love it!

We recently purchased a flip video camera so we can capture life as the kids grow. So, Anna, these are for you...





Also, for those who haven't looked recently, we have lots of new pictures in the albums. They include Christmas and Grace's first birthday. Click on these pictures to check out the rest.

From 2010-1-20

Grace really likes her hair clips, and like her daddy she believes if 1 is good then 10 is better. She wanted all of her clips in her hair at once!

From 2010-2-12

Enjoy the photo's! With our baby boy on the way, I think you can expect more frequent updates here. Stay tuned.

Around the World in 10 Days

...or so it seemed. We always knew Grace was a good traveler, but this last expedition put her to the test. From Boone to North Platte, NE to Golden/Evergreen, CO, back to Boone for one night then off to Washington, DC for a week. While it was a whirlwind of a trip it was FANTASTIC!

I would say the highlights were seeing all of the family in CO and Grace getting to spend the week with Grandma Jan in DC. And a VERY special treat for me...whitewater rafting with my brothers and their gals. Thanks guys!!!

As you can imagine, we have tons of pictures from our travels...here is a sampling with more in the albums.

Uncle Cary (aka "The Godfather") was at it again teaching Grace all kinds of fun new tricks. Actually, she might have taught him this one.

From McEwen Wedding

All dressed up and on our way to Kelly's wedding. If anyone has other pictures from the wedding, we'd love to see them!

From McEwen Wedding

Grace lookin' cute in her wedding dress and practicing her walking.

From McEwen Wedding

Yippy for Grandma time! Grace and Grandma Jan had a blast together in CO and DC.

From McEwen Wedding

Cousins! As always, the girls were excited to see each other. They had a great time swimming together, too. I think we're raising a couple little "feeshies" (as Anna would say.)

From McEwen Wedding

So this pict. isn't from the trip, but I had to share it....think someone looks guilty?

From McEwen Wedding

On the water. We took a water taxi from our hotel to the historic city of Alexandria where we found some cute shops and a fantastic ice cream parlor!

From DC Club

On the water again, but this time in Anapolis. We toured through their state capitol building, the naval academy, and took a ferry ride around the harbor. I think we all liked being on the water the best.

From DC Club

Unfortunately, Grace was asleep at the Museum of Natural History...she loves kitties, so I think she would've gotten a kick out of this giant "kitty".

From DC Club

Part of Lucas' recognition for work included a rooftop dinner a couple blocks from the Capitol. We had almost a 360 degree view of DC and it was breathtaking!

From DC Club

Grace got up close and personal with Mr. Lincoln. I was especially impressed with how large and, for lack of a better word, grand the Lincoln Memorial is.

From DC Club

After a long day of touring our nation's capital, Grace chilled out on Daddy's lap back at the hotel.

From DC Club

Celebrating Our Independence

From 2009-7-1

As we give thanks and celebrate our freedom today Miss Grace tries to create a little freedom of her own. Her walker allows her to explore the kitchen without much restraint (as I write this she is stretching out of her walker as far as she can reach and opening kitchen cabinets.) However, I can see her drooling with anticipation for her exploratory freedom to extend to the rest of the house.

Yesterday she attempted crawling but resigned to "squirming" across the floor when she couldn't make her arms and legs work in unison. She doesn't sit up on her own yet, but I think it's because she's sooooo wiggly.

From eating sweet potatoes (an entire container last night) to chasing Libby around the kitchen in her walker to splashing in the pool, I just can't believe how quickly she's growing up.

From 2009-6-20

From 2009-6-25

Additional photos: There are pictures in the album from our wonderful trip to ND for the sale. We had a fabulous time with the whole Effertz family together!! Can't wait to see everyone in CO in just 2 weeks!

From 2009-6-20

From 2009-6-20