Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

We had an amazingly gorgeous weekend here, so we decided to venture outside. Lucas spent most of one day playing lumberjack, and he finished cutting down the dead/dying trees in our "grove" by the driveway. Now we just have to cut and stack all the wood and burn what's left (I think that will take longer than cutting them down.)

From 20009-2

I packed Grace into her snowsuit, and we went out to see Lucas' progress. She was not so thrilled about the snowsuit as you can see below.

From 20009-2

From 20009-2

Gracie's daddy turned 30 on Monday! He insisted on having a regular day, so we didn't throw a party. We're planning to take-in an I-cubs game with family and friends this spring to celebrate (anyone is welcome to join us). For his birthday, Grace gave him a framed picture of her with her first baseball. She's starting to smile more and more.

From 20009-2

Growing Pains

We suspect our little Grace hit her first growth spurt. In the past week she's taken to eating almost hourly throughout the day. Being the good eater that she is her feeding usually last more than 30 mins and up to an hour. That leaves very little time for anything other than diaper changing and burping. On the rare occasion that she'll go a couple hours without eating she would prefer to be held the entire time. It's a good thing her mommy loves holding her.

Fortunately, Grace still sleeps pretty well at night. Mom may not be getting anything done during the day, but at least we're getting some sleep at night.

Yesterday we became acquainted with the world's handiest baby invention: the BabyBjorn. For those unfamiliar with this modern marvel, I will explain its greatness. This gem is a "front-pack" (as opposed to a back-pack) baby carrier where the baby can ride facing you and later, as the baby grows up, facing out to see the rest of the world. We tuck our little bundle into this masterpiece and I am able to do laundry, clean the kitchen, update the blog and post new pictures.... It's like a free babysitter! She loves it!! We will definitely be taking the BabyBjorn through the airport with us.

Speaking of the airport, we are 12 short days away from our flight back to Bismarck. Grace and I are soooo excited. By the sound in Grandma Jan and Auntie Sarah's voices I would say they're excited too.

Now for new pictures: I've posted a few here, but as usual there are more in the album.

This first one is for Uncle Karl- Grace wanted to show you "Blue Steel."

From Grace

Here Gracie is snuggled with Daddy. I'm sure they're watching the MLB channel and Grace is learning the difference between a split-finger fast ball and a nasty slider.

From Grace

Finally, Grace was surprised by her own strength as she held herself up for the camera. That flash will get you every time.

From Grace