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.