Pulling Carrots

We finally went out yesterday to pull the carrots and the rest of the onions from our garden.  I have to admit that I really slacked on the garden this year and really didn't do as much as I should have done and did not utilize what we grew as well as I should have.  I am using the "I had a baby in July" excuse for my neglect.

Anyway, in case you are wondering what the outcome of not thinning out your carrots can be, take a look at the picture below:

I pulled these two out last night, well they came out together.  They are serving as a good reminder that I need to be more proactive in my gardening attempts next year.

Visiting Nebraska

Last weekend we decided to leave town yet again.  This time we were headed to Nebraska to visit Eric's parents and see his cousin and his family who had come to visit from Oregon.  Friday we went to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.  (On a side note, we discovered that it is apparently the place to go if you are dating someone in Nebraska).  Gracie toured the zoo the same way that she tours most places . . . asleep.  She did wake up for a little while and the highlight of that was our walk through the butterfly house where a butterfly decided that the flower on her head looked like a good perch and landed for a while.

Saturday was mostly a day for hanging out and watching football, but we did go mini-golfing with Eric's cousins and aunt and uncle.  Once again I was reminded that I am not so good at mini-golf.  Gracie once again missed it by sleeping through the whole experience.  Someday she will start being awake and remembering the things that we do.

Sunday we went to church in the morning and before heading home to Illinois we got a quick picture of Gracie and her Grandma and Grandpa Roundy.  Then we headed home.

This was our first roadtrip with Grace.  She did very well.  She slept the whole way both ways with the exception of one wake up to eat.  I completely believe that they are only going to get tougher from here on out but we did good.

Baby Pictures

My friend Jaime took some pictures of Gracie a couple weeks ago and I thought I would share a few of them.  I may be biased, but I think she is super cute!

New York

About 2 weeks ago Eric got asked if he would do a presentation in Long Island in about a week.  He called me to see what I thought and then suggested that we all go since he had never been to New York before.  Sounded like a fun quick trip so Gracie and I decided that we would tag along.  I am not used to planning trip so last minute but we did and it ended up being a lot of fun.  We really didn't have the greatest weather while we were there so there are not many pictures. 

We stayed at a hotel in Queens near the subway station, here is Gracie and her elephant hanging out on the bed (she is starting to get interested in her toys which is fun).

Thursday Eric had his presentation so he would be gone all day so Gracie and I decided to go out on our own.  She and I took the train to Manhattan and spent a good part of our day at FAO Schwartz reading stories and looking at toys.  Then we walked around Central Park for a little while and headed back to the hotel.  

The weather people had threatened rain all weekend so we checked the forecast and it sounded like Friday morning would be the best time to be outside so we decided to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We made the mistake of forgetting that weather people are ALWAYS wrong.  We got dumped on.  So it was windy and rainy and we got soaked despite rain jackets and umbrellas.  Still we got to go to the pedestal museum and see the statue.

This one is from the ferry.

This is how Gracie spent most of the trip.

View of Manhattan from the ferry.

We got off the ferry at Ellis Island where we went through the museum and saw a video.  I don't think I ever realized how short a time the island was open.  Very interesting.  It had finally stopped raining so here is a picture of Gracie and I in front of the museum.

She finally woke up.

A view from Ellis Island on the ferry.

The sky was kind of starting to clear up so that we could get a better view.  After that we took the train to Brooklyn and had dinner at a restaurant beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

On Saturday we wanted to go to the USS Intrepid Museum. We finally got there and there was some security issue going on and it was being evacuated and there was a huge line to get in whenever it would open again, but no one knew when that would be so we oped to not wait.  So we took a cab back into town and went to the American Museum of Natural History.  I think the most popular place for people to take pictures there was at the Easter Island statue so we had to get one.

After we were done there we got ice cream and spent quite a while just walking in Central Park exploring.  It was a fun day.  It was a fun quick trip.  Eric and I find it funny that at two months old Gracie has been on more airplanes, cabs, and subway trains than either of us when we went to collage. 

Two Months

Our little Gracie turned two months old yesterday.  I can't believe how fast time is flying, but we are sure loving having her as a part of our family.  In the last month she has been to Idaho and New York, learned how to roll from her tummy to her back and started scooting a little bit.  The best part is that she has started to really smile and have little conversations with us which is just too much fun!

Today she had her two month well baby appointment and she is growing very well  She is now 12 lbs 1 oz and 23.5 inches long.  Her doctor says that everything looks great!

Game Day

So if you know me very well you will know that I am a huge college football fan . . . lucky for me I am also married to a huge college football fan.  This weekend has been eagerly anticipated in our household since it marked the beginning of another football season.  We caught part of the game Thursday night and watched more Friday night but Saturday was game day and not just cause ESPN said do.  

Nebraska, Boise State and BYU all had televised games scheduled and they were back to back.  Sportscenter got turned on around 9 am and I think turned off around 10:30 pm.  Happy to report that all three teams won their games so it was a great way to start off the season.  

Grace made sure to represent  for her dad's alma mater . . . Grandma Roundy made sure she was prepared with onesies and her big Nebraska football blanket.

Cletus opted to represent his mom's home town and wear the Boise State shirt Grandma Kesler got him.

As a side note we did manage to get a few things done besides just watch football . . . not quite that bad.

A Busy Week

Last week we took our first real trip as a family. We went to Idaho for my family reunion (side note: crazy that my whole immediate family getting together now constitutes a reunion but it does). This had been in the works long before Grace was born so we have been looking forward to it for a long time.

We weren't quite so sure about traveling with a 4 week old baby, we considered driving but decided that flying was the way to go. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! We decided on a flight that would have two two hour legs with a short layover in between. It was perfect! She never really fussed at all and the altitude change didn't seem to bother her a bit. Here she is on the plane getting ready to go.

My family rented a house up on Cascade Lake in Donnelly, Idaho. We had a boat, jet ski and lots of water toys to keep everyone busy. It was a lot of fun to see everyone (except my brother in law Eric who is still serving in Iraq but coming home very soon). I even met a new niece; my sister Jennifer's daughter Charlotte. Gracie is the 25th member of my family and there are 2 more on the way so our family gatherings are becoming quite the event to put together, but we always have a good time when we get to be together. I miss them lots so it is fun to see them!

After talking with both of our families we decided that we would bless Grace while we were in Idaho so that most of our families could be there. My Grandma and Grandpa Harper came over from Blackfoot, Idaho, Eric's parents came from Nebraska, and his sisters came up from Utah so we had most everyone there. It was fun for Gracie to meet her aunts on her Dad's side of the family . . . she got lots of attention.

Grace was blessed by her dad at my parents home. We had lot of Grandpa's and uncles there to stand in the circle and be a part of that wonderful experience. I am so grateful for family and for a wonderful husband who honors his priesthood.

We got to spend one more day in Idaho with Eric's family. We decided to go out and visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It was interesting, I can't remember if I have ever been there before. It was fun to go see and to spend some time with Eric's family.

It was a very full and very fun trip and quite the adventure!