Congrats Josh & Alexis! + 18 Months

Our Hebert family has so much happening right now! (Part of why this blog has been lacking in new posts.) Two weddings and a baby on the way! We are so happy to be a part of such special events and to love and be loved by this amazing family.

Congratulations to brother Josh & Alexis, who were married in KC Nov. 20th. Everything about the eve was fabulous. We're just sorry we didn't get a photo with those two! Gracie LOVED the music and was dancing most the night! Mimi and Papa Lear were enjoying the music with her. Carl was a groomsman in the wedding. Gracie and I tried to keep it quiet during the ceremony, but she couldn't resist telling her daddy "hi" a couple times.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Grace hit another milestone...18 months! She weighs 25 lbs., 14 oz., which puts her in the 72nd percentile. She is 34 1/2 inches tall and in the 98th percentile! She is a tall girl. Her favorite words right now are definitely mama, no and uh-oh. She says "huh?" like she's hard of hearing a lot when we address her. It's very cute.

She's moved up to the toddler room at church and brings home art/crafts on Sundays! The other day she pointed to my Bible and very audibly said the word. She loves buttons and light switches of all kinds. She likes to close doors and say "bye bye," only to be thrilled once she opens them again. She favors her left hand while eating but we're not sure anything is conclusive with that yet! Her new favorite food is raspberries, which she loves to put on her fingers and show us with pride!

We've put up our Christmas decorations and her reaction when seeing the lights is "wow" or "woah." We love you, sweet girl! Christmas will be such an adventure with you this year...

Halloween

What a difference a year makes! Our ladybug from last year blossomed into a flower gnome this year. She loved toting her flower bucket around putting candy in it – even though she hardly knows what candy is! I'm sure that'll change next year!

Fresh Paint

I've been known to pay a traveling "salesman" to paint our address numbers on our curb before and Carl hasn't let me live that down. Especially since it was a sloppy job. It was $10. Well, our new curb needed new numbers and I decided if that man could do it, I certainly could. So I took my cues from Martha. She is clever, that girl.

http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/paint-your-house-number-on-a-planter

Modifying it to work on a concrete curb, here is our end result:

I'm sure snow or a big tire will smudge it someday, but for now, we've got the newest numbers on the block!

17 Months

What a difference two months makes! Gracie is turning into a rather picky eater. She shakes her head no at most everything and will fling it off her high chair tray if she disapproves. The dogs certainly don't mind but we do. This pickiness is coupled with a fierce demand for independence. She's started using a fork and or spoon and likes to feed herself.

Her vocabulary is expanding. She's been saying maMA with sort of a French accent on the end or she'll even say mommy. I've waited so long to hear that sweet term of endearment! She says puppy but sometimes it sounds like boppy or pah-pe. We think she's been trying to say Ellie (our dog) but it comes out ay-ya or ay-ye. She says bebe for baby and loves to sway side to side with her doll.

Often times when she wakes up in the morning and is having her diaper changed, she will demand to have a hair bow put on her head and will giggle with delight when we put one on!

Music definitely moves her – to sway, head bang and twirl! She likes upbeat fun songs! She has a great obsession with keys, cell phones and remotes. She is always busy. She has no fear for stairs, dogs, etc. and has her daddy's sense of adventure! Bath times and walks across the bridge by our house are favorite things right now.

She's graduated from the nursery to the toddler room at church...a sure sign she's not a baby anymore! Happy 17 months, sweet girl!

Pumpkin Patch

A few weekends ago our little family of three went to a pumpkin patch! Lots of fun. It was hard to pick just one pumpkin, but we got some great photos!

Kitchen Remodel

We have a beautiful new kitchen!

Before...

After...

Come visit and we'll cook you a meal!

Busy Little Bee

Gracie is 16 months old today! She finally gave up her goofy little crawl and is officially walking!! Took her first steps without any coaxing from us on September 7th. Now she is everywhere! Nothing is safe. She has ten teeth, loves to swing and go down the slide with assistance. She is certainly expressing her independence more and more. Favorite foods include grapes, macaroni and cheese, and all kinds of green vegetables. (Funny, huh?!) To her Nana's dismay, she is not at all into mashed potatoes! Other than that she usually has a great appetite. Her words include hi, dada, mama and hot. She blows her nose in tissues when asked (sometimes), blows on her food when it's hot, shakes her head no, and can sign "all done." She has an ornery side...wonder where she gets that from? Tonight we enjoyed this cool weather and went on a walk to Price-Harris...Carl explained that it was Mommy & Daddy's elementary school. Grace will be going to school before we know it!