Chatty!

One of Grace's favorite things to do is to call her Grandpa Weber to say goodnight. A few weeks ago we called him and had a brief chat. After we hung up Grace grabbed her phone and one of her play cups and went and sat in her rocker and talked on the phone for about 5 minutes. I'm not sure if she thought she was still talking to her grandpa but it was pretty adorable! I have a feeling we're going to be in trouble when she really starts talking on the phone!

A Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Applebee

The week my mom and Mike came to paint they planned to stay the weekend so Mark and I could go to Chicago to visit friends. Unfortunately my dad ended up having surgery that Friday so Mark and I changed our plans and went to Ann Arbor for Friday night and then to Chicago Saturday. My dad is doing much better after his procedure and we are thankful that his body is reacting so well to the new medication he is on. I am so happy we got to go up to Michigan and spend some time with him. It was also great getting to spend some time with our friends in Chicago. What a whirlwind of a trip! While Mark and I were gallivanting around Michigan and Illinois, Grace was keeping her Grandma and Grandpa Applebee busy!

On Friday after we left, the three of them headed about 40 miles north to a dairy farm called Fair Oaks. The farm is a massive operation and has a restaurant area (the BEST milkshakes!) and a learning barn. We've been there for lunch but never for the activities. Grace did it all with grandma and grandpa. They had a great time!

Train ride

Playground

On Saturday, grandma and grandpa took Grace to our local zoo, Columbian Park. As you can see from the pictures and the video--it was another successful day trip!

Notice in the video how many times Grace says "Bye Bye!" We say goodbye to EVERYTHING on a daily basis :)

After the trip to the zoo it was back home for pool and play time in the backyard.

Thank you mom and Mike for EVERYTHING you did while you were visiting--what fun memories you were able to make with Grace!

Kindermusik

Every Wednesday for five weeks Grace and I went to a Kindermusik class. The class introduces the kids to different sounds, rhythms, and beats. We had so much fun doing it together. It was awesome Mommy/Grace time and it let Grace interact with some other kids too. Our last session was 3 Wednesdays ago (I am SO behind on blogging!) and it happened to fall when my mom was still in town so she joined us for the class. Here are some pics of Grace exploring music :)

Picking out her bells

Our friends, Jenn and Porter

Scarf time with Carson--they love twirling them around

Grace and Porter

Trying out the drum...

And the marachas!

The theme of the class was the sea so we sang all sorts of songs about the ocean and creatures from the ocean.

The kids were extra good this class so they could meet Mr. Jeremy's bunny at the end.

Children's Museum

While mom and Mike were here we definitely did some work--I mean, our house is a different color now!

Before

(unfortunately this is an old before from a few winter's ago so the trees and bushes are much smaller)

After

Still debating as to whether to invest in a new storm door...but I LOVE our new light!

But, in addition to working hard, we also played hard! On Wednesday Grace, Mom, Mike and I went to Indy to go to the Children's Museum. First we enjoyed a great lunch downtown on the canal.

Grandma and Grace posing for a picture at lunch--Grace even leaned in for this one!

If you haven't been to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, you are missing out. It's touted to be the largest in the world and it really a treat for kids and adults, alike. We went to two great exhibits: Rock Stars, Cars, and Guitars; and Barbie. In addition we had a great time in the kiddie fun zone and up in the carousel area.

Crossing over the street

In front of the amazing glass sculpture

Grandpa definitely loved the "Rock Stars, Cars, and Guitars" exhibit

"I'm a Barbie girl"

Working the runway!

Racing Grandma!

And trying out a race car

Waterscape

Sandtable

And a collage of videos from the day--camera ran out of battery half way through the museum :)

Blast from the past!

My mom and Mike came to visit us last weekend (and help us paint the outside of our house!). They brought a special surprise for Grace--all of my old kitchen toys! Grace loves playing with the kitchen stuff at school and in the nursery at church. I eventually would love to get her a whole kitchen ensemble but we just don't have room in this house. So, my mom and Mike dug my old stuff out of storage. Grace still hasn't quit playing with it! She especially likes my white kitchen cabinet which isn't in these pictures but was made by my neighbor growing up, Leonard. It makes me so happy to see Grace play with it and I know that Leonard is looking down smiling, knowing that the cabinet is still being enjoyed :)