Loose Tooth!

We discovered this evening that Gracie has her FIRST loose tooth. She has been envious of her gap-toothed friends for some time now. Thus, when I suggested that perhaps the tooth she was telling me "hurt" might be loose, she was ecstatic! Her bottom right tooth is definitely loose, and she was still wiggling it in bed as I turned out the light in her room tonight. Ahhh.... so exciting for her, yet it brought with it an unfamiliar sense of sadness for me. The coupling of a loose tooth and beginning kindergarten (in a week and a half) might actually force me to accept that she is, alas, growing up. I didn't expect to be this sentimental about her leaving for school and becoming a "big" girl, but I am pretty sure I will come home after dropping her off at school next week and sob. She is growing into such a responsible, sweet girl. I am excited for her, but at the same time want to hover over her like a mama bear as I remember my own "growing up" years and the trials and triumphs yet to come. It sounds like I'll be asking God for a little extra help in the coming weeks, for both my Gracie Girl and myself...

Pictures, Finally

Cousin Addie and Gracie

One tired little man

Gracie, Daddy, and Grant having a good time "night swimming"

Grant and his upside-down Spider Man glasses

Daddy catching some air

Addie, Gracie, and Reese tubing

Daddy and Gracie wake boarding


Volleyball at the Family Reunion

Finally, we are home and I can upload some pics of our last trip to Missouri. The kids are VERY happy to be home. They have been playing well together, and Gracie even cleaned her room AND made her bed without being asked.

Grant told me more about "Honey" today. As I was putting him to bed he told me, "I love Honey." I thought he was referring to the dripping, golden kind. However, he then followed his statement by announcing that his beloved had fallen in the pond, went to the bottom, and was then eaten by a shark. FABULOUS! I asked him if the firemen or police came to get her out (I was trying to save poor Honey!) and he agreed that she had, indeed, been rescued. He also informed me that Honey sleeps with him, "Because I'm the daddy and she's the mommy." His active imagination is both entertaining and disturbing at the same time!

I've Been Everywhere, Man (sort of)

Well, it feels as though we have been traveling for weeks, rather than one week. We started this trip to MO with a stop in Shell Knob to stay with Matt's grandmother at her house on Table Rock Lake. The kids had a ball swimming in the lake. Grant has become MUCH braver in the water over the past several weeks. He no longer clings to us like an appendage. He will swim around on his own, and even jumps off of the swim platform AND the front of the boat (which even freaks Mommy out a bit). Gracie has become a wild woman on the tube, and will now wake board with Daddy. Daddy is even catching some air now! I am getting more comfortable with wake boarding, and have gotten back into knee boarding. I am NOT catching much air! I will post pictures soon, but I left the cord in Oklahoma. The kids also enjoyed feeding the foxes that frequent the land around Great Granny's house and riding around the island on Papa Ronnie's golf cart.

Our next stop was Branson for a family reunion with my Dad's side of the family. The weather was unusually cool for this time of year, which made our day at Silver Dollar City absolutely perfect! The kids rode The Great American Plunge with us. Grant immediately yelled out after we hit the water at the bottom of the plunge, "I DO NOT want to do that again!" Gracie remained a daredevil and went on Fire in the Hole with Papa Scott and I. She even wanted to ride a second time later in the day, but we ran out of time. We all got drenched on the toboggan ride, and had a "ball" playing in the kids' area at Geyser Gulch (shooting foam balls at each other). Gracie was in awe of the dancing girls at the saloon, and neither child was a fan of the "Baldknobbers" who "held up" the train. We also got to spend some quality, yet chaotic, time with my cousins and extended family. Grant enjoyed playing in the sand while the older family members played volleyball. Gracie was the designated "ball girl," a job which she took VERY seriously. :)

Alas, we are finally in Springfield now. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins last night until much too late. This morning, we went to see the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house that is being constructed locally. It was amazing to see how it all comes together in only a week. It was also heart-warming to see so many people giving their money and time to help another family. The show happens to be one of the kids' favorites, so I am happy that they were able to see it in person. Grant, however, was seriously bummed that he did not get to see the demolition, which was closed to the public because they blew up the house! We can't wait to see it all come together on TV this fall!

We are thoroughly exhausted from our travels and look forward to being back in good ol' Jenks, America. However, I know that we have shared some incredible family time that will not soon be forgotten...

Grant is THREE!!!

I simply can not believe that my little Grant-Man is now three years old! I am feeling mixed emotions concerning his new "big boy" status. It seems that overnight he went from that little chubby, dimpled (and colicky) baby in the crib to a mini-man sleeping in a bunk bed and wearing Spiderman underwear. Thus, I am writing him a little note to remember the highlights of his third year of life.

My dear little Grant-Man,

You have been a spirited little guy since those first colicky cries three years ago. Your zest for life and enthusiasm for all things icky, dirty, and buggy have only intensified over the past year. I can only giggle as I imagine your daddy's face this week when you asked him while fishing, "Daddy, do worms turn into gum?" This week you have been caring for your first "pet," an Eastern-eyed Click Beetle. Remarkably, he has survived an entire week. You play with worms for hours, even dipping them in the watering can to give them "drinks." Mud draws you like a magnet, and the joy on your face is contagious.

Another favorite hobby of yours this year is throwing rocks into ponds or lakes. I will always remember your third birthday at Table Rock Lake. You awoke very early, so I took you on a walk. We hiked to the tip of the land, where it jutted out into the lake. You threw rock after rock into the water, mesmerized by the cascading ripples and jumping with excitement when you found a "weally big one." As you tired of tossing rocks, you walked over to where I was perched and sat down next to me. You then leaned over, wrapped your little arms around my waist and said, "Mommy, I love you." It was a magical moment, sitting there in the dewy morning air while taking in the glassy water with you, my sweet dinosaur-pajamaed boy. My baby may be gone, but what a loving "big" boy you have become.

Favorites: Your favorite books this year have been A Walk with Grandpa, The Great Honey Hunt, and all books related to diggers, tractors, and animals. Your favorite color is "balue", cereal is oatmeal, and meat is chicken. You love Bob the Builder and the movies Charlotte's Web, The Polar Express, and Mary Poppins. Your imaginary friend Bubba has been with us for most of the year. "Jah-Jah," your other friend, joined us recently. Tonight you announced to me that you also have a "honey," and that you are the "daddy."

My prayer for you in the coming year is that you will continue to pursue your curiosities, grow in your abilities to show love and compassion, and follow in the footsteps of your daddy as you grow in your faith in God and desire to help others. Following in your daddy's footsteps shouldn't be too difficult considering that you are rarely more than a half step behind him. The only time that Daddy is pushed aside in favor of Mommy is at bedtime. When Daddy asked you why you always want Mommy to put you to bed you told us, "Because Mommy's soft..."

Thanks for all of the "schnuggles," buddy. I love you!

Mommy

Remembering Grandpa

Frank Brown Tinsley

August 7, 1924- January 23, 2009

My grandfather, Frank Tinsley, passed away at the age of 84 on Friday, January 23, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease. We celebrated his life yesterday, and the love he shared with my grandma for 62 years. I am comforted by the knowledge that he is walking with Jesus today, pain-free, and singing "I'll Fly Away" (his favorite song). In his younger years he was a big guy who was never afraid to show his emotions... definitely a little sentimental at times. Even in his last week of life, he was still telling everyone "I love you." He loved to brag about his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, often met with the rolling of eyes I am certain. Like any of us, he had his faults. However, he remained committed to those things that matter most in life: his faith, his family, and his friends.

I am greatly saddened that I will never again hear him singing or playing his guitar. I will never get another phone call from him on my birthday describing how on the day of my birth he jumped from his bed at 5:36 am and shouted, "She's here!" Minutes later my father would call and report that I had, indeed, been born at exactly that time. My heart is also made heavy by the fact that I can no longer question him about the Great Depression, World War II, and a wealth of historical and familial knowledge and experiences. I must cling to what I have of him, and hug the rest of my family a little tighter... a little longer. This event has made it even clearer to me what the Bible says about coming to Jesus "with faith like a child." My own child, Gracie, seemed to understand better than any of us that Papa Frank was skipping around and happy in heaven with the biggest Papa of them all, God. He's waited a long time for this moment, and I know he will enjoy every minute of eternity... he deserves it.

We love you, Grandpa.

Battling Sickness and the Sillies

Gracie and I on our "Girls Night" to dinner
and "Dancing with the Stars"

Sick little Grant with his non-talking dog

The kiddos (and the rest of us) have been battling all sorts of sicknesses over the past two weeks. Gracie and I prayed tonight that God would heal our little family and keep us all healthy for a while. Grant is back on breathing treatments and antibiotics, but plows along through it all. The albuterol made him CRAZY, so the doctor switched him to another form of it that is MUCH better. I coudn't help but giggle as he busted a move wearing only a diaper to "Hail to the Chief" as Barack Obama was sworn in as President. I'll always remember innauguration day as the day when Grant was hyped up on steroids. We've also had the oh-so-fun stomach bugs and fevers to top it all off. I have high hopes for the month of February after all that January has brought us.

Along the lines of sickness...
Grant, who has had a runny nose since October, accidentally poked himself in the eye last night while I was putting him to bed. He looked up at me with his watery eye and said, "Mommy, my eye has a runny nose!"

Lastly, both of my children have made some rather large requests over the past few weeks. Grant recently asked me if Truman, our black lab, can talk. When I told him that "No, real dogs do not in fact speak," he responded with, "Well, then we need to go to the store and get him a new mouth." Problem solved.

Gracie, upon hearing that one of her best friends is going to be a big sister for the second time, is now lobbying God to either place a baby in my tummy or prod us toward adoption. The last time she talked to God about a new baby, I got pregnant with Grant!