Friday, February 20, 2009

Garrett is talking!

Garrett is repeating many words, and using more and more words appropriately. It is a great sign that he is learning the language, and understanding more of what we say. His words (that I can remember) are:

me
drop
mama
dada
light
please
dog
woof woof
bye
hi
snow
no no
ouch...or OW
cat / ki-y cat
car
socks
more
right there...when I say "Where are your feet?'

He can point to his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, legs, hair, head. He points to his mouth when he is hungry or thirsty. He loves to brush his teeth (I do it.). He loves to take baths and play in the water.


His favorite shows are Thomas, Hi-5, Caillou, the Wiggles, and Laurie Berkner.


You can ask for a hug and he will hug you.

He copies everything Gracie does.

He is able to stack blocks, ride a tricycle and push with his feet, use a fork and spoon, pull uphis pants, take off his clothes, unzip a zipper and zip it back up, runs, climbs everything he can find to climb, can throw a ball (and can throw other objects at people, unfortunately), and enjoys helping around the house.


Also, he has been getting up in the night to pee on the potty which is a HUGE improvement since he was soaking his diaper a lot in the night several weeks ago. We started putting him on the potty when he would cry at night and he would go. So, that has continued. Now, he does not usually even wet his diaper during the night. We did change from pull ups back to diapers because he was soaking the pull ups at night before. He has even pooped on the potty on occasion. Seems like he will be easy to potty train completely soon...unlike a little girl that we all know and love so much ;) He pees on the potty during the day too.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!



I love Gracie's hair pulled back like this. She looks so precious!!!
"Take this heart barrette OUT of my hair!!!! PLEASE!!!!"
"And why am I wearing Gracie's red pjs? I look like a GIRL!!!!"
"Somebody save me!!!"

A butterfly tattoo from Aunt Laura, Uncle Brian, and Grant!!! Cool, huh?


Valentine's Day brought lots of surprises and fun. Gracie really enjoys the whole Valentine exchange with her friends and family, so we wrote them out, filled bags with goodies, and delivered them around the neighborhood. She and Garrett loved their heart plates and stickers. Of course, Valentine's Day wouldn't be the same without chocolate. So, they had their fair share of treats. Happy Valentine's Day to all of our friends and family!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

"We Are the Dinosaurs" and Laurie Berkner






The pictures above are out of sequence. Start at the last one and scroll up...instead of starting at the top and scrolling down.
Here are our two little American Idols singing "We Are the Dinosaurs" by the Laurie Berkner Band together. Picture #1...This is the part where they have to roar very loudly and is the only part of the song that Garrett knows the "words" to. Hilarious!!! Picture #6...This is what having a little brother does to a big sister. She hasn't taken naps since she was three, and she literally passed out that afternoon on the recliner. That is her snack in her hands. My precious angel sleeps. Garrett, on the other hand, runs wild that afternoon. He is juiced up (apple juice) and ready for more when his sister wakes up.
Garrett loves to dance to this Laurie Berkner dvd as well.
Gracie's singing is just plain fun. She really lets loose and sings her little heart out. I need to take more videos. She does this thing with her voice now where she uses vibrato, and it just is so darn funny! Van and I get such a kick out of her.
Anyway, the pics show how well these two siblings are getting along....very well.
Do you feel the love?

Friday, February 13, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!






Happy Valentine's Day from the O'Neal family! Gracie has her first "crush". His name is Jack, and you can tell how much she loves the boy. I have been saving these pictures for this occasion. Our friends, Laura, and her children, Jack, Gabby, and Olivia, (5 year olds) came to spend some time with us while Van was in China getting Garrett. These pictures are priceless. One day, we went to Michael's and purchased some valentine craft kits. They came home and started crafting. Jack gave Gracie her first love note. Here are the pics of these beautiful kids! I love this family!!! I wish they all lived across the street from us still. Those were the good ole'days. I miss my friend, Laura, so much!

Monday, February 9, 2009

There is a UT Fan in the Doghouse! Uh-oh!!!!








Garrett has decided that he likes to be in Sugar's crate. YUCK. But I did get pictures of him in there when I noticed he was wearing his UT sweatshirt for the occasion. How fitting!!! LOL.
War Eagle, Van!
Note: I do not put my child in the dog crate. He crawls in there because he wants to be there. He is always supervised and is never locked inside. LOL. Just letting everyone know that this was just play for him. He is not abused. LOL. (But he will be by Auburn fans if he continues to wear that ridiculous sweatshirt!)
The rest of the pics are of Gracie when she fell asleep on her Daddy's lap in the recliner. I thought these were the sweetest pictures! Van is such a wonderful father. It always makes me smile when I see them having little moments like this. And honestly, they have lots of these little moments together. I just like taking pictures of them.
There is one shot of a spontaneous kiss and hug that Garrett gave Gracie one afternoon. These two really love each other. I just love seeing them together at last!

A Day at the Park with Friends and Neighbors
















We enjoyed some beautiful sunny weather here on Sunday. It was about 70 degrees and we all went to the park for a picnic and playtime. We just love our neighbors, and all of us hung out together with the kids. We have such a great group of friends! Here are some cute pics from the day.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Another Forever Family is Together at Last!




Our good friends, Epin and Scott, have been blessed to be united with their second sweet daughter in China today. They have a wonderful family, and we are overjoyed for them. Hana, their oldest child, is Gracie's age and came home right around the same time as Gracie. She is now a big sister too. YEA for Hana!!! Their new daughter, Pax, is absolutely beautiful, and we cannot wait to meet her in person when they come home. Another forever family is together at last! Epin and Hana were at the airport with us when Garrett came home, and Epin took many wonderful pictures for us to capture the joy of our Gotcha Day. She is a great friend who I feel so blessed to know and love. Congratulations Epin, Scott, Hana, and perfect baby Pax!!!! You will always be so close to our hearts!