Let’s see, where do I begin.  Gracey is t-a-l-k-i-n-g!!!!  Finally!!!  She repeats everything you say, even short sentences.  Sometimes she gets going a mile-a-minute and you can’t understand one word, but finally she’s communicating with words!!   It’s so exciting and hilarious and I must admit as much as I LOVE it, it means she’s getting older.  Oh yeah, and she’s learned how to talk back!!!  Thanks brother Cooper!!  (who sounds something like Copper when she says it:-))  I’d like to make a list of the words she’s saying, but she says pretty much EVERYTHING, so it’s kinda hard.

Cooper is doing wonderful.  Full of questions everyday.  It’s so much fun to watch him process this ever-changing, confusing world.  Everything is ‘why’ and when you answer that, he wants to know why it’s that way.  I have to admit, he’s stumped me a couple times.  My answers just keep getting more and more creative, let me tell ya.  I’ve made it a point to never lie to him and to just tell him if I don’t know….Momma’s don’t know quite everything!!  And, sometimes, I just have to divert the question and change the subject.  Hint, hint: boys have all kinds of questions about their ‘boy parts’!!!!!

They are both loving daycare/school.  (Coop calls it his school)  I thought I was doing a pretty good job of teaching them the basics, but they’ve learned SSOOOO much more since they started going.  Gracey can almost count to 10 without help and Cooper counts to 20 without batting an eye.  Then he turns around and counts by 10 up to 100.  The other day he caught me off guard  after I mentioned something about Monday….he says “Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, etc.”  It’s just little things like that where I know I’ve introduced him to things, but I think the repetition he gets there has really made it stick in his little brain!!

As far as the family goes, nothing too exciting.  We’re counting down the days until our trip to Green Bay!!  I’ll be posting some new pics soon, so check back!!!

Cooper was in the hospital with pneumonia at Christmas.  Gracey was at home with bronchitis & double ear infections.  And Jamie and I were both blindsided with the flu right smack dab in the middle of it all.  It was hell. Sorry, but it was awful.  I was incapacitated at home while one baby was admitted to the hospital and the other was taken to the sitter’s with breathing treatments and meds.  Both needed ‘Momma’ and I couldn’t be there.  So yeah, pretty much felt like I was in hell.  Thank goodness Jamie’s flu held off one more day and I could get up to the hospital to be with Cooper so he could come home…..with the flu.  Sooooo, we got through it.  Everybody came home and we had a nice quiet Christmas.  Everyone was on the mend, I was offered a new job here in Jackson, things were going good for Jamie at the store, found a great daycare for the kids, things were turning around, right?

First day at my new job and I’m late!!  I’m never late.  Especially for something like a NEW JOB!!!  Discovered I need to budget about 10 more minutes to my commute.  Second day, late A-G-A-I-N!!!!  I set the alarm for 6:30 instead of 5:30.  c-a-n-n-o-t believe it.  Then, same day, get a call from Jamie because Gracey needs to be picked up – she’s got a temp of 102!!  (he went and got her) Third day is great.  Fourth day – get this – I have to call in because both kids were up all night with fevers and need to see the doctor!!!  Gracey still has double ear infections, but now it’s with tonsilitis and Cooper’s got a virus.  Fifth day kids can’t go to daycare again, Jamie switches his schedule around and my sister watches them in the afternoon.  Everything goes fairly smooth.  Until, over the weekend, Gracey breaks out in hives from her meds and Cooper’s virus turns into a horrible cold that I’m afraid is going to turn into bronchitis or pneumonia, so guess what??  They aren’t going to daycare yet again!!!  So far, of the 6 days we paid for daycare, they’ve only gone 3!!!!!

Oh yeah, somewhere in the middle, my computer crashed and had to wipe it out and  set it back to FACTORY SETTINGS…………

I’m begging you, dear pendulum, please please please swing back our way!!!!  If everyone is mostly healthy we’re planning to drive to the UP on Wednesday to have Christmas with family.  We can’t afford bad luck on that trip!!!!!

(Thanks for letting me vent.  I’m hoping the next post will be a happy one!!)

On the home front, Jamie starts 6 day work weeks, I’m waiting to hear about a new job (here in Jackson,Yaaay)!!, the shopping is almost done, wrapping is done… not started!!, decorations are done, baking is….coming up…soon, one family party done (just 3 more to go!!), and last but certainly not least,  BOTH of the kids have colds!!!!!!!   How many days until Christmas again????  Yikes

Instead of asking ‘where’s my pirate costume?’  He says, “Where’s this at momma…..Aarrggghh?”  Cracks me up every time:-)

Hope you have a nice peaceful, restful week!!

Grandma and Grandpa R. are here for a visit.  They arrived Sunday and will be here until Saturday.  It’s great having them around and the kids love it.  I think they are already worn out!!