Nursery... Finally!

On Saturday Grace turned 18 months, which means she had her first official day in nursery on Sunday. I've been taking her into the nursery for the past couple of months, but since she wasn't really old enough I've been staying with her. She has been so ready for this since she was 15 months old. After Sacrament meeting I changed her diaper then dropped her off. She walked right in the door and didn't look back. I didn't even go in with her. I turned around and headed for our Sunday School class before she could realize I was gone. The nursery leaders told me she did great. No fussing, whining, or crying. She behaved perfectly! Justin snuck a peak (or two or three) to make sure she was doing okay. I enjoyed attending Sunday School and Relief Society uninterrupted. I even brought my scriptures to church for the first time in who knows how long. It was a great day.

I also took Grace to the doctor yesterday for her 18 month well baby checkup. Here are her stats:

• 33.75 inches (95.16%)
• 28.8 lbs (94.02%)
• 18.5 inches head circumference (63.31%)

She's still pretty tall (let's hope she takes after her Uncle Nate in the height department) and starting to thin out a bit. I totally expected her weight to be over 30 pounds, so I was a bit surprised when I put her on the scale. She screamed through the entire appointment even though she didn't have to get any shots. Apparently she doesn't like strangers touching her and sticking things in her ears, up her nose, and in her mouth.

I can't believe how much Grace has grown up in just the last 4-6 weeks. She's talking like crazy and learning new words everyday. Some of the things she can say are thank you, hi, uh-oh, mommy, daddy, cheese, juice, ball, book, dog, down, and shoe. I'm sure there are more that I can't think of at the moment.

She's into climbing on everything. She can get herself on the couch, recliner, and coffee table. She attempts to climb on just about everything else in the house. She's our daredevil and I have a feeling we may get to know the ER very well in the future.

She's on the go all the time. She's a very busy toddler and doesn't know how to sit still. Sometimes I see other kids who are passive and quiet and think how nice it must be to have a child like that, especially during church, but I wouldn't change one thing about Grace. She's incredibly independent, strong-willed, stubborn, and outgoing. I know those qualities can make raising a toddler difficult at times, but I know in the future I will be grateful she has them. We love her more than anything and are very blessed to have her in our family.

No Excuse

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have no excuse other than not doing anything blog worthy lately. I guess I'll update ya'll (I've been in Texas too long now...I'm sure I'll start using the word 'fixin' shortly) on the not so exciting stuff we've been doing. Memorial Day weekend came and went. We really didn't do much of anything. Justin went golfing Memorial Day morning with his boss and a friend. He ended up playing 18 holes, even though he told me it would only be 9, so Grace and I headed to the mall after getting sick of waiting for him to get home. Later that afternoon we headed south and took the 4-wheeler for a ride. Grace had a blast. She loves the 4-wheeler and loved getting close to all the cows, especially the longhorns. The next weekend we were fortunate to have Justin's parents come for a short visit. We spent Saturday at the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, which is a giant flea market. Cindy and I had so much fun browsing all the booths. They had super cute home decor and even cuter baby/kids stuff. Sunday was a pretty special day. Rex was able to ordain Justin a High Priest and then he was set apart as the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric of our ward. It's been a pretty humbling experience so far for our family and we've already been very blessed because of it. Justin's doing double duty for a while since they have yet to call a new Young Men's President. Last Saturday Justin set off with the older boy scouts and 3 other leaders for their high adventure trip. They headed to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico for a few days, and then headed down to Big Bend National Park. They won't be home until Saturday night, so needless to say it's been a pretty boring and lonely week in the Nessen home. I took Grace to the pool one day, which was an adventure. The girl is fearless and she loves the water. She won't let me hold her in the water because she's so darn independent and stubborn. It was okay at first since they have a zero-entry pool, but she just kept on walking deeper and deeper into the pool until the water was up to her face. She did make a friend though and it was super cute. The little girl was the same age as Grace and they just sat in the shallow water talking to each other and splashing one another. I wish I had gotten a picture of it, but I didn't dare take my camera out around the pool. I also got ambitious earlier this week and decided to paint my dining room. It was previously a dark brown color so I probably should have primed it first, but I was too lazy and cheap. I just put on a few coats of the new color and it turned out great. I'm pretty happy with it. I just haven't told Justin about it yet. I think he'll be pretty surprised by it. We'll see if he likes it when he gets home. Last week I booked my trip to California and Utah for July. I can't wait! I haven't been 'home" to Turlock in almost 3 years. I'm looking forward to spending some time with family, especially my cute nieces and nephew. So, if any of you are in Turlock (or surrounding areas) or Northern Utah the last half of July and want to get together let me know. We'll plan something. I'd love to see everyone I can. I think I've caught ya'll up on everything. I have some pictures to post, but that will have to wait until another day since my camera is in the car and I'm ready to got to bed.

Do Something Permanent

I've been frustrated lately. At the end of each day I wonder what it is I did all day. I know I'm busy all day long running around doing tasks, but at the end of the day I look around and don't feel as though I've accomplished anything. I've realized that the things I've been doing (and let's face it, they have to be done) are not permanent. They become undone by the end of the day. I sweep and mop the floor only to have food and dirt cover them again in a matter of hours. I clean up all of the toys just to have them scattered about as soon as Grace wakes up from her nap. I do the dishes and clean the kitchen just to have a mess again after the next meal is prepared and eaten. I wash, fold, and put away laundry only to walk past the hamper and see dirty clothes exploding out of it again. The things I spend my time on throughout the day just get undone and leave me with no feeling of accomplishment. I'm tired of asking myself at the end of the day, "What did I do all day?" That's where the 'Do Something Permanent' part comes in. The things I spend my time on throughout the day are not permanent. They become undone by the end of the day. That's why I have decided I need to do something permanent each day. Such as, writing in a journal, catching up with an old friend, working on a creative project (sewing, scrapbooking, home improvement), reading to my child, reading from the scriptures or the Ensign, gardening, etc. (the list could go on and on, but you get the point). I have to make sure I make room in my day for those things. I'm a lot happier and feel like a better mother, wife, and person in general when I do something permanent in my day. I feel much more productive when there is tangible evidence of the hard work I've done. So, somedays the laundry may need to be put off, or I won't get the kitchen floor mopped. But that's okay because those things will just have to be done tomorrow too.

Just call my Suzy

Homemaker, that is!

Last month while I was visiting my parents my mom and I made these cute little tote bags. The one on the left is mine, and the one on the right is Grace's. They were super easy to make and are the perfect size to fit a regular set of scriptures (and them some). My mom's ward made them for an enrichment activity a while back. They're made from place mats! What a great idea someone had! Grace doesn't use hers for scriptures just yet, but she loves to put it on her arm and walk all around the house with it.

I've been wanting to get a bow hanger for sometime to store all of Grace's cute hair bows, but I didn't want to dish out the dough for one, so I found instructions online to make my own. I got lucky while at Hobby Lobby when I saw art canvas' in a 2-pack for super duper cheap, and I was able to use my handy 40% off coupon to get an even better deal on them. I covered the canvas with fabric and then added the ribbon to attach the bows. I think it turned out pretty darn cute. It's hanging in Grace's bedroom.

And since the art canvas' came in a 2-pack I decided to make one for my friend Karen who has 2 little girls. Their bedroom is all red and white gingham and lady bugs so this is what I came up with. I absolutely love it! You can't really tell in the picture but there are ladybug buttons where all the ribbons cross.
I love making things. There's such a feeling of accomplishment and pride in knowing that you created something, even if it is as trivial as a bow hanger. Next Suzy homemaker project: throw pillows for our couch!

Dancin Queen