What Not To Do At Walmart

Gracie had her first accident at Walmart yesterday. Mommy wanted to make a quick trip into walmart and let Gracie walk instead of ride in a shopping cart. Gracie has a tendency to wonder away from mommy. When mommy tried to make Gracie walk the same way mommy was going Gracie decided differently. The pictures below will show you what happened with the decision Gracie made.

The dentist had to pull out her front left tooth because the nerve was exposed and he stated she would be miserable if we left it in. And the other two front teeth are loose and she may loose them too. So you are wondering what we will do next. Well this little girl is not going around the next 5-6 years without any front teeth. Thank goodness for prosthesis. She will be fitted for a prosthesis when her back molars are in better which should be in a couple of months. These couple months will also allow time to determine if the other two front teeth will need to be pulled.

She is doing great and only complains when she bumps her mouth. As you notice in the picture this has not stopped her from eating.

Giving Thanks

ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS PARADE

A GOOD TIME AT THE DENTIST


POTTY TIME!!!!

TWO OF THE BEST KIDS!!!

Well it is the day before Thanksgiving and we believe we have alot to be thankful for. Everyone is doing well, besides having alittle sickness over the weekend, and we are getting ready for the holidays. Logan begins his 4 day break from school tomorrow and can't wait. He started basketball practice two weeks ago and loves it. He will be starting playing games in Jan. Flag football ended at the beginning of Nov. and his team won 7 games and tied one game. Logan was thrilled and enjoyed the season. He is getting taller by the day. He is close to 5'2" tall and weighs close to 100 pounds. Our little boy will outgrow mom is no time. School is going good and he is starting to enjoy reading, which he previously thought was a chore. One of his favorite authors is Matt Christopher. He writes sport books. Logan is all about sports.

Gracie is also growing but not as fast as Logan. She is 30" tall and weighs 23pounds. We looked at Logan's baby book to see where he was at her age and he was 5 inches taller and weighed 5 pounds more. Her vocabulary is more advanced than Logan's was at this age. She is almost 22 months and can repeat any word you say to her. It may not sound the same but she gives it her best effort. There are several new accomplishments she as conquered. We will list them below.
We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and enjoys the Holiday season.

-First trip to the dentist 11/18/08(informed to give up the thumb, Ya right)

-Recognizing letters and numbers(S,P,1-5)

-Counting 1-5

-Pooped on potty 11/08

-Finally said "I love you"

-Has her first boyfriend(BARNEY the purple dinosaur)

-Now has 11 teeth(4 molars, 4 front, 2 lower and 1 left canine tooth)

-Using utensils to eat

Halloween 2008

Gracie and Logan had a great Halloween. This is the first year that Logan did not have Jeff and I trailing behind him. He went with some neighborhood friends and their dads. Jeff and I took Gracie to a few selective houses because we knew she would not last long. She did very well. We ended that evening at a neighbor's house eating Gumbo and letting the kids play. The weather was fantastic. Hope all had a good Halloween.

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Changing and Learning Daily

We thought we would try this new way to show as many pictures as possible. Seems to work out well. Everything is going great. Gracie has developed a large vocabulary. She will attempt to repeat anything, has trouble with the letter "G" so her name sounds like "Sissy" and forget trying to say Grandma because she just looks at you and says "PaPa". Grandma doesn't seem to mind. Logan is moving along in the 4th grade. This is the year to gain alittle more responsibility and it is coming along slowly, but we will get there. I ran my first and LAST 1/2 marathon Sept. 14 in Chicago. I know I should think positive but the pain afterwards is hard to get over. I am just happy I finished at 2 hours and 14 minutes. Jeff was there and was a great supporter and crutch(I do mean crutch)he practically carried me to the train station.

Here is more accomplishments Gracie has done:

First boat ride 8/30/08
Learning to run(actually it is a fast walk)9/08
First molar bottom right 9/17/08
Saying 2-3 word sentences(Read Dada, All done, I blah,blah,blah, and Give me five)
Went down slide by herself 9/23/08
Still sitting on potty with clothes on, no interest yet
Very social, she says Hi and Bye to everyone in restaurants

Make a Smilebox photobook

What a difference a year makes

We wanted to let everyone see how much our angel had changed since the first time we laid eyes on her. The first picture is the one our agency sent to us on April 14, 2007 about a baby girl who is available for adoption. The next pictures are the ones we received each month(May and June 2007) before we went to get Gracie. The final pictures are how adorable she is today.

Where has time gone?????

Sorry for the delay in posting but we developed a virus in our old computer and finally decided to purchase a new laptop. We have also been busy doing FUN summer stuff. July went by like a firecracker and it is already the middle of August. We were able to enjoy a few getaways this summer. We went to Santa Claus, IN in early June(yes, there is such a place.) We camped and went to an amusement and water park. We were joined by the Kupferschmids(Corbin, Steph, Audrey, Lydia and Harlan.) In early July we met with the Horger family(friends we met in VN)and vacationed in Charleston, SC. In the middle of July we went to St. Louis for the weekend to see a Cardinal baseball game with my extended family(24 of them to be exact.) In early August Jeff, Logan, Gracie and myself went to Chicago to see a Cub baseball game. That was Logan's first time in Wrigley field. He is a Cub fan like his father, I myself choose the Cardinals since they have won more world series games than the Cubs. Trying to convince Logan to convert over has not been easy. As for Gracie I believe she will root for whoever is winning.

Speaking of Gracie, she is doing great. We had our 1st year adoption anniversary celebration while we were in St. Louis on July 19, 2008. She was the life of the party. On that date we gave her a gift we purchased for her in VN. It was a toy mouse. We plan to give her a gift every year for the first 18 years. We purchased 18 gifts while we were in VN. I hope she will plan to cherish these gifts.

There are several new accomplishments Gracie has learned and experienced over the past few months:

Amusement park rides

Eating hamburgers and hotdogs

Watching Logan play baseball

Going Camping

Going to the beach(not too crazy about the water, liked the sand)

Traveling long distances in the car(thought we had a great traveler)

Developed a scream when she wants something(very loud in the car)

Saw the Atlantic Ocean

Spent time with Gracie Horger(our Gracie was a bully at first then warmed up to her)

Experienced two major league baseball games(I believe she likes the Cards best)

Repeating lots of new words

Knows where her hair, ears, eyes, nose, tongue, teeth, elbow, fingers, toes and knees are.

Knows what her potty chair is but not how to use it yet

Last doctor visit in May 2008 she weighed 20.5 pds and 28 1/4 inches tall

I am sure there is plenty more she has learned but it is hard for me to remember. She is still enjoying her big brother. I think she will miss him when he returns to school next week (Aug 19.) Logan is also growing and changing everyday. He is 5 feet tall and weighs about 95 pds. He finished baseball with a great season and is now looking forward to his dad coaching his flag football team this fall.

Hope everyones summer went well and hope to continue to post more often.

How cute are they!!!!!!

16 Month Update

Well, we are looking at 10 1/2 months since Gracie has been with our family. The year is right in front of us and boy has it gone fast. She is growing physically and emotionally with us daily. I will jump right to the accomplishments she has done since our last posting.

1. Eating more real food

2. First tooth lower left on 4/8/08

3. Second tooth upper left eye tooth 5/01/08(weird, I know)

4. Took first steps Mother's day 5/11/08(she now only walks no crawling)

5. Third tooth upper right tooth 5/16/08

6. Forth tooth upper left tooth 5/ 19/08

7. Spent quality time with dad while mom took a girl's trip to FL for 5 days.

8. Hair is growing, mommy is able to put into pigtails.

9. Have noticed she does not like sand.

10. Talks up a storm, will attempt to say anything you ask her to.

11. Feeds herself finger foods.

12. Loves her swing, bike seat and stroller rides.

13. Becoming more active in church(I mean moving around alot)

14. Loves music, will move her body to any music she hears.

15. She is an outdoor girl.

I am sure there are plenty on others accomplishments I am forgetting. She still enjoys her big bother La La. They both love to tease each other. She loves to wake him in the morning and he loves it when she does(most cases). We are planning some vacations this summer and hope she adapts to them. Logan is also growing up a storm, he is 5'1'' and we know will outgrow mom before he is 12, if not sooner. He is enjoying his summer vacation by playing baseball and playing around the neighborhood with friends. He is on a kid pitch team this year and he has gotten to pitch a couple of innings this year. We think he is pretty good, but we are alittle bias too.

Pleae keep enjoying the blog as we try to keep it updated as best as we can.

New shots of the Allsup Family

Gracie first time in her bikeseat Hanging out with big brother on Sunday morning
First time in her swing(she loved it)

First time standing up by herself
Wanted to post of few pictures since it has been awhile. Will try to post some updates on the Allsup family soon. Enjoy.

Hello All!!

Here we are starting the beginning of spring and much has happened in Gracie's life. She has grown to become very attached to her Mommy, Daddy and brother. It is hard to believe she has only been with us for 81/2 months, it seems a lifetime. She still has that great personality we have all enjoyed. She does have a tendency to be alittle lazy. She will try to have us hold her cup while she drinks and will not( I repeat) will NOT stand up when we let go of her hands. That big booty of hers plops down right on the ground. She will walk around furniture and use her toys to push around but as for walking or standing on her own, NO WAY!!! We are happy she does not weigh a ton since we have to carry her alot. She loves her stroller and her new bike seat we bought her and used over the past weekend for the first time. The helmet could go in the garbage if it was up to Gracie, but she knows it must be worn if the bike ride is going to happen. Logan always finds new ways to torment his sister. He shows his love in different ways. There are moments when a hug and kiss is used and othere moments when he picks her up and tries to gentle wrestle with her until she starts to throw her fit. That is right Gracie is now throwing fits when she does like what is happening to her, weather it be when Logan is bothering her or when Mommy or Daddy are telling her NO!! She has picked up the "point your finger" and say NO gesture from Mommy and Daddy. It is so funny to see her use it on her bother. We are looking forward to getting her outside this summer and showing her new things. We put her on the slid and she loved it, wanting to do it over and over. Logan only has 30 more school days left and is looking forward to beginning her summer vacation. Baseball season starts soon and we can't wait to watch him play this year. This is the first year he will be pitched to by another player and not his coach, alittle scary. He is going to attempt to be one of the pitchers on his team, I hope he does not hit too many players. Here are more accomplishments, adventures and milestones for Gracie --Completed Baby Sign Language class(hope to use it soon) --One year old immunizations 3/03/08 --One year old picture taken 3/6/08 (one month late, bad mommy) --Easter egg hunt at Forsyth Park, met the Easter Bunny 3/22/08 -- Easter egg hunt at home and dinner at Aunt Susie's and Uncle Kevin's house3/23/08 --Saying Da,Da, Ma,Ma, No, night, night, --Knows where her nose and ears are --Still eating baby food due to NO TEETH!! Where are they???? --Possible spotted one tooth coming in, bottom left.(she hates to have us check her mouth)4/08/08

Views of the Allsup Family

Where Have We Been???? Sorry for the long delay in posting. Several obstacles have happened to us to prevent us from making time to post. To make a long story short we have had two floods in our home and hope that number three will not come soon. Logan and Gracie are both keeping us busy. Logan is playing basketball for two different organizations. One is for the local YMCA, which has games on Sat. and the other is for the local school which is conducting a clinic every Sat. Mind you our Saturdays are filled. Gracie is enjoying watching her big brother play. She is his number ONE fan. Logan is busy with 3rd grade homework too. He seems to enjoy school but does complain about homework. He is almost 5 feet tall and weighs 85 pounds. I think we have a bruiser on our hands. As for Gracie she is busy learning, learning and learning. You can just see the wheels turning in her head when she see something new. She will examine anything that comes her way by feeling and staring. She still is a very friendly baby. She will let anyone hold her. Here is a list of some new adventures and accomplishments: First Christmas. Loved the wrapping paper and bows. Loved sitting on Santa's Lap Spent New Year's Eve at home with Mommy, Daddy, Logan, Kupferschmid family, England family and Wisler family. Celebrated Logan's 9th birthday at skateland Crawling to other parts of the house(Logan's room, our bathroom...) Starting to have a small temper. She will arch her back when we pick her up to move her away from something she is not supposed to have. Went to her first Baby Talk section 1/31/08. She enjoyed it. Spent the night with Aunt Julie while Mommy and Daddy had a night out 2/2/08 FIRST BIRTHDAY 2/4/08. Had her first cupcake. Had no problems eating it even without any teeth. One-year-old checkup with new doctor(Dr. K Gowdar) She did well. Weight 19lbs6ozsHeight 27 inches 2/6/08 First Birthday party with family 2/8/08. Once again the cupcake was a hit with her. Started baby sign language class 2/19/08. Noticed she loves music. She will start to move her body when she hears music. Eating yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, mashed potatoes, eggs and oatmeal. Switching to vitamin D milk 2/1/08 Posted by waitingfor#2 at 7:12 PM

Gracie Pulling Herself Up

Gracie learning to walk