*the way Madelyn says "floway" for "flower" and "buck" for "bug"

*the girls playing in the hose

*watching Madelyn go down the slide on her own

*Gracie riding her bike all the way to the lake and back

*spending time with Jim

*taking pictures of the girls in sunglasses, which I will soon post on my picture site

*playing fish Bingo with Gracie

*the long walk around the lake

*the girls bowling together

*watching Jim and Gracie try to fly a kite

Gracie's Questions...

*Is it sometimes hard to be a mommy? (asked on a particularly hard day)

*What do you do in Heaven all day when you're dead? (as I had just fallen asleep for a nap)

Conversation between Jim and Gracie after Jim asked her to clean up the rocks. She managed to get more of the rocks in the yard than where they were supposed to go, so Jim said,

"Alright. Just go." (a little upset with her)

Gracie: "Daddy, I love you and forgive you."

Jim: "For what?"

Gracie: "For being angry."

*Madelyn thinking our black bean burritos were made up of bugs and poop

*finding a new tickle spot on Elmo

*seeing a full bright rainbow out our window while eating supper

*the girls calling Grandmother to wish her a happy birthday

*Scooby running away while cleaning the living room

*giving the girls time to watch some ants on a walk

*strawberry pancakes

*spending time outside as a family cleaning up the yard

*Gracie finding a lot of roly-polies and a grub

*Madelyn squealing over the bugs and repeating bug all the time

*seeing Gracie resting on Jim's lap in the outside chair

*the girls giggling while playing tag in the house

*Madelyn putting a picture of Lily inside her little purse

*Gracie saying, "How much ya gonna pay me for it?" when I asked her to give me my headband back

*Madelyn putting her sandals and pants on all by herself

*making Gracie's Curious George birthday cake

*Gracie wearing her pajamas and snow hat as she licked the scraper after making her cake

*the girls discovering baby birds in the bushes

*going to the children's museum

*giving Gracie her presents

*eating the George cake

*Jim taking Gracie to tumbling

*Joseph and Lydia singing Happy Birthday to Gracie on the answering machine

*Madelyn running and hiding under a blanket when I told her it was time to go potty

*Madelyn folding her hands in prayer when Jim asked if she wanted a pear

*the way Madelyn kept putting her hands on top of her head as she stood against the monkeys to be measured

*Madelyn finding a roly poly on her own

*Lily was dreaming yesterday and making funny noises. Gracie was very worried that Lily was scared, so she set her stuffed pig next to Lily. "I gave her my pig in case she was scared."

*Madelyn waking up and saying "hi" to the blender and mixer

*getting into the car last night for small group and hearing Gracie say, "This is the greatest night ever."

*laying on the floor with the girls on our stomachs looking at a book together

*the girls climbing all over me

*getting treats for all of us at the store and then going to the library

*Madelyn calling Olivia Bear "La La"

*teaching G how to set the table

*Gracie feeding a little black dog a treat at her friend's birthday party

*the girls diapering their babies...and hoping that someday the girls will keep their underwear dry

*the high voice Gracie uses when she talks to Madelyn and babies

*Madelyn asking me to kiss her baby's hand after her baby got hurt

*Gracie offering to kiss her baby's hand, too

*watching Gracie pick seeds from a seed pod and then try to plant them in the mud

*Madelyn's monkey hugs

*seeing Gracie make a bed for Madelyn and cover her up

*Gracie showing me her tumbling stretches

*the way Madelyn says "bup" for butt and ketchup

*the sight of Gracie's teeny tiny doll house house drying on our towel warmer

*giving Lily a bath and hearing Gracie say, "It's the best bath ever."

*Jim playing hide-and-seek with the girls

*feeding Gracie's piggy bank with the pennies she earned this month

*puzzle with Madelyn

*playing traffic cop as Gracie rode her bike and Madelyn pushed her baby in the stroller