Gracey Family News

Eli's First Birthday!

2011-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Our not-so-little guy turned 1 in January. He likes cake because it fits into his favorite food group (junk food). He enjoyed carrying the boxes to his presents around the house. He is showing off one of his favorite tricks - sticking out his tongue.
He's had a rough time of it lately with illness but he's doing great. He walks, jabbers, climbs and sleeps well most of the time. He has slimmed down a little bit lately but he's got plenty to go around in that department.

Christmas

2011-02-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2011-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas with lots of presents and miles on the road and family.

Basketball Superstar

2010-11-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Noah had his first basketball game today. He made the first basket of the game!

Haunt the Zoo

2010-11-01T09:15:00.001-07:00

We took our football player and yoda to trick or treat at the Zoo! It was fun.

Football

2010-11-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

Noah is obsessed with OU football. We took him to play catch in Heisman Park at the stadium.

Daze in a Maze

2010-11-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Covington to go to the corn maze. Noah was not impressed with the maze, but he liked this combine and feeding the animals.

Noah's First Day of School

2010-11-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Noah started Pre-K and loves it!

Eli on Video

2010-07-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Long Time No Blog

2010-07-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Graceys have been busy. We have changed jobs, houses, towns, and all kinds of things have happened - some good and some bad. We are now Enidites having moved to Enid last month. We have all been exploring our new surroundings. Noah is growing up so fast and learning to do all kinds of things - some good and some bad. He starts school this year, but he isn't sure about it all because he hasn't checked out the playground yet.
Eli is now six months old and rolls over, gets on his knees, makes all kinds of noises, and started mastering the sippy cup today. He's a lot of fun and enjoys watching Noah, Molly Jack, and Miss Kitty. He's a sweet, easygoing baby. Thank goodness.

Eli Landon Gracey

2010-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Monday, Jan. 11 at 12:47 p.m. 8lbs 10 oz 20.5 inches
He's perfect.

Eli's Coming

2010-01-11T05:08:00.000-08:00

The link for the web nursery. It should be up this evening.
http://www.memorialhealthsource.com/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=410&action=list

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas didn't turn out as we expected due to a crazy blizzard-style snowfall in Altus. It never snows in Altus. We spent most of Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Gracey's because we had no power for about 13 hours at our house. We don't know when we'll get to go to see Grandpa and Grandma Barnes because some of the highways are still closed.
Noah hasn't minded too much so far. He liked the presents.

Make Room for Baby

2009-12-09T15:53:00.001-08:00

We have been preparing Noah to be a big brother, which some days he thinks is a good idea and others he's not so sure about. He attended bear cub class where he learned about holding baby and putting diapers on babies. We have had to practice at home. Here he is holding Mommy's old Cabbage Patch, Logan, complete with diaper, onesie and blanket in the glider rocker that was a gift from Grandpa and Grandma Gracey.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

It's a boy!

2009-09-05T05:42:00.001-07:00

Is it pink or blue?

2009-08-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

We should find out if the baby is a boy or a girl on Sept. 1. I will post the results, of course.

Summer is over

2009-08-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Schools starts tomorrow so summer is over. I'm not ready. I just got back from a week at the George Washington Summer Institute at Mount Vernon. It was a great experience but also quite exhausting. I will post a link to the picasa album so all can see the 400 something pictures that I took. http://picasaweb.google.com/mjbgracey/MountVernonTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCP21lf7-uJzW8wE#
Noah starts preschool next week and moved into his teacher's class at daycare. He's excited because they have resumed music class now that the school kids are gone. That's his favorite part of the day.
Travis is busy, busy as usual.

Noah's new face

2009-07-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures of Noah post-accident. It looks much, much better than it did.

Tooth Fairy

2009-07-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

Well Noah had an exciting week that included a trip to Guymon, a boat ride in Bricktown, the zoo, and a trip to the emergency room. Our little guy tripped while running and landed face first into a step stool. He bit through his bottom lip and pushed two teeth back. After getting stitches on Thursday night, we spent Friday going to dentists where they finally decided to pull his two front left teeth. So he looks like he's been roughed up. He's handled it all in stride and has been a big boy for sure. He's back to causing trouble so it seems that he's feeling better.
All of this brought on the tooth fairy discussion, which he had a little trouble with. He calls her that lady with the teeth who is friends with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. He did enjoy the money she left in his tooth fairy bag that the dentist gave him.
Busy times ahead with doctors appointments, getting ready for school and Mount Vernon trip in early August. I wish it were June again.

Big News

2009-06-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

Big news at the Gracey house is that Noah will be a big brother early next year. He seems excited even if he doesn't quite understand that you don't get babies from Walmart.

Noah's Pool

2009-05-31T16:09:00.001-07:00

We bought Noah a little splash pool. He's never had one before and seemed to enjoy it some. We start waterbabies classes tomorrow, which he really likes. There is also a picture from his Spring Sing concert at Grace Day and a picture of Molly. She's getting bigger.

Casa de Gracey - New and Improved

2009-05-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Great Outdoors

2009-04-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

We've been gardening and doing some home improvements. Here are some pics. One is of the toad in our flowerbed that we have named Elmo.

Spring Break

2009-04-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know we're behind, but it has been pretty busy around here. Below are some pictures from our Spring Break adventure at Beaver's Bend in southeastern Oklahoma. We rented a cabin with Grandpa and Grandma Barnes and had a great time. Noah got to go fishing in the pond at the cabin. He yelled, "I'm done. I'm done," when Grandpa pulled it out of the water. He rode a train and took a pedal boat ride.

Noah Rides

2009-04-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Go Speed Racer

2009-02-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Grandpa Barnes for footage of Noah's first go cart race.

Noah is Three!

2009-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Noah turned three on Sunday. He is 37 inches tall and weighs 32 pounds. He had a good birthday including a trip to Incredible Pizza, but he developed a fever. Things went downhill from there for all of us, but it looks like we may recover soon. Don't you love the winter?

Snow Days

2009-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

There was some winter weather that Oklahomans can't maneuver last week so we got to spend two days at home from school. Noah played with everything he owns and took a turn at home decorating. Good times. Haven't really gotten back in the groove because of the weekend. I'm home sick today so that means I've missed three school days in a week. Noah is fine. He has gotten really tall and is pushing 40 inches. He also has discovered that the stool he uses in the bathroom can be used to raid other out-of-reach parts of the house. Travis was gone a lot last week for work. Take care.

Happy New Year

2009-01-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Well, Happy New Year to all. We've been busy with the usual. Nothing exciting to report. This weekend I had to attend a 3-day workshop for the school and created a PhotoStory about the Big Blue U. I'm sure that it's fascinating stuff that you would all like to watch so I will include it here. If you're interested in similar things visit the Celebrate Oklahoma Voices Web site.

Noah's Christmas

2008-12-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

2008-12-24T14:17:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This may explain why Grandpa brings presents

2008-12-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Santa Claus is coming to town????

2008-12-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

According to Noah, Santa will not be coming to our house this here. When asked who will bring his presents, he said, "Grandpa."

Tis the Season

2008-11-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, long time no post. We've been busy with work and the usual. Noah is growing like crazy! He talks all the time and sings, too. As you can see we have been getting ready for the holidays. I think Noah makes a good raccoon elf. Trav has been super busy with work this weekend so we had some time to kill. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Mission Accomplished

2008-09-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Park

2008-09-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

We've been working to get Noah's new park finished. It has a taken a little bit longer than expected, but Travis is making progress.

School, School, School

2008-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Officially back to school and buried under paperwork. I missed the first day of school thanks to a wicked stomach bug. I haven't graded anything. I have five different copies of rosters, lists of IEPs to get copies of, and lesson plans to finish. Yikes. But the good news is the classes are going well, and I haven't had any major problems so far.
Noah started at his new daycare, which we call school, and he's having a good time. The first day was a little rough, but he didn't even cry yesterday or today when we dropped him off. He got a new backpack in honor of the occasion and is very proud of it as you can see. Also he has not had any wet or dirty pants accidents at school. He also has been using the potty for number two, which is good. Of course, it means mom and dad have to pony up the cash for his park soon. I think it's on the agenda for the weekend.
He also had to get new shoes because his foot has grown. I let him get the uglies Lightning McQueen shoes ever to play in. I'm a pushover. He also seems to be all legs right now.
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

Everybody Poops and Everybody gets old

2008-08-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am officially old as I reached the big 30 last week. It didn't feel any differently than the big 29 so far so good. Trav and I also celebrated our 10th anniversary this evening with a fine dinner of hamburger helper with Noah. That's true love folks. *He did send nice flowers, and we had a nice dinner the night before so don't think we're that bad)
We've been busy with work and getting ready for school. In-service starts Monday and classes start on Thursday. So next week will be challenging, but it should be better than last year.
Good news is that Noah has successfully pooped in the potty. So we're making great progress on that front. Also it has cooled off and that means we're not as cranky.
Noah's mood has improved since going back to daycare because he has been reunited with his girlfriends. They're twins and the three of them make quite the trio. Sadly (for them but not for me) he will be starting a new daycare a week from Monday so their reunion will be short lived. He has already said that he would get new girlfriends at the new school. I'm trying to get a picture of him with Lily and Layla, but it rained last night so they couldn't meet on the playground today. Too bad.

No news

2008-07-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a bit because there hasn't been much fun going on around here. It has been terribly hot - which makes mommy cranky. Noah has tonsillitis again!!!! The third time in six months or so. He didn't even have a cold this time. So he has been cranky too. I hope everyone else is having more fun than we are.

No-No's Week

2008-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Noah often refers to himself in third person as "No-No." It's pretty funny. He spent the last week with Grandpa and Grandma Barnes riding tractors and going to the post office. Marci attended four "hell-ish" days at a Great Expectations workshop in Lawton. It was way too much touchy-feely stuff for my taste, but I did meet some decent people and did a little networking. It also put me in the mood to get ready to go back to school. So I've been stocking up on cheap things I can use in the classroom. Good times.
The big news around here is that Noah has been using the potty!!!!! Hooray. He's had one wet pull-up in the a.m. and one wet accident since the fourth of July. He's been a real superstar with the number one. The number two, however, is another subject. He tries but it hasn't worked out for him yet. Good news is that he tries. So he will get there soon. Once he gets it together, he has been promised a "park" for the backyard (swingset/fort).
It's kind of weird that the celebrations in my life have been reduced to the bowel movement of others.

Noah's Chair

2008-07-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today I gave Noah his new chair that I had ordered for Christmas. Once it got here I realized there was no way I could store it for six months. He loved it and sat in it to play his "banjo" (also known as a backyardigans guitar). As you can see we have been wearing Elmo pants. He has been doing ok with them. Some days are drier than others.

Sharks

2008-07-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend Noah, Grandma Barnes and I traveled to Tulsa for a baby shower. While we were there we went to the aquarium in Jenks, which is really cool. Noah enjoyed seeing Nemo and the sharks. He also dropped his hat in the tank while feeding the turtles. He seemed to really enjoy it, and he has been watching Finding Nemo since we got back home. Hope everyone has a great fourth!

Santa Fe

2008-06-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I had to go to Santa Fe for a workshop and Travis went with me. We had a great time and stayed on the Plaza in the La Fonda hotel. I think Trav had a better time than I did seeing as how I was in meetings most of the week. He did lots of neat things like hiking and playing golf. I will include a picture that he took of the cliff dwellings.
Noah went to stay with Ma & Pa Barnes at the new house and traveled to Texas to get Ma's floor as he says. I think he kept them pretty entertained with his vocabulary and riding Pa's tractor. He also got to see baby horses and cows.
As part of our bribes when we returned he got a new pair of boots because he had outgrown the old ones and asked for them all of the time. I think he has worn them ever since with the exception of baths (yes, that means he has worn them to bed, too).

Swimming

2008-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Noah and I have started waterbabies class at the city pool. He didn't like it at first, but he seems to enjoy it for the most part. He got to show off his newly acquired skills at Isabel's pool party today, too. Please no comments about my farmer's tan. I know it's bad.
We had some pretty crazy weather in Altus this week and a lot of damage was done on the south side of town. I was gone to a seminar but Travis, Noah and Grandpa and Grandma Barnes experienced it while being locked out of the house. Good times. I will post the url for the paper for anyone who is interested in seeing the pics.
http://www.altustimes.com/articles/2008/06/06/news/doc484a12186dbe8758577815.txt

A Big Boy Bed

2008-05-29T16:54:00.001-07:00

As promised pictures of Noah's new and improved big boy room. He's quite proud of his big boy bed and talks about it all of the time. He slept in it all night the first night and most of the second night. Miss Kitty likes it, too.

Blast Off

2008-05-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Lawn boy

2008-05-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Noah loves the lawn mower. Unfortunately Travis broke ours and had to take it to the shop, which set Noah off big time. So we had to go and find him one this afternoon. Seeing as how it is in the upper 90s this afternoon he had to satisfy himself with mowing inside today.
School's out and we're enjoying it. Although I have been a little bored. But, we are painting Noah's room so that should keep me busy. Keep an eye out for the new improved Noah's room pictures.

blah

2008-05-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Not much to report from the Graceys other than we've been sick with the stomach flu. Noah was sick Saturday night, I followed Sunday, and Travis followed on Tuesday. I felt better Tuesday and went to school, but I had a relapse. So I've been home again today with Noah and Travis, too. Kind of weird for us to be here during the week together. Only Noah was pleasant as he is the most fully recovered. Although I am feeling better and have set out to de-funk the house by using disinfecting wipes on every possible surface. I have turned into the Lysol guy from the x-ray department at Purcell's hospital. Perhaps there will be better news to report next time.
By the way - school's out a week from tomorrow - HOORAY!!!!

Snakes and Paint

2008-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Friday Noah and I traveled to the 43rd annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby. It was an interesting experience. The 44th annual event will not be high on my priority list, but it was a nice day with some tasty snacks. Noah is a big fan of the corndog as you can tell from his picture. He also downed about 10 ounces of a strawberry lemonade.
Saturday we went to the park and cleaned house while Travis did inventories. We also feed the ducks and geese who were very pushy. One took a piece of bread out of Noah's hand.
Sunday Travis and Noah went to the park and to see the ducks (Noah is a big fan of both the park and the ducks) while I finished cleaning the house. Later Travis played golf and Noah and I watched puppies (101 Dalmatians) and ran a few errands. We also did some Mother's Day crafts for the Grandmas (I would show them off but that would ruin the surprise). Once we finished Noah painted for a little while.
As you can tell from his pictures, he had a series of bumps, bruises, and scratches this weekend. He bumped his head, scratched the side of his face and skinned his knees a couple of times. He scratched his chin once on Saturday and fell down at the park and did it up right on Sunday. I promise we don't beat him.

Ducks Part III

2008-04-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

This critter is among the ducks and geese at the reservoir. We can't figure out what he is. He's as big as a goose but has a turkey face.

Ducks Part II

2008-04-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was having difficulty posting texts with pictures with Noah climbing around and talking on the phone at the same time. So two new posts today.
As you can tell from the previous post, Noah enjoyed feeding the "geese-ducks" as he would say at the reservoir today before going to play at the park. I was feeling guilty because Travis and I have been so busy with school and work, so we enjoyed the fine weather outside this morning.
Thankfully prom is over and all of us survived although Noah was yelled at when he pulled the picture backdrop down about eight hours before the big event. Mommy was not happy. Daddy received a curt on-the-golf course cell phone call informing him that he needed to come and help.
Travis and I attended while Noah went to Grandpa and Grandma Gracey's where he fell asleep at 9:30. He has not been to bed before 11 all week. I'm thinking about sending him there every night. (just kidding)
Less than a month left of school. Hooray! Although I don't know what I will do with myself.
Travis will be busy with inventory all week, but Grandma Barnes is coming for a visit. We've been cleaning house in preparation and also b/c it had been more neglected than Noah during the last couple of weeks.
A great week to all!
Next weekend is the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby. I think we'll attend so maybe we'll get some good material from that.

2008-04-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Still busy

2008-04-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

We're still very busy with work, school, and prom. Fortunately, the prom will be over soon. School will be close behind. Noah and I did have a nice Saturday shopping with Tamara and Isabel. I got new shoes and Noah got a new hat and book (he's already torn up the book). Have a great week!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-04-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

We Graceys have been very busy lately with school, work, and helping Grandpa & Grandma Barnes get ready for their move over the weekend. Travis has a whole two days off this month. I have EOI tests to prepare students for and the prom is coming up, too. Also, my graduate classes are wrapping up so that means we're all swamped. Noah has been busy growing and talking like crazy. His new words today were mower and Hummer. Grandpa and Grandma said that he said Wal-Mart, but we're in denial about that. Noah got a pretty serious boo-boo on his big toe, but he has announced that it is all better a couple of times. It still looks pretty painful to me. I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow when he has to wear tennis shoes.
His pictures we had made over spring break came in, and I've posted a sample. Don't tell the copyright police. I hope everyone has a great week. It looks to be a little soggy around here.

Zoo

2008-03-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Noah and I spent the last few days in Purcell with Grandpa & Grandma Barnes.
Among our many adventures was a trip to the OKC zoo with our friends, Tamara and Isabel. Noah was successfully sun protected (but overdressed) whereas I got a sunburn. Noah and Isabel shared a stroller and teddy grahams with relatively few disagreements. Noah called everything either a kitty, duck, puppy, or monkey.
The zoo recently welcomed lion cubs. I got a picture of one of them. I think we saw three all together. We got to see giraffes and zebras up close, too. Noah fell asleep before we got to that part. The zoo was really busy so some of the best attractions were a little crowded for our taste.
Today Noah had his two-year-old pictures made so those should be ready in April. He wasn't exactly cooperative but we got some good shots.
Noah has really been talking a lot more lately. He even asks questions sometimes like "where mama go" etc... A frequent cry is "I want park."
Sadly spring break is almost over and it's back to school on Tuesday. At least I still have Monday.
This weekend will include laundry and golf (for Travis) as well as an Easter dinner and egg hunt if it is not raining.

Slide Video

2008-03-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Fun at the Park

2008-03-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

While Travis played a little golf, Noah and I went to Imagination Station (aka the park) and the reservoir to see the ducks. Noah had a great time. He loves to slide and fly the airplane. He even mastered sliding on his stomach. He did not want to leave either place. He fell asleep in the car on the way home. Other than that there is not much to report. Travis is busy with work, and I'm enjoying spring break. I will try to add a video later.

HOORAY

2008-03-14T16:39:00.001-07:00

IT'S SPRING BREAK!!!!!

Good Times

2008-03-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

Not too much to report in the Gracey world. Noah had tonsillitis and spent a couple of days with Grandpa & Grandma Barnes. It worked well with our weekend plans to be in Purcell. He had a blast playing outside this afternoon in the sun. I enjoyed taking a nap in the sun. Of course the pink tinge on my nose may not be so fun tomorrow. The countdown is on for spring break. Just five more days to go. Travis will be busy this week as the Big Blue U re-tags the stores to switch to the new warehouse. Right now Noah is being mysteriously quiet so I better find out what he's up to. Hope everyone has a great week.

Hooligan

2008-03-04T19:15:00.001-08:00

Just cute pictures of Mr. Noah from the weekend sporting a new Hooligan's Club baseball cap from Old Navy and his OU backpack.

Boots

2008-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Today Noah discovered his cowboy boots, which were a gift from Aunt Beth & Uncle Jason for his first Christmas. It was pretty funny to watch him toddle around in them. It looked a lot like Mommy in heels. We're all doing well and hoping to have a productive weekend. I have an assignment due Tuesday and Nine-Weeks Tests to prepare. The countdown is on for Spring Break. Then the count down is on for May 15. I can't believe the year is almost over. Travis had to work this morning and has a "honey do" list. I'm sure golf will work into the plans Hope everyone has a nice weekend.