Mom, Can you Look Up the World's Biggest....

I have started my Christmas shopping. FINALLY. Today I bought A the Guinness Book of World Records 2012. This kid wants to know the biggest/smallest/fattest/skinniest/tallest/shortest of everything. All I every hear is "hey, mom, can you look up on your phone..."

So I'm hoping that this will keep him busy for a while...

creepy...

Todays Lifetime movie: A woman suspects that her stepdaughter's imaginary friend is a ghost haunting thier new house". NEXT!

Bavarian Boy

Well I never claimed to be a seamstress.. I've never even claimed to be creative when it comes to the glue gun. BUT, last night I had no choice. After A being sick for 2 days, and then being out for 8 when we went to Hawaii, I was a bit out of the loop. I found out at 4pm yesterday that he had to dress 'German' for International Day today. This is my 9pm attempt at lederhosen..If you make your eyes kinda squinty and cock your head just a bit, it works...

Aloha!

It's been a while. Things have been going on in Gracieland that haven't really been fit for Gracieland. Sad things. Heavy things. But, as the show must go on, so must life and so must the happenings in Gracieland.
It has been hectic. HEC-TIC. With A in 1st grade, we have crazy sized homework packets, lots of reading to attend to, and lots of activities that mom has to prepare for. Like, for example, deciding how A should dress up for tomorrow's International Day. His class is German. Where do I get a German outfit at 5:15pm on a Thursday night? And why, you ask, did you leave putting on the German costume until the night before? BECAUSE I didnt know about it! We have been in Hawaii, A has been out of school for a week and a half, and (I double checked) nowhere on the hand-outs does it say to dress German. This I find out today, his first day back. So why, you ask, have I decided to start up this blog again rather than do what it is that I'm supposed to do? Well it's simple. I'm lazy and I like to procrastinate, especially when I have NO IDEA what to do.
Anyway, we have dealt with some family stuff, no worries, in the end everyone is happy and healthy and still here. Thats what matters most.
We went on a vacation. A MUCH needed, happy, family vacation. Of course, Gracie came along.

Gracie LOVED Hawaii  



And of course, so did A.!



Wierd

"mom sometimes when I throw up, and then I smell Gracie, I just want to throw up again"

Checking in From Gracieland

It's been a long time since I've posted, but there has just been so much going on, both inside and outside of Gracieland. Gracie is still going, stronger than ever. Quite the little troublemaker. As you can see, he has taken up football...

And he's also managed to earn his Black Belt in Karate

And score a sweet pair of shades...

Night Night

I snuck this pic the other night when the kid was sick. Sweetness.



This post was inspired by my dear friend who, by texting me with questions about Gracie,  has lead me to believe that she may have lost her mind completely on her day long drive back from Sacramento with her (adorable, never makes a peep and does nothing but smile-shes lying when she says he cries and wakes in the night Im sure of it) baby. Anyway, I answered her questions but figured I'd throw up a post while  I have a few extra seconds to spare, since there may be others with these same couple of questions.
1) Gracie doesnt have to sit in a car seat because he is not a baby, hes a midget. No, he's not offended by the term midget. He IS offended by being called a doll or being referred to as "she".
2) He sits in a regular seat belt or on the center arm rest in the back seat. The arm rest is his "booster".

Other random Gracie info:
*Gracie's belly button is not his belly button but his "weenie" which is still in need of repair and being held on by a few strings and a couple of band-aids. I have been forbidden to wash Gracie until I can learn how to fix his weenie, because it might fall off in the wash. (Seriously people if you know how to fix this, let me know! Gracie needs a bath!)
*Gracie is developing a terrible potty mouth and is fully responsible for the bathroom humor that comes out of Aidan's mouth. He wouldn't know about it if Gracie didnt tell him.

Gracie to Aidan: "When do you have to be the doll and I get to be the kid"?

Love

Aidan: "Im going to have Gracie until I die".
Me: "Ok thats fine".
Aidan: "But Gracie will never die, he'll live forever".
Gracie: "I'll live forever?"
Aidan: "Yes but when I die I will be holding you".
Gracie: "Why will you hold me when you die"?
Aidan: "Because I love you more than anything in the whole world".

Grocery Shopping

Me: "Is that where the Elsinore Costco is?"
B: "Yes, why, do you want to go to Costco today?"
Me: "No, but I'd like to come over here some time soon just because I keep hearing that it's better than the Temecula Costco".
Aidan: "It is better. It's the Costco that Gracie goes to all the time".
Me: "Gracie shops at Costco? What does he get from Costco?"
Aidan: "Gracie always shops at Costco for his groceries. That Costco sells really tiny food so Gracie likes going there".

Aidan: "Gracie loves the bacon, I can tell by the look on his face".
Gracie: "You can't tell by looking at me! I'm always smiling! Even when I'm sad I look like this!"

For a while we thought it would be best if Gracie was left at home. We (Brandon and I) wanted Gracie to be an "at home" and a "bed time" thing. As you can imagine there was a lot of protest from both Aidan and Gracie.
I told Aidan that Gracie couldn't come with us, because being a nudist and all, it was inappropriate for Gracie to be out and about with no clothes on. Both Aidan and Gracie promised that if I were to just make Gracie an outfit, he would wear it for public appearences. Aidan, Gracie and I went to the fabric store where the two of them picked out fabric.
Needless to say, the pick was very "Gracie".
We got home and I set about constructing a pair of pants. In the event that I put the time and effort into making Gracie an outfit, and Gracie did not wear the outfit, I figured that at least we had a pair of pants out of the deal.

And guess what? I was right in my guess that the pants would not be worn all too often..In fact, the time I took this picture is about the only time that Gracie wore his them...Needless to say the shirt was never made...why bother?
I still try with clothes occassionally, a pj set for christmas, a couple of outfits from the preemie rack at Target. They usually get put on, pulled off and tossed aside. Gracie now has his own "drawer" where his clothes are kept, should he decide he ever wants to put them on. I can't see this ever happening though, cus when you're as free as Gracie, who needs clothes?

Bed Head

They even wake up with the same hair!

Show and Tell

For anyone that does not know, we are currently in the process with Riverside County to potentially adopt a baby. Last night was our 6th class (7:30pm marked our exact 1/2 way to being done point!).
Our assignment due last night was to bring in an item that our family cherishes. "If your house was on fire and you could only grab one thing, excluding other people and animals of course, what would it be? Bring it in".
So last night Brandon and I showed up to our class. People were bringing bags, contents unknown, photo albums, framed picures, you get the idea...
We walked in with Gracie.
Toward the end of the night we gathered in a circle to show and explain our cherished item.
We were third in line. I was given specific instructions on what to say.
Me: "So tonight we have to bring something our family loves more than anything. I was thinking your dad and I could bring Gracie"."
Aidan: "I thought you love me more than anything".
Me: "I do. Other than you something our WHOLE family loves".
Aidan: "Ok you can bring him. DON'T call him a doll though. Tell everyone hes my brother. Tell everyone that he is your son and that I love my brother very much". "Promise?"
Me: "Promise".
So anyway, we're sitting in class and our turn comes and I say, "This is my other son Gracie"...
I probably don't even need to say this but Gracie was a huge hit.

The Night that Gracie Went to School with Us

Best Day Ever

When we picked up Aidan from school on Friday we had a brand new quad on the trailer waiting for him. Spoiled much? But he had crashed his old one, it was pretty much done, and, knowing that his father doesnt

like to tinker with things, we figured going and getting a new one would be best for everyone involved.

Aidan: "Its mine? Its really mine?"

Me: "Yes, its yours!"

Aidan: "I get to keep it? Im not just borrowing it?"

B: "Nope, its all yours".

Aidan: "This is the best day ever!"

Aidan: "Mom! Go get Gracie! He HAS to see this!"

Not ever one to pass up a photo-op I went and got Gracie.

The picture above is Gracie trying out the new throttle and parking brake.

The picture below is of Aidan and Gracie posing on the new quad. How exciting they both look! Gracie's smile is almost as big as Aidan's!

Just Another Morning in Gracieland

• "Gracie has the cutest eyes, nose, eyebrows, mouth, ears, hands and belly button ever. All of him is cute..He's such a cute little guy".
• "If you fart in Texas, its called a "Texas Fart". But we're not in Texas, we're in Temecula so we don't call it that"

Aidan: "Mom, Where's Gracie?" 
Me: I dunno, back there with you somewhere".
Aidan: "No hes not."
Me: "Yes he is, you carried him out with your back pack".
Aidan: "I LEFT HIM ON THE DRIVEWAY!!!"
Me: "YOU LEFT HIM ON THE DRIVEWAY?????
Panic Ensues and I'm debating on whether or not to turn around because we're not too far from home and we left a little early so probably wouldn't be late for school, and I KNOW that if Gracie is removed from the driveway and we never see him again it will be the end of the world, I will be the world's worst mom, and Aidan will continually tell strangers about the brother that he used to have that his mom left in the driveway and lost. (Don't think for a second that he's never told a grocery store clerk that his mom leaves his baby brother in the car when we go shopping). I slow down to pull of the road and turn around.
Aidan: "Mom".
Me: "What?"
Aidan: "He's right here. He was hiding under my feet".
Aidan: "Mom?"
Me: "Yes Aidan?"
Aidan: "Doesn't that house look like the White House except it has a chimney? I don't think the White House has a chimney. Don't you wish we had more than one chimney? Houses with lots of chimneys are cooler than our house". 
Me: "I don't know if the White House has a chimney or not and I still think our house is pretty cool even though we only have one".
Aidan:"Mom, wouldn't it be funny if the White House was yellow and it was called the Yellow House?"

Table for Three

We were leaving a meeting at Aidan's school the other night and Aidan was begging Brandon to carry him to the car.
B: "You're too big to be carried".
Me: "No hes not, he'll never be too big. Not even when hes in college".
He picks Aidan up.
B: "So what, am I going to carry you when you go on dates?"
Aidan: "Yes".
B: "And do I have to carry your date in my other arm? And how am I going to carry Gracie if I'm carrying you and your date?"
Aidan laughing: "I'll hold Gracie and I'll hide him so no one will be able to see him."
Me: "And what about when you get to the restraunt with your date? Wont it be wierd when she thinks there are only two of you on the date and you say "Table for 3 please".
Aidan: "HAHAHAHAHHAHA TABLE FOR 3, HAHAHAHHAHHAH TABLE FOR 3". "Mom, can I have a table for 3?" "HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA".
Me: "And are you going to ask for a high chair so that Gracie can see over the table?"
As we get in the car Aidan is still giggling and saying stuff under his breath, it takes a minute for him to settle down and hes quiet for a minute or two.
Aidan: "Mom, how about Gracie just brings a date too?"

Me: "have a good day, I love you"!
Aidan: "I love you too!" waves and walks away.
Turns around, runs back, knocks on my window. I roll it down.
Me: "what's up?"
Aidan: "don't forget to tell Gracie that I love him and I'll miss him while I'm at school!"

A Typical Morning Drive to School

We were driving to school the other day, it was early, I wasn't feeling all that well and Aidan wanted to have the whole "how is God Jesus and Jesus is God but God is Jesus' dad and how is God Jesus' dad if Joseph is his dad"...I did my very best and we moved on. Then he says, "I really hope Skylar is back at school today, do you know who Skylar is?"
Me: "No who is Skylar?"
Aidan: "A girl in my class who went to New Zealand which is almost at the end of the world".
Now just having finished the God is Jesus, Jesus is God talk, I really didnt want to get into the there really is no end of the world discussion so I let it go for another time.
Also, as you read this you have to forgive me for my geographic mistakes, as I said it was early, I wasnt feeling well, my mind had already been frazzeled. Anywho, thinking of New Zealand as Finland, I tell Aidan that it's a tiny country that is really far away.
Aidan: "What do you mean its tiny?"
Me: "Uh Oh".
Aidan: "You mean its tiny like everything is Gracie's size?"
My thought: HOW CAN YOU TEACH THE CHILDREN TO READ IF THEY CANT FIT IN THE BUILDING!!
Me: No I mean the area of it is small but it looks like this around us, like normal size.
Aidan: "NO IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE THIS! IT LOOKS LIKE NEW ZEALAND, THIS LOOKS LIKE TEMECULA!!!"
Me: No I meant the size of everything is the same as the size of everything in Temecula.
Aidan: "Then why did you tell me it was Gracie's size?"
Me: "I didn't"
Aidan: "Yes you did mom and I really didnt think there was a country that had everything that was Gracie sized but you made it up"
Me: "Im sorry. I was wrong".

Athletic Gracie

Gracie plays football for USC. When he went to the tryouts the coach picked him because he was already in the uniform and because hes so cute. Gracie is the best player on the team. The last game they played, against the Golden Frogs, Gracie made every single touchdown and his team won 10,000 to 0. Nobody could believe how good he is. Now he has to practice every day with the team and teach them how to not be afraid to score, because everyone is afraid to get the ball and score, including the coach. On occasion, Gracie also plays for the Raiders because he knows everything about football and sometimes they need his help.