How could I forget?!?

Many thanks to the Stantons for reminding me to post about our first "baby," our furbaby, Snickers!

Snickers was around before Grace, but not for long before Grace came, so she was used to babies before Rachael came along. Rachael's arrival hasn't phased her much, but now that Rachael is at her level a lot more often, she's getting bolder and coming around to check her out more frequently. I'm always close by to make sure Snickers isn't going to give Rachael any kisses, or that Rachael won't get a fistful of Snickers' fur -- however, Snickers has had that happen to her when I babysat and never made a peep, that is one patient dog! She used to be described as a "rat on crack" but she's generally more subdued than that nowadays! Unless she's getting excited over people coming over, especially those she knows are "dog people." She's definitely still "Daddy's Little Girl," but she'll head over to Mommy once in a while for some TLC.

We love you, Snickers!!

Getting to Know Us...

For the friends and family who haven't seen us in a while...

In the beginning there was Chris and Vanessa, and it was good. But God decided that there needed to be more Grace in their lives, so He gave them... Grace Catherine. And it was better. Then, a little over three years later, Rachael arrived, and all was well.


Who are we? To summarize...



Chris is a cost analyst for a defense contractor. He does good work and is happy with his job. He is currently weighing his options on where to go to obtain his Master's degree. Right now he is also umpiring a lot, many times with his dad, and he really enjoys that -- living in a home with three women, it's the only chance he gets to really order people around! (That's not really true, since Chris is truly the head of the household -- we know who wears the pants!) Other than those jobs, Chris also enjoys golfing and has been able to go out a few times in the past month after a long absence from the links (and the author hopes she got that reference right)! He was able to take part in a tournament a couple of weekends ago and is looking forward to another one this summer.



Vanessa is a stay-at-home mom. Yeah, right. She still doesn't know where that term came from -- if she really stayed at home, she is pretty sure she would be in a room with padded walls by now. However, she really does feel like her home is where her work is, and she's striving to do better at this calling! She did help teach 3rd grade at VBS this year, and had a blast! She's helping to develop a moms' group for their church (First Baptist -- same for the past 20 years), and she helps with drama as often as she can, either finding scripts for them to use when they want drama as part of the service, sometimes writing her own. Other than that, her life is filled with coloring with Grace, playing with Rachael, and figuring out how her mom and Chris' managed two children and how several of her friends manage more than two!


Grace has inherited every dramatic inclination that both her parents have, as well as their stubborn streaks. She talks a lot, and she talks well. Grace really enjoys repeating things she sees on TV on her shows, or in movies that she watches -- Mommy and Daddy are really careful about what's on! She is excited just knowing that she will return to preschool in the fall, going three days a week with an amazing teacher (Mommy has known her teacher for 15 years). This summer she got to experience a mini-VBS while Mommy taught, and she loved it every day. She'll do swim lessons again in July, and take part in "KinderPraise" at the church at the end of the month. She loves to pretend to dance, she likes playing with her soccer ball, taking swings with baseball bats, even practicing golfing at the little putting green they have inside of Dick's Sporting Goods at our mall! Her favorite role seems to be that of Big Sister, and she's the best ever! Her daily goal is to make her baby sister smile and laugh, it is such a treat!


Rachael, at not even 6 months old, has already made a name for herself in the church nursery -- The One That Cries. With no rhyme or reason, she seems to save her best fits for the faithful volunteers in the Bed Babies area on Sunday mornings, and again in childcare on Wednesday nights. At home and abroad, she is a very pleasant child! Her first couple of months in this world were a little rough, mostly due to the eczema that covered her entire body -- but once Mommy and Daddy figured out how to control it better, her mood lightened considerably! She is already a Daddy's Girl, watching him intently wherever he goes, and grinning like crazy when he comes home from work or just comes in from the other room! She knows how to roll over but only does it when necessary, she'll sit up on her own for little bits at a time, and she has to be in the mood in order to grant us with a good laugh, even if what we do proved laugh-worthy earlier in the week, even earlier in the hour.


Life is just good for us -- God is so good! Our family is a happy and content one, and we look forward to keeping in touch with everyone and hopefully hearing how everyone else is doing!

I'm a Follower

A few of my friends have blogs like this now, so I thought it was time we jumped on the bandwagon. It appears this is a much easier way to keep up with the goings-on of our family, especially pictures of the girls, for our friends and family that are not here with us locally. You can just go to this website and check it out on your own if you ever want to see what's happening, or if you just need a fix of cuteness from the girls' photos! That being said, here are the latest and greatest of the girls! Some of you have already seen these, others of you will say, "They have 2 now?"

Daddy & Rachael - Father's Day Brunch









Grace & Rachael - June '07

Grace, playing scared & Rachael giggling at Grace!

So I hope you all enjoy this and find it useful! I'm sure I'll still send pictures from time to time, but this should save your in box from large files!