This Little Piggy...

Almost Five Months Old

Now we see little eyes peeking out above the crib when we sneak in to see if Grace is asleep...

A New Cousin!

Steve's sister Amy gave birth to her little boy, Gus Noll V, this morning! Congratulations, Amy and Scott! Hopefully we'll be able to make the trip to Chattanooga for a visit before Gus gets too big!

Caledonia

The Second Annual Deterding-Sanders Camping Adventure took place in Caledonia State Park near Gettysburg, PA. We met Kevin and Alison (friends from college) at the campground and spent a relaxing weekend doing all the things that make living out of a tent for three days well worth the effort. And don't be fooled by Grace's sad face in the picture above--for the most part she seemed to enjoy herself! Our weekend included:

Alison discovering, much to her dismay, that a mouse lives in her car. Not only that, but the mouse stole 12 dark chocolate Hersheys Kisses and shoved the stash up under the dashboard.

Relaxing in the Guatamalan hammock my sister April gave to Steve (also handy for rocking a baby who is too curious about campfires, leaves, and bugs to take a proper nap.)

The swimming pool! What a nice way to spend a warm afternoon. Grace got in as far as her waist and then decided that was enough cold water for her. Could I get away with dressing her in a bathing suit every day?? She just looks so cute.

Hiking some of the trails that surround the park. Here we are exploring the "waterfall". Well, that 's what it was labeled on the trail guide, anyway.
We had a great time...looking forward to next year!

Delicious

Grace has been waking up hungry in the wee hours of the morning, so we decided it might just be time for some...

RICE CEREAL!

Solid foods are awesome!

Four Months Old

Grace is four months old!

She is a very active and gregarious little girl-- she loves to stand up on her legs (with a little help from us!) and look at the world around her. Grace charms friends, family, and complete strangers with her wide, gummy grin-- all you have to do is make eye contact with her! Grace looks like she's just itching to be able to crawl around on her own, and she gives it her best effort when she's on her tummy. She rolled over for the first time on her 4-month birthday, and now does so as soon as her back hits the crib mattress! Grace must always be sitting up or held vertically-- she lies flat only when she's on her play mat or sleeping. There's just too much to see to waste time looking at the ceiling! She kicks up a storm, grabs toys and pumps her arms up and down, loves to play with her fingers, and was delighted to discover her toes a couple weeks ago (and hasn't put them down since!)

Grace is now 13 lbs. 2 1/2 oz., 24 3/4 inches long.

We're really enjoying watching our little girl grow into her personality and become more interactive. Sometimes we look at her and wonder how she changes so much with the passing of each day. She's such a joy!