Trains and Sweaters!

Ah! Christmas is in a couple days! 


I'm going to do a quick re-cap of the weekend.


I mentioned last post that we were heading to EnterTRAINment Junction with some friends. Well, Grayson really loved it - he kept saying "Wow, Wow, Wow" watching the trains go by. it was the cutest. For REALS. 





Look at his face...ugh, love.




Again, look at that face! Totally into the trains!




Love this pic of the boys!

Later Saturday evening we headed over to John and Laura's for the Ugly Sweater party which turned out awesome! Grayson and Zach had a ton of fun chasing each other, playing in the dog cage (for real, they were kind of obsessed), and just roaming the house. Since Grayson had a great nap, we let him stay up past his bedtime and left around 9.

The next day was dedicated to some serious cookie baking. I kind of wanted to die. Ugh, I have a love/hate relationship with baking cookies. Especially sugar cookies...it's the icing. SO ANNOYING.

Anyway, we are mostly ready for Christmas! Dan is working a late shift today and I hear Grayson stirring in his little crib about to get up from his nap.

Here's one last shot of my little wild child. (please note we've removed the piano bench from the piano because he was climbing onto it, and then onto the piano. This kid never stops! Apparently, he WILL find a way to climb)


So excited for all the visitors we'll be getting this week and next! Let the fun begin!!

The two G's

This is by far one of my top most favorite photos of all time. My little baby boy with my brother - the two G's - Gabe and Grayson. The G-Man and G-baby. 


Saturday, my brother will begin his second deployment to Afghanistan. This was a very sudden move that was announced just days ago - so it's a little shocking to us. I'm so sad that I don't get to see him before he goes, but, it looks like his visit will *only*  be for a couple months. Obviously, that doesn't make it easier.  So let's hope/pray/meditate/ for a safe visit and quick return back home. 


I'd be mushier but I think my brother would roll his eyes a bit. So on to happier things. 


Tonight/Tomorrow begins some crazy. 


Even though I don't actually work tomorrow, I'm stopping in for lunch (yey!) and to give my Secret Santa her gift. I'm also going to attempt to start baking some cookies for Christmas...this all really depends on how G naps during the day. If he naps - I bake cookies. If not, NO COOKIES. I also have some last minute odds/ends christmas stuff to pick up..which will most likely be delayed until Sunday since it's pretty much impossible to run errands with a 16 month old. He's so movey. (yep, made up a word) Movey = moves a lot and doesn't want to stop.ever.at all.especially in a store.


Saturday morning we're meeting up with some church friends and their little boy, Dylan, who is 2  - at EnterTRAINment Junction. I am SO excited for this little date. I'm sure to have tons of pics from their little adventure. Afterwards we are hoping G will take a good nap and be totally refreshed to attend John and Laura's annual Ugly Sweater Party! Oh MY...I cannot wait to see everyone's sweaters - especially all the KIDS sweaters. There are going to be a LOT of kids this year. (p.s john and laura - I stalked the evite and you guys are going to have a FULL house:) This is such a fun event every year and there are definitely some peeps who get really really creative. 


Sunday = baking until I can't bake anymore. REALLY. Cookies need to be made.


This week we will patiently wait to see Aunt Dani, Uncle Scott and Cousin Felix who are coming sometime, maybe around Thursday. Then Aunt Heda, Aunt Holly and Stephen will be coming sometime AFTER Christmas. 


A quick recap of this past weekend..


We went to Dan's work party and got to hang out with Lisa and Chris. You know, some of our favorites. 
















I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Fancy Dinners

This Saturday, our friend Elizabeth hosted an all girls "Fancy Dinner" night. There were 13  of us ladies dressed up for a night of dinner without the men. I still can't believe how quickly the night went by. We got some great news from a good friend, ate, drank and relaxed. 


The boys were at my house with Dan and Grayson. I heard they had a good time:)


Elizabeth completely outdid herself - Her house looked absolutely stunning. The dinner table was set perfectly, and the christmas music set the ambiance for a wonderful evening. We even got pashmina's as a party favor!  


I think we all agreed we could do it again in the near future.



you know, just a couple drinking glasses....


The two ladies in the middle are both 16 weeks pregnant, due with their second children on the SAME DATE in May! 






The hostess with the mostess at the head of the table in pink!




G is napping and Dan is reading/watching football - I'd say it's a perfect ending to a great weekend! I hope everyone is enjoying their first week of December! 

Thanksgiving quickie

Thanksgiving weekend was in a word: Awesome. 

We are so so so Thankful to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives to share the holidays with. 

We thoroughly enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving with Dan's parents, Uncle Al and Aunt Meesh. Grayson made sure to give his special open mouthed kisses to Aunt Meesh to show just how much he loves her. MELT. I know for sure that G recognizes his Aunt and Uncle and am continually thankful they get to see him so much. Although 700 miles apart, G definitely has a special bond with those two. This is absolutely one of those times I wish we were closer to family since I KNOW we'd be over each others' house all the time.

.........

Black Friday was super laid back. We didn't go out shopping - just hung out and went out to dinner that night. 

........

Saturday (Friendsgiving) we went to the mall to get G's picture taken with Santa Clause. He did really well! Wasn't scared at all! He kept looking at Santa like "who are you?!" but didn't cry or whine. Afterwards, walking through the mall was a different story.....

Dan and I brought G home to see if he would nap (which he didn't) and ended up having Uncle Al and Aunt Meesh babysit while we got the house ready, cooked (baked) for Friendsgiving. 

Friendsgiving is our main event - the one big holiday Dan and I host - and it definitely went well. It's so wonderful to kick off the holiday season with our closest friends and family. We had a BLAST watching the kidlets play together. Dan and I stayed up past 1:00am watching Home Alone with the last couple....and I couldn't help but just sit there snuggled next to some good friends, my blanket, my kid upstairs sleeping... and smile. This is, most definitely, the good life.

.........

We said our good byes to Uncle Al and Aunt Meesh last night and this morning woke up to the sounds of Christmas music playing..AHEM. Bring on the Christmas Tree! 

So far, there has only been one ornament casualty......

Our weekend in pictures:

This is what happens when Uncle Al babysits!!

I love this pic:)

G and Z!

Decorating the tree

Thankful for

This crazy face.  

hmm..how much Turkey will fit into that mouth?

I love the pictures that completely sum up Grayson's personality.

Things are about to get crazy around these parts......

Dan and I have fully booked weekends starting this week with Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving...and then giving way to December with work Holiday Parties, Ugly Sweater Party, Formal Girls Dinner Night, The Great Cookie Baking Event and much more. I'm thrilled. 

Dan and I are not so patiently waiting for Uncle Al and Aunt Meesh to get here tomorrow (really early Thursday morning) -  I'm totally looking forward to relaxing on the couch with a glass or two of wine Thanksgiving with fam. Luckily I don't have to make the Turkey - just a couple sides and some desserts!

What else am I looking forward to?

This weekend we are hosting the annual Friendsgiving this year, like always, and are excited to start including the kids in our family friend tradition. It honestly warms my heart to see everyone together this time of the year. The little kids are getting to the age where they actually sort of play with each other. I'm so hoping this is a tradition that really sticks - so far I believe we have 4 years under our belt! 

On a random side note -

• Grayson started doing his own somersaults...but won't do them for his grandparents OR the Flip video camera. Hopefully I'll get it on tape soon! 
• G gained a 1lb (and grew 1/2 inch) since his 15month visit. We're hoping he keeps it up and gains another lb by his 18month check up. 
• G's gotten to skype with his cousin Felix! They are too cute on video - we hope to keep up the vid chats every couple of weeks:)

And one last pic before we go:

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! 

A little side rant

Say cheese! Umm..................Arrgh Me Matey?

Dear time change...whoaaaa...my kid is like off.the.walls. because of you. Look at picture above. Since WHEN does my child smile like that? Is he a pirate??

In reality. this kid is happy. like really happy. i hope that he is always this full of energy, life, and curiosity. i hope he yearns for adventure all the time. and never looks back. 

As you get ahold of this "parenting" thing..you realize what "type" of parent you are. We are most definitely NOT helicopter parents to the joy of all my teacher friends:) 

Honestly, we are more laid back about most things then I ever thought I'd be. 

We let Grayson sit in a carriage without a cover {the horror! germs.germs.germs!!!) Wait until your kid falls down at the playground, gets up, looks at their dirt ridden hands and LICKS IT. That my friend, is why no carriage cover will ever save us, or you from germs. Unless you never bring your kid to a playground. Then your O.K. 

We let him, and have been letting him, go down the big slide at the playground {while ANOTHER parent tried to hold his hand} Um...my kids' got this. And if he falls, it's going to be O.K. 

We let G climb on pretty much anything {"he's going to fall" - lady at the kids center in Toyota} really? because he does this all day long. He's fine. I'm right here. And yes, I do know my child's capabilities. 

We let Grayson do these things because he's 15 months old. If he's going to do it in front of us, he's going to do it NOT in front of us. We might as well see what he's capable of and figure out where we can use that energy to his benefit (hello! playground) 

Every parent has different comfort levels...and being a pretty fearless person myself (I taught myself how to do gymnastics in my backyard) both Dan and I are very open to him trying things out and being a little reckless. Maybe he's going to be an awesome Mountain Climber one day. Maybe Not. But he's a kid. He's having FUN, and we want to let him run around and get hurt/sick. Wait. Did I say that? Apparently getting hurt/sick is not something some parents are accepting is a possibility. 

I'm pretty sure we're not the only parents you "parent" this way, either. There ARE more of us out there...right??

This isn't to say we don't try to protect him from obvious sicknesses and dangerous situations, but we're not going to keep him in a bubble either.

Ok - that's my rant for today. Each of these instances has a story we won't go into...some actually funny...some just annoying.

And one last picture

Bathtime is when you take pictures of cute babies bathe.

We had an AWESOME weekend - good friends, good food, some down time...and got a bunch of errands done. Looking forward to the busy week:)

Halloween 2011

I could eat this kid up. right here.

Last year Grayson was just 3 months old and NOT in the mood to trick or treat. Dan and I both remember how painful that day was..G just wouldn't take a nap and was so so SO cranky. He finally went down right before we would've gone trick or treating..

This year was awesome. He was adorable in his little monster costume and completely wanted to walk around the cul-de-sac all night. We went to the parents house first so they could see G all dressed up and then headed back to our street to visit with neighbors and trick or treat more. 

Ladies man, I tell ya. The girls actually asked if they could take him trick or treating with them! 

<3

Ok, this was the funniest part of the night- both Grayson and his cousin Felix had the SAME costume! We had no idea (ok, well Danielle and I found out we got the boys the same costume a couple days before Halloween...but how funny is that?)

CUZINS!

15 Months - Weighty Issues

15 Months - and we are having SO MUCH fun!

It happened really quickly, but somewhere between 12 months and 15 months Grayson got MUCH easier to take of. He is much more independent - we don't have to be standing right next to him when he plays. That doesn't mean he still doesn't hang on our legs when we're home, but he's much more content "wandering around" and playing on his own a bit. 

We go to the park a lot and he's able to roam about  - he loves following other kids around. 

Lately, we've found an AWESOME indoor alternative that we've been doing a lot - Barnes and Noble has a train table in their children's department that keeps G occupied for a bit. Even though we have a train set at home, apparently G likes to be around other kids when playing with trains! 

Updates:

Stats:

Weight: 21lbs 14oz (18%) - this is NOT good. 

Length: 32' (80%)

The doctor was concerned about G's lack of weight gain. A normal toddler should be gaining roughly 2-3lbs between each visit. Grayson actually lost a couple ounces since his 12 month. Both Dan and I noticed a HUGE difference when Grayson started walking - he doesn't slow down at all. He hates sitting, so getting him to eat is very difficult. It's just not a top priority for him. He's actually not a picky eater with the types of food we feed him -veggies, cheese, carbs...there's not much that he actually refuses to eat at all. He just doesn't eat much of it. 

Per the doctor's orders, we are to feed G two Pediasure a day. On top of that, we are changing his diet to make sure he's getting more "healthy fats" into his diet. 

Instead of just feeding him pieces of what we're eating, we're going to automatically feed him an avocado for lunch (he'll eat the whole thing) yogurt for breakfast, and pasta/veggies with olive oil. 

G has a weight check-up in one month to see how he's doing. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping this works. 

The doctor also mentioned that he was one of the most active toddlers he's ever seen - so on top of trying to feed him enough for a "normal" toddler, he is most likely expending more calories/energy then most and needs even MORE calories/food energy. 

In good news:

Grayson is talking a lot more!

He says:

"What's that?" - ALL.the.time

"All Done!" - not funny when you put him in his highchair and he eats ONE bite of food...

"Eat" - hahahaha...every time he says "All Done" I say " EAT!!!" 

Momma + Dadda

No, No, No

Nom, Nom, Nom

Ball - on occasion

Woof - on occasion

ONNNEEE- we taught G to start counting when he climbed on things so if we aren't paying attention we can go running. This never happens

Thank you

He kind of runs now. funny.

He gives kisses a lot - and I love them

He still climbs on everything. I thought the luxury would wear off, but it hasn't yet. 

He loves being around other kids - he seems to be very social (at least to me he is)

He sleeps in until -WAIT FOR IT - 8:30!!! Um. DELIGHTFUL. It's the gift we get for getting up with him 2x a night until he was almost 10months old. 

He is SUCH a happy kid. He is constantly smiling and laughing. It melts my heart, that one. Happy 15 Month kiddo:)

Picture Updates:

Grayson and I got to have our first playdate. We met up with Miss Reese and her momma for lunch and playing at Joseph A Beth Bookstore. 

Yesterday, Barnes and Noble had their Halloween storytime -

G loves looking at himself in the mirror....

Carving and Dad's Bday

Pumpkin Carving time!

We only carved one pumpkin - but it was fun. Grayson was strapped into his highchair with snacks for most of the time, but we let him out at the end for pictures (which he refused to smile for) and a little bit of playing. 

Yesterday we said "Happy Birthday" to dad and showered him with presents, cupcakes and drool. 

Here's what we were doing last year . How time flies..

Grayson will be sleeping over Grandma and Pepere's again this weekend! We are MUCH more relaxed about this visit for a couple reasons

1. Grayson now solidly sleeps through the night (he was sleeping through the night last time, but was still new to the whole idea. G didn't officially sleep through until almost 10 months and our first night away was when he was 11.5months. At that point he still got up once in a while and was finicky at times going down depending on his mood.) Obviously we have our nights if there are teething issues, croup, ect. But for the MOST part, he should be able to give them a decent night's sleep without us worrying about it. 

2. The last two times G's slept in his pack-in-play (CT for Labor Day and more recently Gatlinburg) he's done REALLY well. We have no doubt he'll go right down in the p&p this time and that makes things a LOT easier on us...knowing that he'll go to sleep without any problems. Well, hopefully:)

Our plans are to go to a Halloween Party and sleep in the next morning:) 

Pictures for the Hospital Stay

As I was going through my phone, I realized I had a bunch of pictures from the hospital that I never posted. It seems ridiculous that I post them - but more often then not, I DO come back to this blog to remember how things happened. "What G was doing 1 yr, 15months, ect" 

Here are the pictures that should've went with the Croup 2: Revenge post

Surprisingly, our experience overnight at Children's Hospital was wonderful. There were definitely some rough points (he had his manic episode, needed a breathing treatment, and then an x-ray because they didn't know why he wasn't reacting to the treatments) but being at the hospital during those times is much more relaxing then dealing with it on your own and not knowing what's going to happen if he can't catch his breath again. 

We were so impressed with Children's and I couldn't speak more highly of ALL the doctors and nurses who took care of our boy. Grayson's crib was set up with toys specifically geared towards him before we arrived, and they catered to everything we asked. I almost felt like I was being greedy. I guess that's why they are one of the top 3 Children's Hospitals in the United States!

G-burg 2011

I was going to post this Tuesday...but then we had our little hospital fiasco. So here's the G-burg post a little late.

Oh boy - do we LOVE spending time in the mountains. It's just awesome...at it's finest. 

We rented a Cabin in Gatlinburg again - our first trip to G-burg as a family was last February. G was about 6.5 months old and was just learning to crawl around. This trip was MUCH different. 

Grayson tolerates much less time in a stoller. Gone are the days we can take him out for a couple hours to just walk around. There needs to be action, and he needs to be involved. 

We started our trip Friday morning..If anyone has a DVD player that mounts to the backseat of a car- please let me know where you got it. Having G watch a video from a laptop lasts about 5 minutes until he remembers there are "buttons to press very quickly and hard" 

I took this picture to show Dan while he was driving. This kid definitely knows how to relax. He's been known to do this while we feed him dinner. Ridiculous.

The trip into Gatlinburg was SLOW.What should have taken 4.5/5 hours, really took almost 6.5. The traffic is JUST ridiculous driving in. The positive was that we had an amazing cabin to relax at when we arrived. There were 3 fully furnished floors with mountain views from almost every room. The loft floor had the BEST views and was our favorite place to relax since G had a ball just wondering around the room looking out the windows (floor to ceiling windows throughout). The perfect room to watch football and read. 

It was a little interesting to baby proof since there were so many open stairwells, but we survived with only one minor mishap. 

Our view from the Loft:

We did our hike on Saturday - a 5 mile "moderate difficulty" hike. Not too bad. Grayson had plenty of fans going up the mountain. We got tons of comments by the older generation who were very impressed that we were exposing G to hiking at such a young age. One couple reminisced "30 years ago" they strapped their son and hiked up the mountain. It was awesome. Grayson truly did wonderfully. 

At the top!

We stopped for lunch at the top and a much needed break

On the way back down, we stopped to take pictures

And G almost made it the whole hike without falling asleep..about 15 mins from the car he passed out!
Don't worry, we didn't keep his head like this.

Apparently the nap in the backpack meant that he had replenshed his energy levels...

The next day we decided to drive up to the highest point in the smokies. Once you drive up, you have to walk  up about .5mile to the lookout. Um. it.was.hard. The 1/2 mile is STRAIGHT UP. Since it was paved, we took G in the stoller.

Picture from up top

After our trip up we went to the Old Mill and walked around.

Like most trips, G is teething. He's got a molar that is DYING to break through. I'm thinking it's going to happen this week at some point.