Just the 3 of us

OK, we totally didn't make any plans today on purpose...didn't want to deal with the hassle. Instead, we opted for a nice day just us 3. 

So we wake up to rain in the morning, and take it easy. G naps for about 30mins and we run errands, do lunch..and see the sun poking through the clouds. Since it looked like it was going to stay nice, we decided to pack G up and hike. So glad we bought the nice backpack carrier for him - I can still remember when we tried it out at 5 months old...and now he looks HUGE in it!

After the hike, G went down for maybe an hour nap (we think he's transitioning to 1 nap a day) and decided to play outside...by that time, it was HOT out. I think all three of us were sweating out on the patio (and I don't sweat) - and decided to move our party to the pool. Refreshing! 

Even though we didn't do anything huge, it was a nice family weekend. We got to spend some time with good friends, family, and had some time just the three of us.

Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Early 4th Celebrations

Happy 4th! (or 3rd)

So what we thought was going to be a relaxing, possibly boring day..turned into a pretty busy, fun one!

Right after I posted this morning, Dan and I took G out to run some errands. We're still doing some odds and ends stuff in preparation for his birthday. We finally bought a decent patio set this summer and needed to find an umbrella and base. 

I could've ordered something online, but I really wanted to see a couple in person. 

We found what we wanted, did some grocery shopping and headed home to get ourselves ready for the pool. We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like, and it was definitely HOT. 

We stayed at the pool for about 45 minutes before it was nap time - I think G's eyes were closed before we put him down. Gotta love the sun! 

During G's nap we were able to get ready for the small cookout we planned with the parents. 

By the time we finished making everything, G's nap was over and we were ready to kick back and cookout!

The parents have left, Grayson was put down for the night, and I caught back up on a little bit of reading. A movie is about to hit the screen...so a few pictures of our adventures today

Playing with Dad

Love

Dad dunking G underwater

Drying off after the pool

Giving Momma  bites  Kisses

Playing catch in the backyard with Grandma

Book 2- Done

Oops! already missed a day of blogging....

I'll post twice today to make up.

I forgot to update on the book front: I finished book 2 this past Tuesday and started on book 3. I have a feeling I'm going to be updating pretty quickly on the next book. We don't have any serious 4th plans, so there's going to be a lot of down time for reading.

On another note - we were completely spoiled last night by Dan's co-worker who made us homemade gnocci! It was the best gnocci I've EVER had. This guy has some serious talent. After a bunch of drinks and lots of great conversation, we didn't get home until after 1...which hasn't happened in awhile for us. We just lost track of time.

Maybe if the weather's nice and the pool is warm, we can take a trip to the pool?!

The Start

Momma and Babe - 2 weeks ago

Like I said, there are going to be nights that I can't post much - especially on the weekends. So here's my first post for the Blog Challenge. I'm actually going to do this posting thing in an organized fashion, starting with the pregnancy and working my way to present day.While I get things organized, there may be a couple quick pic posts to give me more time. I'm hoping to start the real stuff before the end of the weekend. 

Happy 4th!

11 Months - More Challenges

crappy pic from my phone. Sorry!

11 Months

*G's biggest accomplishment this month was taking his first steps! He's been impressing us everyday with his walking skillz. No joke! Crawling is still his most efficient way of getting around, but he's constantly pulling himself up and then walking to something (or someone) else. 

*Our bedtime routine has changed - He stays up until 8! This 1 hour makes a HUGE difference for me. 
Dan picks G up from Daycare at 5, brings him home, plays a little and starts giving G his dinner at around 6. When I walk through the door, Grayson is usually almost done with dinner. So I eat quickly, and then play with him until about 7:45 while Dan goes to workout. At 7:45 I start G's bedtime routine which is bath, bottle, book, bed. 
The past couple days we've been doing bath immediately after dinner because of the mess he creates while consuming his food. 


* He says a new word: UH-OH. Thanks Pepere - for teaching Grayson his favorite new saying:)
*He's started to really lunge for one of us, Dan or I, depending on his mood. 


random weekend pictures:

He doesn't like to be on the floor when I'm getting ready. This is actually easier then having him climb up my leg when I'm blow drying my hair. 

Saturday, we met up with Grandma and Pepere to visit the Lebanon Arts Festival....which took all of maybe a half hour to walk through. So afterwards, we headed to the region's largest high-end home show - Homearama! We toured 5 homes, while Dan backpacked G. 

He behaved very well, and was pretty tired afterwards. 

Loading up!

And if you didn't think he was going to be a climber.....here you go!

Ok, so we're done with the update - now to the challenge. Not my book challenge - (just finished book 2, woo hoo!) It's a blog challenge.

The past couple months, I've been trying to think of how I want to summarize our year with Grayson. Since there are many things I'd like to "go back to" now that it's been almost a year, I'm challenging myself to blogging EVERY DAY. 

That being said, I have full rights to just post a picture with a caption - every new picture brings you back to that moment, even for a second, and I'd like to remember some of those moments this month.   

So - wish me luck on another challenge, as I go back in time. I hope you enjoy it with me:)

Book 1 - Done

Updates on the weekend will come tomorrow - just wanted to update that I finished book 1. 
I started it Sunday and finished Saturday. 


I've already dug into book 2, so I'm making great progress. The first book was a very quick, easy, summer read and the current one I'm reading is pretty much the same. I'm about 70 pages into  "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin....looks like I may be hitting my goal sooner then I think. Fingers crossed. 


Honestly, the lack of internet/facebook-ing is really nice. I feel more peaceful and relaxed..yey for me! (blogging counts as reading. Duh!)


Anyway, I just wanted to brag on my success:)

First Steps and a Challenge

Grayson took his first steps Tuesday. Wow. 
I think we were all shocked right after he did it.


Every night we "practice" walking. You know, Dan and I would stand roughly 2 ft away from each other, we'd stand G up, and see if he'd actually take a step. Usually he just sits down after a minute or so...but this Tuesday was different. Dan was making this ridiculous face and noise - Grayson just got so excited he walked right to him! 


I was afraid that it was a once and done deal..but he's kept it up. Not that it's much, maybe a couple steps - but he keeps trying, which I LOVE. He stands on his own, takes a couple steps and falls...but if you pick him back up, he'll try it again and again. So proud of the little guy.


On a completely different note, I've given myself a challenge. A Book challenge. It's hard to believe I used to go through multiple books in a week, when recently,  I haven't picked up a book in a couple months (so embarrassed to admit that) I don't want to blame becoming a parent because that's a not so good excuse. I make time for other things, like being on Facebook, internet surfing, shopping, watching movies. I guess when I finally have down time, I don't want to THINK. Which is weird since reading really is one of the most relaxing activities out there!


I'm giving myself a goal of 5 books by Labor Day. After Labor Day hits, we'll see where I'm at and adjust for the next couple months. 


I want to make sure I'm setting a good example for G - we read to him every night, and it's an important part of our day- But he needs to see us setting the example. When I say "US", I mean ME. Dan's book appetite hasn't slowed down, so I just need to catch back up. 


Wish me luck. 


I'm going to try to post the book I'm currently reading in the side bar - if I'm able to make a list, I'll do that. That way, I can see my own progress.


So fun.