Go Outside!

Hello all, 

We've had quite our share of weather these past few weeks. We've had snow, rain and sun, and then back to snow again. Thankfully, I'm not yet one of those people who has enough snow clothes to put them away for winter, as I've heard most mothers complain about lately..."right when we put the clothes away, more snow arrives!" Nope, not me. I have clothes. When it's cold, I put on more clothes. That's it. Correction: Grant has a Snow tote, but he also has real snow pants and jacket, which I'm sure after he eats lunch today won't fit him anymore anyway.

Fun with Pictures

I was going through pictures and came across these two...Me from sword class a few years ago and Grant last October at the pumpkin patch...in case you were wondering where he got that face from.

The Sun!

When the time changed, the sun started attacking Grant on our way to school. He does love his sunglasses, and will hide his eyes with his hands and say "bright!".
Do you want your sunglasses? "YESH PLEEEZE!"
...it bugs me when kids say "ya". I know I did it when I was younger, and I've heard other kids and adults do it, but ever since my brain decided to be a grammar nerd my ears can't take it. Now that Grant has found the talking bug, we've really tried to instill "yes please" and "no thank you".  Now every time he says yes, it comes out with a great roar at the top of his lungs "YESH PLEEEZE!"

Helping Dada

The other weekend was sunny and lovely to be outside. Kyle was wiping down the truck and Grant wanted to help - he LOVES Dada and wants to do whatever Dada is doing. So he grabbed and towel and pitched in.

 He wiped down the doors..

Went around and wiped down all 4 tires...

Then he decided his own vehicle needed cleaning. He wiped down Thomas' face...

 And the top of his head...

 And the back...

And then without any prompting, he stood at attention when he was done, like we were coming to inspect it. It was too funny. We all agreed that Thomas goes much faster now that he was clean.

Speaking of Thomas and trains in general, we have recently discovered that trains outside are much more fun than inside! We grab our trains, we grab the chalk and draw our own track outside, and off we go!

(If you give a mouse a cookie..) If you drive trains on chalk tracks, then they need a bath - not to mention your pants, your shoes, and the entire boy. His shoes and pants were not green when this day started.

Why stop at chalk? Of course trains can go in the sandbox.  The sand makes chugging down the track a little harder, but we manage.

Then of course the trains need a bath again. Miraculously, all the talking trains survived the multiple baths that day. I don't know that I'd throw them in the bathtub, but they did great in the quick little baths throughout the day. I love the kitchen stool we got for Grant. He can't really drag it around to where he wants it, but he can stand next to it and point to it and ask "Momma mooove tool," and then he runs and points to the spot on the ground where he wants it.
You want me to move the stool over there? "YESH PLEEEZE!" Of course we are more than happy to follow orders and move it.

All things trains, all the time. When the weather is not so great, Thomas comes inside and Grant will line up other items behind him to make a longer train. I'm waiting for that day when he figures out how to tie up chairs to Thomas (or the dogs..or a little brother...) and drag them all through the house. With 2 dogs, 1 boy and another boy on the way, I'm totally over trying to keep the floor spotless. We are more into "just don't burn the house down" territory.

Party Like it's 1960!

Our lovely friend had her 40th birthday a few weeks ago and had a fabulous 1960's themed cocktail party (think Mad Men).  Everyone dressed up and looked fantastic. There was champagne tasting led by a professional sommelier, delicious food, and era-appropriate decorations. A great time was had by all. Here is our "let's be serious first" picture. I'm about 16 weeks pregnant.

 Smile!

No party is complete without the smoking and drinking pregnant woman picture.

All in all, we've had a great few weeks. Uncle Jason was just here to visit (more on that in the next blog), and thank you to those who are asking, I feel great. Just about 22 weeks and moving right along. I'll find a picture of me with Grant at 22 weeks and post both shots for comparison. All I can say this time around is that it goes much faster since I'm not calendar watching like I was the first time, plus I'm chasing little man around. The only real difference is that the aches that happened towards the end of the first pregnancy have started to show up earlier, but if that's all I have to complain about, then I'm not complaining one bit.

Until next time, keep exploring!

Love and hugs,

M, K, G, T, O and G calls him, "bebe"

BAM! Just Like That, We Are 18 Months Old.

I say WE are 18 months old, because well...first of all, our little guy is 18 months old, but our family is 18 months old too. AND if you can do math and read the previous blog, it has been 6 looong months since we last blogged. Apologies. We've been busy.

And really, now that I get this finally posted, we are nearly 19 months old...sheesh

January and February

January and February meant snow was still on the ground. We ran outside every chance we got. We became very fast at putting on jackets and shoes and grabbing Toby and heading out for a walk in the sunshine in the wagon.

Toby loves to ride in the wagon with Grant, right up until he sees another dog or person he wants to say hi to. Then he jumps out and saunters over. 

In Jan and Feb we weren't walking too much on our own just yet. We could couch-surf and get around, but I wouldn't say walking just yet.

This table was and still is our favorite place to sit and play with toys. It makes for a good cave and train depot. 

March

March brought us a huge 15-month-old growth spurt. Check out the picture of Grant in the back of the truck. (We loooove Dad's truck!) This picture is from the beginning of March, compared to the picture down the page at the end of March. I think sometimes we put him to bed and when he wakes up he is measurably taller!

Sweet sweet face. Watching our favorite monkey, Curious George.

Chair, milk, and George.  Don't bother me, I'm watching. And yes, yes you see patches on his knees. He wasn't totally walking yet and was still getting around on his hands and knees sometimes. He wore holes through his pants, but since he was so close to walking, I bought patches and patched up his pants as fast as he could wear them out.

I swear he grew a longer neck overnight. 

March also meant it was our 11 year wedding anniversary. We did what any couple would do and packed up the kids (biped and quadruped) and went to the park. 

Look how much taller he is, just at the end of March. Scroll back up to the picture in the beginning of March (I'll wait). Yup, we keep feeding him and he keeps growing. 15 months going on 10 years old. 

April

In April the sun came out, the flowers bloomed, baseball started up again, and all was well with the universe. 

Walking!!!! We started walking!!! Check out this link to see some fantastic walking, and one excited mom. https://youtu.be/FTRuqd-DjG8

Sunday night baseball, Cardinals vs. Cubs

Still loving to play in Dad's truck, and getting bigger by the minute! He has yet to actually ask to drive it, thank goodness. 

April's great weather brought us to the park on many occasions. Our after-park ritual includes everyone in the back of the car for water and snacks, and so mom can pick dirt, plants, bugs and whatever else off us before we climb in the car. I used to pack separate snacks for both the biped and quadruped, but since they share and share alike, now we just have group snacks for everyone. 

May

Along with May came the sun and heat. It still quite comfortable to be outside though. 

Grant quickly learned how to relax by the pool. We are now professionals in how to play with the water table and plastic pool in the driveway.

Uncle Jason came for a visit! We had so much fun hanging out with him.

We have also realized how much fun a shower can be. Mom likes it because it is much faster than a bath, and Grant likes it because you can run around under water and still manage not to get wet. Mostly he likes to close the door and then bang on the walls for a bit.

Big thanks to Kyle for building Grant a sandbox frame! 

I didn't really want a sandbox on the ground, especially between all the rain we get and the animals and bugs that could climb inside. I saw this idea to get a large tote box instead and build a frame for it. Thankfully, Kyle is a building genius and after I showed him a picture of what I was looking for, BAM! he built it. 

We get haircuts with Dad now at the big boy haircut place. Here we are having a snack outside waiting for Dad to arrive for our appointment. 

Warmer weather means lots of backyard fun. Grant took to the idea of bean bags fairly quickly, although his distance could use some work. He settled for carrying them all to the other side and dropping them in the hole.

June

 Grant surprises us every day with what he understands, what he can do, and how he communicates back to us. We were outside playing in June, and I was turning on the hose. I told him to grab the end and fill his water table with the water when it came out. I turn on the hose,turn around, and this is what I see. 18 months going on 10 years. 

Toby wasn't happy with the towel I set out for him, so he waiting for the proper opportunity to steal my chair.

Twice a week we have co-op babysitting at our house so another mom and I can go to boot camp together. We have a babysitter come over and Grant gets to play with his new friend while we work out. The babysitter taught them to put the chairs by the window to sit and watch the birds and animals in the yard. Now Grant does this by himself, and he always takes both chairs over. Sometimes he lets us sit in the empty chair, sometimes not. I wonder who he is saving it for - or who is sitting there already?

Grant loves Dad snuggles.

Grant truly has a love of life and fun. He is happy to entertain himself with toys and books, and loves to color at his table. He loves to be outside and to go the park, but also sit and snuggle for a good book or Curious George cartoon. He is a smiler, a giggler, and is starting to show that he is a funny guy with a great personality. Every day is like meeting an old friend and still learning something new about them.  I love spending every minute with my little guy.

More fun from July coming soon!

Until our next adventure, keep on smiling, snuggling and smelling the world around you!

Big hugs,

M, K, G & T