A lot to report...

The past few days have been a whirlwind! It is hard to believe that so many things can happen to one family in just four days.

On Wednesday, I decided to take Griffin into the doctor. He starting coughing the week before, and then he suddenly spiked a fever in the middle of the night on Tuesday. To be on the safe side, I decided to have his lungs checked out. Good thing I took him in...he had an EAR infection! When the doctor was done asking me questions about his fever and cough, he turned to Griffin and asked, "Does anything hurt?" Griffin then proceeded to tell him that his ear hurt! Yep, that was news to me. Sure enough, he had a pretty bad infection. Good thing he was coughing because I don't think I would have had him checked out otherwise. And yes, we did have a conversation on the car ride home that he needs to tell ME the next time his ear hurts! Because let's be honest, I don't enjoy looking like a fool in front of the doctor.

That same night, Grayson really started cruising around our house...and by cruising I mean WALKING! By no means is he a steady walker, and crawling is still his normal form of movement, but our youngest son has been taking quite a few steps lately. We even got one of his "pilgrimages" on tape! My guess is that he will be a consistent walker in less than a month. I still haven't decided if I am sad or excited about this. On one hand, it's exciting to see your kids grow up, learn new skills, throw their first tantrum, etc. Milestones are exciting. But, on the other hand, Grayson is our last child. No more little Dunigans for this family. It sometimes tugs at my heart when I realize I will be experiencing certain things for the last time. So, while I am psyched that our little man is learning to walk, it still makes me sad knowing that my baby days are slowly coming to an end. Instead of focusing on all the "firsts," I am also trying to remember the "lasts" like the book Let Me Hold You Longer. (All you moms out there...this is a MUST READ!)

The last piece of news actually pertains to me. On Thursday, I accepted a temporary staff position at EBC. Our amazing church is busting at the seams; every weekend we are overflowing! As a result, we are building a 4th campus, which is expected to open this Fall. In the meantime, our current SLP campus is opening their doors for a 5th and 6th service time. On Sunday nights, SLP will basically run as though it is the new Blaine campus. Many people have already been hired to run this new campus, but they have yet to fulfill the Early Childhood (Kid-O-Deo) Coordinator position. While they are in the process of hiring a full-time staff member for this campus, I will take on the position part-time. While I am incredibly nervous to add one more thing to my already full schedule (especially during tax season), I am thrilled to serve God in this new role. "To whom much is given, much is required," right?

Happy Saturday!

Sports of All Sorts---Soccer!

Learning to kick...

So close!

Trying to dribble the ball close to himself...

SCORE!!!

Believe it or not, Griffin was not a big fan of soccer:( This is funny to me, because when I read the list of sports we might play at the beginning of this class, he was most excited to play soccer, and he was super disappointed when we didn't start off the first day with it. Nonetheless, soccer was not his thing. In fact, he even asked to go home halfway through! I know he did have some fun, though, because I did get a few smiles on camera:)

Look at me...

I'm a big boy!

Sports of All Sorts---BASKETBALL!

Today, Griffin practiced the difficult sport of basketball. I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant to believe there was anything we could do that remotely related to the sport of basketball with a bunch of three-year old boys. But, to my surprise, there is a definite, coherent way to teach young kiddos how to start playing basketball. Griffin did get a little tired by the end, but I think if you asked him, he would say he enjoyed himself. After "practice," Griffin and I had a coffee date at Starbucks. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my favorite three-year old!

Favorite Quote: (on the way)
Me: Griffin, do you see that dog?
Griffin: Is it a big dog or a little dog?
Me: A medium-sized dog.
Griffin: (Upon seeing the dog) No, I think it is a half-big dog!
Me: Yeah bud, that would be the definition of medium:)

He turns ONE in just two short months!

Today, Grayson is officially ten months old! And guess what? He got his first official haircut today:) I think I have to do a little trimming, but he was a lot less squirmy than I thought he would be. Overall, it was a pretty positive experience.

In the last month, Grayson has become more and more mobile. He is constantly pulling himself up on anything, and he consistently walks to and from pieces of furniture. In the last two weeks, he has even started to stand all by himself. Just the other day, I was in awe of how long he stood without holding on to ANYTHING. I would be SHOCKED if he didn't start walking before his first birthday. He is also starting to show his mischievous side. If we forget to close the gate, he makes a beeline for the stairs, laughing the whole way as if he knows he isn't supposed to climb. He has also, on more than one occasion, gotten himself stuck in the toy box.

Most importantly, my littlest man is finally starting to put on some weight. He is drinking much better these days, and he is eating a fair amount of "big people" food. He doesn't really like mashed up baby food, so we just cut up whatever we eat. The surprise of the month was when he kept eating Rotel! I was astonished when he kept putting the peppers in his month, one right after another. His sleeping patterns are also more consistent at night now that he is eating better during the day. Brandon and I have enjoyed his 8-10 hour stretches of sleep at night for sure!

Happy 10-month Birthday, my handsome little fella!

FARGO!

This past weekend, the MN Dunigans drove to Fargo to see my sister and her two kids (Jeff was in Vegas.) Griffin absolutely adores Henry, and he LOVES playing with Ella's toys. It was fun to see the four cousins explore together. My sister even gave Brandon and me a much needed night away. Thanks, Le'Dean! The trip was well worth the almost four hour drive, but I do wish we lived closer together!

Sports of All Sorts

Today, Griffin and I started Sports of All Sorts, a community education program at one of the local elementary schools. The idea behind the class is to expose the kiddos to a different sport each week. This week--T-Ball! We started by just playing catch (not Griffin's strong point). Then Griffin practiced hitting off of our own little tee. Wow, Griffin can hit the ball hard! (Not surprising with all the tennis swinging he does.) I was impressed with the fact that he rarely hit the tee. At the end, we spent about 15 minutes trying to play a game. (I say we because it is a parent/child class.) I quickly realized that Griffin didn't quite understand the game. He was quite upset when the other kids tried to catch/get the ball after he hit it off the tee. He didn't quite get the fact that he was supposed to run to first base---instead he wanted to chase after the ball. Once we got that under control, all was well:)

I wish I had a picture, but since I was right there with him playing, taking pictures wasn't an option. Next time I am going to have Alivia (a diver turned AMAZING babysitter) bring Grayson with to take pictures. In the meantime, feast your eyes on Griffin's new tattoo, compliments of Uncle Andrew!

Clearly I'm Overwhelmed

Those of you who read my blog within the last few hours might be scratching your head in confusion. See, I posted earlier that in the midst of my chaotic life, I failed to remember my son's 10 month B-day. It made me sad that I let the other things going on in my life distract me from this important milestone. The fact of the matter is, though, I didn't forget. Yesterday was the 11th. The 11th is Griffin's day. Grayson was born on the 18th. Alrighty then.

(Some might argue that yesterday was a milestone for Griffin. But, for me, once my kids turn a year old, only year and half year marks become milestones!)

I'm sad to report

That I missed celebrating the fact that Grayson is now 10 months old. The stress of life caught up with me a little bit yesterday, but I am happy to report that today I will snuggle my little man and think, "Wow, I can't believe how fast time is flying! " Seriously, I feel like I just wrote about the day he turned nine months old. In just two short months, he will be A YEAR OLD!

WE LOVE YOU, GRAYSON!

Frosty Frolic 2010

Some might argue that we were crazy, but a couple of my friends and I ran in the Frosty (or should I say Frozen) Frolic yesterday put on by the Centennial High School Student Senate. Despite the temperature being -10 degrees, we braved the weather and ran the annual 5K race. To be honest, the cold really wasn't that bad. After about five minutes, I wanted to start stripping off a few of my layers. The hardest part was the terrain. Student senators were placed throughout the course helping us stay aware of the slippery spots. I saw two people fall, but thankfully I was not one of them. Some snow covered areas of the course felt like we were running on sand, and other areas we basically had to walk over because of the ice. Nonetheless, I did enjoy myself, and all of the proceeds went to the local food shelf. My favorite part was seeing all of the frost on our cheeks, neck, and eyelashes at the end due to the condensation from our breathing. I can't say I am proud of my ten-minute mile pace, but considering my knee hurt most of the way, and the weather was so cold, I'll take it! Thanks, Mel for slowing down your pace to run with me!

Welcome 2010!

We spent New Year's Eve at the Scalia House. The kids had a blast, and I enjoyed ringing in the New Year with one of our favorite families. Brandon and I are off tonight to eat dinner at Pitt.sb.urgh Blue and see Av.at.ar. Happy Birthday, B!