Tuesday, February 22, 2011

A Night Out with Mom...









I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese tonight. I had a coupon that bought us 100 tokens for fifteen dollars. We were there for almost two hours, and we only went through half of our tokens! Pretty good deal in my book. Both boys had a blast. I took Grayson out of the stroller to play a few games, but he had the most fun "counting" tokens and tickets. It was pretty cute to see. Enjoy the pictures!

The Many Faces (mostly smiles) of Grayson!








Friday, February 18, 2011

23 Months

I am taking a break from writing a paper for Grad School to update you on our huggable, lovable Grayson. I swear that he changes or learns something new every day, and it is a joy to watch him take in the world around him. I am convinced he will forever be a peanut (23 months = 23 lbs. 8oz.), but he doesn't let his size get in the way of his BIG personality. Our second son keeps us on our toes, and he provides CONSTANT entertainment.

Recently, he has begun to say two and three word sentences. His verbal growth has made it a lot easier for him to express his desires, and he is not shy about doing so:) I hear "want this" or "get this" as he points to something he wishes to have in his hands. "All done" is spoken at the dinner table, along with banana, juice, milk, cheese, chicken, apple, snack (fruit snack), and bar (nutri-grain bar). I am quite proud of his ability to say please and thank you, and I love hearing him say "brudder" (brother) and "grikkin" (Griffin). Both boys share a room now, and most nights Grayson gets sad when he must go to bed by himself. I regularly find him standing in his crib, as he points to Griffin's bed and says, "Where's Grikkin?" He sometimes even shouts across the room when he wakes up, "Griffin, Up!" My favorite thing to watch is when he covers his eyes with his hands and says "Where Grayson Go?" Seconds later he will take his hands away and say, "There is!" He then wants us to do the same.

This boy does not lack energy. He is now strong enough to take the cushions off our couch, and he loves to bounce from the couch to the floor. His favorite activity as of late is to slide down the stairs holding a kickboard. While some might disagree with letting their children do this, I am of the opinion that boys need to explore their surroundings and learn how to handle their bodies. And boy, does Grayson explore!!!

In one month, the so-called terrible two's will enter our household. We will be celebrating by using up some energy at Pump it Up!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Trouble

Our second born, our little peanut, is a LARGE package in a small body. He is more energetic, more mischievous, and perhaps more cunning than any little child I know.

Despite the fact that he is not quite two years old, he is already trying to creatively get out of punishments. Here are a few examples:

  • Me: Grayson, TIME OUT! We do not hit our brothers. (walk him over to corner)
  • Grayson: Cow says, "Moooo!"

or

  • Me: Grayson, TIME OUT! We do not spit out our milk. (walk him over to corner)
  • Grayson: Eat chicken?

Now, this might sound strange to you. But here's what is happening. Because Grayson was a little behind in his speech, we are constantly praising him for speaking or remembering phrases. Same with food. We have to go overboard with excitement when he eats a new food or eats a normal amount. He knows that we get excited when he does either one of those things. So, what does he do with that knowledge? He tries to distract us from our frustration over his behavior and avert our attention to the positive things. Yep. Genius at two.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Happy Half Birthday, Griffin!




Dear Griffin,
Today you are exactly four and a half years old, and I am still in awe over this. I just can't believe that you are already this old. I am even more amazed at how much you have changed our lives. The day you made me a mother is a day I will NEVER forget.

As of late, you have taken a liking to video games. You love playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii with Daddy, and you are always asking to play your Leapster. While sometimes I am opposed to video games, I love watching your enthusiasm and determination while you play. You definitely have Mommy's competitive spirit!

Just last week you started attending Saturday Preschool, and I was so pleased to hear how much fun you had. Mommy and Daddy are pretty sure we will be sending you to Kindergarten this fall, so it was reassuring to know that you truly enjoyed yourself. In fact, just yesterday you asked why you couldn't go to school every day. That's my boy!

One of my favorite things to do is watch you play with your brother, Grayson. The two of you can rough house and wrestle like there's no tomorrow, but two seconds later you can hug and start "reading" a book to him. I love that you call him "Buddy" more often than you call him Grayson, and my heart bursts every time I see you try to comfort him for various reasons. I also had to hold back tears when you told me, "When Grayson gets older, I have to tell him about God because I want the two of us to be best friends in Heaven." You really are an amazing brother.

Right now you are in the middle of winter swimming lessons, and I love watching you get more and more comfortable in the water. You have truly reached the point where the focus is not about playing; you are actually learning how to swim. I love how you are so excited to tell me everything that happened at the end of swimming lessons. Your zeal for all things is so very contagious.

Griffin, thank you for being such an important member of our family. I love watching you grow and mature, and I am excited to witness what God has in store for your life. I know you are destined for great things, and we, Mommy, Daddy, and Grayson, are lucky to be a part of your life.

Happy Half Birthday, little man!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Saturday Preschool





Because Brandon and I work full-time, and neither one of us has a flexible schedule, normal weekday preschool is literally impossible. Fortunately, the district in which we live has a Saturday Preschool. It is a ten week session in the fall and a ten week session in the winter that meets from 9-11:30 in the morning. I struggled with signing Griffin up in the fall because I couldn't fathom not having him to myself on Saturday mornings. However, as our decision for whether or not we are going to send him to Kindgerten next year is fast approaching, we decided it was best to give him at least a taste of what school will be like.

His verdict..."I wish I could go to school every day!"

I couldn't be happier.