Traintastic View

Grant's party this year has a train theme. And guess what? Our favorite photographer just happens to take pictures on train tracks. I couldn't resist. And Grant was exceptionally excited to be allowed to play on the tracks! Here are a few of my favorites:

Nests and Eggs

Our local nature center had another wonderfully educational class, so we took advantage of it (once again). This time Grant and his friends learned all about nests and eggs! We all took a nature walk first, looking for nests of all kinds. Afterwards, each of the kids used a 'beak' and a paper bag to collect all kinds of leaves, twigs and grass to create their very own nest!

Grant did a great job using the 'beak' to collect his own little piece of nature. Michael and Grant still hard at work looking for the perfect items for their nest.

Voila! Grant's nest!

After all that nest making, the kiddos got to listen to some stories, sing some songs and pass around some real eggs. I love this picture. These two are inseperable. And I can only imagine what they were saying to each other!

Seriously? Too cute!

15 Month Stats

Grayson had his 15 month well check yesterday afternoon. His stats are as follows...

Height: 31.5 inches (62%)

Weight: 22 lbs 3 oz (21%)

Head: 18 inches (17%)

He is ahead of the game when it comes to language skills! Grayson is also a very sensitive boy... Dr. Q said he probably wouldn't make as good of a big brother as Grant. Good thing we don't plan on having any more! :) All in all, he is in good health. Grayson did get his first ear infection, but we are treating that with antibiotics. Hopefully, we will be in tip-top shape soon!

Grant's Garden

Last year, we conquered the herb garden. So this year I thought we would give a vegetable garden a shot. Grant is in love with gardening right now, so I wanted him to be as involved as possible. And I am hoping that he will remind me to water the plants!

Grant is making sure the peppers are in the perfect place. Inspecting his work. Can't plant a garden without getting dirty! This may be his favorite part of gardening!

Planting his seeds...

... and watering. What a good little gardener!

We planted green peppers, red peppers, baby spinach, carrots and zucchini (no garden would be complete without zucchini).

We also bought a tomato plant. We're starting out really small. I don't have the best record when it comes to keeping plants alive. However, Grant is really showing that he has a true knack for gardening!!!

Funny side note: We've been potty training for weeks now. Grant's favorite way to pee-pee is to go outside and 'water the plants.' I'll pretty much let him do anything to keep him from peeing on my carpet. Anyway, when we were done planting, I asked Grant to water the plants. He pulled down his pants and was about to pee on our tomato plant! I quickly stopped him and told him we would NOT be peeing in this garden... we have to EAT the product!

Did I Forget to Blog?

I haven't been taking pictures with my camera as of late. I always have my phone with me so it's just easier to snap a real quick pic and post it to facebook. It's so convenient and then you add on top of that that we have just been so busy. As any mom of two can imagine, I'm sure. The fun hasn't stopped around here. We've been to the zoo, to the park, to mom and me cooking classes. You name it... we've been doing it. However, I do have a few new things keeping me busy!

Little Miss Laura stays with us now most days. She's six months old and such a sweet baby. Now that she can sit up, I can see hours of playing with Grayson in her future. Having a third baby hasn't slowed us down though. I'm making a strong effort to keep doing all the things I would normally do with my boys (except take pictures and blog about them!). Grayson is such a hoot! He's walking like a champ and this has made things so much easier. I remember Grant was into EVERYTHING at this age. Grayson is just content to play with what you give him. He's such a funny kid, though. He claps at everything, wants to give high fives all day long and will not give up when he wants something. Persistence should be his middle name. Grant is just a silly kid. He sings all the time now. He's constantly talking in lyrics! We started potty training not too long ago (another of the many new things I have been wrapped up in). He's doing a great job (especially outside of the house). We're still working on some of the finer points but he is in big boy underwear all the time! :)

Another new distraction... my embroidery machine! This thing is awesome! I've been whipping out shirts left and right and have built a pretty good small business. I'm loving it and hopefully it will help me stay home with my sweet boys for a long while! :)

And look at the product! The '3' shirt and shorts is Grant's birthday outfit (or at least one of them).

My thunb sucker. Again, he is so funny. Anytime he is slightly uncomfortable about something that thumb goes in his mouth. What a cutie!

And my little rascal. He's almost three! Let's not talk about that yet...

Festival of Lights 2010

Our good friends, the Ballards, came down to visit the weekend of Grayson's birthday. We packed up the kids and headed down to the Festival of Lights. Grant was in love with Christmas lights this season, so I really was looking forward to seeing how much he enjoyed this. Unfortunately, my camera battery died after these two shots...

"Brrrr. It's cold! And past my bedtime!" Grant's favorite place to be. I know. Not the best pictures, but we had lots of fun!

Penguin Party

We hosted Grayson's first party on the day of his birthday. It was a small affair. But I want to make certain that Grayson has his own day each year and that it doesn't just get tossed in with Christmas. Long ago, I decided that I wanted a penguin theme. Even though I didn't decorate much, I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Getting plenty of help opening his presents. I just thought this was such a sweet moment. Grayson loves to be tickled by his daddy. The cake... Let me tell you about this cake! I really only need to say two words: Martha Stewart. Erica and I started working on it the day before (it's an ice cream cake... chocolate AND vanilla... so it had to freeze overnight). I was supposed to use a pastry tip to make the iceberg, but we ended up just doing it by hand. The penguins were made of fondant and the doorway of marshmellows. Not bad considering it's the first cake I have ever decorated!!! We had chicken tacos and all the fixings. Originally, we planned to have fish tacos (because penguins eat fish). But the week before we did a test run and Gary didn't feel well that night, so chicken tacos it was!

My little birthday boy. He is just so cute.

Showing off his skills. He didn't quite walk before his birthday, but the following week he started taking steps. And now he is doing really well! He took 18 steps yesterday!

No party is complete without a 'cheese' from Grant! He loved the balloons. What a cheap way to entertain him!

The purple team.

Tippi and Bibby.

John and Beau.

Grandpa and Oma.

Uncle Mike and Momma.

Grant and Elijah loved the floor puzzle Uncle Mike and Aunt Robin got for Grayson's room. There were a few tears when we told Grant he had to go to bed that night!

Grayson loves to give kisses. And sometimes he just does it over and over and over again. This is one of the first things he learned to do (started about six months) and I keep thinking he will get bored of it. But he is just such a sweet natured little boy. I hope he's still doing this for many years to come! Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We love you!!!