Monday, June 30, 2008

Favorite Grant Photos

Very artsy picture of Grant. Love it! Photo by Aunt Kelly.

Beautiful boy. Disclaimer: I know it appears that the boy's hair is NEVER done. Not true. I wet, style and put heavy wax in his hair every morning... this is what it looks like five minutes after that...Photo by Aunt Kelly.



Picture taken over a year ago at the Houston Zoo. I thought I did a pretty good job taking this one!!!




Not exactly a "favorite" photo of Grant, but it is the photo that serves as the visual scrapbook of the day Grant stuck a cooked green pea up his nose and we spent the day in the ER...



Okay, so one day last summer Grant said he was going to go play outside. This is what I found when I went out to check on him: He had moved our lawn mower over to our neighbor's front walkway and was pretending to mow. (no - he did not start the motor) Now are you seeing how busy the child keeps me!!!???? Are you feeling sorry for me yet?





Grant, an old soul: drinking milk and rocking on the front porch one morning. This was all totally HIS idea. Reminds me of an old man drinking coffee watching the day begin from his front porch...

I like how this picture shows his free spirit. Photo by Gramma.


I love this picture because it's the expression of "wonder" that Grant often has. He loves his world, and he loves experiencing it. Photo by Aunt Kelly.



Yet again - another picture of Grant being Grant. Photo by Aunt Kelly.



Someone's in trouble... again...Photo by Aunt Kelly.

Favorite Rhett Pictures

Sweet reflection. Photo by Gramma. I treasure this picture because it's the exact expression I'd been trying to capture on film for a while. This is Rhett's "silly face" , and it just melts my heart.
Beautiful baby (and cute mohawk).



I love this picture because it shows Rhett's beautiful eyes. Photo by Gramma. This very newborn picture of Rhett brings back sweet memories of the day he was born. Photo by Aunt Kelly.
May be one of my favorites of all time!!! My sweet Mohawk Baby. Unfortunately, the mohawk has grown out, but I will always look at this picture and remember the precious first moments we held our new baby and admired what God had given us (and God's sense of humor... baby mohawks - so cute!!) Photo by Aunt Kelly.
Small - sorry. Rhett and Daddy having a "welcome to the world" talk. Photo by Aunt Kelly.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

My failed attempt at a teachable moment

While driving down a road near our home yesterday, I became a bit appalled at the trash that had recently found its way into the median of what is usually a sweet grassy area with delicate wildflowers growing through it. I decided this would be a wonderful moment to teach Grant about the importance of taking care of the Earth:
Me = Oh my! Look at that trash on the side of the road. Maybe we should pick it up!
Grant = What!!?? I did not make that mess! I am not picking it up. (Now, it is important to note here that this is something I tell Grant every day when it comes time to pick up his messes. He always wants me to help him, but I always respond with, "I'm not picking it up. I did not make that mess." As you can see, it came back to bite me in the tooshie.)
Me = We did not make that mess, you are correct. But, God tells us to take care of what He gave us, like the earth, and since no one seems to be concerned about this mess, perhaps WE should be. Wouldn't that be a great thing to do?!
Grant = I am pretty sure God does not want us to pick that mess up. (Nice try, Dude!) Besides, where would we park the car? Someone could get it!

Making Progress

Look at how much better Rhett has become with his walking! Sure, it's a bit Frankensteinish, but he's just chuggin' right along as proud as can be. Disclaimer = I never dressed Grant in onesies to play in. Grant was "perfectly dressed" at all times. With the second baby, however, I could care less. If it's clean, Rhett wears it! Let's take a vote: Is that a bird or elephant noise he is making?

Flying Grant Video

Quick video of Grant "flying" at Bounce U. Ya know - this brings me to an interesting point: Safety has been an unexpected switch in roles between Kerry and myself when it comes to the boys' rough housing. I tend to be the one that is laid back about the dare devil stunts boys pull. Kerry, on the other hand, would prefer the boys' world be surrounded with soft pillows and that no dare devil stunts of any kind be performed. I really imagined it being the opposite since Kerry is quite the dare devil himself... Not that this video is exactly "dare devilish", but you get the idea. Oh, notice that I count him off before he jumps, "On your mark, get set, GO!", but if you listen closely you can hear him recounting for himself, "One, two........ free (three)!!" I guess my counting did not meet his performance requirements...

No, Grant did not intend to jump on top of the tall rectangular wall. He very much planned on smacking himself into it. Doesn't that sound like fun? Oh, to be a boy!

It's okay to be jealous

Look what was delivered to my front door a few mornings ago!!!!! They are from my wonderful husband. Attached was a card that read: Just a little note to say I love you and appreciate all that you do. How PERFECT is that?????!!!!!! And for those of you wondering, no, he was not trying to suck up from a stupid "guy mistake". He really just did it to be sweet. Ahhhhh!

Saving Summer Carnival Event

In an earlier post, some fellow moms and I shared our kid-freindly summer plans. Last Tuesday we went to the Incredible Pizza Company for lunch as it was their "Tiny Town Time". If you've never been - go!!!! It was very kid friendly and the pizza was quite yummy! Da-tee met us there and we all had a great time together. What a treat!!

Da-tee and Grant on the go-karts. Grant was pretty ticked
he was not old enough to drive by himself.


Rhett hung out in the Tiny Town section. This was his favorite ride: the frog that slowly rocked back and forth while making swamp sounds. We were sure to keep many tokens handy to keep that ride going for him.

Rhett enjoyed the train ride, but not as much as the frog ride... One would have expected the opposite since the train actually MOVES...

Grant REALLY loved the train ride. He rode it over and over and over and over and over.

As all moms would agree, the best part is that the boys took a GREAT nap when we returned home that afternoon!

School Playdate

Every-other-Tuesday marks Grant's school friends' playdate. This Tuesday we visited Bounce U and then had lunch at Chick-fil-A.

Grant's class from left to right = Jack, Makenzie & Kaitlyn (twins), Gabby, Grant, Emily. Not pictured: Seth and Stephen.
Grant is in the green shirt sitting between all the girls. Daddy will be proud.

A smooch for his sweetie, Gabby.

Rhett enjoys our playdate outings as well. He LOVES crawling through the obstacle course at Bounce U.

Grant and his best bud, Stephen, climbing the "rock wall" at Bounce U.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

No shame in shakin' your thang!

So, I knew my boys had soul and rhythm, but I had no idea it could go to this level! Mine and Kerry's favorite part is towards the end when Rhett get so excited and out of control that he begins to bob up and down furiously with excitement. The small crowd that had gathered to watch the "interpretive dancing" enjoyed the show as well. You will not be surprised to know that the boys enjoy going into Grant's room and playing U2 on Grant's new stereo where they dance like fools.

I think I could have posted more than one video per blog, but that seemed to take too long. Guess I should add that to my list of "blog lessons".

He's a Maniac... Maniac!

Grant dancing in one of the cheap beach stores. The music was loud, and he took full advantage! After watching this, you will probably be wondering where Grant got his dancing skills from. You are correct: he got them from Kerry.

Rhett took his first steps!

Rhett's first steps occurred while we were on vacation - June 9th to be exact.

Okay, I have no idea how to flip this thing so you can see it right-side-up, so I guess you'll have to tip your head to the right to get the full effect. Maybe this is yet another thing I should learn how to do.

Back from vacation part 6

Okay, for those of you "experienced bloggers" out there - no laughing. I am sure there is a better and easier way to post many pictures at one time - a slideshow perhaps... I think that should be my next project.
Grant and Pops fishing. Grant had planned on going fishing and for sure catching something
with his beloved Superman fishing pole. Oh, and everyone knows that the perfect fishing snack is... wait for it... Gummy Bears.

Grant caught over 12 fish. Every time his pole hit the water, he got a bite. Granted, they were little bites (can you see the perch in Pops' hand???), but they were the perfect size for Grant and his Superman pole. (although he is much more into Spider Man. By the way, is Superman and Spiderman one word, or two???)
This little, or rather huge fella, we lovingly named Pelican Pete. He kept a close watch on our every move hoping we would get clumsy and leave some bait or fish around for him to swoop down on.
Yet another fish for Grant.
(look for the small silver thing towards the bottom left)








Back from vacation part 5

When all showers are in use, why not use the kitchen sink??? Rhett, by the way, looooooved his sink bath. It was his first ever. I am not big on bathing kids in kitchen sinks for many reasons; a few of them being that to me- kitchen sinks are dirty and nasty and therefore why would ANYONE think they could get clean in one, and two, it's extra cold in that big, drafty kitchen compared to a toasty warm bathroom.
Grant truly wore himself out. He fell asleep on the couch right before dinner.
I accidentally let him sleep longer than I planned, and he was up until midnight. Way to go, Amanda!

Rhett and Mommy relaxing after a swim.

Sink bath #2. I think Rhett enjoyed this second go-round even more than the first.








Back from vacation part 4

Eating on the balcony with Da-tee.
Rhett had already had dinner and refused food. However, when the rest of us began to eat, it was not a surprise to us that he began to make his away around the table getting food from everyone.
Grant (in the red shirt) and some random kids playing tag.
Grant is more than a social butterfly; he's a social maniac. I love how he enjoys playing with other kids no matter if he knows them from Adam or not, no matter their ages - Grant is sure to join the party.
Da-tee and Grant on their way to go crab hunting at dusk.
(Kerry is in the white hat, and Grant is in the red shirt.)

Aunt Jessica and Uncle Josh.

This has nothing to do with beach or vacation, but since it was so cute and it occurred during vacation, I had to include it. He was so serious about brushing his hair. He even forgot about his food and milk for a while in order to look good for the ladies.

Back from vacation part 3

Time to swim with Pops.
Rhett, otherwise known as "Kramer".

Nobody worry: Grant can fix it!

Swimming with Aunt Jessica.

Keeping Da-tee busy in the pool. (I think that's Mimi in the background.)

Back from vacation part 2

Enjoying the ocean view with Aunt Jessica before breakfast.
At the beach with Pops. Rhett was not too sure about the waves and their potential to knock him over.
Go figure.

Grant, on the other hand, LOVED the ocean. He enjoyed riding the waves and fishing. Nope - he did not catch anything on this day. We kept telling him he needed a hook and bait, but he was sure we were wrong...
Yes, I did bring his swimsuits, but he wanted to wear these shorts instead. I don't get it either.