Photo Shoot

 Liz and Eric came to visit in November and stayed a whole weekend with us. We got to hang out and catch up and even got a photo shoot with Liz which is always a special treat! We took her to downtown Louisville and she loved it as a backdrop. I'm still in awe of how talented she is and she only spent about 20 minutes taking pictures, no lie!! You can see her fabulous work at www.westwaterweddings.com

Normally we only get to see her for a few hours as she has so many friends to visit when she comes to town, but it was so great to spend a couple of days with she and Eric. It's pretty cool to me that we all met at the same time when they moved into my house back in 2005 and here we are, Kole and I married and all still great friends. We had some great times all living together and have good fun when we see each other :)

Santa 2012

We took the kids to the mall to see Santa a couple of Saturdays before Christmas. We had to wait in a long line which wasn't easy, but Payton was really good. She ran up and gave him a huge hug and jumped on his lap so she was happier then she looks in the picture. Grant actually waited until after the picture to start screaming so he looks happier about it then he was. The only thing Payton asked Santa for (and us several times) is a hippopotamus, and not the stuffed kind. Thanks to Aunt Kelsey and her love for a certain holiday tune, Payton has it stuck in her mind that she wants a hippopotamus for Christmas! :)

We have had to talk a lot about why a real hippo would not make a great pet so she won't be disappointed in Santa on Christmas morning!

8 Months

Grant turned 8 months old on December 6th! He continues to keep us on our toes, is full of personality and snuggles and had a month full of firsts.

Grant, at 8 months you:

• Are crawling everywhere and have been since around Thanksgiving
• Are starting to pull up on furniture and walk around it
• Still prefer mom if I'm in sight and have had us paged out of church the last several weeks
• Still adore your sister and now that you are mobile you will find her if you can and crawl all over her. She's pretty good about it and will get down and wrestle with you a bit
• Caught your first cold, case of croup, and an ear infection from your sister
• Sleep 11-13 hours at night and still struggle to nap consistently, but I think we might be getting closer
• Like to eat food, but are picky about veggies and consistency. Could take or leave your bottle, but don't take a sippy cup quite yet so we have to fight you to drink a lot of the time
• Are still in size 3 diapers and 9-12 month clothing
• You laugh and smile a lot, but also have a bit of a temper
• Add so much fun and joy to our family, we love you!!

These are pictures from Children's urgent care where Grant and I made a visit one night. He was obsessed with his little hospital bracelet and hadn't smiled all day until we were sitting in the room waiting for the doctor, such a stinker!

Thanksgiving

We had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving holiday this year. Kelsey and Josh hosted at their house so we got to wake up Thanksgiving Day and relax and hang out. I had made the dishes we were taking on Wednesday so we didn't even have to cook. Payton didn't seem 100% that day, but wasn't really complaining about anything. By dinner time though she had developed a fever and was feeling pretty crummy so that ended our evening early which was a bummer. She ended up sick for several days and got her first ear infection, she also shared with Grant who ended up with croup and an ear infection. We were down for a little over a week, made one doctor's office visit and two urgent care visits, and didn't get much sleep, it was rough! It was certainly not the Thanksgiving I had envisioned, however, I am so thankful that their sicknesses are short lived and few and far between, I can't imagine what it's like to have a child that is chronically ill.

Looking back at the pictures she was obviously not feeling right

Snuggles with Nana

Payton had a quick photo shoot with Papa :)

7 Months

Grant turned 7 months old on November 5th. This month was more quiet at our house then the last and it's starting to feel like we are settling in a little better to life with two little ones. Everyone is sleeping great at night. Payton is really helpful when I am home on my own with the kids and Grant is getting better at playing on his own and entertaining himself. The walker the Erchalus handed down has really helped on that one, he can be on his own, but still near the action. The next couple months bring holiday firsts for this little guy and we are looking forward to enjoying them with him and big sis, of course!

 

Grant Robert @ 7 Months

 

Measurements: None to report as he doesn't go back to the doctor until 9 months, but he is in 6-12 month, 9 month or 12 month clothing depending on the brand and size 3 diapers. He seems pretty average to me when I see him around other babies his age.

 

Eating: He is taking a bottle every for hours during the day and is drinking a mix of formula and mom's milk. I switched from nursing to pumping full time shortly after he turned 6 months as it is what works for us right now. Thankfully he doesn't seem to picky about what is in the bottle. He really likes solid food and is eating it usually 2-3 times per day. I think he tried apples and green beans this month and seems to do fine with avocado now. He isn't thrilled about green beans, but will eat them.

 

Sleeping: He is doing great at night, sleeping from 7-8pm to 7-8am, which is fantastic. Naps are still a struggle, he is just really inconsistent with how long he will sleep and whether or not he has to cry himself there. We put him down for a nap 2-3 times per day and he will sleep anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours (on a rare occasion) usually for a total of only 2 to 2 1/2 hours for the day. I'm trying to accept that he is just not a great napper and be thankful for the long night time stretch! He seems to do fine on little sleep during the day, just gets rough if he goes too long before bed without a catnap.

 

Tricks: He loves the walker and it only took a few days for him to figure out how to maneuver it to where he wants to go. He is really working on crawling, he will get onto all fours wither on his knees or on his feet and rock back and forth and even go backwards a bit. I have a feeling he will get it in the next month. He says ma ma, da da and ba ba (not really on purpose yet) which is fun to hear. His bottom two teeth are trying their hardest to make an appearance which causes him a little grief, but it's not too bad. He is still a very happy baby, full of smiles and laughs!

 

Happy 7 months buddy, we love you bunches!!

 

 

 

 

I love styling his hair in a little fau-hawk

 

This is the happy little guy we see most of the time :)

Sweet  picture courtesy of Lexi

 

loving the walker! He really likes to chase the dogs, they don't love that so much

He graduated from the bath chair and thinks it's pretty cool to sit like a big boy and splash!

California

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to our San Jose office for meetings. We decided that it would be a good time for the crew to tag along and visit the Cross', Kole's family friends who live in the area. We flew out on a Thursday morning, I worked Thursday and most of Friday while Kole hung with the kids at the hotel. My coworker brought her 11 year old daughter along as well and she helped Kole while we worked. Friday afternoon we took off to spend the weekend in Gilroy with the Cross'. Grandpa and Grandma joined us which was a special treat! We were out back in 2007 before we were married, so it was fun to go as a family 5 years later.

 

My boss and his wife invited us to their condo in Santa Cruz, we took them up on the offer and spent Saturday at the beach. It was only about an hour drive from the Cross' home in Gilroy.  The weather was perfect, the water of course freezing, but that didn't phase us or Payton. Taking the kids to see the beach/ocean for the first time was one of those great life moments. I know Grant won't remember but Payton was old enough to appreciate it all and watching her reaction to walking barefoot in the sand, and playing in the ocean is something I will cherish forever. It was probably the most peaceful, relaxing afternoon we have had in quite some time.

 

I work for and with some of the most wonderful people at a company that values people and their family life, which hasn't always been the case for me so I am incredibly thankful for my job.

 

It was a great trip, too short, but I am so glad we went. We got an adult night out in San Jose with Josh and Maria which we very much enjoyed! The kids did really well with all of the traveling which helped and it was great time spent with family and friends!

 

Sorry for picture overload it was too hard to pick only a few favorites :)

View of the marina from the condo

Foster kitten that Payton got to hold

 

Snacking on some sand...

 

Payton and Sydney, Jason and Abby's little girl, she's a year older then Payton and they had a great time playing together. Thank you Cross' for opening your home to us, it was so wonderful to spend time with you all!

We were lucky enough to fly back to Denver on the same flight as Grandma and Grandpa on their way back to IL, which is definitely the way to travel! Can't wait to see you guys again at Christmas!