Grant's Personal Beach

Grant actually has his own 4 X 8 personal beach!! Well, not exactly, but pretty close to it!! Levi had been wanting to build Grant a sandbox for quite a while, and when I told him how much Grant enjoyed playing at the one at Mimi and PawPaw's house, he knew he had to do it before he left town again. So this was the weekend!!! It didn't take many parts or much time! And did we get a deal on sand- if we bought bags at Lowe's, it would have cost us close to $60 to fill up the sandbox. We went to a Stone and Sand Wholesale store, and got a whole pick-up load full for $14!!! We definitely saved some money there!! Guess we can take our savings to buy some new sand toys!!!

Watching Daddy shovel sand out of the pick-up

Already getting busy filling up his bucket

Helping Daddy level out the sand

DIG, DIG, DIG!!!

A Run Through the Sprinkler

So I've written quite a few water-related posts these past few weeeks. But really, do you expect us to do anything else in hot, sunny Florida?!? We had some time to play after dinner yesterday and Grant wanted to play outside. Well, really I think he just wanted to push the button to open the garage door. But we decided to stay out and play anyway! Grant was playing with his bucket of water and shovel, but after only 2 minutes and 3 refills later, we decided to pull out the sprinkler instead. He got quite a kick out of the water spraying all over the place. He mostly tried drinking it, but wound up getting an eye full of water!! Levi and I stood on either side of the sprinkler and tried to teach him to run through it, back and forth. Yeah, he didn't really get it!! But he still had fun though!!

Here is a video of Grant trying to drink the water, unsuccessfully I might add!!

Here is Grant running through the sprinkler.

My Two Boys

It makes my heart melt to see the strong relationship between my two favorite boys, Levi and Grant. Even though Levi has been in and out for the better part of this year, Grant always seems to know who his Daddy is. Levi just got home from being gone for two straight months, and Grant acted like he hadn't missed a day!! One thing is for sure, I can hardly get Grant to sit on my lap, other than to read a book. But when Daddy's home, the recliner is their favorite place to be!!

Aren't they cute?!?

Bookworm

Grant has always been interested in books, which I totally LOVE. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I read at least 25 books to him in a day (although alot of the time I read the same book 5 times in a row!!). I recently rerranged Grant's bedroom and the bookshelf is now in a much more prominent area, with his little chair is right next to it. He likes to take a book to his chair and "read." Seen as how I am a teacher at heart, it makes me so proud to see him have a love of reading at such a young age!! I just hope it continues to grow as much as he does!!!

Working at the Car Wash

We finally had a sunny day after 6 LONG days of steady rain!!! It had been a while since the cars had been washed, so Levi pulled out the buckets, soap, and hose and was ready to wash the cars. Of course, Grant saw Daddy go outside, so he had to go too!!! So Daddy grabbed a bucket and a rag for Grant and put him to work!! Although Grant didn't have enough elbow grease to really get the cars clean, he really enjoyed helping!!! But I'm pretty sure he mostly enjoyed drinking the water from the hose!! It's so much fun being able to do things like this with Grant now that he's getting bigger!! He's growing into such a little boy, and we're enjoying every second of it!!! Filling up the bucket with soapy water (Grant's sporting a pretty sweet fashion statement here: a onesie and water socks- NICE!!)

MMMMM...hose water!!

Daddy showing Grant how to scrub

A Buddy's Birthday

This weekend, we went to Grant's best buddy's birthday party!!! We met Brandon (and his mom and dad, Kelly and Ryan) right before we moved to Jacksonville and he's been Grant's best buddy ever since!! Brandon celebrated his 5th birthday with a beach party!! Unforunately, we've had 6 straight days of rain, so it wasn't the bright and shiny day we were all hoping for!! There was a short window with no rain, though! All the kids had a great time!! Grant enjoyed watching the big boys run around playing in the pools, and playing in the sand pool with Brandon's little sister, Allie. He also LOVED eating cake!!!

Giving the birthday boy a hug!

Best Buddies- Grant, Allie, and Brandon

The Birthday Boy!!

Having fun "on the beach"

Pool Party...of One!!

Grant is absolutely obsessed with playing outside!! I figured since it's usually super hot in Florida this time of year, the little guy needs to stay cool while being outside, and what better way to do that than a little pool!! It was probably a good choice that I went with the smallest pool Walmart had to offer, since Grant doesn't seem to be a big fan of jumping right in! He practically jumps into the bathtub each night, and I figured a pool would be the same way. But he seems a little timid around the pool: gently stepping over the sides, crouching down hardly ever sitting, playing with the toys inside the pool from outside the pool!! I'm sure it will just take time for him to get used to!! Maybe someday when he's a bit more into it, we'll get a bigger pool that I can fit inside so we can have a pool party...for two!!

Out of the Attic

Yes, Grant just turned 14 months old and loves sitting in his bouncy seat!! Who knew!? His bouncy seat didn't get much use when he was really little since Grant learned to roll over at 3.5 months, a bouncy seat could no longer contain him. So its been sitting in his closet for quite some time!! Since we got back from Kansas, I've been doing a major overhaul organization project- mostly in Grant's closet. I pulled out a bunch of things to put in the attic, the bouncy seat being one of them!! Every since I pulled it out, I can't seem to get Grant out of it! He reads books there and brings other toys to play with while he's sitting there! He also loves listening to the music and sitting on the vibrating seat- but who wouldn't, right? So for now, I think I'll keep this one out of the attic!!

My Beach Boy

So, we've lived 8 miles from the beach for about 2 years now, and I'm pretty sure I can count the times we've gone on one hand- how sad!! I have been dreaming of getting back to the beach ever since we went for Grant's birthday back on March 15th. Unfortunately, Levi had to head out to sea and Grant and I went back to KS, which meant no beach going for us!! It's too bad too since the middle of March to the middle of May is the best time to go to the beach because the weather is PERFECT!! I knew we had to get to the beach as soon as we made it back to Florida before it got too hot!! So today, we had a little Mommy and Grant day at the beach!! It was beautiful!! We got there about 9:30 when it wasn't too scorching hot. There was hardly anyone around, it felt like we were on our own private beach!! Grant had a great time digging with his shovel and bucket, picking up seashells, watching the waves, and running in the sand!! I had a great time just watching my little beach boy explore!!

LONGEST.DAY.EVER!!!

So, my day yesterday- LONGEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!! After a day of packing, sorting, and organizing, I was ready to hit the airports and get back to FL. I had picked out 2 short flights, with one short layover. I was planning on getting back to Jacksonville late afternoon- enough time to run to the store, let Grant get adjusted, and me sitting on the couch by 8:00 to watch the LOST season finale. NOT SO MUCH!!

We got to the Kansas City airport at 10:30, got checked in fine, and then at boarding time, the attendant came over and said there was a mechanical problem and it should be fixed in 15-20 minutes. I knew I only had a 50 minute layover, so I thought I'd be ok (HA!!!). We didn't take off for a good 45 minutes after we should have. We landed in Memphis at 1:22. My next flight left at 1:35, so I had a glimmer of hope! I got off at gate C9 and checked the board and saw I had to go to gate A7. I RAN the entire way, huffing and puffing!! Let me tell you- Grant sure enjoyed that stroller ride!! I got to the gate just in time to see the plane backing out. There were 5 other people from the KCI plane headed to Jacksonville that had the same disappointed look on their faces as there was on mine!! So anyway, after 30 minutes at customer service, we were promptly on the next flight to Jacksonville- which left at 7:50!!! So there we were- with 6.5 hours to kill in the Memphis airport!! I was crushed!!! But luckily, I packed about 15 diapers, and loads of snacks and toys! Grant was sooooo good, bless his little heart!! We traded off between running around playing in a very empty area, and strolling the busy areas checking out everything at the gift shops- and I mean EVERYTHING!!! We even previewed all the movies at the KidZoo store- I'm sure the sales lady loved us being in there!! His favorite part had to have been looking out the window at all the hustle and bustle going on outside- pretty sure he pointed at every airplane in his sight!! Grant never slept, so by the time we finally got on the flight- he was out like a light as soon as we started taxiing!! After scrambling to find a ride that late at night, a very reliable friend lugged her 3 kids out of bed to pick us up at 11:00pm!! Needless to say, Grant and I are both pooped today!!

I've always tried to find the bright side to everything, even when you just feel like crying - so after this whole experience, here are my bright spots found: I spent 6.5 uninterrupted hours playing with my little man, I got $13 free food voucher, I walked a good 5 miles around the airport, I got to hold my exhausted sleeping baby in my arms the whole way home, found out how reliable my Jacksonville friends can be, and to top it off: I finally have an excuse for carrying 15 diapers in my diaper bag at a time!!

****Two days later: yeah, my legs are still sore from all the walking I did!!

Grant on the Farm

Grant and I spent this past weekend at Levi's parents house in Grinnell, KS. We hadn't been there since Christmas, and since Grant and I were in KS for so long, this was the perfect opportunity to head out for a visit! Everyone was very excited to see how much Grant had grown!! We had a lot of fun things planned, and lots of neat things to explore!! The highlight of Grant's trip had to have been Grandpa's tractor and their dog, Jeeps. Although Grandpa tried to take Grant on a tractor ride, he was a bit nervous. After a little persuasion, Grant and I were at least able to sit in the tractor and "drive drive drive."

Grandma and Grandpa even had a tractor for Grant to call his very own!! He sure did enjoy driving that one around the house!!

We also had fun playing the piano. He even played some songs with Aunt Summer.

We were able to spend Mother's Day there as well! We had a nice lunch and all the family came!! Grant sported his "I HEART Mom" shirt, which made me smile everytime I looked at him!!

We also helped Grandma plant flowers, explore the big yard, visit Great Mom's house, eat pizza at Uncle Zach and Aunt Breanna's, and PLAY PLAY PLAY in Grant's favorite playroom!! Overall, we had a great weekend and we are glad we were able to see everyone out there!! The only thing that would have made it better is if Daddy was there to enjoy the time with us!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great time on the Farm!!

Loads of Fun

Today, Grant and I went to Deanna Rose Farmstead with Aunt Sara, Mason, and Luke. We had a great time, and after we got home, it was time for a rest!! But I think Grant and Mason had their own agenda. As Sara and I were scurrying around putting things away, getting drinks and snacks made, Grant and Mason were having their own fun! I could hear them from the kitchen just laughing their little hearts out!! I come out to the living room to find this- now that's a load of laundry I actually like!!

Cool New Tricks

Just recently, Grant has been a little sponge and copycat!! He absorbs everything I tell him and everything he sees. His favorite sources of information: 1) his cousins 2) books 3) his Sounds movie (basically a bunch of people, animals, and things and the noises they make). Here is a little video of his newest tricks: jumping, snapping, and SHHHHing. He's pretty proud of his cool new tricks- and frankly, so am I!!!

Boys will be Boys

For someone who isn't always the bravest when it comes to new foods, Grant discovered a love of mud!! He was busy digging in the dirt with his cousins and decided he would sneak a little taste! Turns out, it's not so bad- at least to him!! Oh well, boys will be boys!!

Make a SPLASH!

It was a gorgeous day outside, and Grant was itching to play! I opened the back door so he could play on the deck while I ate some lunch. I filled up a Tupperware bowl of water, gave him a spatula and a basting brush and he went to town! Guess it goes to show you that it's the little things in life that bring the most joy!!

PRETTY!!

Today, Grant and I embarked on one of our first major art projects. Being a teacher, I have all these great ideas of fun projects and crafts to do at home. Now that Grant is getting a bit older, I am ready to attempt (some of) these projects!! I pulled out the finger paints this morning. In an effort to work on a "surprise" project for a later date, I thought I'd get him aquainted with finger paint before we actually dove into the real deal! Now, Grant is not a fan of many textures by any means. Crackers, bread, chicken nuggets- sure, those are all textures he can handle. Peaches, bananas, cheese- not a fan! So I knew this would be interesting. He mostly used his pointer finger on each hand and gingerly dipped the tiniest tip of his finer in the paint. I had to show him how to swirl it all around the paper with his whole hand and then he kind of got the hang of it. A whopping 3 minutes later, he was finished!!! Not bad for his first attempt. His work might not be considered a masterpiece, but its looks pretty to me!!

Pretty proud of himself!!