Bath time for Brothers

 Tonight was the first night Grant and Wyatt took a bath together, in the big tub. Wyatt usually is in his baby tub in the big tub, then when he's finished Grant takes his bath. But now that Wyatt is moving and grooving like a big boy, I thought he would enjoy the big tub, and boy did he!!! He crawled around, splashed, and chewed on about every toy in the tub!! Grant liked showing Wyatt all the things to do in the big tub, including "surfing" and "splashing like a dolphin." Wyatt's bath lasted a good 20 minutes, when Grant decided he wanted to "scuba dive" and needed the whole tub. I figured Wyatt was probably pruney anyway. I think they're going to enjoy many more bath times from here on!!

Little Explorer

Wyatt couldn't wait to eat his dinner with the rest of us, so since he ate earlier, he was out and about exploring while we ate our dinner.  He started off in the living room and was taking one of his toys and basically playing fetch with himself. He'd throw it, chase it, pick it up, throw it, chase it, pick it up, etc. He made his way into the kitchen and under Levi's chair and just kind of camped out, just laughing at himself and looking at his reflection in the sliding glass door behind Levi's chair.  It was pretty darn cute!! It's just amazing to watch him make his way around a room. What a little explorer!

New Developments

Wyatt is just learning new stuff by the minute it seems! Luckily, he waited to learn all this stuff until Levi came home!  He's been getting on his hands and knees for quite a while now, but just started to become mobile as of last week. It's not the most coordinated crawling you've ever seen. He'll move both hands, then one knee, then, both hands, then both knees, and there is a lot of lunging involved! But he gets where he wants to go! He also is a full time sitter now! It seems like within one day, he learned to sit and go from the crawling position to the sitting position. And the kicker happened today- I went in to his room to get him from an attempt at a nap. The first time I walked in, he was kneeling at his crib rail. I laid him back down and left the room. After a few minutes, I figured we'd try the nap again later so I went in to get him and lo and behold- he was standing! It only lasted about 3 seconds before he fell over, but I was so shocked!! 

Oh yeah, and his first tooth FINALLY came in yesterday! I've only been able to see it since July! He must have gums of steel!!

Here are Grant's movements on record : 

Crawling- Aug. 28th

Sitting- Sept. 4th

Pulling to Standing- Oct. 18th

Cruising- October 25th

Walking- Nov. 29th (2-3steps), Dec. 18th- full on walking!

So far- Wyatt's are:

Sitting- Oct. 8th

Crawling- Oct. 13th

I wouldn't really count today's "pulling to standing" since it was just a one time occurrence. But I have a feeling, he'll be reaching those milestones in no time! Although, this Mama really isn't in too much of a hurry to have TWO mobile children!! So it's ok if you take your time Wyatt!

It's Pumpkin Time!

We had our annual Pumpkin Patch trip over the weekend! This was the third year we've gone to the same place! It's been so fun comparing past years pictures! We've gone with our great friends, The Dahlmans, every year. It was one of the things I was very excited about coming back to Jacksonville for. It's funny how we live such a crazy, ever-changing life, so I find it pretty awesome that we've been able to keep this tradition!
This year, turned out to be MUCH nicer than last year!! It was not humid and about 78 degrees!! Just a perfect day for picking the perfect pumpkins! Grant was not enthralled with all the "photo opps" I was trying to get- he mostly just wanted to sit on the little blue tractor or ride in the wagon we were carrying our pumpkins in. He had a great time following his best buddies, Brandon and Allie, around. Wyatt enjoyed being outside and enjoyed people watching!
It was a great weekend and I love how our little pumpkin family is getting bigger each year! 

My Little Punkins

I love my little punkins!!

Wyatt 2010

Grant 2008

The Wait Was Worth It

He's finally home!!! After 5 months of deployment, Levi made it home Monday, October 11th. The day couldn't have been more perfect! The wait was definitely worth it just to have that moment of reuniting!

Even though Levi got in about 10am, it was the loooongest morning we endured in all those 5 months!! It's a good thing he didn't get in late in the evening! I had shirts made for the boys and they looked ADORABLE in them! I picked out a dress and was really excited to get all dressed up for a change! I got dressed that morning and came out of my room and Grant looked at me and said, "Why you got pretty dress on, Mom? You getting married or somethin?"  Oh my goodness, that was the cutest thing I'd ever heard!!! So I dressed the boys, got all loaded up in the car and headed to the airport, listening to my "Homecoming" list of songs in my iPod! We got there about 30 minutes before Levi would come walking through the gate. Grant made himself comfortable in the rocking chairs and our good friend, Olivia, came to take pictures for us. So after quick chat with her, Levi called my cell phone and said he'd landed. That's when the butterflies set in. How cool is it, that 4 years after of being married, the thought of seeing my husband gave me butterflies?!?  So we stood at the gate to security and waited for Daddy. Grant was so excited to run to him- that's all he'd talked about. Then the moment came where we saw Daddy walk down the hallway. I made sure he was just past security before I let Grant run!! He ran right into Levi's arms and Levi scooped him up. I don't think Grant has ever held on tighter! Then we all hugged, and of course, the tears flowed! It was pure bliss! After hugs and kisses, Levi examined his boys and was amazed and how big and beautiful they are! Then it was off to pick up Daddy's suitcases. The whole car trip home, you could just tell Grant's excitement as he was sitting in his car seat, about to burst out of it! He kept saying, "How bout this?"  and wiggle like crazy. Then he'd do it again and wiggle differently! It was hilarious to see him have so much excitement, that he was seriously couldn't help himself!  So we got home and unloaded, Daddy took a shower to wipe the 24hour traveling germs away and we headed to Moe's for lunch!! (I know, Grant had been saying Whataburger all along, but when it was time to make the choice, he chose Moe's!)

Grant was definitely a Daddy's boy the rest of the day, asking things like, "Why you talkin to my dad for, Mom?" "Where Daddy at?" and pretty much was Levi's shadow. Wyatt was all smiles and studied Levi's face. He seemed to know exactly who Daddy was! At the end of the day when it was time to put Grant to bed, Levi carried him into his room. Grant hugged him tight and said, "Welcome Home Daddy! Welcome home!"

It was an amazing day!!

The boys' specially made shirts- with Daddy's squadron colors! (Thanks Etsy!)

Waiting for Daddy!

More waiting...

We saw him and Grant took of running!

Finally, sweet embrace!!

37 hours to go...

UNTIL LEVI COMES HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still can't believe this 5 months is coming to a close!! I've been referring to this deployment as the "quickest eternity." In some ways, I feel like he just left, but in other ways, it feels like its been over a year!! Our little boys have grown so much!! Wyatt was just 8 weeks old when Levi left. He just slept all the time and wasn't even cracking a smile yet! Now, he's almost 7 months, barely sleeps, and has a perma-grin! Grant was saying one word at a time, and now he's speaking in paragraphs, making up his own stories!! But, lucky for Levi, most of the "big" milestones haven't passed. Wyatt is just now learning to sit, on the verge of crawling, and (go figure!) slept through the night for the first time last night! Grant still isn't potty trained (which I guess I should say "unlucky" for Levi- but hey, I can't do EVERYTHING!) and is still coming into his "own" person! There is so much for Levi to experience with our boys and I can't wait to see them reunite!

I've been incredibly blessed to be surrounded by all my family these past 5 months. I'm pretty sure I saw all my relatives more in these past 5 months then I have in the past 5 years combined!! I have an amazing family who helped me stay strong and stay busy and I couldn't be more thankful!!

My in-laws kept me busy too- nothing like a 5 hour drive ( X 4) to help pass the time!! Thank you for letting us visit and giving my boys some wonderful memories!!

I got to hang out with some old friends...and new ones too!! I got to see LOTS of babies and have lots of play dates!

I am beyond blessed to have been able to spend this time surrounded by people I love when the one that I love couldn't be with me! My boys and I are stronger, better people for having this experience, and I truly am thankful. Yes, it was hard. Yes, I would've paid a small fortune to have him brought home earlier.  But like my mom always says, "It is what it is."  

And what it is- is joy!

More Grantisms

I seriously can't get enough of this kid!!!  All day long, I write Levi these emails about how awesome Grant is and the hilarious things he says!!  

• Whenever me or Wyatt drops something, Grant will race over to pick it up and say, "I saved the day!"
• He is a non-stop chatterbox in the car, with question after question. I normally hear, "Why you stopping for Mom?"  "Why you going slow Mom?"  "Why you going fast Mom?" "Where's that car going Mom?" "What kind of sign that is Mom?"  I eventually just have to turn up the radio and say, "I can't hear you buddy!"
• The other day, out of nowhere he said, "Sure thing chicken wing!"  He also likes to say, "Chicken wing...comin' right up!"  I have no idea!!
• Today, I was organizing some things in Wyatt's room. After I finished, he clapped his hands and said, "Bravo, Bravo!" 
• He always says, "Bless you Mom" or "Bless you Wyatt" after we sneeze. He also says, "Bless me" after he sneezes.
• He's very into talking about manners- good and bad. The other day at the park, he came up to me and said, "Those girls over there using bad manners." I asked what they were doing and he said, "Making slide dirty."  I told him not to worry about it and just go play somewhere else. What a little mommy!
• He sings his "name song" and its soooo funny to hear!! He screams as loud as he can: "G-R-A-N-T is how I spells my name!!"  
• Any word that starts with the letter S gets tangled up. For instance, when he says "sweeping" it comes out "weepsing" or "snack" comes out "nacks" or "spider" comes out "pisers" and (from the name song above) "spells" comes out "pelles."  

He is just an amazing kid and I am so blessed to be his "Mom!"

Date Night

These will be the loves of my life for the next week or two, so the blog is taking a backseat. We're heading back to Florida on Friday, so I'll be having lots of date nights with my ump-teen space bags!

See you back in hot, sunny Florida very soon!

Decisions, Decisions

One of the firemen at the fire station asked Grant if he wanted to be a fire fighter for Halloween. Grant said, "Yes. No." See, I bought him a robot costume, but after seeing his cousin, Mason, in a Jr. Police Officer costume and his cousin, Luke, in a Jr. Fire Fighter costume its obvious that he's torn! Luckily, we have gear for whatever he chooses!

Oh, the decisions of a two year old are so overwhelming!

Visit to the Fire Station

This morning, we took a visit to the Leawood Fire Department with our good friends, the Yount's. I knew this could go one of two ways- Grant would be totally enthralled and cry when it was time to go, or he wouldn't set foot inside without screaming in terror. Surprisingly, it was parted down the middle- he enjoyed himself, but was a little overwhelmed I think. He just HAD to wear his fireman jacket, which I think helped him feel a little more "official." The firemen were amazing with Grant and his friend, Calem. They opened all the compartments to all the trucks and let the boys jump in the seats and check things out. After 15 minutes we were out the door. I still can't tell what Grant thought about it.  But I guess the fact that he hasn't taken that jacket off ever since means he must have enjoyed himself at least a little bit!

Grant and Calem checking out the backseat of the ladder truck.

Driving the ladder truck!

He was all smiles, giving the firemen high-fives!!!

Small Fry

Yep, Wyatt's still a teeny guy! He had his 6 month checkup today. He was so inquisitive with all the doctors tools and he was very calm while getting checked out. He cried for just a few seconds when he got his shots, so he was quite the trooper!! Here are his 6 month stats:

- Weight: 15 lbs. 12 oz- 25th percentile

- Length: 27.25 in- 75th percentile

- Head: 17in- 50th percentile

 Big Brother Grant was a huge help making Wyatt smile! Of course, had to step on the scale too and he was 29 lbs. (35%) and 36 in (50%)!!

Funny note about Grant and Wyatt in comparison- at 6 months, Grant was 19.8 lbs (4 pounds heavier than Wyatt) and 27 inches (a quarter inch shorter than Wyatt)!! Funny how two brothers can be soooo different!!

Love you both! XOXO

Happy Half-Birthdays!!

Tomorrow, my little birthday twins will be 2.5 and 6 months old?!? How is that even possible?! 

To both of my Bubba's- this post is for you!

My Big Buddy Grant,

You are completely amazing!! You are definitely the light in my life and the joy I feel each day! You are growing into such an incredible little boy, that sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to be your mom!! You are talking so much now and always have something to say!! You are a little mockingbird and I can't believe how much you listen throughout the day! You are so well behaved, always saying "Please" and "Thank You." You love playing with me, and I love that! You're a great big brother, always tending to Wyatt if he's crying, and always wanting to know what he's doing. You are slowly branching out and trying new foods- the newest ones being pancakes, shredded cheese.You would still prefer chicken nuggets and crunchies everyday if I let you. You are still a huge fan of The Little Einsteins and The Wonder Pets. You love anything to do with Firemen and Policemen (we have your cousins to thank for that). You still love all things Robot. You've enjoyed playing mailman, McDonalds, cars, trains, musical instruments, and pretending to be Dixie. You recently learned how to pedal, so you've been a HUGE fan of riding bikes! You even will ride your bike all the way to park by Mimi and PawPaw's house! Sometimes you like potty training and do really well, and sometimes you have no desire to even step in to the bathroom, but I'm ok with that! You'll do it when you're ready! I'm so excited for your Daddy to get home to be able to enjoy you as much as I do!!

We are very lucky to have you in our life and we love you so very much and we always will!

Love, Mom and Dad

My Sweet Little Wy-Wy,

You are the sweetest, most lovable little guy and have made a perfect addition to our family!! You put a smile on my face every morning when you wake me up and I go to your crib and you smile soooo big! Your smile can bring to tears to my eyes- you are so perfect!! You are growing up before my very eyes!! I seriously think you grew 2 inches and gained 5 pounds just today! I even told Mimi last week that you can finally wear your 3-6 month clothes, but today I put a 9 month outfit on you and it fit!! You love eating cereal and food! You've moved up to Stage 2 foods and haven't found a food you don't like! The bottle has become a battle with you- you'd prefer to eat real food, even though you don't know how yet, so we're working on using a cup. You can't quite figure it out yet, but I'm sure it won't take long. You only like to take a bottle in quiet, dark places. You are scooting in circles and there really isn't much to stop you from getting something you see. You are a grabber and I can't even eat while holding you anymore because you grab the food right off my plate or out of my hand! You are still a particular little guy and prefer to be held over playing with your toys. You like to play by yourself from time to time, but being on my lap is your favorite! You do love your playgym, exersaucer, jumparoo, and rattles. You make all sorts of silly sounds and you ALWAYS have your hands in your mouth, making a big drooly mess!! You've been working on your two bottom teeth for a good 2 months now and I've been able to see them since the beginning of July, but they still haven't broke through. You are FINALLY sleeping well!! We had a few rough nights while I "trained" you, but you got the hang of it! You've even slept through the night a few times! You have a smile that lights up your entire face and you'll smile at the drop of a hat. You are ticklish and have the cutest little giggle!! Your daddy's heart is just going to melt the second he lays his eyes on you- even though you're a boy, you are beautiful!! You are everything I could ask for and I am so happy to call you my little guy!

Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!!

I'm in Love...

...with those eyes!!!

The New Face of Betty Crocker

Who can resist a cute boy in an apron?!?

Grant sure can whip up a good batch of cupcakes (ok, I guess with a little help from his Mimi.) What a great little baker he is! He put the cupcake wrappers in the pan, read the directions, poured in the water and oil, cracked the eggs, held the mixeer, and poured the batter in each cup. However, Grant's tray happened to be a little too messy to actually bake, but its the effort that counts!

I guess Grant has quite a few career paths to choose from...

To the Rescue!

Grant LOVES riding his trike in the garage pretending to be a fireman. I found these awesome jammies, so he can "officially" be a real fireman! He's so cute pedaling around, making a siren sound, putting out "hot fires" all around the garage. He likes spraying my car as well- there always seems to be lots of smoke and fire around there!

I have so much fun playing with this kid!

 

Notice the water bottle...that's his hose!

I even got to be a fireman!

One Kid's Unwanted Toys...

...are now sitting in my parents basement, much to Grant's excitement!

We went to Kids Closet Connection sale that happens twice a year in the Kansas City area. It's a huge consignment sale, and from what I read, over 550 families were involved!! We've usually gone on the last day, when the majority of the items are 50% off, but they are usually pretty well picked over. So we decided to go on the first morning to see what was there! We weren't looking for anything in particular, but these are the awesome finds we scored:

Two awesome mailboxes to feed Grant's "Post Office" addiction (the one on the left was $4, the one on the right was $2)- both came complete with their own kinds of mail!

McDonald's Drive-Thru, complete with food ($8). We already had a McDonalds cash register and a bag of food. I think Grant's already made me 209 Diet Cokes and 37 Happy Meals! He's very polite when taking my order, "What you order Ma'am?"

HUGE Garage/Race Track thingy ($10). Its about as tall as Grant and is perfect to use with the 158 Hot Wheels that are scattered throughout the house.

We also bought a fire truck puzzle, some small trucks, Little Einstein's DVD, a few items of clothing, and a fire truck book!! Definitely a successful trip!