Three Wishes Come True

Paris Mountain

2012-01-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

The boys recently went hiking at Paris Mountain with Dada, Gaga, and Grandpa. It was a beautiful day, and I think they had a great time exploring!

Grady and Dada at the big dam (Anson is there too, in Dada's backpack)

Little hiker

Don' even think about it Anson!

The guys

Pinecone sculpture

We have had a beautiful winter and been getting outside a lot. Can't wait to take Cami hiking too!

Cami is a month old!

2012-01-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Baby Camille turned the big one month old on Friday. She had a check-up that day and is doing well. She was 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 20.25" long. Both are around 15-20th %.

Other than that she looked great. She was seeming gassy, and we think she has a milk protein intolerance like her brothers, but her dairy-free diet seems to be helping.

Her sleep is pretty good at night. She generally just wakes once, eats, and goes right back to sleep. As is the case with all my kids, she isn't a great napper, though some afternoons she will pull out a 3-4 hour one. She sleeps in her bassinet very well at night, though during the day not as much. We hold her more, and I need to start wearing her too. She has napped in the sling a few times.

I think she will be very social, as she already smiles a LOT, mostly at Mama so far. She also makes eye contact often and holds it for some time. She has also been cooing a bit, even in response to me, which seems surprising.

Her general demeanor seems quite calm and content. She seems to enjoy attention from her brothers too!

Some pictures from the past few weeks...

Anson giving her some love. He calls her "Cami" now.

Cami Eating her hand - a favorite activity

Nana and Camille

First tub at home

All clean!

Going for a walk

Getting dressed

She is holding her head up pretty well now

After her cord stump fell off both her brothers helped give her first real bath

We love you, Camille, and we are so happy you are part of our family!

Trash

2012-01-20T17:26:00.001-08:00

MVI_2588.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Anson helps throw away some of the extra trash on Christmas morning.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-20T17:23:00.001-08:00

MVI_2581.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

This is just a little taste of Christmas morning in our house.

Tool Box

2012-01-20T17:19:00.001-08:00

MVI_2569.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Daddy got Grady a Real tool box for Christmas, and he loved it! I am sure that he will be using it for many years to come.

Cooking

2012-01-20T17:16:00.001-08:00

MVI_2553.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Here are the boys enjoying their new kitchen!

Cookie

2012-01-20T17:14:00.001-08:00

MVI_2523.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Anson enjoys a Christmas cookie on Christmas Eve

Sleep Smiles

2012-01-20T17:11:00.001-08:00

MVI_2515.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

This video is from Christmas Eve, when Camille was 4 days old. Look for her little sleep smiles.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas was lots of fun with Anson and Grady this year. Cami didn't really get to participate since she was 5 days old, but she was cooperative and napped while we celebrated.

Here is Grady, coming downstairs on Christmas morning

Anson ran right into the playroom and saw the kitchen all set up

Excited about the play food!

Grady and his giant stocking

Getting a treat from Daddy's stocking

What is Anson cooking for Papa?

Opening a really cool book about the deep sea

Grady gives Anson some hugs to thank him for the crayons

Anson got a tractor

And a baby cell phone

And a latches board

Grady got the Batcave!

Anson loved it too!

The boys got a cool race track too!

Anson really likes the kitchen

Grady loves his tower of markers from Grammy Nancy and has been creating lots of artwork!

Anson is rocking with Papa on his new see saw

Anson got a cool new truck!

Anson also got an Elmo doll that plays lullabies, who he loves

Playing with the cool new set of blocks

What Camille did all day

Dada got some gifts too! This was from Grammy Nancy

So we had a great Christmas, and I am sure the next bunch of Christmases will be so much fun with all 3 kids!

Grady as a Wise Man - part 2

2012-01-13T11:04:00.001-08:00

MVI_2534.mpg-end edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Here is the second part - watch part 1 (in the next post) first.

Grady as a Wise Man

2012-01-13T11:02:00.001-08:00

MVI_2534.mpg-beginning edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Here is the first part of the video of Grady as Wise Man #3. I had to split the video for technical reasons. Watch both parts!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Can it be!? Am I actually finally going to post about Christmas Eve!? I am!

It was extra special this year because Grady was a Wise Man in the church pageant. It was a speaking role! He was the littles one with a speaking part, and he did a fantastic job. We were so proud! Unfortunately Mama couldn't make it since she was home with Camille, but Nana, Gaga, grandpa Carl, Dada, and Anson went.

These pictures of Grady as a Wise Man were from dress rehearsal a few days before

He is purposely looking serious here

He was the littlest wise man, by far!
Az

The morning of Christmas Eve started out with Grady giving Cami some love

Playing "Stack the Countries" on the iPad with Nana and Grandpa

Then it was time to decorate cookies

And eat some

The decorating crew

This guy did lots of eating the cookies

He dabbled in decorating but quickly decided he was more into the eating

Nana and the G-Man

An action shot

Different type of action shot - how many cookies did Anson eat!?

Cami makes an appearance!

My little actor by the fire after the show

Papa made a super yummy pasta dinner for everyone

Then we had our annual tradition of Christmas stories by the fireplace

Then it was off to bed so Santa could come! Oh, but first we had to sprinkle some reindeer food on the front lawn. And we left Santa some oj and a special cookie Grady made for him.

I will post the video from Grady's show next!

Anson

2012-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

I really need to do a general update on Baby A, especially since he is now 1 1/2! I promise one is coming, but for now I just wanted to note a few things he is doing, mostly so I don't forget. He seems to know the color red and will point at my toes (which are painted red) and say "Red! Red!" so then we asked what color other things were, and he seemed to know which were red. He also loves music and will often sing along. He sings "the Hot Dog Dance" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He also likes "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes". He is starting to pretend - he pretends to cook in the play kitchen and also loves to pretend to be a doggie. He shows great interest in the potty (totally unprompted) but has yet to go when seated on it. He sits there expectantly, but hasn't quite put it all together yet. He loves his brother Grady and asks for him lots when he is not around. He also loves Camille and always has to hug her when he sees her. He is quite an affectionate little guy and will also hug his "baby girlfriend", Ashley.

Not a great picture, but this is one of his favorite things to do - ride in Grady's Jeep

Exploring Paris Mountain with Grady the other day

Giving Camille love

It's such a fun age - can't wait to see what new things he does next!

First Days Home

2012-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some picture documenting Cami's first days at home...

See her little wings?

In her basinette

First trip to the doctor

Headed out on her first walk

By her stork

Meeting Gaga and Grandpa Carl

The boys had fun with this gift - a bear that reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Grady made some cookies with Nana and Gaga

Sunny Day

2012-01-09T07:50:00.001-08:00

MVI_2501.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

On one of Camille's first days home we took her for her first walk. The whole family went, and Cami relaxed in the sunshine afterwards. It was a beautiful day!

The cutest thing

2012-01-08T11:59:00.001-08:00

MVI_2484.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Grady sang "You are my Sunshine" to Cami as soon as she came home for the first time.

Camille's Fashion Show

2012-01-08T11:57:00.001-08:00

MVI_2481.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Here she is right before heading home from the hospital.

Grady reading to Cami

2012-01-08T11:53:00.001-08:00

MVI_2465.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Grady read "Goodnight Moon" to Camille when he came to visit at the hospital. It was extra special since he also read it to Anson in the hospital. We have been reading it to Grady every night since just after he was born!

Camille and Daddy

2012-01-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

MVI_2443.mpg-edited a video by roseanneschmidt on Flickr.

Daddy giving Camille some love when she was a few minutes old.

Camille makes her appearance!

2012-01-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

On December 19 I had a doctor's appointment to discuss the possibility of an induction so that Camille and I could be home for Christmas. My due date was Christmas Day, so it was just a bit early. They said things were progressing, and I could be induced on December 21. Well Cami had her own plan because that afternoon I started having contractions while playing outside with he boys - first 10 minutes apart, then about 8. I continued playing (and built a volcano in the sandbox with Grady) but then decided to come inside where Nana was making dinner. After eating dinner with everyone and getting the kids put to bed, it was clear that we needed to head to the hospital. By the time we were checked in around 8 PM, contractions were 4-5 minutes apart. Everything moved pretty quickly after that, and after 2 pushes Camille Rose Schmidt entered the world - healthy and very pink! She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19 inches. So far she has been doing very well. At 2 weeks, when they should be back to birth weight, she was 7 pounds, 4.5 ounces. Her brothers adore her, even little Anson who didn't really know she was coming.

Here she is, right after birth

Her weight!

Meeting Momma

First sponge bath

First time meeting Grady!

Meeting Anson and Nana too!

Anson kept saying "baby... Hugs... Awwww...."

With Daddy

Second visit from the big brothers

Napping with Dada

Ready to come home

Home! Grady is singing "You are My Sunshine" to her.

Cami is such a sweet baby girl, and we are so lucky to have her in our lives. We can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for all of us - first smiles, first laughs, first words, and first crawls. I am so excited to get to know her and to see Grady and Anson get to know her. They are all going to have such fun together!

More pictures and video of Camille's first days home coming up next!

More Pre-Christmas Festivities

2012-01-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

Grady's school Christmas party was lots of fun, and it was so great that Nana could go with him!

They made Christmas trees out of ice cream cones

Apparently Grady took it very seriously

He loves Mrs. Will and made her this crown

He has such a great class full of friends

Grady's second performance of the holiday season was when the children's choir sang "The First Noel". He practiced so much and did a really great job!

He's on the left side of the picture, in the front

This is a random photo from before Christmas, but it is too cute to miss - Anson loves the music box

He also loved Nana's sock monkey

Soon after these events Camille made her appearance - stay tuned for those pictures!

Festival of the Trees

2012-01-01T05:03:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Camille arrived we fit in a bit more holiday fun. First, we went to see the Festival of the Trees at yet another hotel. This was the biggest display, and the kids loved it.

This tree had little mice on it representing the towns around Greenville. The Simpsonville mouse brought stuffing - so cute!

I love that the mouse named Eric brought (root) beer.

A nature-themed tree

Nana and Grady really liked this one

The sock monkey tree was a big hit too!

Anson looks like a gift under this tree!

Penguin tree!

It looks like he's waiting for a business meeting to start

Trying to get a shot of the boys together

After seeing the trees we headed to a park to run around

Ansy loved the xylophone

and the swing

Riding a choo choo

swinging with Daddy

G-Man barely slowed down long enough for a photo, but he had fun too!

Fun Times with Nana

2011-12-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Nana came to visit well before Christmas so that she could help us in the last days before baby girl arrived and also so she could be there when I went into labor. We are so very appreciative that she came so early and for all that she did. It made the last days before Cami's arrival so much nicer for us all. And I know the boys were happy that she was with them while Mama and Dada had to stay in the hospital!

She helped us finish decorating the tree...

Nana and Grady enjoyed lots of "Stack the States" and "Stack the Countries" on the iPad!

Daddy and Anson

Anson enjoying some of the cookies we made for Grady's Christmas party

Watching some "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". Anson will ask for "Mickey house?" and "Hot dog?" (they do the hot dog dance at the end of the show).

Nana and the G-Man made a gingerbread house - Grady was really into it!

Finished product!

And a video of Anson enjoying his cookie...

Grady's Big Debut

2011-12-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Grady had several performance opportunities this holiday season, both at school and church. His first performance was as Joseph in the school Christmas program. He was SO excited about his big part, and he took it so seriously. He also told us that he was not nervous at all. This was not actually a speaking role, but he, Mary, and the angel were the only three costumed characters, so it was a big honor to get the part of Joseph. All of the children sang songs that basically told the story of Christmas. Mrs. Jamison, the director also narrated.

Here is some video from the show...

I also got some cute pictures...

Waiting to enter, with Mary

Grady is a big star!

So many friends came to tell him what a great job he did after the show, and I know that just made his day. He has been talking to me about wanting to do more theater, so we may try to get him involved in the South Carolina Children's Theater. My little ham!

Christmas Fun

2011-12-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

Before Camille's arrival we tried to fit in as much Christmasy fun as possible. First, we had to get our Christmas tree...

We also did breakfast with Santa, but unfortunately Anson was too sick to go. Grady was so cute though. He colored nicely, wrote a letter to Santa, and gave Santa tons of hugs.

Here we are, coloring

So excited to see Santa!

He is telling Santa that he's 5 now!

Hugs for Santa

We started to decorate the tree that night

Camille has Arrived!

2011-12-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

We are so proud to announce that Camille Rose Schmidt has arrived! I was scheduled for an induction on December 22 but she decided to pick her own birthday instead. On the evening of December 19 I started having contractions while I was playing with the boys. After putting them to bed (and having contractions through Grady's story time) I headed to the hospital. We got there at about 8pm, and she was born at 2:19AM on December 20th. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19 inches long. She was perfectly healthy in every way and seems to be doing great so far. She loves to eat and sleeps quite well for a tiny baby. She even likes her basinette! We are all so in love with her already.

Here are a few of her hospital photos:

Grady at 5!

2011-12-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

I have to take a pause from the Disney update to do a post about my favorite little FIVE year old! Grady turned five on November 27th, and I meant to post right away, but things have been crazy. I am not so sure about his size right now because his well visit is tomorrow, but there is lots to say about his development and personality!

In the past year he has done so much and learned so many new skills. He now reads all by himself, which is a huge one. He started when he was not quite 4.5 with the BOB series of early readers. He has finished the whole series and now reads various "early reader" type books. Lately he has been loving non-fiction books and reads simple books about science and nature himself. He amazes me with how quickly he has progressed with this! His spelling is also pretty good, though his actual writing skills are somewhat lacking. He still holds his pencil a bit crazy! But his teacher this year is really working on that with him (as are we), and he is making progress. Another area where he has made huge progress is in his coloring and artwork. It seems that overnight he went from basically scribbling to coloring meticulously. I think he just finally developed a real interest in it. He is also loving to draw now and will sit at his new desk and draw all sorts of great pictures. He cracks me up with the wide variety of subject matter - everything from our family to a Viking Ship (he wanted me to find a picture on the computer to help him know how to do it).

He has a very strong interest in science, which has really blossomed this year. He LOVES space, especially, and also the deep sea. But nature in general fascinates him. We read LOTS of books about science. Another love is geography. He loves to look at maps and even picked out a globe as his "toy" of choice when using a gift card recently. We read his children's atlas a lot, and he can tell you about many parts of the world. He really seems fascinated by Asia. When his teacher recently asked him where he would like to visit most, he said "China because I would like to see all of the ancient things there". He has told his whole class about Bangladesh and Cape Horn and also apparently had the whole group building Venice with blocks. As far as US geography, he can name most states by seeing their shape and also knows what state most bigger cities belong in. He knows many of the capitals as well.

He LOVES school, as always, but even more so this year. He has a fabulous teacher and just seems to love going every day. He is very social as well and just has so many friends there. As far as I know he has basically never had any type of major problem at school. During the parent/teacher conference she just could nto say enough good things about him, including the fact that she thinks he has the most amazing memory.

As far as active pursuits, he started swimming for REAL this summer. He could swim underwater last summer, but that only lasted until he needed a breath. This year he learned how to lift his head for air, which allowed him to swim farther distances. He also played soccer for the first time this fall. Daddy coached his team, which he loved. He scored 5 or 6 goals and was also quite a defensive force! He really loved it and cannot wait to play in the spring again.

Grady loves church and especially loves our pastor (the feeling between them seems to be mutual). He is involved in the children's choir also and will be performing for the first time next weekend! I joke that he is "Pastor Grady" because he just seems to naturally have a strong religious interest. He asks lots of questions about God and loves to read Bible stories.

The most amazing thing about little G is his kind and gentle spirit. As many people have said about him, he has a good heart. He is quick to hug (and sometimes even kiss) just about everyone around him. He is very affectionate and just loves people. I think his favorite person in the world must be his baby brother Anson, and he is beside himself excited to be getting a baby sister too. He talks to her lots and tries to feel her kick too.

Grady is just such a fun and exciting little boy. He has such a huge range of interests and is always telling me something new he wants to learn or try (guitar, acting, dancing, etc.). I have been so very lucky to have him in my life for 5 years. I never knew how amazing the world could be until he was in it.

Here are a few recent pictures, including a few from his actual birthday, which was low-key after the MANY festivities leading up to it.

At "superhero training" at the library - so cute

Birthday morning

opening his RC Publix truck, from Anson

blowing out the candle on the cake

At Roper Mountain Lights last weekend

At Festival of the Trees downtown

At Breakfast with Santa (more pictures of that coming, as there was a professional photographer)

picking out a tree yesterday

I also took Grady to see the Nutcracker last weekend (our second year going), which was super fun!

I can't wait to see what exciting things the next year with my little G brings!

Disney Magic - Part 4

2011-12-05T12:05:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday of our trip we decided to take a mid-week "break" of sorts. In the morning we did Chef Mickey's (right at our hotel) for a character breakfast (I think it was the best). Then Grady went off on a pirate cruise while the rest of us hung out by our pool. Anson really enjoyed the pool time and Grady LOVED his special pirate cruise!

Grady at the entrance

Here we are (minus Nana and Papa) with the Chef Mickey statue

Goofy!

Cupcake time (of course)!

Nana and G with the Big Mouse

A nice group picture

Donald was awesome, even when Anson threatened him with a fork

Nana and I brought Grady over to the marina at the Grand Floridian for his cruise

He got a bandana, a tattoo, and a pirate life vest

boarding the ship

All the kids, excited to go!

On our way back we saw them building the gingerbread house in our lobby - it smelled amazing!

We came back and all went to our pool and splash area

Anson loved this slide

Anson had a twin at the pool

Nana went to pick Grady up and got a few fun pictures

They went around to a bunch of different resorts and looked for hidden treasure. Then they got to split it up and keep some!

They came back to the pool and Grady got to enjoy the big slide - he loved it!

So did Papa

That afternoon, after resting and saying goodbye to Nana and Papa :( we headed back for a half day at the Magic Kingdom.

Our timing was amazing - we walked in as the parade was about to begin and somehow found a perfect open spot right on Main Street!

I love their parades - this one was fabulous and included so many great characters!

The rest of our timing was also great - we headed right over to the Magic Carpets, a very busy ride, but got on with no wait because the parade was still going on (we were right at the beginning of the route)

At the Tiki Room

After a repeat visit to Pirates of the Caribbean (for Grady) we went over to Tom Sawyer's Island, which both kids loved. They are like "Old Timey" kids - the playgrounds are always their favorites!

Grady tries to lead Ans over the shakey bridge

but he needs Dada

blurry but cute

We had dinner in Frontierland and ended a great day with ice cream!

Disney Magic - Part 3

2011-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

On our third full day at Disney we went to Animal Kingdom. It was everyone's first time at that park, and it is a beautiful place! We were there early for a character breakfast at Tusker House. It was a great place! The boys in front of the "Tree of Life"

Donald was greeting everyone outside the restaurant

Anson was not really a fan of this place, for some reason, but he did REALLY enjoy the "jungle juice"

Mickey!

Daisy!

Then we did this cool walking trail that led us through the forest and past all sorts of animals

Watching them feed a huge frog

gorilla - so close!

cool lady that looked like a tree - can you see her?

We did an amazing safari where you ride through on a Jeep, but I did not have my camera. Here are a few pictures from Nana

After the safari we headed to Dinoland

Triceratop Spin

The Dino Dig playground was a HUGE hit with both boys - we could have stayed for hours!

Anson, making a friend

I am pretty sure Grady thought he was the head excavator

We went to this very cool 3D movie that also had smell-effects and other cool surprises. It was based on "A Bug's Life". And look who was outside the movie - Flik!

Looking so cute!

The parade was really fun, and Grady actually got some shout-outs for his birthday from people in the parade!

Anson really enjoyed the parades

Then we had to go back for one last visit to the Dino Dig

We had dinner reservations at a fun and yummy place called Yak and Yeti. Look who is greeting customers!

The whole group, except Mama

Grady was so excited to get another birthday surprise!

Now for a few videos... This man made up a birthday song for Grady on the spot, based on just a few questions he asked - it was so cool!

A shot clip of Grady enjoying the Lion King live show

The parade!

Disney Magic - Part 2

2011-11-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

Our second full day at Disney we went to Magic Kingdom! This was the day I was waiting for - seeing the kids' reaction when they saw the castle and all of the great attractions at the Magic Kingdom. We got in early for breakfast and got a few pictures on an almost empty Main Street.

And of course in front of the castle

We headed over to the Crystal Palace and just had a short wait before they were ready for us.

It was such a nice place, and we really enjoyed meeting Pooh Bear and the gang!

Look how excited Grady is!

Eeyore!

Doing some sort of a dance through the restaurant

More characters came to visit... Piglet!

Tigger!

The Crystal Palace really went all out for Grady's birthday - he got a cupcake with a candle, a card signed by the characters, and confetti on the table.

Nana and Papa at the castle, after breakfast

We headed right off to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride, which gets very busy. They had a cool interactive screen that looked like dripping honey.

Jungle Cruise - old school, but a must-do

Driving the remote-control boats

chasing birds around the wild west

Not the greatest pictures, but we had to document Anson riding "It's a Small World" since it seemed to be a favorite. He rode it twice.

Totally not a good picture, but I find this so funny - Papa waving to the little Italian character who is rowing a gondola

Grady really liked it too and wanted to discuss where every little kids was from

Carousel

We all rode Dumbo - are you scared of Dumbo, Nana?

About to ride Splash Mountain with Dada - apparently this was a favorite. He rode it twice.

Grady and Anson loved this little playground next to Splash Mountain - it was small and simple, but it kept them busy for a long time

I believe this was the People Mover. Dada took these pictures while I was back at the resort so Anson could nap. Grady and Dada hit about 10 rides while were gone!

The Buzz ride

The Astro Orbiter

We got back to the park with Anson, rode the racecar ride, the teacups, and then had dinner. On the way out we got to see the castle looking so pretty for Chrismtas!

Disney Magic - Part 1

2011-11-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a very magical week at Disney World. I have to say, it went better than expected. We had beautiful weather, the parks were less crowded than I expected (very short lines for Disney), and I felt quite fantastic for 35 weeks pregnant! The boys enjoyed themselves. Anson got a tooth while we were there (of course), so there was a fair amount of fussing on his part, but he still really enjoyed some things ("It's a Small World" was a HUGE hit). Grady LOVED every moment and actually told us "All of my Grady dreams are coming true!" He's too much. Because it was almost his birthday they gave him a birthday pin to wear the whole time were there, and he received so many birthday wishes and special treats the entire trip. We did quite a few character meals, and each one included a birthday cupcake at the end! Since I have so many photos that I would like to share, I will split this up into several parts. Bear with me as I get the whole trip up here!

The flight down was so quick and easy - super short direct flight from Greenville and we were there. We rode the Magical Express to Disney too, which made for a quick arrival (though our luggage arrived many hours later - don't get me started on that!).

Anson Bo getting ready to leave Greenville!

Making wishes in the fountain

On our WAY! The kids were so good on the plane.

We had a beautiful HUGE 2 bedroom suite at the Bay Lake Tower (attached to the Contemporary). Grady got the master suite with a KING bed!

Our view of the great pool

And the lake

Getting on the Monorail for the first time

First ride on the Monorail, after purchasing a Mickey doll

View of Space Mountain from our hotel

Our first park to visit was Hollywood Studios. We had an early breakfast reservation, so we got in before the park even opened, which was great! We did that most days of the trip.

Here is Grady peeking in the doors

Daddy and Anson at breakfast

This breakfast had all of the characters from the Disney Junior shows - here's Oso!

June, from the "Little Einsteins" (my favorite kids show)

Mickey waffles - yum!

Doing some sort of dance

Handy Manny!

Birthday cupcake

Oso stopped by again

Jake, who was a big surprise

Grady with the giant Fantasia hat - look, no people yet!

While Grady went off to ride the Tower of Terror with Daddy and Papa, Nana and I took Ansy to the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground, which was a BIG hit with both kids!

Anson loves a good slide - he calls it a "wheee!"

We had to get a picture with the Tower of Terror since it was all Grady would talk about afterwards!

The Beauty and the Beast show was really fun!

Big Mama and the G-Man

We waited to meet Buzz and Woody and Grady quite enjoyed all of the photo opps along the way!

Papa!

"ooooh!"

Such joy to see Buzz!

Woody!

The Backlot Tour was great too - Grady was a bit scared of the fire part though!

Mike, from Monsters, Inc

Anson loved this slink dog toy

Relaxing with a pop

with Nana

Grady also saw the car stunt show and we all saw the Disney Junior show, which the kids both LOVED. Anson and Grady sang and danced the whole time.

It was a great start to the trip!

Bayou Bash

2011-11-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Grady's 5th birthday early this past weekend with a big "Bayou Bash". About 25 friends were there (not including all of the parents!), and Grady had a fabulous time. The highlight of the party was definitely the "Critter Keeper", a man who put on an hour-long show where he introduced the kids to about 15 different animals. The kids got to hold or touch many of them, and Grady got to assist with many of the animals. The rest of the party was fun too, and included a bug hunt, lunch, and cake. The kids also just had fun running around the yard and playing with all of our outdoor toys. It was a nice day but quite windy so some of my plans for decor were ruined, but I realize that is about the least important thing to an almost 5 year old boy!

The critter man arrived early to set up and then let Grady see a few creatures that were not in the show!

He almost got away!

Friends started to trickle in and the show really got going!

He also made the kids laugh a lot!

Lots of dads were there! Anson watched from Dada's shoulders

Hissing cockroach

Grady says this guy was his favorite

Grady helping with a magic trick

At the end they held a huge snake!

I held it too!

Bug hunt

Some of the littler ones playing

The dessert table (which I was able to decorate since the house blocked the wind) - I made the cake, cupcakes, and dirt cups. And the Swamp Water Punch was quite a hit!

Grady opened his gifts later, after a rest

Thanks to the many friends who came and made the day such a special celebration for Grady!

Halloween Fun!

2011-11-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Despite lots of craziness lately (Anson getting quite sick and just generally being super busy) we managed to have an awesome Halloween! Or, as I like to call it to Grady, "A Teeny Halloweeny". Anyway, we started the day with Grady's pumpkin party at school, which I was in charge of (along with another mom). Grady and I made the brownie cupcakes together, and I made "Witch's Wands" (chocolate dipped pretzel sticks).

I didn't get too many pictures of the party because I was handing everything out and keeping an eye on crazy Anson Bo who was trying to steal everyone's treats and juice. A few other moms took pictures and said they would share them with me.

Anson enjoyed himself

Since it was almost the end of the day, we hung out on the playground with Grady and friends.

They had a pretend ice cream stand going

When Eric got home we carved 3 pumpkins (the ones that represent the kids). We were last-minute but that's because I didn't want them to get yucky before Halloween. Last weekend we did 4 others (Mama, Dada, Gaga, and Grandpa Carl) with rub-on faces that were really cool, mostly because Grady could do it himself.

Anson didn't really want to take part in digging out the goop, surprisingly. He doesn't love yucky stuff as much as Grady.

Grady with our works of art! Actually, that's just Anson and baby sister. Grady isn't carved yet.

After dinner the boys got suited up to go trick-or-treating! Grady was ready first. He LOVED his costume and put it back on after school today.

With neighborhood friends (Drew, Olivia, and Sarah)

With best bud, Drew. They stuck together all night

Anson makes his appearance! His costume was plenty long enough, but when we carried him his pants rode up. He seemed to actually sort of get the idea that everyone was dressed up. He kept his headpiece on very well and even made monkey sounds - SO CUTE!

Trying to get the perfect shot

And Daddy went as a crazy redneck pipeliner. No wait, that's just how he goes to work - haha!

Anson kept giving Ashley hugs and saying "hug hug"

He enjoyed walking though he could not keep up with the bigger kids, of course. Grady was running from house to house at an amazing speed!

Here is most of our crew (Grady is in there somewhere) at a very cool house

At the end of the night Grady got to give out candy for a bit, which he thought was VERY cool. He also loved that some of the big kids that came by told him they liked his costume! Oh, and the pumpkins on the right are the adults - Mama and Dada are together, Grandpa is on the bottom, and Gaga is on the top with the pink lips :)

It was such a fun day for the boys! I especially could not believe how much Anson enjoyed himself. It was no surprise that Grady was filled with excitement all day!

A Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took the boys to Niven's Farm to pick pumpkins and enjoy all sorts of other fun activities. This was Grady's fourth year going and Anson's first. Needless to say, it has become a beloved fall tradition in our house! We ended up with 7 pumpkins and lots of fun memories and pictures...

Grady is always a ham, so I got some pictures of him with the pumpkins when we arrived

And the tractor - still smaller than a wheel :)

Baby A is harder to capture, but he was quite happy and excited about EVERYTHING

Out in the patch

Anson actually pushed the wheelbarrow!

Checking out a "pump-poo"

Farmer Anson assessing the crop

G-Man using the clippers for the first time!

The boys all pushed the pumpkins back to the farm store

Then we checked out some animals - this was a pig

Bouncing on the tires - Anson loved it but thought it was best to do it sitting

Sweet Grady is always picking flowers for his Mama

At the tee pee

Maybe some sort of Native American dance?

Hi Grady!

Such sweet brothers

Anson enjoyed this little playhouse

Some more bouncing

Hay ride time!

Checking out the chicks

We do this every year

For comparison, this was when he was about 23 month old (our first year)

There was a professional phtographer there, and he took some beautiful shots of Anson (we bought a few). Anson played peek-a-boo with him for a while. Unfortunately this is scanned so the quality isn't great.

So that was our morning at the farm. It was sort of fall weather (though it ended up being in the 80's that day) and got us in the mood for a fun fall season!

Baby Girl Pictures

2011-10-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have about 8 weeks to go before baby girl is here (assuming I am induced early because of cholestasis). I just had a doctor's appointment yesterday and had another ultrasound. The tech decided to be nice and let me see some of her in 3D, which was awesome. The only issue at this point is that she is still head up (breech) but she does still have quite a bit of time to turn. I also took a few belly photos since I had not taken a single one yet during this pregnancy, and it is coming into the home stretch!

Close-up

Baby girl in 3D!

Cuteness

2011-10-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

There was no other good title for this post. The boys have both been so cute lately - Anson because he has actually been ear infection-free for a week or so, and Grady because he is always just Mr. Personality and always doing something fun and new.

Grady went to his first nighttime birthday party last weekend, for his friend Rylee! He was the only boy invited, actually. They showed a movie on a screen outside, so they had to wait until it was dark enough to see it. He stayed up until about 9:30 and thought he was very cool! They wore PJs to the party - it was so cute!

Here he is hugging the birthday girl at the end of the night

Anson and Grady needed haircuts badly - here are some "before" shots of Ansy Bo - loving the measuring tape he found

And after, enjoying a pop

Grady!

I love the shirts they were wearing!

Anson loves our neighbor, "Miss Charlena" and loves to mess with her stuff and get into her garage. Here he is sweeping her driveway

And playing on her stairs

When I asked him to say "cheese"

Grady and his friends ready for a soccer game on Saturday!

Anson watching from the sidelines (reluctantly)

Hope you have all had your fill of cuteness :)

GOAL!

2011-10-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Grady scored his second goal of the season at yesterday's soccer game (it was his third game). He is generally very into defense and great at stopping the other team, but yesterday he was also an offensive force :) He is loving soccer and doing great. He is also such a team player, and yesterday he did a special dance whenever someone on his team scored. He also went and hugged his friend who was on the other team and told her she had a great game after she scored her first goal (the other team's only goal) at the game.

Here are a few picture's from last week's game. I didn't get many of this week's game since I was chasing Anson around a lot.

Grady in action (warming up before the game, actually)

During the game

He's the one in the sunglasses right at the ball

Coach Dada is also doing great! He has whipped his team into shape!

"I love you"

2011-10-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (October 1, 2011) Anson said "I love you" for the first time! Granted, he was probably mostly just copying me, since he will repeat just about anything. But I whispered "I love you" to him, and he smiled and said "I yu yoo". Too cute.

Myrtle Beach - Part 3

2011-09-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning we went to the breakfast buffet at our hotel where Anson ate all sorts of manly breakfast meats. Grady had waffles :) Then the boys headed into the hot tub for a little bit (Anson just dipped in again) since it was cool outside.

Then we got ready to head out to Broadway at the Beach, a fun area of town with rides, restaurants, shops, and museums. We fed some huge fish when we first arrived...

Then it was off to the aquarium. Grady also did this with Nana last year but was very excited to return.

Anson started to get quite cranky after a while, but Daddy helped a lot by taking him on walks around. He did enjoy the bubble though.

So did Grady

Petting some horseshoe crabs

The boys loved the slide where you come out of an anglerfish's mouth

After a nap we returned to the area for some ice cream

Then it was off to the rides! Grady wanted to ride the huge pirate ship, which looked quite scary

He loved it (they are at the top of the picture)

Meanwhile Grandpa and Anson struck a pirate pose

Then Anson went on his first real ride EVER! And he loved it. He cried when the ride ended.

So he went on another

And another

Then G rode the motorcycles and pressed his button the ENTIRE time. The button made this loud engine sound and was driving the girls in front of him crazy - priceless.

Some teacups

We were almost o ut of tickets and thought Anson should get one more spin on the boats, since they seemed to be his favorite. He was quite happy at first...

But then freaked out when it was time for the ride to start - I guess since he wasn't with Grady. So they stopped the ride to let him off and Grady got to ride instead. Poor little Ans.

That evening we ate dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Grady and I took a short walk before dinner and found this (of course)...

These few are from Friday evening (out of order here). We took a walk on the beach and Grady wrote everyone's names in the sand.

So that's about it, though I will post some video later. We had a very fun trip, despite some craziness. We enjoyed our time with Gaga and Grandpa as well!

Myrtle Beach - Part 2

2011-09-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

The next 2 days were cooler and cloudy (thankfully no rain!). The good thing about Myrtle though is that there is tons to do there besides swim. We headed off the next morning for Alligator Adventure! Grady had gone with Nana last year, but none of the rest of us had ever been.

He likes to lounge. You will notice lots of binkie in these pictures. Anson had something going on for about a day and a half. Stomach issues, maybe teeth - not sure. He did come down with a cold the day we got back from vacation, so maybe it was that coming on. Not sure, but the bink was keeping him happier.

A Kookaburra - we sing about those guys in Anson's Kindermusik class! Grady knows the song too, so we had to sing a little.

Grady and a huge gator

He's real!

Not the best picture of A, but there are only about 2 of me from the whole trip - proof that I was there!

petting a snake!

And a gator!

Albino gators - very very rare and good luck to see them, apparently

Checking out the babies and some guys who were in the "hospital"

Grady LOVED this guy - he even remembered this exhibit from last year and was excited to see it the whole time we were there

After lunch Anson napped while Grady got to go mini golfing!

It was a Captain Hook themed place and apparently the most over-the-top mini golf place ever.

Grady got 3 holes in one!

That night we all went to Margaritaville for dinner. Grady and I had non-alcoholic pina coladas :)

Outside - there was music, hence there was dancing...

Inside

Grandpa kept Ans entertained for a bit (video to come)

This lady was making balloon animals - Grady loved her, of course

One more post coming!

Myrtle Beach - Part 1

2011-09-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a 4 night trip to Myrtle Beach. We met up with Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt there and did lots of fun things with the boys. Grady always LOVES the beach, and this was Anson's first real visit since he was only 2 months old last time.

Anson got very excited when we got to the sand!

And he loved the water!

He also thought the splashy play area was fabulous

Grady was showing him around

The boys having a blast!

After a great night of sleep he was ready to go the next morning!

As was Grady

Our view from the 14th floor

Checking out the view

Lots of digging went on - we made a big bayou

He stayed busy for a while like this

Daddy and Grady riding the waves

Grady rode the waves several times with grandpa too

Beachy Baby

Beachy Boy

Back in the splash area

Before dinner

At dinner Anson stole my whole dessert and shoved it in his mouth

Some video... Anson's first real look at the ocean

Soccer!

2011-09-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Grady's first soccer game was on Saturday. It was a huge success (for Grady, Coach Daddy, and the whole team). Though they do not keep official score at this level, it is safe to say that their team won. Grady scored his first goal as well! Too bad I missed it since I was chasing little Anson around the sidelines. I did get to watch most of the game though. Grady also played some very good defense, which is not always the strong point of 4 year olds.

Grady and Coach before the game

getting ready

pre-game prayer (this is a church-run league)

We are so excited for more games!

Grady's First Day of School!

2011-09-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Grady went back to school a week ago. He is still at GCPK, which we all love! This year he has Mrs. Will who is a fabulous teacher. This will be his last year before Kindergarten! He was very excited to go back, and though I am already missing him a lot when he is at school, I am also very excited for him.

Here he is with the banner I made and the little cone filled with treats (I started this tradition last year). The cone has all sorts of little messages and stickers on it. He LOVES those cones so much -I plan to do one every year. He said I even need to do them when he is in college :)

So cute!

On our way! Look at them holding hands!

Outside his great (very big!) classroom

With a good friend, Hannah, on the first day

What is a little bro to do on his big bro's first day? Come home and play with his toys, of course!

We are looking forward to a wonderful school year!

A Special Bear

2011-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, in anticipation of Grady moving to his new big room (and new big bed), we let him make a special bear to keep him company and help him feel more secure. He has done great in his new room, but I know he has really appreciated his new friend too :) About to push the pedal to stuff her!

Baby Bro looking on....

Giving her heart some love

Giving her a bath after - can you please notice how ridiculous his bear is? It was the brightest, craziest one there was. Her name is "Little Flower"

We went out to lunch after, and guess who enjoyed that?

"Where's the meat!?"

A video...

Tires

2011-09-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

Grady loves tires - no idea why he loves them so much, but when we went to Sam's Club to buy a mattress for his new big bed, he had to go play in the tire section. He requested that I take pictures - always a little ham!

With the Michelin Man

He's pretty small still!

A Love of Cheerios

2011-09-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

It is a special love that Anson has for Cheerios...

Soccer!

2011-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Grady started soccer a couple weeks ago, and he is loving it. It helps that Eric is his coach! Eric signed up to be an assistant, but they decided to ask him to be a head coach, so he accepted. So far they have had 2 practices. They have one more practice and then a game on Saturday. Grady is #3! Good luck G-Man!

Here he is before his first practice...

Check out his awesome little legs

Butterflies!

2011-08-29T16:20:00.001-07:00

Grady and I recently ordered our caterpillars for the butterfly garden. We watched them get fat, build their chrysalids, and emerge as beautiful butterflies. We took care of them for several days, fed them orange slices, and watched them carefully. But we finally decided that they should get to live at least part of their life out in the fresh air with real flowers. They only live for about 2 weeks, so we didn't have too much time to waste. Last week we released them into our yard. It was bittersweet for Grady, who immediately said "I miss my butterflies" but it was a nice way to end our time with them.

He picked each on up and lifted it out, one by one. Not sure if that was their preferred method, but it made him happy, and they seemed fine.

And a little video - bonus is little Anson toddling around all over the place

Little Grady in the Big City

2011-08-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Grady and Mama made the 2 hour drive to Atlanta to celebrate Mama's birthday together. We enjoyed a full day at the AMAZING aquarium (biggest in the world!), ate dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (so cute), stayed overnight downtown at a very nice place, and then finished off the trip with some fun at Olympic Park. I loved having that special time with my little Grady, and I know he did too. I took LOTS of pictures and video, so I will try to stick to the best ones here...

There was a really neat kids play area with touch tanks, a climbing area, slides, and a huge pretend boat that G loved. Grady grabbed a shrimp out of the touch tank, and it just about jumped out of the tank - quite funny.

reaching for a big starfish

coming out of a tunnel

making a lighthouse spin and light up with a crank

pointing out some fish

He's part of the exhibit!

Anyone for crab legs?

the pneguin area was AMAZING (video to follow)

mesmerized...

In the coral reef area

We saw in incredible dolphin show and then this 3D movie

View from our pool

Olympic Park! We had a beautiful view of it from our hotel room.

He loved that olympic ring fountain

See the olympic flag?

At the base of one of the torches

Wishing in the fountain. He said "I wish we could stay here forever" and "I wish Mama could always be with me."

That's our hotel behind him - great location!

They had a fun playground too!

Now for some video...

checking out the Orca Whales

The cool octopus - listen to Grady talking

In the really cool "penguin tunnel"

Jellyfish!

Inside the cool tunnel - but where is Grady looking?

Driving the ship

Having a blast at Olympic Park

Anson is 15 months old!

2011-08-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Anson turned 15 months old yesterday, so I thought it was time for an update on him. He is doing well.

He talks up a storm - crazy. I thought Grady was a talker, but he has him beat (at this age). He will do the sounds for a dog, pig, chicken, and sheep. He also says "no! no!" very sternly while pointing at things he is not supposed to touch (like electrical outlets). He says Mama, Dada, Grady (more like "Dee Dee"), uh oh, bye bye, caught, pop (when asking for one at the end of EVERY meal), nana (banana), yuck, light (he is obsessed with lights of any sort), eye (he points to mine and says it), bottle (baba), and bubble. He will also hold his finger to his lips and say "ssshhhhh" if we do or if something is loud. He can point to his body if you ask him "where's your body?" (makes him VERY proud). He signs milk, more, all done.

He loves books now. "Hop on Pop" is a favorite, and he will bring it over to me saying "pop pop". He also says some of the parts in the book. There is a part that says "No Pat No" which he particularly loves. He also likes "Let's Dance Little Pookie" and will wave at the sky when they say "Hello Sky!" His other favorite is "The Very Busy Spider". When they say "she caught it in her web" he will grab the air and say "caught!" (quite clearly actually).

He still LOOOOVES to eat. Seriously. I am guessing he eats about 1200 calories per day - is that normal? How is he not enormous? He still takes 5 bottles of day (almond milk now). We are starting to move him to sippy cups for milk - he has juice or water in them very happily but won't drink his milk as well out of one). Then he eats 3 meals per day and 2-3 snacks. And every time I feed him it is as if he hasn't eaten in days - inhaling the food by the fistful. He still loves meat - meatballs, deli meat (Boar's Head turkey or ham), meatloaf, meat sauce on pasta, etc. He also loves peanut butter and sunflower butter. He eats any type of fruit but isn't so great about veggies.

He goes to the doctor in about a week, so I will know for sure then, but I am pretty sure he is still quite tall for his age (he towers over every other baby his age that I see). His head is clearly huge since even some 18-24 month hats are tight, and he is about 23 pounds (not sure how that falls). He looks nice and chunky to me, though his height and long legs make him look a little thinner than he would otherwise. He is wearing 12-18 month clothes, though the rompers are starting to be a bit short.

He is a big laugher and we have all sorts of little games he loves. Like he will sit in his little armchair in his room and wait for me because he wants me to crawl across the floor and then tickle him while saying "I'm gonna get you!" He laughs hysterically every time.

His favorite toys are trucks and cars (he is loving his Little People schoolbus lately), ring stackers (we have a few), and anything Grady is playing with. He loves to just mess around with Grady. They chase each other, make each other laugh, and play all sorts of games. Anson is also loving his Glowworm now that he figured out how to turn it on. He also turns on his crib sotther sometimes and just loves the music. He really seems to enjoy music in general and will often dance like crazy when it is on. I am hoping to do a Kindermusik class with him this fall.

He is just such a sweet little guy - very cuddly and loving. We adore our little "Anson Bo"!

A few recent pictures...

At the tool store with Daddy, eating snacks, of course

At Daddy's work!

Having a beloved pop

Playing trains at the bookstore

Playing in the sandbox (he didn't move for about 45 minutes)

Swings! He loves them.

At the library today

I love my little "poochiki"!

Baby Girl!

2011-08-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my "big ultrasound" and found out that baby #3 is a girl! She was very cooperative, and we got a very good look at her, so not only are we very sure about the gender, but we got some great pictures! Here are a few of the best...

A pretty leg - see, her foot is on the left

cute profile with hand up to mouth (it was almost the whole time)

Hee hee - see the little nose?

Little foot with all her perfect little toes!

Waving

Giving us a thumbs up

So we are now thinking about names and planning her hursery. Oh, and Grady told me "we need to go get her first outfit!", so we will go together this weekend to pick one out. He went with me after we found out Anson was a boy too! Grady is SUPER eixcted to be getting a baby sister and talks to her all the time. Anson doesn't even realize how much fun they are going to have together yet!

Fun post about our weekend in Atlanta coming up!

Anson's First Haircut!

2011-08-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Anson finally got his first haircut. I had been debating doing it for some time, but it was hard to accept cutting off those cute blonde curls. However he was starting to look like a mad scientist, so I decided it was time. I took both boys to Jellybean Kids for a cut. Baby's first haircut is only a penny, so that was nice! Anson also got a little certificate, and they saved a bunch of his hair for me. Although most of his curls did get cut off, they didn't cut too short, so I think he still looks very babyish. And his curls are actually already reappearing. The 100 degrees with about 99% humidity is probably helping!

They actually wash their hair at this place! Anson did SO well, though I did preventatively give him the bink.

He got to sit in a little car!

Dapper!

Two handsome little guys!

Overjoyed by balloons on the way home!

At home:

Summery Fun!

2011-08-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

We have been keeping very busy lately! Grady has gone to several camps this summer (all just half-day camps). He is actually at sports camp this morning. Two weeks ago he did a bug-themed camp at the awesome children's museum downtown, which he LOVED. Of course I couldn't get any pictures of him at camp, since I wasn't there, but here we are playing outside on the first day. I mostly got Anson since Grady was excitedly running around like crazy. Yes, even though Anson is 14 months old, he is more mellow than his 4 year old brother :)

Then, last weekend, we all went to a waterpark near our house. It was extremely hot that day (even for us) but we had a great time!

On the little kid slide after (Anson HAD to do this) - Grady also did the bigger slide

Then Grady rode the "Flowrider", a surfing simulator. He did so well!

Check out the awesome video...

Grady's New Toy and Anson's Date

2011-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Grady's awesome Nana bought him a very cool toy recently - an iPad! As tempted as I am to steal it for myself, it is really all his. We have gotten some very cool apps for him - mostly educational stuff. He is particularly excited about a few space ones and will check those out whenever possible. So thank you Nana! I got a few cute pictures of him playing with it when he first got it...

Anson, on the other hand, has been spending time with a "baby lady friend" :) Ashley is my very good friend Darby's baby, who is 2 months older than Ans. We all went to the bookstore and out shopping for a bit the other day. I managed to snap this picture of the two of them side by side in the backseat:

They share a love of binkies, mischief, and being cute.

Swinging and Jumping

2011-08-06T08:29:00.001-07:00

Here are 2 cute videos that I never shared from Massachusetts...

The first is one of Anson swinging:

This one is Grady playing on an inflatable on the 4th of July:

Massachusetts - the last few days

2011-07-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

We had a busy few days, so on Thursday and Friday we decided to take it easy. On Thursday we did go to Friendly's for lunch, along with Grammy Nancy and Nana.

Here's Anson before we left

And G-Man

On Friday we celebrated Grammy Nancy's birthday with a little party at Nana's house. Uncle Mark's granddaughters also came, and Grady got to play with them.

They all wanted to help Grammy Nancy open gifts!

Later that day, since it was rainy, Nana and Papa took the boys to the bookstore while Mama and Dada relaxed.

On their way. Rules are already being broken, I'm sure. I'm surprised Anson doesn't have a chocolate bar - haha!

Such a cute one

By this time some bad teething had set in, so Anson was "binkie boy"

On Saturday the weather was very nice again, and we headed over to Grampy Bruce and Yummy Pat's house for a little party!

But first, the kids needed to try out the teeny tiny chair

Lynn and her kids came, and they played with Grady a bunch.

Making BIG bubbles with Nana

AWESOME one!

We had lots of fun swimming, and Grady loved looking at cars with Grampy Bruce. Gaga and Grandpa Schmidt even made the drive from NY to be there. It was a great way to end our trip! We miss everyone already! Come and visit (or move here) anytime!

Massachusetts - Day on the Farm

2011-07-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday of our Massachusetts trip we took the boys to Davis Farmland, a super fun hands-on farm with tons to do. It was a hot day, so in addition to doing the regular farm stuff, we also enjoyed their water area.

Here we go!

Dada and Ans at the entrance

We got right to work feeding the goats

A nice donkey

Anson liked her too!

The petting are with lots of little guys

Then we visited the chickens - G's favorite!

He loved holding them!

In the reptile house

Holding baby goats!

brushing goats

pony ride

Water fun - probably Anson's favorite thing

pretty sure he thought this was a step

The foam pit!

Back to the farm...

This farmer made Grady an "Official Junior Farmer" (he was the only kid I saw with that special sticker). Grady took his title quite seriously.

After a hayride, Grady finished a great day by milking a goat!

After a great day at the farm, that evening Anson took a tub in the sink!

Massachusetts - Part 3

2011-07-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Grady and Eric went to Watch Hill, RI, which is a really pretty beach and a cute little town. They played on the beach, visited the lighthouse, got ice cream, and checked out the boats.

Meanwhile, Anson, Mama, Nana, and Grammy Nancy went shoe shopping and to the bookstore (which child got the better deal there?). Here's Baby A at Barnes and Noble (complete with tons of drool from teething so badly)

That afternoon, after naptime, Anson played in the backyard in the baby pool

SO after promising to finish this post over a WEEK ago, I am finally doing it because SOMEone (Eric) finally sent me the pictures from their phone.

So while Anson was hanging with Nana, Grammy Nancy, and Mama, Grady was at the beach in RI with Daddy...

Riding the really old carousel (I think it is the oldest one still operating in the US)

Grabbing for rings! He got 5, I think?

"To the Lighthouse"

Apparently they went into the little museum and were the only ones to sign the guestbook with a SC address!

More Mass memories to come...

Massachusetts - Part 2

2011-07-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we went to Dean Park for their festivities. We got there early, got a picnic table, and camped out for a few hours. There was music, food, and lots of bouncy fun!

Grady liked this tree

Mama and Anson

Papa had Anson giggling on the blanket

The boys, in their cute matching hats

Thanks for the festive outfits, Nana!

Anson was saying "Papa" while we were there!

Grady and Nana were off to find some bouncy fun!

This thing was crazy!

Nana took both boys on the little train

Italian Ice!

Back to the car on Papa's shoulders

And we bumped into Elmo!

Anson liked him too!

We headed over to Grampy Bruce and "Yummy Pat's" house after too cool off in their pool.

So it was really quite a fun 4th of July, despite the kids being too little to stay up for fireworks!

Massachusetts - Part 1

2011-07-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a very fun (yet tiring) trip to Massachusetts. It was Anson's first trip up there, so a lot of family got to meet him for the first time. Grady has been several times, but he seemed to love it more than ever on this visit. Maybe it was the beautiful weather and all of the love he received from everyone we saw! I'll break up this post since we took a LOT of pictures!

The flight from Charlotte to Boston was not so much fun since we got bumped form our first flight and had to sit in the airport with two small children for many hours, but Eric did try very hard to keep Anson happy...

We ended up getting in right before dinner and bedtime on Friday night, but we started Saturday off with a fun trip to the Ecotarium in Worcester.

Grady checked out the owls - one of his favorite animals

Anson enjoyed running around the place

They both liked the wind machine, especially A

The wind blowing his crazy hair

Grady made a tornado

This face just says "mischief" to me

Nana and Papa took them on the train too

The next morning Grady really wanted to check out Nana's yard. He also loved the bug catching kit she got for him.

Nana and Grady went to pick raspberries that morning, then we all met up at Dean Park to play. Grady met a friend from China, and actually told her "hello" in Chinese - smart boy :)

Despite their language barrier, they played endlessly.

Anson had fun too!

A few more of Grady (taken by Nana)

That afternoon was rainy, so Nana, Mama, Grammy Nancy, and Grady all went to see Cars 2. Grady was great at the theater and really enjoyed his movie!

Lots more to come...

Camping

2011-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Grady and Eric went camping in the backyard last weekend, in honor of the "Great American Backyard Campout". Lots of fun was had by all (I put Anson to bed and then went out back with the monitor to participate in the fun), though the night ended with Grady being unable to sleep outside and coming inside to sleep in the comfort of his own bed. What "my first camping trip" story would be complete without an ending like that? :)

Grady and Eric set up the tent early in the day

We built a crazy redneck campfire in our backyard. But how cute are they sitting there in the their camping chairs?

Eating a hotdog that was grilled over the fire

His first time roasting a marshmallow over a fire!

I don't think he realized how good the S'mores were going to be!

The boys by their tent

We look forward to lots more camping with Grady in the future!

Cooling Off

2011-06-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

It has already been one heck of a hot summer here, so we have been finding lots of ways to cool off. One of our favorite ways is ice cream, of course. Here we are on Father's Day, enjoying some Rita's Italian Ice (since Ans still can't have dairy).

Sharing with his brother

Baby-Man

2011-06-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Anson is such a little guy's guy. He loves eating, already shows interest in cars and trucks, and loves to hang out in the garage. Here are some pictures of him playing in the garage the other day.

He loves Grady's butterfly net!

He also seems to have an affection for dirt

Oh joy - the Cozy Coupe!

He also loves this little flag that Grady stuck in the garden

American Baby

His cheeks are huge, and I adore them

Video of him playing in the Coupe

An Afternoon at the Park

2011-06-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

After Grady's last day of zoo camp we decided to stay downtown for a bit and play at the really nice playground outside the zoo. One major benefit to it is that there are these large canopies up above the equipment, which offer some shade and keep it almost cool enough to want to play outside. The boys both had so much fun! Grady was being a spider and climbed to the top of his web for the very first time!

Anson loved this little area with a mirror and balls

A's hair is so long - curly and blonde. I know I need to cut it because it is beginning to look like girl hair!

G-Man!

Anson drove the fire engine!

His serious face

We hit Strossners on the way home for a lunch date (to celebrate G's first ever week of camp!). The boys were very good for the most part. Lots of good eating, anyway.

A cute video of Anson driving the fire engine...

Butterfly Garden

2011-06-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

I recently took both boys to the butterfly garden at the science center on a not AS hot day. We had a great time - hiking on the trails, checking out the flowers and bugs, watching the turtles in the pond.

G at the entrance

Anson at the turtle pond

Grady on the little dock that was making me nervous

Mama and Anson self-portrait

Grady showing off some crazy flowers

We have been having lots of summery fun! G has had 2 camps this week - church camp and zoo camp. Next week he starts private swim lessons. We have been loving both Kindermusik classes (the sibling music class and Grady's pre-piano class). And we have been fitting in plenty of pool time and playground time too!

Ice Cream!

2011-06-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Grady and I made our own ice cream the other day - without an ice cream maker! It was amazing to see how well it actually worked and how yummy it was. It was more like a science experiment than anything else. You put cream, vanilla, and sugar into a zip-loc baggie, then you put that into a bigger bag filled with ice and rock salt. Shake for 5 minutes and you get ice cream!

He's so sensitive to the sun, but here are a few pictures of Grady making and enjoying his treat!

The Big Tub

2011-06-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Grady has been taking most of his tubs with Anson lately, and they have such fun together. But once in a while we let him have his tub in the big jetted one in Mama and Dada's bathroom. He loves the jets and the fact that they make the bubbles go crazy. I love how cute he looks with his little face sticking out of the bubbles.

Walking

2011-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

It is high time I got around to posting this video which shows little Anson taking some of his first steps! This was a few days after he started, and just gets better by the day. He's been having a rough week with 3 molars all popping through within 2 days of one another, but he still practices his walking every chance he gets!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

I posted a few pictures of Grady from last weekend, but I thought I would post the rest and do a quick little recap of our holiday weekend. On Saturday we went to "Freedom Weekend Aloft", a huge festival in our town that includes hot air balloon rides (though we did not partake). They have lots of rides, some big names playing music, and lots of food. I did not remember my camera, but Eric took a few with his phone.

Grady wanted to do this so badly, and he had a blast - they roll around in this big ball in a pool of water. Crazy!

Me and the boys with the giant banana (mascot of a regional grocery store). Not sure if G is yawning or what.

Grady was SO excited about the live music - here we are enjoying it

It's cool because this is right at our local park, but we get a lot of big names - Willie Nelson is coming in a couple weeks!

On Sunday we had our neighborhood pool party, which was tons of fun. We love our neighbors!

Eric and Anson

Me and Ans

I posted the cute ones of G in the post about him being 4.5.

Monday morning we went out to breakfast, which I always love to do. Unfortunately, by Monday afternoon G had come down with a pretty high fever (103). It lasted about 48 hours, he didn't even really feel sick, and he never got any other symptoms. I have no idea what that was about!

This past week was a little tough. I wasn't feeling so great (though I think I am really starting to turn the corner), it was about a million degrees (OK, about 100), and we had no real plans. This week we already did the butterfly garden, and we have 2 Kindermusik classes starting (a sibling class and a pre-piano class for G). Next week we also have zoo camp and church camp for G. So we have lots coming up now!

While Mama and Dada were Away

2011-06-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue, and I am totally going to blame it on child #3 (who is not even here yet to defend him/herself). I have been feeling worse than while pregnant with Anson or Grady, and most nights once the kids are in bed I just flop on the couch and watch TV. But I am feeling a bit better, so hopefully I will catch up here a bit.

While Eric and I went to Mexico 2 weeks ago, Nana, Gaga, and Grandpa Carl all came to stay with the 2 little guys. They took great care of them, of course, and it sounds like they all had a lot of fun too. It was so great because all of the reports about how well both boys were doing made it so much easier to really enjoy our little trip. I wish I could give more in the way of stories to go with these pictures, but of course I was not there, so I will try to give some comments when I was told a story about what was going on.

Mostly, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of our parents who helped out. I know the boys loved their time with you!

Some pictures from the pool...

Grady apparently wanted Nana to take these of him "making tea"

Gaga and Anson Baby

Snackin'

More snackin' - at home. Apparently Anson ate like 10 men while we were away (which is not really unusual).

Playtime - on his new rocker

With Miss Darby and Ash

Look at those teeth! And he's got lots more coming in (molars) as we speak!

Tubby Time

Apparently Nana took Anson on quite a few walks...

CUTE face!

I know Grady went to the train show with Gaga and Grandpa and played outside lots. I wish I had pictures of everything! But there is a little taste of what the little guys were up to when Mama and Dada were away.

Grady at 4.5

2011-05-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I know I have done lots more updates on Anson's development and growth than I have on Grady, obviously because they change so much in the first year of life. But Grady just had his "half birthday", and since he has been developing lots of new skills lately, I figured he deserved a little post for himself.

One of the biggest new things he has been doing, developmentally, is READING! Grady's reading has been improving in leaps and bounds. When he started reading and was stumbling over those few short first words, I never would have guessed how quickly he would just take off! We are using the BOB series of books, and he is now on level 3. He is also starting to read more and more when we are out and about or on the cereal box or when I am reading a tougher book to him. We are also doing a reading skills workbook, which he really enjoys. He just loves books, and I know he is so proud of his new reading abilities. I cannot wait to see him grow more and more in this area.

Since we have been doing that workbook I have seen some other skills start to emerge (or strengthen, really). I had not seen him cut with scissors in a while, and his fine motor skills have not been his biggest strength in the past year or so, but he really impressed me the other day. The workbook page asked him to color in 5 pictures of a girl (going from baby to adult), then cut them out along the lines, and then glue them in order of age on a piece of paper. I was quite surprised when he cut along the lines so perfectly! Last time I cut with him he was basically just doing random little snips. His writing skills have been coming along too, so I guess these sort of go hand in hand. He writes his name very well now (has for about 6 months), and can write just about anything since the kid can SPELL after all! So funny how a child can really excel in one thing (like reading) and struggle a bit with another (like writing). But it all works out in the end.

As far as his physical skills, Grady's big new (well not too new - he did it last year too) is SWIMMING! Seriously, he did not skip a beat. Though he had not been in the pool for about 6 months he jumped right in the first day back (quite literally), not hesitating for a minute. He swims underwater now for long distances and can dive down to get things off the bottom (he loves doing this!). I need to get that boy into some swim lessons because it really does seem to be a natural talent for him.

His interests right now are space, dinosaurs, cowboys, and pirates. Did he read the book on how to be a little boy? Seriously.

Oh, and in other big news for the G-Man, we are finally doing a new room for him! Why do I hate the term "big boy room"? I don't know, but it's his first post-nursery redo. He was so adamant about holding onto his baby room (jungle stuff) for so long, and I think it would be ridiculous to push a child to change the theme of rtheir room, so he still has his room set up as it has been since he was a baby (well other than no longer being in a crib). He finally decided that he wants a SPACE room, so we just ordered the bedding for that and will be doing a whole room makeover in the next couple months.

Of course I NEED to include a picture or two, so here are a couple from the Memorial Day pool party yesterday...

Getting ready to go for a swim

In the bounce house with his best bud, Drew

Enjoying some of the yummy food