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Happy Halloween Everyone!
I hope everyone has a fun and safe day. We have a lot of fun planned today. This morning we have a Halloween playdate with 3 of my best friends and their babies. The kids are getting dressed up, and I may too, since I coordinate with G. We are having brunch stuff, mostly made by the hostess. I am bringing a yummy fall-flavored creamer for the coffee.
This afternoon we will be carving one of our pumpkins (that way the others will live to continue to decorate our front porch). I know Grady will love scooping out the goo, as he did last year.
Then, around 6, we will go trick-or-treating with 2 of G's friends. Our whole neighborhood gets shut down to car traffic, so it is really safe and nice. We will probably do our street and the next one over - both are cul-de-sacs, so they should be quiet.
This weekend I am going to do the trial run on G's birthday cake. I want to do it good and early so I can enact an emergency plan if necessary! Goody bags are being assembled (I've got all the stuff) and the chocolate lollipop favors (for the adults) will be done next week.
Anyway, G has been doing so many new things all the time. And I don't want to forget, so I'll post a few fun stories here.
- Grady has been really into singing lately. Today, in the car, he did his ABCs basically the whole way through. He may have skipped a letter or two, but it was pretty darn good! It is also really funny because I will hear him singing little songs a lot lately, and then I'll listen closely and realize that it is a certain song from Kindermusik or Gymboree. It's amazing what he absorbs and remembers! He also likes to sing along to "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard when Eric sings it during tubby time :) He requests it by asking for the "Mama Song".
- There is another really funny story related to singing. We were pretending to give his little Lego Man ("Uh Oh Man" is his name) a tub. So I asked him if he wanted to sing a song (since Eric always sings with him at tub time). So he said that we should sing the ABC Song. I started singing, and he joined in. Then he stops, looks at the little man, and says "mouth closed". Then he starts singing the alphabet songs with his lips together and laughing. What a sense of humor!
- Another thing that Grady has really been picking up on is COLORS! He has been saying the words for a long time now, but he often said the wrong ones. Lately he has been pointing at things and saying their color, and it is almist always right! He is very good at orange, green, purple, and blue. He seems to struggle with red for some reason.
- Lately he has been asking if we can make cookies. We baked them together twice recently, and I think he likes the results! He loves this book about baking cookies too ("The Best Mouse Cookie") and asks for me to read it again and again. And today, he did the cutest thing. He was playing in his little kitchen. He had his stuffed Halloween cat and was having it help him make cookies. Then he would let the cat eat the cookies. It was so cute. He kept telling the cat to be careful of the hot stove too!
And, since I already posted pictures of him in his costume this year, here is little G as a giraffe last Halloween:
-He talks like crazy - probably has about a 300 word vocabulary, if not more. He talks in sentences, sometimes with 5 or more words ("no more water in there").
-He is still ultra affectionate with friends and strangers alike. People tell me all the time that he is going to be a politician or an actor :) He often tells us and friends that he loves them. Actually, the other night at a restaurant he was in a really lovey mood. He started telling the waitstaff that he loved them. He would say "I love you man" when the waiter would come by :) Then we were leaving and he says to a group of diners "I love you other people!" Everyone was laughing.
-He's been singing a lot more. He sings "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and does the motions. He also attempts the ABCs, but skips parts here and there.
-Grady is great with counting. He count count, without messing up, from one to 13. He can also count items up to about 5.
-He is a HUGE Mama's boy right now, which makes me feel very loved. But it is also hard for Eric. Like if I am there he will not let Eric put on his clothes or change his diaper. He'll say "Mama do it". We usually insist that Daddy can do it, just because we don't want to feed into the idea that I am the only one who can take care of him.
-He's very good with his manners - he says please, thank you, and I'm sorry, unprompted.
-Still a somewhat picky eater. Luckily, the foods he likes best are really healthy (fruit, yogurt, veggie burgers) but I do want to see him branch out more.
-ETA: He is so good with opposites and will just start doing them on his own - like holding a toy high and saying "high" and then doing low; also "heavy" and "light", "big" and "small", "open" and closed", "on" and "off", etc.
-he has a great sense of humor, I swear. The other day Eric was pretending to nibble his arm ( we always say he is delicious) and he says "Grady is yucky", as if to say "I'm no good to eat" - haha
I'm sure there is tons more, but I'll be doing a 2 year recap soon enough! Now I just need to ramp up the party planning!
While Grandma was here we went shopping. She bought us a few Christmas gifts (she has no idea how to pick things out, but at least she knows this and just buys things with us and then stashes them away). So we ended up getting the PB Reindeer runner for our dining room table. She has bought us the whole collection of dishes over the past few years, so now we have the runner to match our Christmas dishes. She also got Eric and I puffy vests and sweaters.
Then she got a few things for Grady, just because. She got him the pumpkin hat (in the pictures) from Gymbo, as well as these things:
It says "Little Pumpkin" - so cute!
And this outfit from the Children's Place. This is a bit dressier than his other holiday outfit, but it is nice that now he has two dress-up Christmas outfits. I think he will wear this one for pictures. I just need to go back and get the black velvet newsboy cap - they were out of his size :(
black velvet pants:
This vest to wear over a white button down dress shirt that she also got him.
This past weekend and the beginning of the week went pretty well. Grady seemed to have a bad reaction to the Amoxicilin that he was taking (he had a sinus infection last week - not sure if I mentioned that). So he was somewhat fussy on Saturday (her first day here) due to tummy issues, but we switched him to a different antibiotic and he seems to be doing way better. Saturday we ended up just hanging out here in the morning and then going downtown in the afternoon. That was fun since our downtown is so cool and interesting. Mostly Grady just chilled in the stroller but he also played some in the park and by the fountains.
On Sunday we went hiking at Paris Mountain State Park, which is very close to us. Grady did so well in the hiking backpack we bought - I can't wait to use it all winter long, now that it is finally cool enough to do some hiking! That evening we went out to dinner with G in downtown Greenville. He did so well and was just hilarious. He was totally flirting with one of the waitresses. Eric took him outside while we paid the bill at the end of dinner. When I got out there he had picked some flowers from a nearby pot (oops!) and was running towards me, clutching them in his hand and yelling "I love you mama!". His new thing is bringing flowers to ladies. The other day he picked some of our mums and handed them to our neighbor with a big smile on his face.
( pictures... )
Yesterday we took Grady to this really cool event called "Big Dig". It is a "construction theme park" which is set up annually to benefit Goodwill. It was great to be able to go spend a fun morning with G, all while helping charity. Basically there are just tons and tons of construction vehicles (as well as some other types of trucks) and construction-themed games and events. You can even pay extra to ride on the trucks! The weather was gorgeous - even a bit cool still when we first got there - and Grady loooved it. He even got to ride in the back of a dump truck (it was like a dump truck hayride!). Last night at dinner we asked him what his favorite part of the day was, and he said "trucks!". Then we asked what his favorite truck was and he said "big truck!" :) He also got a truck tattoo on his hand which he is very poud of. As soon as we got home and saw all his friends playing in the cul-de-sac, he went running over with his hand outstretched, yelling "tattoo!!!!" Anyway, it looks like our plan for a construction-themed birthday is a good idea!
( pictures... )
We go to the zoo a lot since we are members. Today we went with two of my friends and their little girls. Grady loves one of them - her name is Elizabeth. Her mom took some really nice pictures that she just emailed me. We also tried out the monkey backpack from Target that we boought for our trip to Massachusetts. It is basically a "kid leash" (hahaha) but it looks cute since it is attached to a little monkey backpack. I think it will be very good for the airport when I need to use his stroller as a cart for the carseat. Anyway, he loved the thing - enjoyed his freedome but stayed close to me. I actually felt bad for the other moms pushing a heavy stroller!
( pictures here... )
Well I finally received my order from the professional photo shoot we did while on vacation in Hilton Head. They look great, and I am currently in the process of getting everything framed. I just wanted to share one of my favorites with you. It was scanned, so the quality isn't great. But this is probably my favorite picture of me and G together, especially because we are at one of our favorite places - the beach!
So I have been starting birthday planning in full effect. I just ordered this shirt for Grady to wear off of Etsy:
The back looks like a sports jersey and has a number (which will be 2) and the name at the top (Grady). I think it will be so cute for the party and after!
I am going to order invites this weekend. I also want to get the photo stamps done (since we aren't doing photo cards and I am a picture freak). I am thinking of using a photo of G playing with his trucks.
I think my centerpieces will be mini orange cones which I will decorate with paint pens. Then coming out the top will be a bunch of balloons (solid and mylar trucks). I'll scatter confetti around that. I would love to do a runner on the food table that looks like a road or something.
As for the cake, I REALLY want to do that one I posted myself. But it is fancier than anything I have ever done. There are several places near me that offer cake decorating classes. Maybe I should go? I would LOVE to get good at cakes and do G's cake every year.
As far as activities, we will get big round baby pools (hopefully super cheap right now!) and fill them with different types of materials (one sand, one pebbles, one gravel) so the kids can play trucks on that. Each kid will get a Tonka truck (the medium size - I've already bought some) when they arrive so they can use that, in addition to Grady's toy trucks which will be out. I will also have all of Grady's truck ride-ons out (yes, all, he has quite a few - you can't blame me for spoiling him because I didn't buy a single one). Then, we MAY do a truck shaped bounce house, but I am undecided whether G and his friends are too little for that. I'll also have a big area for building with blocks. I hope to get some of those giant cardboard blocks for Grady anyway.
Goody bags will be in larger bags that look like lunch bags (you know, like construction workers have their brown bag lunches?). They will be sealed with a custom label - I'm currently checking those out on Etsy and in local stores.
So that's it for now. If anyone sees any cute construction party stuff, please let me know!
1. G has never flown, and I will be flying with him alone for his first time. He will have his own seat and sit in his carseat. It doesn't worry me that he will be scared or won't sit because he likes his carseat, and I can keep him busy for a 1.5 hour flight. But will he nap? I can't really schedule both flights around his nap because then it becomes too early or late.
2. How to get the carseat, a baby, and our stuff through the airport alone? The carseat takes both hands, and Grady certainly can't just walk alone without holding hands. Do I carry it on my back in one of those backpack things?
3. My mom's upstairs (where all the bedrooms are) is small and her husband will be going to work at like 6AM most mornings we are there. I am so worried that G will get woken up at that time and, thus, be tired.
But the other side is that Grady has barely met much of his family, I miss my mom, and if you worry about the details you would never go anywhere with a child. So should I go? Any advice? Suggestions for travelling with G?
Just wanted to share some pictures from our trip to the butterfly garden on Monday. It's so pretty and only 10 minutes away! It is located at a big science center that we could visit some time too.
( pictures here... )He looks like such a big kid here. He is much more babyish in person, but still! This picture caught me off guard.
He loved throwing rocks into the water.
Crazy boy!
petting the "hop hops"
It was so pretty:
Feeding the turtles:
There were so many!
other pretty shots:
A few videos:
So I posted the cool video of Grady and the orangutan separately, but I thought I would share some of the other zoo pictures too...
I would have to say that his favorite animal was the chickens (they have a farm exhibit) - go figure! The pictures cannot capture his excitement.
ETA: if you want to see the other videos at the end, there is a little scroll bar on the right side that you can barely see. I didn't think they were there first, but then I found them. It's unlikely that anyone takes the time to view them all, but I use the same HTML for my baby blog and just cut and paste. My family is obsessed with all the video, so I just post it both places.
( some more pictures here )( more pictures... )
Riding on the bear statue:
watching little monkeys of some sort:
The toucans are so pretty!
and a few more short little video clips:
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Here are a few pictures of our trip to the orchard the other day. We got the most amazing peaches! The apples seem pretty good, but I don't know that our climate is so good for them. I am excited to bake some yummy things! We have so much fruit and it cost us $6!
Oh, and you will notice that Grady's hat doesn't really match his outfit. That is because for the first time ever he had an opinion on what to wear! I went to the hat bin and asked "what hat do you want to wear today?", and he actually said "bug hat!". I guess he really likes that one :)
( pictures are here... )
Some things Grady can pretend to do...
Sing - says "Lalala"
sneeze - says "ACHOO!"
cough - "makes a cough sound
be hurt - says "OUCH!" and holds onto his arm or leg like it is hurt
be happy - smiles this cheesy huge smile
have gas - this is funny - he actualy does a raspberry with his mouth
be a baby - he makes a fake crying sound
be tall - he stretches up high
laugh - he fake laughs
be hungry - he starts chewing on his arm
be asleep - he puts his head down and makes a snoring sound
be cold - he wraps his arms around himself and shivers (NO idea how he got this one)
There are even more, but those are a lot of them. And it's funny because these are all just what he came up with when we asked him. It's not like we told him "this is how you pretend to laugh" or something. It's just hilarious how he will come up with this stuff.
*I found chocolate lolipop molds in the shape of construction trucks at Hobby Lobby - I plan on making those for adult favors.
*My dad will make a large banner to stretch across our fence in the beackyard that says "Happy Birthday Grady" and has trucks on it.
*I love these invites:
*Target had mini orange cones and hardhats in their dollar bins, but they seem to be gone already. We have tons of Targets close to us, so I may check some more. Otherwise, I can get them from OTC. I want to use them as part of a centerpiece.
*This etsy shirt can be personalized with a name and stuff:
*Maybe this bounce house?
*I want to give each kid a small Tonka truck as a favor when they arrive. Then we will have fun areas set up to play with the trucks during the party (I figure 2-year-olds are too little for real games).
*These are so cute:
*Eric can get tons of construction stuff (signs and stuff) to decorate
I'm so excited - planning can begin! Though I am in no rush for G to turn 2!
So Grady is feeling all better now, and my cold is getting a lot better FINALLY! He had a blast at Gymboree this morning - at the end of the class he went around and hugged/kissed about half the babies and moms. It was so cute, but no wonder he seems to get a lot of colds!
I am super excited for tomorrow - we are going to a local fire station with a SAHMs group. We have a special tour set up, which will be geared towards 2-year-olds (so it should be pretty good for G). They will get fire hats, get to sit in a fire truck, and get to meet all the firemen - how fun! G loves to make the siren noise when we pass the fire station, so I am sure he wil love it!
Another cute this G has been doing is the bobble head. We have a bobble-head doll we have let him play with a little bit. Now he will try to make other people "bobble". He will push down on your head and say "bobble?" And if you tell him to make Grady bobble he will put his hand on his head and bobble his head up and down, which he thinks is hilarious. I tell you, this kid has some sense of humor for a 1-year-old!
I have also been thinking about Halloween, and I think we are going to dress up as a family - G will be a football player, I will be a cheerleader (I have my old uniform still), and Eric will be a referee, since he has the uniform from when he refereed basketball. I think we will have a couple parties to go to, so it should be fun!
Only 3 more days until the beach!
This morning we went to a playdate at the mall play area. G was in a great mood - smiling from ear to ear most of the time. I got lots of nice comments about him, which is always great to hear! This afternoon we may do open play at Gymbo, then we have a busy schedule all week (partially due to make-ups from last week):
Tuesday - Kindermusik
Wednesday - Kindermusik make-up; playdate in the PM
Thursday - Gymboree
Friday - visit to a local fire station - set up special by a local mom's group
Saturday - Gymbo make-up (probably with Eric while I pack)
Sunday - head to Florida, where we will be until the following Sunday!!!
So I am back to thinking birthday ideas, and I am thinking that it is between construction, Elmo, and football. Here are a few things I love from each idea:
( party ideas )
