Diversity

Today was Grant's last day of school until after the Holidays. Montessori school is quite different from his old "Mom's Day Out" program. Instead of having a Holiday party gorging on cookies, chips, and cupcakes and making endless Christmas crafts and ornaments, Grant has spent the last couple of weeks expanding his cultural knowledge by learning about Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. He even came home one day telling me about the jar of pennies they have in the classroom. He said, "It's for school supplies for kids in... in... in... uh... Pakistan." I kid you NOT. He said "Pakistan."

I had ignored the flyers the school sent home on the fundraiser thinking I would get to it soon enough. Well, the next day Grant arrived at school with a baggie full of pennies.

We've been doing our fair share of gorging and Christmas crafts at home.





We'll be making Christmas cookies tomorrow.

Santa Claus is coming to town

Speaking of first, we had another one this year. Grant sat in Santa's lap.
Well, kind of...

It's closer than he has ever gotten without wailing in terror. I asked him if he was going to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. He said, "Will you help me." Translation: "will you tell him for me?" Me, "Yes, I will."

This year will be the year of Cars from the Disney movie. He wants the Screamin' Banshee, Doc, Sally, Mater, and a Lightning McQueen car track. All of which he requested on his own.

Danny ended up there with him as I snapped the picture. He couldn't quite work up a smile, but I don't blame him. What other time is it okay for a child to sit in a strange, obese, bearded man's lap dressed in a ridiculous red fuzzy suit? Hmmmmmm. NEVER!

Turkey Day

This year was a first. We had family come to our house for Thanksgiving lunch. And not just a handful, but approximately 25 adults and kids. Tradition has us going to Danny's Aunt and Uncle's house, but after hearing that some of the family might be going to Chattanooga to visit their recently purchased bed and breakfast, we volunteer up our house for the rest of us to get together. Well, plans fell through and everybody ended up coming!

It actually turned out quite nice. Everybody brought dishes included fried turkey and dressing. YUM. All I had to do was get the house ready and prepare my carrot cake and famous hashbrown casserole. Watch out Martha Stewart. Here I come!



Everyone came over early to watch the Titans cream the Lions. And after lunch the kids got to enjoy the glorious day outside with a trip in Cousin Charles' truck to the park.

We finished the day with a trip to my Mom and Dad's house to visit with my family. We really didn't need to eat another meal, but WE DID.

Classic Halloween

This was the first year Grant decided on what he wanted to be for Halloween without any coaxing from me. And while many 3 & 1/2 year old boys are contemplating batman or spiderman, power ranger or ninja turtle, my sweet guy wanted to be a jack-o-lantern.

I decided to follow in his classic Halloween costume decision and dawn my pregnant witch ensemble. (I keep in the back of my closet.) The all black is very slimming, I might add.

We had a grand ole time as usual with our families coming over to enjoy the endless parade of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood.

Grant even got to participate in handing out the candy this year. He said that was his favorite part.

Baby Boy

We found out last week we are having a HEALTHY baby boy. We cannot be more thrilled or relieved. A thorough fetal echocardiogram, lasting almost 45 minutes, proved to rule out any major heart defects. God has answered our prayers.

Here I am at 20 weeks. Oh dear... only halfway.



Later that night I showed Grant the ultrasound pics. I told him mommy went to the doctor and the doctor took some pictures of the baby through my belly. I pointed out the details to him of the baby's head, belly and arms. Here's how the conversation went:

Me, "The doctor told us that the baby is a boy and you're going to have a baby brother."

Grant said, "Awhhh, he's so cute." (And in the same breath) "Daddy will you play football with me?"

Pumpkin Art

What else are you supposed to do with those little pumpkins?

Whip out some art supplies and they are perfect for keeping a three year old busy and-- making memories for mommy.

My Sweetheart

"White cake with piled high with butter cream frosting, rolled in sprinkles and garnished with candy corn." From Gigi's Cupcakes

I have had a craving for cupcakes so this is what Danny surprised me with one evening this week. I think he had a craving for them too.

Isn't he sweet. I just love them. Whoops, I mean him.

Grant got to enjoy one as well. He ate the frosting one night, and the cake the next. I admire his self control.

Buddies

From left to right we have: Kitty Cat, Magenta, Polar Bear, Grant, Wolf Pup, Champ, and Louis.

He now sleeps with three dogs every night and every nap at home... in the order of Champ, Wolf Pup and Louis. I have vowed not to bring home anymore dogs or else it will only add to the litter.

Big

Here I am at 16 weeks. The title says it all. Although, I know there's so much more growing still to come.

We took the picture in the baby's room so we can document it's progress as we get it ready. Right now it is yellow and blue and serves at the catch all room (mainly catching all of Grant's toys). We're going to have to get used to referring to it as the baby room instead of the "Geo Room" coined from the countless geo trax train and tracks that currently occupy the space.

My most recent pregnancy annoying symptom is headaches. Not debilitating ones, but the kind that keep coming back every 4 hours and take at least an hour to be soothed by my trusty Tylenol. Repeat daily for about 4 to 5 day in a row. Miraculously, I have gone all day today without even the threat of one.

Grant has noticed a few changes lately. "Mommy your belly's getting bigger." Laugh. The little stinker! Me, "I know. Do you know why it's getting bigger?" Blank stare. Me, "Because the baby's growing inside mommy's belly." Wait for it. Grant. Huge smile. Ridiculous laugh. "Nawwwwwwww!"

He went with me to my appointment today. He halfway paid attention to the heartbeat. I think he'll get it by March.

Belly

Well, I'm more than 14 weeks pregnant and we're just now getting around to taking a picture of my growing belly. I should add, this picture doesn't do it justice. It is actually MUCH bigger than it appears from this front angle. Also, I thought the black and white would be more flattering especially by the ninth month.

I've gotten my energy back, but now my major complaint is I'm hungry all of the time. I wish I could just go three hours without needing a snack. Oh well, the baby needs banana pudding and chocolate milk right?

The past couple of weeks the following have made its way into my grocery shopping cart for the first time ever: pimento cheese sandwich spread, Little Debbie snack cakes, and the ingredients for banana pudding.

But my major cravings have been for --no, not chocolate, not ice cream -- but sandwiches. Any kind of cold cut will do, but primarily turkey and roast beef. Not a great craving to have since pregnant women are advised to stay away from deli meats!

So enough about food.

We've been hinting to Grant that there is a baby inside of mommy's belly. And thankfully, no questions yet. He started his new Montessori school in August and now after just over a month, his teacher informed me they had a major break through. He is talking! And not just words here and there, but telling stories and talking about his family. This may sound ridiculous to others, but Grant, who is normally an outgoing talkative kid at home, shuts down around strangers, new kids or new situations.

He now cries when I pick him up from school because he wants to stay.

I'm so proud of him.

Today

Grant saw a commercial for a 6 foot Nascar Super Speedway Race Track.

"Mommy, I want to go to Target and get that track."

"Well, you'll have to wait and get something like that for Christmas from Santa."

"But I don't want to get it from Santa. I just want it from Target."

"I want a lot of stuff at Target too, but we have enough toys and stuff."

Introducing Baby Sawyer #2

Okay, so maybe I'm jumping the gun a little early with the baby announcement. But I thought it would be cool to post the baby's first picture.

We were amazed at all of the detail you can already see at 12 weeks. The head is disproportionally large at this point, but you can already see the nose, mouth, and legs. At our first ultra-sound with Grant, he just looked like a peanut.

Grant went with us to the appointment. However, we didn't tell him what is was about. We're waiting until it is more obvious to tell him that there is a baby inside of mommy. I can just hear the questions now... "Why is there a baby in your belly?" "How did it get there?" "How does the baby get out?" "When does the baby go back to the hospital?" I need more time to come up with the appropriate answers.

Seeing the baby kick and squirm made it a reality to Danny and I... there is an actual baby... growing...and living.... inside of me!

Ultra screen tests and checks were all okay for which we are very grateful. We'll be having a fetal echocardiogram at 28 weeks to look for any heart defects. We have a 1% increase chance in having another child with Tetralogy of Fallot. It seems so small, but deep down it is very scary. I am praying everyday for a healthy baby, and I have faith that God will answer our prayers.

St. Louis

We just got back from a weekend trip to St. Louis. We headed up on Thursday. Grant did a good job in the car. But, then again, I don't know why he wouldn't. He watched his DVD player the entire time and did not sleep a wink.

We headed to the zoo on Friday. We really enjoyed it, especially the 5 baby lion cubs that were born in April, the giraffe that you could reach out and touch, and of course the train ride around the park.






















That night we had tickets to the baseball game. This was actually Grant's second MLB game. We reminisced about the his first one. He was about 9 months old and sick with a stomach bug.


I think Grant enjoyed the Build a Bear workshop at the stadium more than the game. I had it in mind to get him a FredBird, but as soon as he spotted the puppy dog, he just had to have it. We named him Louis and he's outfitted in a St. Louis Cardinal's t-shirt and hat.




















We got to bed VERY late that night. What were we thinking? Certainly a poor night's rest would not be fitting for the trip we had planned to Six Flags the following day.

Needless to say, Six Flags was kind of a bust... we hit traffic on the way and had to take an alternate route. Grant was so hot and grumpy he didn't want to ride ANYTHING. And Dale lost his very expensive phone.

Danny and Dale at least got to ride two roller coasters. I managed to get Grant on the train after a tearful protest, and we enjoyed the lazy river.

On Sunday, we stopped by Grant's farm before we headed home. This is a very neat petting/exotic animal farm which included everything from buffalo to elephants to Clydesdale's.




Grant loved feeding the goats. Note to others out there: Do not put a three foot tall kiddo with a bottle full of milk in a ring full of hungry goats. But after visiting the zoo just two days before, we were like "yeah, whatever, there's an elephant." We had a great time, but we were ready to head home.

"I'm Gonna be a Big Brother"

We're having a baby!!! This was the best picture I could get of Grant with the T-shirt I made him. And never mind the hat. He just found it and decided he would play dress up.

This is how we spilled the news to our families today. We showed up at the Chapel to see Nana. Grant told her, "I'm gonna be a big brother." She didn't get it at first. We called my Dad and brother. Grant also told them.

Next we were off to see Mimi at the beauty shop. She immediately noticed his shirt and got it.

Everybody is very excited as we are looking at another March birthday. Our immediate family March birthdays already consists of -- my Dad's, my brother's, my Granddad's, Peyton's, Brady's, and Danny's Dad. And mine may as well be in March -- February 28.

I am almost 10 weeks along and just beginning to not be able to hide it anymore. I had my first OB appointment today, and we could already hear the heartbeat. Ultrasound is scheduled in 2 weeks. I haven't been sick but VERY tired. Hopefully, I'll have my energy back any day.

Of course, we've asked Grant if he wants a baby brother or a baby sister. He says he wants a brother AND a sister.

We'll have to see about that!

Grant's First Letter "G"

At age 3 & 1/2....Well, actually, he drew his first one several weeks ago, but it just occured to me to document this monumental event. And the coolest thing was that he did it all on his own.

That thing below it is the letter "H". Clearly, we've gotta work on size control.

Camping

We got back last weekend from camping trip on the Natahala River in North Carolina. Well, our latest version of camping is in a 27 foot camper equipped with a full kitchen, shower, bathroom, couch, beds, and don't forget the TV (with satellite!)


Danny was covered up at work so Grant and I made the trip with my mom, dad, Erick, Angie, and the kids. Danny asked me what he was going to do over the weekend while we were gone. Not something you say to the woman of the house. I told him, quite simply, he could vacuum or do the laundry. He ended up doing both and dishes and he washed his car inside and out. Whoo hoo!




On Friday, we rafted the river just like old times. (I think I've been going since I was about 5 years old). Grant stayed behind with Nana. Rafting was pretty much uneventful with everyone managing to stay in the boat. However, it was Autumn and Peyton's first time. They had terror and tears in their eyes after the first set of rapids.



On Saturday, we found this place called Deep Creek. It's actually a very popular place for tubing. It was so cool. Like a natural lazy river. Grant stayed with my dad and the rest of the gang hiked 1.7 miles to the top and then took off on our tubes. We floated down for about an hour bouncing this way and that way, spinning and tumbling over the rapids. Grant got to ride with me for the last ten minutes. To quote him.... "This is fun, Mommy. I love this."


Seeing it through Grant's eyes, it was one of those moments when you're just present and nothing else maters. And for a moment, I was a 3 & 1/2 year old without a care in the world.

Gaga and Mother Mc

Pics from Christmas 2005

My Great Grandmother, Mother Mack, passed away this past Sunday. She was 96 years old. And up until this past year she was still able to live at home with some help. I am so grateful to have known her and to have had her in my life all of these years.

Danny's Grandfather, Gaga, passed away in April. He was a wonderful man, a slow talker, but always had something to say that would make you laugh or smile. He would always call me "Sweetheart" and Grant "Precious."

They will both be greatly missed.

In dealing with these recent losses, we've had to figure out how to talk to a 3 year old about death. The best advice I found was to keep it plain and simple for his age.

As I tried to prepare Grant, I explained.... Gaga was very, very sick and very very old. He died and he won't be with us anymore. I explained that people will crying because we are sad and will miss him very much.

The next day I reminded him again that people may be crying at the service. And-- in his own little way of letting me know he understood-- he replied, "I miss Gaga."

My heart melted.

Destin

We are already wanting to go back to the beach. We tried something different this year and headed to Destin with our good friends Sara and Brian and their little girl Addison. And what a great time we had!

The kids were up 6:00am the first morning so we were out on the beach by 8:15am. The remaining mornings were thankfully not so early. Here's how pretty much everyday was spent... Wake up. Eat breakfast. Get ready. Head to the beach. Sun, sand, ocean. Head to the pool. Sun, splash, swim. Condo for lunch. Nap for the kids and sometimes the adults. Head back to the pool or golf course. Get ready. Out to dinner. The guys hit the golf course one day and the girls did the outlet mall another. Drop in a few Corona's and a pina coloda here and there and that was pretty much it. Just the way we like it.



The kids got along GREAT! Grant would chant Addison's name... "Addsin, Addsin, Addsin." And Addison would copy what ever was saying or doing. Grant was still a little fearful of the ocean. But he would stay in it all day if we carried him in. Him and Addison loved riding in their "Big Blue Boat." They would purposely fall out of the float as we scampered to catch them. We'll always remember the story behind these hats.



We were even able to capture some great family photos. A little fruit snack bribery never hurts.

Summer's here

We've just finished up another week of swim school. Again, Grant didn't want to go. And again, he ended up being a star.



I've been busy at the chapel while mom and dad have been out west for the past three weeks paying up to 5 bucks a gallon for diesel fuel.

Grant's first day of summer school started today. He was happy to go-- until we got to the door of his room. He just couldn't pull it together enough to walk in by himself.



After seeing the tricks he can do in the real pool, it's almost ridiculous to see him in the baby pool.

We're leaving for Destin on Saturday. We're looking forward to some R & R and Grant is looking forward to burying Daddy in the sand.

Gone Fishin'

Grant caught his first fish yesterday. We were at Old Hickory Lake down the street from my brother's house. Danny has gone to the Philippines for about a week so we've been trying to stay busy.

We got to have another go at fishing today at Mom and Dad's. He was so sweet-- He felt sorry for the fish seeing the hook in their mouth and flopping around. He's said "it's scared." That didn't keep him from wanting to throw the hook back the water though.


And here we are on the four wheeler. Mommy still knows how to drive!






We had a fun time with all of the fam including Grandad, Virginia and Joey's bunch. We topped off the night with Nana's classic hot fudge cake, came home for a quick bath, and Grant went to bed without crying.

We love you baby. See you soon.

A Day in the Life

We made a last minute decision today to join some of our friends from the MOMS club for strawberry picking at a small farm in Lebanon. It turned out to be a glorious day. We were only there for about an hour, but I stopped for a moment to be thankful I have time to enjoy simple things like this with Grant. If I was still working full time, I most likely would have never experienced this first with Grant and he would have never gotten to squish a fresh strawberry in his hand.

We stopped by McDonald's for lunch. He climbed farther than he had ever climbed in playground. He might have made it all the way to the top and down the slide if it wasn't for his occasional accidental bodily functions. Here's a pic of Grant just seconds before he pooped his pants!!!


He had a nap. When he woke up, we had snack and then it was craft time. We made Dough with flour, salt and water. I wanted to make some cool items to bake and then paint. Grant just had fun squishing the dough, making shapes and making a mess. I managed to salvage a few of the shapes. We'll see how they turn out after they dry.


And to top it off- we went to the big park and then to Sir Pizza for dinner (I had a salad at McKy D's so I splurged on pizza while Danny had a late night at work.)

And in between all of this I did three loads of laundry, worked out, and cleaned the shower. I absolutely love my job and am so thankful for my wonderful husband who enables me to have it.

Braniac

Here's Grant on Daddy's computer. He loves to push letters on the keyboard and have us try to pronounce the words. He can now count to 30 with a little help and can spell his last name.

I was messing around with him yesterday. I wrote a word on a piece of paper and asked him what it said. He said "cat". He was right! My mouth fell open. I wrote another word. He said "dog". Better luck next time. The word was "ant".

Today he was playing with some number flash cards with my mom. He was asking her what the numbers were. When he asked what "66" was. Mom said, "That's sixty-six." The card was laying sideways. Grant said, "No, that's ninety-nine." We both about fell out.

Spring has Sprung

and we're loving it!

Eggs

This was the first year Grant was old enough to decorate eggs with me. It was fun to get some craft time in before Danny and I left for Tampa.

Grant stayed with Mimi and Pops Thursday night as Danny and I connected in Dallas to fly to Tampa. We arrived to beautiful sun and 79 degrees. We had a few hours on the beach and then it was off to the NCAA tournament.

Unfortunately, the Dores played their worst game of the season and got blown out by Siena. We were so bummed out (and I was missing Grant) that we decided to come home Sunday instead of Monday. It rained all day on Saturday, but we enjoyed driving up the coast a little bit and watching basketball at the hotel. We topped it off with a fabulous dinner at Island Way Grill.

We flew back through Miami. Firstclass baby!

Grant got to go to two Easter Egg hunts while we were gone, and the Easter Bunny left him a present at Nana's house.

Danny says I made him come early, but I think he missed Grant too.

Easter Bunnies in the Backyard

I've suspected for about a year now that there's a furry little creature who keeps our monkey grass nibble down to nubs. Well, I finally found the real life evidence. I was swinging Grant in the back yard when I notice a big patch of fur in the thick grass. I pushed some of the fur back with my foot expecting to see a deep hole. Instead, I found a shallow nest and several sets of eyes looking back at me. Suddenly, three teeny tiny baby rabbits jumped out and hopped for their lives. They jetted over to the side yard and I (not wanting to disturb then anymore than I already had) decided to leave them alone (after a few pictures of course).

The "Mama" in me just prayed they'd find their way back to their mommy.

Swim School

I can't say enough about Sweetman Swim School. Grant was in a class of newbies this time. He was the senior swimmer, but at three years old, he was one of the youngest. Mr. Gareth had Grant demonstrate to the big kids how to jump in and roll over to his back. I was so proud. I think Grant was too.

By the end of the week he was learning his "Bubbles and Roll". He's going to be a star at the beach this summer.