Grantigus

His current favorite thing to say: "No way!" He is usually smiling when he says it. It is pretty cute when it isn't completely annoying.

We are guessing that he must be growing extra lately. His appetite is pretty darn great throughout the day and he has started napping regularly again. We keep warning Grace that she doesn't have long- Grant is nearly at her eye level and can run around comfortably in her shoes.

I still smooch on him all day long, and he still lets me. These are the kissy lips he has added to his repertoire irresistibility. Occasionally, he'll really put some effort into it and give face-smashing, gripping-tightly-around-the-neck, lasting-for-what-seems-a-very-long-time affection. We love it.

Potty training has been so different with Grant than it was with Grace. Part of it is that he is a different kid. Part of it is that Cori and I are more relaxed about it. I don't want to push it too hard what with a new baby and a move on the horizon. I've read that during periods of big change like that, toddlers will often revert, and I'm not particularly keen on potty training Grant twice. Gracie had a terrible attitude about potty training until the day she decided to do it. Then we worked on it for a couple of days and she was set. Grant, on the other hand, has a great attitude about using the potty but hasn't fully committed to it. We have days where he will tell me every 15 minutes that he needs to go potty. We have days where I ask and ask him to come sit on the potty only to have him shrug and tell me no thanks, he already went in his diaper/pull-ups. Fine by me. He continues to have a good attitude about it. And diapers are so convenient for my life right now- is that terrible? But it is true.

He remains a faithful devotee to his sister and her happiness. It takes just a few tears from Grace to guarantee Grant's compliance with her will. Recently I had the audacity to interfere and take Grant's side. He began crying that he just wanted Grace to be happy. (And Grace, through her crocodile tears, looked at me with an expression that said, "Yeah mom, he just wants me to be happy. I've got this all taken care of.") The flip side of this coin is that Grant is pretty awful about clean up time, making beds, putting clothes away, and pretty much doing any other chore related task- he is two, after all. Most of the time, he asks for me to "help him" which is Grantese for me doing it while he looks on or wanders off to do something else. Gracie pulls more than her weight around here when it comes to the chores the kids do together. She cleans up most of the messes and is really good about getting him excited about finishing up tasks. We figure there is a healthy amount of give and take in their relationship.

He loves to sing songs and dance with Grace. He has become a fan of broccoli trees with Ranch. He still l-o-v-e-s playing with his cars, trucks, and motorcycles. He pushes them slowly over different surfaces through out the house, watching closely to make sure all the wheels are spinning. He does his 'big buckles' in his car seat all by himself. Like his sister, he will sit to draw and color every day. He loves reading time and chewing on his blankies.

image diary 4.28.2010

(21 weeks baby!)

Grace lately

I love it when Gracie says:

"Can you find us some rockin' music?" - on the way to school just about everyday.

"Please bless us to have eternal families." - to her Heavenly Father when she prays.

"Grant! Good job, bud!" - when Grant uses his potty.

Grace is always telling us about the stuff she wants to do when she's bigger. Cori told her she should make a list. One afternoon she was looking for something to do and exclaimed, "My list!" A piece of scrap paper was procured and she started asking me how to spell different words. The list: play tennis, brush my kids' teeth, tie my kids' shoes, tie my shoes, read to my kids, pet, airplane, outer space, and submarine. It is the first we've heard of playing tennis. But she talks often about having a pet, flying airplanes, floating in space, and traveling by submarine.

She loves dandelions. We encourage her to pick as many as possible. She wants them in her hair and in cups of water around the kitchen. She picks them on the way into school everyday to give to her teachers (they are very nice about it). I try to limit the amount of weeds that make it into the house, but she is very concerned with the mortality of flowers.

As part of our afternoon checklist, we sit and read together before the kids go outside to play. One afternoon, we had just gotten comfy on the couch with our little pile of books when the doorbell rang. I told Grace that I thought it was a friend asking for her and Grant to come outside. Honestly, I was ready to send them out - it had been one of those afternoons. As I got up to answer the door Gracie asked me to stop. She didn't want to play until we had finished our reading time. I was so surprised. She ran to the door and told her friends that she would come out when we were done reading her books. I wanted to take that moment and frame it. We sat and read for a while and then she happily spent the rest of the afternoon outside.

Last weekend marked Gracie's final swim lesson for a while. She really enjoyed this second round of lessons. In the course of a year, she went from being terrified to walk in the baby pool by herself to almost conquering the list above. Most importantly, she is more confident and happy in the water now. We'll take a little break from weekly visits to the pool until our plans are more set for the summer. In the picture below, the kids were practicing jumping into the pool. Grace kept asking her teacher to move further out. Her teacher patiently obliged though Gracie remained a bit timid in her leaps.

Grace insists on wearing short-sleeved shirts almost everyday now that it has warmed up a little. She loves turning the music up and singing loudly in the car. She knows how to use her tears to manipulate her susceptible little brother (we're working hard on this one). She asks for a face massage every night once she is in bed. She is happiest amidst a project. She loves to play outside with the neighbors. Pink remains her favorite color. She is learning to let her brother win once in a while. She couldn't be more thrilled about the baby sister coming her way.

competition: the new way of doing anything around here

drum roll please

We went to the doctor yesterday as a family.

The sonographer took her sweet time getting around to the big question. She called Gracie over to 'help.' She whispered to Grace what we were having, and Gracie whispered (really loudly) "I knew it!"

For the record, Cori knew it too.

Also for the record, I really had no idea.

We're having a girl!

I think she is so precious already. We were able to see her in 3D. I always thought these pictures were a little creepy until it was of our girl. I just wanted to hold her that very minute.

The best news is that everything looks very normal- both with her and me. Such a relief to hear those words. 20 weeks down. We're half way!

just like that

Our house is sold. We are very grateful, and surprised that it all happened so quickly. We still have a while to get some plans together before we have to be out. I'm so happy for the family getting this house. We have loved living here. The home is lovely. The neighbors are so wonderful. I got this picture of Grant running out the front door the other day. It is a pretty good representation of how I will remember this place.

blessings

Last week was a bit more quiet. School. Bedtimes. Chore charts. Regular stuff. Not as fun as Spring break and visitors but it is always nice to get back into the groove I guess. I'm also grateful for:

• A few hours of yard work over the weekend. Lots of weeding, new mulch and sunshine. Cori got the mower out for the first time this year. The lilies are on their way up and the tulips we planted last fall are getting ready to send up their blooms. The trees and bushes are leafing. Spring at last!
• Warm temperatures ahead. After a week of rain and thunderstorms, the kids are ready to spend their afternoons outside again (me too!).
• Week no. 19 of our pregnancy. Only 9 days to go before the big ultrasound. I'm not a waiter. Maybe it has something to do with all the unpleasant surprises we've faced in the course of other pregnancies. But I really like finding out. We're excited to see what we've got cooking in there.
• Heavenly Father's care of our family. He has always led us in the past. Things have always worked out. It strengthens my faith and gives me peace regarding the undefinable future.

a few more snapshots

It was a pretty relaxing visit with Mom and Dad. When Grace and Grant weren't being entertained by iPhone fun, they were engaged in card games, soccer volleys, and lots of books.

Dad took us to the movies. We saw How to Train Your Dragon. We also ate a big bucket of popcorn. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. We took walks and bike rides in the afternoon. We also went to the Science Discovery Center in Rockford. I was too busy vacuuming us out of the house that day (agents coming through etc.) to grab my camera, and so all the pictures of that outing are with my dad at the moment. That was a really fun afternoon. I don't know who had more fun - the kids or my parents. Every time I went to call Grammie and Papa's attention to something that Grace and Grant were doing, I found them engaged in an experiment together. I love these people who raised me.

This is a picture my mom got with her phone. The kids are wearing the clothes she made them. Gracie's dress is made from washable silk my mom bought in China. And Grant was so excited about the running horses on his bowling shirt. Dad made us yummy gumbo. We turned out all the lights one night to watch a lightning storm. Thanks again Mom and Dad! We were so sad to see you go.

spring break 2010

Gracie had six days off of school starting at the beginning of last week. It was a fun break that gave us a chance to do some things that we don't have time for during a regular school week. We spent most our days before my parents came bumming around with my friend, Rondee, and her little guy, Hayden. We played in our yards. We went to the Swiss Colony cheese outlet in Monroe. The outlet is connected to a few other shops. One is a clothing boutique that carries hats and dresses that would have been perfect for Easter Sunday if only we lived further south and were not so white. All of our outside play led to many bruises and scrapes - the beginning of summertime knees.

We spent an afternoon at the park with a group of friends from church. The temperatures that afternoon climbed into the 80s. It was so nice. This was the afternoon where in my poor man child was assaulted by a toddler half his size (who was within arm's length of his care taker). I was so shocked and tried not to be furious with the adult watching the little guy. She seemed aptly embarrassed and apologetic. The bite only just barely broke the skin and left a welty bruise over my favorite dimple. Poor Grant!

While Hayden was napping the kids and I played outside. We took bikes down to the dog run in our neighborhood and made laps and laps around its paved loop. It was Gracie's first time taking her new bike out of the garage and she was pretty happy, though very tentative, about it.
Our family was asked to take care of chickens for some friends. I was so happy that Rondee wanted to come along. Every afternoon after Hayden was up from his nap, we would load up and head out to the R* family farm. The kids really enjoyed the chore. We left with 18-20 eggs a day.

A word about keeping chickens: This used to be a little dream I fancied. It was a venture that seemed so straight forward in everything I read. In reality, the actual caring for the birds is very straight forward. But the reality is also very...animally. I don't know how else to put it. Chickens are in a constant state of molting and refeathering. They poop and walk all over everything- their perches, their watering bowls, their feeding troughs. Their eggs are dirty and mucusy. The simple acts of collecting eggs and changing water bowls requires the handling of many soiled items. We've done the R*'s chickies twice now. The first time was in the bitter cold of winter. Cori is very glad that I'm over this little idea - though it was really nice to have all the free eggs.

We were out of the house most of the day all day. While the kids were busy checking off their morning chore list, I was busy cleaning and preparing the house for whatever real estate visit was scheduled that day. Then we played ourselves silly. I did laundry almost every night and had to apply stain remover to nearly every article of clothing before it entered the wash. Good sign of a good time, right?

Easter Festivities

Doing a little Palm Sunday reenactment.

We ended up spending so much time away from home last week. I'm really happy for the things we still had time to prepare and do. On Palm Sunday we talked about the things that happened in the Savior's life on that day. With very few props, we acted it out. We spent a little time every night afterwords talking about Easter events - not always on their specific days.

The Seder plate (minus a roasted shank bone) and Matzot.

Once my parents were with us, we had our second annual Jerusalem Dinner. This year, we made herbed fish, lentil soup, flat bread, and cucumber salad. We also got a Seder plate put together. Charoset at last! My friend, Audrey, gave me some matza meal and I was able to make the three Matzot to go along with. We didn't do a haggadah reading or anything (not this year, but next year...) but we sampled and talked about the symbols of all the ritual foods. I think these foods are important to understand because at the Savior's last supper, he replaced them with the sacrament.

Who knew brown eggs would dye so well? The three along the top of the carton are white eggs Gracie dyed at school.

In between General Conference sessions on Saturday, we dyed eggs. We spent last week taking care of a flock of chickens for some friends from church. We consequently had a few dozen free range, organic brown eggs in the fridge. We didn't know what to expect, but they took the dye really well. The colors were surprisingly rich. The white crayon trick didn't work out quite as well as it does on white eggs. (Oh, you like that bruise on Grant's cheek? He was minding his own business at the park when a little kid walked up to him, grabbed him by the face and bit him. More to come on that. )

Easter morn we held our version of an Easter egg hunt in our pajamas. A lot of the clues were the same as last year's. We'll get to be more clever as the kids get older. Gracie was hard to slow down and Grant definitely understood better what was going on this year.

The new tradition we started this year was making Easter story cookies. They are a divinity type cookie with crushed pecans. As each ingredient is added there is a scripture and a piece of the crucifixion/resurrection part of the story to tell and discuss. (For example, the kids get to smell and taste vinegar just like the Savior did on the cross.) The little meringue cookies look like rocky tombs and are hollow inside once cooked. My favorite part of this activity is that you seal the cookies in the oven the night before Easter Day. Gracie did a real bang up job with the masking tape. Then on Easter morn, we took the tape off and hid the cookies before the kids came down stairs. Their reaction to the empty oven was perfect. Gracie was surprised to see the tape removed, and then when the cookies weren't inside she was confused and a little upset. It was a great teaching moment to remind her about what happened at the Savior's tomb on Easter morning.

I tucked my notes and new recipes into our Easter book and returned it to its place on the shelf. But my hope is that our family will be even better at remembering the lessons of the Easter season through out the year until next April.

Blessings

Happy Easter!

It has been a busy week. Gracie has been on spring break which has freed our days for outings. This also worked out well for open houses and showings for which we had to be away from the house. The week has been made all the better by a visit from my parents. It has been so much fun to celebrate Easter with them here. This week I'm so grateful for:

• Celebrating this Easter week. We didn't get around to doing everything I planned, though we did plenty- a post to follow. I'm humbled by the life and sacrifice of our Savior. I feel immeasurably indebted and grateful for all that His atonement and resurrection make possible for me and my family- and all of us. I know He lives. I am thankful for the moments that come each day to teach our kids these truths and we have loved the extra focus this week.
• General Conference. Could there have been a better way to culminate our Easter thoughts than by listening to His living prophet and apostles? Conference weekends are always so uplifting.
• Gracie's new swim teacher. We are half way through her second round of swim lessons. Her new teacher is a girl and Gracie has taken quite well to her. She progresses now with each lesson and even did some swimming on her own yesterday.
• Another day with my parents. We love having them here!