Los Shephitos: A family journal

Christmas!

2012-01-17T18:32:00.038-06:00

Christmas time this year was a lot of fun! This is the first year I think Grant understood some of what Christmas is all about and, of course, throw in a 2nd child and you double the fun.
We did many different things and I have pictures on 2 different cameras...but here's a sampling of some of what went on in our lives in December.
Grant's daycare had a Christmas concert. Grant learned all the verses to Frosty the Snowman and most of Silent Night...but unfortunately he got a little stage fright at the time of the performance.
Photo with Santa after the concert as their reward.
Grant made Christmas cookies. He really likes to help out in the kitchen.
Spent Christmas Eve with my parents and my older sister and her family. Grant loves to hang out with his cousins and Luke loves his Papo Carlos!

Christmas Day---very informal.
Isn't he a little cutie!!!
Going to church! I am bummed I didn't get a family picture...O-well
Having a blast with all of his loot!
Grant in front of the Christmas tree. Whenever we tell him to look cute, he puts his fist under his chin and gives a really cheesy smile. Cute boy!
Okay...maybe this will be the last picture....Visiting Santa at Bass Pro Shops. Luke was not happy about a strange man holding him!
Oh...here's a cute one of Kirk and Grant having dinner right before going to see Santa. This is the last picture...promise.
Happy late Christmas!!!

Grant's Birthday Party!!!

2012-01-16T20:10:00.014-06:00

Well...it seems like I always forget to post pictures of Grant's birthday parties. This is a shame since I put so much time in planning something memorable and fun...and now...I can't remember what we did for Grant's 2nd birthday. This is really going to bug me. Hopefully it will come back to me soon. Anyway, for Grant's 3rd birthday I invited a few too many kids to our house and couple that with the full-size horse that my friend from school let us borrow...it was kind of crazy!
This year...we had Grant's 4th birthday party at Jump N Jungle. Great idea! Not much prep, kids had a great time, and the best part...no clean-up. Here are some of the pictures...

Momma and Lukie had a great time too!

Grant decided he wanted a football/sports themed party. At the time he was really into watching college football.

Some of Grant's daycare buddies. Some of them have been classmates since they were babies.

Overall, we all had a really fun time and now Grant is already placing requests for his next birthday parties all the way to age 18!!! It's kind of cute.

Luke's first hair cut!

2012-01-15T08:31:00.012-06:00

Well...yesterday Luke had his first professional haircut! He has been blessed/cursed with really light and fluffy hair that likes stand straight up. It is really cute and it gets comments all the time from random strangers...but he is almost 1 and I thought we could try out a big boy haircut now. Here are the highlights... Before gel. After gel. Now his hair looks a lot more thin...but in a few weeks it should be really cute!

2011-12-20T06:50:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-03T09:43:00.011-06:00

This Thanksgiving we spent the day at home with my parents and my little sister and her family. I made the turkey...the first time in a long time...and I must say it turned out pretty well. Of course, we made too much food...but it was a nice day to spend with family and to have the cousins play together. Here are the highlights!

Our cutie!

The kids table. Luke was taking a much need nap!

Adult table...

Kiddos playing outside after a nice Thanksgiving lunch! Soccer was on the agenda!

Family picture on the backyard swing.

Family Day at the Zoo!

2011-10-15T21:42:00.011-05:00

Today Kirk's company had a family day at the zoo. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to get out of the house and do something different. At the zoo we were set up in a pavillion, provided with lunch, facepainting, and an "animal experience." We had a great time. It was also Boo at the Zoo...so you could walk around and also collect candy. It doesn't get better than that for kids! Here are some pics.

Luke went with us...but I don't think I got a single picture of him! Bad Momma!

Pre-Crawling...

2011-10-10T20:45:00.003-05:00

I thought this picture was worthy of documenting in the online family journal. Here is Luke practicing to crawl. Isn't he a cutie!!!

Luke is 8 months!

2011-10-09T09:37:00.004-05:00

Yay!!! Baby Luke is now 8 months old! He is definitely getting big really fast! I have missed a few months of updates...so here is what little Luke is up to lately...

-He is trying to crawl. He is not there yet...but as soon as he develops a little more arm strength...he will be there.
-He is eating more solid foods. He loves tiny little pieces of bread!
-He had his first double ear infection. So sad...but he's recovering nicely.
-Luke went on his first road trip to San Antonio and had a wonderful time.
-He is now wearing a range of cloths sizes from 9 months-18 months!

Here is the latest and greatest picture of Baby Luke...as Buzz Lightyear. This is, of course, his Halloween costume. Enjoy!

Master manipulator

2011-09-28T20:46:00.003-05:00

Grant usually goes to bed pretty easily in his own room, but lately if he hears the baby start to cry in his crib in the next room...Grant will start crying too. Either Kirk or I will go to his room to comfort him and he says that baby Lukey is scaring him.

Today, he started to cry for momma about 30 minutes after we left him in his bed. Luke wasn't crying...so I asked him what was wrong. He said he was scared, but when I asked him what he was scared of he said he just wanted to sing more primary songs before bed.

Ugh!...but cute!

New family pictures....with a new addition!

2011-09-24T20:21:00.010-05:00

Well, when Luke took his newborn pictures at a few days old...I didn't really feel like putting make-up on and getting dressed decently to take pictures with him (regret this now), so up to this point I didn't have any pictures with Luke and the family except for the ones that we take around the house occasionally. Those are usually poor quality for one reason or another. So for his six month mark, I decided now was a good time. Here are some of the highlights from our family photo shoot in August...notice all pictures are indoors since it was 100+ outside almost all August.

I am a litle behind on the family happenings...but I am getting to the family vacation in San Antonio next!!!
Kirk and his twin Grant! Grant is a total daddy's boy! Brothers and best friends!Not exactly a smile...but this picture is so Luke. He is so curious and is always reaching for something.I love this picture of Grant! It is so much of what he is into right now. He loves that blanket!

I pledge allegiance...

2011-09-20T20:20:00.007-05:00

Grant has been learning a lot about his country and state in daycare lately. I have been pretty impressed of what he has actually retained and talked about at home. He now recites the pledge of allegiance almost perfectly, can tell you who the President is, can tell you the differences in the Texas flag and US flag...and that is only what I remember right now off the top of my head. I pick up his art work at the end of the week and this time I found these masterpieces. Doesn't he make a handsome lady liberty?

Gooooooooo Oilers!!!

2011-09-02T20:33:00.004-05:00

Kirk and Grant dressed and ready to see the state champion Pearland Oiler football team!!! (I stayed home with the baby...since it is still too hot outside for Luke.) Anyway...don't they look cute? I had to bribe Grant with a lollipop to put the visor on. And yes...this picture was taken in our bathroom. I was giving Luke his bath at the same time.

Brotherly Love

2011-08-15T17:44:00.007-05:00

Crafty moment

2011-07-22T10:40:00.004-05:00

Well...for those that know me well...they know that I am not too crafty. It's not that I don't want to be...but I guess I find it a little intimidating. It's kind of like me and cooking (though I am getting better.) I am not completely inept, though. I have taken a few classes, so I can figure a few things out.
Earlier in the week, I went to a store that sells custom baby items. I saw these really cute bibs, and then I looked at the price...$13. I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for something I knew I could make if I just tried. Well...I went to the store and picked up my materials and here is the finished product.
Bad picture...but what do you think of the cute bib?

5 month update

2011-07-11T09:19:00.009-05:00

It is amazing that Luke is already 5 months old... In some ways he seems like he has been a part of our family forever and in other ways I feel like we are just getting to know his sweet little personality and discovering who he is. In this past month, I really feel like Luke has changed so much. Everyday he is doing something new or getting better at new skills. It is amazing to see how he is starting to learn new things and discover the world around him. Well...here are some of the things he has accomplished in the past month.

-Luke is now sleeping in his own room in his crib. Yay!!!
-He is sleeping consistently 9 hours before waking up. His favorite time to wake up is 5:30 AM. Ouch! (Could be worse!)
-He is grabbing whatever he can and bringing it to his mouth.
-Two days ago, his bottom two teeth popped out! So cute!
-He is now eating all types of cereal and carrots and green beans. We might start peas today. Yummy! He has really made progress in eating. Still messy...but a lot better than the first week.
-Still wearing 6-9 month. (Not really an accomplishment...just keeping track of stuff so I can put it in the baby book later.)
-He has dropped one of his naps and is only napping twice a day now.
-He can roll both directions quite easily now and somehow he can move pretty well by moving his legs around. Basically his is crawling on his face. Hopefully, he will build up his strength soon so he can hold up his top half and really crawl.

Well, that is pretty much all that I remember right now. Enjoy some of the new pictures!

Organized chaos!

2011-07-08T10:29:00.012-05:00

This summer, we decided to put Grant into an organized sport. Since he is only 3 there were limited options, but we settled on soccer as a good sport to try first. All I can really say about this experience is that it's pretty funny to watch a bunch 3-4 year olds running around trying to kick the ball in any direction...let alone trying to make a goal. Grant started out a little apprehensive about the new coach (Grant is a pretty shy kiddo)...but now he is ready to get in there and chase the ball around. Here are a few pictures from his first game. It lasted 15 minutes.

Warming up playing "Red light, Green light".
Doing some drills.
Game time!

2011-07-03T16:42:00.002-05:00

Luke at 4 months

2011-06-17T09:35:00.009-05:00

Well, I'm behind again on my updates for Luke...but here is what he has been up to lately.
-He likes to stand up on his feet and he can sit pretty well when he's supported.
-He also likes to nibble on his feet (adorable picture below).
-He is starting to laugh and giggle a lot more.
-We tried feeding him some cereal..but he spit it all out. I guess we will try again later.
-Luke went to the swimming pool for the first time. He really enjoyed it!
-I believe he is teething since he is going through some fussy periods that he didn't really have before. Yay!
-He is also growing like a weed and is looking more and more like Grant every day.
Here are some new pics.
-He is now solidly wearing 6-9 month clothes.

Also at his 4 month check-up he weighted in at 17 lbs and 26 inches...83 and 80 percentile respectively.

And I don't want to leave Grant out... Now...if I can only remember to transfer this information into Luke's baby book.

Luke at 3 months

2011-05-22T16:20:00.018-05:00

Okay...I am a little late on this 3 month update, but life has been pretty busy lately. So here are the facts on Luke...
-He is now smiling a lot.
-He enjoys his days with my mother and father...since I have returned to work.
Thanks Mimi and Papo!
-He is still wearing 3-6 month clothes...but probably not for long.
-He is cooing a lot and loves to talk to anyone who will talk to him.
-He loves to be held...especially by his grandfather.
-and he is still a pretty easy baby!
-He still sleeps through the night, eat well, and will usually stop crying if he is being held or is taken outside. Here are a few of the latest pictures:

Today at the Zoo!

2011-05-21T17:32:00.007-05:00

Today we decided to take a quick trip to the zoo. Since we've had Luke we really haven't gone anywhere or done anything together...the four of us. It is usually one parent with one kid and the other parent with the other. So, it was nice for the family to go on a little adventure together. We even convinced Mimi to come with us for back up if we needed any assistance. Thank you Mimi! It was a short trip, but it was nice to do something different and get out of the house. The day was cloudy and it wasn't too hot...so all in all the trip was a success!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-27T10:49:00.013-05:00

On Easter morning Grant woke up to find a basket full of goodies left by the Easter bunny. He thought that was pretty awesome and had a good time playing with his Easter gifts and candy. I love this picture of Grant. Here is one with both the boys. Luke got an Easter basket too...but there wasn't too much in it. Then we got ready to go to church. This is our first Easter as a family with 2 children, so I decided to do matching outfits. Our nice neighbor took these family pictures for us. The kiddos received many compliments on their matching shirts and people were wondering why Kirk didn't join in. Since it was also my sister's birthday on Easter and mine the day before we headed over to April's house to swim, eat, and hang out. Here is a picture of the cousins...just hanging out. Also, here is a picture of our awesome birthday cake made by, Debbie, a good friend of mine from church. It was so pretty and really, really delicious. Overall, it was a great day!

Someone wants to be a baby...

2011-04-10T15:54:00.005-05:00

Lately Grant has wanted to play with a lot of the baby items in the house. It is pretty funny, especially when he pretends the baby bumbo is a car and he drives himself to Chuck-e-cheese.

Baby Luke: 2 Months Old

2011-04-08T06:41:00.006-05:00

Well...our little bundle of joy is now 2 months old. It is amazing how time flies. As you can see from his pictures above, Luke is growing like crazy and is learning and exploring new things every day. Luke has accomplished many things this month with the most important being that he is sleeping through the night....7-8 hours most of the time. I am so grateful for this!!! He is also now growing out of his 0-3 month clothes and moving up a size. Soon he will be moving to larger diapers too! Luke is also smiling more a people every day. He still likes his bouncy chair, but now he likes to bounce, kick his legs frantically, and watch Baby Einstein videos. It is pretty adorable. Suprisingly, Luke even rolled over by himself this month. At 7 weeks, he rolled over 4 times by himself. He hasn't done it since...but we work on it everyday.
Luke is such a joy and I am so excited to see how he changes every week.

Oh Brother!

2011-04-04T13:20:00.004-05:00

Grant has adjusted pretty well to having a new baby brother and so has the rest of the family. I can honestly say that he has not regressed or anything like that. Actually, I think the opposite has happened. Grant is following directions and becomes more independent as each day passes. As long as he gets to have his daily fun...a crying baby or not having 100 percent of the attention does not seem to bother him at all. Grant does want to give Luke his pacifier and just started wanting to hold baby Luke which is really cute. Life is moving along in the Shepherd household.

As with Luke...he is now sleeping through the night fairly consistently. He gets about 7-8 hours of straight sleep at night. For this...I am so grateful!!!!! He is such a sweet little boy and such a joy to our family. Last week, he even rolled over 4 times by himself. Kirk and I were shocked!!!

Luke's baby blessing!

2011-03-12T18:01:00.008-06:00

Last weekend Kirk's parents were able to come to town and we were able to have Luke's baby blessing. It was a nice occasion and a beautiful day. Here are a couple of pictures from that day.

First is a picture of the 4 Shepherd men. Next is a picture of Kirk's parents with baby Luke. Lastly, is a picture of Luke with the Laurel grandparents.

Luke's first photo shoot

2011-02-27T16:51:00.009-06:00

I love newborn pictures. Over the years...I have seen friends of mine take some really cool photos of their babies and I have always wanted some of my children. With Grant...I didn't get around to it until he was 2 months old. He didn't really look like a newborn at that point...of course, he was still really cute! With Luke...I was able to get some pictures of him at 8 days old. A special thank you goes out to Carina Olsen for taking the pictures. She is so creative and well...Luke was not that cooperative since he was wide awake. Here are some of my favorites of Luke...
Here is a picture of Grant at 2 months. Do you think they look similar?

Baby Luke is here!

2011-02-18T13:53:00.006-06:00

Well...Luke Shepherd is here! He came into this world weighing 8 lbs 3 oz at 12:32 PM. So far things are going really well. He is a pretty calm baby and he likes to eat and sleep. When he is awake he likes to stare at his mobile in his bassinet or playpen. He also loves his bouncy chair. This is pretty nice compared to our first born who cried pretty much anytime he was awake for the first month or two. Kirk and I are getting decent sleep which is also better than I expected. Here is a picture of our new little addition....
We are proud parents of both our little boys!!!

Some Christmas Day photos!

2010-12-25T09:45:00.009-06:00

Actually, these are from last night.
On Saturday's we usually have donuts, but Shipley's is probably closed today...so Kirk and I slaved over cinnamon rolls from a tube. They were yummy and Grant especially liked them. Here are some photos from this morning... The first pictures are from last night. So far...it has been a great day! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Picture Mishap...

2010-12-24T11:01:00.007-06:00

Well...this morning we got Grant dressed up pretty nice and we even put gel in his hair so he could take his picture with Santa Claus at the mall. Yes...I have procrastinated this picture until the last day. We thought we would be early at the mall, but a line of about 200 people had already formed. Soooo....we will procrastinate this picture again until next year. Since he was already looking cute...we just put him in front of our Christmas tree for a little photo shoot. Here is what we got... Keep in mind that we never finished decorating our tree. O-well!

More Halloween Pictures

2010-11-07T21:05:00.018-06:00

Well, like I said before...I am behind on posting pictures to this blog. I will continue with Halloween pictures just to finish off this time of the year. There are a lot, though...so I will probably finish another night. I guess I will probably have a Halloween part 3.

Here are all the Laurel cousins at the end of our Halloween evening. I must say that everyone had a blast! The kids were running around from door to door screaming thank you at all the nice people...it was pretty hilarious.
Grant at the Halloween carnival at the high school behind our house. There were a lot of bouncy houses...and he loves those!Another cousin shot before all the fun!
Well, I just noticed that I put the pictures in reverse chronilogical order. O well! I am tired now...so there will be a part 3 later this week. Still to come is the pumpkin patch and some pictures of me and my colleagues at work dressing up for the season. Those are pretty funny and shouldn't be missed!

Halloween 2010!

2010-11-06T17:55:00.007-05:00

Wow! I am really getting behind in all of the different posts I want to do. I have a lot of different ideas, but they just slip by and those ideas are now lost forever. Luckily, I am not a perfectionist and this doesn't bother me too much. This could really drive someone else crazy. Well...better late than never...but here are some of my favorites from Grant's Halloween pictures. Can I just say how much I love Halloween pictures? I think they are so cute! I can't wait for next year where I can have a family theme. :) Pumpkin patch pictures to come. Maybe this will help remind me to actually post them. :)

Oilerfest 2010!

2010-10-21T20:22:00.007-05:00

For the past few years, the high school I work at (and graduated from) has a week of celebration before the homecoming football game and dance. The students have all sorts of spirit days that mostly involve dressing up as superheros and such. The day before the game there is a decent size carnival/fair with all sorts of booths put on by the different clubs at the school. Grant and I decided to check out the festivities. Like always...Grant did not want to leave! Grant enjoying the classic ring toss game. Do you like his shirt? I made it myself.

Pre-Church Picture!

2010-10-10T20:45:00.002-05:00

I thought Grant looked cute today!

Ohio 2010!

2010-09-12T17:56:00.009-05:00

Well, Kirk decided that we could fit in a trip to Ohio this year...so off we went on a really short trip to Ohio to enjoy family, the Great Geauga County Fair, and mild/cool weather. Since Kirk has a new job...he doesn't really have that much time off until the end of the year, hence the short trip.
Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures...but here are some of the highlights of Grant's good time at the fair...which was mostly on the kiddy rides with his cousin Bryson. Can we say...obsession with the rides? Besides the fact that I did end up getting a pretty nasty cold...we had a really great time! It was a nice teaser of the cooler weather to come (maybe in a month or two). Thank you Nona and Papa!
Also...my mom was able to make the trip out with us! We had quite an adventure through the airports...but we are glad to say that everyone survived and we are still friends. :)

DisneyWorld 2010!!!

2010-07-13T18:45:00.012-05:00

Well...I've been slacking in posting pictures from our Disney trip in June and I can honestly say that the overwhelming number of pictures has really deterred me in posting something. But I know I should since it was such a big part of our summer this year and we did have an awesome time! Grant especially had a great time and really enjoyed hanging out with his Ohio cousins! He pretty much did every ride that he could do for a kiddo his age and size. He loved riding the trams in the parking lots since he thought those were trains! Yes...it was pretty dang hot, but our hotel was close enough that we could leave and come back without any problems. Also...the drive to Florida went pretty smooth as well. The stylish minivan worked its wonders! We will definitely go back in a few years and Kirk and I look forward to riding some of the roller coasters. Enjoy a few of the pictures!!!!

Graduation Weekend

2010-05-23T18:19:00.012-05:00

Last weekend...after a lot of time away from home and hard work...Kirk graduated from his MBA program at Rice! We are very proud of him and all of his hard work devoted to getting more education. For those of you who know me well...I am a strong proponent of higher education and I am really glad that Kirk decided to go back to school. Well...it was a lovely weekend. Kirk's parents were able to fly in from across the country and spend time with us and to attend the graduation ceremony. Here are some of the pictures...

Hot weather fun!

2010-05-06T15:25:00.006-05:00

Now that Kirk is done with school (congratulations Kirk!) we have more time to get things done around the house. First on the list was to wash our cars. They have been filthy most of the year. Since it was so hot outside and Grant wanted to play...we just put him to work washing the cars. He cleaned one spot for about half an hour...and it was spotless. Everytime I moved him to another spot...he wandered back to his original place. Who knows if he got the concept...but he liked getting splashed with the water hose. Also, you can see my new car that I got a few months ago. It is a minivan...and I am proud of it! I love the power doors and so does my son! Minivan owner and proud!!!This was done over the span of 2 days. Hence...the different outfits. :)

Pearland's Farmer's Market

2010-05-02T08:51:00.006-05:00

Pearland now has a Farmer's Market in the Old Townsite near the old CJ Harris Elementary. I believe it is every 2nd and 4th Saturday. It is still very small...but we had a great time. I bought an orange and lime tree for the backyard with some of my birthday money! The weather was great and we had a really nice time in the fresh air with my parents.

Longer than expected!

2010-04-03T07:53:00.009-05:00

Two Friday's ago Kirk and I decided to go to the by the Houston Temple with Grant. We didn't get a babysitter since it was a really last minute decision...but we wanted to hit up the distribution center and the LDS bookstore near by and walk the temple grounds with Grant. We left with plenty of time...or so we thought. It was around 3 and we "hoped" the stores would be open until six. Well, after almost two hours in the car in Friday afternoon traffic and watching the entire movie Madagascar in the car...we made it. Luckily we were not killing each other at that point...tension was high though...when we realized the bookstore and distribution center closed at 5. Ugh! We did walk the grounds and take a few pictures of Grant. The flowers were amazing! Since we didn't accomplish our goals of buying some things for Grant for Easter on this trip...we made another shopping and temple trip this past Friday. It was Good Friday and Kirk and I both had off work and Grant still had daycare. This time we accomplished everything we wanted...plus more. Second trip...1 hour not 2

Surprise! It's a playground!

2010-03-19T09:41:00.010-05:00

Well...Kirk and I have been thinking about getting a playground for the backyard for sometime now. We do live extremely close to a really nice park that is in walking distance and another one in our neigborhood--also in walking distance, but I was really craving the convenience of opening the back door and letting him play. Plus our backyard was looking kind of boring and needed some color. My main requirement was that I wanted something sturdy and heavy. After the last hurricane and seeing all the broken wooden playgrounds sitting out with the trash...it was easy to tell what kind would survive if it needed to. Also...I really wanted someone else to assemble it. I know Kirk could do it...but I have heard too many horror stories of horrible directions and a million little pieces.
When the guys arrived on Wednesday, I didn't know how long it would take...but 2 hours later it looked great! (See Lola at the bottom right again sneaking into our pictures. I really need to make my next post about our treasured family pet. :)
I picked up Grant from daycare and I told him I had a surprise waiting for him. He didn't really seem to care, because he was watching the movie Cars in the car. He is a little obsessed and points to the TV whenever we enter my car and says Cars. His new bedroom with a big boy bed will be devoted to the movie. Pictures to come soon because it needs a few more finishing touches. When he saw the playground he was pretty excited and he went right to playing and running around. Here are some of his first moments on his new toy.

And believe it or not...Grant can do the rock wall by himself. It does require close parent supervision, but I was really surprised!
Ah...I love being a suburban mom where a playgound can bring so much pride and joy to a family!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-15T09:15:00.006-05:00

A big thanks to Nona and Papa for the St. Patrick's day goodies in the mail. Grant was very interested in all the cool new items. I tried to get him to smile in the pictures but he was too interested in watching Dora or Diego...I don't remember which. He loves them both.

Also...on another note...it is Spring Break! Yea!!! On Saturday we kicked off Spring Break by going to a Rockets basketball game. It was LDS night and then Elder L.Tom Perry spoke to the Mormons after the game. It was funny to hear all the kids wondering why they were still there when the game was clearly over. Hopefully, sometime this week we can hit up the Rodeo!

Excuses!

2010-03-07T08:09:00.008-06:00

Well...it seems like I've been slacking on my posts about Grant. I have a few excuses to my defense. First, I couldn't find my camera for a while. No pictures...no posts. Second, we have been really busy. Kirk has started his last semester at school and work for me has been surprisingly hectic lately. Third, we have been pretty boring lately. This is because Kirk seems to have school every Saturday and this means the highlight of our weekend is playing at the McDonald's playground. This is because it has been slightly cooler and wetter than usual during this time of the year. I think this is going to change any day now. :) Here are some random pictures Kirk took this morning of our growing little boy. I know I am his mother and I have to think he is the cutest boy ever...but come on!!! He is pretty dang cute! You have to admit that!
Grant and our shaggy dog

Did we mention that Grant is taking gymnastics at his daycare? He is on the Tumble Team!

Kirk bought doggie stairs for Lola...but she didn't like them. No worries...because now Grant can climb up on our bed by himself.

For some odd reason...this was Kirk's favorite picture of the bunch. Kirk said it was Grant's Al Bundy pose.

Bouncing Baby Boy!

2010-02-02T20:44:00.004-06:00

Here is a picture of Grant with his new toy. A neighbor's trash is Grant's treasure! We love having neighbors with kiddos a few years older than Grant! Now Grant can stop jumping on our couch everytime a song comes on the tv. I don't know what happened to the picture...but I am sure that I did something wrong with the camera.

San Antonio!

2010-01-02T16:18:00.010-06:00

After Christmas, we decided to go on a short (3 hours)weekend trip to San Antonio. We could visit my grandparents who I have not seen in a long time and we could also visit some of the tourist attractions that San Antonio is known for...such as the Alamo, Riverwalk, and Market Square. We also visited the Children's Museum which Grant probably liked the best! Needless to say...we did a lot of walking!

Our Visit to the Bass Pro Shop!

2009-12-22T19:43:00.006-06:00

We finally decided to take Grant to have his free Santa picture taken at the Bass Pro Shop's Winter Wonderland this weekend. I have never been before...because I thought what could that store possibly have for me??? Boy, was I mistaken!!! It was pretty cool between the waterfall, aquarium, and an assortment of stuffed dead animals. A friend of mine calls it a mini-theme park. Here are the highlights! By the way...there was a lot more to the Bass Pro Shop than guns and camo...they had some nice shoes... :)

Happy Birthday Grantie!

2009-12-17T15:28:00.012-06:00

Well, Grant is finally 2! This past weekend we had two separate birthday parties for him and he seemed to have a great time! The first party was with his little friends. They played outside on the mini-bouncy house and then they decorated their own cupcakes.

The next day Grant had a joint party with his cousin Jack. They played with Grant's new train table and even had fun trying to break open a pinata. Opening the presents was also very exciting!

Overall, we had a great weekend!!!

Earliest Snowfall Ever!

2009-12-05T12:39:00.005-06:00

Well...yesterday is snowed in good 'ole Houston, TX. Since this is a pretty rare event for us so far south...the question on everyone's mind was...Would school be let out early??? And the answer...Yes it was!!! 11:30 :) I know it is ridiculous that this happens when there is only a half of inch of snow on the ground...but that is the fun part. For about 2 hours it snowed pretty heavily which was a big surprise...but then it snowed lightly for a few more hours. As the title says...this was a snowfall for the record books. It was the earliest snowfall in Houston ever recorded!

We Survived the Swine!!!...I think...

2009-11-14T12:05:00.004-06:00

Well, the week before last was a little crazy for our little family. I took Grant to the doctor and Monday because he had flu like symptoms and a pretty bad fever the night before. Needless to say, Grant was hysterical at the doctor's office. The doctor decided just to treat Grant for the flu since he looked like a classic case. We both went home for a nap after the emotional dr. visit. After our nap...I too, woke up with flu like symptoms. I called the same dr. and the nurse wrote me up for a prescription for tamiflu as well.
As Grant was on the road to recovery...the worst was still ahead for me. To make a long story short....one emergency room visit later...it was decided that I had a bad reaction to the tamiflu! I had to stop taking it and I had fever on and off for a few days after that.
Luckily...we have all survived and Kirk remarkably did not get sick at all. He must have some natural immunity because he was surrounded by germs and did not even get a runny nose!
Get your flu shots people!!! This virus was NOT mild!!! I missed a full week of work and I am still a little weak one week later! I certainly was surprised by this darn swine virus...

Such a cutie!

2009-10-29T15:20:00.003-05:00

Here are Grant's professional Halloween pictures by Hillary Howland! Isn't he a cutie? Grant will not wear the helmet for more than 5 seconds, but I think the one with the helmet on sideways is precious!

Great Book!

2009-10-24T19:34:00.004-05:00

I have just finished reading this book and it was GREAT!!! I started to read it when Grant was about 4 or 5 months old...but I was obviously distracted. I never finished it...but I picked it up last week and I haven't been able to put it down. It has taught me so many things. It has expanded my understanding of the atonement and how to apply gospel stories to my own life. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars! Thank you to Kirk's mom who sends me excellent books regularly! :) I will read them all slowly...but surely. :)

Pumpkins!

2009-10-18T14:31:00.005-05:00

Here are some of the pictures that we took at the pumpkin patch last week. Grant was not that smiley...but I think we got some cute pictures regardless. He is starting to really dislike overalls, but I think they are so cute!

Cowboy Grant!

2009-10-11T20:01:00.003-05:00

I thought this picture was blog worthy and in honor of Halloween I present...Grant in his cowboy pjs riding his bounce and spin pony!

Randomness...

2009-10-04T19:09:00.007-05:00

Well...I was informed by my mother-in-law today that I was falling behind in my blog. I knew I was neglecting it...but it took someone else to notice to get me to do something about it. I guess the issue is that we live a pretty regular life...but here is a sampling of the past few months that I have captured on my camera.

I just think this picture is hilarious! Grant really likes to put on Kirk's baseball caps. I just don't know why he won't wear his own. Ugh!

Here is a picture of Grant in primary. Isn't he cute? He has adjusted quite well and even has a few friends that he likes to follow around.

Here is a picture from Grant's first zoo visit. It was soooo hot and honestly...Grant was not that interested in the animals. We will try again later this month now that it is cooling down.

Here is a picture of the new shelf in our living room. I have been looking for something to hold Grant's toys...but I didn't want to spend too much. I found this at Target. It is just what I was looking for.

Sewing School!

2009-09-06T21:17:00.007-05:00

Well...over the summer I finally had a chance to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I took a sewing class! I had a student at school about two years back who told me sewing was one of her big hobbies and that she took classes at this school in town. I finally called them up and I was so excited to find out they had adult classes once a week in the evenings. In July I learned how to make the tote bag and in August we worked on the pajama pants with pockets. My teacher is awesome! I have never once touched a sewing machine...but she made everything so easy. I will definitely take another class when my schedule permits.
Since my classes have been over I have made a few tote bags for gifts in various sizes, pillows, and pajama pants for Grant. Who knew sewing could be so fun???

The Beach!

2009-08-31T21:09:00.006-05:00

I am way behind in blogging! I have a few things in the works that I want to post...but we have been crazy busy! Kirk is working all the time (over 50 hours) and then he has school after work (add another 10 hours). Then there is the "more often than not" Saturday study group for Kirk...so we are planning on meeting up sometime in October. I have started work as well...so we are workin', workin', workin' like crazy!
When Kirk got home on Saturday from work and then school, he mentioned going to the beach. We planned to go a few weeks ago...but by the time we were half way there, it started to pour. We finally made it this time. Grant had a great time!
Here are a few pics... Enjoy!

Vacation Part 2: Park City

2009-07-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

Well...here is the long awaited 2nd half of our vacation. After the 3 days in Las Vegas, we drove up to Park City. The cooler weather was sooo much appreciated! The part of the trip that I was most nervous about was the drive...but Grant did great! He didn't cry once. We stopped in St. George and went to a McDonald's and then to the temple to take some pictures. We didn't stay too long...but Grant really had a nice time stretching his legs out walking around the temple.
We did a nice variety of things while Park City. We walked Main St. mulitiple times, did all the rides at the Park City Mountain Resort, went on a few ski lifts that showed us a bunch of beautiful scenery, ate at Cafe Rio (multiple times), went swimming and hiking and "whitewater" rafting, hung out at the Silly Sunday Street Fair, and watched the stars. It was a perfect combination of relaxing and doing different activities.
We even had a chance to visit BYU and Kirk's sister and her family and his brother. Also...what would be a trip to Utah without hitting up Temple Square. Here are some of the highlights...Enjoy!

Summer Vacation: Part One (Vegas)

2009-07-16T22:00:00.009-05:00

I have so many pictures of our vacation...the task of narrowing down what we did to put on the blog was kind of intimidating. That is the main reason I have been putting it off for so long. So...I decided to do it in two parts. So here goes...:)

We first spent 3 days in Vegas...with our toddler. I was a little nervous about it at first...but it wasn't so bad. We found plenty to do. We actually had a lot of fun! My parents came along with us...so we traded off taking care of Grant and we also took him along with us on most of our exploring. It worked out perfectly. They have so much more endurance than I do...so they stayed out late and we were exploring the Strip early. And yes...it was really hot! Not really any hotter than Houston has been lately...Ugh!!! Part two (Park City)...coming soon!

VACATION!!!

2009-06-19T07:57:00.008-05:00

Well...Los Shephitos are not going to Hawaii this year! Boo-hoo! I know...it is so sad. We thought early on that a long plane flight would not be realistic for an 18 month old...So we thought we would stay in the continental US this year and probably next year too.
So next week we are off!!! We will fly to Vegas to spend a few days there with my parents and then we will take off for Utah. Kirk and I haven't been back to Utah since we graduated college so we are excited to see how things have changed and to walk down memory lane. If you have any ideas on different things we should do...Please comment! We would really appreciate the help! I usually over plan our vacations...but I have been so busy finish up work and moving to a new office that I haven't really done any planning yet. I will have to get on it tonight!
Vacation pictures to come...sometime in July!

Water Adventures!

2009-06-12T15:03:00.008-05:00

Ok...in an earlier post I said that I wasn't going to get Grant a baby pool...but I just couldn't help myself! He loves that darn pool so much and cries everytime we tell him that we have to come inside. He will even play in it without any water.
Earlier this week, Kirk was on facebook and saw a picture of an older kid who had attached his slide to the baby pool. We knew Grant would love this...so I had Kirk make it happen. Grant had a blast!!!!

A Memorial Day to remember!

2009-05-26T20:14:00.005-05:00

On Monday we decided to go to Kemah and spend a few hours there. I was a little nervous about how Grant would behave...but he did really well! This picture is Grant eating at the Aquarium. The entire restaurant has a blue tint...so there was not a problem with the camera. That is just how it looks there. He ate so much that his stomach was pooching more than usual.

To our surprise, Grant also liked watching the fish. He didn't know what to make of them at first...but he eventually became fascinated. He was not too happy when I had to pry him away to change his diaper.

Outside the restaurant is one of those fountains that kids run through and the water sprays up randomly. We changed him in to his swim outfit and stuck him out there. He didn't want to leave his spot...but he had a blast. He eventually got way into it. Overall, it was a great day!!!

Good Read

2009-05-20T19:42:00.005-05:00

I have realized for a long time that every post I have on my blog is about Grant. It is not that he isn't a worthy topic...but I thought it would be best to change it up a little bit for my many devoted readers (insert sarcasm, please). Besides playing and taking care of Grant, I also like to read.
One of the better books I have read recently is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I don't usually read much non-fiction now that I am out of school, but this book was a real page-turner. This book talks about different circumstances that can make people successful and the circumstances are not always what you think they might be. Gladwell has an interesting way of looking at things that I don't always agree with...but can really make you think and question your own ideas. It is a quick read and I recommend it to everyone! 4.5 stars...I guess. :)

Sprinkler time fun!!!

2009-05-05T19:39:00.007-05:00

Since Grant just got ear tubes we thought a sprinkler would be better than a baby pool this year. Boy were we right! He loved it! He was a little hesitant at first and stood in place while the water continuously soaked him...but with a little help from Kirk he was soon running through the water. A big thanks to Kirk for sacrificing his work shoes and clothes to play with Grant.

*Remember: You cannot run around without shoes in Houston. There can be fire ants any time of year!

Our Spring Break Louisiana Trip!

2009-04-19T19:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry people! I do not blog in the order things actually occur in real life. We went to visit Kirk's sister's family in Louisiana in the middle of March. We had a really nice time and only wish that we could have stayed a little longer....maybe this summer??? Enjoy the slide show!

A Busy Spring Saturday!!!

2009-04-04T19:59:00.010-05:00

Well...today was a pretty exciting and full day for the family...epecially Grant! Today the city where we live was having an Easter hunt and I thought it might be fun to take our little boy and try something different. When we got there it seemed like everyone in the whole city with a kid was there. Grant was in the 0-2 age category and the parents, of course, got to help. Kirk told me to let Grant pick up the eggs by himself, but that was a big mistake. He was so slow that he only got three eggs. All the crazy parents were picking them up for their kids like crazy! It was basically a huge stampede of parents! I guess I wasn't aggresive enough. O-well...there is always next year. Grant had a fun time anyway and met the Easter bunny and HEB Buddy.

Later the same day, Grant also attended a birthday party for his good friend Miller. Miller's parents always throw the best parties, so we were really excited! They had a petting zoo, pony rides, and a whole bunch of toys to play with. Here are some of Grant's favorite moments.

Hopefully Grant will sleep in a little bit tomorrow!!! We can only hope!

Bathroom Makeover

2009-03-25T20:27:00.003-05:00

A brand new Target just opened up pretty close to my house...so I thought...why not redo Grant's bathroom. (Brand new Target...that can be very dangerous!!!) We finally moved him out of his baby bathtub (way over due...btw)and upstairs to his own bathroom. I was nervous that he wouldn't like his big tub, because he never seemed to have a problem with his baby tub...but he loved it. I even bought him some foam letters/numbers that he can stick on the walls and he loves putting them up and taking them down. I don't know if he appreciates the monkeys or not, but I thought they were pretty dang cute!

My "Big Papa" and Valentine's Day

2009-02-26T20:44:00.007-06:00

Well...Grant is developing quite the reputation at day care these days. They tell me he is the heaviest kid in the class and the best eater. I don't know if I should be really proud of these things...but I am! My boy is so cute! One of his teachers has taken to calling him "Big Papa". Apparently he loves repeating the word papa and it cracks him up when they call him that.

Also...here are some pictures from his Valentine's Day party at school. It was mostly a junk food festival of fun. I think he enjoyed it though. He is not smiling in the pictures since he wanted to leave as soon as we showed up. He is a creature of habit. :)

By the way...I made the cupcakes!!! (Such the homeroom mother...not!!! ps...Kirk iced the cupcakes - he made me put that in)

Spaghetti face!

2009-02-09T21:23:00.001-06:00

I call him Spaghetti Face...need I say more!

Garage sale treasures!

2009-02-02T21:28:00.003-06:00

Every now and then I like to participate in some bargain basement shopping...garage sales! I don't hit them up every weekend, but if I pass one and I think I might see something I need I will stop and rummage around. Lately, I have found some really cute things for my little Grant that I am quite proud of myself for finding. This blue car that he is sitting in is now one of his favorites. Everytime I bring him inside the house from the garage...we pass it and he almost jumps out of my arms to play with it. It is too cute! The slide behind him didn't come from a garage sale, but we did get it off Craigslist...another good buy! This past weekend I bought him a little lawn mover and baseball game and some board books in really great condition! Our house if full of toys...but it is amazing what you can buy for 5 bucks!!!
Notice my little Lola on the far right side of the picture. Isn't she pretty!

Grantito can walk!!!

2009-01-30T21:48:00.005-06:00

It's official...Our little Grant can walk!!! Okay, he is one of the last in his daycare class...but who is counting anyway. This short video will show what one small week of practice can accomplish.

Christmas PJ's

2009-01-11T19:34:00.004-06:00

I am posting these pictures for Grant's grandparents in Ohio. His "nona" has a tradition of sending soft, comfy pajamas for all the grandkids for Christmas. We did get them in time...but our Christmas was especially warm, so he didn't wear them on Christmas Eve. Has has worn them since, but I wanted to show some pictures. These are now his new favorite toys!!! He is still not walking, but he is definitely going places!

I gave blood today...

2009-01-11T18:07:00.003-06:00

and I didn't freak out! I have never donated blood before today because something about it really scared me, but it wasn't bad at all. I felt good about doing it after I left the blood donation center and I will definitely do it again. It was totally worth it and I don't feel weak or tired at all! If you live in the Houston area visit www.giveblood.org . It was a very informative website and the donation location in Pearland was really nice.

Blood Donations Needed!!!

2009-01-07T19:47:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! I know that I do not get that much readership, but I am putting a call out for help an old friend of mine. She is not old...but I have known her since the 6th grade. :) My friend Missy Knight has the cutest little boy Samuel who is fighting for his life at Texas Children's Hospital this very minute. Right now he is using a lot of blood and Missy has asked for anyone to donate blood in her son's name. He is Samuel Knight and he is at Texas Children's Hospital. I am not sure exactly how it works, but this is what she has written on her blog,

"We are still getting tons of blood products. We could use as many donors as possible. You can go to any donation spot and donate to Samuel Knight at Texas Children's Hospital. I think they give you a voucher that we can use to deduct the cost of what we owe for his blood. So, if you get a chance, please go donate blood, plasma, or platelets for Samuel. He is recieving all 3 and we could really use the vouchers!"

I am sure the people at the donation centers are very knowledgeable about how this process works. I have never donated blood before, but I am going to go this weekend if there is an availablity. Please pass the word and check out Missy's blog. It is www.missyknight.blogspot.com . Please send lots of prayers for Samuel and this family. Thanks so much!
Jackie

Best Husband Ever!

2008-12-27T20:35:00.003-06:00

For those of you who know me well...ya know that I am definitely not a mushy person. I am not too big of a hugger and I don't write sentimental things on Christmas cards...but I do want to brag on my hubby a little bit and let him know how much I appreciate him and love him!

I have to admit that I have the best husband ever! He is always a big helper, but this past weekend he has gone above and beyond. I have been sick with a sinus infection and he has taken over everything with Grant letting me get much needed rest. I don't think I changed one diaper today! I know he is not feeling too well either (we probably have the same darn thing) but he will not admit it and continues to let me rest. I am so grateful! He has even continued painting our bedroom and bathroom in the evenings after Grant is asleep! He is quite a dad and Grant loves him to pieces. I do too!!!

Grant's 1st Birthday Party!!!

2008-12-15T19:45:00.002-06:00

Well, this past year has definitely been an adventure! It has had its ups and downs but overall we have had a great time with our new family addition. Here are some pictures from his birthday party. We all had a great time and it was great to have the whole family together. We can't wait for what this next year has in store for us!

A rare event and horrible photography!

2008-12-10T19:51:00.007-06:00

Today it snowed...in Houston!!! This is a pretty rare event. The last time it snowed we missed it because we were on our way to visit family Ohio, so it has been a pretty long time since I have seen snow in H-town. I think the time before the one I missed, I was a freshman in high school and our teacher--Mr. Trainer let us outside to look. It was a pretty big deal! A lot of my friends had never seen it before in real-life.
Since this is a pretty big event in Houston, I decided to take Grant's picture. I have no photography skill and no one was around to help me position Grant, so I consider myself lucky to get the few shots that I got. Eventually one of my teenage neighbors offered to take a picture of me and Grant. Not one of my best...but today is one of those days that I am a single parent since Kirk is at school, so I am not going to beat myself up about it. Enjoy and don't make fun of us Texans!!!
I almost forgot...the last picture is of Grant slowly falling over flat on his back. It was pretty hilarious! As you can see, his winter jacket is huge on him. It is 18 months, by the way, but it runs big and I ordered it online. It doesn't usually get cold until January over here...so I thought I would go for a larger size. Maybe it will fit him by March!!! :)

First hair cut ever!!!

2008-11-23T19:52:00.006-06:00

Earlier this month, Kirk and I decided that Grant's hair was getting too long. I have trimmed his hair before, but Kirk insisted that our little boy still had a mullet and that had to change. We decided to pay for a nice hair cut since it would be his first professional cut ever and we wanted to watch to see how it was done. Surely we can do it ourselves. The cut lasted only 5 minutes. He didn't cry...but he sure gave this lady some dirty looks. Enjoy the pictures!

Grant's obsession, Jackie's addiction, and Kirk

2008-11-16T10:34:00.005-06:00

Grant's birthday is in the middle of December...so we find ourselves shopping for both his birthday and Christmas at the same time. We found this slide on sale and thought we would give it to him now and just call it his birthday present. He is not even one yet...so what does he know. Well, he absolutely loves it!!! He wants to climb up the back and slide over and over again...and he loves to be chased!

This kind of ties into my new addiction. In high school and college, I loved to shop. New clothes, new shoes...I wanted them! Well, this desire has left and has been replaced by my shopping for Grant. Clothes, toys, books...he needs them! Browsing the newspaper ads for after Thanksgiving sales/deals (always a hobby of mine)has new meaning.

I don't want to leave Kirk out...he is almost done with his first semester at Rice. He is working hard trying to balance home, work, and school...and I think he is doing a pretty good job. Right now he is coordinating the effort to get our house repaired after Hurricane Ike. It should be back to new by Christmas!!! Yea!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

Happy halloween everyone!!! For Grant's first halloween I decided to dress him up as a scarecrow. We needed something light-weight that could be layered in case it was 50 degrees or 90 degrees outside...but luckily yesterday was actually quite pleasant. It was also Grant's first experience with make-up. I must say that he looked really cute with his rosy cheeks, but I could never capture his smile with the camera. Here are some pictures from the party we went too. Grant had a blast playing with some new bigger kid toys. I hope you enjoy!

Fall has arrived!

2008-10-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

Last week Kirk and I took Grant to a "pumpkin patch". Well...I don't know if you can technically call it a pumpkin patch if the pumpkins are trucked in from who knows where...but it is the closest thing we have. A local church sells these pumpkins in their front lawn for a fundraiser and lets anyone take pictures if they want. We are going to take him again with his scarecrow costume...but we thought we would look a little too eager if we took his halloween picture at the "pumpkin patch" the first weekend in October.

Grant is 9 months...actually 9 1/2!

2008-10-04T10:18:00.000-05:00

Well...I am a little late on Grant's monthly update. I will use the hurricane as my excuse...so don't be surprised when you see his 10 month update in two weeks! :)

Our little Grant is not so little any more. He is easily crawling around the house and is pulling up on the couch and some of his other toys. He still loves to eat and is enjoying trying more of the table food we offer him. I gave him a bite of my donut one day and he was really mad when I didn't give him the rest. Grant still loves playing with pillows but he is now really interested in his wooden activity cube. It can keep him occupied for up to half an hour which is wonderful! His babbling is improving and we are just waiting for any day when he decides to say ma-ma or da-da.

Hurricane IKE continued...

2008-09-22T14:06:00.001-05:00

Well...here is a picture of what Kirk tore out of our bedroom because the sheetrock was wet. We wanted to prevent any possiblity of mold growing in the walls. The insurance adjuster came over on Sunday...and hopefully we will hear what will be covered by the end of the week. We are keeping our fingers crossed! We are covered pretty well and the insurance guy seemed to be pretty fair and nice.

Overall the storm was pretty scary! It was amazing to me how long the strong winds lasted. The news said that the heaviest winds were around for 6-8 hours and that is what I remembered. We waited as each hour passed thinking that it was going to slow down...only for the winds to come from another direction. The loud howls of the wind passing by the house was also pretty spooky.

After the storm...we were so grateful that our neighbor let us share his generator with him. He didn't have to share...but I will always be grateful for his kind gesture. Grant was pretty sick for about a week starting the day after the storm left. He did not sleep well at all in the steamy house...so Kirk drove him around in the car almost all night so he could rest. Keep in mind that we were under a strict curfew in town...so Kirk was stopped several times by the police. When they saw Grant with his swollen eyes and runny nose...they were pretty understanding and nice. All they said was to be careful when driving since none of the traffic lights were working.

Other things we experience were waiting in line for gas and waiting in line for ICE. Now I can tell everyone that I had the complete hurricane experience. Unfortunately...there are still a lot of people without power. My parents are on day 10 without it. They come over at night and sleep in our spare bedroom since it is starting to get hot AGAIN!!!

Hurricane IKE 2008!!!

2008-09-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!! We made it! It was really scary and I thought the winds would never stop. We are some of the lucky ones that only went without power for 3 days. My parents are still waiting and working on their 5th day without power. I will give more details on a later post.

Hurricane Ike...coming soon!!!

2008-09-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to keep our far away friends informed about what is going on with Los Shephitos. Hurricane Ike will be coming right over our house and I think we are ready. Here is a picture of our house. Kirk has done an amazing job boarding all of the window and even helping neighbors. Later we will board up the doors and "hunker down" for the night. We will move Grant downstairs to sleep with us tonight. It should be pretty exciting...in a scary way.

We are prepared. He have food, water, gasoline, propane, tarps, candles, and basically whatever we need. I will post again later.

Happy 1st Birthday James!!!

2008-08-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

My sister Linda's little boy James had his first birthday about a week ago. (I am a horrible aunt...because I do not remember the exact date...) Anyway, he had a nice little party and Grant was really well-behaved. Grant really enjoyed playing with some new toys and hanging out with his cousins. This is Grant with cousin Jack.

Isa had her 3rd birthday this month...but we have no pictures of this party since Grant was sick and could not attend. We did not want to contaminate all the other children.

Grant is 8 months!

2008-08-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Grant is 8 months old! It is amazing how fast the time goes by!
Big news...
1. Grant is almost crawling! He can definitely move across a room with his fast army crawl...but he is now almost moving with his stomach off the ground. This is a big accomplishment for a chunky baby like him. :)
2. Grant has started day care. The first day was kind of rough...but he seems to be getting used to the routine.
3. He has 4 teeth. Two on the bottom and two on the top. The 2 on the top are not the middle ones, though. He has fangs!
4. He loves to play with water bottles.
5. He is fitting snuggly in his 12 month clothes.

Day at Mimi's and Papo's

2008-08-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

On Friday my sister April and her two kids came over to my parents' house to visit. It was pretty nice since I haven't seen her son Jack in a while. He is only 2 weeks younger than Grant, so it is nice to see their differences and similarities.

Later we all went out on the trampoline to see if the kids liked jumping. It seems they all did!

Kirk's first day of school!!!

2008-08-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well...Monday was Kirk's first day of classes at Rice for his MBA. Twenty-two months later, he should be done. Here is a picture of Kirk getting his gear ready the night before.

He finally came home last night after working on a group project until midnight. This made me a little nervous since at that time Tropical Strom Edouard was heading directly our way. Luckily...his classes are canceled today and work is canceled for me as well. Yea!!!! Also...luckily...the storm ended up going north of us and has not caused much disruption.

More pictures from the Ohio trip!

2008-07-27T19:44:00.000-05:00

Grant's first trip to Ohio!

2008-07-26T12:07:00.000-05:00

Well...Grant survived his first trip to Ohio. He was very well-behaved on the plane and received many compliments from the other travelers. On the way up...he did not cry at all and was actually very happy. He even found a cute girl a few rows back to flirt with. Here is a picture of Grant with some of his Shepherd cousins. If you can't figure it out...he is the one in the front.

Grant is 7 months!!!

2008-07-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

Our little Grant is now 7 months old! It is amazing how time flies by!!! Here is an update of what he is doing lately.

1. Grant is trying really hard to crawl. He can get across a room but it is more of an army crawl.

2. He is using a sippy cup to drink water and a little bit of juice.

3. He still loves taking baths.

4. His new favorite thing is his fruit dispenser. (I don't know what to call it???)

Grant: 6 Months Old

2008-06-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

Grant is 6 months old!

Some of his favorite things are...
1. Rolling around on the floor and putting everything in his mouth.
2. Bouncing endlessly in his jumperoo.

3. Eating ALL baby foods.

4. Taking a bath and splashing around in the water.

5. Being naked! (Yes...our boy is a flasher!!!)

Hello Everyone!

2008-06-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

Well...I don't know if I will be any good at this blogging stuff, but I thought it might be fun to give it a try! More pictures and interesting stories to come...