Friday, February 27, 2009

I LOVE........

Here's a fun tag, and it's pretty darn simple: name 50 things you LOVE! And it is 50 THINGS, not people. I'm just going to type them as I think of them, so they're not in any order. Here I go:
1. I love seeing my baby smile when he first sees me in the morning.
2. I love hearing my baby laugh. And I love that he laughs at the weirdest things sometimes -- he's getting his own little sense of humor!
3. I love hearing my husband play the piano - especially the songs he's written. And I love when Grayson "sings" along when is daddy is playing! So sweet!
4. I love it how Gray kicks his feet when he's eating something he likes. And how he says "Nummm numm nummm"
5. I love Oreos.
6. I love Cake Batter ice cream!
7. I love when my doggie snuggles with me under the covers at night
8. I love thunder storms!!
9. I love rain - the sound, the smell, the feel!!
10. I love shoes -- especially boots!!!
11. I love scrapbooking.
12. I love going to my mom's house for Sunday dinner!
13. I love watching my husband play with Grayson.
14. I love watching my parents, siblings, and Steve's parents play with Gray.
15. I love when Steve takes the baby for a few hours so I can take a nap!
16. I love hot showers!
17. I love sweaters. And I love Fall because you get to wear sweaters!!!
18. I love playing the "I'm gonna get you!" game with Gray and hearing him squeal, and watch him try to run!
19. I love the feeling you get when you accomplish something you've worked really hard on.
20. I love making things myself.
21. I love baking!
22. I love eating the things that I bake!
23. I love snuggling with my baby.
24. I love snuggling with my hubby!
25. I love(D) when my baby slept with us in our bed - I miss him now that he sleeps in his own crib!!
26. I love breastfeeding my baby -- I'm weaning him now, and only feed him at bedtime and first thing in the morning, and I miss feeding him more! I'm going to be sad when he's totally weaned! :(
27. I love(D) being a nurse -- I'm kinda sad now that I can't really say that I'm a nurse -- I was really proud of being able to say that when people asked "What do you do?" -- BUT...
28. I love being a stay-at-home mom! Wouldn't change it for the world!
29. I love how Gray sticks his bum in the air when he sleeps.
30. I love how since we've been married, Steve has never gone a day without telling me he loves me!!
31. I love when Grayson says "Mama!"
32. I love when Grayson gives me hugs and kisses.
33. I love taking pictures/looking at pictures! Such fun memories!
34. I love drinking milk!!!
35. I love being a MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
36. I love laughing!
37. I love the mountains -- don't think I could live anywhere that didn't have mountains -- they mean "home" to me!
38. I love hanging out at home with my family -- nothing in the world could be better!
39. I love holidays.
40. I love the days Steve gets to stay home!
41. I love shopping! Well, I love to buy things... there's a difference
42. I love traveling, but I haven't done much of it!
43. I love to learn - but I don't like taking tests.
44. I love playing the "kissy monster" game with Gray -- our own version of the 'tickle montster' and hearing him giggle before I even start the kissing -- and how he tries to 'get me' back! Usually a big, huge, wet, open-mouthed smacker that drenches my whole cheek! And he's usually giggling uncontrollably when he does it, too! It's the cutest ever!
45. I love blogging and reading everyone else's blogs!
46. I love dolls and stuffed animals.
47. I love going on dates with my hubby.
48. I love being with family and friends.
49. I love the Book of Mormon.
50. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!

Ok, I tag Sarah, Bex, Jessica, Harmony, and Kandis! And anyone else that wants to do this!!! :)

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Grayson and the Lobster: A Love Story

On President's Day, my mom, Grayson and I went to Tuesday Morning to do a little shopping. We went to the toy aisle, and my mom picked up the ugliest stuffed toy I have ever seen: a shiny, stringy lobster. She said, "Look at this thing!" And I said, "That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen!" (seriously -- it was!) So we look through the toys (I was shopping for b-day presents for my munchkin), and of course Grayson didn't want to stay in my arms -- with so much fun stuff to look at! So I let him run amok for a bit (yes, I'm one of THOSE moms). He pulled all the puzzles off the shelf, climbed on the shelves, carried boxes around, and then: DA DA-DA DAAAAAA!!! He discovered the stuffed toy area, and thus, the lobster. His eyes got big. He did an excited little hop. And snatched that lobster right up. And never let go. He carried that stupid, ugly thing around the store. He'd toddle around to see other toys, put the lobster right next to him, play with the new toy, and when he was done, pick the lobster back up and keep going. He would NOT let it go -- he screamed at me when I tried to take it away from him. So I bought it for him. We now own the ugliest toy ever made. And Grayson STILL loves that stupid thing. He carries it around the house with him. He tries to take it to bed with him. He tries to take it with him to church. The boy will not let it out of his sight for long. It's hilarious! I guess you can't pick what your child gets attached to!! Really, he's got SO many adorable stuffed animals that I love -- and he has to get attached to THIS thing!! Here are some adorable pictures of the two little best buddies! :)



Such a cute jacket..


AWESOME JACKET GIVEAWAY!!!CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRAYSON!!!

Today is Grayson't FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! I really can NOT believe it's been a whole year -- the fastest year of my LIFE!!!! I really wish he'd just slow down a little bit -- he's growing up WAY too fast! I think I'm going to tell people he's 12 months old, not 1 year -- it sounds better, don't you think?! We celebrated the day thusly: Gray slept in today until 8 am -- his present to ME! I immediately sung him the "Happy Birthday" song, and he laughed and thought it was great! (I sung it to him like 10 times today, and he laughed every time! Guess it's a funny song!! Who knew?!) I made him french toast for breakfast -- cut it into strips so he could feed himself -- and he LOVED it! And breakfast was extra special today because Steve actually had time to sit down and eat with us this morning! Gray loved having his daddy there, and babbled to him between bites. He kept peeking around me to see his daddy, too -- so cute! He cried when Steve left for work -- I think he was thinking Daddy got to stay home today. Poor guy. But then I broke out the Tonka cars with racing ramp that we got him for his birthday, and he was immediately distracted. We played with those cars ALL day long! He is a BOY through and through! Loves the cars! We also played with his nesting/stacking blocks -- they have pictures of endangered animals on the sides, and big, bright letters -- he would walk around the tower and look at the pictures before gleefully knocking the whole thing over. We then went and read some books he got on Sunday from my family. Gray LOVES books, and will sit quietly (well, quietly for HIM) and flip through them for a long time! He made me read the Peek-a-boo Elmo book my brother JD gave him FOUR times this morning. Then flipped through it himself another 5 or 6 times. Gotta love that kid. Then he went down for a little nap. Then he got up and played with his cars and ramp some more. We ate lunch -- chicken pot pie, strawberry applesauce, a peach, and some juice. Then I had to change Gray, cuz of course he likes to feed himself, and got food all over himself. But when I went to put clothes on him, he wigged out. So I decided not to fight him on it -- it's his BIRTHDAY, after all! So he ran around in his birthday suit for a good part of the day! He played with his balloons, and the Happy Birthday pin-the-candle-on-the-cupcake game. We played lots, we read more books. Then we watched Sesame Street. Then he slept a little more -- but the dog woke him up early, and he wouldn't go back to bed. Then his Nana came to see him, and brought MORE books for him (best birthday EVER -- he was lovin it), and she played with him more. He loves his Nana and of course had a GREAT time and laughed a whole lot! We had a snack, too -- and I let Gray have a fig newton -- he loves those things. Then Daddy came home early (YAY!) and played with him, too! BONUS!! (Sometimes Steve doesn't get home til Gray's already in bed!!) Then we ate dinner, and I let him have another cupcake (I do believe he's getting quite the sweet tooth!!! Oh dear!). Then all of the celebrating started to take it's toll - and he started rubbing his eyes and getting cranky. He fought me the whole way, but I finally got him into his PJ's, read him his book, and got him in bed. He was loving his birthday so much, he didn't want it to end -- he cried in his crib for a few minutes before finally crashing. What a fun day!!
Gray, I can't imagine a better year! You are the sweetest little guy ever, and I have LOVED every second of seeing you grow and learn this year. Here's hoping the next one is even better! It'll be hard to top :) I love you so much, my not-so-much-a-baby-anymore baby boy! Love you forever!

Let the Birthday Suit fun begin!!


The pin-the-candle game! So cute!


Studying the balloon


I just had to post this one because of his eyelashes! Can you believe how impossibly LONG they are?! Good heck!


Nakey baby dances!


He's always so happy to be nakey


He's excited because he found a cough drop. Simple pleasures...


Finally got some clothes on him!! Just in time to be covered in cupcake! :)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Let the Festivities Begin!!!

Grayson's first birthday is this Wednesday, so we started the celebrations yesterday! Grayson had his very first First Birthday party!! We had a party with my family, since my sister and brother-in-law were in town. Gray had his first birthday cake, and LOVED it!! I made him a teddy bear cupcake puzzle cake -- this was my first attempt at making a birthday cake, so it's not quite professional, but I think it turned out pretty cute!!! :D Gray got lots of fun new books (he LOVES books!), some new clothes, and some fun new toys!! Thanks to all my family for all the fun times!!


Momma and the Birthday Boy!!


Daddy and the upside-down Birthday Boy! :)


He loved his balloons!


Birthday boy!!!


My sweet boy -- look at those cheeks!!


Showin' off the cute "1st Birthday" shirt before it gets covered in cake. Doesn't he have the sweetest smile?!


Big laughs! He always laughs when Uncle JD plays with him! What a fun uncle!!


The teddy bear puzzle cake! It's a bunch of different-shaped cupcakes put together to make a bear! I know most of you could have done better (a LOT better : Becky!) but I'm pretty proud of it anyway :) Did I mention that I actually had to make the cake twice? After I made the first one, I covered it, left it on the counter, then went to pick up the birthday balloons. When we came home, alllll the cupcake holders were on the floor -- Ollie had jumped the baby gate and eaten the entire cake. I had gotten out of the habit of putting things away, because the gate used to keep Ollie out of the kitchen, but he has recently learned that he can jump it. Needless to say, I was very much not happy. And today Ollie has a tummy ache. Serves him right :)


Gray's face when he first saw the cake! Priceless!!


Giving him his very first piece of cake!! Look at that face -- he's in awe!!


He went for the sprinkles first. Dove right in!! No hesitation!


Lovin' the cupcake -- He kept peeking at me out of the corner of his eye to see if I was going to take it away from him! He was plowin through it fast just in case :)


He kept saying "Nummmm" -- and he kept smacking his lips! So cute!


Frosting face! This was as messy as he got -- he was actually quite tidy! I was impressed!


Opening his presents!


He was pretty serious about it! Concentrated so hard on getting that paper off!

Happy Birthday, Little Mister! We love you!!

Tagged!

Ok, I was tagged by Kandis (Thanks, Jo!) to go to my Pictures folder, to the 6th folder, then the 6th picture! And here it is!

It's my baby Gray when he was a LITTLE baby! He was about 2 months old here. Look at those arm rolls! Love it! There's no huge back-story to the pic -- just a first-time mother obsessed with taking pictures of her baby! I don't even WANT to know how many pics I have of this little guy. Just the thought of having to scrapbook all of them makes me a little dizzy.......

So I'm supposed to tag 6 people, but it's time for me to go to bed, and I can't really THINK straight right now, so if you want to do this, go ahead and do it! :)

Friday, February 20, 2009

WHAT?!?!?!?

Does this ever happen to anyone else? It seems like having a baby with you (or being pregnant) gives every random person you see a right to talk to you and/or give you unsolicited advice. The other day in the mall, a guy stopped us and scolded me for letting Grayson still have a binki -- he told me I was going to ruin his teeth. And today in Walmart, a guy came up to us and just struck up a converstion. He was nice enough -- just chatting about how fun this age is, how cute Gray is, yada yada. And then he points to my stomach and says "So is this next one a girl?". WHAT!? Did you just seriously assume that I'm pregnant?! Don't you know that is taboo question numero uno?!? I didn't know what to say! He was a nice little old man, and I didn't want to embarrass him. So I just said, "Well, we don't know". And then he got all excited and praised us for "not finding out" just like the "old days". Oh my goodness. I just smiled and thanked him for his congratulations, and walked off to buy myself some Slim-fast. Guess I need it.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Remembering...


So, Grayson is almost 1 YEAR OLD! Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! His birthday is the 25th of this month! So I've been getting quite nostalgic, and thought this tag was a fun way to reminisce about my pregnancy/labor experience! :)

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?

I was at home when I got my first positive at-home pregnancy test, and then got a positive test at the hospital too.


2- Who was with you?
I was alone for the first one, Steve was with me for the hospital one.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?

We had been trying to get pregnant for almost 3 years, so I kind of took pregnancy tests routinely -- every time I was late. But it wasn't an uncommon occurence -- my body was messed up in some way (never really found out why exactly), so I had learned by this time not to get my hopes up when I was late. So when I was late this time, I just took a test again, and it was positive!


4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant?

When my first at-home test was positive, I took another one (two in a box), just to make sure. It was positive, too! So I was feeling just a teeny tiny bit of hope that I might really be pregnant! But I STILL didn't want to get my hopes up, so I told Steve we needed to go to the store. I wanted to buy a different brand of pregnancy test - again, just to be sure! But I didn't want to get HIS hopes up yet, so I didn't tell him why I wanted to go to the store. He didn't really want to go, and wouldn't go unless I told him. I had this whole cute plan laid out for how I would tell him when I DID get pregnant, but that all went out the window then. I just put my arms around his neck and said, "I want to go to the store, because I want to get another pregnancy test. I just took two pregnancy tests, and they were positive, but I want to make sure!" He got this huge smile on his face! It was so cute! He thought I was crazy, but he indulged me, and we went and bought another 2-pack test. They were also both positive, but of course I was still afraid to get excited, so we went to the dr's office and got one of THEIR tests done, too! Steve still makes fun of me for having to have 5 TESTS done before I finally believed I was actually pregnant!!!


5-Did you get morning sickness?
yeah, but not too badly. I just had to make sure I snacked a lot during the day. Smells really set me off, though -- I threw up at work one night after helping a particularly...um, let's say fragrant...patient of mine change her pad. I did make it out of the room before I hurled, though. Wouldn't have been very professional to do it in front of a patient!

6- Who was the first person you told?
Steve, of course! And then, after the dr's office test came back positive, we went straight up to my mom's office in the hospital and gave her a little magnet that said "Best Grandma" or something like that -- the hospital gift shop didn't have a wide "grandma" variety :) She screamed, of course! We wanted to wait a while til we announced it to everyone else. We told Steve's parents a little while later. Then my mom told my dad, and anyone that knows my dad knows that he can NOT keep a secret -- he told everyone he saw -- even casual acquaintances! Probably strangers, too! :) So there really wasn't any point in keeping it a secret -- the whole town knew!


7-Did you plan to get pregnant?
yeah, we had been "planning" on being pregnant for a LONG time before it happened! Almost 3 years. Trust me, it's a lot longer than it sounds.


8-Was everybody happy for you?

Of course! Who's NOT happy about babies?! :)

9- Did you go out and celebrate?

Haha -- Steve and I went out to Arby's after we bought the other pregnancy tests at the store. Does that count?! :) We probably went somewhere else a bit fancier later when we were SURE about it, but I don't remember.


10- Did you want to find out the sex?

Oh goodness yes! I had to be as prepared as I could be!!


11- What was the sex?
A BOY, of course! Fun fact: every single person on my dad's side of the family has had a boy first! My grandpa was first-born, my dad was first-born, my brother is first-born, and then all my aunts (dad's sisters) had boys first. And now the next generation is following tradition, too -- my two cousins that have had babies so far have had boys, too. And then I had a boy. And now my sister is pregnant, and she is having a boy, too!!! Crazy stuff, huh! So I knew as soon as I found out I was pregnant that it was gonna be a boy! Wasn't surprised at all when we found out! :) Also, everyone in my family has a girl 2nd (after that, there's no set pattern -- just for the first 2!). So don't be surprised when my next kid is a girl. It's already pre-determined.


12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower?
I got 2 showers. There were 3 others that were supposed to happen, but never did. I was on bedrest the last 3 months of my pregnancy, which is usually when people have baby showers, so I didn't get to have many. I totally got jipped! I'm kind of a little bitter, I admit it!


13- If yes, who?
My best friends Kandis and Jessica threw me an awesome shower while I was pregnant (I got permission from my doc to go), and then my mother-in-law threw me one after Gray was was about 3 months old. So fun! Thanks, guys! :D You're the ones who REALLY love me!! Hehehe :D


14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby?
Of course! But mostly because Gray grew so incredibly fast! Since one of my showers was when Grayson was 3 months old (and he was a very LARGE 3 month old), some of the outfits we got at the shower were already too small for him!


15- How much weight did you gain?
I try not to remember exactly -- it was 35-40 lbs, roughly.


16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained?
I've lost that much weight since then, but I still have a very lovely baby-paunch and much wider hips. So I'm still working on the weight loss.


17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks?
Oh yeah. And you know they're bad when your OB/GYN remarks on them. I believe the direct quote was "Wow! He really gave you quite a road map, didn't he?". Disgusting.


18- What did you crave the most?
PICKLES! And anything sour! Couldn't get enough of the sour stuff!


19- Did you crave anything crazy?
Not really. The craziest thing was that I couldn't STAND chicken! And I LOVE chicken -- before and after pregnancy! But I could not eat it while I was pregnant! Just the smell of chicken would make me gag! Or even one little tiny bite! So weird! And as soon as I wasn't pregnant anymore, I could eat it again!!


20- Who or what got on your nerves the most?
As previously stated, I was on bedrest for 3 months! So of course lying in bed all day, every day, drove me NUTS! A lot of people would say "Oh, it would be so nice to just lie around and not have to do anything!" ooo that bugged me. Anyone that hasn't been on bedrest has NO idea how frustrating it is to not be able to get up to do anything! I was just allowed to go to the bathroom and take short showers. I couldn't even go downstairs to get myself FOOD, or answer the door, or ANYTHING! And when the nesting instinct kicked in, I went crazy!! The nursery wasn't done, I KNEW the house was a mess, and there were still a LOT of things I needed to get to be ready for the baby -- and I couldn't STAND that I couldn't do anything about it. Poor Steve had to put up with me going on and on about what needed to be done. He had to go out to Walmart late one Saturday night because I was SO anxious that we didn't have a car seat yet -- this a good month before Gray was born! He was such a good sport about it, though, and tried to indulge me whenever he could! And my mom helped a TON! She went and bought me so much stuff!! And she, my sister, brother-in-law, and my dad came and got the nursery ready for me! I am forever indebted to them!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!


21- Were you married at the time?
Yes


22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
I was on bedrest because I went into pre-term labor at 28 weeks. I had to take Terbutaline every time I contracted -- two or three times a day. And the Terb was terrible -- made me all shaky and anxious. So not fun. And nmkot only was I contracting, but I was dilating, too. I was 5 centimeters dilated when I finally went to the hospital to have him.


23- Where were you when you went into labor?
The irony: I had to be INDUCED at the end! Gray apparently changed his mind, and decided he wasn't going to come out after all! So I was in the hospital when they gave me drugs to put me into labor.


24- Did your water break?
the doctor came in and broke my water right after I was admitted.


25- Who drove you to the hospital?
Steve-o!


26- Did you go early or late?
Tried to go early -- then had to be persuaded to come on time :)


27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?
Steve, my mom, my sister, the nurse and the doctor! and the transition nursery nurse.


28- Was it video taped?
ooooooo no! yuck! took pictures after, though, of course!


29- Did you have any drugs for the pain?
heck yeah! Since I was already 5 cm dilated when I walked in, the doc said I could have an epidural any time I wanted. I went through about an hour of real contractions, and I was asking for the epidural. I applaud anyone that does it without meds, but I am NOT that person!! And it was a good thing, too -- my contractions came on top of each other -- no break in between, so I would have been beyond exhausted before I had to push. And I had to push for 2 1/2 hours, so I needed that energy!!


30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section?
Natural. They threatened a c-section, but I agreed to trying the vacuum first, and it worked! Yay! I got a 3rd degree tear, and Gray had a pretty sore, swollen head, but that's better than a c-section!


31- What was your first reaction after giving birth?
Overwhelming exhaustion! I seriously could barely keep my eyes open! Of course I was so excited and happy beyond belief! But my body was just plain worn out! And I was starving -- I hadn't eaten since 11 pm the night before, and I didn't have him til 8:20 pm!!!!


32- How big was the baby?
8 lbs, 8 oz; 21 1/2 inches!! :D


33- Did your Husband cry
No. I think he was tired, too! :) But he was so cute and smiled the entire time -- just this big goofy grin on his face! He wouldn't let anyone else hold the baby, either -- well, he let me hold him for a few minutes, but no one else got to hold him until a few hours after!


34- What did you name the baby?
Grayson Wesley Wayment


Was he named after anyone?
Wesley is a tradition for the first-born son's middle name in the Wayment household! It goes back to Steve's great-great grandpa (I think...)


35- Who came to see you at the hospital?
Lots of family and friends! And a lot of my work friends stopped in, too (since of course we were AT my work!) We are well-loved! :D


36- Did the baby have any complications?
He had a cephalohematoma from the vacuum -- and that gave him a little bit of jaundice. But he didn't have to go under lights or anything.


37- How old is your baby today?

Will be ONE YEAR OLD next week! on Feb 25th!!


38- When is the next one coming?

When it happens :D we want kids at least 2 years apart, though. So no, we're not trying yet!!


39-If you could, would you do it all over again?

absolutely! It was one of the best days ever! I'm honestly looking forward to when I get to give birth again! It's an incredible experience!!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Lovin' on Oreos!








Grayson found my hidden stash of Oreos today! I left him for a minute to go to the bathroom -- I'm only one room away -- and I hear crinkling. I figured he was just getting the crackers I brought up for him. Then I hear "Nummmm num num nuuuummmmmm". Plain old crackers don't usually get this reaction! So I go to investigate, and this is what I found! He got Oreo EVERYWHERE in a matter of seconds! It seems like he knew that I would take it away from him as soon as I found him, cuz he had crammed as much of it into his mouth as possible, and the rest was smeared on his face, hands and all over the bed he was standing next to! Of course, being ME, I had to take pictures before I took the rest away from him. I wish you all could have heard his laughs and delighted "Nummmm"s, and seen his packed little cheeks -- it was priceless! The Oreo was the highlight of his day, I'm sure! Of course he was on a sugar rush for a while after that, and wouldn't go down for a nap! Silly, silly boy! Guess I passed on my love for Oreos! :D

Grayson's Train





I just have to say, I am very proud of myself! I bought this letter train from the craft store a long time ago, and it's just been sitting in Grayson's room all naked and unfinished! So I had a flash of inspiration -- Gray's room is a jungle-animal theme, so I decided I would paint every letter a different animal print! I did it all free-hand, and I think it turned out pretty darn cute!!! The train engine and caboose aren't done yet -- I don't quite know what I want to do with them yet. But they'll be cute someday, too :) If you can't tell, the letters are: G: giraffe print; R: tiger print; A: alligator print (couldn't think of a better way to do it!); Y: palm tree (okay, not an animal print, but I thought it was cute and fit in with the theme); S: zebra print; O: turtle shell; N: leopard print. It was so much fun to do! And a cute little addition to Gray's room that I hope he will enjoy for years to come! :D

They're Gonna Be Best Friends!




Grayson's future best friend Jackson is here!! Steve's best friend since forever, Tyson, and his wife Jacque just had their first baby on the 6th! He is the cutest thing!! He has so much hair! We got to go over and hold him for a bit last Friday, and here are some of the pics! Grayson was so funny about Jackson -- I think he kind of scared him! Every time the baby would get close to him, Gray would start whimpering and making the saddest face! Silly boy! He just doesn't know what good friends they're going to be later :)! Steve is one year older than Tyson, too! It's so perfect :D Congrats to the Barker family on your newest addition!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

My Funny Valentine!


Don't you love the sweet smile?!


I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!! He is SUCH a poser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha!


Rockin the "Mom" shirt! Love it!


Steve got me these beautiful roses! (And two necklaces, and a bracelet, and a shirt, and dinner and a movie!!! Yes, I'm spoiled! He's so good to me!)


Huge grin! I love his big hippo smile!!!


Ok, so I kinda look like I'm glaring at the camera in this one, but I promise I'm not!

Well, this is the last of the "first" holidays for Grayson -- his first Valentine's Day!! We celebrated by making heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, going to Costco, and giving lots of hugs and kisses all day! :) Grayson showed his love by wearing his awesome "Mom" shirt! Then my WONDERFUL mother watched baby Gray so Steve and I could go on a real, live, honest-to-goodness DATE!!! Thanks again, Mom! We don't really get to go on many dates lately, and I've kinda been a little sad about that fact! So it was SUCH a luxury to be able to have some couple time!! :D We went and saw "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and laughed the entire time! It was hilarious! Ok, not the greatest film in cinematic history, but DANG entertaining!! Then we went to Ye Lion's Den -- one of our favorite restaurants! SOOOOOO tasty! I got the filet mignon, because hey! It's Valentine's Day! If there's one day a year you can splurge on the filet mignon, it's V-day, right?! :) If you've never eaten at Lion's Den, you really MUST go! Looking at the menu, you may think it's kinda pricey, but it's an all-inclusive dinner -- you get drinks, a relish tray (with the yummiest spinach dip ever!), scones with raspberry honey butter that are to DIE for, soup/salad/or fruit cup, then you get your entree, AND dessert is included! LOVE IT! :D We had such a great time talking and laughing and holding hands -- all without my little clingy monkey baby in between us! Amazing! Of course, it was fun to come home and snuggle my baby again afterwards! What a perfect day! Thank you to my boys for making it so great! (and my mom for making it possible!:) (I just realized we never got any pictures of me and my wonderful husband! Oh dear! He was so cute today, too!!!) :P

Friday, February 13, 2009

8 Random Things Tag!

8 rAnDoM tHiNgS
Okay, I have been tagged by a few people to do this one, so I guess I should do it!:)
These answers are in no particular order - just the order I thought of them in :)

8 Favorite T.V. Shows :
1. Lost (holy COW it's crazy this season!)
2. The Office (never fails to make me laugh! And some of the best quotes of all time)
3. Supernatural (I admit this is partially because of my crush on Dean {Jensen Ackles} whooooaa baby ;) hehe -- but it's a great show, too!)
4. Grey's Anatomy (this is Jessica's fault for lending me her DVD's while I was on bedrest! Now I am addicted! Thanks, Jess!)
5. Mythbusters (the only show I miss now that we don't have cable anymore!)
6. Psych (one word: HILARIOUS!)
7. American Idol (I have no idea why, but I just love it! So shoot me!)
8. Sesame Street (oh yeah! watch it every day!)


8 Favorite Books:
1. Jane Eyre (favorite of all time)
2. The Twilight saga (hey, I'm a girl. We all like it)
3. The Harry Potter series (like everyone else in the world, I love em)
4. Pride and Prejudice (love the characters, love the writing style, love the story, love the FEEL of the book!)
5. The Work and the Glory series (read all the books once in 3 weeks. yeah, I had no life)
6. Nora Roberts books, J.D.Robb books, Janet Evanovich books (ok, so not the greatest literary pieces of all time, but they're entertaining)
7. Quest for a Maid (my fav since like 5th grade)
8. You Suck: A Love Story (thoroughly entertained me! probably not really one of my top 8, but it's one I thought of right away, so it got on the list. It's definately worth reading -- and I've read it a few times. keeps entertaining me each time! :) )


8 Things I Look Forward to:
1. A vacation with my family! Sometime -- don't know when or where -- I just wanna GO somewhere!
2. My little nephew being born in April!!! :D
3. Seeing Grayson grow into his own little personality!
4. Warm weather, so I can be outside and play with Gray more.
5. Warm weather, so Steve can ride his scooter to work, and I can have a car and be able to leave the house during the day! So I'm not STUCK INSIDE all the time!!
6. Getting Lasik eye surgery sometime this year!!! WHOO HOOO!!!!! No more glasses! No more contacts! I just have to wean Grayson first! (I'm not looking forward to THAT, though - I LOVE breastfeeding!!) As soon as that happens, I'm getting Lasik done! So excited!
7. I always look forward to the weekends -- Steve takes Gray for an hour or two and lets me take a VERY much needed nap! My hubby is wonderful!
8. Not missing ANY family functions or holidays this year! It's been a while -- being a nurse, you miss a LOT. But now I am a stay-at-home momma! And I am SO excited about that!


8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Lion's Den (everything there is AWESOME!)
2. Ruby River (I have dreams about those yams! yyeaaaahhhh!!)
3. Chili's (chicken crispers! and the skillet queso!)
4. TGI Friday's (green bean fries! oh yeah!)
5. Dylan's/Warren's (crunchy Western burger - mmm! - and of course the fries and fry sauce - you with me, Jo?!)
6. PF Chang's (honey chicken! oh so good!)
7. Sandy's (country fried chicken! And their peach tarts are to DIE for!)
8. Maddox's (turkey fried steak! oh I want one RIGHT NOW!)


8 Things on my wishlist:
1. 8 solid hours of sleep!!!
2. Siblings for Grayson (someday. NOT right now!)
3. To miraculously get lots and lots of money somehow - enough for us to live comfortably, get everything we want and do everything we want to for the rest of our lives without Steve or me ever having to work again ever :D It didn't say they have to be REALISTIC wishes, right?!!
4. To lose about 20 lbs, and have my stretch marks magically disappear! (wow, TMI)
5. For baby Gray to always be happy and healthy! (and of course all current and future members of my family!)
6. To spend a few weeks on a beach somewhere just soaking up the sun and lounging around on the beach, swimming in the ocean! No responsibilities, nowhere to be - just sun and fun and family time!
7. To be able to eat whatever I want and not gain a single pound!
8. To have someone clean my house for me. I love a clean house, I just don't love doing the cleaning part! I'm not consistent with it! Ahhh, it would be nice. Maybe when I get all that money I was talking about........ ;)


8 People I tag:
1. Sarah
2. Tracey
3. Kandis Jo
4. Jessica
5. Harmony
6. Camille
7. Emily
8. KoriAnn
and anyone else that would like to! It's kinda fun :)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Silly Hair Do




Not a lot to blog about today. Grayson and I have both been pretty sick the last week and a half. We're finally starting to feel better now! :) Here are some fun pictures, though! I did Gray's hair pretty cute - an he immediately grabbed at it and messed it up! These pictures are the result! I thought it was pretty darn cute!! He's got quite the style for an 11-month-old, wouldn't ya say?! :)