Thanksgiving Trip

 I was really bad about taking pictures over Thanksgiving so most of this will just be words.  We got up early Wednesday and left for Utah and our drive was pretty uneventful.  We stayed at Paul's mom's house and the kids slept great there, it was so nice!  Thursday morning we hung out with my family and then headed down to  Orem to have Thanksgiving dinner with Paul's family. And it was delicious as usual!  Connie is always in charge of bringing rolls and stuffing to dinner and they never disappoint.  That morning she was making rolls and she let Leila help even though she was running late.  She pretty much let Leila make an entire batch all by herself, I was surprised that Leila stuck it out the entire time and that she was strong enough to stir in all the ingredients by herself.  Leila loves cooking so she was in heaven getting to make rolls with Nie nie!

Drive to Utah, thank goodness for the DVD player and headphones!

Greydon playing with his ball in the car, he kept throwing it up and getting it stuck on his head, he was so frustrated until I started laughing and then he thought it was funny.

Thanksgiving night there were a couple things we wanted to get at Toys R Us and Walmart.  We met up with Nan and Jon.  When we got to Toys R Us the line was wrapped like a mile long around the building and we decided it wasn't worth it so we headed to Walmart.  When we got there not very many people were there yet so we were pretty much first in line for whatever we wanted.  Jon got in line for Band Hero and Nan for some Leapsters.  Paul and I were looking for a 12" girl bike but could only find 12" boy bikes or larger bikes, we finally gave up and were going to go buy some things which we were price matching from the Toys R Us ad, on our way to the register they brought out a palet and on it was the bike we were looking for.  I stayed there with the bike and Paul went to buy our other stuff.  Then he went to wait and get some other stuff.  A little before midnight I heard like an explosion and yelling and people started running near where the Band Hero palet was.  Then a Walmart worked told us we could grab our stuff so I got my bike and found Jon who had his Band Hero and we went to find Nan. This is when it got ugly, people were going crazy around the Leapsters and movies.  I literally saw a women trying to swim out of a crowd above peoples heads. Then we see Nan yelling and furious, she wanted a pink and green Leapster and had her hands on one of each when the green one was ripped out of her hand, she luckily got a second pink one.  We were then on to find Paul who was suppose to get an art kit.  We found him running with his arms full of items.  He said he got a little caught up in the excitement and just started grabbing things.  We quickly made our purchases and headed home. It was a lot of fun but not sure if I would brave black friday doorbusters again.

Friday night I got to hang out with some of my friends while Paul got to go to the Jazz vs. Laker game with some of his buddies.  And then on Saturday night we met up with our good friends the Petersons, Phillips, and Sloans at a Sushi restaurant to celebrate Seth's birthday.  I tried Sushi for the first time, it was ok, not sure if I would ever order it on my own but I could definitely eat it again.  On Sunday we celebrated my mom's birthday and then we headed home.  It was snowing most of the way home and was a little scary, but Paul got us safely home, it only took like 8 1/2 hours.  

Cactus Gardens

 One night before Thanksgiving we went to see the lights at the Cactus Gardens for FHE.  We love to see the lights and then go get our free sample of chocolate at Ethel M's.  Greydon loved the lights and and Leila loved finding all the Santa's.  We went and sat in Santa's chair (he wasn't there since it wasn't a weekend night), Leila thought it was cool to try out his chair without actually having to see Santa.

Some of or favorite people

I watched these kids one day and we had so much fun playing school, nap time and lots of other fun games! 

Sweet Tooth

We have entered a whole new phase with Greydon.  He has become quite opinionated in what he wants and if he doesn't get it watch out for his tantrum.  I didn't think tantrums started so young but Greydon can sure throw one.  Don't even think of eating something without sharing it with Greydon especially chocolate, candy or suckers.  If you stop him from doing something he wants to do or don't give him something he wants to eat a meltdown WILL occur.  Leila has been so good to always share her candy, suckers or popcicles with him, I guess she would rather share then have him follow her around screaming and trying to grab her stuff.

1st Dentist Visit

Leila went t the dentist for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  She was a little nervous about it so I was worried they would even be able to look in her mouth.  She was excited when we got into the waiting room and there were tons of toys to play with and a movie room.  When they called her back she refused for a few minutes and then all of the sudden changed her mind and walked back to the exam room so nicely.  The dental assistant showed her the chair and the things in the room, Leila was hesitant to get in the chair but finally sat up in it.  The dental assistant was so good about showing Leila everything she was going to do and how all the tools worked.  Leila let them clean and  exam her teeth and let them do x-rays.  Dr. Elsworth was great too and Leila had no problem letting him exam her teeth and put flouride on them.  At the end she got a new tooth brush, toothpaste, a balloon, a prize and a tatoo.  And the best part was No Cavities!  As we walked out the door Leila said that was fun lets do it again.  I'm glad it was such a good experience for her and that we found a great dentist office!

Air Nation

Over the weekend we went to Air Nation!!  Its an air show out at Nellis Air Force Base, we've have wanted to go for awhile, we missed the first year, just had Greydon the second year but finally made this year.  It was so fun and I wish we would have made it there earlier in the day but we still enjoyed wha we were able to see.  We toured some airplanes and then the raptor show started.  This is when Leila started freaking out, it was super loud and she was not happy abou it.  I totally forgot to bring our ear plugs so we quickly bought some more, got Leila some pizza and then she was a happy camper.  The Raptors were so cool, its amazing how well they can maneuvier in the air.  I can't wait to go back next year!

Sock Monkey Party

We threw Greydon a Sock Monkey Birthday Party on Monday November 8th.  We had a bunch of friends over for pizza and cake and ice cream. 

 My friend Whitney made Greydon this adorable birthday cake.  It was nice to not have to make the cake because that is always stressful to me.  Instead I stressed about getting all the decorations made and everything put together. 

 Behind the sock monkey are jars of "monkey munch" that the guests got to take home.  It was a cookie mix in the jar, and I really hope the cookies turn out because I didn't have a chance to try the recipe.

I made Greydon his shirt with the 1 on it.  I searched eveywhere for monkey material but could only find pink monkey material, I finally found boy material but it wasn't exactly what I wanted but it but it worked out ok.

 When we put the cake in front of Greydon he was so focused on getting the fondant balls of the cake that he really paid no attention to everyone singing to him.

 Greydon loved the cake and I even found him trying to sneak a cupcake the next morning.

 Greydon was prety interested in opening his presents, he loved ripping the paper and playing with it. I think Leila was more excited about his toys then he was.

Happy Birthday big guy!

12 months

Wow I can't believe I'm writing Greydon's 1 year old post.  This year has flown by but it has been oh so much fun.  Greydon is seriously such a great kid!  He's happy, easy going, determined, super busy, has endless energy, so quick,  has no fear and so so loveable.  I took Greydon in for his 12 month well child check.  He weighs 23 lbs, is 30 inches tall (both are 50-75 percentile) and has a giant head 19 inches (90th percentile).  I knew he had a big head but the doctor was a little concerned not because it is big but because starting at 4 months old everytime we  have brought him in for a check up his head size has jumped in size so instead of staying on the 75th percentile it has slowly jumped up to the 90th percentile. The doctor said that if his head size jumps again at the 15 month appointment they will need to do a CT scan on his head.  I'm not concerned because he is developing normally.  He got four shots and screamed for them all but then quickly calmed down when we stopped pinning his legs down.  He has eight teeth, tons of hair and an eye color that we are still not sure what to call it.  The doctor said bluish brown, umm what kind of color is that?

Greydon sleeps great, 6:30 or 7 at night to 7 or 8 in the morning.  He then takes a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  He goes down great, we just give him his binky and a blanket and he rolls over and falls asleep.  I like to go in at night to check on him before I go to be and it is always fun to see what position he is in.  He rolls all over his crib at night and usually has the blanket over his head. 

Greydon eats great too!  My only problem is he loves his bottle.  We have switched him to whole milk but he still likes to have it in a bottle, I can get him to drink it in a sippy cup but he is much happier if it is in a bottle.  My other problem is he likes it warm, he won't drink the milk if its cold.  So he gets milk in the morning, afternoon and before bed.  He also (finally) learned to hold his bottle, just in time for us to take it away.  Greydon has also become a champ at eating table food, I still give him baby food some times because it is so convienent and I know for sure that he is getting fruits and vegetables.  He loves pasta, breadsticks, pizza, pears, beans, chili, hot dogs, cheese, yogurt, lucky charms, cinnamon toast, hash browns, and eggs.  He pretty much eats whatever I'm fixing for lunch and dinner.  His other love is candy, he has such a sweet tooth.  If he sees you eating a sucker he flips out if you don't share it with him or give him one of his own. 

I always call Greydon our easy going child because he just goes with the flow and he doesn't need me to constantly entertain him but that doesn't mean he is easy especially lately.  He is so so so busy I can barely keep up with him.  He is into everything, he can open cupboards and drawers and climbs on pretty much anything.   I find him on top of beds, couches, chairs, counters, stools and boxes.  He unloads any drawer or cupbaord he can find and man he is so quick.  He has gone from walking to running in the past week and is constantly running to keep up with his sister.  Nothing keeps his attention for very long, he can unload one drawer and be on to something else in a matter of a few minutes.  I watched my friends little boy the other day and he sat so nicely and played with blocks for a long time while Greydon acted like he was high on sugar or something, he was a constant blur of movement, toys going everywhere not slowing down to even drink his bottle.   Greydon is not so fun at church right now,  he doesn't want to be held but won't stay close, all he wants to do is wander and talk really loudly.  So we end up spending most of our time in the hall with him. He goes up and down the stairs like a champ but he likes to drive me crazy, he will walk over to the very edge of the stairs and hang his foot over the edge pretending like he is going to take a step down, if I run over to grab him he will hurry and drop and turn around and crawl down the stairs like he is suppose to but if I don nothing he just continues to stand there and taunt me, it seriously give me a heart attck everytime he does it. 

 Greydon found this sticky hand the other day and was trying to put it around his neck like a necklace but it ended up sticking to his face and it didn't seem to bug him, he walked around for a good 30 minutes with it on his face. 

 He also loves to try on hats, if he finds one he knows exactly where it is suppose to go. 

 Poor kid doesn't have very may boy toys but I don't think he minds, he gets super excited when Leila pulls out her Barbies.  Gredyon loves playing chase, and peek a boo, and loves clapping expecially when he hears people cheering or clapping.  He loves to put his hands in the air when we yell touch down, he loves giving bonks, cuddles and kisses.  He says mama, dada, and yeah ya (leila) and signs all done.  He loves baths and loves blowing bubbles in the water.  He loves to go outside, if you walk outside without him he gets seriously ticked and will stand and bang on the door and cry until you take him outside too.  He loves dropping toys and other things in the toliet and bathtub so  we have to be very careful to keep toliet lids down and bathroom doors closed. 

 Greydon got his first big owie the other day.  Leila accidently slammed two of his fingers in the door and squished them pretty bad.  He cried for over and hour until he fell asleep on the bed with me.  When I tried to move him he woke up and cried some more, Paul then took over and Greydon fell back to sleep on top of Paul. 

 On Greydon's birthday I made him chocolate chip pancakes (his favorite thing for breakfast).  I love the above picture of the two kids, they love each other so much and Greydon just adores his big sis.  He follows her all over the house and tries to do everything she is doing.  And it doesn't matter how much abuse she puts him through he just wants to be around her.

After breakfast I found Greydon trying to sneak a cupcake, he was so determined to get one and in the end eventually pulled the stand close enough that he coul reach one. 

The night I let him enjoy one, although he ended up smashing most of it into his hair. 

Happy Birthday our big 1 year old!