3 Months Old!

Dear Grayson,

       Four months ago, I did not know a love like this.  I can not imagine our lives with out you now.  It is hard for me to remember what life was like before you came along.  You make me pray harder for all of my friends who are longing to be mothers.  I want everyone to be able to feel this painful, bone deep love.  Ok.  Enough with the gushy stuff.  What have you been into these days?

• You weigh 14 pounds!!  
• You sleep through the night now!  Let the hallelujah chorus sing.  
• You eat a lot.  In the morning you eat about 8 ounces and through out the day you eat 5 or 6 at each meal. 
• This month you got to visit your birth family and were such a happy baby. 
• You will not take a paci.  No matter how hard I try.  Even though, as I write this, you have had a paci in for about 30 min.  A RECORD!! 
• You went to your first funeral this month.  Daddy's Grandfather passed away but don't worry...you got to meet him.  
• You are in a size 1 diaper but are on the cusp of a 2.
• You can wear 3-6 months and 6-9 months clothes depending on the brand.  
• You are not much of a napper.  You will take a 20-30 min nap everyday. 
• Between the hours of 5 and 7 you hit angry baby mode.  You are so exhausted that you melt down completely.  Since you do not every really cry, it is kind of cute because you are just so pitiful. 
• You have started to jibber jabber all the time.  You have so much to say!  
• You love to watch Sesame Street during your bottle time.

The past 3 months have gone by in a blink of an eye.  I am so glad I get to spend everyday with you.  You are my pride and joy.  Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!

 On a side note- You are VERY hard to photograph these days!  You are so wiggly and do not sit still.  The following photos are the attempts at capturing the 2 photos from above.

Slumped over in the chair. 

Peeling the sticker off. 

So I move him to his crib...again with the sticker. 

Please?  

Ok.  You win.  

The poor sticker barely made it in the pictures! 

The Un-Birthday

Weekend=FUN! Monday=Boo.

I had this wonderful birthday post ready to go for Artie's birthday yesterday.  But then I woke up and Monday happened.

Don't you hate when a wonderful weekend is ruined by a Monday?  Yeah.  Me too.

Poor Artie spent his birthday worrying about my car.  The dealership called and I need another new transmission.  That would round out this car to having 3.  In 2 years.   Not a great track record in my books.  So we had to make the decision to either pay the $4000 for the new (refurbished) transmission or cut our losses and buy another car.  We decided to find another car.  Everything will be finalized tomorrow and I will no longer have to worry about my car anymore.   Praise the Lord.

Artie is getting a birthday re-do on Thursday haha!

I do have to say that this weekend was wonderful!  So I just keep thinking about it and forgetting about Monday ha!

Saturday the band had their last competition of the season and the majorettes did AWESOME!  I was so happy and proud of all their hard work.  There was not a majorette judge this time but they totally would have won!

Sunday was a blast as well.  Artie, Grayson and I went to visit his birth family!  It was so magical to see them together again.  They could not get over how big he was and that he will be 3 months old this week.  I am so glad we got to spend the day with them.  I took some wonderful pictures of them with Grayson that I will put in his book.  We hope to get together more than just once every 3 months.  I pray that other families of adoption are able to have this kind of relationship.   I am glad he was his giggly self haha.  Sometimes he has a bad day and just cries...but not Sunday!   I just cried and cried on the way home thinking of the sacrifice they made for our family.  I could not imagine one day with out his sweet smile and it just breaks my heart.  (for their privacy I have colored their faces)

Oh Dear week 2

It is that time of the week for Ashley and Heather's Oh Dear moment.

Back story for the video that follows:

Ashley and I were asked to help come up with a hip hop routine for the dance studio we work with.  So over the summer we got busy trying to come up with cute things.  Once we figured out a concept, we hit the ground running with it. The girls would dress like nerds and then shed that look for a cooler, hipper outfit.  Ashley and I were to choreograph the nerd part and someone else was choreographing the hip hop part of it.  (I am not a hip hop kinda girl)  It didn't hit me until now that they asked us to do the nerd part...haha.  Ahem.  Moving on.

This video is of Ashley and me in my living room working on the dance.  We managed to drag our husbands in to watch and this is what happened.  (the video is backwards because it is from photo booth)

I apologize in advance for the booty in the face move...on stage it is not so, well, in your face.

I hit the fan pull, it hits the light and scares the daylights out of us.  I thought the fan was going to fall on my head.   Our husbands just rolled their eyes.

Birthday Present

Today Gray and I went birthday present shopping for Artie.  It gave us the perfect excuse to get out of the house for a bit.  So I loaded him up and we went to the mall!  The first stop is always Gymboree and let me tell you how cute the holiday line is!  Yay!  I bought his outfit for our family Christmas picture and it is just precious.

*All photos are from gymboree.com

I just think that little panda hat is too cute for words.  I am still trying to decide what bottoms he will wear. I was not a fan of the jeans that matched. Now what will Artie and I wear? Meeeep!  

After Gymboree we were walking past Abercrombie (Grayson had just fallen asleep) and the loud music  woke him up.  We were not even in the store and it was that loud...not to mention the smell is so strong.  It will knock over a horse. I feel bad for their employees because they will have some serious hearing issues after working there!   

I finally found Artie's gift yay!  We are going to celebrate tomorrow at a local restaurant called The Butcher's Block YUM.  They have the best coke there...maybe because they put it in mason jars.  Shhhh...Don't tell anyone that we are missing the football game!   

It was a pretty good day. Oh and here is your daily dose of cuteness! 

I hope you have a wonderful day!  

Oh dear

A conversation between Ashley and myself:

Ashley: Can you show me how to work my sewing machine?

Me: Yes!  Do you have the manual?

Ashley: Well you have to pump it and spin the wheel. Is that a manual?

Me:  Huh?  No I asked if you had a manual!  Not if it was a manual!  Hahahahaha!

Random Post

Gray has slept all the way through the past 2 nights!  Wahoo!  I am so blessed to have an easy going baby.  I am sure if Artie and I had created a child together it would be heck on wheels.  Not kidding.  Evidently Artie was a screamer.

The only time he gets fussy is when has to put clothes on.  The child likes to be naked.  So if that's what it takes for him to be happy- done! This is the only time in his life when it is fully acceptable to be naked.

Ever since he had his 2 month shots, Gray has been spitting up more.  He never did that before that point...has anyone experienced that before?

I have a love/hate relationship with my car.  I love that I do not have a car payment and it is big enough for all of the dogs.  I hate that it does not work.  Ever.  The day after Gray came home from the hospital it went into the shop and did not return for a month.  It is back again in the shop.  Who knows when it will return at this point.  I am hoping it will last me a long while because as I said before...I love not having a car payment!

Life is so busy right now!  Artie, Gray and I are going to the beach next month and I am soooo ready.  We (I) have a lot going on right now and I am ready to just slow down to enjoy the holiday season.  My favorite time of year is Advent and it is quickly approaching.  

I am seriously so backed up on laundry that I can not even walk in my laundry room.  Gray is worth it through.  I am working on it little by little this week.

The band has a competition on Saturday and I am nervous/excited.  I LOVE band contests but hate that it will be cold on the girls.  Metal sticks are not too fun to catch when the temperature is low!  Was anyone else a majorette in high school out there?  I would love to see pictures!!

Artie's birthday is Monday and he will finally catch up to me in age yay!

I hope you are having a fabulous week!

11 weeks old

Guess what sweet face is 11 weeks old today?

Monday Meals

Two posts in one day..whoa!

It's that time of the week to share our recipes!  YAY!   Head on over to A Love Worth Waiting For to see all of the entries or to add your own recipe.

Asian Style Beef
This is another easy recipe that is for the crock pot!

1 pot roast
1 cup terriyaki sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves of minced garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot and set it on low for 6-7 hours!  EASY PEASY!
We serve this with brown or white rice and broccoli.  Very yummy the next day!

Ch-Ch-Changes

Well a lot has been going on around our house the past few days.  Something has been going on in our hearts a little longer but most have come to fruition just recently.

Artie and I have felt for a long time that we need to live more humbly.   Really focus on our family and not make our lives about material things.  It is really easy to get caught up in that life style and there really is no sense in it.  We have been praying for a long time for God to break hearts and habits.  Number one way for us to do that is to get out of debt.  After feeling the love we have in our hearts for Grayson, we know that we want that love to multiply.  (Meaning we want more children..soon!)  Adoption is expensive as is IUI/IVF and we are not sure where God is leading us just yet.  Artie and I want to be financially ready when HE calls.  We believe that it is more important to invest in our future children's lives than our own at this point.  So Artie made the decision to sell his truck.  Let me tell you that this was in no way easy for him.  He loved his truck but the other day he came to me and said he was ready for it to go.  (We had been talking about options to get out of debt)  So he looked at a lot of used trucks and found one that would work for our family.  I am really proud because he said "Heather, it does the same thing the other one did- gets me from point A to point B".   Bright and early Saturday morning Artie went and traded his truck for something smaller.   So we are one step closer to being debt free and two steps closer to our future childen!  And let me tell you that it is a great feeling.

Second.  Artie got a new job.  This is a big change in our household because of his schedule but it works out much better for our family.  Artie was having to go into work so early (4am at times) that he was a zombie when he got home.  Which means that he would go to bed early and not get to spend anytime with us.  The time we have with Gray is so precious and he does not want to miss one single second of it.   So when the position opened up, we decided to jump on it.  Another plus is that there is more of an opportunity to move up in the company.  It is a big change but I think it was the best decision for our family.  He will not be traveling with this job either so a lot less money on gas!


God is definitely moving in our hearts right now.  We need it.

You didn't think I would leave without posting a picture of the monkey moe?

A long day

Oh my.  I hit a wall today.  Normally I am what most people call "overwhelmingly cheerful" but today not so much.    I had a really long post about my really long day but who needs that negativity.  So I am going to smooch on the sweet face snuggled up beside me and be done with this day.  I will be back tomorrow with something a little more upbeat!  

You win day.
You win.

There is hope

Today I am linking to Amy's site in hopes to be of some encouragement.  Please go over and read the stories of hope.  Maybe add one for yourself!

I know that it is easy for me to say because our happy ending came a little quicker than most.  There is hope.

After a year of trying to conceive, Artie and I were told by doctors that we would not have children on our own.  So we prayed about which direction to take, adoption or IVF.  We felt we were called to adopt and started the process.  We lost 2 adoptions last fall that broke our hearts.  We picked up the pieces and prayed "Ok God.  Those were not our children but please show us our child soon. "  (Isn't funny how we are so demanding sometimes!)   Last fall, I started talking to my hair stylist about our adoption journey and asking for prayers.  Little did we know that she would lead us to our son Grayson.  In January we received a call that our stylist had told someone our story and they wanted us to adopt their baby.

There is hope.  God is working even if we do not see it.  He is there, weaving the threads of our story together.

Monday Meals

Today I am participating in Monday Meals over at A Love Worth Waiting For!  I love this idea because we get in a meal rut at our house sometimes.  This is the perfect solution!

This is my most favorite fried chicken ever.  I always request this for my birthday dinner because it is delicious!  It also happens to be very simple which is a plus for this busy momma.

Granny's Fried Chicken

Egg
Self Rising Flour
Salt and Pepper
Canola Oil
Your choice cut of chicken (we use tenders so they cook quickly but Granny used breasts)

Beat egg in a bowl big enough to fit the chicken
Mix four with salt and pepper on a plate
Dip chicken in egg
Dredge chicken in flour mixture

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat oil in an oven safe skillet and brown the chicken.  Once the chicken has started to brown put the skillet in the oven to continue cooking.

We usually make it with mashed potatoes and green beans or a salad!  It is so very yummy and perfectly crispy.  Baking it in the oven does not make it so greasy which is a plus.  I also love it because it is Granny's (Artie's Grandmother) recipe.  You must try it soon!

Sweet Sunday

We have had a nice restful Sunday at home.  It has been a really long, busy week around here.  So we decided to take a day to spend together as a family.  Artie got up and headed to the store early so he could make chili tonight for dinner!  Yummy!  He makes the best chili ever.  Once he got back, he said he had a present for me.  YAY!  It was chocolate Halloween marshmallows and a card.  It was so sweet of him to think of me.

It was a good choice to hang out at home today because Gray has been super fussy.  I think he is starting to feel the effects of his 2 month vaccinations.  Poor baby!

I am so very happy that fall is finally here!  It makes the outdoors so much more enjoyable.  I can not wait to take Gray to the pumpkin patch!!  I bet he will look so cute next to all of those giant pumpkins.  I love this time of year and really love sharing it with Gray and Artie...even if Gray will not remember it!  I have not picked out a Halloween costume for Gray yet but I am working on it...I think maybe a dinosaur?

Guess who finally had her baby 2 weeks overdue?  This girl.  She had the cutest little pork chop on Tuesday.  Happy Birthday Miss Maggie Mae, I love you already!

Keep Artie in your thoughts this week we have 2 things going on-

1.We are waiting to hear about another job opportunity with the same company that he interviewed for this week.
2. We found out that his Grandmother passed away last Sunday and no one notified us about it.  She lives in Nashville and was in a nursing home with alzheimer's.   He has not seen her since we moved. So he has been pretty down about the fact that he lost is Grandmother on Sunday and Grandfather on Monday.   He is having a hard time understanding why no one called to let us know about it.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Homecoming and a Competition

Friday night was the Greeneville High School Homecoming!  In September, Ashley and I had the idea to contact all of the old Greeneville majorettes to come back and twirl with us.  We had a total of 21 baton twirlers on the field Friday night!  Ashley and I could not believe it...and neither could anyone else.  There were more majorettes than alumni band members ha ha!  Some of the ladies had graduated in 1965 and they were just precious!  Even though I did not graduate from Greeneville, I was able to be an honorary alumni for the day and had a blast.  I was so grateful to be able to twirl with everyone.  Everyone said that they will definitely be back next year yay!

Gray in his green before the game! 

(he stays with his Mimi while we are at the games)

The whole group

Ashley and I 

These little girls take baton lessons with us.  They made shirts that said "Mini Majorettes" to surprise us! We were so excited!!!  

Saturday, Ashley, our twirler friend Amanda, and I headed to Seymour TN for the first band competition of the season.  The girls did a really great job and we were very proud.  The girls were discouraged with a second place win because they worked really hard. I had to remind them that it is one person's opinion on one given day.  As long as they feel great about their performance, that is all that matters.   To make sure they smiled the entire time they were on the field, we told the girls we had a surprise for them.  They hit their first pose and saw this staring back at them....

Haha!  It worked!  They laughed and looked like they were having a great time out on the field.  It was a busy few days but filled with lots of fun and laughter.