Happy Anniversary!

Today Artie and I celebrate 4 years of a marriage.

Instead of celebrating at a fancy restaurant dressed to the nines-we will dine in our kitchen most likely in our pajamas with this little monkey.

And I wouldn't have it any other way!  

Thank you Lord for the blessing of our marriage!  

First Hair Cut

I have not been through the Christmas pictures yet so the first hair cut is going up first!  I promise I will come back and fill you in on all the holiday fun!


Grayson had his first hair cut today!  It is a day I have been putting off and rescheduling for months.  I just wasn't ready to let go of all that baby hair.  Plus- how the heck would she cut it?  Would I like it?  Would he sit still?  It just made my stomach hurt thinking about it so I didn't!  Until everyone started calling him a girl...I could have put the child in all blue with a shirt that said "I'm a boy" and people would still call him a girl.  So my dear husband suggested that it was time!  With a knot in my stomach we took him this morning to the lady that cuts Artie's hair.  We packed a couple of lollipops and prayed for the best.


He did such a good job!  He liked that he could see himself in the mirror.  We did give him a lollipop which I was a little scare about but he did a good job with it.  Artie was sitting with him just in case he did pull the top off.  He was a sticky MESS when we left but he was able to get his hair cut!!!

The before picture

That lollipop was our saving grace!  

Keeping a close eye on Miss Rachael...

There were mirrors all around and he kept looking at himself haha!  

He needed to tell her something! 

All Done!!  (looking at himself haha!)

Sweet boy!

Just  a shorter version of the old style!  I was so very proud of him!!!

Christmas Cards Carousel!!

Today I am linking up with my sweet, lovely and dear friend Faith for her Christmas Card Carousel!

I love Christmas Cards!  I love going to my mail box and seeing new ones everyday eeek!  This Christmas Card link up is awesome because you can see so many cards in one place!  So without further ado.....

Our Christmas Cards for 2011

(front)

(back)

For the record...these have not been sent out yet!  Our pictures had to be rescheduled a few times because of rain.  We took a trip to Charlotte a few weeks ago and Faith actually took a few for us! The cards are being addressed today and will be send out tomorrow!  

So go check out The Christmas Card Carousel with Faith! 

Where we have been

Sorry I have been gone so long!  The past few weeks have been busy and really not terribly exciting to blog about haha.  So here is a small recap!

Gray had a doctors appointment a few days after Halloween and he is a normal, perfect little boy!  He is 50% for weight and 75% for height.  The doctor actually commented that he is an amazingly healthy boy (foreshadowing).  He did have to get some shots but he was quickly calmed by a gold fish cracker.
 

At the doctor's office

Ashley, our friend Melissa and I went to a holiday market in Abingdon, VA a few Saturdays ago.  It was ok-I was hoping for more cute things but not so much.  The only thing I bought was lunch and the most delicious cookie ever made!  (which I will be trying to recreate very soon!) While we were at the market, we ran across a booth that sold gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegar!  We loved it so much we went to their store in downtown Abingdon.  IT IS AMAZING!!!  The whole store is actually a tasting gallery! If anyone is in the area I highly recommend visiting the Abingdon Olive Oil Company.  I wanted to buy one of everything but what does a person need with that many olive oil/balsamic vinegars?  Ha They even had a dark chocolate balsamic vinegar.  Sooo yummy! It is definitely a great place to find gifts for a foodie or a special treat for yourself.


I recently auditioned for another show with the Jonesborough Repertory Theater called S'Wonderful.  It is based on the music of George and Ira Gershwin.  It is amazing!  The show opens in February and will run for 2 weeks.  My friend Logan auditioned as well but she did not make it :(

Logan and I at auditions the first night

How adorable is this child?  

This is MacKenzie- one of my friend's granddaughter. 

She always wants me to teach her dance moves haha! 

*Back to the foreshadowing*

Saturday night Gray started running a terrible fever.  This was the first time he has ever had a fever over 100 degrees.  It was not fun.  He and I were up all night together.  Finally at 4am the fever broke and we both got a little sleep.  Sunday morning he woke up in not the best mood as you could imagine....

See?  

He also woke up with some sort of rash!  We called the nurse and she said if it did not go away to come in on Monday.  Well through out the day on Sunday Gray started feeling better but the rash was getting worse!  We kept calling him the polka dotted puppy haha!  

This was taken Sunday afternoon and 

you can kind of see his "spots"! 

Well the rash looked horrible this morning and so to the doctor we went.  It turns out that 2% of children have a reaction to their MMR vaccine...remember when we had to get some shots at his last appointment?  Yea- the MMR was one of them.  So now we have a baby with some extra decorations haha!  

 This whole month reminds me to be thankful but it also reminds me that I am not thankful enough ALL year.  I am going to try to do better.  I read a post written by my dear friend Faith today that jolted me into reality.  Go here and read it.         

I hope you all have a great week!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Halloween 2011

Can I please start off this post with a good cry?  Please look...

Where did my baby go?  

Our Halloween was indeed happy!  It started off by sleeping in cute Halloween jammies of course! 

He did not mind his costume one bit...I was a little worried about the ears!

Please let me note that I NEVER have any good pictures with Gray...

Second try....

We decided Gray was going to be a dog this year because his favorite word is "gog".  He says it all day long haha!  I really wanted him to be a cow but all of the cow faces were either too girly or kinda weird. He was the cutest little puppy in the land! 

He wanted to crawl in the bushes...obviously that was a no.  This little puppy was not happy about being removed from them.  

After pictures, we were off to see Artie's Great Aunt and Uncle.  They are both in their 80's and just LOVED seeing Grayson. We did not stay long because, of course, their house is not baby proof.  Grayson wanted to pick everything up and was even licking their storm door haha!  It was so cute because they told Artie that he was never that wild.  Oh dear...

By this point it was dinner time so we drove to my MIL's house to eat.  Once dinner was finished we let Gray walk down the driveway to the house across the street.  I thought he looked so BIG! 

The across the street neighbors were so sweet even though Gray was OVER IT! He was mad because he could not get down and run amuck.

(amuck! amuck! amuck!- name that movie)

It was rapidly approaching bedtime and Gray needed a bottle! He was half asleep when Artie loaded him in the car.  On the way home we stopped at his Aya's house for 2 seconds.  She had a sweet Halloween gift for him- Thanks Aya! 

Once we got home it was straight to bed for the little puppy.  He was more than ready!  It was a great Halloween...I can't believe that he has already had 2 of them!  Where has the time gone?  Now it is time to gear up for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I love this time of year but it goes by too fast.  I am going to soak in every moment of this holiday season.  

Have a blessed All Saints Day! 

15 Months Old

Dear Grayson,
 
               You are 15 months old!   You seem more like a toddler every day and it makes me a little sad.  But just a little!  I love the little boy you are becoming.  You are so curious about everything and I LOVE watching your face when you figure something new out.

You are into everything!  If you swipe something you think you are not allowed to have- you RUN with it!  It is the cutest thing ever.  Since you have gotten taller, you can reach things more easily now.  If you can not reach them, you climb up to reach them.  (Lots of oh dear moments through out the day)

(this is the mischievous look)

You went to your first GHS game this month and LOVED IT! 

You love the spice door in the kitchen...we finally got a baby proofing thing that worked on it.  

These are all of the confiscated things haha!

Your favorite word is gog (dog) and you say this all. day. long.  When you wake up, the first thing you say is "HI GOG GOG!"- no hi momma or hi dada...

Anytime we say "AWWWW" you snuggle what ever is near.  It is adorable...but most of the time you run to find one of the gogs to snuggle haha! 

You like to take our keys and touch them to the door knob.  I think this is hilarious because I never use my keys to come in the house (i park in the garage)...you pick up on things very quickly.  

You love to be outside.  Everyday we walk to check the mail and you scream when we have to come inside.   

You also have stopped smiling for the camera...

You now have 7 teeth! 

You do not like toys that talk or make noise (PRAISE THE LORD!!!).  They scare you to pieces!  

You love to drink from a straw and will still only drink milk or water.  

You weigh about 29 pounds- you have a doctors appointment next week.

You still take 2 naps a day that last 1 hour each. 

You have a temper!!!  Whew weee.  I am learning to pick my battles with you...and also to hold your head if you get upset.  (you love to throw yourself backwards)  

You are positively funny...Daddy and I just laugh all the time!  

You get called a girl anytime we are out.  I told Daddy I am going to get you a shirt that says "I'm A Boy!"  I could dress you in blue head to toe and people would still call you a girl haha!  It is because you are the most beautiful child I have ever seen.  

Daddy and I are so excited about the upcoming holidays!  This year is going to be so much fun.  We love you so much.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that we get to be your parents!  A friend on facebook posted this the other day and I thought it was so true-

"Sometimes we dont get what we want, but what we get is sometimes so much better than what we ever wanted"

 I hope you always remember that.  

Love, Momma