the little things

month 11.

Um. So, this month totally snuck (ok, 'sneaked' as Nate would wish for me to say ;)) up on me with this whole having a baby born on the 30th and February only having a max of 29 days! 

So, here we are. Uh hem...here HE is!

11 months.

Holy Cow!

Dear Grayson,

You are getting so big, little man!  It was very hard to even get a good photo or two of you this morning, you just go, go, go!

This month you started music class. What a blessing! You LOVE it, just as we thought you might. You love the songs and motions, as well as the instruments you get to play with. This class has helped you so much with getting to know other kids. You are very social and kind, but until this class you weren't too sure about other babies. Now, you just walk right into class each Tuesday and love socializing and playing music!

You absolutely love the sweeper. You get so excited every time I bring it out! You follow me all over as I sweep away. Afterwards, you always have to explore the pieces of it and "grunt" in excitement with it!

You now take your hand to your lips and "blub, blub, blub" quite often.  Especially when we ask you to do it. You love showing off!

While you eat, if we ask "can I have a bite?" you are so happy to share and reach your bite right to us! A sharer already and we love it!

A couple of weeks ago as you rounded the corner in the living room you said, "hi dad!" to daddy while he was on the couch! It was precious and SO grown up!

You really enjoy looking outside and watching the cars go by.

You walk almost 100% of the time now. People often comment on how little you are to be walking. It's so fun seeing you just go all around now!  And in the rare moments you crawl, it's now just strange to see! Haha.

You are VERY interested in the toilet and when it's flushed. You find it very neat. We find it very GROSS. ;)

You are super great at independent play and enjoy figuring things out on your own. You also love placing blocks or other objects in things, like openings of toys or in cups.

You're also a big fan of stacking things. Blocks, cups, etc. You really enjoy the blocks at gram and gramp Frase's!

Two new favorites of yours in the tub are: being squirted with a toy (you scrunch up and giggle hysterically when we do it!)-you also love squeezing them yourself to watch the water come out! Another favorite is now "swimming." We have to be careful not say 'swim' or 'swimming' until you're washed and just playing because you like to slowly lean yourself backwards for me or dad to catch you! You enjoy floating around a LOT! Swim lessons are in your future, I think!

One word: messes. ;)

You went to your first Auto Show in Cleveland with daddy and I this week! You loved all the cars and especially loved getting out of your stroller to walk around for a bit. You were so teeny in that BIG complex! We had so much fun!

You're wearing a Size 4 dipe and 9-12 months clothes. Some 6 month jeans still because you're such a shorty! Sorry, kiddo. 

Your favorite shows right now are Mickey Mouse (of course!), Thomas the Train, Kipper and Super Why!

Favorite toys: Hot Wheels (daddy is SO proud!), boxes, old plastic bottles, your wooden cutting food and our shopping cart to push around.

You wave goodbye and hi often now and still have just 2 teeth. But, they say the longer they take to come in the better for your teeth/gums..so I'm not worried!

You take excellent naps now and we've slowly started giving you whole milk a few times. You really like that. Hoping to have you off bottles and formula within this next month!

You clap all the time now, too and really enjoy being outside.

Oh, and you eat so well! You love, love, love blueberries, bananas, turkey, cheese and pancakes! Oh, and icecream and snatching my bran cereal!

Not sure how you do it, but we fall more and more in love with you each moment of each day, Grayson. You are our world and we know you're going to be such a good big brother and kiddo in general!

You are such a wonderful, amazing gift and we are so thankful for how much you love learning new things and get so tickled at your curiosity!

We love you with all our hearts!

Mama & Daddy :)

project life. week seven.

My first full week of no work was so...FULL! Great, but full. I loved being able to do so much with family and around the house. It was wonderful! It was also so fun filling each pocket with something special. 

Special, like moments of catching Nate (napping) and Grayson just lounging with him! Or moments of finding Grayson in the living room sitting upon a stack of freshly laundered towels he had pulled from the basket to make a comfy seat!

Or moments where I discover the deliciousness that is Panera's tuna salad sandwich. (Please don't worry, I know a pregnant lady isn't supposed to have tuna, but I had it every so often with Grayson and we were just fine and when it's darn near about the only thing that sounds good, you have to give in sometimes. ;))

There were LOTS of special moments this week and I loved each one.

Here's the left side-celebrating reaching the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and making a fun trip to Columbus to visit my cousin, Steph and her cutie patootie son, Michael!

and the right showing special moments between Grayson and his great-gramcracker, a quick visit to see Nate at work and an impromptu dinner for just Nate and I Saturday night (those are the best, aren't they?!)

One thing about it: I am SO blessed!

*Okay, so pregnancy brain totally got the best of me when I originally posted this entry today! Oy. I totally forgot to mention that several of the new cards I used this week are from my bestie, Kristina that she and Crystal Wilkerson designed in the cutest set of PL cards I've seen yet!

I LOVE them! And you get SO many adorable cards and quotes! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

They can be purchased here if you're interested. :)

Oh, and I've said a million times and I'll say it again, I love Project Life! So thankful for this new form of letting me getting our memories down, because otherwise, it just wouldn't happen like it used to before kids! ;)

Have a Happy Tuesday! It's Happy 29 weeks for me today! Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

I'm linking up my PL with The Mom Creative this week.

what matters.

Gramcracker invited us over for a homemade lunch today. Gram and gramp's house has always been one of my favorite places to be.     My grandparents just kind of rock. 

And I can tell Grayson enjoys being there too. He just makes himself right at home and loves seeing what gram is up to in the kitchen!

After we enjoyed this awesome lunch-

(Carolina BBQ, gram's awesome potato salad and some sweet tea!)

we spent lots of time playing with Grayson and catching up. It was wonderful.

A bit later, I heard Grayson in the kitchen with gram, so I wandered in and saw this-

Just the two of them. Dancing in the kitchen and having a blast! Grayson LOVES the radio in there and knows how to put the charm on to get gram to turn it on just for him every, single time. ;)

A little later, after a diaper change, we decided to let him roam pant-less for a bit...he loves doing that! And we even found an old My Buddy doll that he LOVES...AND my grandpa's hat from when he was a little boy!

Precious, I think!

It was such a fun day and one I am so grateful for. I am blessed. Today, I saw what matters most in this beautiful life of mine: family. memories. love.

It was a piceless time with them and I love that Grayson had SO much fun!

project life. week six.

A new week! I unintentionally tried something different this week-waiting until Saturday (the end of my PL week) to work on it.

Not a fan of that!  I felt a bit overwhelmed. So, I won't be doing it again!  I didn't like having to figure out the pages, the info, the photos, etc. all in the same day. My days are so choppy as it is, it was a pain trying to fit it all in. 

But, I did it! ...as not to get behind, remember? ;) 

This one shows the insert I made using a 12x12 page protector and cutting it the width of the valentine's cards and because I don't know a thing about sewing, I used the Washi tape idea I had seen on Pinterest a long time ago. Too bad that tape has barely any stick to it. :( It's working...for now anyways!

I did try something new this week by adding a "currents" card I typed up in Word. I plan on including one every week now! Funny Story: before I had printed the list, I left it up in Word. Well, Nate found it one night after work and decided to fill it out and not tell me. It was a nice surprise and I love having "him" in this project too! Plus, he made me laugh with his thoughts. Per usual. :)

And we're done for the week! Another one documented and I couldn't be happier! Yeyy! 

In other news-I hit 28 weeks today. Third trimester. Whoa. Unreal to me! This pregnancy is FLYING by!

SO thankful for a healthy little guy growing in there and for his strong and often kicks and jabs! :)

my little gatherer.

One of Grayson's favorite things to do lately is to gather.

Oh, and push/pull the laundry baskets around.

And when both new hobbies can be combined? Well, that's just perfection right there!

He loves getting things from me (like that chip clip or wooden spatula) and giving them a good toss into the basket.

And then it's GO time!!

Another thing we've been doing lately is "cooking." I gave him these fun colored cotton balls to mix in one of my bowls while I was cooking. He lOVES it! 

Yey for new, cheap, entertaining play ideas!

project life. week five.

Is it just me or do these weeks just seem to be going faster? As I was finishing this week's spread I kind of couldn't believe it was Saturday again and another whole week had gone by! Geesh. Too fast!

I had to be kind of quick in taking the photos for the week because someone was VERY interested in our "book!" :)

He loves looking at each photo, especially when he sees himself or daddy!  He's also a big fan of going through the pages and trying to crinkle the protectors between each little finger! Haha.

A sweet friend of mine, Heidi asked if I'd like to join her and another friend, Alex in a tag/embellishment swap this week and I was happy to join and give them some of the extras I had to use in their Project Life!  Heidi sent some adorable papers and tags and I used many throughout this week! (Thanks, Heidi!)

It was fun including another grocery store receipt (yey, Aldi!) and my most favorite part this week? Grayson's first "drawing!" Melts me. Another reason I am SO happy to be doing this form of scrapping because otherwise that sweet little memory would still be sitting in a box somewhere until "I got to it one day." 

Link your PL in my comments, too! I'd love to see! 

favorite things. 10 months.

I often get asked what baby things we have found useful for Grayson, especially at this age. He's so very into everything and isn't a super picky kid, but he definitely has his favorites.

I thought it'd be fun to list some of the things he (and we) like right now and find useful, helpful, or fun!

1. The Tiny Diner. I picked this up on sale at Babies R Us before Grayson was even born just to try and am so thankful I did. We take it everywhere we go to help catch the drops of food he misses and to cut down on the "table germs" situation at restaurants. It cleans up SO well and I love how it rolls up into the "trough" for easy storage.

2. FAO Schwarz Elephant Walker. Nate's mom purchased this for Grayson when he was starting to show signs of wanting to move more, right around 6.5 months. He would try to push it, but it's heavy and quality made so it wasn't until about a couple of months ago he could REALLY stand to it and now that he's walking, he really loves it!  He loves storing his Scout dog in it! ;) I really feel like it helped him to walk a bit sooner than he would have otherwise. He was never intimidated by and never gave up even when he tumbled.

3. Playskool Busy Gears. This was another gift for him and he loooves it! Something about the sounds and movement really fascinate him. He loves that he can take each gear off and put it back on in a different spot. He also likes finding the "red button" to turn it on.

4. Playtex Sippy Cups. He loves these with the straw. Though the price at Amazon is rather high compared to what we paid at Target for the same cups. We like them because they don't leak and are super easy to clean. He likes them because they fit his little hands perfect and he thinks he's cool stuff holding it! ;)

5. Board Books. Any and all kinds. He has a shelf in our dining room just for books like this that he can "read" and enjoy, but not tear or bend. He pulls them out several times a day and we always enjoy sitting down and reading one or two to him each day. He gets the biggest kick out the one I linked and this one from his cousin Michael!

6. Wooden Blocks. My mom and Phil bought a shape sorter box with all kinds of colorful blocks at a garage sale last summer and it is literally Grayson's favorite toy right now!  He really likes taking them and putting them back into the box one by one. We also say the colors or count as he puts them in. Or we stack them. He spends countless time playing with them.

 I have to say, this is my favorite age so far with him. He is learning and doing so much every, single day-it's awesome!

Nate and I are really trying to make a conscious effort in providing little educational bits along his days and while he's playing. Things like colors, counting, words, etc. (it's so the wanna-be teacher in me! haha) And it's a lot of fun.

We've also enrolled him in a half-our, once a week music class with other babies his age and he is LOVING it! So are Nate and I! I am so grateful that Nate gets to come along. He really enjoys that time with Grayson and Grayson feels the same. Such a daddy's boy! :)

I've been scooping up ideas on Pinterest lately that I cannot wait to make/try with him in the next few months. This age is one where toys are fun and such, but he's needing more I can tell. I plan on doing some sensory things for him soon and can't wait!

to-do.

I've noticed this week that my to-do list is piling. Both with necessary tasks and some not so necessary tasks (like crafting ;)).

I am just not a fan of feeling behind in stuff. I don't know anyone who is. It can be so bothersome having that list over your head!

I'm off work today and have already gotten a bit of stuff checked off like cleaning up the kitchen and making a homemade blackhead remover (thank you, Pinterest). But, there's still more to do...let's be honest-as a mama, there is always still more to do!

I have Grayson's birthday invites I need to begin working on (gah! Birthday invites? Already?! Where in the world is the time going??) and get those put together so they can hit the mail by the end of this short month. I also need to get to work on his birthday shirt and thinking of how we will decorate the hall.

I am a planner. I can't help it! 

Then, there's my Project Life to continue working on. Love it! And a new fun felt craft I just found for Grayson I would like to make. He loves playing with his pretend kitchen, so what I found will (hopefully) be very loved!

There's just always something to do.

The good news is as of February 20th, I will be back to being a stay at home mom...for a couple of weeks anyway, until I start watching a friend's new little guy!  God always provides. More on all this later. :)

I'm off to continue working on my to-do list...laundry, dusting, what to make for lunch/dinner today, get packages ready for the post office....sigh...I'm tired! ;)

Oh, and because I don't like to post without a photo...here's Nate and Grayson at Grayson's music class this past Tuesday! I know it's fuzzy, Grayson especially because he was too busy shakin' his shaker eggs! But, how cute are my boys? LOVE!

project life. week four.

Welp, a whole month of recording our life is complete. Yessss! It feels wonderful and exciting to have documented the little things and the bigger things that we have experienced this past month!

This week seemed so full. Well, I guess it really was-it was mostly me working so many days straight, which made me do two things; extremely tired and extremely forgetful about what had happened! 

Fortunately, I got the entire left side done as things happened earlier in the week. The bummer was the entire right side was not touched and I found myself doing it all (printing photos, cutting tags, etc.) all on Saturday evening.

It probably sounds silly, but I am going to try SO hard and not fall behind in this. I'm to afraid if I get behind I will lose steam-so I find it best to just do it.

Good and bad to that.

I am going to try very hard this week, however to keep on top of things while still doing the most important thing: LIVING LIFE and enjoying it!

(left page)

Journaling cards I used mainly this week were a free download from Cathy Zielske and can be found here. (aren't they fun?!)

Side Note: I cannot believe I am 26 weeks pregnant as of today! Where in the world the time is going is beyond me! I am so thankful for another healthy baby growing strong in my belly. We got to hear his sweet little heartbeat yesterday-it was simply amazing! That sound never gets old! I also felt a full-on flip in the morning while Grayson and I were having breakfast yesterday morning! WAY COOL!

Off to Grayson's music class we shall go! ;)

it's that good.

So, I think if you haven't heard of Pinterest by now, you must be living under a rock. ;) It's everywhere. Even my friends who don't usually get into that sort of thing are "following" me and adding some really neat things to their boards!

It's no secret, I love Pinterest.

It's genius.

I love all the boards I can have and one of my favorites is my "yum." board. or my "yum bake." board.

Food.

'Nuff said. ;)

Last night, while I should have been doing something more productive like sweeping or tidying up around the house I was sitting on my rump doing some quick pinning!

Thank goodness I was, too or else I never would have found the deliciousness that is this:

Cinnamon Roll Cake!!

Gah.

I had all the ingredients to make it last night, minus the energy. So, I waited until I got home from work today and made it.

I had some help from my intrigued-by-the-mixer baby, Grayson!

It was rather easy to make and smelled so good baking!

The verdict: a winner and a keeper!

Well, according to Grayson and I anyway! ;) Nate hasn't had any yet, as he's at work right now. But, I'm pretty certain he, too will love it.

Grayson enjoyed his 2 little bites!

Here's the recipe taken from the original place: Chef in Training

Cinnamon Roll Cake

CAKE:

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick)  Butter, melted

 

TOPPING:

• 1 cup ( 2 sticks) Butter, softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

 

GLAZE:

• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 5 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In an electric or stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well , slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.

For topping, In a large bowl mix the 2 sticks of butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy. Drop evenly over the batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean.

FOR GLAZE:  In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together with a whisk. Drizzle evenly over the warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Let me know if you try it!