Grayson's new (warm) house

Do you feel a breeze?!  Last night Brandon and I were up late and suddenly heard an AWFUL sound coming from our HVAC.  It sounded like fan blades eating something metal.  We immediately RAN down the stairs and shut it off.  Brandon was able to get the front off and we quickly realized that it was the inductor blower on the front.  Several (almost half) of the plastic blades inside the fan part of the unit had broken off and were getting eaten by the remaining blades.  Not a good sign, since it was in the teens outside. 

After scrambling and calling several companies, we finally got 1 company to answer and they pretty much told us we were out of luck because the manufacturer of our HVAC, York, doesn't have any parts suppliers in our area.  Pretty much everyone we called didn't answer, and the ones that did, told us it would have to be ordered.  Brandon made a late night trip to Walmart and picked up another space heater to keep our bedroom warm (Grayson already has one to keep his room consistently warm at night) and we left the water dripping to keep the pipes from freezing.  We finally got to bed around 2:30 a.m. and by 7 when Grayson woke up, the house temp was down to 61.  We immediately started calling supply companies in Indy and the surrounding areas trying to find our inductor.  Finally we found one in Louisville that actually had the part!!!  Brandon's wonderful Dad was able to go pick it up and meet Brandon halfway so we could install it ASAP.  Amazingly the little radiator heater that Brandon picked up was able to heat the living room all the way to 69 by the time Brandon got back.  Brandon got home and was amazingly able to install it himself and now our house is warm again!!!!!!  YAY!!

And for the "And they lived happily ever after" moment...

our most recent projects

Yes.  I know.  TWO posts in ONE day!!  Go me!  I just put Grayson down for his second nap (he's been switching between 1 and 2 for a while now, but he woke up at 7 today) but as of 20 minutes and counting, he's still talking to himself in there.  We'll see...

Anyway, our first snow came December 4 this year and we took the opportunity to introduce Grayson to it! 

We thought he didn't like it at first...

But it turned out that his bottom was bothering him because he had a bit of diaper rash and didn't want to sit down...  We're pretty sure that he's allergic to peaches.  Every time he's eaten them lately, he's gotten a bad rash.  No more peaches.  Poor guy.

Our next project came in the form of an adoption.  Our church did an 'adopt-a-family' event where we could adopt families that were in need for the holidays.  Many churches do this sort of thing this time of year.  Brandon and I talked it over and decided that we would spend less on the holiday gifts for our family this year and adopt a family that is truly in need.  What better way to celebrate Christmas?!  Well, naturally, I picked out a family with 3 young girls!  :o)  How often do I get a chance to shop for little girls?!  I decided to make them something in addition to the gifts we bought them--you know, add something personal.  This is what I came up with:

 They're hair-bow holders!  They are completely customized and I even made a few bows using some alligator clips to complete the holders.  I think the girls will like them and they were relatively easy and inexpensive to make.  Meanwhile, Grayson was busy being destructive:

Notice the empty crafting bins and all my supplies all over the floor?  This was clean when I started! 

Last but not least, these are our recent "Slow and Steady Get Me Ready" activities!  This book has weekly developmentally scheduled activities to do with your child from birth to age 5.  I've noticed that some of the activities lately have been beyond what he's capable of just yet, even though he's developmentally ahead, so we've just skipped around a bit lately.  Here are a couple we've loved!

"Let's Go Fishing"  Age 1--Week 12
Here we just recycled an old apple juice container, some ribbon from a gift and then used a clothes pin and a homemade Christmas ornament for our 'fish'.  Grayson figured this one out FAST.  i.e. before I could even take a picture!  (So naturally, I made him do it over and over again!)  He was even trying to 'throw his fish back' and get it back into the jug only using the string.  SMART BOY!  He really liked this activity too and carried his 'fish' all over the house! 

Don't tease me about his clothing too much--we're using gDiapers because they breathe better than other diapers.  We've got to get this 'peach' rash cleared up before traveling!!!  He's warm and he's cute!!!  What more can I ask for?!

"My New House"  Age 1--Week 15  (Yes, I can hardly believe he's that old too!)
Thankfully Grandma Palmer bought Grayson an early Christmas present and we were able to recycle the box!

 I love to crawl inside!

 See?!  It's MY house!

Bye everyone!

gearing up for the holidays

Whew!  This has been a busy season for us!  Especially for my fledgling photography business--I've had tons of shoots and still have one more to go!  Thankfully, I've got 90% of the photo orders completed and delivered, but it's that last 10% that has me a bit stressed.  And, I haven't even ordered our Christmas cards or even taken my own son's Christmas photos!  lol  I'm so behind.

I have my Christmas shopping done, and have for a while, but it's the wrapping that still needs work.  It's definitely made more difficult by a toddler that has a fascination with wrapping paper!  Grayson is walking really well now and can stand up on his own and bend over to pick something up without sitting down.  He's been doing that for a few weeks now.  It took him a while to start walking, but once he did, he really took off!  He's obsessed with clapping and loves to color and paint.  Our little man is the apple of our eyes! 

He is figuring out all of our baby-proofing equipment WAY too fast--he can almost open the doors, even with the doorknob safety devices on them!  He's also still obsessed with going outside, and will cry after anyone who leaves without taking him out.  Since we just got about 6 inches of snow dumped on us, his outside time has drastically diminished, which he is not happy about!  I look forward to the day he's big enough to be able to go sledding...  maybe next year.

This weekend (weather-permitting) our KY friends Molly & Tyler are coming up for a visit and we are super excited to see them!  They will also attend our church's Christmas service Sunday morning before they head back.  I know Grayson will be excited to have extra playmates this weekend!  Next Thursday, we will drive to MO after Brandon gets off work.  Pray that Grayson sleeps!

Until next time...

need a laugh? grab a [Grayson]

best way to start the day

Grayson woke up in a fabulous mood this morning and he even cuddled with me on the couch for a while and we read a book!  He had his 15-month checkup yesterday and got a new board book with babies on it.  The whole time we were reading it, he kept saying "Bay-Bay-Bay"--his word for baby.  He's such a smart boy... I love him! 

As for his appointment, he's doing really well!  He has been sleeping a lot lately (one night he slept 14 hours!) and I thought he might be growing again...  boy was I right!!!  He grew nearly 3 inches in 3 months!  He's now up to 32 inches and the 90th%!  He's still a long and lean boy, weighing in at only 20.5 lbs (only the 10%).  The pediatrician says that he's super healthy and is way ahead with his milestones, especially with his vocabulary.

We've taken lots of video of him walking lately, so I'll have to upload some of those later.  We're planning on taking Christmas pics this weekend, so I'll post some of those too.  I've been taking LOADS of photos in the past couple of months, so that's been keeping me busy.  I've still got a lot of work to do and more shoots today, so I gotta run!  Have a great weekend!

2 more teeth!

Yup, you read it right!  True to his usual self, he does everything at once!  He's getting 2 more teeth on top now (the lateral incisors right next to his 2 front teeth).  Poor guy also had to get his immunizations this week too, so it's been a tough week.  He ran fever and he seemed to have some sore legs from the shots.  He watched that poor nurse like a hawk after she finished--he didn't want her anywhere near him!  My poor boy cried too--it's so heartbreaking.  He seems to be fine now though--playing and getting into stuff like normal!

We had Mark & Marilyn over for dinner last night and had a wonderful time.  I made homemade lasagna, green beans, Red Lobster Cheese biscuits and no-bake cookies for dessert.  And, it all turned out pretty good thankfully!  Grayson still won't let anyone hold him really if we're around... he's definitely going through the Mama-attachment phase and has been for about 6 weeks now.  I can't get anything done around the house without my 'growth' attached to my leg!  lol 

My photography business has been booming lately since everyone is wanting photos of their families/kiddos for Christmas.  It's nice to feel loved!!!  lol  I'm definitely up to my ears in editing--I've estimated that I've edited well over 2000 pictures since the beginning of the month!  That's probably about 3 times as many as I normally do in month and I still have more to do. 

Well, the beast has awoken, so I better go get him before he destroys something.  I already had to make a teething bumper for his bed this week because he's gnawing off the wood on his crib rail!!!  It looks pretty cute though, even if I did have to make it from scratch. 

Hope you all have/had a great day!

Hallelujah!!!

Grayson finally took his first steps all by himself tonight!!!!!  (Better late than never, I guess!!)  He's been walking well with a 1-finger hold for over a month now, but if you let go of him, he'd get mad and sit down.  He could also walk along the wall just trailing 1 hand along the wall.  I've been letting him walk outside the past couple of days because he loves being outside so much and I guess that spurred him on!  I was so happy that Brandon and I both got to see it--he walked in between us sitting in the kitchen.  I'm so proud of my boy...  :o) 

I always forget--he can also say Vroom Vroom with a car and he can push himself in the firetruck too!  (He's actually running over Daddy as I type this!)  Better go before he flattens him over!

Congrats to Tyler & Natalie!

Guess what guys?!  I'm finally getting another 'sister'!!!  Brandon's younger brother Tyler just proposed to his girlfriend Natalie and she said yes!!!  I'm so happy for them--she seems like a great girl... just what Tyler needs and deserves!  I can't wait to hear all about it and maybe even get to take some pictures of them if they'd like.  And, since we already have a wedding to go to in the spring, Grayson will get to wear his cute outfit again maybe! 

One of God's greatest gifts is the gift of marriage...  take care of it and each other and you will live happily ever after... 

First Haircut!

Yup, Grayson got his first haircut yesterday!  He also now has 5 teeth and is working on his 6th one.  #5 is on the bottom right and came in last Tuesday (or that was the first time I saw it).  He's really starting to look like a little boy now.  He also took 2 little steps by himself today and I know he could take more if he weren't such a chicken.  He walks really well with your finger now.   His vocabulary includes Dada, Mama, Baby (bA bA bA at least!), Ho Ho Ho (ask him what Santa says!), No, and Neigh (for horse).  He can also sign 'eat', 'more' and 'all done'.   He's also become VERY attached to Mommy in the past 2 months.  He now cries when we leave him in the nursery, but only for a couple of minutes.  And, as soon as Dad gets home, he becomes a Daddy's boy and Mom is second fiddle!  (It's kind of a nice break though ;o) 

Well, anyway, here's some pics for you all to enjoy!  He was an octopus for Halloween and he had a blast helping hand out candy over at Mark & Marilyn's (our Sunday School teachers).  He looked soooo cute and his eyes looked amazingly blue in the costume!  So glad Lora & Jason let us borrow it from Collin.  We loved it!

BEFORE HAIRCUT (the front almost reached his nose and he had a baby mullet!)

AFTER HAIRCUT (Doesn't he look so handsome?!)

 Grayson eating his victory sucker for being a good boy!  (it was his first candy ever, but unfortunately after a couple of licks, he dropped it in the floor!)

 What, you've never seen an octopus drive a car?!

 Or an octopus ride on a lion?!

That's all for now!  Hope you're having a great day!

Grayson's First Birthday Book

*Whew*  It's finally done!  Now I just have to send it off to get printed!  Here's the low-down:

 (These 2 pages will be the home of our postcards that we brought home from the museum!)

Hope you all enjoyed it!  I'll post more details about the last month in the future... today I'm dealing with a snotty-nosed, vomiting little guy, so my time is precious!  Gotta run!