Train Ride

A few weeks ago, my mom, aunt, grandma, and I decided to go to Salt Lake on the Front Runner.  My grandma had never been on the train so we loaded up the kids and off we went.  Poor Grant had to hang out with all these girls all day.  I think the train ride made up for it.  We had so much shopping at the Gateway.  We caught up with my cousin for lunch.  It was nice to be able to visit the whole way down and back.  Grant and Evelyn had a great time!

Grant and Evy loved the fold out table. It was just the right height.

This is the face Evy made when the train started moving.  Trying to get her to sit down was a lost cause.

This is one of my favorite pictures I have taken of Grant.  I love profile pictures.

It was evening by the time we headed home.  I couldn't help but shoot a few cute shots of the kids.  I love how the sun comes through the window and lights up their hair.   I got some of just Grant looking out the window and his hair looks like strings of gold.

 This picture is also one of my favorites.  I love the light in Evy's pigtail.  The binkie on her thumb makes me smile.

A Mom's Proud Moment

The last 24 hours has brought nothing but joy and pleasure into my soul.  Grant has been the very best little boy in the whole wide world.  I am so proud to be his mother.  I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

Last night we asked him what he would like for dinner.  He kept chanting, "hot dog, hot dog."  From the time we asked until the time we ate we would randomly hear the word 'hot dog' echoing in our ears.  Sadly, he didn't get a hot dog. Darn it!  He did get a lemonade.  It is cute how he tries to say, "lemonade."  I can't believe how quick he is on picking up words.  (I might have something to do with his mom being a SLP.  Who knows?)

This morning I went to get him from his bed.  When I opened  the door Grant had all of his animals laying down and their faces covered with blankets.  I asked, "are your animals sleeping?"  He just told me to "shh."  I took that as a yes!  I couldn't help but laugh.

Then tonight we were reading a story.  I realized that his diaper was wet.  I like to let him go to sleep with a dry diaper.  (When he drinks a lot before bed then we have to do extra laundry.)  I got him off my lap and told him to go get a diaper.  (He is usually good at fetching diapers, but doesn't do well if there is something exciting going on.)  He wanted to take his blanket, but I told him I would hold it and when he came back he could have it.  Well,  he gave me this look that said, "mom honestly is it all that hard to let me have my blanket.  I am going to go get a diaper because you are so lazy.  The least you could do was let me have a blanket."  He then reached threw the crib and grabbed blanket.  Gosh! Mom's are just so clueless.

Being a Princess is Exhausting

This year for Halloween we are dressing up in a theme.  I won't ruin the BIG surprise, I will let the pictures I post tell the story.  Anyway, my sister and I have been hunting for the details of our costume for about a month now.  On this particular day we had gone to a number of different craft and costume stores looking for everything we needed.  Grant and Evy were getting a little whiny at the end.  (It is hard to be 1 1/2!) Our last stop was JoAnn's fabric store.  While we were walking through my sister noticed these cheep beads.  At first we weren't going to buy them but Evy loved them.  Grant wanted some too, so we gave him "man beads" (Man beads are the red beads because red is the color of Elmo.  Things like these beads have to be explained so that Kyle doesn't think I am turning his son into some fem bot.)

On the way home the kids were giggling in the back and playing with their beads.  By the time we got home Evy was sound asleep.  It is just such hard work to be a princess.

I love her boots.  They are so darling on her.  She likes them too because when she wears them she starts strutting her stuff.  Oh, Evy dear!

Adding On

This is the back of the home I grew up in.  It's walls contain many wonderful memories.  It is an older home (1950's I think) with all new guts.  My parents finished the basement about 20 years ago. (I just realized 20 years isn't really all that new.  But it still feels new.  Moving on...)

When I was in jr. high my parents' remodeled the living room.  We tore down the ugly grey brick fireplace and put up a really nice wood one.

After I graduated from high school my parents' took on the biggest remodeling project ever.  They pretty much gutted the entire upstairs.  There was a short period of time when my parents' would get dressed, go out the front door, around to the back door, and downstairs to eat breakfast.  It was a horrific project, but good grief it has almost been 10 years ago.  Time flies by!

So now the next project begins.  The home is plenty big, but last year we found out there are no big rooms!  Trying to squeeze 9 adults and 2 babies into the living room with a Christmas tree, piano, couch,  plant stand, end table and chair is just too tight of quarters.   My parents got thinking that the family is only going to get bigger so we need a place for all of our bodies to dwell comfortably.

Ta Da!

This is the idea put into action!  A large room built onto the back of the house. The addition is further along now then this picture portrays, but it is still crazy to imagine it all done.

They had to rip out a part of the wall (where the bricks are torn off) to connect the addition to the house, so of course there was a mess inside the house.  All of the computer stuff that was in the room is all over the house.  It kind of stinks and my mom can't wait to have everything organized again.  The part I am jealous about is under the addition is a 3 foot high storage area as big as the entire addition.  (It was just a bi product of having to make the addition level with the upstairs level.)

My mom hates having her house turned upside down like a typhoon hit.  I don't blame her one bit.  Having to move the entire contents from one room to another would naturally create a huge mess.  I tease her about really craving the mess because we seem to do this kind of big project every 5-10 years.

Everyone hopes it will be done by the holidays this year so we can enjoy the big space!

In the Backyard

Our yard is a new yard and doesn't  have anything as exciting as Granny's yard.  So when ever we go to my mom's we try and play outside.  Grant has a great time playing outside, I think every kid enjoys the fresh air.  It is fall and fall brings lots of apples.

Grant walks around hunting for apples.  He likes to eat a bite and then pack the apple around for safe keeping.  We have to watch him because sometimes the rotten ones are more appealing.  I think it is because they are such a different color.

The ladder has to be ranked at the top.  I don't know of a little boy who doesn't like to climb on ladders.  I love this picture because he looks so small compared to the ladder.  The look on his face is priceless.  He was singing to the apples.

To swing at Granny's is the favorite thing to do.  At the first of the summer Grant was a little scared of the swing and we couldn't push him very hard or else he wouldn't want to swing any more.  I love these pictures of him flying into the sky.  When I was a child I always thought that if I pumped my legs hard enough that one day I might fly all the way around the top bar.  I thought it would be so cool.

This wasn't my favorite picture of Grant in the swing until I saw his hands.  The little dimples in his knuckles are so darling.

Grant is famous for "marching and singing" when he is happy.  This is exactly what he is doing.  Having a great time walking around the yard singing his song of glee.

The slide is now a favorite but Grant is still a little hesitant when he goes down the slide.  He really likes to hold on to someone's hand.  Sometimes just standing at the bottom telling him "I will catch you" isn't enough.  The best thing about a metal slide is it provides great accompaniment  to Grant's singing.

To My Fellow Bloggers

I have had so much fun reading all of your updates and looking at all of the awesome pictures. I love the updates on pregnancies, the newborns, vacations, and just everyday activities. The problem is that I get on the computer to check all the updates and by the time I read everyone else's blog I don't have time to update my own. We have had a great time in the last few weeks. I have tons of pictures. I just need to load them up so I can share.
Thank you everyone for posting such fun pictures! I love keeping up on all of my friends and family. Especially the ones who live so far away! I love you all!

It Pays to Procrastinate! (literally)

For the first time in my life the planets aligned and everything has fallen into place. OK, so it probably isn't the first time, but it has been a really long while.

A few weeks ago I was really down in the dumps. I am a SLP and in order to keep my "certificate" to continue being a SLP I have to earn 30 ceu's (continuing education units) every 3 years. My credits are due at the end of this year. I called ASHA (the SLP organization I hate) to see how many credits they have for me. The man said, "you have 9 credits." I said, "9 credits for the year or 9 credits total?" He said, " well, 4 credits from 2007 and 5 credits from 2008."

This is when my jaw fell to the floor and I couldn't speak. This means that I have to earn 21 credits by December 31! Holy Cow! I had no idea how I was going to do this. It seemed impossible.

When I got home I got online and started looking for classes to take to earn some credits. This is when I found this awesome website to earn the credits I needed.

A few days later we were sitting in staff meeting (my least favorite thing in the world) and my boss tells us about this grant we received. If we complete some training and do a few other things we can earn up to $1500!

Yesterday, I got my ducks in a row and this is the plan. I am going to complete the 21 credits I need for this year. Then I am going to complete the 30 credits I need for the next 3 years. Make a few handouts and do a presentation. I have until June 30, 2010. Then I get $1500!
It pays to procrastinate! I am the luckiest person in the world!