Grant in Trains

This weekend we went to Lancaster and had a blast. While in Lancaster, we went to a train museum because Grant loves trains. I didn't take many pictures of Grant, but I did take pictures of the letters in Grant's name.

Just Enough Time to Post Some Pictures

Sadie Elaine turned two months old. She is cute and smiley as long as mom is holding her. We don't think she looks much like Grant did at this age. What do you think?

Grant got a hair cut. Here's his really cute before shot.I really miss the long hair, but I don't miss the puddle of sweat Grant's hair created every time he took a nap. Seriously, this kid's head can really sweat!

We wore the kids out on the Fourth. Sadly, we missed the fireworks and the 4K race. Oh well, there's always next year.

Stealing the Show

Grant sure loves his sister.

He holds her and talks to her.
He shares his toys with her.
He sits by her while she sleeps.I wanted to make a cute movie of Sadie smiling at her fish mobile. Unfortunately, I think Grant stole the show.

Who's Dressing This Boy?

I started my PhD program this month which means we've been juggling the kids around. Currently, I get up before the sun to work on campus in the mornings and Nat gets to go to campus in the afternoons. This works out well because Nat can sleep in a little in the mornings. Unfortunately, it means that he is also the one dressing the kids.

In general, I would say that Nat dresses well. He even likes to give me fashion advise. But sometimes I wonder what he is thinking when he dresses the kids. Nat's had to learn a few hard lessons these past few weeks.

Lesson 1: The Top Button Goes in the Top Button Hole

My sister already noticed that Grant's shirt was buttoned incorrectly in the pictures in the 2 to 200 post. I come home to incorrectly buttoned shirts regularly, but I usually give Nat the benefit of the doubt because Grant can be kind of squirmy.

Lesson 2: The Fly Goes in the Front

So it's a little difficult to tell from the picture, but Grant's shorts are on backwards. Again, I think Candace gets credit for noticing this one when we got home from working on Thursday. In Nat's defense, most of Grant's pants have fake flies.

Lesson 3: Two Plaids? Really?

This is what I came home to today. I can't think of a valid excuse for my husband on this one; he's not colorblind.

From 2 to 200

About 2 months ago, Grant could say basically two words: ball and apple. Okay, so maybe he could say a few more, but he still wasn't saying "mama" or "dada". He understood a lot, but he never tried to say anything. Things have completely changed over the past few months. Grant picks up 2 or 3 new words a day. It makes my life so much easier and enjoyable.
In this first video clip, Grant tells us what's for dinner and what he wishes was for dinner. It features the words: banana, peas, milk, apple, hi and bye.

This next video is a little long, but I thought that grandparents and aunts and uncles might enjoy it. I've titled it Grant Helps Mom Read a Book and it features the numbers 1-9 and the following words: bumble bee, more, fish, turtle, duck, frog, and home.

The first time we tried to video Grant "reading" the book, our camera battery died. Luckily we were able to capture Grant's first attempt at the word "turtle" before the battery was completely gone. I edited the video below to include just the fish and turtle pages.

The pictures were taken at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center during our Saturday afternoon picnic.

Memorial Day Cuteness

Memorial Day in Boalsburg is HUGE! The town claims to be the Birthplace of Memorial Day and celebrates the holiday with carnivals, firetruck parades, reenactments, and much more. We began the weekend by visiting the massive war memorial. The above picture doesn't even begin to capture the size and majesty of this place. It was breathtaking!

Then it was off to the parade, which was hosted by the fire company. The adults enjoyed seeing the old fire engines. Grant was memorized by the firetrucks and a little perplexed by the candy flying from the engine. But once mom let him gather and eat the tossed candy, he began to cheer as each engine passed and loudly shout "YEAH!" when they threw candy to him. This shout of "YEAH!" was much like the shouts of "YEAH!" I hear each Sunday when I drop him off at nursery. I don't know if I should be happy that he is secure enough that I can leave him at nursery or if I should be worried that my son like nursery more than me.Sadie looked adorable in her Memorial Day outfits. I love to see her smile.

Blessing Dress

We blessed Sadie on Mother's Day. We were happy to have both Grandpas here to participate. It was a wonderful and adventurous day.When we arrived at the meeting house Sunday morning, all the lights were out. The building was experiencing technical difficulties (this isn't the first time we've had problems, the heat on one side of the building went out in January . . . it was a cold Sunday for the Young Women). The lack of electricity in the building meant there was no light, organ music, sound system, etc. Ironically, the opening song for the meeting was "Teach Me to Walk in the Light". The absence of light caused me to reflect upon the source of Light in our lives. I am truly grateful for the Savior who is my Light and to whom I can turn when all other lights seem to fade and life seems dark.
My mother-in-law made the bonnet and helped me make Sadie's blessing dress. I debated for a long time as to whether or not to include the family picture because I still have my fat pregnancy face. Why is my face always the first thing to fatten and the last thing to return to normal??? Hopefully I'll have thinned out more by the next family photo.
This photo was too cute not to post. I love Nat's bony and hairy knees!