My Sweet Boys

I have not had any pictures taken of my sweet boys since Grayson was a newborn, so we decided to take some ourselves last weekend.  I bought a new lens for my camera, and I am trying to learn how to use it!  We headed to Oaklawn Garden in Germantown, and it was a great place to take pictures.  Grayson is 10 months old, and Logan is 3 years, 9 months.  They are growing up so fast!

This is my favorite picture of the day.  Logan is getting so big, but he still looks like a little boy here.

He's got some long legs!

My favorite picture of G-man.

I just love those chunky legs!

My favorite boys.  I am that Mom who buys coordinating outfits!

They love each other!

Grayson- 9 months old

9 months old- 3/12/14

Our sweet Grayson is 9 months old!  We went for his check-up yesterday, and he was off the growth charts again in height (30 1/4 inches) and weight (25 lbs., 12 oz.).  He is also off the charts in sweetness and cuteness if you ask us!  

Grayson has started eating table foods, and he has loved everything we have offered him so far.  He has had chicken, ham, green peas, purple hull peas, homemade biscuit, and cheese.  He also loves puffs, num-nums, and all baby food.  He only has two teeth but somehow he manages to eat whatever we give him!  His gums are currently swollen, so I feel like more teeth are on the way soon. 

Grayson's favorite sound to make is "Ga," and we think he is trying to say "Grayson!"  He makes a lot of other sounds too like Ma, Ba and Da.  He also loves to giggle, and it does not take much to get him going!  He continues to smiles all the time.

Grayson had his ear tube surgery on Monday, and we were so glad the day finally came.  He was on three oral antibiotics and received one antibiotic shot over the past month, yet his ears were still badly infected when he got his surgery.  We are hoping the tubes will help keep him out of the doctor's office and off antibiotics!

While Grayson is still not crawling, he can push up on his knees and rock back and forth.  He still prefers to stand up while holding your hands rather than practice his crawling.  He wants to grab everything in sight, and it is surprising just how far he can reach.

We are so in love with our sweet Grayson, and it is so much fun to watch him grow up.  It is also fun to watch Logan and Grayson play together and become friends.  We are so very blessed!

Grayson- 8 months old

8 months old (2/12/14)

7 months old (1/12/14)

My sweet Grayson turned 8 months old on Feb. 12, and he is growing up so fast!  I continue to say that Grayson is the happiest baby because it is true.  He is so sweet and smiles all the time.  He has started playing with a lot of toys, and he always wants everyone else is holding.  Grayson especially loves playing with Logan's toys, even though Logan is not always willing to share!

Grayson can sit very well unassisted for long periods of time, and he loves to hold onto your hands and stand up.  He is not very interested in crawling, and I have a feeling he may skip it all together.  His legs are getting really strong, and he tries to take steps when holding on to my hands.  He does dive onto his tummy to get toys, so there may be hope for crawling yet!  I personally am not in any hurry to have another mobile little person in the house, so I am glad he is taking his time.

Grayson makes lots of sounds, including his most recent sound of "Mama!"  It was just as exciting the 2nd time around.  His favorite sounds to make are "Ga,Ga or "Dada," and he is constantly making a sound like a coffee grinder.  His giggle is probably one of the sweetest things I have ever heard.

Sweet brothers at the Memphis Botanic Garden

Watching Logan and Grayson begin to play together is awesome.  Grayson gives his biggest smiles to Logan, and he loves receiving attention from him.  Logan often tries to pick him up and hold him, and Grayson just goes with the flow even while being squeezed and flopped around.  In the mornings after Grayson wakes up, Logan often wants to get in Grayson's bed and play with him.  I don't mind it at all- especially if Brian is out of town.  It gives me time to get ready, and they are both happy.  Logan is such a sweet big brother to Grayson, and I love seeing them interact.  I hope they are always close!

Grayson loves his Daddy, too!

Grayson has started having repeat ear infections, and we are having a hard time getting rid of this last one.  Luckily, we have surgery for tubes set in a couple of weeks, and I am so ready for it to be here.  Even with all of his ear problems, Grayson is a pretty good sleeper.  He regularly sleeps all night (4-5 nights per week) from about 7:30 p.m.-6:00 a.m.  The nights he wakes up, I usually feed him and he goes back to sleep.  I know he is too old to be fed at night, but sometimes it is just the easiest thing to do!

Swinging at the Botanic Garden

Grayson's first "snow" (if you can call it that)

Grayson is eating all stage 2 baby foods, and he just started eating puffs.  I have started adding a couple of ounces of formula to his bottles during the day if needed, but he still nurses the rest of the time.  He wears size 4 diapers and mostly size 18-24 month clothes.  From our frequent doctor's appointments for ear infections, I know that he weighs 25 pounds.  While that is still large for an 8-month old, his weight gain has slowed significantly.  He has only gained a little over 1 pound since his 6-month check up.

I can never find matching socks because he is constantly losing them!

We love our sweet Grayson very much!  I told Brian last night that we did not know how much we needed Grayson in our family until he got here.  Now of course we would not know what to do without our sweet, smiling baby!

Logan- 3 1/2 years old

Logan officially turned 3 1/2 on January 8, and I truly cannot believe he is halfway to 4.  Logan is still the same energetic, sweet boy that he has always been, but I am reminded everyday how quickly he is growing up.

Logan is continuing to expand his imagination and love for superheros.  Our car rides to school and back now consist of me making up stories about Logan and his superhero friends.  They typically start with, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Logan who LOVED superheros..."  There is always an "All of a Sudden, the bad guy (insert name) shows up" involved in the story.  I am often corrected in the midst of telling a story if I do not get it just right!  Sometimes I grow weary of making up stories over and over, but then I glance at his face in the rear view mirror and keep going.  He gets so excited, and that smile can just melt my heart in a second.

As previously mentioned, Logan is enjoying interacting with Grayson as he grows and changes.  Logan loves taking Grayson's hands for patty-cake, and Grayson smiles from ear to ear.  Grayson also giggles very loudly when Logan tickles him, and he is fascinated when Logan blows bubbles.  Grayson will soon be on the move, and I will be interested to see how Logan reacts to Grayson getting into all of his toys!

Logan still gets into trouble and has to try and keep his behavior under control, but I think we have seen significant improvement over the past few months.  He certainly still has many moments of misbehavior, but I think most of it is part of his age and figuring out limits and how to control his emotions.  We all just do the best we can and hope that what we tell him is resonating and will be reapplied in his life as he grows up.

Logan has a personality than wins people over- at school, church, and everywhere we go.  His teachers at church tell me that Logan answers all of the questions during Kid City in front of the class.  I am so thankful for our church and school's commitment to teach Logan important truths from the Bible in an age-appropriate format.

I could not be more proud of my sweet Logan and the big boy he is becoming!

Christmas 2013 Celebrations

We are so blessed to have lots of family to see during Christmas!  This year was a lot of fun.  Logan and Grayson are at good ages for traveling and visiting family.  Logan (almost 3 1/2) can play alone or with the other kiddos without constant supervision, and Grayson (6 1/2 months) just goes with the flow and will sleep anywhere.

Our Christmas celebrations started on Sat., Dec. 21 at my Dad and Sandra's house in McKenzie.  We had a great time visiting with everyone!

Daddy & Sandra with the Tuckers and Cousars.  Bosco & Zeus tried to get in the picture, too.

Jason photo-bombed the only picture where Logan was remotely smiling!

Our sweet Daddy

The wild & crazy kids table: Logan, Graham, Isabelle, and Audrey

My sis!

Sweet Grayson's first Christmas

Isabelle and Logan were buddies!

On Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Alice's house for a celebration with my Mom, Grandmother, The Cousar's and the Nelsons.  Miriam is my Mom & Alice's first cousin on my Grandfather's side.  We always love seeing them at Christmas!

My boys were not too interested in taking pictures. Too much to do!

Aunt Alice, Grandmother, Holly, Me, and Mama

Everyone says my Mom could be our sister!

Alice, Grandmother, Mama, and Miriam

Miriam, Jack & Grayson

Sam & Grayson. I wish I would have gotten a picture of Sam & Logan because they were buddies.  Sam was so sweet with him!

Christmas morning was lots of fun!  Logan was SO excited about Santa Claus, and it was a super-hero themed Christmas for sure!  After lots of play time with Santa gifts, we had Christmas breakfast at our house.  My Mom cooked a wonderful breakfast, and we were joined by the Cousars, Grandmother, Aunt Alice, and the Nelsons.  We had a great time!

Santa Claus visited our house!

Cuties in their Christmas pajamas. Grayson is a drooler so he is always wearing a bib!

Logan's Avenger action figures

The sweetest baby!

Logan trying out his Spider-man boots and Captain America shield

One of Logan's many superhero costumes from Santa Claus.

Logan let Grayson borrow his Hulk hands.

On Christmas night we celebrated with Brian's side of the family.  We started by opening presents and then had a wonderful dinner.

Sweet brothers

Logan, Grayson & Kaylie- it is impossible to get everyone to look at the camera!

Mimi, PawPaw & their 3 grandchildren

We are truly blessed to have had such a wonderful Christmas.  We love our families and are grateful for each and every one of them!

Making Christmas Cookies

This weekend I made cookies for Logan's cookie party at school on Tuesday, and I let Logan decorate some cookies (for only him to eat!) as well.  Decorating cookies shirtless is the only way to go when you are 3 and kind of messy.  Grayson was very interested in what Logan was doing, and I know he will be joining in on the fun next year!

Logan trying out one of his creations while Grayson looks as sweet as can be.

He said he was painting the cookies

Icing is yummy by itself, too!

Grayson- 6 months old!

6 Months Old- 12/12/13

5 months old 11/12/13

Our sweet Grayson is 6 months old! He is the happiest baby, and we just love being around him!  The past two months have been busy and lots of fun.  Grayson is becoming more interactive and alert all the time, and he and Logan have actually started to play together.  Logan pushes Grayson around in his high chair all over the house while giving him toys and tickling his feet, and Grayson just laughs.  It is so sweet! I know they will continue to be able to play together more in the months and years to come. 

Grayson started sucking his thumb shortly after turning 4 months old when we stopped swaddling him at night.  At first we tried to stop him from sucking his thumb, but there is no stopping that boy!  However, now we love it because he can soothe himself without a pacifier or help from us most of the time.  It is pretty sweet to watch him!  

Speaking of sleep, Grayson goes to bed about 7:00-7:30 p.m. each night and usually wakes up once to eat around 2-3 a.m.  He then goes immediately back to sleep until about 6 a.m.  Grayson is a big boy wearing size 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  We took him for his check-up, and his height is 29.5 inches and weight is 23 lbs., 8 oz.  Both of these measurements are off of the growth charts for his age (greater than 97th percentile), which was no surprise!  Grayson also just hit another mile stone- his first tooth!  It popped through the day after he turned 6 months old.  He had been drooling for months, and we were glad to see that first one finally appear!

Grayson is becoming very active and grabs everything in sight.  He enjoys sitting in his high chair playing with toys, and he also loves his jumparoo.  He can easily roll over from his tummy to his back, but he still has not completely mastered rolling from back to tummy regularly.  I think we still have a little while before he is mobile.  He loves to jump in my lap when I am holding him, and his legs are getting strong!

Grayson says lots of things like "da da da," "ga, ga, ga" and "ag-goo."  He can also squeal very loudly, and his laugh may be the sweetest sound I have ever heard.  He is eating and enjoying all of the stage 1 fruits and veggies as well as oatmeal and rice cereal.  He nurses about every 3 hours when I am with him, but he can wait 4 hours when he has bottles at Mimi's or school.

Grayson is such a happy, easy-going baby, and he has the best smile! We love him very much.