Christmas Day...Fifth and Final Party?

Well, today is the real deal! Christmas! Grant went to bed with a fever and we didn't feel like we could wake him up in time for the Christmas Brunch @ Chris and Jenn's house. So, we let the boy sleep.

Finally, we woke him up and headed to the Christmas party. He was "mushy" baby as Aunt Kris calls it. He was very attached to us and his Gramma and Grandpa. He loved his presents and showed it when he opened them, but grew tired after awhile. I am going to try to upload a video clip that I took of him on an electric quad he received from Chris and Jenn.

When we were getting ready to leave, we reminded everyone about the party that would be in two days for Scott's birthday. Then, we headed to Gramma and Grandpa's because Santa had stopped by there for Grant. He ended up getting a radio contolled white car from Santa a bunch of stocking stuffers. We ate and finally headed home.

Once we got home, we realized Grant still hadn't seen the Santa gift from our house. Also, he had all the gifts from my family and friends to open. Grant was on present/Christmas overload. He would open a gift, get excited and then lay down on the couch for about five minutes. It took us about 1 hour to open about six/seven gifts. He was excited and talking about the gifts, but would take his breaks. It was funny and sad at the same time.

We had a blast, but I am glad it is over...for Grant's sake. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Eve Pictures!!

This is the one where Grant tells Lisa, we got her an ornament too!

Christmas Eve...Fourth Christmas Party!!

Christmas Eve is spent the same way every year. We gather at the house and eat a wonderful meal where everyone brings something. Then, we divide the presents and start to open. After opening all the presents (which there are always WAY TOO MANY), we then eat dessert and karoke (after a good deal of glogg and wine and whatever else there is to drink).

The gift opening is always fun, but this year was the best because Grant made it SUPER FUN!! At one point, he was helping us open gifts (especially "Eesa," she is his favorite). He walked up to her and helped her open a gift that he and Scott had gone to buy. I asked him, "What did you get Lisa?" He answered, "Got a shirt and an ornament, too." We all were cracking up because she had only opened the shirt...not the ornament yet. Needless to say, when she got to the ornament to open up, she knew what it was. We are still laughing about that. Hey, I did ask him what he and Daddy got Lisa. Kids say the darnest things.

Grant went down at about 11:30 pm, but the party kept going until around 2 am. I'll have some pictures that will appear above this entry...enjoy, we did!!!

Pictures from Thrid Christmas Party

Baby Quinn...OMG she is Gorgeous!

Spittin' Image of his Dad

Gramma says that Grant's daddy had a picture taken just like this one for his first birthday!! That rocking chair use to be Scott's!! I love this picture!

Third Christmas Party??

Well, this whole Christmas party thing is a chore for a two-year old, but thankfully Grant likes the attention (or gifts ... or both). Grant was on his third Christmas party when he started to get a little bit of a cold. Well, he opened up a gift from cousin Eddie and he was done for the evening. He didn't need anything else to keep him occupied. Eddie had bought a pop-up Hot Wheels (or Matchbox) "gas station." The important detail that you notice is that it is portable and "pop-up-able." It is so nice and small, yet perfect for Grant. He played with it all night and kept telling Eddie to look at the car getting clean in the carwash part. It was really cute. In fact, the next day when he was playing with the toy, he asked if he could go play with "Eddie and Gramma." I told him that we would have to do that soon.

I've put some pictures out of the night. It is the same tradition every year (only the location changes). We visit with one another, eat, let Grant (and any other kids open their gifts), play the White Elephant exchange game, sing/play Christmas songs and eat dessert. Eddie always has oranges and pomegrante jelly for each of us. Aunt Debbie always has an angel ornament that she has hand-painted. Marion always has a scrubber for each of us. I made the mistake of saying that I would like to make those...I didn't realize the amount of work that goes into each...I am not sure that I am that talented. Thank you everyone for our treats!!

The Nicest Gift I've Ever Received From A Student...or anyone!

I had a very talented student paint an amazing painting of Grant (as you can see). She was influenced obviously by Andy Warhol. I am so impressed and very hard-pressed for words on my gratitude. I am so choked up about this. So nice. Thank you Kim!

Two Angels, Best Buds, Waylon & Willie

Enough said! Oh, by the way, they are now "Grant's kitties." They were mine, then ours and now just Grant's. Grant loves to say, "My kitties, Mommy. My kitties!"

An Angel? Maybe Not!

Grant was assigned a part (a small part, but a part nonetheless) in our church Christmas program. Well, the part that he was assigned was an angel. Yes, he had to wear wings and all...I have included some pictures of the rehearsal where Grant decided that running to and from the front steps was the best fun ever!!

The day of the program (Sunday morning) all SEEMED to be going well until something hit Grant the wrong way. We started out in the Sunday school room and we played while wearing our costume (all of our costume...wings, halo, etc.). Then, we headed for the church. He saw the slide outside and wanted to play on the "slides and stairs." Now, looking back...that could have been the catalyst to a diasterous ending.

Grant entered the church in a very loud manner. He decided instantly that he did not want his wings on. Aunt Kris had put the wings on (very well, I might add...making for a hard task to remove when you have a sqirming two-year-old). Well, I did manage to get them off and then suddenly guess who wanted to have wings ON??? Yeah, Grant...my "angel" son. He wanted the wings back on. Oh, by the way, he didn't wisper that he wanted them back on and yes, church was going on at the time. Now, I realize it seems bad, but I was told it wasn't too bad and he is only two.

Well, I got Grant to calm down by handing him a sippie cup. Then, we started to walk down the aisle with the other angels, but Grant decided he wanted to sit with "Aunt Kiss, Gamma, Gamma, Taacy and Uickle Nick." Okay, that is fine...just be quiet. Well, he was quiet finally when he sat on Grandpa's lap. It was a nice program and Grant even received a gift (that had to be walked to him...surprisingly, no one had to help show the person where he was seated...somehow they already knew...lol) and he ran to the front of the church (where the program was being put on) at the end when all the children had already left. It was almost like he finally figured out what he was supposed to do or he thought "how could I really embarass Mommy." haha

We survived and went to brunch afterward. He was still in an "on again, off again" mood, but much better than the "angel" child we saw at church. All in all, it wasn't that bad (or was it and I have forgotten?).

Matthew's Birthday Party

Matthew turned one and Grant has been waiting to go to his birthday party since the day the invitation arrived. Grant instantly wanted to go for two reasons; 1) he knows parties involve cake and ice cream 2) he loved the dumptruck on the invitation!! So, we went to Matthew's first birthday party and had a blast. Grant instantly headed for the train room (well, it is a playroom, but Grant mostly notices the train table). We literally entered the house and within 30 seconds, Grant had gone straight to the train. He would have been fine with staying in that room only, too...but there was cake. All had a good time and Grant played with his gift bag the whole way home...he put on the hat, played with the toys and as you can see fell asleep to the Bob the Builder book...it was too cute. Grant wants to know when we are going to Matthew's party again...isn't that cute!

Second Christmas Party!!

Well, last Friday night Grant and I had a Christmas party at our house for my work friends. Between all of us, there are about 12 kids!! So, we decided to get together and do a gift exchange. It was super fun and the kids had a blast. The above pictures are not of all the kids. One left early and three didn't come due to illness (one of the siblings was running a fever).

The kids played together well and there were only minor fits thrown over the misuse of the word "mine"...oh, wait, I didn't say that right, "MINE!!!" The two-year-old mind works very different than most. We open a gift and we are so into it, then the next kids opens a gift and we are really into that gift, so forth and so on. We had a few cry over a fake cell phone that Grant gave to three of the kids. Yeah, baby...it was a hit. I've noted that in the future, I will give all boys the same gift and all girls the same gift. However, the only other boy in this group was Tyler who is 13 and way too old to be playing with the younger kids. :)

We had a blast and thankfully, Grant was tired. He loves everything that he got and still is talking about the party.

1-800-SANTA??

Grant's Gramma sent me an email with Santa's 800 number. I haven't tried it yet, but thought I would post it for some of you...the message is supposed to change daily. 1-800-972-6242!!

Disneyland Again?? Yeah, Baby!

We met some friends at Disneyland and had a blast (even though we waited over 30 minutes for four hot dogs...we couldn't understand that)...Martin Michael is five days older than Grant. We met he and his Mom at Disney and we rode on Casey Jr., It's A Small World, and the Carousel (several times)!! We watched the parade with Santa at the end. The boys shouted what they wanted Santa to bring...it was fun! As you can see in the pictures above, the boys the jazz band that was playing in New Orleans Square. They had a blast.

If You Believe, You Will Receive

So, at our Christmas party, Gramma was wearing a shirt that said, "If you believe, you will receive." I started to think about it. I went to church and that morning Pastor Mary asked us what our most memorable Christmas was...hummm...so, I thought of a time when I had asked Santa for a Cabbage Patch doll. This was the craze and no one was getting them because of the craziness to get them...long story short, my Mom worked out a plan on getting me one. To make sure that I kept believing in Santa, she hid it from me at my neighbor's house and well, Christmas morning there she was MY CABBAGE PATCH DOLL!!

So, I got on this kick where I told Scott that "I Believe" so I better "Receive" what I wanted. He couldn't figure out what I wanted, except for a cat...one that looked like Cooper. For anyone who remembers Cooper, then you know he was such a LOVE. I loved that cat like no other.

Anyway, Scott and Grant went Ms. Sandy's class that Monday morning and had fun at their Christmas party. I have a picture of Grant with Santa and I have a sneaky suspicion he told Santa that his Mommy wanted a kitty.

That day (as you can see), Santa came early for Mommy!! See, if you believe you will receive...sometimes more than what you expected. How could we adopt one without the other. We couldn't chose one over the other, especially since you are in the room with both. So now we have Lola (the Golden Retriever), Maggie (the Husky mix), Jerry (the Husky mix), Murray Wiggle (Calaco Fantail Goldfish), and two orange tabby cats names Willie and Waylon (self-explanatory...the Outlaws of the house).