My favorite time of day

Playtime with Daddy.

Thoughts for the Day

He is a big boy. He sits in his own chair and feeds himself his own bottle. And I just don't have the heart to take away that night time bottle yet. I suppose Rudolph could have packed all of them up and brought them with him back to the North Pole, like he did with our blankets and bumper pads when we were little. Maybe the Easter Bunny will take away his pacifiers. But for now, warm milk and a pacifier will accompany this little man on his journey to sleepyland.

Thought 2: Why do babies love electronics? He has done things to our remotes that I still can't figure out how to fix. He has actually made them not work. He has removed the enter key from our computer, thankfully it was the old one and it stuck back on pretty well. He managed to rewind a football game at the same spot, three times in a row. I will not put those ugly plastic clips on our beautiful furniture to keep him away from our cool new DVD player. Any ideas on how to keep him out that will not do permanent damage to a good piece of furniture? Suggestions are welcome! (there is a little comment section for that) Keep in mind that if you come to our house to watch TV, do so at your own risk. No guarantees that everything will be working as it should be.

Can you think of a better way to start the day?

I can't.

A little birdie told me...

that THIS:

Makes him smile.

Sunshine and Green Grass

Dead grass is not nearly as fun to roll around in. And according to Grady, it doesn't taste quite as good either.

Spring: 53 days and counting.

A trip to the Keys to bask in the sun: Hopefully VERY soon.

My Dad is more famous than your Dad

They wrote about him twice in the newspaper. See:

#1- http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/dillon_county_animal_control_officer_indicted_on_misconduct_charges/22525/

#2- http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/bennettsville_police_officer_faces_more_indictments/29374/

Where do I get my good looks from?

Let me know over there-------->

(and be honest, no playing favorites just because you are related)

Mmmm...Ice Cream on a Snowy Day

Snow Day

It was only supposed to snow until about 10 this morning but it is still coming down. And I am lucky enough to sit in the warm house with a sleeping toddler* in my lap. Apparently, schools get the ball rolling when it comes to closing down for the snow, or even the remote possibility of snow. This is when the all important role of mother comes in. Stuffy nose? Fever? School closed? I'm here for you buddy. I'll bundle you up, keep you warm, make you feel better and wipe that nose clean. I hope you enjoy your Tuesday at home with me, because I sure am enjoying the special treat of rocking you to sleep for your nap.



*Toddler- a word that I will begrudgingly begin using. He will always be my baby though.

My Birthday

For many, many more pictures, click http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Scs2bZm1ZOJg

A Whole Year Old

Grady's Playground

As evinced above, he takes his play time very seriously. Either that, or he is very serious about not putting on his pajamas that are in his mom's hands.

A Letter to Daddy

Dear Daddy,

I miss you. I know you are busy putting bad people in prison but I really miss you. Mommy can't make me laugh like you can. And she can't throw me up in the air either. But I am very proud of you. You make the world a safer place for me to grow up in. So when you are done with this bad guy, can we play?

Love,

Grady

And He Slept

Maybe his little friend whispered in his ear that he could no longer hang out with us if he woke up in the middle of the night. Or maybe that tooth (that we neglected to notice was coming in...) finally finished its grand entrance. But once again, he did what he had been doing for lots of months up until about a week ago. He slept. All night. And it was AMAZING. Can I tell you how much better I feel today? Like a new person.

Who calls the Retro Rocket next?

Sleep Little Baby

Your energy is boundless. Your favorite thing to do at night-knock everything down that you can find. If there is a stack of papers on the coffee table, it taunts you until you can stand on your tippy toes and reach it and then with great pleasure, throw each piece of paper onto the floor, one by one. You smile and laugh as each item hits the rug. Then there are your blocks. You are a true boy at heart, getting such enjoyment out of destroying every intricate stack of blocks your dad makes for you. I guess those stacks taunt you too. And then you play. And play. And when you are rubbing your eyes, so close to exhaustion, finishing your bottle off, that second wind hits. And you are off once again in a flash of boundless energy.

Until you finally give into exhaustion, close your eyes, and fall asleep.

Why, oh why, does your little body not need a full 8 hours to re-charge? If I played like that, I couldn't move for a day. But not you. You are a superhero who is ready to play again at 2 in the morning. I thought that last night after the Gators won, you would sleep peacefully like a child going to sleep on Christmas night with all of his new treasures tucked in next to him. Can I hold out this hope for next Saturday night?

Too Much Excitement

I have just figured out why Grady has been waking us up around 2 a.m. for the past few nights. The little guy has been too excited to sleep. First, he is creeping up on that all important 1st birthday. Second, he keeps dreaming of green and purple dinosaurs that will hopefully make an appearance at his party. But most importantly, his beloved Gators get to play in the National Championship game tonight. If I were 1, I think I would have trouble sleeping too.

Dinosaur Party Countdown

In 10 days, this guy will celebrate his 1st birthday in true one year old style, with a dinosaur birthday party. He is counting down the days...

Grady and his Great-Grandparents

As I dug into the picture archives to find some good ones of Grady and his great-grandparents, I realized that sadly, I have not done too good of a job of documenting his time with them. As a New Year's Resolution, I vow to take many more pictures of Grady and all of his great-grandparents. But for now, lets re-cap this past year:

Papa-

Mama Jane-

Grandmom-

Grandma-

Big Skip-

What's all that chocolate on your face?

O Christmas Tree

Happy New Year

From the guy who enjoys bubbles in his drinking water.