Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So much to say, so little time. Its been a busy couple of weeks, so we will stick with the format that has worked recently... more pictures, less me.

Grant enjoying some blueberries and oranges

Rockin' out

In early December we went to My Gym to celebrate a birthday for Grant's friend, Claire.

The Birthday Girl

He went straight to the hoop

Mmm... birthday cupcakes!

In the middle of December, we went to a KU alumni event at the Denver Zoo Lights. While it was fun to see how the zoo was decorated with Christmas lights, the highlight of the event was Grant getting to see Baby Jay. Grant and I got our picture taken outside with Baby Jay. Later on we were lucky enough to get the whole family with Baby Jay next to a Christmas tree (which made our Christmas card) when we stopped for hot chocolate provided by the alumni association.

Very excited about high fives

And of course the big event recently was Christmas. He repeatedly said "Whoa!" that morning. Even though his attention did not last through opening all of his presents (he was distracted with the Disney Christmas Parade), he does seem to enjoy each of his new gifts.

One of the first (and only) gifts that he actually opened

We feel like we've had a very blessed year and hope that 2011 will be just as much fun as 2010. Wishing you a very healthy and happy New Year!

The elephant in the room

The big event of the last few weeks was of course Halloween. Grant had the pleasure of dressing up 3 times that weekend as his new favorite animal, an elephant. You might remember our trip to the zoo when the elephant was the first animal that Grant actually paid attention to, even though we had walked by many other animals. He also happens to be in the elephant classroom at school. And to top off the trifecta, the elephant is the one of our favorite animal sounds that Grant makes. It is hilarious and we'll have to get a video of it soon.

On Friday night, we headed to The Goddard School for Grant's first time to trick or treat. Once he realized that we were not just taking him back to school for the evening, it was pretty fun going to each classroom, playing games and seeing everyone's costumes. There was even a bouncy castle in the gym!

Grant and his classmate Sam

Grant and his buddy Mason (he had a sweet 'fangs' pacifier)

Party number 2 was Saturday at the Todd's. We had a wonderful time eating great food and hanging out with friends. Since it was a pretty warm weekend, Grant spent most of the party without his elephant head on (even though he really wanted to wear it).

Grant and Claire

Sunday was Halloween and we had planned to take Grant to a few of the houses in our area before heading back to our place to hand out candy. Of course, Grant had different plans... He had not been feeling great that day and ended up spitting up on his costume. Needless to say, we did not make it out to trick or treat that night. But it was pretty amazing that nothing had happened up until that point especially since he had worn the costume so much. Thankfully we were able to get this picture earlier on in the evening.


Before we close, we have to document another exciting event that has occurred over last couple of weeks... the wonderful growth in Grant's vocabulary! Whereas previously he had only handful of words that we considered to be true words, he now has about 16 (mama, dada, bye-bye, apple, uh-oh, more, all done, puppy, Brady, Grant, cat, duck, door, go, up, nose, out) and he is imitating words like crazy, so is picking more up each day. We are thrilled! He also points to the following body parts: belly, head, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, teeth and mouth. And, to finish off this family documentation (thanks for bearing with us), he makes animal noises for a cow, frog, elephant, horse, dog, lamb and duck. The frog, elephant and horse are our favorites!

Here's a parting shot... a cute picture of Grant hanging out with his friend Andrew.

Hope your week is all smiles...

My how time flies...

We realize it's been a while since our last post, but this past weekend was our first free weekend in over a month and a half. During that time, we've had a visit from each of our parents, two illnesses, two weddings and a big birthday with b-day trip, all mixed in with the usual work and Grant cracking us up.

First up was a trip from my parents in mid September. I should have known that the weekend was headed south when before I even picked my parents up from the airport on Thursday, I had to pick Grant up early from school because he was throwing up. We all took it easy on Friday, mostly because we were unsure if Grant was back to normal. He seemed fine, but the morning bottle really seemed to bother him. We did decide to venture out to Lookout Mountain on Saturday. There we stopped by The Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave and enjoyed the beautiful views of Denver and the mountains. The weekend was starting to look up and then Saturday night/Sunday morning brought on a stomach bug. My Mom and Dad were both up overnight and later that night Shannon also caught the bug. Luckily for everyone, the worst of it only lasted 24 hours. That allowed everyone but Shannon to go downtown to the Denver Mint and the Firefighter Museum on Monday. My parents left the following day (which of course is when the stomach bug finally got me). I'm not sure that they will want to come back to visit after this experience...

A couple weeks later, we celebrated my birthday... the big 3-0! I mention this not because I was freaking out about the loss of my 20s but because I want to thank everyone who sent me cards (including KU basketball head coach Bill Self). My wonderful wife gave me the best gift and showered me with cards from friends and family and even some of the KU athletic department (did I mention Bill Self?). I loved reading everyone's comments about turning 30, but here is one of my favorite cards (it's from Bill Self). Are you jealous?? I would be, if I were you.

In mid October I celebrated my birthday by going to Las Vegas for a weekend with my friend from high school, Tony, whose 30th birthday was just last week. We enjoyed eating well, relaxing, playing the tables and such.

Our hotel, The Luxor

The weekend before Vegas though, Shannon's mom came out for the weekend because we had two weddings to attend. This was another visit from one of our parents, and yet another illness for Grant. We felt really terrible about leaving Grant with his Gigi because he had 3 molars coming in. In the recent past, his teething has generally included a cold and a diaper rash. This time seemed to be no different except each seemed to be a little worse than normal, however we still just chalked it up to the teething. We later found out that Grant actually had strep (Shannon also had it) so luckily some antibiotics cleared it up quickly for the both of them. As for the weddings, both were wonderful outdoor Colorado weddings. We enjoyed witnessing the marriage of Joe and Sommer Gaughan on Saturday at a beautiful ceremony in Golden where we burned up the dance floor (we unfortunately forgot our camera at home so do not have any pictures to show). Michele and Tim Rapp's wedding the following day was in Beaver Creek, which is about two and half hours away. We would not have been able to go to it if Shannon's mom had not been here to watch Grant because it meant that we were going to be away overnight. It was the first time that we have both left Grant overnight...ever.

Tim and Michele Rapp

A lot has been going on with Grant over the last few weeks, besides just getting sick. He had his 15 month checkup, which included the last set of vaccines that he will get for a while. Because of his recent illnesses (and new skill of picky eating) he has not put on much weight lately. He is now tipping the scales at 19.8 lbs (2nd percentile) and his length is 30.7 in (35th percentile). He is now bottle free, though still not happy with us regarding missing out on the morning one. Grant has picked up a few more signs, including please and thank you. He is also working on quite a bit more words, even though they are usually not very clear. Dog, door, and dad all sound very similar. The funniest word to see him attempt to say is 'apple' because he really emphasizes his mouth movements. We'll have to try to get it on video sometime. He is also learning to master his animal sounds and loves telling us what a dog, cow, duck and elephant say. Grant still LOVES his books and will plop down on the floor by himself at times just to flip through a book (which generally involves his own narration). He is learning his body parts and gets a great laugh out of trying to tickle me and Shannon. As you can tell, we are having a lot of fun (and we think he is too).

This past weekend we went to a pumpkin patch near us to join in the festivities. Now we are just getting ready for next weekend and Halloween! Hopefully we'll have a great picture of Grant in his costume to post next weekend! (Although he enjoyed trying it on a few weeks ago, keep your fingers crossed that he will agree to put it on again)

Tractor ride at the pumpkin patch

Our new favorite picture

People watching at the zoo

At the end of August, we were lucky enough to get to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the Denver Zoo. Shannon was able to get tickets for all three of us because it was The Children's Hospital Appreciation Day. We got there around 2pm after Grant's mid-day nap. When you enter Denver's zoo, Predator Ridge is the first area that you run into. This is a large area that is supposed to resemble a natural African habitat for lions. It's a really nice exhibit... unless you are 13 months old. The lions were all very far away from where we were and not moving much. I don't think that Grant even saw them, but then again, he wasn't even looking for them. He was much too busy watching everyone that came over or passed by. This is how much of the rest of our time there went. As we made our way towards the monkeys, we passed Kangaroos, Buffaloes, and Hyenas and Grant didn't even care that they were there. I think that the first animal that he saw was the Elephants. That seemed to get his attention and is also where I impressed Shannon with the fact that I have been on an Elephant at a "world famous" zoo (I can tell that you are impressed now too). As Grant's attention turned back to giggling kids and smiling babies, we decided to move along over to Primate Panorama. This is where he started to notice the animals a little bit more.

Watching a monkey

The bears were very active walking around

Looking at a baby flamingo (we also saw a baby orangutan and giraffe)

Riding the train around the zoo

We only got through about a third of the zoo before we were worn out. We look forward to checking out the Birds and/or Seals in the future. It will be fun to see if he is more interested with the animals the next time we go.

I had another video that I wanted to post but had trouble loading. Its pretty cool because Grant has decided that he can feed himself. He will stick his spoon in his food several times and slowly bring it to his mouth. But before it gets it there, he starts twisting his wrist so the spoon is sideways. Needless to say, he is not getting much out of it but it is cool that he is trying.

KU football might be hard to watch this year

So long summer

It's hard to believe that over a month has gone by since our last post, but it certainly has not been due to a lack of events to talk about. We've been enjoying the summer, celebrating a birthday and an anniversary, and watching our little one grow right before our eyes. So in an effort to keep this not too lengthy, I'll jump right into what's been going on over the last few weeks.

Health/Development

Let's start off with an update on walking. You might recall Grant took his first steps in June, but he was not really excited about it. At that point he still preferred to crawl and would only walk short, safe distances. Then what seemed like overnight in mid July, he decided that he would rather walk. We have a video of him during those first few days but have had trouble uploading it. I'll try again sometime soon because it is funny to watch since he has his hands up in the air for balance. That lasted for a couple days until he moved his hands out in front of him (a la Frankenstein). Now though, he is basically running and one of his favorite things to do is chase me around the coffee table!

Grant had his 1 year checkup also in mid July. He weighed 19 lbs 14 oz (1oth percentile), length was 30 in (55th percentile) and head circumference was at the 85th percentile.

Here is a picture of Grant trying to "drink" from a glass of water. He really seems to enjoy it although I am not sure how much is actually going in his mouth (vs just down his chin)! Ever since he tried drinking out of the cup, he has wanted to pretend to drink out of empty glasses (he'll even throw in a "mmm"). Its incredible to see how his imagination is starting to grow.

He also is starting say a few words, although not too consistently or always to the appropriate item/person. Occasionally he will answer with a "moo" when you ask him what a cow says. He said "ma ma ma" on Friday when Shannon got home from work, which made her day. He is very good with sign language when he wants more food. Also it's becoming pretty clear that he seems to understand much more than we even realize. For example, when we tell him we are going for a car ride, he will walk over to the door to the garage, and he will walk to his high chair when we say that it is dinner time. Grant is turning out to be a good hugger (but he still gives open mouth kisses). He will snuggle with his stuffed animals when you tell him to give them a hug.

Summer Fun

Swinging at the park

Playing in the back yard with his cool Beach Ball Sprinkler
Thanks Moore Family!

Chillin'

Steamboat Springs

August is typically a busy party month for us because of our anniversary and then Shannon's birthday a week later. We usually try to go somewhere to celebrate and this year we took an extended weekend trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. It was nice to get away and we had fun checking out Steamboat Lake, hiking to Fish Creek Falls, riding the gondola to the top of the mountain and eating way too much good food.

Fish Creek Falls

Rare group shot on bridge at bottom of falls

Grant sticking his feet in the surprisingly cold creek

View from the gondola

View from our hotel

The Children's Museum

Last weekend we went to The Children's Museum in Denver. It's nice because they have a whole section just for children ages 0-4 years. We checked out the rest of the museum before we left and I imagine that we are going to have fun in the next few years (I might have to go back sooner just for the bubble room).

Crawling through a tunnel

Grant kept wanting to go down the slide

Playing with one of the toys

Snuggling with a big bear

Having fun in a little cave

I'll try to do a better job of posting sooner because we have a lot planned in the next few weeks including his first trip to the zoo, a visit by grandparents, and of course the beginning of football season. So stay tuned...

Birthday week!

We celebrated Grant's first birthday while spending the week in Kimberling City, MO with Shannon's family. Shannon's Grandma, Mimi, has a time share in Kimberling City, which is close to Branson and right off Table Rock Lake. We took a lot of pictures, so like last time, I'll write less and show more.

Here's the view from the condo

Tuesday, June 29th was Son-in-law day (a holiday that even Hallmark hasn't started selling cards on yet), so naturally we celebrated with everything that I love. That meant lots of games, Reese's, cashews and steak.

Grant and I showing Mimi, Val, and Jeremy's how it is done

Yes that is steak, brats, and turkey tenderloin (Yum!)

Wednesday was Grant's actual birthday and also the busiest day for us. We filled the day with Go-Kart racing, the Cirque Montage show, and of course celebrated the big 1!

B-day boy around some of his presents

After the first race, notice who's in first. I didn't see what happened behind me,
either Valerie can't drive or her dad spun her out. Either one is possible...

The best picture that Shannon could get of all 4 us. Once again, notice who is in front.

The Cirque Montage show was very cool. For the entire two hours, Grant was glued to the acrobats and was dancing or clapping to the music. Afterwards, we were able to get a picture with some of the performers. Grant showed off how much he was paying attention when one of the acrobats held him up in the air with one hand. Grant immediately threw his arms straight up. The performers loved it. And a star was born.



That night we celebrated Grant's birthday with some angel food cake. We thought that he might like it and were hoping that we would not strike out again since he didn't like the chocolate cake that Shannon made for him the previous weekend. Unfortunately (I guess), we are 0 for 2 in the cake department.



Thursday we rented a boat and tried out some water skiing and tubing. Grant went out on the lake with us for a little bit and really seemed to like it. He kept rocking his head forward wanting us to go faster when we would slow down.

The good news: those pasty white arms didn't get sunburned.
The bad news: those arms are still pasty white.

Here's semi-pro water skier, Shannon, showing us all how it is done

Here's me in between curses right after I got dragged through the water, not on the water.

I got to captain the boat while Jim was showboatin'

It was a perfect week with family and away from work. It's crazy to think that Grant is now a year old. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.