Concrete Slab No More

We are excited to share a few photos of our new outdoor space. Over the last few weeks we had a deck and paver patio with fire pit installed. Our detached garage and our back door being our main thoroughfare posed a challenge for the layout. But I think it came out perfect and exactly what we needed!We are so thrilled to finally enjoy being outside again. And I am secretly excited more about the many s'mores that are going to be made this fall! Anyone who has seen me go through my 2 pregnancies knows that I was a sucker for a s'more....and would resort to nutella and fluff to make mine at home, but not anymore :) There is a lot more work to be done....we still have to do some landscaping (the straw will hopefully be grass in the fall), and they are coming out to stain the deck next week. We want to get some more seating options for the fire pit and we have to figure out where to put the boy' sandbox...so this is just a start to what will eventually be, but we are happy that our concrete square of a patio is finally gone! Here are a few pics!

I forgot to take a "before" picture!

ISR Finale

Both boys finished up their ISR (Infant Swimming Rescue) lessons with Ms. Janet at the end of June. Thank goodness, because I was tired of the daily commitment and the drive to Concord. All in all, we are very happy with the results. Here are both boys in their final lessons. I am happy to report that while in FL at the beach for a week, neither Connor nor Greyson used any type of floatie! YAY!!!

Summer Visitors

Oma and Inky came to visit to help out with the boys. Daycare was transitioning to summer camp, but I still wasn't out of school for the year, so they came up to babysit. The boys had lots of fun spending some QT with them. Here is a run down of all the fun that was had: Presents for no reason, Greyson't 1st real haircut, Discovery Place Kids, Davidson Concert on the Green, Kanapolis Splash Pad, going to the pool. I think that sums it up....but what a wonderful week, we were so happy to have their help! Here are some pics...

Greyson's shaggy do before his haircut- terrible pic, but just had to see this kid's hair. Also featured here is his new 4-wheeler courtesy of Oma & Inky

Grey after his haircut- what a little boy is looks like now

He was happy as can be watching Mickey as Oma snipped his locks

At the pool enjoying his favorite oranges

visiting the kanapolis splash pad

More of their ISR Swim lessons

Inky loves her some baby Grey

Greyson's 15 Month Check Up

Greyson is walking, chattering, and more interactive than ever. He is also throwing temper tantrums, and flailing...something Connor definitely did not do at this age. When we went in for his check up we were given the same stats that he has been maintaining all along. Grey weighed in at 21 lbs 2 oz- the 8th%; his height was 30 3/4 inches- the 50th%; and his head was in the 50th% as well. Doc thinks he is built to be lean- and little peanut of a guy! Here are some new photos of just Grey-and a few of him acting up! I must say when I took the photos of his tantrum he came over to me, and pushed my iPhone out of the way and then turned his back to me as he screamed. Two minutes later, as he tried to flail, he fell in between 2 chairs and got a bloody mouth. LOVELY!! We are learning how to cope with such a "spirited" child. In fact, Grey got his first lollypop as he was starting to fuss at a restaurant...that seemed to do the trick! Looks like we might be having to fill a lot of cavities.

The infamous Tantrum of all tantrums!

Baby yoga? No, maybe baby gymnastics. When he does this he wants to do a forward roll!

He is always crossing those little feet. I love it!

Grey is a good eater....I hope it sticks!!

His first lollypop!

Father's Day 2012

Happy Father's Day!!! I don't think I ever really appreciated this holiday until 1) my husband became the father of our children and 2) I lost my own father when he passed away almost 2 years ago. SO, I want to THANK my husband for being the ROCK of this family, he is my partner, best friend, amazing father...he supports us, is patient with us, and can always make us laugh. I want to wish my father-in-law Bob, Papa, a Happy Father's Day too- I know that Jeff learned a lot about being an amazing father from watching you. You are the most patient person I have ever met!! The boys, especially Connor, adore you! Lastly, I send a little prayer up to my own father, whom I miss every day. We love you Pops and wish you were here to see your grandsons grow. So anyways, here are a few pics....had to post a couple to show that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a good shot of everyone looking at the same time!!

This is as good as it gets!

Connor being a ham- showing his gummy bear- I guess I shouldn't have given him that until AFTER he took the picture!

Greyson starting to get cranky- TYPICAL!

Summer Begins

Evan, Claire, Connor, & Greyson

We kicked off June with a weekend trip to Johnson City, Tennessee. Our good friends, the Bedards, live there now, and we had yet to visit them in their new house...not to mention meet their newest addition, Claire. The drive was a gorgeous 3 hours through the mountains. We spent our 24 hour stay at their home just hanging out and catching up. It had been way too long since our last get together with them!! Evan is a big boy now and has a really sweet personality. Claire is a good baby, and such a beauty...even Greyson thought so...see the pics below! Can't wait to see this fan again sooner rather than later!

ISR

The boys are taking ISR swim lessons. ISR-Infant Swimming Rescue is a life saving approach to swim lessons. You can read more about the program here: http://www.infantswim.com/ There are mixed reviews all over the internet...but we know many friends in FL who tried this method and highly recommended it...so we gave it a shot. It is time consuming for me- I have to fill out daily forms for both boys indicating what they ate, when they slept, and when they went potty. We drive to Concord every day for a 10 minute lesson for each boy, which is 1 on 1 with Ms. Janet our instructor- this will be our schedule for 5 weeks in total! I am so happy with it so far- here are some pics and videos of the first few lessons. We promise to share pics and videos at the end to show the results!!!