the boys

A quick pic of the boys from the other day. We're able to get a few smiles out of Grayson which is so exciting (unfortunately not yet captured on film). Can't wait til I don't have to work so hard for them :)

We had a great evening tonight. Grayson was baptized and then everyone came over for supper. Pics coming soon!

grayson newborn pics v2

Here are some shots from Grayson's second newborn session with photographer Dan Dinsmore.

 

I loved the idea of the crate during the session, but the coolness of the crate didn't come through for me in the pictures. 

As well as, in nearly every crate shot...his toes on the one foot could be mistaken for something other than a toe...

 cracked a little smile for this one :)

If I ever have another child...I might just have to fork over the $$$$$ for the amazingly adorable newborn photographers that have all the hats, blankets, props, etc. But, this worked :)

numbers

My life in numbers.

5 - hours that Grayson slept at one time last night, longest stretch yet, too bad I was awake for two of them
6 - ounces of milk that Grayson chugged after his 5 hours...most ounces yet at a time
22.5 - average number of minutes it takes to feed, change and get Grayson back down in the middle of the night (knock on wood...this is really nice...and I'm not really keeping track of it to the minute to be able to determine an average, it's just generally 20-25 minutes)
2.4 - average number of #2 accidents Connor has daily. This is REALLY starting to frustrate Bryan and I. Mostly because we have no idea. No idea if something is wrong, or if he's just taking forever to grasp training on that front.  (again on the average thing, it's just anywhere from 1-4 times a day)
7 - number of nights a week Connor ends up in our bed. This MUST stop this week.
130 - minutes I spent pumping yesterday. Yikes. I'm 'over pumping' in an effort to increase production.
41 - ounces of milk I got in those 130 minutes. Hoping to get this in the 50-60 range. As long as Grayson doesn't start eating 6 ounces every time he eats, I can freeze about 5-15 ounces a day. 
0 - number of times I pump overnight. This might be hindering how much I get in a day, but, I guess I'm willing to take that trade off.
1 - day left of paid maternity leave (today, boo)
6 - more weeks I'll stay at home, but trying to work 10-20 hours a week (at home)
2 - walks I've been on with Grayson since he was born. Only TWO. Our weather sucks. More rain in the forecast tonight, tomorrow and rain/SNOW tomorrow night. Lame.


That's all I can think of right now :) Happy Monday!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Connor hunted for eggs around our house this morning which he thought was pretty cool. However I think he got bored as there was only either bunny marshmallows or peanut butter cups so not too much variety, but there were six eggs with little trucks and cars in them so he still thought it was awesome :)

 

sporting the bunny hat he made at school

 

 no idea. looks like he's doing a jig.

Grayson hanging out during the activities

Hope you and your family have a wonderful day!

downward dog

The other night we went out to my parents as my Aunt Mary and Uncle Roger (my Dad's sister) were visiting from Iowa. I unfortunately have no pictures of them, but I of course snapped one of the kids being silly and showing off their yoga moves :)

Yes, Connor's pants are far too short...accident at daycare that day and he was out of his clothes so they used some of Golden Heart's. Never know what you'll get :)

And, I bought him new shoes that he is obsessed with. Every morning, "do I get to wear my new shoes to preschool?" He was even disappointed over the weekend that he wasn't going to school...thinking he couldn't wear his new shoes that day. I'm sure this will wear off soon, but it's sure helpful when trying to get him ready in the mornings!

connor's 3rd birthday: cake

Final post about the big birthday party. Connor LOVES cake, especially the frosting. We had a hard time keeping his fingers out of the frosting (I also forgot to mention that at Ana's birthday party he snuck a finger into her birthday cake frosting...thankfully I don't think Ana noticed :)). Then, his love for frosting combined with his love for backhoes and dump trucks got the best of him (or our table) :)

already getting a taste

and let the real fun begin...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Connor! We love you SO much (even if you make the biggest messes!)

connor's 3rd birthday: random photos

Here are random photos from Connor's party! (only one birthday post to go, promise :))

taking a snooze before the party started

Grayson and Uncle Aaron

 Krystal and Kaelyn

Kaelyn and my Mom

 

 Grayson and Grandma Cheryl

trying out his new scooter from Loula's

 

 new low boy trailer set from Grandma and Grandpa Loula, he LOVES it

he's had the bike for awhile, but our 'gift' to him was the addition of training wheels

checking out the training wheels

possibly the biggest hit of the party...Aaron got him this inflatable bounce house

 Great Uncle Al and Grayson

pedal tractor from Grandma and Grandpa Bode - hard to see but Connor and Grayson's names have been personalized on it, very neat!

any day lately wouldn't be complete without a ride on the gator!

connor's 3rd birthday: games

Mary put together a few games for Connor's party and they were so much fun! The first game was a treasure hunt. She hid 8 sets of toys (construction equipment for Connor and little dogs for Ashlyn) around the house with a clue to the next toy. It was so much fun to see if they would get the clue right or if they would need a little help. I didn't get all of them on camera unfortunately. Ashlyn got the clue 'what do you use to clean the carpets and it's really loud' right away! Apparently she hates it when Krystal vacuums :)

The second game was pin the bucket on the backhoe. Connor failed to participate (he was playing with his 8 new pieces of equipment from the treasure hunt). Ashlyn had fun and without cheating got the bucket on perfectly! Okay...there may have been some cheating :)

 Bryan's turn

he actually thought he was way to the left of the poster...

 Can't wait for next year's games!

connor's 3rd birthday: theme + decor

You guessed it...construction. If you're disappointed that we're now going on three  years of the same theme:

a) Connor requested a 'backhoe' party
b) I was completely unprepared to do anything different (yes, I'm home during the day but had no desire to bust out a completely new theme, sorry)
c) I always do this to myself, start these little 'abc' lists, and then only have enough for a and b. Weak.

we didn't go crazy in the dining room this year, last year we did and ended up not spending any time there

I will say I loved the new addition of the cones. Saw the idea on a blog somewhere (see, at least I researched construction parties for a few new ideas).

I ordered this cake 10am the morning of the party, so quite pleased with how it turned out on such late notice. Connor loved it (as did the adults). The rocks were even edible.

If next year is yet again construction *gasp*, we'll switch it up and have a backhoe made out of cupcakes.

 Couple more cones outside. It was really windy, and rain/storms were in the forecast, otherwise I would have lined the entire driveway with cones.

Big thank you to my aunt Mary for essentially doing 100% of the decor, games, huge help with the food and of course taking all of the pictures from the day!!

Grayson's visit to Great Grandma's

This past Wednesday my mom was able to take off of work so that she, Grayson and I could go visit my Grandma. We had a great visit, my Grandma looked awesome and pretty sure Grayson was a hit with the rest of the residents :) (even when he was screaming his head off in the dining room)

four generations

Happy 3rd birthday, Connor!

Connor is three! Hard to believe it's already been three years since he was born, time goes SO fast. We're having family over this afternoon for a party which he has been crazily and anxiously awaiting.

Things he's up to:
-Loving preschool. Had two bad drop off days, but the rest of the week has gone great. He loves the new playground, talks about all of his old buddies and seems to be doing great.
-Constantly entertaining us with the things he says. Also is very aware that if he says something that makes us laugh...he says it over and over and over again.
-Sweet. Most nights I'll get an "I love you, mom", followed by a list of the rest of the people he loves, too, without asking for it.
-Speaking of love, loves his baby brother. Just thinks he sleeps too much and doesn't understand why he hates the bath.
-Is VERY ready for warm weather. We've been pulling our cars out of the garage so he could ride his gator in there and the last week or two he's been able to venture outside which is great. He loves being outside.
-Has one bad word....fricken. He really only uses it when referencing the squirrels. Here is the best example, Bryan and I weren't home, but my mom was.
     C: (seeing a squirrel on the feeder) That fricken (comes out 'fuuuhhhhrickEN' when he's really into it) squirrel.
     Mom: (trying not to laugh her head off, isn't sure what to say at first and Connor beats her to it anyways)
     C: Grandma, we shouldn't say fricken.
     M: You're right, Connor. We should just say 'that naughty squirrel'
     C: Or just, 'that squirrel'
-Still loves equipment of any kind. He is very ready for the season to get started so he can go see all of Bryan's job sites and equipment. So bummed we didn't get him out to Vegas for the big equipment expo so if he's still into all of this in three years, we'll try to take him then.
-Not so good at keeping secrets. Whether it's hide and seek (all you have to do is say "Where is Connor" and he'll just answer with his current position, "I'm behind the couch!") or Bryan will tell him, "now, don't tell mom" and the first thing he does when he sees me is tell me (I think I'm okay with this one) :)
-Is doing okay on #2 potty training. Has had a few accidents at school this week and at home. It's still up for debate if he knows when he's going, or if he knows once something starts to come out. I plan on calling his GI specialist soon to just chat about how he's doing post-surgery.
-Sleeps well for the most part. Probably half the nights in a week, Bryan ends up going in there. Which, I don't think Bryan minds too much as then it's harder to hear Grayson get up since he's still in a pack 'n play in our room.
-Still has the dang nuk (yes, we realize this is in our control to take away) at bedtime....and a few other times...
-Can work about everything on the ipad and current favorite shows are still Dora & Diego, sprinkled with a few Care Bears, Wonder Pets and Backyardigans episodes. Also a new love is Mighty Machines movies (essentially real movies of working job sites with voice overs).
-Has a love hate relationship with the bath. Hates getting to the bath, loves it while he's in it, but hates getting his hair washed. Hopefully this goes away as nightly bath + hair washing is soon to return once it gets warm out and he comes home from school a hot, sweaty, sandy mess.

We love you SO much Connor! You bring smiles and laughter to our lives EVERY day.
We're looking forward to another great year :)