"Sucker"

On our way back home, the hostess at the Chinese restaurant gave Grant a sucker. He was so pleased, but didn't want to actually lick it with his tongue.

Visiting Family

The day after Christmas, we went up to Colfax to visit Nate's family.

Uncle Nate and little Ella. She had to make sure Mom was at arm's reach.

Gramma looking very festive

Grant and Ella checking out Grant's new cool plane toy.

Grant got to play ball with Buddy. He would never last very long. Ella was much more of an animal lover than Grant.

...two very guilty looks

A quick family picture by the horses. We were standing too close and the horse kept nuzzling my neck before the picture. Grant ended up being allergic to either the horse or its feed and wound up with hives on his face. A little Benadryl and a bath later and he was as good as new.

Gramma Jean and Grant--he kept wanting to get on her lap, but he's super squirmy.

Ella loved the dogs and liked to go up to their gate and talk to them.
All the little ones (Grant, Ella, Buddy, Lucy, and Ruby) all LOVE Gramma Jean and seem to congregate around her. At one point, she had two dogs and two toddlers vying for her attention.
Here's Buddy relaxing for the evening. Apparently this is how he likes to relax on the couch.

Merry Christmas!

We were home for Christmas day and had such a great time!

Grant's new underwater flashlight was a big hit. He shined it on everything he could find.

I got a Harry Potter wand. I tried a diaper changing charm on Grant, but alas, it didn't work.

Nate and Grant checking out their new disc shooters

Grant's first shooting lesson

Grant got an alphabet set for the fridge. He now knows all but about 5 of his letter sounds and LOVES to practice.

Nate set up the transportation set for Grant. He played with it all day and into the evening. Such fun!

Disneyland

A quick picture in Toontown...you have to snap the picture fast because there are too many fun things to look at.

We could not get Grant to keep the pirate hat on his head. He only will put unusual things on his head (toys, laundry bags, pails, etc). Never hats.

Grant gets excited every time we see a train, so we made sure we rode the train around the park. Every time we would stop (or he'd see other trains stop) he'd say "all done" and do the hand motions.

The reindeer were fun to see.

The boys in front of the tree in Toontown.

How Did You Do That?

I put Grant down for a nap today and a little while later I heard a frustrated cry from his room. I checked the monitor and this is what I found. I'm still not sure how he did it, but he was pretty annoyed. He's been practicing getting himself dressed and undressed. Apparently, he tried to practice on his own and this was the result.

New Word

"Papa" (grandpa)...a very important new word.

Birthday Present

Thank you for the fun toy, Auntie Crystie, Uncle Sead, and Ella!

We had to wait for Grant to point out all of the balloons on the wrapping paper.

Wow! This is so cool! Grant played with it for a LONG time and never seems to get tired of working all the latches.

Showing Off His Pearly Whites

Oh, the Joys of a Box

First, you get to be a "robot."

Then the Dad "robot" captures you.

Then when the box falls apart, you can use it as a ride.

Washing Dishes Together

Grant LOVES his dad and can't wait till he gets home so he can play with him. If Nate stands still, Grant's at his feet asking to be picked up. Tonight Nate was washing the dinner dishes so he put Grant on his back to learn how it's done. Grant loved it--he watched the entire time and even pointed out if Dad missed a spot.

Santa Barbara Zoo

We've been trying to get to the Santa Barbara Zoo for over a month, but fires, allergies, flat tires, etc. have kept us from going. We finally had the opportunity to go over the Thanksgiving break.


Looking cool in the car on the way. "Don't I look gooooood in my new sunglasses?"

A family picture by the flamingos. Grant really likes birds, but didn't seem to care for the flamingos. They made a weird, loud noise and were very stinky.



The coy and goldfish were just at the right eye-level.

Hey, we finally got him to smile for the camera!

Grant was more interested in the cute little girl next to him than he was in the giraffe.

Enjoying the stream in the aviary.

Such a fun day! We all had a great time.

Glasses

Grant nabbed a stray pair of reading glasses and claimed them for his own. He LOVES to put on the glasses, usually getting a very serious look on his face as he examines everything he finds. Makes us laugh every time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had planned to go up to Nate's parents' house for Thanksgiving, but a couple of family members had the flu, so we ended up staying home.


I spent most of Wednesday baking and cooking, so Grant "helped" me by coloring in his high chair.

We started out Thansgiving by building towers. Grant loves to build tall ones then knock them down.

Waiting for breakfast. It's so hard to wait!

Giving Mom a hug. I love those hugs!

If you ask Grant how old he is, he tries to show you...this is about as close as he gets to two fingers.

Nate built a brick wall then drove Grant into it in the car. It was super fun.

Grant wanted to be a part of the day, but he kept getting too close to the oven, so Nate put him in the backpack. He hadn't ridden in there since he was about 9 months old. He still fit!

Are we ever going to eat???

Learning My Letters

Here's Grant demonstrating a couple of the letters he's learning. Try to ignore the mess...we're sorting through his toys.

Happy Birthday, Grant!

I can't believe he's already 2!

We got off to a rocky start...still a little groggy from his nap.

Wow--this present is bigger than me! Grant got lots of fun new things to play with from all his grandparents. Thank you!

Balloons are his favorite things right now. We had LOTS of balloons...helium ones, regular ones, and even balloons on his cake. He was a little overwhelmed and didn't know where to look.

The "Birthday Prince" hat...I couldn't resist.

Having fun building with his new blocks.
Grant and Nate in their matching jerseys. They each got one for their birthday.
All pooped out after a very fun evening.

Grant piled all the balloons he could carry on Nate. What a good sharer!