Pretend City

We went down to the Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine over the long weekend. It's a new family favorite. Grant got to play at the beach, shop and work at the grocery store, drive around a fire truck, work at the emergency dispatch station, do a little gardening, watch some little chicks (birds--not girls), do a little construction, and so much more. We didn't even get to some of the stations, so there is more to explore later.

Fiscal Responsibility

Grant: I like money!
Me: Do you know what money is for? Why do people need money?
Grant: Oh, for expenses.

Snapshots of a Day #1

I was reading someone's blog recently and on the 10th of each month they take a picture each hour of the day for 10 hours. At the end, you have a little snapshot of their day. I thought it might be fun so I gave it a whirl. Of course I missed the 10th so I did it on the 11th and forgot to take pictures for a couple of the hours, but it was fun anyway! (All the pictures were taken with my phone, so they're a little fuzzy...)

10:30 Waiting for the garbage truck to come
11:30 Trying out EVERY couch and chair in Ikea
12:30 Found joy on clearance at Target...but I have plenty of joy so no need to buy more
1:30 Driving home with my buddy behind me
2:30 Laundry
3:30 Opening a package that arrived today. I love getting packages!
4:30 Folding laundry
5:30 Playing with Grant in the tent we made out of the dining room table and a blanket
8:30 Shopping with a friend during our night out

Not what most people would call an exciting day, but I loved it. It was filled with lots of time and fun with Grant, getting things marked off my to do list, and a fun evening with a great friend. What a wonderful day!

First Ornament

Grant's class made little foam gingerbread ornaments this year. I can't tell you how excited I was about the first ornament he brought home. I felt really silly being so excited about it, but I just couldn't help myself. It's my new favorite ornament...and he was pretty proud of it!

USA?

I found this in Grant's room after his rest this afternoon. He'd propped it up on his chalkboard like it was his work of art. It's the first time I've ever seem him write letters. It looks sort of like "lush" (aka random letters) but now I think maybe it's USA...like he was copying it from something in one of his books. I'll never know, but I loved it!

So THAT'S Where My Stickers Went

Grant was quite proud of himself when he found my stickers and put them to use. Taking them off wasn't quite as funny, though.

My First Project

I got a really fun toy for Christmas, and this was my first try at using it. One of the things it does is cut shapes that can be heat-transferred onto a shirt. Grant LOVES his fire truck shirt. When we were out that day, we saw a big fire truck stopped at a light and all the firefighters waved to him. He couldn't have been happier. I later asked him what other things he might like on a shirt and he said "two hearts." I think I'll make all the clothing decisions from now on.

A Sad Day

I'm really behind in my blogging. Things are really out of order. I took Grant for his 4-year-old check-up a few weeks ago. As you can tell, he was not pleased. I was trying to stay as calm and nonchalant as I could and I took my phone out to distract him. I couldn't resist getting a picture of his poor, pathetic little face to show Nate how our morning was going. By the end, all was forgiven and he even invited Dr. Kim to go to Disneyland with us.

Unfortunately, it wasn't over. We had to go to get his blood drawn down the hall. He didn't know what was going to happen and went into the room all happy. The guy tied the rubber tie around Grant's arm and he thought it was funny. Then the needle was put in and he was incredulous. "That hurt me! Why you hurting me???" It was so sad--I wanted to cry! Needless to say, I'm glad that day is over.

Nice Try

This is definitely the first time I've seen a sign like this: "Homeless. Need Monye Donation. Please Send to PO Box..."

I particularly like how they can spell "donation" but not "money."

"Look, Mom, It's Space!"

iPhone

I inherited Nate's old iPhone and actually use it a lot more than I thought I would. One of the apps I downloaded was a car builder game for Grant. He thinks it's the best thing ever and does a really good job of using it. Every car or truck he builds on there has to have a rainbow decal on it and he names it "Funny ____." We have Funny Truck, Funny Car, Funny School Bus...etc. They really do have an app for everything.

Art Interpretation

This was an art project that Grant and I did together before Thanksgiving. You trace your child's hands and feet then put them together to form the turkey's body. I did the first one and Grant LOVED the idea and did the second one himself. I tend to get really territorial about projects and want them to be done "just right" so I was pleased to see what he came up with without me hovering over him.

Forgiveness

I threw out my back this morning picking up Grant. One of my major struggles is being cheerful when I'm hurt. I was really rude to Grant and snapped at him over and over again. I asked for his forgiveness right afterwards, but this afternoon when I was feeling better I sat down with him and talked to him again.

Me: Grant, I'm so sorry I was unkind to you this morning. Will you forgive me?
Grant: Yes. You forgive me, too?
Me: Aw, yes.
Grant: Thanks...(you say "You're welcome.")

Then he gave me a big kiss. I'm so thankful that he's so quick to forgive and move on. Seems there's a lot I can learn from him.

Grant and Lowly

For the past couple of months, Grant's favorite books and videos have been Richard Scarry's stuff. He absolutely loves anything with Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm. I found a Lowly Worm stuffed toy for his birthday and they became fast friends. When we'd buckle him in his car seat, he'd insist that Lowly be in there, too. We would catch him holding Lowly up to his car window and explaining to him what he was seeing.

"Mommy, Can I Clean?"

Making Ornaments

I thought it would be fun to make our own ornaments and paint them together like my mom did with my sister and me when we were little. I was thinking that the painting part would be the most fun, but actually the best part was the rolling of the dough and using the cookie cutters. Do you think Grant was excited about his ornament???

The Coconut

Every time we go to Albertsons, we have to visit the coconuts. We feel them, shake them, and listen to the coconut water inside. Finally we bought one and Grant was SO excited. We had a great time cracking it open, tasting the juice, and toasting it for a snack.

Best Buddies

Grant's New Car

Grant got birthday money from Grandma and Papa Jordan. He decided he wanted to use it to make a car at Ride Makerz. He LOVES his new Lightning McQueen car. Thank you Grandma and Papa!!!

Birthday Present

Isn't this sign so fun? I love it! And I love that there are only 10 days till Christmas vacation...

My Birthday

I had such a fabulous birthday! We started at PF Chang's for lunch then went to Disneyland. It was 68 degrees and beautiful with no crowds! It was such a fun day.