Kate's "Room"

For those of you who expressed concern over Kate sleeping in our closet...hopefully it's not as bad as you were picturing. :-) It's definitely working until we move. Our clothes still fit in the other half of the closet so it was a perfect solution.

First and Last Day of Swimming Lessons

Grant was very excited to start swimming lessons this summer, but they didn't go so well. He struggled at his first lesson and really didn't want to go back, so we took him out of the lessons and decided to try again next year. Instead, we worked with him in our pool. I just thought he was the cutest thing sitting there during his lesson, listening to the teacher!

More Packages in the Mail!

More gifts from Gramma and Papa with a beard! Thank you for our new little stuffed animal friends! I like the look on Kate's face in the bottom picture..."He's laying on top of me--again!!!"

Proper Fly Care

Grant called me to his room during his quiet time this afternoon...

Grant: There was a tiny fly in my room. He touched my lips...gave me a kiss. I want you to take care of him.

Me: What do you want me to do to take care of him?

Grant: Take some tissue and make a submarine. Then put him in the potty and flush it and he will search for SEA CREATURES!!

We've come a long way from him being terrified of flies...although I prefer if they don't give him kisses on the lips. Yech.

Quotable Day

This morning at breakfast Grant told me, "When I was a baby, God said I was cute." We had been talking about how God created all things and I had asked him if he could think of something God created. When he started talking, I assumed he was going to say that God created him as a baby, but no...he managed to turn it into a way to remind me how cute he was when he was a baby. That's a common theme now that Kate has arrived. He tells me how cute she is then asks something about himself when he was a baby.

Later this evening, Nate and Grant were working on Grant's computer game together. They were updating Grant's in-game profile and there were a series of questions. I was chuckling at some of his answers.

Nate: What is your favorite food?

Grant: I like cake. I have cake when I turn 5. (When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, he told me chocolate with coconut. Earlier today he said he wanted a cake with pinecones on it, so at least we're moving in the right direction.)

Nate: What is your favorite type of music?

Grant: Jesus Love Me, ABCs, hmmm...and Jesus Love Me (So Nate chose "Classical")

Nate: What is your favorite animal?

Grant: Lion. Lion might bite you.

Nate: What country are you from?

Grant: I like Mexago. What's Mexago?

Nate: What is your favorite type of movie?

Grant: Mighty Machines. It's a giant movie.

Nate: What is your favorite sport?

Grant: What's a sport? (So Nate named a few.) Baseball! What's baseball? Is there restaurant there? (Meaning, is restaurant listed as an option--now that's my kind of sport! Nate kept prompting him for his choice.) It starts with a "G"...gymnastics. I did that at my class...gym class. (I don't know if we ever landed on a sport.)

A Fun Visit!

Nate went on a short trip with his dad over the weekend, so his sister Crystie and her two adorable girls Ella and Emma came to visit. We had such a great time together and can't wait for our next adventure. Grant and Ella are about a year apart and are great playmates. Kate and Emma are only about 2 months apart and will be great pals one day. We were so sad when they had to go home.

Nate got home a little early so he was able to meet Emma for the first time. I'm so glad he got to see them before they had to leave!

Reunited

Nate was away for the weekend and Kate was very happy to see him when he returned. She just wanted to stare at him for a while.

"Flower"

Gramma and Papa with a beard sent Kate and Grant some gifts last week. This cat toy was undoubtedly meant for Kate, but Grant immediately made friends with it and we didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't for him. Here he is sleeping with "Flower." Can you tell how much he loves it?

One of My Favorites

We have a copy of this picture that Kate likes to drag around with her. :-)

Guess Who Likes the Tub Now?

Kate hated the bath when she first came, but we decided it was probably because somebody she didn't know was putting her in a very precarious situation. After the first week, she stopped screaming at bath time and now she loves it...and Grant is so excited that he gets to play with his new favorite person in the bath.

Thank you, Gramma Jean!

Gramma Jean sent Kate a cute blanket and pink penguin. We named the penguin Kiss Kiss because Kate wanted to give it lots of kisses when she saw it. :-)

Everybody Loves Daddy!

What can I say? They have great taste.

A New Pillow

This is one of Grant's favorite things to do with his new sister...use her as a pillow. I can't tell you how many times I look over and he's just relaxing on her, happy as can be.

Signs of the Times

Grant continues to be the BEST older brother. He absolutely adores Kate and wants to be with her all the time. Today while they were playing, he decided he needed to make a couple of signs for the kitchen. They were "Don't go in the kitchen" and "Go the other way." He got a crayon and paper and I could hear him trying to sound out the words as he wrote. He then found magnets and attached them to the doorway. After that, he rummaged through his shoes and lined them up in the doorway and said, "Look! I made a gate!" As if the signs and the gate weren't enough, he also placed himself as an additional barrier which only ended up earning him kisses from Kate and lots and lots of giggles. It's been a fun morning.

Peek-a-Boo!

Partners in Crime

Grant and Emma got to play for a while yesterday. They played upstairs for a while, then came back down. We noticed that Emma's eye looked a little red around the edges and Grant's lips were strangely pink and glossy. It turns out they were putting on makeup in Auntie Lola's room, and were quite pleased with themselves. Grant told me later that night that he couldn't find any perfume in Auntie Lola's bathroom (thank goodness!), so we had a little talk about boundaries and not going through people's things.