Greyson Steel

Every so often I like to do a blog post dedicated to each child.  A post that will help me remember what made this particular child shine in my eyes at that point in their lives.  Today is Greyson's turn.  Here is what I am loving about this little man at this age.

You love to dance.  You will dance when you wake up, dance when you are tired, and dance when there is no music.  Recently I was trying to put you to bed in a hotel room.  You were a bit fussy because it was out of your normal environment.  The TV was on and in the middle of a little meltdown some music started.  You stopped crying, sat up, got a huge smile on your face, and started dancing!

Your eyes are so bright blue!  People make comments all the time on how blue they are!!  We will see if they stay that way....Eva and Jaden both had bright blue eyes until about age 4 when they changed to more of a hazel color.

You refuse to put your hands up when I say, "How big is Greyson?!  Soooooo BIG!!!"  You just look at me like I am crazy and shake your head. 

You love basketball.  You get so excited when we lift you up to make a basket on the over-the-door hoops in Eva and Jaden's rooms.  The funny thing is you get mad when we show you how to put the ball IN the hoop....you'd rather put it UNDER the hoop!

You love to eat.  You have no idea when you are full!  We usually cut you off after a certain point, but we had a babysitter here on our anniversary and she didn't know to do that.  When we got home she informed us that you ate 3 and a half pieces of pizza!!!  That's more than an adult eats!!!!

You have a ton of teeth, including molars, but you still look a little bit like a snaggletooth to me and I loooooove it.

You are a happy baby.  You still get toted around to so many of your siblings sporting and school events...and you are always smiling.

You love to swim!!  You start Mommy and Me swimming lessons in 2 weeks!

You love to take bike rides and golf cart rides.  At one point this summer I got on the golf cart with you and realized I forgot something inside.  I carried you in with me to get it and you had a MAJOR meltdown thinking you weren't going to get to go on a ride.

You are soooooooo close to walking!!  You can stand on your own - even dance while standing on your own - but you are hesitant to take steps.  This weekend you took 2 steps by yourself and we were sooo excited!

Your brother and sister love you.  I hope you always know that.  Just yesterday they fought over who got to snuggle you in the morning, who got to play with you after breakfast, and who got to push the stroller while we were at the grocery store.  They think your expressions and mannerisms are funny and often giggle uncontrollably at you.

You say Mama, Dada, Book (boo), Eva (Eeee-a), and Mmmmm (when you are eating).

You have (finally!) learned to stop biting...but now you have become a bit of a screamer.  Like all things, this too shall pass.

You love to make a big mess out of the toilet paper.  

You got a new carseat a few weeks ago and you face forward.  You thought you were BIG STUFF the first time you rode in it.  Absolutely adorable.

You love to wave.  In the morning I usually have you on my hip as I open all the blinds in the house.  I usually sing "Let the sun shine in!" or "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" while we open the blinds and you wave to all the birdies.

We grocery shop in the morning.  Usually it's mostly older retired people in the grocery store at that time.  You flirt shamelessly.  Enough said.

You are more of a Daddy's Boy than the other two were at this age.  You get sooo excited when Daddy comes home from work and often want him to hold you over me....unless it's bedtime.  Then you would crawl over Mount Everest to get to me if need be.

You love to crawl into the walk-in shower!

You love guacamole, but can't stand avocados.

You are loved. Soooooooo very loved by all of us.  You add such a fun dynamic to our lives because you are so much younger than your older siblings.  You make us laugh every single day!  Thank you for being YOU Greyson Steel!

I May Be Crazy.

I signed up for a triathlon.

It's in a week and a half.

Yes, you read that correctly.

It seems that triathlons are starting to weave effortlessly into our family life.  Matt has done one.  My kids have done them.  My sister has done quite a few.  My brother-in-law is signed up for his second Ironman Triathlon.  

I've always made excuses not to do a triathlon.  I think I've always been scared.  Scared that I wasn't what I needed to be to finish a triathlon.  Scared that I wouldn't deliver results that others expected...or that I expected.   But the more I thought about it the more I realized that the very things that were holding me back - pride and fear - are two things I just don't have room for in my life.    

They are not welcome here.  

How can I tell my kids to overcome their fear and not worry about what others think if I'm not modeling the same thing?

So I signed up.  I have very little time to train and many would tell me I'm setting myself up for failure, but the thing is, I just wanted to prove to myself I can do it.  

I don't care about my time.  

I simply want to finish. 

I think this Nike quote summed it up the best....

Quit making excuses, putting it off, complaining about it, dreaming about it, whining about it, crying about it, believing you can't, worrying if you can, waiting until you're older, skinnier, richer, braver, or all around better.  Suck it up, hold on tight, say a prayer, make a plan, and 

JUST DO IT.

Soooo....with 2 weeks training I'll just do it.  On a whim and a prayer.  I'll push my body harder than I've pushed it in a long time.  Back against the wall.  Wish me luck.

"Everything you need is already inside"

--Nike

Zooooooooo Fun!

A trip to the zoo is always a highlight of summer!  We recently made a trip to our local zoo and enjoyed a fun afternoon together!

I love the petting farm as much as the kiddos do!  Eva and Jaden were able to brush the goats, as well as pet them.  Greyson wasn't afraid of the goats and did a good job petting them gently (a little surprising)!

Pony rides for Eva and Jaden!

It's not every day you are eye to eye with a lion!!  I've never heard a lion roar in person....but this guy had an amazing roar that made my hair stand up on end!  Yikes!

We finished the afternoon up with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and ice cream (Italian Ice for Jaden - which made his lips turn red like he was wearing lipstick)!  Such a fun day!!  Spending time with my family is - hands down - one of my very favorite parts of summer!

Hugs and kisses everyone!  Haha!

"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart"

--Celia Thaxter

4th of July Fun!

Aside from Christmas, the 4th of July is my very favorite holiday.  I loooooove that it is in the middle of summer.  I love that it often includes cook-outs.  I love fireworks.  I love seeing everyone dressed in red, white, and blue.  I love the patriotism.

It's just an all around good time.

This year we celebrated the 4th of July at my sister's house.  While I love this holiday, I was just a little melancholy because this cookout was the last my sis and her husband will be hosting while living in our neighborhood (we've lived in the same neighborhood for about 6 years now).  I am excited for them to move on to their dream home....but I'll sure miss them (and I know my kiddos will too).  Here are some pictures of how we spent the day....

We do a lot of lounging at Jeff and Nicole's house!  Sitting by the pool has always been one of our favorite activities!

Two of my favorite guys!

We will sure miss not only having Jeff and Nicole so close, but also their dogs!!  We love Gus and Penelope too!!!

Fishing in their pond is always fun!  This is where Eva and Jaden have both learned to fish!  Since their new home will be on the river, Eva and Jaden will need to get use to REAL fishing (on the pond you pretty much catch a fish every time you toss in your line)!  Ha!

Relaxing by the pool...

My and my sis.....love her.

Me with my mom and sis.....love them both.

The "audience" as we watch the fishermen and women in action!!

No, I didn't let him eat it....but he was cracking me up!

Everyone loves a naked baby!

Catching fish with Jack!

Awww.....gonna miss these two....sooooo much.

After spending the day at Jeff and Nicole's we came home, put on our red, white, and blue and headed to a local country club for some festivities!!  We've done this the past 3 or 4 years and our little ones LOOOOOOVE IT!!!!  We play carnival games, spend time with friends, get faces painted, ride ponies, jump in bounce houses, and more!  At the end of the evening everyone spreads blankets out on the golf course for a firework show!

Greyson surprised us by staying awake the ENTIRE time!!  He even seemed to enjoy the fireworks (never even jumped a little).  He's such a good boy!  As always, we feel incredibly blessed and so very thankful for so much in our lives.  

Last, but not least, a special THANK YOU to this man....my dad....who proudly served his country in Vietnam.  I'm never met someone more patriotic in my life. 

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me.

And I proudly stand up - next to you - and defend her still today.

There is no doubt I love this land...

God Bless the USA."

--Lee Greenwood

Clutter Free!

I have a slight obsession with things being organized.  I like zero clutter and I have a very close and personal relationship with my label maker.  Having 3 children has forced me to be a little more lax with this, but I still like to indulge my obsession every now and then.

Eva and I (yes, my organizing streak has officially been passed down to my daughter and she is goooooood) decided that the spice drawer in the kitchen needed a major overhaul.  All of my spices were there, but various sizes of containers and labels made look pretty messy.  I also found myself purchasing a spice when I already had it, I just didn't see it in there because the drawer was so messy.

Take a look for yourself....

Not pretty.  At all.

This girl likes things pretty.

So Eva and I decided to save all of Greyson's baby food jars (we maaaaay have been feeding him baby food a bit longer than he actually needed it just so we could have enough jars).  We cleaned them all up, spray painted the lids black, and labeled them.

We loved the end result!!  All uniform...all alphabetized...so much less clutter....

I'm a happy girl.

Eva is a happy girl.

All is good.

Never ask, "What reason do I have to be happy?" 

Instead ask, "To what purpose can I attach my happiness?"

--Robert Brault