Catching up from September and October

The last couple of months have been a bit of a whirlwind! We moved into a new house in September and somehow survived the whole moving process with two kids. Not an easy task! Luckily, the first couple who looked at our house bought it, so we didn't have to endure too much of the keep it sparkling clean 24/7 in case you have a showing craze.

Enjoying lunch on our new deck!

In mid September I took Landon and Elle to the Museum of Life and Science! Here they are with the snakes!

We also took the boys to the State Fair....it was quite a different experience this year because we were pretty much stationed at the rides the entire time. Grady wanted to go on absolutely everything! Here he is bungee jumping (well, the version for kids anyway)! 

Landon wasn't quite as sure about the rides, but finally decided that he wanted to ride the dragon roller coaster with Grady. This was the first roller coaster the boys went on all by themselves, and I have to say it was quite fast (and they picked the front seat)! I wasn't sure how Landon would do, but all is okay with the world when Grady is next to him. :) You can't really see Grady in this picture, but at least we got a glimpse of Landon.

And it wouldn't be October without a trip to the pumpkin patch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We closed on our old house in late October (luckily, we had a few weeks in between to move), so the last day we went over and played in the backyard one last time.

 

 

 

Kindergarten!

In late August our little Grady (not so little anymore!) started KINDERGARTEN!!  Eeeeeeeek! For some parents kindergarten came as a relief, but I will admit that Brandon and I had a very hard time with it. Not because we didn't think he was ready - he definitely was - but because we knew that this meant our sweet little guy was growing up. And as a former teacher, I know how fast the school years go. It really is so much more than just starting school - as parents you just start going through the first 5 years in your head and hope you did enough to send your little one off all day. I know that's a little dramatic (it's not like he's going off to college!), but those are the kinds of things you think about (or maybe it's just me!). Enough of the sad stuff though....

 

We are happy to report that Grady LOVES kindergarten and his teacher. He has a male teacher, which I admit I was first worried about because I know Grady needs someone nurturing and loving to feel comfortable, and those characteristics seem to be more common in women. I was wrong though! His teacher is absolutely wonderful and extremely nurturing and loving...we really couldn't be happier with him. Grady is also definitely an introvert, so when it comes to new things like this he tends to get a little nervous and want to retreat. In this case though he really came out of his shell early, and his teacher even tells us that he participates in class all the time (which is way more than I ever did in kindergarten!). Yay!

This was Grady's first full day of school!

After the first month of school, Grady's teacher told us that he was giving him the "Terrific Kid" award for the month from his class! This is a monthly award sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. We honestly could not be prouder of Grady - of course Brandon and I almost burst into tears at the award ceremony. His teacher had written out why Grady was deserving of the award, so that was read at the ceremony. :)

Grady and Brandon!

Grady, Landon and I (oh- and of course Woody - who goes everywhere with us)!

The End of Summer!

I'm a little behind on the blog, so I'm going to try to catch up for July and August!

 

In July I celebrated my birthday with my boys!

We attempted to do a family sleepover in the living room just for fun, but about one hour in it completely backfired. Landon had a hard time just staying in his sleeping bag (too much freedom!), and when we suggested they just sleep in their own beds there were temper tantrums all around. About three hours later they were finally asleep. Maybe we'll attempt another sleepover in a couple of years. :)

And the best part of all.... here they are in the exact same position about 2 1/2 years ago! (Grady was about 2 1/2, and Landon was just a couple months old.) Makes me want to cry!!

Carleen went back to work in July, so I'm watching Elle once or twice per week (depending on her schedule). The boys have of course loved every second of it!

Grady is especially smitten with his cousin. :)

Grady went to art camp with one of his little friends. Here he is at the family sharing on the last day where the kids shared their animal dances with parents.

In August, Kelly, Louis, Hannah and Griffin came up to NC for a visit! As always, everyone had a great time. Grady was again in heaven spending time with his other new cousin. :) He was very proud that he learned how to write Griffin's name.

 

We went blueberry picking at a local organic farm, which was a lot of fun!

We all went to Pinehurst for a weekend and finally got a picture of all the cousins!

Hannah turned 3 in July, and since we weren't in Florida to celebrate with her we had a little birthday party for her in August.

 

A doctor's kit from Carleen, Kevin and Elle!

 

 

Hannah's new baby carrier!

 

And finally, Landon holding Griffin in one of the outfits he wore all the time! Brings back so many memories to see sweet Griffin wearing clothes the boys wore. :)

More Fun in June!

The weekend after celebrating Grady's birthday we went on our annual trip to the beach with our good friends the Pulleys. As always, we had a great time, and all the boys had a blast!

The place we stayed had a waterpark right on the beach, and Grady was in absolute heaven! He went down the waterslide by himself for the first time, and after that there was no stopping him. He did it non-stop the entire time we were there!

We took the boys to play putt-putt, which was a huge hit! Of course we had to let about 10 sets of people pass us during the course of the game, but it was still fun!

The following weekend we took a trip to Boone to see Granny and Gramps! This is the view from their backyard...

Here are some other fun pictures from June! Our little cowboys...

Landon getting ready for bed...

Making funny faces!

Grady started playing t-ball in June and really loved it! We are so proud of him!

This is Grady when he first played t-ball (when he just turned 3). He looks so tiny, and his shirt is gigantic!

When I went looking for that t-ball picture from two years ago I also found this and couldn't resist posting it. Here is sweet Landon two years ago - he's about 9 or 10 months old here.