Trains, Patios and Pinatas...

We have been all over the world again and the madness will continue over the next several weeks (months, years??) I have lots to update you on... where should I begin??

Griffin and I spent the first week in April in Birmingham with GG and Pop. Griffin loved spending so much time with his grandparents and getting to see aunts, uncles and Papa Cork throughout the week. Mommy loved all of the R&R that she was able to get with all of the extra hands around.
On Sunday, we took Griffin and Clayton out to a Day with Thomas the Train. The boys enjoyed seeing the trains up close (we guess), but they LOVED playing in the sandbox even more.






Blake squeezed in a little time in the yard in between our trips to Birmingham and Macon to finish up a patio in front of his outdoor fireplace. I'll admit, I am pretty impressed by his work. Check out these pics and keep in mind that he did ALL of this by himself.

Like father, like son.

Not quite the finished product... he came back and added a facade across the front of the fireplace with the same stone that he used to build the patio.

Proud of daddy's work.


Finally, we spent this past weekend in Macon celebrating Easter. We had a lot of fun with all of the Griffin clan at Grandma and Grandpa's new house and at our annual Easter pic nic (complete with Egg Hunt and Pinata).

Coloring eggs with Bets and Papa.

Checking out all of the goodies that the Easter bunny brought G. The bulldozer was his fave.

Family shot before church.

Can't believe that I am posting this one... belly in full bloom.

Griffin takes a shot at the pinata.


I don't have any great pictures of Griffin hunting eggs because he was much more interested in hitting them with sticks like a baseball. The child thinks that everything is a ball and bat right now. It's kind of hilarious.

As for some milestones (that I need to document somewhere :) Although Griffin's first phrase ("Daddy's dat burk" which means Daddy's at work) was first said months ago, Griffin has been putting more 2 and 3 word phrases together lately and I am LOVING it! It is so much fun to see his little mind working. For example, if he is looking for me, he'll say "Mama, wheraaayou???" and sometimes when asking for more snack he'll say "Mo cacker peas?" It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever. His favorite words right now are Digger, Bulldozer, Baseballs, Bat, George (for Curious George), and Reeegas (for Raisins).

His favorite activity right now (besides dancing) is definitely baseball. He will find just about anything that resembles a bat and ball and hit it around. The other day he had a popcicle stick and a ping pong ball. He will hold the ball in one hand and drop it just in time to hit it with the bat. When he does it this way, he swings with his right hand, but if you are pitching to him he'll hit left handed. His daddy is quite proud of his little skills and so am I.

I can't believe that our little man is already 19 months and counting. It seems like we blinked and he is almost 2. I can only imagine the joy that another sweet baby will bring us this fall.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying the beautiful Spring weather as much as we are!!

We love Cousins!! and Springtime!!

Hi everyone!
On March 23rd, Griffin got his ear tubes in and I got this shot of our little patient:

I'll admit that seeing him in this gown made me so thankful that he has been such a healthy child and prompted me to say a little prayer for friends of ours who see their child in gowns like this far too often!

The procedure was super quick and Griffin was quite a trooper. The nurses had prepared me for the worst (as far as his behavior coming out of anesthesia), but he was much better than expected. We were home by 9:00 that morning and other than being a little cranky from a short nap, Griffin was great. I don't know if I have noticed any immediate changes in his hearing, but I am sure that we will be pleased with fewer ear infections and less antibiotics!!

We have been traveling quite a bit lately and I have been able to get a few of fun shots of Griffin with his cousins in both Birmingham and Macon. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure :)


Griffin and Sydney playing on riding toys at Bets and Papa's house.

One rad dude on his skateboard. The kid actually has some skillz. He's always been a daredevil... guess it's paying off :)

Sydney is so cute around Griffin. She is going to make an excellent babysitter someday :)

Griffin LOVES the pinwheels that my mom has all around her yard. As soon as we arrive in Macon he darts straight towards them and by the time we leave they are completely rearranged (if they have survived :)
This particular day, he was dipping them in the pool and then shaking the water off. He thought that he was hilarious.

When Griffin goes to Bets and Papa's house, you can bet he will be playing in some type of water. The last two times that we have been there he has been drenched head to toe. He LOVES playing in the hose .. here is some evidence.
At first, he was just helping water plants...

Then he needed a little drink... and by the end he was running in and out of the spraying hose while he squealed in delight.


Uncle Blake and Clayton. It was a small miracle that Clayton sat still enough to take a picture. Isn't he so stinkin' cute?

Uncle Blake shows Clayton and Griffin a bulldozer. After this trip to Birmingham, Griffin had three new words in his vocabulary (or atleast three words that he uses with more frequency)... digger, bulldozer and tractor.

Pop and G on the digger.

Last week was Cherry Blossom time in Macon, so Griffin and I traveled down and spent sometime enjoying the festivities. Here he is riding a horse. As you can see, he was thrilled (not).

Griffin sitting in a Cherry Blossom tree giving us the evil eye.


Watching the "big cat" show. He actually was quite entertained.

Mom pulling double-duty with Gray and Griffin at Bennett's wee-ball game.


And finally, let's go ahead and make this official... Drumroll, please :)

Blake and I are expecting baby #2 in October. We are thrilled that God has blessed us with this new little one and can only imagine what life will be like with another little wonderful running around. We will be finding out the sex on May 13th, so I'll be sure to post the news on the blog as soon as we know. We have absolutely found so much joy in being parents and we know that Griffin will be an excellent big brother.

We appreciate your prayers during this special time in our lives. I don't know why exactly, but I have been feeling a little more anxious this time around. Maybe because I have felt slightly more sick this time. I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that feeling sick is supposed to be normal or "a good thing" as my doctor said.

We love you guys! And we can't wait until October 2!!

Catch up..

My bad, I left you all hanging for weeks. And now it is time to play catch up! Here are some cute pics to get you started and I have a video to share with you too. It is a bit long, but hang in there b/c it is a goody!!

Here is G looking like a little wrestler man... even though it is actually a swim trainer. He thought it was so fun!


His absolute favorite thing to do (with all of this gorgeous weather) is to play outside. He will stand at the window and say "siiiiiddddeeee???" and "Pay????"





Just a little naked time following bathtime. He's holding a toothbrush which is a little funny considering he still only has 4 teeth :)

Who is this kid? He's HUGE!! And he kinda looks like he could be a bully in this pic...

Lookin' like a hobo eating lunch on the back deck.

Monkey Joes!!!





I don't know who loved this place more, the little kid, or the big kid.

Story time with daddy... and "Elbo."



Here is a video for your viewing pleasure. This kid is not even 18 months old and I am thinking MLB. He's got skillz!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL_MuPAMf4

That's all for now! Have a great week!

Missing Millie

As many of you know, we had to find a new home for Millie over the weekend. I don't want to get into details, but she now lives in Alabama with a friend of Blake's from high school.

From all appearances, Millie was an awful dog. From the day that we brought her home, her little quirks and sassiness gave us a run for our money. She was very stubborn and though we tried, we weren't always as consistent with her as we should have been. But there was something about this dog that we absolutely adored.

Sure, if you knew her you might know that...

...you better be on your guard if you want to get through our front door. She has been known to keep visitors on their toes.

... you better not even try to deliver mail. Even just the sound of our mailbox door would make the dog bark like crazy.

...she loves to eat ... ANYTHING!! Brownies, bagels, chocolate, bread, tissues, the list could go on. If she could reach it, she would eat it.

But, we knew a different dog. The Millie we knew...

...was terrified of fireworks and thunderstorms. On the fourth of July or New Years, you knew that you could find Millie in the closet, behind a table or underneath Blake's feet.

...was a great snuggler. Even when I was 9 months pregnant with G, that dog could find the crook of my pudgy knee and cuddle up. She was a great blanket on the couch while watching tv on winter nights, too!

...was ALWAYS excited to see you. Whether we had been gone all day or just ran upstairs for a minute.

... LOVED to play fetch. She would chase a ball all day long.

But, there was one major reason that we loved this dog. And it has a lot to do with our little boy. Griffin has grown to LOVE his "Me-na" and this is what makes me so sad about having to say goodbye. He would crawl over her like a speed bump, throw the ball for her and laugh so hard when she pounced on it and he also knew that if there was anything on his plate that he wasn't into, that Millie would gladly take it. We are seriously going to miss this terrible dog. Because, to us, she wasn't so terrible.

Snow Days are the best days!!!

It is the most amazing thing in the world to witness life's simple joys through the eyes of a child.

More proof that dads are the most fun.

G-man

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts. I hardly took any pictures of Christmas this year and we have been sick on and off for what feels like weeks at this point. SO, now that we are back in the swing of things, here's a new post with some fun new pics!!

Best buds in one of their favorite spots (the front window):

Looking for "Me-na" so he can throw the ball for her. How do you get "Me-na" from Millie?

This is the scene that we woke up to this morning. We think it was about 6 inches of snow and there is more falling as I type!! Our entire neighborhood has already been out playing in the snow and I am sure more good times will be had this afternoon!

The backyard and Blake's beloved fireplace :)


Here's a video of Griffin's second sledding attempt on our street.
The first attempt didn't look much different than this one. I'm honestly not sure what Griffin thought of it. I think his face was frozen.