Happy Christmas!

Like many families, we get new pajamas from "Mrs. Claus" on Christmas Eve.

I love this tradition, because I can make TJ wear clothes to match me!

This year, our Christmas pajamas were Buckeye-themed.

Our Christmas was fantastic and we are continuing to enjoy our vacation.
How can we not, when the weather on Christmas day was a warm 80*.
Some people might think this is too hot, but not me.

I will take warm and sunny over grey and icey/snowy any day!

In a few days were are headed to the Seattle area to spend time with our family up there.
More pictures and stories of our adventures will come once our vacation is over!

I am sure you will be waiting in anticipation!

Merry Christmas!

Walking!

I had to interrupt my blogging hiatus to share this:

Riker is starting to take his first steps!

He isn't the most stable yet,

but manages to take a couple steps before falling!
Pretty soon he will be running all around!

Confession:

I love completely useless gadgets.
I mean, I really LOVE gadgets!
You know, the things that are sold on infomercials.
My favorite gadget/infomercial is definitely the GT Express 101.

Cathy Mitchell is so excited to sell that thing!

Ooh, also the Magic Bullet.
But not the Magic Bullet Express…that thing is dumb.

Unfortunately, the rational side of me knows that these gadgets are pretty useless
(serving a limited purpose)
so I don’t actually own any of them.
I just can’t bring myself to order something off the TV.
BUT!…
I was walking through Macy’s yesterday when I saw this:

It’s a mini doughnut maker.
GAH!

But wait, it gets better:

It’s a mini waffle maker…
that makes waffles in the shape of circus animals.
GAHAH!!

Oh, but wait!
Just one more, I promise:

 

A mini cupcake maker!
GAHAHAH!!!

Now, the rational side of me knows that I do not need any of the products.
The rational side of me knows that these gadgets each serve one very specific purpose and would just take up space in my kitchen.
However, the irrational side of me really wanted to put all three in my cart.
The irrational side of me envisioned making mini foods all day long.

Luckily for my bank account, my rational side outweighs my irrational side.
And luckily for me, TJ promised that when we have our dream house
(you know, the one with the really big kitchen)
it will have a wall full of outlets dedicated to gadgets.
Yay!

Sweaters and Santa

Tonight was our ward Christmas party.
It was a “Merriest Christmas Sweater” party.
Which is really just a nice way of saying
”Ugly Christmas Sweater.”

Thanks to our local thrift store,
we all had something fantastic to wear.
TJ’s is a ladies sweatshirt.
In fact, most of the men at the party were in ladies sweatshirts.
Why don’t they make ugly Christmas sweaters for men?

 

Riker is celebrating his first Christmas,
which basically means he has no idea what it is.
But he’ll wear whatever I put on him,
so all is well.

Santa Claus himself even made an appearance.
Riker hasn’t reached the “stranger danger” stage
and was pretty fascinated by Santa’s beard.
Santa offered Riker a tube of play dough from his bag of gifts,
but I quickly decided that Riker doesn’t need to eat that.

Honestly,
I was slightly bummed that Riker’s first Santa experience wasn’t more traumatic.
But with 20 more days until Christmas,
I’m sure we can find another Santa to try to traumatize my child.
(I know, I’m mean.)   

It Snowed Today

and I didn’t take any pictures to document it.
It wasn’t really snow…
just some flurries that melted as they hit the ground.
Once it really snows,
expect pictures of Riker in his snowsuit.

In the meantime…

The end of the semester is fast approaching,
which means TJ is busy studying for finals,
which means Riker and I don’t see much of him,
which means our lives are pretty uneventful,
which means my camera is full of pictures of just Riker,
which means you get to see cute pictures of the cute baby!

See!? Completely adorable!

 

I know this one looks totally posed,
but it isn’t.
He was just chillin’ in the box, smiling away.
This boy certainly loves sitting in boxes.

Oh yeah, this is new.
Riker sometimes just throws his head backwards and stares at the ceiling.
I’m not gonna lie…
it’s both really weird and really funny.
Maybe it’s because I’ve dipped him upside down one too many time in an attempt to get a giggle.
Maybe.

Sidenote:
We are heading to AZ on December 14th!
(Squee!)
Then we are heading to WA on December 30th!
(Squee!)
We are SO excited to get to see all of our family!

Turkey Day 2010

I love Thanksgiving.
I mean, what’s not to love?!
You get to hang out with family/friends all day
and eat and eat and eat…
and people don’t give you weird looks when you go for seconds
because they are doing it too!

This is our second year celebrating Thanksgiving in Columbus.
While it is still sad to be away from our families,
we love that we have great friends who are just like family!

This year, Thanksgiving was at our house.
Cramming 14 adults plus a few babies into our small space was tricky,
but we totally made it work!

I was in charge of cooking the turkey this year.
I’ve never cooked a turkey before and I was actually quite concerned.
But with the help of my wonderful friend Amy
(plus several phone calls to my mom for directions on how to actually cook a turkey!)
it turned out delicious and moist!
(yes, Calli…I said MOIST. Deal with it!)

Tyson was picked to carve the turkey,
since he happened to be standing in the kitchen when it was time!
The other boys were quite impressed with his mad carving skills.
(Actually, they are med students and are trying to identify the different ligaments and whatnot)

The best part of having a big group is all the food!
Everyone brought something yummy…
we had green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, rolls, candied yams, mashed potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, stuffing, and lots of delicious desserts.
(Side note: last Thanksgiving, I was pregnant…this year, I wished I could still wear my stretchy maternity pants!)

   
This was Riker’s first Thanksgiving
so we had to snap a picture of our little family.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone,
we are looking forward to Christmas!
Especially since we will get to see all our families!

(Big) Boys and (Little) Boys

Sometimes when Riker and I are playing together,
I try to imagine what kind of boy he will be when he gets older.
And then TJ comes home and it really isn’t hard to figure out.
Because, really, boys are all the same regardless of age.

For example:

As the (big) boys gathered together to play video games,
the (little) boy was eager to be involved.

While the (big) boys stared intently at the screen trying to shoot their opponents,
the (little) boy stared intently at the controller trying to figure out how it works.

Also, this is why we do not own a video game console of any kind…
if we did, this would be what our house looks like every night.

Adorable Videos of an Adorable Baby

*Disclaimer: TJ took the following videos with his cell phone. Most of them are recorded in the wrong direction, since he doesn't know how to work his phone. You can either tilt your head to the side or turn your computer monitor. Whatever works for you!

Last week, we spent a lot of time playing outside.

Riker was allowed to crawl around in the grass all he wanted.

At first, he didn't want to do it at all...

he hated the way it felt.

But he soon warmed up to it and was a crawling fool!

Riker likes to copy us...

especially if we scream.

I scream, he screams.

Feel free to ignore how I sound.

It isn't pretty.

Sometimes, Riker sticks his open mouth on my face.

I think he's trying to give kisses...

but really I'm just getting a face full of slobber.

And it feels really creepy.

Again, ignore how fantastic I sound.

Just focus on the cute baby.

YUCK

Riker likes to eat.
He will eat anything that I give him.
Well…almost anything.

Tonight, Riker tried broccoli for the first time.
He refused to swallow it.
First he made a disgusted face.
Then, when TJ started laughing at him,
Riker started laughing too.

But he still would not swallow the broccoli.
He still had a piece in his mouth almost 30 minutes later.
 
He will eat sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, potatoes, corn, squash…
every vegetable is just fine.
Except broccoli.

Indian Summer

This week, the weather in C-bus has been awesome.
So awesome that we have tried to spend every waking hour of every day outside.
We are soaking up as much sunshine as possible before the cold, grey winter settles in.

We hit up the zoo,
had a neighborhood bbq,
went on lots of walks,
picnicked outside,
and today we went to play at the park.

Riker loves to swing.
He would be completely content to sit there for hours.

 

There were so many kids to watch at the park
it was practically impossible to get him to look at me!

 

Riker wasn’t a super fan on sliding DOWN the slide,
but he was all about attempting to climb UP the slide!

  

Next week, it’s going to be cold.
And it’s only going to get colder and colder.
BUT…
only 32 more days until we fly home to Arizona!

Like Father Like Son

TJ is a big fan of technology.
It is rare to see him without a cell phone, iPad, iPod, or laptop in his hand.
So these pictures really shouldn’t surprise me…

Yep.
That’s TJ and Riker both playing with their phones.
I let Riker play with my old phone and he loves it.
He’s free to chew and slobber all over it.



Riker is fascinated with all of the technological devices in our house.
If the laptop is out, he crawls directly to it and starts banging away.
If we are talking on the phone, he tries to yank it out of our hands.
He can usually be found punching the buttons on the DVD player.

I do not want to raise a tech-junkie baby…
This is why we try to spend as much time outside, unplugged, as we can!

1 Hour and 14 Minutes of FAME!

Another election has come and gone.
If you know TJ at all, you know he is not shy about sharing his political opinions.
So it was pretty awesome when TJ was asked to be a guest on a political podcast.

(click the picture to be redirected to the website to hear the podcast!)

One of the reasons TJ was asked to be on the show is because of this:

 

(again, click the picture to check out the website)

TJ and a great friend, Ryan Anderson, have recently launched a new website.
Rebel Politics is focused on voting data
(as well as some saucy campaign gossip).
If this is your kind of thing, go check it out.
If not, check it out anyway!
(I helped pick out the banner and whatnot…so that’s worth looking at!)

Disclaimer: This is, in no way, a political blog. This post is simply my way of bragging about my politically-minded husband. If you have strong opinions about anything political, please go over to Rebel Politics.

Any Excuse to Party!

TJ and I are always looking for excuses to invite friends over.
We thought Election Day would be perfect.
Friends came over bearing plates of yummy treats to share
and we gathered to watch the results come in.
There were many discussions about candidates and issues,
as well as talk about nap schedules and cute, new boots!
The kiddos played “Pin the Tail on the (Democratic) Donkey”
and TJ did a dance whenever his preferred candidate won.

Did you vote today?
(If not, don’t tell TJ!)

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

Last year was the first time I ever sent out Christmas cards.
I think I only sent out 5.
(I don’t even think I sent one to my mom.)
I love to receive Christmas cards from everyone,
so I suppose I should be better about sending out my own.

Have you checked out Shutterfly’s holiday cards?

This is currently the top contender for our 2010 Christmas cards.
I love all the different colors…
way cuter than the traditional red and green.
Plus, it says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”…
which means I don’t have to stress about getting my cards out before Christmas!

But I also love this one for a couple different reasons.
1. I love the red with the turquoise. Such a fun combination.
2. It’s a holiday card + a family letter. Two for the price of one.
You can see more adorable holiday cards here:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

 

Or, if I start feeling REALLY ambitious,
I can pick one of their Thanksgiving Cards.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thanksgiving-cards
Again, I love the colors!

Shutterfly also has folded holiday cards. 
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
The scalloped edges on this card are so cute.
Plus, I love the simplicity of this card.
Can’t you just see a cute picture of my chubby baby on the front?!

There are way too many cards to choose from,
so it might take me a while to pick which one to use!
In the meantime, email me your address
so you can be a lucky recipient of a Grier Family Christmas Card!

**Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers.
Go to http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ to receive your free cards!**

Off To See The Wizard!

Now that we have Riker,
I can finally convince TJ to dress up with me for Halloween.
When we found a little lion costume for Riker,
I immediately knew what TJ and I would be.

A scarecrow, a cowardly lion, and Dorothy.
I would also like to point out that I made my dress.
By myself.
Without a pattern.
In just a couple hours.
I know, I impress even myself.

At our ward Halloween party,
we had a lion, a tiger, and a bear.
Oh my.

Halloween is more fun
when I have a baby and a husband to dress up too!
I’m already brainstorming ideas for next year!

Beggar’s Night

Holidays this year are extra special,
since they are Riker’s very first holiday.
This weekend is Riker’s very first Halloween.
And tonight was Riker’s very first Beggar’s Night.

Before moving to Columbus,
I had never heard of Beggar’s Night.
Now I think it’s kind of ingenious.
If Halloween falls on a weekday, kids do their trick-or-treating on Halloween.
If Halloween falls on a weekend, kids do their trick-or-treating the Thursday before Halloween.
There are even specific times set
(6pm-8pm)
so kids aren’t out all night long.
See…smart.

Because I live in such an awesome neighborhood,
there were a lot of little trick-or-treaters out and about tonight.

We went door to door to say trick-or-treat to all our friendly neighbors.
We decided against collecting candy,
since Riker doesn’t eat it
(and I shouldn’t eat it!)

    It was very cold, so we didn’t stay out long.
But tonight was just one of our fun Halloween activities.
*Boo at the Zoo
(which means you might be seeing yet another zoo post!)
*Ward Costume Party
(I’m quite proud of the costumes that I made for TJ and I!)
*Halloween Dinner
(nothing fancy…but Halloweenish none the less)

Pumpkin Carving 2010

Halloween is coming up.
In fact, tonight is Beggar’s Night.
Columbus “assigns” neighborhoods specific nights to go trick or treating…
something about being able to patrol neighborhoods better.
To get into the Halloween spirit,
we got together with some friends to carve pumpkins.

Aren’t we all such a talented bunch!
All the other couples carved just one pumpkin together.
TJ and I will probably never be able to do that.

TJ and I each carve our own pumpkins.
TJ likes creepy scary pumpkins.
Lisa likes cute happy pumpkins.

 

This is TJ’s pumpkin.
It’s a mean scary pumpkin eating a poor defenseless pumpkin.

  

This is Lisa’s pumpkin.
It’s an adorable hootie owl sitting in a tree.

Until TJ agrees that Lisa’s pumpkins are best
(or until Lisa gives TJ free reign to do what he will)
we will forever be a two pumpkin couple.