Sunday, August 12, 2012

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

You guys, traveling with two bitties is so tiring.
We have been home for 4 days now and I am STILL exhausted!
Our vacation was super fun though and it was totally worth it.

WA1

We headed up to Washington to visit TJ’s dad, go to a wedding, and spend some time with family.

WA3

The plane ride over was awesome.
An amazing flight attendant saved us the front row, so we had all sorts of leg room.
Riker was happy with a movie and snacks, and Olivia only slept for 20 minutes but she didn’t cry or scream…WIN!

WA7

We landed in Seattle, greeted Grandpa and Grandma Grier with hugs and kisses, and headed to Tacoma.
After a long, busy day we were exhausted.
I have more than one picture of TJ and Riker passed out in bed…we partied hard all week and we were always so exhausted by the end of each day!

DSCN3389

Day Two of our vacation was devoted to the wedding.
Jesse and Maria’s wedding was beautiful (and I’m so grateful that my children didn’t ruin it by screaming or crying!)
and the reception was a blast.

IMG_6305

It was a long, long day (a long, long week) with no consistent naps, but the kiddos were troopers.
This picture of Olivia makes me laugh, she was so tired…and when Olivia is overtired, she gets slap-happy. She was giggling at EVERYTHING!

WA9

Riker’s favorite part was the dancing.
He would ask me to go dance with him and we’d rock out on the dance floor…but after a few minutes, he’d say the music was too loud and we’d head back outside to run around the gardens.

DSCN3415

After seeing the bride and groom off, we loaded up for the drive to Ocean Shores.
TJ’s dad Thom recently built a little house there and we were excited to get to finally check it out.

DSCN3426

Ocean Shores is absolutely gorgeous.
The house is right on the channel water and everything was so green!
Of course, it was also pretty chilly! I loved wearing sweaters in August!

DSCN3424

Riker’s absolute favorite part was the yard.
From the moment he woke up, all he wanted to do was play outside.
We played baseball, went down the slide, and chased the dogs. Riker was in heaven!

DSCN3429DSCN3433DSCN3454

I was really looking forward to taking Riker to see the ocean for the first time.
His reaction absolutely did not disappoint.
He took one look at the ocean and said “Whoa, that’s a lot of water!”
He loved walking in the “squishy sand” and running from the cold waves.

DSCN3471

One of my favorite activities was going on bike rides.
We loaded the kiddos up into the wagon and cruised around the quiet streets of Ocean Shores.
The elementary school is just down the street from the house and was the cutest school I’d ever seen! And Riker loved the playground!

DSCN3480

One night we roasted ‘mallows and Riker got to try a smore for the first time.
He loved it…but he just isn’t a fan of getting messy so it was hard to convince him to eat it!

DSCN3517

On our last day, we headed to the beach while the tide was out to check out the tide pools.

DSCN3525

TJ worked so hard to catch this crab, soaking his shoes and jeans in the process!

DSCN3534DSCN3537

DSCN3541

Finally, after 6 days of non-stop fun, it was time to head home.
I wish I could say that the flight home was just as pleasant as our flight to Washington.
Unfortunately, Riker decided to act like a 2 year old and Olivia cried like the overtired baby that she was.

DSCN3544

As sad as we are to return to the reality of our lives (and the heat of AZ!), we were excited to get back to our own beds and the kids regularly scheduled naps!
But we definitely can’t wait until our next visit to Ocean Shores!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Conversations with a 2-year old

If you’ve never met Riker personally, you might not know this about him: he is an incessant talker. Literally, the kid doesn’t know how to stop talking.
He is a parrot and is always repeating things that he hears others say, whether we want him to or not!
He’s also very expressive when he talks, using hand gestures, shrugging his shoulders, and raising his eyebrows…and the inflection in his voice is just adorable.

Some gems…from the mouth of Riker (while these are much cuter “live” because of his expressions and voice, the words themselves are still adorable!):

L: Why are you being such a stinker?
R: I’m two years old!

………………………………………………………………

R: are we going swimming today?
L: sorry bud, it’s raining so I don’t think we can go swimming.
r: Can I just tell the rain to stop it? STOP it rain!!

…………………………………………………………………..

r: today was such a beautiful day at church!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

30 Things: Update

I FAILED EPICALLY THIS MONTH.
epically.

try one new recipe a week
I thought I’d made more new recipes this month, but I think I kept bumping those recipes for easy, go-to meals instead.
*
Cheesy BBQ Chicken Bacon Sammiches…healthy? NO. Delicious? Yes.
*
No Bake Brownie Batter Cheesecake…so good. Like, ridiculously good.

read 30 books
*The lightening thief…cannot wait to read this aloud to Riker!
*The sea of monsters…second book in Percy Jackson series, just as good as the first.

Seriously, guys, that’s it?!
What did I do all month?
I literally have no clue.
Next month will be better.
I hope.

8 Months

If I’ve spoken to you recently, I might have told you that Olivia WAS ALMOST 9 MONTHS OLD.
until I SAT DOWN TO EDIT THIS ADORABLE PICTURE OF HER, I REALLY THOUGHT Olivia WAS 9 MONTHS OLD TODAY.
turns OUT, SHE’S just 8 MONTHS OLD.

why WOULD I THINK THIS ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL WAS ALREADY 9 MONTHS?

at 8 months, Olivia is:

*crawling faster than the speed of sound
*pulling herself up to stand next to the couch, chairs, bookshelf, counters, doors, beds, anything and everything
*TAKING LITTLE STEPS WHILE STANDING AGAINST THE COUCH, CHAIRS, BOOKSHELFS, ETC
*cutting tooth #3
*babbling non-stop and blowing raspberries all day long
*smiling at anyone and everyone
*”vacuuming” the floor by sticking every little thing she can find into her mouth

DSCN3374

AS A MATTER OF COMPARE/CONTRAST…rIKER WAS STILL working on his ARMY CRAWL AT 9 MONTHS.
I BELIEVE OLIVIA IS HITTING A LOT OF THESE MILESTONES A LOT SOONER THAN rIKER DID SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE IS DESPERATE TO KEEP UP WITH HER BIG BROTHER.
ALL DAY LONG, oLIVIA FOLLOWS HIM AROUND THE HOUSE…CHASING HIM UP AND DOWN THE HALLWAY, TRYING HER DARNDEST TO PLAY WITH HIM.
This bitty bug is the sweetest little girl and we absolutely love watching her grow!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Best $5 I’ve Ever Spent

As much as I LOVE Arizona, I am the first to admit that it gets bloody hot in the summer.
(but I will take 4 months of miserable heat to enjoy the fall/winter/spring months!)
And because it gets so hot, we are desperate for ways to cool down.
This week, I bought a cheap, used water table for the kids and they are in heaven.

DSCN3317DSCN3319DSCN3322DSCN3325

Olivia thinks Riker is the bomb-diggity, so being able to play alongside him is practically the greatest thing to ever happen to her.

DSCN3318DSCN3326

Riker’s goal is to see just how wet he can actually get.
When his cousins came over to play the other day, all three boys were dripping wet from head to toe…
there was practically no water left in the table since they had used it all during their water fight.
But as long as they are happy (and outside, not dying from heat stroke!) I am one happy momma!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I’m A Big Girl Now!

This is Olivia.
Olivia thinks she’s a big girl.

DSCN3286

I think it’s the jeggings.
Jeggings have the power to make anyone feel like a big girl.

It started out innocently enough.
She carefully pulled herself up onto Riker’s step stool.

DSCN3287

Once she mastered the stool, she set her sights on the couch.

photo

And tonight, she used her bitty baby muscles to scale her crib.

DSCN3293

Gah! Those little stretchy pants kill me.
I bought multiple pairs and I’m so glad I did.

DSCN3295

“Look mom! Only one hand!”

DSCN3294

She continually amazes me every day by what she is capable of doing.
Almost all of her big milestones (sitting, crawling, climbing) have been a month sooner than Riker did…so it always surprises me to see what new trick she’s mastering.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Family Pictures

The last time we took family pictures, Riker was 6 months old.
We figured it was time for some updated pictures and I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from
Christie Knight Photography.

The timing might not have been perfect…
mid-June in Arizona is pretty hot.
But we survived with lots of water and mini fans, and somehow Christie made us look less hot and sweaty than we actually were!

Grier 078Grier 089Grier 091Grier 099Grier 119Grier 243 copyGrier 182Grier 204Grier 145Grier 292Grier 138Grier 400Grier 442Grier 490Grier 619

I love how they turned out and I cannot wait to get some printed to hang in our house.
And maybe the next time I decide we need family pictures, it won’t be in the middle of summer!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Fabulous Fourth

This was a great fourth of July.
It started out with a lake trip…in the rain.
We didn’t plan for it to be in the rain, but it was.
Luckily the water was warm and the rain eased up on us for a while so we could enjoy a couple of hours in the water.

DSCN3213

DSCN3214DSCN3218DSCN3229

(see those dark, stormy clouds…!)

DSCN3231
(note Riker’s pink life jacket…that’s what happens when the oldest cousin is a girl. We buy pink first and the boys get all her hand me downs!)
DSCN3235DSCN3244DSCN3254

After the lake, we headed back to my parent’s house where the adults rested, the kiddos swam in the pool, and eventually we barbequed and set off some fireworks.

DSCN3255DSCN3259DSCN3264

(TJ’s marinated hot dogs are my favorite…and this time, we spiral cut them so they were extra cool!)

DSCN3265DSCN3271DSCN3274

(so grateful that fireworks are legal in Gilbert now…we don’t have to fight the crowds to see them!)

IMG_1130IMG_1135IMG_1138

Easy, low-key, relaxing, fun.
The perfect fourth of July!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

7 Months

My baby is 7 months old today!
And what a cute 7 month old she is!

Facts and tidbits about Olivia at 7 months:

*sleep habits have returned to normal and she will sleep in until at least 8am (though its usually 9-9:30) every morning
*still only two teeth, but with the chewing (and some fussing) she’s been doing lately I won’t be surprised if another one pops out soon
*loves chewing on her toes, especially when I’m trying to feed her some pureed goodness
*mastered the army crawl and has even started crawling on her hands and knees (though army crawling is still the fastest method!)
*thinks her brother is the greatest thing ever…she literally follows him around the house and cannot focus on anything except him when they are in the same room
*her hair is still just super fluffy and sticks straight up (but at least she has hair!)

Cutest bug ever!

35 Things To Do: Update

Try one new recipe a week:
*
baked sweet & sour chicken…I completely regret waiting so long to try this recipe. It was amazing and will be added to our regular dinner rotation!
*
cream cheese enchiladas…seriously so good. Quite possibly my new favorite enchilada recipe.
*
honey glazed carrots…good, but not amazing. I wanted them sweeter. And since they were done in the crock pot, they lacked any carmalization which I missed.
*
crack potatoes…not as good as funeral potatoes, but there was bacon in it and bacon is good.

Read 30 books:
*Two Truths and a Lie…book #3 in the Lying Game series (I started the series so I might as well finish it!)
*Beautiful Days…book #2 in Bright Young Things series. Not as good as the first, as sequels tend to be.

Have family pictures taken:
We did it! It was hot and we were sweaty, but we did it! My cousin Christie, as in
Christie Knight Photography, took our pictures just a few days ago. Once she gets done doing her magic (and hopefully making me look skinny and fabulous through the miracles of photoshop!) I will be sure to share them with you!

Make homemade baby food:
I am so proud of myself for this one…there was something so rewarding about making baby food for Olivia. I am by no means an “organic-whole foods-green living” kind of person, but I love the money I’m saving by doing this! I've made butternut squash, carrots, peas, zucchini, peaches, bananas, and pears. So much easier than I ever thought it would be.

I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to this month, but I am proud of the progress I have made so far! The year is exactly half over and I think I’ve made a pretty good dent in my list!