Grant Meets Santa & Goes For A Spin

Our Christmas Eve was spent at the home of our friend Katie's parents at their annual Christmas party. We had so much fun! Santa payed their house a visit before his night REALLY got busy and each of the children received a present from him and got to sit on his lap. It was a great night and really made it feel like Christmas.

Grant has learned a new trick and favorite thing to do. He loves to spin in circles. Please excuse the messy apartment in the video. I assure you that it looks much better now.

We hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas. Know that we were thinking about you, sending our love, and wishing that we could all have been together. Hopefully we will be again soon!

Grant's First Snow Day

Well, we're in our new apartment in North Salt Lake, and not any too soon either. Last night we had a snow storm hit fast and hard and in a matter of two hours, everything was white. I took before and after pictures.

Today, with Jeremy's permission (since he wouldn't be there to experience it), I took a break from unpacking, bundled Grant up in his snow gear and we ventured outside. FYI Mother, I may have worn my flip flops, but Grant was wearing socks and shoes (just kidding, I wore shoes too). I was a little worried at how cold the snow was on his hand (no gloves yet) but he loved being outside and running around as best he could in snow bibs and his big jacket. We even attempted a snow angel.

Grant & the Mouse

I feel really bad bumping the missionaries video down one, but after all, this is my blog and I knew it couldn't be on the top forever. The news from our house is that Grant is getting into every drawer that is at his level without a baby guard on it. He empties the clothes daily from his dresser drawers which we thought were too heavy for him to open so we hadn't secured them. He found in our desk drawer an old mouse (for the computer) and began playing with it. He put it in the hamper and tested out his homemade pulley. He thought it was hilarious.

The other morning, Grant woke up before I was awake. I heard him get off the bed and I started to wake up, but the next thing I remember, I heard the buttons on our phone being pushed. It's usually kept out of his reach on the left side of the computer screen. I jumped up to find that he had taken our lock box, turned it on it's side and used it as a step to stand on top of the computer tower, putting him within reach of the phone. Does it make me a bad parent if I got the camera instead of getting him off the computer?

Jeremy was able to come home from Salt Lake for Thanksgiving which was very nice. Dad was already here, helping take care of Grant while I finished up work, and Mom was flying down the Friday after Thanksgiving so we held off on dinner until Saturday. On Turkey Day we went to the park so Jeremy could see Grant go down the slide. He'd been doing so with Grandpa earlier in the week. I didn't get a good video of it, but here's some pictures.

This is Grant being inconspicuous as he eyes Grandpa's Sun Chips.

We are missing Jeremy very much, but still managing to have fun. Grant is giving hugs spontaneously (at least to me) and is learning to give kisses. He still doesn't know that his mouth needs to be shut and it's a little bit slimy for all those involved, but I'll take them any day! I just can't wait for Jeremy to be able to experience all this too.

Much love to you all!

Oh no they DID-UNT!

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good. ~Edwin Denby

Never trust spiritual leader who cannot dance. ~Mr. Miyagi

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. ~Japanese Proverb

If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing... ~D&C 136:28

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. ~Dave Barry

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie. ~Agnes de Mille

Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn. ~Sweetpea Tyler

Dancers are the athletes of God. ~Albert Einstein

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. ~Ecclesiastes 3:4

I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who HAVE to dance. ~George Balanchine

Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health - it rusts your spirit and your hips. ~Adabella Radici

Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather. ~Martha Graham

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. ~Kurt Vonnegut

Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected. ~Source Unknown

That being said.... I give you AGAIN.... Elder Gilett & Elder Saxon... hit it boys!

In their defense, it was their last p-day together and they HAD to do something fun. This is just who they are! If it was on YouTube, I bet it'd shoot to #1, but I won't.

I bet this video alone could guarantee them endless dates when they get home - I mean, just kidding elders, DONT GET TRUNKY! I hope that they end up in a BYU ward together or something just to be able to do this again, but next time with an audience.

We'll miss you Elder Saxon!

(video footage used with permission - any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited

- which means a very tall chick will come and beat you down!)

Missionaries.... DANCING?!!!!

Someone should notify the mission office!

It is about as clear as one of those Sasquatch sighting videos, but if you look really hard, you'll see....

definitely two white shirts!

The Elders in our ward stopped by the other night to say goodbye to Jeremy before he left for Salt Lake on Friday. They had made him brownies and the card shown below. It was a paper heart with a picture of them and the words "We love and miss you thiiiiissss much". There were strings coming out from each side of the heart with little paper hands on the ends. It was very cute.

We took some pictures with them, and even caught them dancing to the music of Grant's toy radio while they were setting up their cameras on our entertainment center as shown in the video.

We helped them feel like spiritual GIANTS...

But sad to say, it was short lived (and no we're not standing on anything).

We love our Elders Gillett & Saxon!!!

Here's Grant lookin at you Kid!

The other day I showed Grant the video of his cousin Cash that Cullen had posted on her blog and he started laughing and trying to touch the screen. I got it on video today. It's not the exact same reaction, but he is still very entertained when we watch it.

I believe it's official enough to post: we're moving to Utah in December. Sadly we won't be able to make it to California for Christmas, but I hope we'll get up there soon. I can't wait to meet my first nephew! I bet all of you forgot that I'm in the running now for favorite aunt... watch out! I'd better step up my game if I'm going to catch up with Cammie, but seeing as Grant doesn't even realise that he has aunts yet (you're all just people who adore him therefore he loves you), I think I have a bit of time to enter the race. I hope all is well with everyone and that we're all together again soon.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was so much fun! We decided to recycle our pirate costumes from 2 years ago and just bought one for Grant. He looked so cute wearing a bandana, but he wouldn't leave it on, so we settled for the mustache which (unlike the goatee) wouldn't be drooled off.

We went to our ward's Trunk or Treat with a pirate flag tied to our broom handle and flying over the back of our truck while we passed out candy and Grant played in the truck bed. Grant even helped refill the pumpkin bowls that we were using to pass out candy. See the video. Hope you all had fun too!

Nothing new, but a video nonetheless

I just thought it'd be fun to post a video I took of Grant this morning. I haven't taken as many pictures and video since I've been working so I thought it was about time since not everyone in the family has seen him walking.

Who Knows Your Nose?

In honor of the birth of our new nephew Cashel Mitchell, I thought I'd throw together a few pictures of the Mitchell family and see if we can tell our features apart. It started out with comparing pictures of Grant and Cash to see if maybe the cousins have any similar features, but it kinda snowballed. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. See below for the names.

Left -> Right
Row 1 - Russ, Cullen, Jeremy, Clay, Cullen
Row 2 - Jeannie, Cammie, Cammie, Grant, Russ
Row 3 - Britt, Britt, Britt, Cammie, Jeannie
Row 4 - Honor, Honor, Clay, Clay, Honor
Row 5 - Cullen, Jeremy, Honor, Cammie
Row 6 - Russ, Cash, Cammie, Jeannie
Row 7 - Cullen, Grant, Jeremy, Honor, Grant
Row 8 - Jeremy, Honor, Grant, Jeannie

It's Autumn time, it's Autumn time!

Fall finally came to Las Vegas! Not with any changes in color (no color here to change), but with cooler weather. We only reached the low 70's today and it has been SOOO nice. We can finally open up the house and let the breeze blow through the house.
Grant's new favorite place to be is at the front door when it's open with the metal security screen shut. He stands with his forehead up against it watching the front yard and banging his hands on the screen when he sees a car or a neighbor go by. He is walking everywhere now and just in time we've baby-proofed everything he can reach.
He is eating a wide variety of solid foods, just about everything we eat, but mashed up in the baby food grinder. He doesn't need the grinder for everything however. 3 of his molars came in and the 4th is visible just below his gums. He's had a few pretty rough days in the past few weeks, but I think we're through the worst. We've been lucky with teething compared to the stories I've heard.
He definitely loves attention. I don't know if that's due to his firstborn status or his being my child. He laughs when we laugh as if wanting to be included in the fun and always has a mischievous grin on his face.
On a sad note, our friends Katie & Kurt moved to Utah on Saturday. It's a good move for them, but they've been the first couple that both Jeremy and I both clicked with and they will be greatly missed. Some of the ladies in our ward decided that we needed to have some fun before Katie left so one night after putting all the kids to bed, 15 of us met up at Denny's (high class stuff) for dessert. There were some personalities that revealed themselves that night which we hadn't seen before. We had been talking about stupid/fun things we did as teenagers. One of mine included putting a to-go cup of water on the roof of your car and driving around acting oblivious when people tryto bring your attention to it (fond memories with Beth). As the night went on, our group got smaller and smaller until there were 4 of us left: Kristi (former Primary President & my visiting teacher), Pam (a current Primary teacher), Katie & myself. The first two mentioned were in my mind, until that night, grown women who would frown at such things as putting a water cup on top of your car. I was wrong. Giggling like little girls, we put a cup on the roof of Katie's car and drove down the street. At stoplights people would roll down their windows and motion to us, but Katie (the driver) would wave back with a friendly smile. The rest of us were laughing too hard to do anything. We only made it through 3 lights before the cup fell off and we turned back around. We got back in our cars and went our separate ways. Katie (who I had gotten a ride from) and I went back to her house where our husbands were hanging out. Before going inside we took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the two of us. It was dark & the flash blinded us, but we just happened to make similar faces on every picture without previous planning. What can we say.... great minds think alike!

As we entered the house, we found our husbands intensely involved in a movie and we proceeded to look at the pictures we took that night on my camera. When asked if he and Kurt talk at all when Katie and I aren't there, Jeremy replied, "Some of us don't need to sit on the floor and giggle over pictures to have fun."

That's why women need friends: there are some things husbands just won't do.

Jeremy’s Birthday

I made and decorated a cake for Jeremy’s birthday this week. Although not perfect, I was satisfied with the results, especially with my limited cake decorating resources. I do want to report to Mom & Dad that Jeremy is reading “The Dangerous Book For Boys” that you gave him from cover to cover. He keeps it on his night stand with his scriptures. I do believe that it is probably the most popular gift given this year, at least in our family.

Vaughn J. Featherstone Fireside

This past Thursday, we had the pleasure of attending a fireside for all Cub and Boy Scout leaders. It was given by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone and held at our stake center, less than a block away from our house. There were a few others who spoke first. One of which was a man in the Las Vegas Area Council leadership and belongs to the Roman Catholic church. He met Elder Featherstone for the first time many years ago and has kept a sweet friendship with him through the years. He was apparently familiar with our beliefs, especially with the Aaronic Priesthood and it’s relationship to Scouting. He gave a beautiful talk. It was so free of religious barriers and it brought me to tears. He ultimately said that our purpose in Scouting is to raise up young men who are the kind of men our Lord and Savior would have them be. There was no hint of “your way” vs. “our way”. He simply addressed us as his fellow brothers and sisters. He was the most spiritual non-LDS speaker that I’ve ever heard. When Elder Featherstone stood to speak he said, “Now that we’ve heard the LDS talk, I’ll give the Roman Catholic address.” At the conclusion of the fireside, we approached Elder Featherstone and shook his hand. He patted Grant’s head and cheek and said, “Now there’s an attractive young man, a future Boy Scout I hope.” A story to file in Grant’s journal for sure!

Grant’s Birthday

It was wonderful to have Mom & Dad visit over Grant’s birthday. We invited our friends Katie & Kurt Skillin and their 3 children over for cake, it being Katie’s birthday as well. Grant had his first experience with the unwrapping of gifts and was more than happy to entertain the crowd.







I didn’t know if I wanted to let him do this or not, but when it came time for the cake, we stripped him down to his diaper and let him dig into his own slice. At first he just poked at it, but soon he had crumbs up to his eyebrows. In the end, there was nothing to do but plop him straight into the bathtub. All the excitement left him exhausted.

Cammie Arrives

Cammie flew in on the same day that Jeremy’s mother departed and it was so much fun to have her here. It was just for a long weekend, but it was a nice visit. On her first night in town, she invited her Italy-buddy Daniella over for dinner. To our surprise, she came bearing gifts for Grant’s birthday. Among others, she brought him an adorable little jacket that has plenty of room for Grant to grow into. It was so sweet of her!
Cammie, I’m sorry for the photo, but it’s the only one I had of your visit. Woops! Tee hee!

Grandma Sharp Comes to Visit

In August, Jeremy’s mother, Paula came to visit us. It was so wonderful to have her here and with Grant especially. I’m so lucky to have a warm relationship with my mother in-law. During her visit, we drove out to Pahrump to visit her father, Grant’s Great Grandpa Onnen. He is in his 80’s and is still as sharp as ever. He works as a greeter at Walmart because he can’t retire enough times and he LOVES his job.
Paula had decided to stay until Grant’s birthday, but difficulties from a car accident have been giving her back problems and she had to return early to Seattle. For Grant’s birthday she bought him a bike/scooter with a steering wheel and dashboard with lights and sounds that he can interact with. What’s neat about it is that the dashboard is removable and we can take it with us in the car, as seen in the picture above. When we went to drop Paula off at the airport, we let him play with it in his stroller. When you honk the horn it sounds, “Beep Beep, Out of the way!” in a cheery woman’s voice. He kept hitting the horn while we were walking and people would turn around, startled and looking for someone coming through. Needless to say, Grant saw to it that we didn’t get stuck in any crowds.