Welcome Baby Alec!!!!!

My dearest friends Katie and Kurt welcomed their 4th beautiful little one yesterday. He was a mere 10 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches long. Their 3rd child, Drew, still holds the record with a birth weight of 11.5 lbs. I remember Drew definitely looking like he could weigh 11 lbs, but little Alec didn't look like 10 lbs at all! I swear he's carrying it all in those adorable cheeks!!! I'm so happy for you guys!

Lazy park days and the clip on tie

Grant and I have been spending many of these last beautiful days of summer at the park. He has mastered climbing up ladders at the play area as well as the "big boy" slides. I've finally been able to sit back on a blanket nearby and watch him climb and slide to his heart's content. It's so nice not to be following him around the playground equipment making sure he's not going to seriously hurt himself. That's not to say that he doesn't keep me jumping up plenty as he tries to make a run for it to see the nearby stream, but at least I get a few moments to rest in the shade. We brought his bouncy ball with us the other day and he spent a good 20 minutes pushing it against a tree before letting go and laughing as it rolled down. He figured out that there is one particular swing low enough to the ground that it allows him to lay face down on it as he kicks his legs and gets himself swinging. When all else fails to entertain him, he runs over to me and tries to put my feet on his chest so I'll lift him into the air.

Grant has finally grown into the white shirt and tie that we've had for a long time. I always wanted my boys to wear white shirts to church, but with the way he's been growing, I figured it was pointless to buy one to fit all his sizes. This one was a gift in a size 3T (small for a 3) and he wore it to church for the second time today. This time we actually took pictures. I love it when he looks like a little man. By the end of church the tie was dark blue at the top and light blue at the bottom from the endless cascade of drool that stated when he cut his first teeth at 3 months and hasn't stopped since! At least he made it through nursery without ripping it off.

I fully expect to see this look on his face again if I try to kiss him when he's a teenager!

Happy Birthday Little One!

Grant celebrated his 2nd birthday on Saturday. I'm not so sure that he's making progress with his ability to eat birthday cake without making a mess, but at least this year he kept it below his eyebrows.

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

One similarity between his two birthday parties - he needed a bath after each!

Flashback - Grant's First Steps