And....

We're back! Apparently we went on a little hiatus. Why? Because I have no "umph" to blog these days. However, I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things. And what better way to do that than to share some of Grant's infamous quotes from the past few weeks. Without further ado:

(I cannot get a normal picture of this kid)

The blossoms here are BEAUTIFUL!!! So while we were driving I started singing, "I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!" Grant interrupted me with, "MOM!!! That is not logical! Popcorn does not grow on trees. They are blossoms." I tried explaining the song but he was not satisfied so he changed the words so that popcorn was replaced with blossoms and so the end said, "it was really so, and it seemed to be blossoms blooming on the apricot tree."

Grant has really been into fact and opinion as well as true and false lately. Pretty much every statement he makes is followed by, "That is an opinion." Or, "That is a fact and is also true." It kills me that he is only 4.5 and he totally grasps the concepts of fact/opinions and true/false. I get confused sometimes and I'm old. :-) Maybe that's why I often hear him tell me, "Mom, you are not smart. I am smart and dad is smart." I don't know if I should reply with, "That is an opinion." Or, "That is a fact."

He was coloring at the table and writing down names for the little brother he is sure he is getting... he assures me it will happen the way he wants since he prays for it (I guess he isn't really paying attention to the parts of the family home evening lessons where we explain that we don't get everything we pray for). Anyway, the names were pretty funny- he decided that he wanted to write our last name first then put the name so the list he had was: Barrow Vowt, Barrow Tit, Barrow Mat. HOWEVER, the FUNNIEST part was when he said, "My new brother will be my favorite little brother. Gracie is my little BOTHER!" She just laughed. Good thing she has no idea what he is talking about.

And last but not least, he was working with his speech therapist and he put his hands on his head and said in a drawn out voice, "I. Can't. Handle. This!" His therapist said, "C'mon Grant, you're doing awesome!" To which he replied, "Awesnot!" Needless to say, that is our new favorite word around here.

Of course, a new post wouldn't be complete without a few pictures of the princess. She has been busy fighting off illnesses, "enjoyed" a stay at the hospital, enjoys picking on her brother, and rupturing the dogs eardrum in her spare time...the list could go on and on. :-)Doesn't she have the cutest face?!?!

Grandma Great

Adam's Grandma passed away the other day. We have been comforted knowing that we will see her again someday and that death is not the end. Grant prays every night that she is "having a good time in heaven." We are quite positive that she is indeed having a good time. Grandma Great was an amazing woman. Adam put it best when he described her this way (he wrote this ode to her for her 80th birthday):

"If we could find a way to bottle everything we love about you, it would not be false advertising to sell it with the following promise:

Lifetime guarantee to make a lasting difference to all in its presence. Will provide the perfect dose of warm hugs, sweet memories, selfless service, enduring support, sound principles, special attention, and bright smiles. Always packaged in perfect prose or in the appropriate rhyme and meter. You age like a Greek Goddess!"

She will be greatly missed but the impression she has made on our lives will last forever!

Swinger Girl

Do ya'll remember Swinger Girl from the show Recess? Well, she lives at our house...

Grant as Santa

HoHoHo!!! Merry Christmas!

Santa Baby!

For a few weeks now, Grant has been saying that he needs a Santa Claus costume. This boy LOVES to dress-up! So, I decided tonight that I would try and make him a Santa outfit. Don't judge it too harshly...I traced one of his shirts and a pair of pants and then improvised. I didn't have any black felt so I cut an old black towel to make his boots. Grant expressed a number of times that his costume needed boots. :-) Now, we just have to wait and see if it actually fits him since he was sleeping while I made it. Oh, and I need to make a beard to go with it....I will post pictures of him wearing it tomorrow (that is if it fits)!

Dancin' to "Oh Santa!"

Grace LOVES to dance! If she hears music, she stops what she is doing and shakes her cute little booty like it's her job! Her favorite song lately is "Oh Santa" by Mariah Carey. I wish I could get a better video of her moves. Whenever I get the camera out she doesn't perform as well. However, she is still adorable! Pardon the hairdo...her nose was running like a faucet and so I had to find a way to keep her hair out of her face to prevent crusting. :-)

Cardboard box animals

What do we do when Grace has pneumonia and we are stuck in the house? We build animals out of cardboard boxes! Okay, the first one we made was a few weeks ago and had nothing to do with Grace being sick but this week...Grant has been busy! We made a giraffe a few weeks ago and Grant insisted that we keep the leftover cardboard to make something. Then, the other day, he pulled some of it out and decided that one piece looked like a toucan beak and the body of a bird. So he told me what I needed to do to help him complete it and this is what he came up with. I thought it looked great (and it still does) but then he insisted we add a gun on its back. Say what? Toucans do not carry guns, buddy! Apparently, I am misinformed because this kind of toucan does, and so I let go of my OCD tendencies and allowed him to complete his bird any way he wanted to. Since last Saturday, he has been asking if we can make a stable, a camel, a donkey, a lamb, etc. etc. And here is what he has so far... I think it might be the cutest little miniature sheep ever. Don't you love the blue nose and yellow mouth?!?! Grant is too funny!And let me introduce the longest camel in the world, with 3 humps and extremely short legs--which is my fault. He insisted the camel needed to be standing. So, we found some wood in the garage and viola! And that saddle he made for the camel--people would pay big bucks for that kind of craftsmanship. I mean, it has glitter on it people! It can't get much better than that.Grant has such a great imagination and I love to watch him create things. As the collection grows for his big production Christmas Eve (he is planning on being Joseph, the wise men, etc. etc--yes, it will be a loooooong "play" as he puts it), we will continue to post pictures of his cardboard animals.