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.

Christmas Time

About 2 weeks ago, I gave in to Grant's continual begging to decorate the house. I'm not going to lie, I was glad he kept pushing me to do it. I'd keep my Christmas decorations up year round and be perfectly happy about it! I think it is because my grandma (the one Grace is named after) LOVED Christmas. I am pretty sure that is what she lived for! The joy she felt for this beautiful season rubbed off on me (and a lot of my cousins, I think). I remember so clearly having our family party the first Monday of December--year after year, it was pretty much the same. A yummy dinner, laughter, the grandkids doing the Nativity scene, Santa making a special visit... But what I remember the most is that my grandma always bore her testimony. She testified that she knew Christ lives! She reminded us all of how important it was to love one another and do what is right so we can be a family forever. She also reminded us to serve others, to help those less fortunate than us, to be Christlike. Yes, Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I hope that Grant and Grace will love it, too! And hopefully, they will always remember that Christ should be the center of our lives ALL year round, not just at Christmas.Anyway, here are a few of our decorations that Grant requested I take pictures of. I cannot find Grace's stocking anywhere! Guess that is what happens when you move across the country- some things get misplaced. :-) Grant wanted to put "snow" around Santa... And on the tree in his room, which he decorated ALL by himself. I am surprised he hasn't asked me to snap pictures of our Christmas lights. Which by the way, can I just say that I am SO excited to have our own house! It is so fun to put up Christmas lights! And on a side note, Fenway got his first haircut. Doesn't he look so cute?!?!