Expressions

This blog is dedicated to my feisty little toddler. His current favorite word is of course "No" and he loves to run (literally) from Mama when it's time for bed or a diaper change. He has some of the most expressive faces that even when he is a pickle, he makes me laugh!

Grady loves to suck on his toes! We play a game where I try to say that it is "yucky" and he thinks it is hilarious to put those dirty toes in his mouth. It's just so hard when he is so stinkin cute!Our first ice cream cone! Grady thought this was a really fun idea especially since it was a treat after swimming in the pool for 2 hours. He of course got it everywhere and after a little while, he opted for a dish and a spoon. This is just one of the many faces that we get to see on a daily basis. I wish I could catch them all on film. Here he is getting frustrated that he can't have more wipes!

Fun with the Cousins

So I thought I should just keep on blogging since I was on a roll...two posts in one night! We were so excited to have my family over from SD for a visit. It is always so fun to get the cousins together and to spend time with family. Unfortunately the weather was not as friendly, but we managed to have a great time.

Here is Grady loving the big boy slide. Like I said before, he loves all things parks and he enjoys his independence on all the equipment. I had a hard time getting him off this see-saw contraption. He absolutely loved going up and down
All the cousins. It keeps getting harder and harder to get a good shot of all of them, especially when Grady likes to be a pickle for the camera.

He and his cousin Miley are only 4 1/2 months apart but they are basically the same size. It was a pretty muggy weekend so the babies ran around in their diapers. Here they are messing with each other.

Tubby time...nice hair

The girls begged to go to the pool so on the last day we ventured to the aquatic center. It felt like a great day to go swimming until we felt the water...freezing!!! Since it was the first weekend of being open, the water in the pool had not warmed up yet. Grady was a little hesitant at first but then he realized how much fun it was. He loved it!

Throwing the ball is also a great game and what better way to have more fun at the pool

Grady enjoys jumping in his crib just for fun, so he decided to show his cousin how it was done.

All the cousins one more time. Grady loved throwing the sand all over during this park time

He continues to grow into such a little man. He is so expressive with his eyebrows and loves to feel like he is older than he is. We are so blessed to have such an ambitious child; my prayer is that God will continue to give us grace to know how to nuture his wild yet sweet spirit.

Summer Fun and Vacation

Since it has been over a month since my last blog, I thought it was time for the world to catch up on the Blanchard clan. This past month seems to have flown by. I feel that we continue to get busier as the summer approaches. I always say this, but Grady continues to be so fun. His vocabulary is taking off as is his boyish tendencies. He loves to scream, roar, jump, throw food, splash water and of course....run naked! Here is a summary of the last month...

Grady found his infant toy (with Dad's help) and he seems to love to hoard his toys in his tent and then try to fit in. He has so much fun gathering his things and then hiding in the tent. He loves playing "Where's Grady??" Grady enjoys "cooking" with Mommy and Daddy. He really just loves to sit on the cupboards. Every morning, Daddy and Grady fix Mommy's coffee. Grady loves to push the buttons
For a new summer outdoor toy, we found a little tykes play set at a garage sale. We had to be completely "redneck" and strap it to the top of our car to get it home, but it was worth it since Grady enjoys it so much. Here we are cleaning each part. Grady's task was to run the hose. He thought that was pretty fun and he screamed when he had to give it up.

Aunt Jenn taught Grady to drink water from the hose. He completely drenched himself but he had fun getting wet.

Here we are celebrating our feat in setting up the outdoor playset. Grady obviously thought it was a major accomplishment.

Grady loves all things park so having a little something in the backyard is a real treat most evenings.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Blanchard family tood our first family vacation to Oklahoma City to meet up with some wonderful friends from Texas. We stayed in a janky hotel but we had so much fun. We went to the zoo, visited Bricktown, rode the water canal, enjoyed the Science museum, putt-putt golfed, and had amazing food. It was so great to visit our friends and to have them meet Grady. He shined up to everyone pretty quickly.

Here Grady is loving a dragon at the zoo. He absolutely loved the animals, all except the big cats who thought they were too good to be seen. He loved the monkeys, anteaters, and the sea lions.

Family picture by the frog. It was so hot at the zoo. I found out that Grady has my coloring when we get hot...beat red!

Here is the whole clan at Bricktown. I would most likely never move to Texas but I would be so blessed to live near these amazing people. Grady was such a trooper, he was so flexible with his schedule which allowed us to have the maximum amount of fun!

Here we are at the Science museum. Grady is fascinated with showing off his tummy.

There was an amazing tree house display at the Science museum...Grady seemed to love the see-saw

It is amazing how many things can transpire in less than one month. After Easter, Me, Grady, Jenn and her boyfriend Jesse headed to S.D. for a trip home. It was a quick weekend, but we packed so much into 32 hours.

Here Grady discovered that he can have alot of fun with hula hoops that have

nothing to do with hips! Grady had a blast hanging out with his cousins. Here we all are gathering sticks in the pasture to make a great bonfire for that night.
Grady not only got to ride in his first tractor, he also got to pet and sit on his first baby calf. Grady absolutely loved the cows and their babies

We headed home and Spring finally came full force which continued to allow us to explore Grady's new favorite adventure - parks. Here he is discovering the bike rack although it looks a little like baby jail!

Grady thinks it is hilarious to suck on his toes....if only we all had that flexibility

Grady is so independent, most all meal times are done on his own. Here is our little monkey! He absolutely loves fruit!

We have such great friends in the Waglers! They invited us for a spontaneous Iowa Cubs game. It was so fun to watch the 2 boys and their different personalities. Finnean was so into the actual game whereas Grady was interested in exploring every surface and overall area. Here he is watching the crazy mascots run around the field. I can't wait to continue to watch the boys grow up together.

With Spring comes the awesome season of Garage Sales!!! I got a great deal on this little chair and thought it would be great in his new toddler room. He seems to enjoy reading his books in his new chair. What a big boy

Grady has become infatuated with his crib; and not only when he is going to sleep. He has discovered that he not only loves jumping on the mattress, but he loves taking his books and pillows and reading in his crib.

Mother's Day was a rollercoaster of a weekend. We were given some disturbing information regarding our daycare lady and made some unfortunate assumptions without complete information. Thankfully the Lord revealed himself in the situation and we now have an even greater ministry opportunity. Many of you know the situation and we just ask for continued guidance as we attempt to live out Christ's message in this situation. After the rollercoaster ended, the church blessed us with an abundance of flowers. So we bought the proper items and planted flowers for Mother's Day. What a great evidence that God can bring beauty from confusion.

Grady is finally starting to smile for the camera. Here is our finished product. What an amazing son and family I am blessed with

I am so thankful that when faced with emotionally charged situations, that I do not just have to rely on myself and others to make it through. Currently I am clinging to the verse....Do not be anxious about anything but in everything in prayer, bring your requests to God. The Lord truly does show himself in any and every situation and I pray that I can continue to strive to exude his message through my life. Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there.

Spring is here

Super cool fly guy. This is what I think Grady would call himself when he wears his shades. He wasn't too sure about them at first; however now he loves them. Grady's favorite spring activity is going to the park. Thankfully we live by two different parks; one with a swing and one with a slide. Grady is absolutely fearless; he will go down the biggest slides without a qualm. He is almost 18 months old and he continues to get more of a personality; exploring and learning the world around him. I cherish his new smiles and discoveries daily. Here are some snapshots of our recent adventures.

Grady's favorite playground activity is the slide. We, as in mom, starts him off on the small slides, but he inevitably increases to the big boy slides. So cute in his camo crocs!This is one of my favorite pictures. Grady enjoys holding our hands while walking. Here are my main two men walking through the park. I just love the metaphor that is displayed here. If Grady grows up anything like his Daddy, I will be too blessed!Grady is so independent; he loves to push his own stroller! The tulips came really early this year and it was fun to help Grady discover beautiful flowers.

Grady is so crazy sometimes...he loves to attack us and crawl all over us. What a great joy at the end of a stressful work day to come home and enjoy big bear hugs from my baby. He looks like a little koala bear here

Grady would really like a computer of his own (hint hint grandparents!) He has learned how to open it and push the buttons. Here I caught him trying to get on the computer while I was cooking dinner.And for the final piece of news from the Blanchard household...Grady will become a big brother in October. We are all really excited. This was the way we shared the news with our families; some caught on right away...others took a minute!

Christ is Risen; Easter bunny visits!

Easter is such a wonderful time...a time to not only get together with family, eat great candy, and watch kids relish in the discoveries of the Easter bunny, but more importantly, it is a time to celebrate the greatest happening in the Christian faith - Christ's resurrection. I have been reminded lately how we take that sacrifice and blessing for granted. This Easter, I am challenged to allow the resurrection of Christ to impact me on a daily basis. The Blanchard family had such a fun Easter. Ben's folks and grandmother was able to come and visit, along with their little dog Rascal. It was so great to see family and Grady really shined up to them easily...especially Grandpa since he is so silly. Grady also got a needed haircut and in his Easter outfit, he just looked like a little man.

Here we are at church; Grady as crazy as ever. It is amazing how difficult it can be to get one decent picture! Grady received his first Easter basket; since candy is somewhat difficult, the Easter bunny brought him some fun toys and shoes. He loved his Easter basket!
Here he discovered that the eggs open and have fun surprises in them!

Grandma Mary, with the assistance of Great-Grandma Jones, made Grady is first bunny rabbit! It was so cute and Grady thought it was way fun to squeeze, throw, pounce on, bleed on, drool on, and pretty much anything else to destroy it within the first day! He really likes to hug it

Chillin with the Grandparents and the bunny. Grandma's keeping a good eye on him and that bunny!

Here's all the women in the house with Grady and his bunny.

Ben's parents were gracious enough to take us out for Easter dinner. We waited for a little while and Grady did an amazing job at the table. Here he is playing with Grandpa Chris's mustache! He thought it was really crazy.

We weren't watching football, but Grady thought it was really fun to throw his arms in the air. He was really entertaining to the other customers around. He is such a social guy and enjoys every second that he is awake!

Such a fun and exciting day...he was all tuckered out after the Easter festivities. He fell asleep in the car and took a great 3 hour nap. Which allowed his tuckered out parents a 2 hour nap. Yeah for awesome Sunday afternoons!