Grant's First Birthday Party 9*14*14

I cannot believe that I have only written one blog post for the entire month of September.  I'm excited to blog about Grant's first birthday party.  We only invited our immediate family members (which totals about 30 people, so it still ends up being pretty big).  It was so perfect, and it was a blast.  Everyone stayed until well after dinner and dessert, and it was great getting to spend time with family.

Grant was very social and made his rounds to speak to everyone.  He never took a bite of his cake, but he had a great time smashing it and making a giant mess.  Alli stole most of his birthday presents, but Grant loved playing with his new trucks and trains. I think that he (and everyone else) really enjoyed his party!

Happy First Birthday, baby Grant!

photos by Wendi Schoffstall Photography

photos by Wendi Schoffstall Photography

photos by Wendi Schoffstall photography

First, how is it possible that my baby is ONE!?! Weren't we literally just in the hospital in Texas welcoming him into this world, having sleepless nights and endless diaper changes? ...okay so the diaper changes still seem endless, but thankfully he is a great sleeper now :)

Here is the link to the slideshow that our awesome birth photographer, Wendi Schoffstall, created with her wonderful images: http://wendischoffstall.myshowit.com/thebirthofgrantjoshua .

He has grown so much in his first year, and I am so blessed to be his mama!

Welcome to the new blog!

Thanks to Kerrie Williams of Life on a Mission blog for my new blog design! I've been dying to update my very busy and unorganized old blog design for a while, but I didn't want to pay the high price of hiring another web designer after paying to update my photography business websites (KBG Photography and KBG Photography Blog).  She took away the clutter, and created a clean, simple, girlie design for me which is exactly what I envisioned.

I'm SO glad that a friend of mine recommended Kerrie! Her prices are extremely fair, her style is gorgeous, and she is so quick to respond to emails.  I had such a great experience working with her, and I recommend her if you were wanting a change with your blog...or to start a blog!

I'll leave you with a few pictures, because what's a blog post with no pictures?!?

Eleven Months Old *August 12, 2014*

One more month until this baby's FIRST BIRTHDAY.  I just cannot even fathom that he has almost been on this planet one whole year. Time flies even faster with each baby, and he has changed so much over the last few months.  He is still the sweetest baby (not always the happiest baby though) that we've had (shhh don't tell the girls), and he's also a huge momma's boy...although I swore I'd never have one of those! He hates my studio and taking pictures in general, so most of our session included a less-than-thrilled Grant and some eating pictures (because the puffs made him stop crying). Here's to the last month in his first year of life.

What you've been up to lately:

*You weigh 19.2 pounds. I think you lost a little weight this month, because you are a wild maniac.

*We still put you to bed around 7:30 unless you took a late nap that day.  You will sleep until around 7/8am.

*Morning naps are still all over the place, but your afternoon nap is always a solid 2-3 hours.

*You still love the water and had so much fun in the pool this Summer.  You absolutely love bath time too! You would play and splash for hours if I'd let you.

*You will still eat pureed food for breakfast, but for other meals, you prefer solid food.  You love mac n cheese, all fruits (strawberries and bananas are your favs), grilled cheese, turkey, puffs, crackers, cereal, and pretty much any other carbohydrate.

*You love your milk still, and you have a habit of wanting your bottle right when you get in your carseat.  I can see through the mirror behind your chair that you only hold it in your mouth most of the time and aren't actually drinking from it.

*You love to wave "hi" and "buh bye" to everyone that says it to you.

*We've had to put away all of your 9-month clothes.  Your pajamas are mainly 18-months, with a few 12-month onesies still fitting.

*Still wearing size-3 diapers.

*You have TWO TEETH now! Both are your top teeth. I'm not sure when your bottom teeth are going to pop through, they don't feel very close.

*Alli has really come to love you these past few months.  She loves to hug, kiss, hug, and play with you.  She is your biggest fan right now!

*You are still so ticklish under your chin and in your inside thigh.

*You only crawl up on your hands and knees now, no more army/swimming crawl.

*You still get scared when we are holding you going down the stairs.  You will dig your nails into our arms and tense up.

*Your least favorite thing in this world to do is to get out of the tub and/or to have your diaper changed (that is, if we're not trying to take pictures, then that would be his least favorite thing to do).

*You are saying a few words clearly now.  Your favorite word is "uh-oh", and you say it all the time, especially when the girls say it to you.  You also say "mama" "dada" "dog" "hi" "buh bye".

Lila: May to August 2014

May-June 2014:
*You are so expressive, and you love to put on a show.
*You were sad to leave your friends in Texas, but you got to see them a lot this month with all of the goodbye parties and get-togethers that we had.
*You did such a great job at your dance recital.  Your song was "Broadway Babies", and you danced your heart out on stage.
*I had a hard time saying goodbye to Ms. Dee and Ms. Tracie, your sea turtle teachers at Happy Harbour.  You loved them and they loved you so much!
*You have gotten to be a great little eater now and will eat most everything that we give you. Your favorite meal is still breakfast and you will pig out on waffles, cereal, yogurt, and oatmeal all at once!

June-July 2014:
*You had a BLAST at cheer/dance camp at Kennedy, and you will miss Mrs. Jennifer SO much
*You are really loving living and Yeye and Edaddy's house this month.
*You have gotten to be such a great swimmer, and you love going down the whale slide at the River Club pool.
*You had a great time at the Pom Pom Pizazz dance camp at your dance studio right before we moved.  You learned so many fun cheers and dances.
*You got to visit Auburn again on the way to Georgia, and you loved J&M Bookstore. You picked out a cheerleading uniform, and it looks so cute on you and Alli.

July-August 2014:
*You have been really helpful this month as we spent the whole time moving into our new house and unpacking boxes.
*You love your new house and new gym.
*You went to Summer camp at the YMCA this month, and you and Alli had a blast.
*Fourth of July at the AAC was a fun time, and you spent most of it dancing on the dance floor.  You also ate a bunch of cookies and ice cream.  You rode a pony as well as some tea cup rides.
*You had fun at swim lessons this past month too, you are doing a great job with your swimming.  You will swim for a while under water with your goggles on.
*You love my new studio, and you are always the best model.
*Your favorite foods are still anything sweet and carbs, but you also eat tons of veggies now: broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, onions, celery, and tomatoes (potatoes).
*You are very articulate (which is funny, because you didn't say any real words until you were almost 3), and you correct us any chance that you get.  Daddy loves to pronounce things wrong on purpose so that you correct him.