Splish Splash: Swim Class

It is really amazing how quickly the babies progress in just a few weeks of swim lessons! We play all kinds of games, kick our feet, swim under water, and blow bubbles just to name a few...Griffin really likes class, however, the instructor Miss Wanda is still growing on him ;) A few pictures from swim lessons!:

Ring around the rosie and then we go under the water:
Here we learn how to move around in the water and dive under to get toys:
We jump off into Mom's arms and swim under water and kick our feet!:
We blow bubbles:
And we kick our feet:

At the end of class the kids put all of the balls in the basket:

Watch out Michael Phelps!!!

Diaper duty!

This is the message I sent to Quentin this week while he was at work:

"Our son is a little wild man...just watched him take his diaper off and try to put it on his bear...good thing I caught him before an accident happened...because now, he is grunting...ahhhhhh!"

...and sure enough not 2 minutes after I got his diaper back on him, he made a mess in his pants! He constantly keeps me on my toes.... and laughing!

Little fashionista....or fashionisto???!!!

My little man constantly makes me laugh! Lately he has been putting on mommy's bracelets any chance he gets. He will dig in my jewelry box and pull out his favorite 2, and one goes on each wrist... so funny! (He even puts his toy plastic rings on his arms) He will walk around with them forever! This past week, he found the most sparkly ones and then proceeded to show daddy...he was very proud...he he!

Trying to figure out why the bracelets keep slipping off when he is trying to pick his book up. So cute!

Is he not the cutest little man you have ever seen!!! Such a sweet little dude!
He was loving mommy's glasses, just couldn't quite get them to fit correctly!
I can't help but love this pic of Griffin! Almost like he is striking a pose.
He will probably hate me for these pictures when he gets older, but for now, they just make me smile and laugh!!!

Boon Jugs takes 3rd!

Yes, that's right, I am married to a member of the 3rd place Boon Jugs Chili team.

Quentin joined a Chili Cookoff team with some guys from work! Although alot of "work" for the team (seemed to me that they were having a little too much fun when I walked up to their booth today), they had some pretty amazing chili and even managed to take 3rd place in the "anything goes" category at the Chili Cookoff.

Such a great time, about 50 booths to sample chili! My Dad flew into town today, so it was fun to take him to the event! We both agree that Boon Jugs had our favorite chili!!!

My stud of a husband prepping for the big day!

Boon Jugs booth

Q and Ben, enjoying Chef Quentin's ribs

Griffin hanging out with Daddy!

Griffin and his Granddaddy!

Fall festival fun with friends and family!

Well, if you have noticed, I have been posting more frequently...besides just having fun blogging about my family, growing boy, and other adventures, I am planning on printing out the blog at the end of each year for a journal of sorts for my family! So, here is the newest one!:

Friday night we met up with friends for dinner in Valley Center, then on to the a car show with Q's parents. (Sorry, left the camera in the car for this one.) Griffin was so cute, the dj was playing oldies and Griffin would boogie! He would walk a little, stop and dance, walk a bit more...stop and dance...he was pretty darn cute!! He even would boogie to the music when Grandpa Terry was holding him! Then on to the fall festival where we ran into bunches of friends and family! Such a great time!

Griffin's first merry go round! Not sure how he felt about this, but he was excited his cousins joined him!
Not sure who was more excited about this!!! ;)
Isn't Griffin's cousin Rylee just the cutest! He is just crazy about his Ry Ry!
G with Grandpa Terry and Grandma Kathy! Definitely Grandpa's boy tonight...giving kisses after kisses! So cute!

Gratitude project!! Days 15-24

Day 24: Grateful to see the sweet and gentle side of little man!

So, as Griffin was playing with his doll (Krista....your girl's dolls are waiting for you when the girls come play next ;) today and he was so cute patting her back, giving kisses and laying his head against the doll's. He was so cute....here is a little bit of our conversation:

Mommy to G: "Love the baby Griffin, you are so sweet to the baby. Give the baby kisses, so sweet to the baby....no, no wait, don't eat the baby's head!" Well, the sweetness didn't last for long...and you can imagine that the actual conversation was actually pretty funny... I even thought to myself, did I really just say that! Ha!

Day 23: Grateful for family day! Lately our schedules have been a little hectic, and we have been constantly busy with something on the calendar almost every day...so, today we made a point not to plan anything and spend the day at home, together! So grateful for days like today!!!

Day 22: Grateful that all of our training for the Pub Crawl paid off...we were still able to walk (vs. crawl) after it was over!

(Group shot...obviously towards the end of the pub crawl. Quentin and I need a little work on our "sexy pose" Ha!)

Day 21: Grateful for girls day out!! A few of my girlfriends and I every so often play hookie from work and meet up for lunch, laughs and always a few too many drinks! Such a fun time! This time we met up for a cooking lesson and each brought along a bottle of wine!!! Very fun!!! Souffle's were on the menu today, 1 cheese, 1 salmon, 1 desert! YUM!!!

Day 20: Grateful for early mornings! Lately, I have been getting up extra early in the mornings to get work finished before my little man wakes up....which is great because I then get to spend the day enjoying him!!

Day 19: Grateful for Deadlines! Deadlines mean the work is now complete!!! Thank goodness, it has been a busy/crazy (but good) few weeks!

Day 18: Grateful for my rough and tough boys!!!

I had so much fun watching my boys wrestle tonight! Hearing Griffin squeal and giggle as Q hides from him, tackles, tickles and wrestles with him is just the best!!!

Day 17: Grateful for our little mini-me! As Griffin is sitting on his little truck talking on his phone, Q and I notice our obvious influences on him...I will let you guess which one he takes from each of us!

Day 16: Grateful for family time on the boat!

Day 15: Grateful for my little handyman....Griffin got ahold of my seam gauge and thought it was just the perfect "tool" to fix his train with. Hmmm....this sounds very familiar Daddy and Grandpa Terry!

11 month update!

Let me start by saying that I CANNOT believe my little baby is already 11 months old! This is a little bit of what he is doing now!!!:

(he dresses pretty snazzy...popped collar and all)

("my boys" I am one lucky girl!)

• He is such a friendly little man! He talkes, waves, flirts, and smiles at EVERYONE!!!
• His little personality has definitely come out! He is a man who knows what he wants!
• If you have food, you better make sure he has something to eat too!
• He is walking/running everywhere! I have to admit I LOVE to watch him toddle around....so so cute!
• He is non stop!
• Griffin is such a little tease!! Hmmm, I wonder where he gets that from?!
• He LOVES cars like his Daddy, and goes vroom vroom any time he is around one....and he takes the wheel any time you let him...(favorite thing to do on the boat with Daddy!)
• This little man can eat!!! He especially loves his fruit... peaches, bananas, strawberries, grapes, cantalope, watermelon....yep, he loves it all! And.....he wants to feed himself...he will grab that spoon right out of your hand!
• Better keep those bathroom doors closed..... if he can see the toilet, you will find him splashing in it!!!
• LOVES his bath, as soon as he hears the water running, he heads straight for the tub!
• Has the loudest ear piercing scream that you have ever heard!!! He loves to play the screaming game.... he will scream at us, then we do it back to him and he just giggles and giggles....and of course it it so cute, that we just keep him going!!
• Such a sweet little man, he LOVES to give kisses!!!
• He gets so excited when he hears the back door open...he knows his daddy is home!
• He LOVES his Daddy...they wrestle every day after work and play all kinds of fun games!
• He is learning baby sign language now, we are working on "all done" right now.
• Has the cutest little curls behind his ears and on the back of his head!!!
• Griffin loves playing with other kids....and taking their toys ;)
• Such a little helper! He loves to help Mommy clean..... I often find toys in the trash can, shoes underneath the cabinets...and the latest-I found his bottle(the one his was drinking full of milk) in the drawer with all of the other (clean) bottles.
• He is such a happy boy, he loves to play and laugh....and make us laugh!

101 things I have learned being a mom..ok, only 10

1. I now carry a large bag/purse instead of my cute little coach bags that I love(d)....simply because I can store everything I need for Griffin....today cleaning out my purse I found...

a: wipes

b: diaper

c: baby spoons (yes, multiple of these)

d: toys

e: snacks

f: 2 bibs

g: burp rag

2. I now almost never wear heels...before Griffin you would almost never catch me in flats, I LOVED my wedges and stilettos...but now, trying to navigate in heels with Griffin, with whatever he is throwing on the ground at the moment, his diaper bag, my purse and whatever else I have in my hands just became too much!

3. When all else fails...feed him...food always works!!!

4. As soon as I get a second for myself...he wakes up from his nap.

5. It never fails, when I am in a rush to get out of the house, Griffin will either spit up all over my cute outfit(probably all over a white outfit) or make a stinky diaper....never fails!

6. This kid can SCREAM...and talk about a high pitched, ear piercing, make everyone within a mile radius of us turn their head kind of scream...usually nothing is wrong, he just wants me to pay attention to him!

7. I am "that mom" yep, never thought I would be "that mom" the one that everyone looks at when your kid is screaming at the top of his lungs in public or finding his way into a huge mess!

8. My shopping strategy has changed...completely...I used to have a closet full of the newest trendiest outfits (they are still there, just fewer and less worn) but now I shop for what Quentin and I refer to as "Amy gear" or "Mom gear" usually tank tops and athletic pants/shorts and tennis shoes.

9. Griffin is a WILD man, and gets into EVERYTHING. He is so super fast toddling around on those 2 little legs, and when he get into something he knows is off limits, I can't help but smile (and many times laugh) when he looks up at me with those big round eyes and cute little grin!

10. My world as I knew will never be the same! ...and I am loving every minute of it!

(I couldn't resist uploading this picture, he is just so silly and cute!!!)

Gratitude project!! Days 14-19

Day 19: Grateful for a "perfect" day!

Recently I read a post from a friend that said..."It's a perfect day for a perfect day!" and it just kind of stuck with me! Well, today was one of those days...Griffin and I started off with our first day of M.A.P.S. (Mothers and Preschoolers). It was so fun, brunch with a bunch of fun girls and then we broke into "small groups", I have 11 girls in mine and we just had the best time chatting. I got tons of great advice and compliments (I have to say...I did have a pretty cute outfit on..HA!) Then I was able to run a couple of errands before G took a great nap and I was able to accomplish a TON of work! Then off to get Griffin's birthday invitations printed (and I surprisingly didn't shed a tear that my brand new teeny tiny baby is about to be a year old already)! They are the absolute cutest invites ever by the way! Griffin and I then went to swim lessons, and our swim teacher let us stay for the next class too...SCORE!!! Our little fish loves the water...and especially all of the water toys he gets to play with while there! (today we would swim the babies from mom to mom, pretty great how quickly they progress)! Then, my wonderful husband had dinner ready for us when we got home...yes, I know...he is pretty great! We had such a fun time playing with our little man...he just giggles and giggles...and even showed us how quickly he is picking up on his baby sign language. Now...quality time with the hubby! LOVE IT!!! It was a perfect day for a perfect day!!!

Day 18: Grateful for an amazing evening spent with my husband and baby playing outside on such a beautiful night!

Day 17: Grateful for the popcorn combo at Target!!! When I want to look around, I know just the thing to keep my little man quiet...food! In this case popcorn...which he LOVES and knows he gets this special treat every time we go to Target!

Day 16: Grateful that my little man helps mommy clean! Usually this means he is constantly pulling objects out of drawers while I am putting them up, but tonight he cleaned so well mommy couldn't find the tv remote for quite a while. He put it exactly where he could find it later...underneath his truck!

Day 15: Grateful for great neighbors who bring over deliciousness....after a day of snacking on candy corn, pickled okra, stuffing, and zuchini bread....why not try some homemade cabbage rolls and coconut desert bars...YUM!!

Day 14: Grateful for Labor Day sales at my favorite fabric store so that I can get super cute fabrics for a new project!

Grateful for friends with fun/funky furniture they don't want anymore!!!

One of my girlfriends was given a Mackenzie Childs table for her birthday(insert oohs and aahs here) so she thought I would be just the right person to take her current kitchen table off of her hands!! I will post pics of the table and newly upholstered chairs soon! Super Cute!!!

a WILD day!!!

Griffin really loves is Ry Ry (as he says) so Rylee came over for a sleepover last Friday night! We had the best time! G and I picked her up from school, we went wakeboarding on the boat, Rylee and Griffin played, and after dinner we watched some of Rylee's favorite shows and played cards. Saturday morning we took Rylee and Griffin to a wildlife park and they had so much fun feeding all of the animals! Rylee even rode a horse and a camel!!!

Griffin and Rylee feeding the bunnies!

My boys with the Kangaroo!
Camel Ride!!! She was sooo excited!
And we can't forget the horse!
Rylee and Griffin weren't too sure about the lemurs!
Giraffe! He was so cute!!

Ladies and Gentlemen...we have a walker!!!

Ok...so I am a little late getting this post up....but our little man is WALKING!!! He started walking between Q and I just before he was 10 months old and about a week and a half later...he took off...all on his own! Now he is so fast, I am constantly chasing after him, and he runs laps around our house! He is the cutest thing you have ever seen!

My only question...does this mean he isn't my tiny baby anymore...and now he is a toddler???

He's a MESS!

He's a mess...literally!! I was cleaning out the pantry and Griffin just happened to find the powdered sugar! He was having so much fun... I didn't notice until it was too late...and I couldn't help but laugh!

First, I dump out all of the sugar!

Then I spread it all around!

This is really fun, is there any more in here!?!

Gratitude project!! Days 8-13

Day 13: Grateful for successful Saturdays!

Had the best day taking Rylee and Griffin to Tanganyika Wildlife park...thankful for naps for the Ellis family (Rylee wore us out), and beautiful weather that we enjoyed as Griffin played outside, and last but definitely not least....listed to Rylee's play list as Q and I enjoyed multiple bottles of wine after a fabulous steak dinner!!! ;) I'd say definitely a GREAT Saturday!

Day 12: Grateful for sleepovers...and a sporty little niece that loves the lake as much as we do!

Day 11: Couldn't decide between these two...in my opinion equally funny!

Grateful that all of the food my little man decides to throw on the floor while eating lunch will eventually get eaten up when he needs a little snack! Yes...Mom of the year award goes to me!!

Grateful that my little man can come up with new and inventive games to play everyday...even if they involve my underwear ;)

Day 10: Grateful for a clean house...even if I am not the one that cleaned it! Ha!

Day 9: Grateful for reconnecting with an old girlfriend!

Day 8: Grateful for the little things!

Quentin was working late tonight, and as Griffin and I were waiting for him to get home... Griffin was just cuddling with me and kept talking and talking and would lean over and give me kiss after kiss! It is nights like tonight that G makes my heart melt all over again and I realize how lucky I am to be his mom!!