California

Jim and I took a long weekend (without kids) to visit my brother, Bryan, and his new wife, Kristen, in Los Angeles. We had many laughs, which is always guaranteed when Bryan is around. The first night Bryan and Jim wore the same shirt out to dinner. But, because it was LA no one thought it was that weird. The next day we drove to Santa Barbara Wine Country and visited the beautiful vineyards. We rented a surrey and drove around the little dutch town where we stayed the night. In the morning we went for a hike and then Bryan and Kristen dropped us off in Santa Monica where we spent a night overlooking the ocean. It was a busy weekend, yet we came home feeling refreshed. Thank you mom and dad for looking after Grant and Kate so we could enjoy this special weekend!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Koss

Here are a few fun pictures of the kids eating Grandma's birthday cake. The best part of the evening though was when Grant pushed a chair into the burning fireplace. The flames grew huge very quickly before anyone noticed. (We were eating dinner and Grant had just excused himself.) Thankfully, Papa thought quickly and picked up the burning chair and threw it outside. Jim and Mom followed close behind with buckets of water. The alarms were going off so the kids were screaming and I was just trying to keep them calm. It looks like my parents are out a very nice chair and a gorgeous rug. But, both grandkids are burn free. Whooh.

A New Cousin

Sweet baby Oliver was welcomed into the world this morning. Mama and baby are healthy and happy. Congratulations Lindsay and Josh!

A day at the zoo

This is the first fall that Grant is officially allowed to be out of the house. We're taking full advantage of it going to the zoo, gym class, swimming and the mall. I even went to the park with him the other day without hand wipes. :) It is hard for me to believe that last winter I couldn't take him places. Someone asked me the other day what I have done inside the last two years. I don't remember. It is all a blur. God got me through it though and now I'm just thankful that Grant's health has improved so much.

Scratch and Sniff

Both of our kids did some scratching this weekend. Grant got ahold of a sharp rock and "colored" all over the back of my car. It looks like someone keyed the car. Jim took it really well and recalled a story of when he was little and found himself in a room with a can of paint and a brush. He said he remembers thinking this probably isn't okay, but he kept doing it anyway. When I told my brother, Bryan, he recounted two stories of coloring on walls growing up. One was with a can of spray paint. In one instance he used a marker to write his name on the walls and when he was asked if he did it he adamantly denied it. Boys.

This weekend Kate noticed a new tattoo on Derme's leg. At first it looked like she was blowing on the tattoo but then we realized she was sniffing it. She thought it was a scratch and sniff sticker!

Grant's mouth

So...last night I finally decided to take Grant's complaint seriously and I looked in his mouth. Much to my surprise I found a giant white sore in the middle of his tongue. Ouch! I took him to urgent care this morning and they think it is a yeast infection. Poor guy. He's not up for eating, so it is a good thing protein shakes flow like rivers over here.

This morning, I saw a very concrete of how different girls are from boys. Kate and Jim were quietly having a tea party when Grant found them. He came blazing through with a hanger, knocking every cup and saucer over yelling, "I'm Captain Hook and I'm going to wreck you."

Grant also has this new saying if you ask him to do anything. He says, "I'll try my best and that's all you can ask."

Peter Pan

Grant seems to be having a lot of ailments lately. I can't tell if he really is in pain or he's just saying it. Every time we are in the car he says his stomach hurts. I pretty much ignored this until he puked in his carseat the other day. Lately he is saying his mouth hurts when he eats. I wasn't really taking this seriously either but yesterday he was sobbing saying he couldn't eat. Please pray for Grant to be healthy and for wisdom for me.

On a different note, Grant and I watched Peter Pan last night. The kids are going to be Peter Pan and Tinkerbell for Halloween so I thought they should at least see the movie. When I was taking Grant up to bed he asked, "Mom, why is Captain Hook so mean? I want to throw the hooker in the trash can."

Hugs

Grant loves to give Kate hugs and say, "Kate, you are such a cute yittle (little) baby!" I love this picture where she is trying to escape his hug.

Samuel

It makes me smile to hear Grant talking about God and the Bible. Last week at Community Bible Study Grant learned all about Samuel and how God spoke to this young boy. I was able to tell Grant that his middle name is Samuel after this boy and just like Samuel answered, "Here I am Lord, your servant is listening," we want Grant to follow God's voice. He thought this was very interesting and asked what Samuel's first name was. I said, "Samuel," so he said, "oh, his name is Samuel Samuel?" I guess he only thinks Samuel is a middle name.

Last night I had a really bad headache and I said, "Let's ask God to heal my head." He said, "Just like Hannah asked God for baby Samuel?" Yes! So, he prayed for my head and then he said, "Aunt Lindsay prayed for Jesus to make your headache feel better." (He had just been at my parents with Lindsay.) Later when I was talking to Lindsay I thanked her for praying with Grant for my headache. She laughed and said that she never prayed with Grant for my head. What a cool imagination he has!

Overpacked

Thank God for dads. Me? I just play with whatever toys we have in the basement. Jim gets creative and last night it took the form of putting Kate in various compartments of the suitcase and zipping her around the house. She's having more fun than it appears.

Time Out

Grant thinks it is funny to put his feet on the table during dinner. We have repeatedly told him not to do this so tonight when he did it he got an immediate time out. I didn't want to unstrap him from his booster seat so I just pushed his whole chair facing into the wall. He was very composed during this whole process and when I went to get him he calmly told me that he was busy thinking about his day and would I please leave him alone. I didn't know what to do with that so I just left him alone. A few minutes later he called for me and said he was all done. Who is giving who a time out here?!

Doctor Visits

Last week Kate would not stop crying for like 24 hours. I took her to the doctor because I was convinced that something must be wrong with her. Nothing wrong- just cutting 6 new teeth at once! She had a rough few days but she seems fine now. While she was at the doctor's office they gave her a flu shot and told me that Grant is old enough for flu mist. We went yesterday, and what a treat! No tears. I wish we had that option with all vaccinations.

Our little chatterbox is back from Disney. (Thanks grandma and grandpa!) Here are a few things he's been saying:
Grant: the snake told Eve to take the apple
Mom: Why did he do that?
Grant: He was hungry.

Mom: Did you know that I have a mom, too, just like you? Who is my mommy?
Grant: Derme.

Mom: Grant, you'll do it right now because I said so and I'm the boss.
Grant: You're not the boss. Dad's the boss.

Where's Grant?

I was wondering how Kate would do without her sidekick around. She's surprisingly joyful. She now calls me "mom" instead of "mama," so our days have been filled with her yelling, "mom," and running over to me with a big wet kiss on the lips! I think she is really loving all this attention. I hate to admit it but Grant often takes center stage because of his larger-than-life personality. It is great to get to know Kate in a whole new way!

Hello Disney

Grant left for Disney World this morning with Grandma and Grandpa Koss. I'm not sure who is more excited. I'm pretty sure the grandparents since Grant has no clue what Disney World is. However, he had a huge grin this morning when we woke him up early and told him he was leaving for Disney World.

Jim is working a lot this week so that leaves Kate and I with a lot of alone time. To be honest, it started out kind of rocky. She woke up several times in the night screaming. She would quiet down as long as we were holding her but whenever we put her back in the crib she would scream. I thought something serious must be wrong with my sweet child so I took her to the doctor's this morning. The culprit: 6 new teeth, including 2 molars. Thankfully, after a dose of Tylenol things got better and Kate and I had a great day. We went shopping, watched Beth Moore on tv and went out to dinner. Daughters are great, even at one year old!

Dot

Kate has a name for Grant. It's Dot. Kinda funny, but it's what she came up with. In the above picture Jim is walking out of church with Kate and Grant. It is so much fun to be able to go to church now with the kids. Kate is not sure whether or not she likes it yet, but if they stuff her with graham crackers she usually stops crying. Grant loves his classroom and equally enjoys playing on the band's drums after church. Whenever he sees a cross he says, "Do you know what the cross means? It means Jesus loves you."

Haircut

Yesterday Kate got her first haircut! When Grant was little and couldn't leave the house because of germs we had a hairdresser come to our house to cut his hair. She has been gracious enough to continue doing this. It is so much easier than a salon because the kids can watch movies. Last night they actually ate dinner while watching tv and getting their haircuts..until Grant told me he didn't want to eat his chicken because it was hairy! Whoops!

Scrapes

My active children keep getting bumps and bruises. On Grant's face there is a cut from falling face first onto his guitar, and a bloody lip from tripping over a tree root at the park. Kate is in tears from slipping on the bathroom floor. Hopefully this is just a stage.

Question of the Day

Grant is into asking "why?" Today he asked, "Mom, why can't we eat poop?"

On the way home from the park...

Grant: Where are we going?
Mom: Home, to eat lunch.
Grant: I want to go to a restaurant.
Mom: I didn't bring any money with me.
Grant: Check your wallet.
Mom: We're not going to a restaurant.
(long pause)
Grant: I miss Grandma and Grandpa.
Mom: You do honey?
Grant: Yes. They would take me to a restaurant.

Close Call

We've had a couple of close calls lately. Last night Derme found Kate in her crib with her stretchy blanket wrapped around her neck and over her face. Thankfully, Kate didn't seem to mind and was breathing fine, but we did take the blanket away.

This morning I was at the park with Grant and he was climbing up this 6-7ft "corkscrew" thing when his foot slipped. He was right at the top so it was quite a fall. He landed on his back and sort of bounced back on to his head. I think it knocked the wind out of him but that was it. What a miracle. When we got in the car I called Jim and told him the story. At some point in our conversation I said, "thank you, Jesus." Grant heard me and asked, "mom, are you on the phone?" I nodded. "Can I talk to Jesus?" :)

Naked Baby

I have been praying for God to enable Kate to sleep in later. Since she was born Kate has woken up around 6:00/6:15am for the day. Grant doesn't wake up until 7:30ish. I feel like I'm a much better mom if I can just sleep until 6:30am. :) So, I've been asking. And guess what? He answered. Now, I don't think Kate is actually sleeping much later (maybe a little), but she has a new way of entertaining herself when she wakes up. She takes off her pajama shirt. Yes, it is a struggle. It is hard work. She grunts and groans, but she finishes the job. It takes about 30 minutes. I love walking into my naked baby every morning.

Fun with words

Kate is starting to talk. A lot. Might I have two chatterboxes? She can say doctor, dragon, up, down, in, mama, dada, hat, all done, dog, duck, ball, milk, sock. It is funny what they pick up isn't it? Despite her large vocabulary most everyone is doctor or mama.

Grant's latest phrase is, "you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man.." Spoken as he runs away from me. It is a very convenient phrase to use to avoid diaper changes, bedtime and mealtimes.

This Morning's Conversation

Grant: Mama, who are you singing to?
Me: God
Grant: We can't see God, but he lives in our howt. (heart)
Me: That's right, but one day we'll see God.
Grant: Will he play with me?
Me: Sure.
Grant: I will throw him down the stairs.
Me: Hmmmm...that sounds pretty mean.
Grant: I just jokin' mama!

Good Times with G & G Ned

Happy 1st Birthday, Kate

Dear Kate,
The first year of your life has flown by. I'm excited by the sweet personality that we see developing. You are observant, determined, obedient and curious. I love to watch you squeal with delight when you go down the slide at swimming class or when dad pulls you in the wagon. I am so thankful for the way you and Grant get along. It melts my heart when you reach out and kiss him. May you two always be the best of friends. I'm so impressed by the fierce determination I see when you climb the stairs or get back on your feet after Grant accidentally knocks you over. I pray you would use that determination to fight for the down-and-out in years to come. You are a true early bird! Use that time wisely in years to come, spending time with God each morning before you start your day. There is nothing I pray more often for you than for you to know God and make Him known. Let His love settle over you tonight as you sleep and may you receive all the good things He has in store for you.

A beautiful bar

Today I took Grant to a new park. While we were there we got hungry so I decided to take him to a pub that I spotted down the street for a quick bite to eat. When we walked in Grant said really loudly, "Mom, this place is soooo beautiful!" Is that embarressing or what?! Everyone looked at us and started laughing. When the hostess came up to us Grant looked her in the face and said, "I really like this place." This kid needs to get out more. :)

Jesus is hiding

Yesterday Grant, Kate and I had band practice in the basement. I was the singer and lead guitar player, Grant was the drummer and Kate was on the xylophone. I was singing the song, "Lord, I lift your name on High" when I realized that Grant might not know who "Lord" was. So, here's how our conversation went:

Mom: Grant, did you know that Lord is the same person as God and Jesus?
Grant: Where is Jesus?
Mom: He is in heaven. Well, he's here too. He's all around us. Does that make sense?
Grant: I know where he is. He's hiding. I'll find him!
Mom: Grant, it doesn't really work like that. We can't see him.
Grant: Don't worry, I'll find him. Jesus, where are you??? (then, he proceeded to open all the doors and drawers)

Wow, teaching my kids about Jesus is going to be more of a challenge than I ever realized! :)

Well trained

Grant has Kate so well trained. Yesterday I caught him playing doctor on her. She did everything he asked of her including when he held a flashlight to her mouth and prompted her she said, "ahhhhh." Earlier today Grant took Jim's sock and hid it in the dining room. Jim asked Grant to go get it. Grant turned to Kate and said, "Kate, go find dad's sock." Kate then left the room that all of us were in, headed to the dining room by herself and retrieved the sock, all the while running back to us with a giant toothy grin.

He's not always so bossy. He obviously cares so much about her and shows it by saying things like, "close the door so Kate doesn't fall down the stairs," sharing his toys and always slobbering her with kisses. Tonight after we tucked the kids in I could hear Grant whispering through the monitor, "mom, mom, mom...you forgot my pacifier." It took me a while to get up there, but he never spoke above a whisper because he said he didn't want to wake Kate. What a sweetie!

Sassy Kate

Mr.Wiggles

It was 2:30pm. Grant had not eaten, napped or moved over moved for a very long time.It wasn't even so much that Grant wanted to move, but that he wanted to talk. And, when he talks he is very animated. So after the nurse "shhhhhed" us several times she finally concluded that Grant needed to be sedated to finish the echo. But, in questioning me it came out that I gave him a protein bar that morning. (The nurse whom I talked to the night before said he could have a "light snack." Protein bars are light snacks, right?) They disapprovingly told me that that is considered a solid meal. So, it was not possible to sedate Grant. :) It was an accident, I swear. So, the doctor told the tech exactly what pictures HAD to be taken and between sucking on a lollipop and me singing show tunes (much to my humilation) we got the job done.

The conclusion after the echo and EKG was that his veins and heart looked great. They were specifically looking for no narrowing of any veins and from what pictures they did get there was not any. Doctor was encouraged that Grant never seems out of breath and has no trouble keeping up with other kids. He was a little concerned about Grant's recent pneumonia, so he sent us up to x-ray to get pictures of his chest. But, since we had such a long day already he said he'd call us with the results.

Grant did great today. He didn't cry once. For the first time ever I let him play with the gross, dirty toys in the corner of the cardiac waiting room. I remember last year at our appointment thinking I would never let my kid touch those toys even if he was 100% healthy. We've come a long way.

Big Day

Thursday is Grant's annual cardiology visit at U of M. This is the day that they do an EKG, Echo etc. Up until this point they have always had to sedate Grant to do the tests. This year I have requested to do the tests unsedated. If you know Grant then you know that he is a very active guy, so this could be challenging. They will give it one try and if he is not cooperating then they will have to put him out. We know that with God all things are possible. Would you please join us in praying that he will not have to be sedated? We don't expect them to find anything wrong with his heart, but we'd appreciate your continued prayers for a healthy heart!

What they're in to

Grant- Loves his "yown time (alone time), which consists of sitting quietly in his crib reading for about 45 minutes a day. Is amazing at sharing with Kate. He constantly asks where she is and wants to give his toys to her (not his favorite ones, of course). Is into nuts and protein bars. Thinks they are as good as cookies. (Like father, like son). Is super sensitive. When Elmo lost his blanket in a movie the other day he cried. :)Loves the slide at the water park but still hates to get his hair washed.

Kate- Loves to climb up and down stairs. We do this every morning from about 5:45-7:00am while Grant is still asleep. Is a great eater. Loves to kiss any pictures in books of babies. Loves purses. She has several play purses now and slings them over her shoulder and walks around. Is super tough. She gets shoved, pushed, hit and falls all the time but she never cries when she is physically hurt. She gets right back up and fights back. Roars at the stuffed lion every time she sees it in the playroom. Doesn't need much sleep.(boo)Loves to snuggle and "honk" noses. She gave me a nose bleed yesterday because she accidently shoved her finger up my nose before I could stop her.

Bath Time

The other day Derme gave Grant and Kate a spaghetti bath...

Feeling Better

Grant is feeling so much better! The antibiotics are working and Grant's fever is gone. He is still really grumpy, but I think that is to be expected after all he's been through. Thank you for your prayers!

Sick Grant

Just got back from getting chest x-rays at the hospital. Grant was diagnosed with atypical pneumonia. This means that instead of having pneumonia in one area of the lungs he has it in three. He is really miserable. We start two antibiotics today. Please pray for quick healing.

7 seconds

Kate and Grant started swim lessons about a month ago. At the facility there are two pools side by side, so Kate and I go in one pool and Grant goes in the other all by himself. This was really tough for him at the beginning, but last week he actually earned a ribbon that said, "I put my face in the water." For a kid who screams getting his hair washed this was a big accomplishment. He is fine being away from me now and is learning great skills like taking turns, in addition to learning how to swim.

In addition to being part monkey Kate is part fish. Today she went underwater for 7 seconds! She isn't phased in the slightest. I think I could probably keep her under for longer but I couldn't handle it. She loves the baby slide the best but hasn't learned yet to close her mouth when she goes down it so she doesn't get a mouthful.

Detroit

This weekend we spent the day in Detroit at aunt Lindsay and Uncle Josh's new house. The kids adore Lindsay and Josh and had a blast exploring in their house and yard. For his nap we put Grant in a pack and play in their bedroom. At one point while he was supposed to be sleeping we heard a really loud noise coming from the bedroom. After a few minutes we went up and Grant had jumped and rocked in his pack and play so hard that he managed to travel about 6 feet to Lindsay's nightstand. There he grabbed the pepper spray and Tylenol bottle. Even the pack and play can't contain him. Close call.

Fun with Words

I've been trying to get Kate to watch "Baby Signing Time" videos for months now. (They were so helpful in teaching Grant to communicate.) She has no interest. In fact, she has no interest in any children's videos. She only likes HGTV. I'm serious. So, I've been trying to teach her to sign on my own and she's finally got it! She can sign more, all done, night-night and milk. It is great to finally be able to understand a bit of what she is trying to communicate.

Grant, on the other hand, has no trouble expressing himself. The other day we were waiting in line at the Troy Aquatic Center (waterpark type place) and he was getting impatient. I told him we had to wait in line to pay money. He must have thought I said we were waiting to "get money" because he marched right up to the window and said, "Excuse me, we need money please to buy food and clothes and toys." The women at the counter just laughed so the persistent little fellow went to the next window. The mom there was holding her credit card out to give the cashier when it was swiped by Grant. He gave her a huge smile and said, "We need money." Then he nodded his head a few times and attempted to walk off.

What they're up to

Grant- Before every nap/bedtime he requests, "sing about my day," so Jim and I change the words to familiar songs to recap to Grant what he did that day. Has also learned to use "my tummy hurts" as a form of manipulation around bedtime or if he doesn't want to eat something.

Kate- Has learned how to kiss. If you ask her to give you a kiss she'll lunge forward with her mouth wide open and plant a wet one on ya. Loves to play hide and seek. In the mornings while Grant is still sleeping I hide in the kitchen/dining room and she runs around looking for me. Every time she finds me she belly laughs like she's never done this before.

Rock Star

When we went to a garage sale the other day I told Grant he could pick out a few things. He chose a top hat and a guitar. He has not put the guitar down since. Here's him playing one of his songs. It is called, "Bringin'" and the chorus is "bringing balls and blinds" in case you can't understand him.

Smiles All Around

My favorite picture is the one of Grant wearing my silver heels. He walked all over the house in them and Kate followed him around like a little puppy. When he finally took them off she tried to eat them. Okay, I guess she's more like a puppy than I first realized.

"Talk about it"

This post may not make sense to anyone, but I have to blog it so that 20 years from now we can look back at it and laugh.

For several months now Grant has been requesting that we repeat a sequence of events that happened in the past by saying something like, "The flood. Talk about it." He has three main events that he wants repeated:
1) "Do not walk on it. Talk about it."- Grandma and Grandpa Ned, this one would make you smile. It is about the shuffleboard court near your house with the sign that said, "Please do not walk on court."
2)"Man fall down." A few months ago Grant when started his obsession with car washes Jim played a video on the internet of a man who went into a car wash and slipped. He wants a replay of exactly what happened to the man with the soap, blow dryers etc.
3. "The flood." Our basement flooded last month and they had to rip up all the carpet, baseboards and do many other things involving all sorts of tools that little boys want to get their hands on.

The funny part about these stories is that Grant literally asks to hear them 20 times a day. ANY time there is a moment of silence he chimes in, "Tell about 'Do not walk on it.'" Sometimes I just talk about other things without a breath so that I don't have to repeat these three series of events. :)

Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Storytime

New Bike

The other day my sister in law suggested that Grant is old enough to ride a bike. This really excited me because I imagined hours of fun in the driveway this summer. So, all weekend long we told Grant that mommy was going to take him to pick out his very own bike. When we finally arrived at Toys R Us Grant was thrilled. However, the idea of a bike quickly got lost in the rows of balls, trucks, hammers, spaceships and legos. Why did the bike section have to be at the back of the store? We finally made our way back there and he picked out his very own 10 inch florescent green bike. When we got home I jumped out of the car, ripped the tags off and sat Grant on the seat. I was pushing him around in the driveway for a few minutes when he jumped off the bike and went running for the garage. By the time I caught up with him he had a broom in each hand. "Let's sweep, Mama!" So much for the bike. If it's not vacuuming, it's sweeping the garage.

From Grant's mouth...

"Kate, you look so pretty today!"
"Mom, why does dad call you honey?"
"Mom, watch out- Kate's trouble."
"Let's keep our eyes peeled for car washes."

Quirks

Every kid has their quirks. Grant's had quite a few of them, but one of his most recent really cracks me up. You see, he's had a sound machine in his room that generates white noise since he was a baby. Recently he's discovered that the sound machine also makes other noises, most notably a heartbeat. He calls this "mup-mup," and wants it on constantly. When we're reading books in his room he requests "mup-mup" on in the background. When he's playing with toys he quietly goes over and turns the dial to "mup-mup" and then looks at me with a wide grin. Isn't it ironic that our little boy with the repaired heart loves the sound of a healthy heartbeat in the background?

We call her spiderwoman

Kate loves to climb everything. Here's what happened yesterday when Jim was trying to get something out of the fridge while holding her. She's a little monkey.

Remember when...

Today Grant "graduated" from the Early On program. Since Grant was 3 months old someone from the program has been coming to our house on a regular basis to evaluate Grant and work with him on various goals we set. Today his teacher announced that he has met all of the goals and she was going to close his case. This makes Grant officially "normal" in every area. He's right on track in all areas, he can be in group situations that may have germs and he doesn't have any further medical treatment. (He does have to have tests done on his heart once a year as a preventative measure, but no further surgeries are needed.)

Over dinner tonight I sat with Jim delivering the good news and he began to play, "remember when...", thanking God for how far Grant has come. Remember when he laid unconscious in the hospital bed? Remember when he was on 14 medications? Remember when we had to pin him down to do his breathing treatments? We went on and on. He has come so far. We are beyond thankful. Go God!

Doctor's Visit

Kate went to the orthopedic surgeon today for a more complete examination of her leg/foot. The doc was really positive and said that she will most likely outgrow both the bow-leggedness and the intoeing. He even said that physical therapy isn't necessary. Yippee! That give us much more time to do fun activities of our own.

We've been playing at the nearby parks as much as possible. Grant loves the slides and the tire swing. He also loves to jump out and say "peek-a-boo" to all the older kids. I think it is adorable but the kids think it is a little weird. Kate loves the baby swing and could sit in it for hours. She loves to watch the kids, especially the other babies. I am starting to love having the kids so close in age. It is really nice to do the same activity with both of them.

Random Pics

Here are a random smattering of pictures that I've been meaning to post. We have everything from Charleston to a visit from Uncle Hal and a few pictures in between.

Walking

A peek at baby Kate's first steps..