Happy Birthday Grayson!

Grayson had a great time partyin like a 1 yr old at his birthday party in Bear Lake! He actually had a really sad moment where he grabbed the elastic string on his hat and pulled it out till it was tight. Then... he let go. He had a welt on his face and cried his little eyes out. Luckily we were able to distract him with balloons! When he ate his cake he decided to turn around and smear some on my chin. He also got it all over the table, the floor and in his hair. It took him a minute to really dig in, the frosting was a new texture for him and he wasnt too sure about it.

He was actually scared of the photographer, but he squeaked out a few smiles!

He LOVED the basketball that
day and when we tried to get
him to pose with another
toy he wouldnt do it. He's
gettin pretty tall for his age,
who knows we might
have a basketball star on our
hands. Or better yet a
beach volleyball player :)

We had to go find an open field so we could shoot a video of Dan's golf swing with a little skit incorperated. While Jon and Dan were filming I thought I'd get a head start on teaching Grayson how to drive :)

Presidents Weekend

My little Grayson turned 1 yr old over the weekend. We went up to Bear Lake with Jon and Kristen to celebrate. We hung out at the Mecham's cabin and went 4-wheeling. I also took Grayson and Koko on several walks in 20 degree whether. It was cold but beautiful! For his birthday Grayson got a couple of toys and had a hay day with the cake. He is getting silly. He's started throwing tantrums when he doesnt get his way... not laying on the floor kicking and screaming, but he makes a really sad face and cries without tears. ( the fake cry)He is in a pretty clingy phase lately. Rarely does he let anyone hold him but me, Dan, and my mom and dad. He is walking better everyday but still relies on crawling to go somewhere if he's in a hurry. Tonight I bathed Koko and Dan brought Grayson in to the bathroom to check things out. The second he saw a wet rat looking Koko he freaked out. He started crying like he was scared of her and didnt recognize her. It was hilarious. In this photo Grayson and I just got back from the grocery store and he made a mess with a biscuit.

SNOW!!

Last night I went snowboarding-first time in 2 years I might add- it was so fun! There were a lot of teenyboppers there trying to hook up and it was sooo freakin cold, but other than that it was good times! I was kind of worried how I would do since it has been forever but its just like riding a bike- I picked it right up. I didnt attempt any jumps because we dont have health insurance right now... can you imagine how bad that would suck? Even though I love to snowboard I'm not as hardcore as I used to be. I think I'll snowboard anytime after February during the day only. Spring snow is what its all about! However, I am quite ready for spring to come. And Dan is like 100 times more ready for spring than me. I think as soon as we are able to (if Dan makes it on tour) we will move to a warmer climate to live and just visit the snow. I would definitely miss the changing seasons and I think snow is so beautiful. I compare a good snowstorm with big fat snowflakes, when its really still outside, to something as beautiful as a sunset in a tropical paradise. I love it!

Sweetness

Grayson really is the cutest little boy. And I know everyone thinks that about their own kid, but it's not just me. His personality is a mixture of sensitivity, adventure and silliness. He's turning 1yr old a week from tomorrow. His walking skills improve by the day. He will hold onto furniture then look over his shoulder and his little face lights up at the discovery of a new object. Then he just takes off walking with a grin on his face. When he gets to where he's headed he plops down on his bum and buries his face in the toy-usually a stuffed animal. He really knows what he wants. If he has his eye on something and he cant have it he gets frustrated and starts grunting. When I hold him sometimes before bed he grabs my neck skin and pinches it, not to be mean or anything, but just to play. He really is growing so fast. I cant believe how time flies. I feel really old saying that because my parents always say it! My biggest concern about raising this little piece of heaven is to remember what it was like for me to be a kid. Dan and I are all about having rules and having our kids show respect, but also to know how mistakes are a part of life. If our kids are anything like Dan and I they wont be able to learn by hearing it. They will have to try everything for themselves and learn the hard way...YIKES!

Appraise ME

Luckily I'm slowly starting to get some business. My dad agreed to let me do data input (to make his job a lot easier) and pay me for it! I also have a few contacts that will hopefully generate business in the near future. At least my lack of money burden is lighter by maybe a few pounds as of today. Its funny when I was younger-like 2 years ago- I could sleep whenever, where ever and however. Now it seems the stresses of the world are prohibiting me from that joy I used to experience. Last night for example... I went to bed at 1:30am and woke up at 7am and it wasnt even because of Grayson either, he was sound asleep! So I just popped out of bed. Who does that, seriously?!?

Golf, what is it good for?

Dan got some money from his mom for Christmas. He's had this goal, pursuit, dream of golfing for a living and we decided that this summer is the summer. So he put that money toward lessons at an indoor training facility called the Golf Lab and is loving it so far. He's learned a couple little things that have really helped with his confidence and consistency. This one is going to go far. He has real talent and a burning desire. He made a list of all the tournaments he wants to compete in and we are going to do everything we can to make sure he plays in as many of them as possible. I'm very happy that he is pursuing his dream and following his heart. The only disappointment is that he dumped me as his caddy. Apparently I can't bring Grayson along while I'm carrying the clubs :) Oh well now I can just cheer him on and not be more exhausted than him at the end of the round!

Running Anyone?

So here's the deal. In attempt to get my body back (hopefully get a better one than before) after the whole having a baby thing I decided to sign up for a half marathon and run it with some girls in my ward. Its in Moab on March 8th. So after I signed up for that this guy calls me up, lets call him Jon, and says hey I want to run a marathon so I think you should want to too! So I told him I would run if he could find one in the western US before May 18th (Grayson needs a sibling) I would do it. Believe it or not there just happens to be a marathon in Ogden on May 17th. What are the chances? So we've been training probably only somewhat dedicated. And I say that because even though we have long runs on the weekend that we need to be prepared for... it takes a crapload of motivation to train during the week. And lets be honest sometimes I slack. But this past Sunday after the superbowl and eating junkfood... we went to the Olympic Oval at 9pm and ran a little over 9 miles. I'll admit it was tough, but in May I have to run 17 more than that (uh why am I doing this?) so in the big scheme of things it was really nothing-like I said earlier, its all about perspective!

How are we?

Well this is for future me to look back on. Right now Dan and I are struggling a little bit financially... okay a lot! At the end of the month we always end up short. Our bills outweigh our income. Its not very fun. The moral of this little story to my future self is that there is still so much to be thankful for. So when you are rollin in the dough and find a second of feeling sorry for your little self, just remember where you started. The most important thing is family and family relationships. Always thank God for everything he's given you. It's all about perspective.

Bandwagon time!

So I feel like I'm jumping on a BIG TIME bandwagon because everyone and their mom's dog has a blog. But since I've always been a terrible journal writer maybe my descendants will appreciate this.