Accomplishments Everywhere

Can anyone say blessed? That is exactly what I am. The last four months have been difficult. Case has had Strep 4 times. I have had Strep 3 times. Cole has had a sinus infection, ear infection and Strep all at different times. Cody has been traveling. Needless to say our days and nights have been long, whiney and not very pleasant. But despite all this some big ole blessings have showed their faces. Cole is finally sleeping through the night. It’s been 10 months since I haven’t had to get up at least 2-3 times after my 11 pm bedtime and before 6 am wake time. Oh-My-Gosh! ALL night long. When Cole first started sleeping through the night I was in panic mode. Every few hours I was up checking to make sure he had not died in his sleep. Now that I am able to enjoy my uninterrupted slumber, and boy do I enjoy the rest, I feel pretty much amazing all the time. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

As if that wasn’t enough. Last week, Case decided to potty train himself. For the last 6 months, every day we would talk about going to the potty and wearing big boy pants, but Case was steadfast that he liked his diaper. Then, out of nowhere, one morning he woke up and said he had to go potty. After our celebration he asked to wear his big boy pants. And the rest is history. He has been in big boy pants for over a week now and only had a handful of accidents. Case has been successful with short trips to the store and will wake himself up from naps to go potty. I have even seen him dump out the potty water and flush the toilet on his own (who needs me?). If he could reach the sink handles to put in more water I know he would do that as well. How easy is that?! I’m so proud.

To top it all off Case decided he was big enough to put on his own shoes and buckle his car seat! Wow! Accomplishments are overflowing in the Gray house and I am one happy and proud mama!

Happy 3rd Birthday Case!

Today we celebrated Cases 3rd birthday with a family trip to the zoo! Giraffes kicked off the fun.


Cole was intrigued with the large licking giraffes.


The zebras were up close today.


In fact most all of the animals were out and entertaining the crowds. This spectacle bear was fun to check out.


Case took a break from spying animals for a quick train ride.

Cole spent the majority of the morning eating Cheerio's in his stroller.

Other animals that were just a stones throw away were the gorillas, snow leopards, tigers and orangutans.

The sun, fun and excitement tuckered everyone out for the ride home.


Case took a short short nap and then we were ready for round 2....party time!

Lighting McQueen and Mater cake.

My big boy! Sniff, sniff. Hard to believe we have been lucky enough to have this little guy in our lives for the past 3 years. I couldn't be more blessed.

Action shot! Blowing out the candles.

Yum-O! Cake sandwich.


The icing on the cake was a big hit.

During the feeding frenzy even the candle was chomped on.

Next up, presents! The first present to get knocked down was a pair of walkie talkies! Cool!

Lele joined the fun via Skype to watch Case open up presents. This package contained sharkes, whales, dophins and other sea creatures. Cases response to the present...I want to take a bath!

View finders are always fun. Case also scored a fishing pole, tackle box and fishing supplies.

The fun after opening the presents was just as fun as all the morning fun, but I am tired and will have to post more later.

Convos With A 2 Year Old

Case: It sure is a nice day today.
Me: I agree. It is a nice day.
Case: The sky is pretty.
Me: Yup. It is pretty.
Case: And the wind feels good too.
…….Am I having a conversation with a 2 year old or a 10 year old?

Me: (Waking Case up from a nap) Good afternoon honey. Do you know mommy loves you? I think you are pretty great.
Case: Don’t forget I’m smart too.
.......Modesty has obviously not developed yet.

Wonder woman

The AC has been repaired, completed a dr appt, went to sams AND wal-mart, both boys have been fed (sort of), bathed and dressed all before noon. Now, looking back on my morning, I wonder….how and the heck did I do all that?! Sometimes I amaze myself.

9 Months Already!

Cole is 9 months old. He is an army crawler, jabber box, loves his paci and weighs 15.40 lbs and is 26 inches long. Despite the use of his legs while crawling I am amazed at how quickly he can get from pint A to point B. Actually his little crawl is pretty funny to watch. Crawling down the hallway dragging his legs behind, drooling and hollering at the top of his lungs always reminds me of a teeny tiny wounded war victim.

Cole likes to eat Cheeto’s, cereal, watermelon, vanilla wafers, crackers and pudding but has little interest in actual baby food. Just recently Cole decided he could feed himself with a spoon which makes mealtime even messier than before (how is that possible)! I have to use 2 spoons during meal time. Here is the routine: I fill one with food and hand it off to him to put in his own mouth. Then I load up the second one because he won't relinquish the first spoon until I hand him another food filled utensil to grab and shove in his mouth. Repeat. Notice how EVERY inch of his face is shiny. That shine is from pudding, not the flash of the camera.

Cole likes taking a bath with his brother, playing catch/ball and loves the swing in the backyard. He is an outdoor kind of guy and can spend all morning outside on the lawn watching the dogs or playing with Case and mom. Despite loving his brother jealousy has begun to show its face in our home. Of course we deal with each boy wanting the same toy or wanting to swing in the same swing on a daily basis. But just recently whenever I am holding Case or pick Case up for a hug, if Cole witnesses the affection, he quickly shoots a disgruntled shout my way. And not surprisingly if I am holding Cole, Case more often than not suddenly needs to be held at that exact same moment as well. Mommy is currently in high demand. I love it!

Cole can clap his hands and wave hello and good bye. His wave looks more like a hail to Hitler, but mama knows what he is trying to do. Maybe my ears are anxious for additional communication, but I swear he has even said mama (ahhhhh, sweet music). He is still a lover and prefers to be held over anything else, which is my favorite trait about him.

Cole has 2 bottom teeth. Funny story about teeth. Shortly after Cole uncovered his first bottom tooth he decided to test out his new chomper on dear old mom while nursing. He was holding on for life and after my scream he not only held his grip but added a little tooth grinding action to the bite. Mom had to bop him on his ear to break his bite. As comical as this situation may sound, what was really funny is that immediately after the bop, he turned to look at me, opened his little mouth and yelled at me! Cole was disciplined for the first time and then he talked back all in one experience. Oh lordy, I am going to have my hands full! If you look really hard in this picture you can see his little teeth nubs.

I love him more and more each day and am so blessed to be the one who gets to love this little guy every day of my life.