No more Binky!

Thank you so much to everyone who commented about Grant's sleeping. I really appreciated hearing what other people do! We decided to wean Grant from his binky starting last Sunday night. He had three binkies and he "helped" us throw them away in the garbage. We talked about how he was a big boy now. (He kept repeating what we were saying, but I'm pretty sure he didn't quite understand.) Then I let him have a little treat before bed. :) We did the regular bedtime routine but that night I let him have his stuffed dog. (He calls it "Buddy.") He cried for about 20 minutes, but it actually went really well. Naptime on Monday was another story. He cried for 1 1/2 hours and never fell asleep!! I was practically crying, too. But each day got better thanks to lots of prayers and last night he didn't even cry when he went to bed. He held his little dog and went right to sleep. And the good news- out of the last five nights, he's only woken up once! It is so nice to have him sleep through the night! He's asked about his binky a few times, but he usually says "All gone?" He has done pretty well in the car and grocery shopping. He is just growing up!


Other news- we went to Kelly's last Saturday night with our ward. Tyson skied and I snowboarded. It had been 4 years since I'd been, and 10 years for Tyson!! We had SO much fun and I can't want to go again!! Grant stayed at Grandma's- thanks Mom and Dad! And I think some of you already know this, but Tyson took a new job, so we are moving. Well at least we are going to put our house for sale. It was definitely the right decision for us, but not necessarily an easy one. :) We really love our house and where we are at, so it will be an adjustment. Tyson starts in March and will commute (1 hour each way, on a good day) until we sell the house. I've been attempting to make our home look more decorated, so thank you to everyone who has given me ideas and helped us. It's coming along and maybe I'll post some pictures in awhile. Isn't that pathetic that I didn't do much of anything on our house until we decided to had to sell it!? Ha! Well, wish us luck!

Chattering Teeth

We took Grant to the Aquatic Center last night for our family activity. I forgot how COLD it is!! It brought back memories of swimming lessons where my lips would turn blue and I would shiver my way through the half hour or so of learning how to breathe under water, uhh...wait, that's not right, how to breathe while attempting to swim. Oh whatever. Needless to say, Grant did not last much over 20 minutes. He was wide-eyed and mute the whole time. However, it was fun to do something as a little family, and at least it was $2 night!
And now I'm going to expose my lack of parenting skills here. Grant uses a binky during naps and nighttime and sometimes in the car if he's screaming, etc. When he was younger, he would wake up a few times a night and all I'd have to do is put the binky back in his mouth and he'd fall asleep. Well that's continued up til now, and I'm going crazy. He still wakes up 2-3 times per night. Shouldn't a 19-month-old be able to sleep through the night? It's not like he's awake for very long, but he won't go back to sleep unless I come in and put the binky in his mouth. I realize I've trained him to do this, but how do I stop? Do I need to take away his binky? Advise please.

Typical Day

Watching the kids get on and off the bus in front of our house: Lucky for him, it happens four times a day!
Eating one of Tyson's chocolate chip cookies:His cookies are the best. It doesn't matter how hard I try, I can never make them quite as well as Tyson. So darn, guess he has to keep making them instead of me! :)

Trying on Dad's shoes:

What happens when I indulge in a movie and Grant is not napping:(This time it was Tuesdays with Morrie, a thought-provoking and poignant movie.)

After picking up Grant's toys yesterday, Tyson commented how it would be hard to stay home all day with Grant because I would constantly be cleaning up messes. It's true, having even one child creates more mess than seems reasonable, but motherhood is wonderful. I guess I have to love the messes because I love the kid that makes them!

Winter time

Last Saturday we went ice skating with the in-laws. The smallest skates were way too big for Grant so we carried him. It was a workout to hold him! In fact, I only held him for part of the time, but I'm counting it as my exercise for the week. Ha! We had lots of fun- thanks, Parkers and Jardines!
Today I shoveled the driveway and Grant played in the snow for the first time. I love his outfit- an colorful array of hand-me-downs. His little nose turned red, but other than that he didn't seem to mind the cold. Oh, and he just learned how to "say cheese" for the camera, and it's lots easier to catch him smiling now!
Grant attempted nursery again yesterday. It didn't go so well. Tyson and I both have callings that keep us busy the first block, but I think I'm going to have to sit in there with him until he gets used to it. He sure has become a mama's boy. It's funny, he would have loved nursery about six months ago but now he's scared to leave us. Anyway, here's a picture of him in his Sunday outfit. He must have been thinking about how we left him in nursery. Sad face!

Post-Holidays

December was a busy month for us. We had a piano duet recital on the 18th, which turned out really well. I am so glad I decided to teach piano! Tyson also teaches one student, so it's fun to share that hobby. We have spent lots of time with both sides of our family for the holidays and Grant has had so much fun playing with all of his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. He's getting pretty good at saying all their names. Here he is with Parker, Dallin, and Uncle Preston. Aren't they cute?!He talks nonstop now! Sometimes he'll pick a word and just say it over and over and over until it drives me crazy! But it is so cute and this is such a fun age. We had our own little Christmas morning and Grant started to get the hang of ripping paper off the presents. He was so excited for his little booster chair. I love having him sit at the table with us now. Tyson's mom makes matching pajamas for everyone, so Grant's wearing his Mickey pajamas and new Car slippers.On New Year's Eve, we went to the local museum where nativity and gingerbread houses were on display. It was really fun to look around, and it was free!! Well, it's post-holidays and my blood sugar is adjusting to the decrease in treats. The decorations are coming down and it's goal-setting time. Families are heading back home and a regular schedule is starting up. It is a bittersweet time!