A very FULL weekend!

Griff & the girls
Uncle Jason
With little cousin (or 2nd cousin???) Drew
Eccleston Kids
Lee & Amanda

This weekend was jammed packed! We flew into Nebraska on Friday night to see Ryan's family and go to Ryan's cousin, Lee Sasser's wedding! Saturday was a beautiful day and we had a great time at the wedding.....aside from Ryan, Grandma Lori, and I all having colds! Then Sunday morning we flew out! My father in law would not agree, but I guess we didn't get enough pictures, because our camera is missing the whole family photo and a good shot of the bride and groom, but here's some shots at the church!



After the flight, we had a few hours to kill so we took Griff to his first trip to the zoo in Chicago! It was a glorious day and as we walked around the zoo, Ryan and I both realized how amazing it is to live close to this city. We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which was free! The lake is on one side, the city on the other, and if you go on a nice day, it is just such a cool experience. They also have a farm part of the zoo, where you can see farm animals, tractors, and just get the farm experience.....which was so great too! What was funny though, is that the #1 kind of person at the zoo yesterday were parents with children 1 year and younger pushing around their kids in strollers (like us)! At each exhibit the parents would pull their kid out of the stroller and point to the animal and say, "look at the zebras.....aren't they so neat!" (like us). And never once did the kid even really notice or have any idea what was going on (like Griffin)! And even though I realize that I joined the ridiculous "club" of people that are taking their kids to the zoo or show or whatever the event is, even though my babe has no idea, I know I am 100% there.......I am totally buying in! I want to cease each precious moment, that I remember even though he doesn't......I get these moments with him and he will have them with his kids. My parents still talk about swim lessons with me with this nostalgic look in their eyes.....and what are Ryan and I doing tonight.....meeting at Lifetime for swim lessons. I can't believe the privilege that it is to share this with him, even if he doesn't know it.....just like all the other first time parents at the zoo yesterday!

It's a BOY (officially now)

So I reached yet another milestone yesterday. I know, when you have a babe you have a new one practically everyday, but this one was more about me. Judging by the title of this post you are probably wondering if I was aware that I have been raising a son for the full 10 1/2 months he has been alive and the answer is YES, I am aware.....although Ryan did remind me daily for a while not to dress Griffin up in the little pink number I bought for a friend's baby while he was gone at work. (not that I ever really thought about it.....OK, maybe for a second:)!) All this rooting back to the day when we found out BOY or GIRL? Honestly I was SURE it was a girl. Everyone was telling me that it was because of how I was "carrying" it (seriously HOW can you even tell the difference...but hey I was taking whatever signs that pointed in girl direction) and also, I had a classroom full of boys giving me the biggest run for my money EVER....so adding another boy to the mix of my life in that moment was just not even an option to me. Ryan on the other hand was seeing visions of football games dancing in his head and when the lady announced boy.....that's just what he did, a victory dance. I cried just a little.....the truth is......I was sort of dreaming pink nursery with tiny polka dot ruffles.......but I knew that either way would be great for us.....and suddenly BOY just seemed to feel feel right.

Griffin is now tipping the scale scarily close to 1 year. It's honestly been the fastest of my life. Now when I shop for new clothes it's not in the "baby" section. There are not as many onsies, snap up outfits, or pastel blue and green polka dot shirts saying mommy and me. He is moving up to the "little man" section.....BLUE, RED, and GREEN with trucks and tools......so I already have to say goodbye to my baby and HELLO to all BOY, which by the way is what the ladies in the nursery at bible study say about him. Yesterday when I picked him up they told me how good he was and then all about how he loved to play with the trucks and BOY toys.....Man, he's just ALL BOY they said! On the way home I had to stop at Walmart for a few things and as I walked by the toy section I sucked it up ....gave one last loving look at the sweet soft baby toys and headed for the trucks. Of coarse I tried to find the cutest one....apparently there isn't such a thing! He also got another sign of inevitable manhood...a toy remote(and it speaks French, Spanish, & English)! He loves his Dad's so I thought they could sit on the couch together and practice this crucial manly duty.....love of remote, without worrying about the drool on the real one!

We got home, put the truck on the ground and BAM.....he is instantly a big boy.....pushing around the truck like it was just the best thing that ever happened....giggling and the whole bit. My mom said that when Andy was born we didn't have a lot of boy toys yet, but he would take any kind of girl toy of mine and turn it into a truck, rolling it around the house, like he was born for it! Amazing.

I do have to say, I stood in that isle, truck in hand and thought about all that is to come.....dirt, and bugs, and games, football, and that first plastic bat hitting the T-ball, and yes (it's killing me to say it) the first time he can golf with dad.....and realized I can't wait. I am SO up for this little boy and all the boy things he will bring to my life. I am ready to sport the pin that has his picture on it and show up for all the games.....OK, and by ready I mean, when the time comes.....I am not rushing into anything.....I am trying to make this phase last as long as possible. I can't imagine this little ball of love on my lap right now being anything other than Griffin Andrew....who loves trucks! Now I love them too!

I still will lovingly look at the Pottery Barn kids catalog and dream in PINK nursery.....let's face it every time I walk into our spare room I picture pink walls, but I still have another chance for a girl (I hope).....and I guess if I do end up with all boys, I really will have to learn to golf. For now though, this boy and I are so happy together....playing with trucks!

Plan to be SURPRISED!!

So Ryan and I watched Dan in Real Life last night. If you haven't seen it we would both recommend it.....it will remind you of how funny, annoying, all up in your business, goofy, and lovable your family really is. In the movie Steve Carell is a newspaper columnist who writes about parenting and family. In his last column in the movie he is talking about making life plans, and he says, instead of asking someone what their life plans are, just tell them "plan to be surprised." I was thinking about that advice this morning and I realized how brilliant that I think it is. It seems that my life is full of plans that never exactly happen the way that I plan them, and I could name several major ones but I'll start with something small, like the fact that if I plan to leave the house at 8, SURPRISE, it is 8:30 before I am shuffling out the door hauling bags, books, just dropped the diapers, bottles........and I still have a kid to load!

With Griff, my life has never had SO many surprises. He has a lot of them up his little sleeve. I will share just a few:)!

The other day I was dead set on tackling the

laundry. Our bedroom was starting to take on the appearance of an Old Navy dressing room and I couldn't take one more night of tripping over a pair of pants or pile of sleepers on my way back from the bathroom, so it was laundry day. As I shuffled between the laundry room and the other parts of the house Griffin proudly thumped along behind me (panting-the way he breaths when anything remotely exciting is going on) all the way! I started having to go up and down the stairs and didn't want to worry about him falling so I put him in his pack and play and headed up for the next load. As I was throwing in a pile of colors it hit me that he was being awfully quiet for the pack and play. Usually he is sitting down in it, smashing his face against the netting and yelling for me. I finished tossing in the clothes and walked over to check out the situation. Peering into the pack and play almost sent me into cardiac arrest. There was a deep red something covering everything in there, including Griffin......red all over the neck of his bib.....all over the sheet......all over the toys.....all I could think is my child is bleeding and I just left him in here to fend for himself. I was about in hysterics trying to find the, what I imagined to be, gaping hole in my son that the blood was coming out of, when I noticed him chewing.....as if the kid had a piece of gum. I quickly swabbed the mouth and out came a small and mushy piece of red dog food. I laughed and sort of cried at the same time....so did Griffin. He looked at me as if to say, SURPRISE mommy.....(my 10 month old just punked me). He must have picked it up off the floor in our hall way.....because for some strange reason our precious little pooch brings her food out onto the hallway rug to eat instead of doing it at her bowl. Perhaps I should start providing some kind of posh mat for her to stand on and we could avoid this kind of thing altogether. It must have been delicious because he sure drooled all over.....and how much red dye do they add to one little piece of food?!?! Good thing it was laundry day, because that's where everything in the pack and play is headed. I'll tell you what will make you feel like mom of the year......diving for a piece of dog food in your 10 month old's mouth. But, c'est la vie! We can laugh now.....and I know it won't be the last time something not intended to be eaten, will be.....at least he likes to try new things.

He has also pulled out a few other surprises in the last few weeks here......some along the dog food line (we won't go into details) and others that just make Ryan and I melt all over the floor. He now has four top teeth and two bottom. He can stand on his own, just for a little bit. He loves to push his wagon up and down our entryway and into the kitchen....and watching him prance(don't tell Ryan I used that adjective in connection to his son) is so cute. Walking will be any day now, I know it. Yesterday morning while we were playing he just turned around, sat up and clapped. I was so excited I had to jump up and call Ryan.....and beg Griff to do it again. He is selective about showing off his new talent though apparently, but as we sat in bed this morning he showed daddy a few times. Ryan is thrilled because the clapping comes just in time to cheer on the beloved Cubbies and by the time Husker football rolls around he will be an old pro......I am already envisioning them sitting on the couch together, dressed in red, and watching the game. I am amazed at how surprising and absolutely joyful it is to watch him unfold......I know that's how all parents feel, it's just so great when it happens to you.

If there was an underlying theme to the way my life has gone the past few years......a message from God if you will......I think that plan to be surprised is it! Life in the last year for Ry and I is not at all what we had necessarily planned, BUT it is the most amazing surprise......much better than our version......even the dog food days!....and think of all the hilarious, desperate, ridiculous moments that bond us together as a family that I would have missed if things went according to "plan"! How blessed are we that in a world that seems so preplanned we still have moments of sheer randomness.....and they tend to be the best moments.....or stories for later!

P.S........I told Ryan that I wasn't going to get all "bloggy" and stoic on this blog but I think I have officially blown that out of the water. If you aren't into that.....I hope you skipped the loooooong rambling and enjoyed the photos and videos! Love you all!

Griffin's newest talent........