If There's Mud Around...

They will find it!

How could we stop a face like this?

Grant thought it was just as tasty as it was entertaining.

Oh the joys of having boys!

Half a Year!

Crazy that we've been blessed to have this little man for half a year already! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! We have been loving every minute of it and still can't get enough of him!

Grant kicked off his 6th month with an awesome 4th of July!

At the Parade

Chase in Mike's shoes at the Parade

Grant gets antsy for Mike to wake up and play with him whenever Grant wakes up first.  This is not a staged picture, this is what Mike wakes up to most mornings!

This month brought the day we had to say goodbye to Silly.  We miss her!

We've been trying to get Grant to EAT....these are the types of faces we get when we try to give him ANYTHING but breastmilk.  We'll keep working on it.  I posted a video below.  He's pretty dramatic but it cracks us up!

These two are getting to be quite a pair.  They get so excited to see each other, it's really cute.  They always remind me of Bert and Ernie.

See the resemblance?

He is SUCH a little angel!

Our friend Nicole sent us this ADORABLE outfit for Grant!  He looks so cute in it I wish he could wear it every day!

Thanks Nicole!!  We miss you!!!

Jammin'...in retro style :)

Can't get enough of this little face!!

I'm WAYYY behind on posting! (Grant's will actually be 7 months tomorrow! WHAT?!)  I need to take more pictures...with this little guy around I forget that there's anything else around to take pictures of. :)

Finally!!

Grant is 5 months old!  Almost 6 now but I'm finally getting around to posting. 

This is not the best picture, nor will this be the best post but I'm finally able to post!  Grant's life gets crazier and keeps changing so much every month!  This one was no different. (This is going to be a LONG 5 month/catch up post...not for the faint of heart!

On my birthday in May, we moved back to our hometown.  We've always known we wanted to come back home and the timing finally felt right.  We're living with my Grandma right now and trying to get a nest egg saved up.  It is SO good to be home!  We love it here and feel like we're right back where we belong.

This is where Grant will grow up!

This is our driveway and I LOVE driving up it after a long day/night!!

 We were still in limbo for a few weeks while Mike finished up work in Mesa.  A HUGE thanks to Nate and Jen (Mike's sister and husband) who let us stay with them through most of it!

We got to hang out with our best pals, the Boddekers!-These guys are part of the few things that make us miss Mesa!

Grant was loving Heidi!  She was cracking him up!

Grant's cousin Alex was baptized while we were there.  Congrats Alex!

We got to visit cousin Zachary as well.  They were so cute hanging out together!

Another of Grant's cousins, Shelbi was so sweet to Grant!  Anytime we were around she was helping out with him.  She 'babysat' while Mike and I talked out by the pool one night.  When we came back inside, we found them crashed together.

They are buddies!  Thanks for all your help Shelbs!

 About two weeks after we were finally moved in, we were evacuated due to the Wallow Fire and in limbo once again.

The smoke billow from our back yard.

This is what the sun looked like after the big billow fell--scary!

It was very scary and frustrating but luckily we had family and friends who welcomed us into their homes with open arms and were able to have a good time and make some memories in spite of being worried.

At Grandma Mary's house-thanks for letting us stay!!

Grant got to go swimming with Grandma Velda almost every night (she's been out of town the past few days and Grant is missing her!)

Aunt Silly came home from Misssissippi right in the middle of the evacuation.  She was exhausted and ended up having to spend her birthday as an evacuee.  Grant turned 5 months on her birthday!

Grant and Grandpa G-Man/Pappy/Pops/Grandad (we haven't really decided what Grant's gonna call him yet) at Brian and Melody's house.  They were also gracious enough to open their home!

 THANK YOU to everyone who took such good care of us!

Throughout all of this, I had been really stressed about getting a job.  I had one lined up before Mike quit and then it fell through after he had already turned in his notice.  It's a long story but I'm finally happy to say that I have a job.  It's in a neighboring community so I have a commute but nothing worse than I was making in school and it's a beautiful drive.

The 60 on which I used to commute vs. the 60 on which I now commute...which would you choose?

I'm working nights so I don't have to miss out on too much with Grant and it's been working out really well so far.  I miss him like CRAZY though!  Someone had a baby visiting the other night and I could hear her laughing and sqealing down the hall and I just about fell apart.  I REALLY have sympathy and respect for moms who have to go back to work 6 weeks after their babies are born!  But I know this is a means to a more preferable schedule and I'm really enjoying living my dream!  So far, I LOVE being a nurse!!  I'm so thankful for all the people who were so supportive of me finishing my degree, especially Mike!  I'm also lucky that I only work 3 days a week, got 5 months and that Mike's able to be with Grant when I'm gone. I have to keep reminding myself that there are so many positive things about our situation when I start missing my baby late into the night!

Grant is such a studly 5 month old!  This month he has:
*Mastered rolling over
*Eaten his first rice cereal (although he doesn't prefer it)
  *Started sitting up alone
 *Gotten his first tooth
*Been weighing in around 20 lbs!

...and he's pretty much just awesome all around around!  He still hasn't ever had a crying spell that lasted more than a few minutes and is SO fun and happy.

I've been pretty out of the loop the past week, trying to get back home and starting this new schedule.  Please don't hate us if you've been trying to get a hold of us and we've been out of touch.  We finally got the internet today and will be changing our phones tomorrow so we're really starting to feel settled in and like we're finally getting somewhere! 

I know it's awful but this is practically the only picture we have of the three of us...we need to get workin' on that!

I'm really stupid because I have an ADORABLE little baby I could be cuddling with and instead I'm making the longest blog post of all time!  Whew...if you're still here, you made it, this is the end.  Thanks for reading my long post!

Just Call Me Delilah

 I’ve been dying to take scissors to Grant’s hair since he was born.  Remember the mullet?   Well I finally got my chance and I took things too far!

Before-happy, cute and carefree

Does he look like he's begging for help? Because he just might be.

Poor little man...

After-wondering why??

Zachary helped me style his luscious locks before I chopped them all off :(

I keep trying to convince myself that it’s not THAT bad  and I know it will grow back out eventually.

4 Months!

  Time is going by too fast!!  Our little guy is already 4 months old!  It's so much fun watching him grow!

Here he is at his 4 month appointment.  He had to get more shots and handled it like a champ again!

Still lovin' the zebras at the doctor's office!

He's been trying to sit up and is SO close to rolling over...any day now! :)

 This month has brought a lot of changes in our little family.  I'll post more about that later but wanted to give this little guy kudos for being SO GOOD through EVERYTHING!!  I have no idea how we got such a good baby!

This is how Grant stayed the entire time we packed up our house!

We've wanted to post pics of Grant's room for a while now and are finally getting around to it now that it's all packed up!

We made a video tour for those of our family members who've been waiting to see it!

Close up of the dresser.  My sister-in-law Melody made Grant's name sign for him and most of the rest of the stuff on the dresser I got from my mom and DI :)

There were a lot of things that we still wanted to do to it (painting the walls for one, but we weren't allowed to in the place we were renting) so hopefully we'll be able to do more and get more pics up in our new place!

Loves his chair from Grandma Velda and toys from Grandma Goodman, Sis. Wilkins and Robyn!

We love this boy!!