Gaga Over Grayson

My lil Gigi is growing so fast, I can't keep up. She is getting taller, smarter and cuter every day minute.

Most of the time, she is such a huge help to me. She helps dress Garrison (for some reason he prefers her to help him), takes care of her own dishes and does a lot of cleaning.

She loves to have a calendar full of activities! She is almost always busy between ballet, preschool, tumbling, yoga and swimming lessons. She is quickly learning to swim. I am confident that by the summer she will swimming independently.. (I'll be a nervous wreck)!

Her new favorite thing is the Ipad. She is a whiz on it and I can almost always find it in hiding in her bed... She keeps her favorite toys under the pillow on her bed. She thinks no one knows... (but moms know everything). Her favorite toys include a hairbrush, curling iron, flat iron and mirror!I'm in TROUBLE!

Her writing skills are improving daily. She loves writing her letters and can now write her full name and "Happy Easter". She's anxious for Easter!

Our biggest daily struggle is her sensory processing issues. Each day it seems to be getting worse, not better. It is most difficult for her to get dressed. Every tag, seam, string, button, snap and zipper bothers her. She also always complains of being too hot or things being too tight - when they are clearly not. She is now starting to cry as I am picking out her clothes -- she says she is just too "nervous". To her seams on socks are equivalent to razor blades digging into her foot. I try to be patient and hope that this all is a stage, but some days it's difficult. Especially when we are running late and I have taken her socks on/off 30 times and she is still complaining about them. Or when a shirt sleeve is touching her wrist wrong, so she is in tears. Despite all of this - she still ALWAYS looks adorable!

She is such a beautiful little girl with her angel blonde hair and her piercing blue eyes. She is by all means the princess in our house. She is the apple of her dads eye and my best friend! She is sweet, polite and always wants for everyone to be happy. She is my dream daughter and my love for her is indescribable! I just wish she would stop one thing -- growing!

February Happenings..

I haven't been getting out my "good" camera lately. So I haven't posted in awhile. All these pictures are from my iPhone in the past couple weeks.

We have been busy doing our normal everyday stuff - ballet, preschool, swimming lessons, yoga and tumbling. We have enjoyed some nice weather, a trip to Seattle, The Rainforest Cafe, some Valentines Day fun and KiDiMu (the childrens museum).

No one has been getting alot of sleep around here, because Garrison has decided he is scared of his room. His bedtime routine now takes about an hour and each time he wakes up in the night - he calls for me. He has told us there are monsters, dinosaurs, dragons and bad witches in his room. He usually is so adamant he has Grayson scared too. He even had me scared one night when he was scared stiff (literally, couldn't even pick him up) and he swore there was another person in his room. I am anxious for this nightmare to be over and get back to him feeling cozy and safe in his room and everyone being able to sleep without him calling for me half the night. 

The kids have been both fighting colds although I think they are on the mend now. Grayson has been working diligently on learning her letters and numbers. She is thriving in ALL her extra-curricular activities and will be performing in Beauty and the Beast in May - she's a bumblebee.

Moses has been busy with work, enrolling in his PhD program and filing our taxes. We have been trying to mentally and financially prepare for the sequestration - that hopefully will not take place.

The kids have a way of keeping me busy at all times. Just this morning, as everything was running smooth... Garrison was telling me to look at his slippers - I did. Couldn't see anything was different with them. About five minutes later he took them off and showed me how he had put his orange slices in them and had been walking around on the oranges. Ahhhh! Never a dull moment!

Grayson (tired) all wrapped up in her tent with her baby

Hotdog lunch a Costco

Rainforest Cafe

Moses told Grayson if she ate all her lunch she could order this. She did - so M ordered her the "volcano cake". The waitress says "sir, you know that serves 6, right?" Umm, who spoils her?!

Moses would say this is proof Garrison is coddled too much by Grayson and I.

Library Puppet Show

At the "scrunchin" site as Garrison would say.

Mommy/Daughter Starbucks date

She's obsessed with letters right now!

Before Ballet class

Dress up fun - the princess and the "paper doll police"

A Valentines Craft we made for Daddy.. said things like "Your Handsome" and "Your the best Dad, Hands Down"

Valentines Day

Valentines Day - My Lover Girl

Valentines Day - My Lover Boy

A Beautiful Afternoon

A walk along the water

Checking out a new burger place by our house - his kids meal was served in this.. Not sure whats up with his lil beaver smile :)

On the Ferry

At the Market

The First Starbucks

The Gum Wall!

Grayson's Robot

Near perfect penmanship for 4 years old :)

A day when sunglasses were in order - rare!

Exploring

When the kids hear the garage door open - they always hide from there Dad (in the same spot, behind the couch!)