Week In Review

What a week! It's been an exciting one and a crazy one. Given one particular activity (you'll soon figure out which one I'm speaking of), I'm pretty tired and will just let the pictures do most
of the talking.
Our precious nephew, Landon Scott Grattopp, had his first birthday party last Saturday in Oklahoma City. He was in no way timid about this cake diving thing and went straight to business.


We stayed in hotel that night and Judah learned how to party, three-year-old style. I awoke at 2:45 AM to find our bedroom door shut. Knowing that I didn't shut it, I wandered in to the "living room" to find Judah awake and watching TV. He had his markers and coloring books all over his hide-a-bed and was wide awake watching "Cats and Dogs." (AWE! Gold Star parenting moment!) We won't even get into the fact that we lost him at the church Thanksgiving dinner, only to find he and his friends were trying to get gum from the underside of tables. Sometimes I wonder if the only point of parenthood is to make you look foolish??
Today, we did something we've NEVER done before! Kenton and I both finished the 10 Mile (yeah, I said TEN!) Turkey Trot!
With the priceless cheers of Judah ("Go Mommy Go!" Go Daddy Go!"), the support of my Mom and Dad, and the companionship and friendship of The Grist's, WE DID IT!
We took off with Wendy, but she just finished the marathon...so she didn't wait around for us!
She finished around 1:29, I came in at 1:37, and Kenton pushed through to cross at 1:47.
I thought I knew tired before, but I was wrong!


Tonight we spent the night getting ready for the holidays.
Our in house artist was busy at work on his Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. He colored and stuffed a paper bag turkey, made a flamboyant handprint turkey (all we had were fluorescent colored feathers), and he went straight to work on his gifts for all his grandma's. We all made tree ornaments. He's been blabbing around to everyone so what's the use in a surprise anymore.... hope you all enjoy your decorations!








It's been a long week and a very long day. My feet have taken me very far as of late and I can't wait to see where (and how far) they will go next! Goodnight!

Our Elephant Day

Almost a year ago my best friend, Lindsay, called me and said that she was going to be Judah's coolest aunt because of the gift she was going to get him for his third birthday.
Well, she succeeded! "Auntie Lindz" got Judah a backstage pass to the zoo. He got to paint with Stephanie the elephant and get treated like three year old royalty!





Everyone got a little messy, but it was well worth it!
We had an awesome experience and now we have an one of a kind piece of art to display to remember this one of a kind day.

THANK YOU AUNTIE LINDZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Judah's been doing this since he was 10 days old.... each year it gets better!

Happy 3rd Birthday Judah Owen!

It's been over a week since our little baby turned three and maybe I've been in denial or just so overwhelmed with this reality that it's taken me this long to tell you all about his big day. (Or, I've just been lazy... the other choices seem more impressive, so I'll stick with them.)
His big third year anniversary fell on a Saturday and we had an enjoyable day planned out at the pumpkin patch. The days previous had been beautiful and warm, however this day the clouds rolled in, the wind roared, and the freezing rain pored down. We moved the party indoors and rolled with the punches.
We served out the huge peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and the "Nemo Water" (Judah's choice, yummm....water!) Judah devoured his cupcake and quickly moved on to his presents.
Nothing better for the little boy who already has everything,than more toys! Judah had a blast opening all the awesome gifts.... the TON of awesome gifts.




Because of the weather the kids got to rustle through an indoor patch to search for their pumpkins. The pumpkins were fine and dandy, but the hay and stacked hay bales seemed to be the best attraction of all.
After some chilly fun, we headed for the warmth of home and for some serious playing!

We spent the rest of the week playing, playing, and playing! After building a million lego towers, coloring lots of pictures, being shot by Boba Fett an uncounted number, and dodging "spinner guy" more than enough, the sun broke through and we were able to redeem our busted trip to the pumpkin patch.

It was a beautiful day and the pumpkins were a' plenty! It was great to tromp around the field and ride the hay rack ride. The farmer took our picture in front of the pumpkin that Judah and Kenton thought looked like bums. :)

Our baby boy has grown so fast. I can't believe a third year has past. Everyone told me that "they grow so fast" and I believed them, but I never really understood until now. I can still feel the soft warm cheek of the minute old baby that lay across my chest, I can still hear the whimper of a tiny person from across the house, I still can picture the bulging eyes he made whenever Daddy came home, I can still hear the utterance of the word "mom-ma" when it first past his mouth, and sometimes I can even still feel that precious child move inside of me. How did he get so big? How did he get so smart? How did he get so adorable? How did he do it all so fast? What did miserable people like us ever do to deserve such a wonderful gift? Thank you Lord for continuing to be so unfair.