Does he have the best smile or what? Debbie snapped this picture this week and I thought it was awesome! This was a really busy week filled with several activities beginning with celebrating Kevin’s 47th birthday on Tuesday. Griffin had his last soccer class of this session and we rushed home to host friends and family for Kevin’s birthday, on his actual birthday this year! I went the super-easy-no-stress route of buying some of the pre-made meal items from Costco which made for a tasty and easy dinner! We had pasta with sausage in a lemon wine sauce, chicken alfredo, spinach salad, quinoa salad and a ginormous and delicious chocolate cake! The Bethunes, Vertuccis, Ackermans and part of the Howard clan joined us this year. Reid was awake for the arrival of the first few guests and then he was off to bed for the night by 7 pm, which is actually pretty late for him.
Griffin had a fun week at home and school making a lot of art projects. He’s enjoying feeding Reid and being a big brother, in general. I love to see how he loves on his brother and wants to teach him things. This week he was teaching him about music. 
Each year on a really cold and snowy day Debbie brings snow inside and Griffin and Sam play on the blue rug. I love seeing the traditions continue. 
Griffin is really loving hot cocoa this year. And since it is really difficult to get him to drink much milk, I’ve resorted to treating him to hot cocoa both to get some milk in him and also just because it’s a fun thing we do together. Here he is after a mug 🙂 Oh, and of course it’s almost as much about the marshmallows as it is the hot cocoa. 
On Thursday we went to a Columbus Blue Jackets game with Mom, Dad, Amy, Andy, Graham, Rowan, and Greta. Graham’s hockey team got to play out on the ice between the first and second period – and Graham scored his first ever goal. They announced his name with the goal – what a treat! Reid was a trooper and slept through most of it other than a short stint of being awake (and fortunately we snapped a few picks) and then at the end of the game he got kind of cranky!
On Friday I was at work and Debbie called me about 3:30 to say that Reid was throwing up and he just didn’t seem himself. I freaked out and quickly called the doctor and got an appointment within 30 minutes. During that time I talked to Debbie at least once more and Reid continued to get sick. I had her pack Reid, Griffin and Sam into the van and meet me at the doctors office. I flew out of work so fast! I was really nervous moreso by him not acting like himself. Just before Debbie called me Reid woke up from a nap and was screaming/crying and seemed upset so she went right in and discovered that he’d vomited in his bed and was all over his sheet. She picked him up and took him into the bathroom and called me and while we were talking he puked all over the floor. I felt so helpless! When I met them at the doctors office she had him out of his carseat and was holding him, so she handed him to me and shortly after he started heaving and puking more. He had puked on the way their more also. Poor guy he just looked terrible with a pale face and pink skin around his eyes. The puke at this point was just slobber/saliva as he had nothing left. The doctor checked him out: took all of his vitals (he was down 5 ounces from his well check but had a normal temp), looked at his ears and eyes, in his mouth, felt his belly and so on. He didn’t vomit the entire time she was in checking him out. We talked about all kinds of things and she thinks it is most likely a virus. Debbie asked about the breastmilk (it left an uncommon film on the bottle and had a grainy-ness to it) and we also mentioned that he had oatmeal cereal for the first time at lunch that day. She didn’t think that it would be from the oatmeal. We talked about giving him some pedialyte and keeping an eye on his wet diapers to know that he is staying hydrated. Really, there isn’t much else to do. After she left the room I was getting ready to put him in to his car seat and he puked again all over the floor. That, however, was the last time he threw up. When we got home Jim and Pat were waiting as Kevin and I had long planned to go on a date night to the Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith Christmas concert at Nationwide Arena. Reid seemed ok and had a good appetite as he nursed well. I put him to bed and Kevin got the video monitor setup on our tablet. We decided to head out to the concert even though the circumstances weren’t great and we would barely make it on time. I’m glad we went as I really enjoyed hearing so many of my favorite songs that to me just represent Christmas. I’ve posted some videos at the end – be sure you check them out, especially Jordan Smith. His voice is a true gift! 
The weird part about Reid’s vomiting is the last time he puked was before we left the doctor office. He slept well that night and woke up like this the next morning! A happy guy and just like nothing had even happened! I, however, had slept on the floor of his room that night just to be able to easily check on him. Though the floor wasn’t super comfy I felt better being able to hear him during the night!
Our sweet Lily girl isn’t allowed up on our new couch so she frequently lays here on the floor. I feel kinda bad, but at least there is now a carpet on the floor and a comfy dog bed nearby. 
I love that I can watch Griffin from upstairs in our bathroom. He just really likes to explore and play outside independently. Sometimes with Brutus and sometimes without as Brutus sometimes ends up taking his toys and running away with them. Or he picks them up and won’t let them go! This moment though was so cute when I found them walking alongside each other from the deep backyard to the back door. 
Griffin and I occasionally stop for a sweet treat together at Starbucks. He was pretty happy with his choice on this day. 
Those cheeks. This view always takes me back to the ultrasound pictures of Reid. I would always see his profile and think “who’s baby is this?!”. So blessed that he is ours. 
In other fun news, Griffin and Reid received letters from Santa this week! What fun it was to read through them and learn about the happenings at the north pole. 
On Sunday we took Griffin on a date to see the Nutcracker. We began with a scrumptious dinner at Cap City, followed by a ginormous piece of chocolate cake and a milkshake. Yummers! We met up with the Bethune’s at the Nutcracker but I failed to take a single group photo! The picture of Griffin on the steps makes him look so grown up!
We enjoyed the slow pace of a couple of cabin days too. I spent a fair bit of time in front of the computer playing catch up from previous blogs that I hadn’t gotten around to posting. I enjoyed my pjs and the couch with some coffee :). We had a nice hot tub too. For our 5th Anniversary Kevin made a lovely dinner – grilled cheese and a deluxe salad along with a taquito appetizer. Life is a little different with a 6 month and 4 year old, no fancy or crazy nights out. But that is just fine by me – we’re thankful for our blessings, our marriage, and our time away.
Another first for us this year was putt-putting in downtown Gatlinburg. Griffin got a hold in one! This course is up in the hillside and overlooks the main road in Gatlinburg. I walked with Reid in the sleeper for the first course and when they wanted to play another I sat in a nice rocking chair in the sunshine while Reid slept on me. I enjoyed that! 
We enjoyed more time at the Island. Griffin loved going on the adventure course this year and went on it a couple times during each of our visits. 
And here are a few pics I forgot to include in the post from last week of Griffin chasing the chickens at Dixie Stampede, plus our official photos from that night. Sorry for the poor quality!
This guy is all football all the time. He chooses to wear his OSU summer outfit over top jeans and a long sleeve shirt on the regular. And here he is cradling Reid’s toy as if it were a football. Sports are in his blood. We really do not build up sports or talk about them much. Griffin regularly brings them up, often football, or he plays it by himself play calling and reenacting moves he’s seen on tv. 
Each year Griffin gets to drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park when we visit Caed’s Cove. He loves it and it pretty good at steering :). 
We ventured out on a half mile hike through the woods to see an old home (terrible but I can’t remember the name!). Griffin loves to run wild through the paths. It felt good to enjoy the fresh air though carrying Reid makes me realize how out of shape I remain!
Each year we take a photo of Griffin at this fence with the beautiful mountains in the background. We have him reenact his same pose and this year we had him hold Reid too. Afterward Finn and Kevin went down the path toward a stream and did some exploring. I stayed back in and fed Reid in the van. It was fun to watch them run through the fields and then see the photos Kevin took of their adventure. It was a beautiful and sunny day this year. It seems as though every year during our trip we have the perfect weather day to explore nature. 
Reid is quite the trooper. Just like Griffin at that age, we take him everywhere we go and he just rolls with it. He definitely seems to be more of a mama’s boy and has already started some separation anxiety or sadness. He certainly doesn’t like it when I pick him up and then shortly thereafter put him back down. He loves those snuggles!
Thankfully we took our stationary play rocker for Reid to have some independent time in the cabin. He’s filling it out so well now it’s hard to believe just a short time ago we had to put a blanket behind and in front of him. 
This year our cabin had a dart board which Griffin absolutely loved. He isn’t one to sit around unless there is a “show” on so he frequently was up in the loft playing darts. And he was quite good! He got several “bulls eyes” not long after he started. And this wasn’t the easiest dart board as there were little holes the dart had to fit into. He was so excited when he made hit the eye. 
As I said earlier, Reid wasn’t a very happy sleeper in his pack and play. I don’t know if it is too hard, or too low to the floor and perhaps cooler there, or what the dealio was. A couple of times I laid him on the bed and then sat on the love seat in our room while he slept. He did take a couple of good naps that way!
Each year we love spending time at The Island where there are plenty of outdoor games and rides as well as tasty restaurants. We had lunch at Poynor’s with tasty sausages and crispy fries and we enjoyed dinner at Paula Deen’s Restaurant one evening. It is just SO GOOD! Just writing this post makes me want to go there again. 
If there is ever a pretzel nearby – Finn will find it. 
This year at the Dixie Stampede it was a special treat! We were in the first row of our section and not long after we sat down our server started talking to Griffin and asked how old he was. Then he asked him if he wanted to go down and chase chickens during the show! Wowzer, how cool! Griffin and Kevin went down and Griffin along with a few other kids got to chase chickens in the arena. They asked him his name with the microphone and everything 🙂 He and the kids on his team came in second place, but they each got medals and a book from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. What a memorable night. 
For the first time this year we hit up the outlet malls. What a madhouse! The parking and traffic was insane. Kevin and Reid stayed in the car while Finn and I ran into a couple of stores. I was super excited as I quickly found outfits for Reid and Griffin and then headed to Gap where I found coordinating shirts for Kevin and me. I am NOT a fast shopper as I am terribly indecisive. So I felt pretty great about our coordinated duds that I pulled together in record time. 
Here are a few photos from our week before we left on vacation. Debbie always does fun holiday crafts and this year for the thankful turkey Griffin wrote each feather himself! He’s growing up fast and is very curious lately about words and spelling. He regularly will say, “Momma, what does s-t-o-p spell” or whatever sign we pass by or something that catches his eye. 
I love getting pictures like this from Debbie during the day in the app we use. They bring a smile to my face.
Griffin has been going to weekly soccer lessons at Locker Soccer in Powell. I’ve noticed he’s becoming more outgoing and a bit goofy from time to time. He really loves Coach Aaron and the Sharks and Minnows game. 
On voting day we took Finn and Reid to the polls and then headed to Tim Horton’s for a very brief breakfast. There was a boil order in effect for areas of Powell Rd so we had to trek down Sawmill Parkway to the Hard Road area. It was raining and traffic was yucky. Blech!
And in other news I finally made an appointment at a dental office in Powell. It’s the first time I’ve gone to anyone other than my Dad in all my life! I survived, though I did have two cavities. 
And here are a few from a facebook post that I shared about Debbie. We are grateful to have her in our family. An acquaintance recently told me how lucky we are to have her, how she loves my kids so much and hugs and kisses them and loves them well when I’m not around. It warmed my heart! 
