O-H, I-O

In the summer of 2004 Adam and his sister Annie were embarking on two great adventures. The two of them had lived very close to each other while at BYU. Annie got married and her husband was going to medical school at THE Ohio State. While Adam, still unmarried, was going off to law school at the University of Wyoming. Adam says he still remembers the day Annie pulled out of Provo. He went home and packed his apartment up and left for Laramie (probably crying, but he would never admit to that). Over the next six years Annie and her little family have continued to live in Columbus, while Adam finally got married and started to practice law. Well, for the first time ever, we finally got a chance to head out and visit them. Grady did very well on his first big trip. He slept most of the way. We were lucky enough on our longest flight to get an extra seat for the car seat...it was heaven. In this pic Adam looks half awake, while Grady is alert and ready to party. Our first stop in Columbus was at a cool German village thing. Not sure what it is called, but it was a cool place. The best thing about the place was the authentic German sausage we ate. It was a buffet, which made Adam happy. The food was out of this world.

Adam's mom came along for the trip and hung out with us. Annie's little girls were so much fun. Adam called them Odd Job and Jo Jo (their real names are Audrey and Julia), and played with them until he could barely move...we loved every minute of it. This pic was taken just inside the restaurant.
Camille and Annie are ready for some football and beer!!

The streets were all brick, which made it look very authentic and cool. This picture was taken soon after eating. All the girls paced themselves...Adam did not. He ate more sausage than he ever has in his entire life and waddled around like a pregnant woman the rest of the afternoon.

Columbus has one fine zoo!! We were a little surprised when Annie suggested we go to the zoo. The only zoo we had ever been to was Hoggle Zoo in SLC, which is not great. (Note: Adam's other sister Carli says the only thing you can see at Hoggle Zoo is a fat Hippo lying in a small cage with little water and a penny laying on its belly because someone was a good shot.) The Columbus Zoo was amazing, and it was a beautiful day. Note: Adam is indeed wearing an OSU sweatshirt. Many of you are probably shocked that it is not a BYU shirt...but, when in Rome...
They had a polar bear exhibit where you could see them swimming under water...BEST EXHIBIT EVER!!! It was so neat. We sat and watched it for almost an hour straight. Note: Yes, there really were fish swimming around. The Zoo Lady at the exhibit said the bears catch and eat them...Adam was sad not to see this happen.

Adam and Grady were twinners at the zoo. By the end of the day we were all worn out. Note: Adam says at least he was wearing a BYU hat...just so you know.

Our last day there we went to North Market. It was a big building with lots of little shops/eateries. We walked around it for a long time and settled on Italian food...it was spectacular. We also had Jeni's ice cream, which is very unique (and featured frequently on the Food Network). It is not in anyway traditional. We sampled everything from pear to salty caramel (it tasted like caramel with salt...crazy).

The entire trip was a lot of fun...but most of all, Adam was happy to see his little sister and nieces again (Camille liked seeing them too)...even if they didn't really like the nicknames he gave them . Thanks once again Annie and Grandma...we loved it!!!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. It came and went very quickly. We had a difficult time trying to figure out what our costumes would be. After some extensive internet searching (we were not going to pay a lot for any costume) we came across a shark. As for our costumes...well, we had two parties to attend. Adam's work party and a haunted back yard party for some of our friends. For the work party Camille was supposed to be Wayne from Wayne's World and Adam was supposed to be Garth. As it turns out, Adam looks like a giant grunge rocker and Camille looks like his white trash midget wife. Ah well...we had fun with it. For the friend party we actually went as shark attack victims, but forgot to get pics. Note: Shark attack victim costumes were not that great...but conceptually, they were brilliant. Cutest little shark ever!! He could easily smell milk in the water and has a ravenous appetite. He truly is a great white. Just look into those deep dark eyes...Note: Adam was so happy that Grady looked so good in his costume. Adam said all he had to do is walk around the town and people would practically throw candy at him. Adam's Halloween motives were questionable.
We even had time to carve some pumpkins. Although, once we cut into the pumpkins, Adam's smelled more like watermelon. We think it was a squash of some kind. It had relatively no seeds and cut super easily. Adam was happy that his pumpsquashkin required little to no effort. Camille's on the other hand was packed full of seeds and strings. Adam had time to carve his pumpsquashkin, wash up, watch a football game, and brush his teeth by the time Camille had finished hers. They both turned out great. Happy Halloween!!

Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids

Grady had his four month check up this week. Aside from being a very LOUD, chatty boy, he did relatively well. His measurements were as follows:

Height: 25 1/4 inches = 75%

Weight: 11 lbs. = less than 5%

Head: 16 1/2 = 50%

Adam was in a jury trial and was unable to go to the visit, but the doctor had a little message for Adam. The doctor (who plays basketball with Adam) said Adam had better be careful because soon Grady will be blocking Adam's 3 point shots. Grady keeps growing taller and taller, but gains little to no weight.

Grady's latest fun trick is to always be playing with his feet. He can almost shove his toes in his mouth. Adam is amazed at Grady's flexibility and attempted the same move as Grady only to discover his calling in life is not as a Yoga instructor. Camille openly mocked Adam while trying to touch his toes to his mouth. Note: Adam limped off, whimpering.
Father-Son time...Adam and Grady got some cozies on the couch while they tried to cheer on their Cougars. Notice neither of them are too happy...ah well, maybe next week.
The final high school home football game was this week, and since Grady has come along, we haven't made it to a single game. We know quite a few kids on the team and generally like to cheer them on. This week, we felt brave and pulled out Grady's winter cap. Note: Many a woman and girl were wooed by Grady's suave glances.
The biggest news of the week is a result of the doctor's visit. The doctor said that since Grady is our equivalent of an Ethiopian, it is time to start feeding him some real food...RICE CEREAL. When Camille called Adam and said it was time for Grady to eat cereal, Adam was pumped and ready to run to the store for some Fruity Pebbles, Trix, POPS, or Honeycomb. Camille finally had to convince Adam that it was rice cereal. Adam then asked if we could get those cereals anyway.

We were very nervous that Grady would hate the cereal. From all the books we read they said it is common for an infant to not like the texture or taste, and therefore be prepared for them to spit it out and cause a large mess. We were prepared and stripped him down to a diaper with a towel underneath him.

But, from the first bite...he liked it....Grady liked it!! Now we are on day two, and hope that he starts to put on some weight real soon.

Grado Potato

Did you all really think we would be able to make a non-Grady post? Surely you jest!! We have been very busy lately with real life and have not been able to update the blog. Grady has been growing quite a bit. He laughs all the time and is really getting to a fun age. A week or so ago, Adam was brushing his teeth and getting ready for work. While doing so, Camille asked him to open the door for her so she could get Grady to the sitter and herself to work. Adam quickly complied and in the process of brushing his teeth and opening the door threw his back out. He whimpered in pain, and when Camille came out she found him in his suit, with his tie half tied, laying on the floor. For a full week Adam was stuck on the couch or floor. He wanted to help watch Grady, but Adam also wanted to watch the BYU game. So, he got the best of both worlds. Grady would sit on Adam's belly, and they would both watch the game. It worked out quite well. Note: Adam is doing his best to brain wash Grady to be a BYU fan, despite our ward members trying to persuade him to cheer for WYO.

We have been trying to work with Grady sitting in his little "Marshmallow" chair. Note: Adam cannot remember the name of these chairs, so he calls them Marshmallow Chairs. However, we have found that Grady is far too skinny to actually fit. He can sit up quite well, but because he has no fat, starts to fade to one side or another. We included this picture because we thought his expression was cute, and not because the toilet is coming out of his ear. In fact, try and cover the toilet up with you finger while looking at this post.

Ah the tub pictures...Grady has always loved the tub. Lately he has been splashing and loving the tub. The other night as we were bathing him, Camille parted his hair...and well, we couldn't resist taking pictures of this precious little face.

We even had to include a close up. Adam says he looks like a future missionary...well, a future nude missionary...but at least his hair is parted.

Conference Weekend

Since we live fairly far from our families, Conference weekend is a good time for us to visit and have time to hang and do some fun stuff. This year we went to Adam's parents house and made a visit to the Uintas. We packed a picnic lunch and went to Mirror Lake, which was absolutely beautiful. The food was very good too. If you look closely, you can see Uncle Chuck with his mouth stuffed full of sandwich, chips, and cookies. The other great thing about being around family is that we can get some pictures of us together. They're rare!!
Grady had a little hat on to keep the sun out of his eyes. He looks extremely serious here, but he actually LOVES being outside. Note: As Adam looked at Grady he would say he looks like the lady from Fiddler on the Roof, and couldn't help but sing, "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match..."
There was a really nice trail that went around Mirror Lake. Mt. Baldie overlooks the lake. It was a very nice day. The last time we went to Adam's parents house for Conference it snowed and was very cold. We welcomed nicer weather.

Adam was the lucky fellow who had Grady strapped to his chest. Camille said Adam would finally know how it felt to be pregnant. The second Grady was strapped on, Adam's ankles swelled, his back hurt, and he had an overwhelming desire to eat peanut butter, pickles, and ice cream...weird, huh? Anyway, in this particular picture, Adam couldn't help but fish a little...despite having the boy strapped to his chest. If you look closely at the picture, Grady is totally enthralled with what Adam is doing. Adam is claiming that the hero worshipping is just starting early.

Grady has always been a tall drink of water...no fat...just tall. These little "Lamby" jammies really show how tall and skinny he is. His newest tricks include: Rolling from both his belly to his back and back to belly, babbling none stop, ripping his binky out of his mouth and playing with it for a while before throwing it, rolling his tongue, and standing with dad's help.

Warts...we got warts!!

Since, unfortunately, we have had Grady we have not done anything adventurous...and by that, we mean, we haven't really even left the house in what seems to be months. So, one Friday evening we decided to head to the hills and roast a dog-O and some s'mores. Adam was extremely proud of how perfectly cooked this marshmallow was...Camille thought it looked like it grew warts. Nonetheless...it tasted great. Camille didn't seem to mind the warts all that much as she shoved the s'more into her mouth. Adam had recently heard the best s'more is where one would substitute the chocolate for a peanut butter cup. We thought long and hard about making that monumental change, but Camille made an executive decision and just got the chocolate striped cookies because they are easy.
Adam came to the conclusion that really, it doesn't matter what the marshmallow is placed on, he will eat it.
Adam has always had a great love of wearing ball caps. Generally he can be seen wearing his BYU hats. He has always been in search of the perfect little hat for his little man. Camille found a little blue cap and it actually fit quite well. She was excited and ran to get the camera so she could send Adam a pic. By the time she got back he had moved around so much in his bouncer that his hat was on sideways. Already he is a DIVA...he knows his fashion. Note: Adam was fully expecting to see Grady flashing gang signs. Grady has gone so far as to ask us to call him G-Money or G-Cash...just to increase his street cred.

Tummy time has taken on a new meaning in our house. Every book we read stresses the importance of making sure your kid is on his tummy a few minutes a day. For us, tummy time is now called pukey time (he vomits everytime he is on his belly). The other day Camille had laid him on his stomach and turned away to fold some laundry. Upon turning back around we found Grady looking like this...Note: When taking this picture Grady quickly yelled, "I am not an animal!!"

Grady is, by the day, getting more and more cute...but, he is NOT getting more and more fat. We took him to the doctor for his 2 month check-up. Generally the doctor has been telling us that he is the 50th % for all his measurements. This time, the doctor said he was mistaken and read the wrong chart. His real readings are as follows:

Weight: 9 lbs. 9ozs. - 20th % (Doc, you were WAYYY off!!)

Height: 23.5 inches - 75th %

Head: 16 inches - 60th %

Our conclusion, and by ours, we mean Adam's, is that Grady will be a skinny, tall basketball player that will look like an orange on a toothpick.

Grady has recently discovered his hands...and he loves to suck, which = sucking on all fingers and arms. The other day after he was done eating, he was sucking on his arm. Camille didn't bother to stop him because he was being such a quiet boy. When he was done, Camille found that Grady had given himself a giant hickey!! Boy knows how to get it done!! Anyway, this picture is for Grady's cousin Nay Nay...she does the spiderman suck all the time...Grady, did it just this one day...but, he was giving a shout out to the cuz.

This picture was included strictly based on a high level of cuteness. Absolutely no other reason...in fact, there really is nothing clever or funny to be said. Simply, bask in his cuteness.

This morning Camille could barely handle her excitement because Grady was finally big enough to wear shoes and church clothes to church. After we got him fully dressed, we had to get pictures...and yes, he is one handsome dude!! Upon seeing the pictures Camille almost started crying because he looks like he is old enough to start college...or at least pre-school. Adam was just impressed that Grady could sit on the couch without getting the major leans. Goes to show the different parenting styles.

It is apparent as we write this blog it is becoming more and more Grady based. Sorry if you were hoping to hear more stories about Camille and Adam...but, we are just not that interesting anymore. Maybe someday, we will have a blog post that doesn't include at least seven pictures of the boy. Sorry for the baby overload...but it is all we've got.

Grady's Blessing

A few sundays ago was Grady's big blessing day. All of our families were good enough to travel pretty far for the big event. While everyone was here they went fishing, swimming, site seeing and really, just hung out. We loved having all of our families in the same spot. It was really a great weekend.

Grady's Grandpas in a picture with Adam: You can easily guess which of the two Grandpas is Adam's dad. Note: The next day Adam went to work and everyone who attended church on Sunday said Adam's dad looks like Adam in 30 years. Adam was very please to know that in 30 years he will still be one handsome devil!! Our happy little family. Despite the temp being near 90 degrees, we were still happy to get photographic evidence that Grady has a mom and dad. Note: Generally only one of us is in the picture, while the other is taking the picture.

Camille's family was in charge of the decorations. They did an excellent job. Notice the giant bubble gum balls on the tables. They were a big hit. Note: Adam's family was in charge of moving all the tables...and they loved every second of it. Note II: In the following days Adam went to mow the lawn and came across approximatley 8 chewed pieces of gum stuck in the grass or in his flower bed. He cringed to know how many were stuck under the borrowed church tables.

Camille's family, minus her grandparents, who conveniently went MIA during the photos. Take our word for it, they were there and they helped tons. Also present besides Camille's parents and sister, were her Aunt Sue and Uncle Larry. The night before the blessing we all got pizza and hung out at the park, but not Sue and Larry. They had their eyes on the prize...at the Casinos!!! (Yes, we have Casinos where we live) Someone had informed Sue and Larry the Casinos had a good dinner menu. However, they only thing they enjoyed was a smokey atmosphere. Next time, they will have to stick with pizza in the park.

Adam's crazy family all came, with the exception of a sister who is in Ohio. She clearly does not love her older brother, sis in law, or nephew, otherwise she would have made sacrifices to be here...only kidding. We loved having all of Adam's family. They were so fun. They all really enjoyed swimming, fishing, and chasing down the ice cream man with their Uncle Chuck. Grady especially enjoyed his time with his cousin Hanky. Hanky and Grady played most of the day on Saturday while everyone else was busy.Grady was putting on a fashion show just after church...he sure knows how to strike a pose. Note: Adam begs all readers of this blog to disregard Grado's chicken legs. The boy needs to eat more (helloooo! Chuck-O-Rama!!). However, Camille has grown to love his little legs, and tells Adam to stop making fun of his legs or he will get a complex.

Grady looked excellent in his blessing outfit. Adam's mom gave us the same outfit that Adam was blessed in, circa 1978. We were very excited for Grady to wear it; however, when we tried it on, we discovered that Adam must have been six foot 3 and weighed 230 when he was blessed because the outfit was huge!! Grady looked like he was wearing a dress!! So, we purchased a new outfit that fit, and borrowed the sweater from Adam's blessing outfit. So, in this picture, Grady is wearing his Dad's sweater, with his outfit. We thought it was very special. Note: Adam was 13 or 14 lbs. when he was blessed. Grady weighed in at just over 9 lbs.Grado without the sweater. Adam thought these pictures were funny. Adam claimed that Grady looked like a little angel because of the blanket and the "rays" that seem to be flowing out behind him, and if not an angel, a baby model on a stage. (Shortly after this shot, Grady claimed to have a bit of the black lung).

We very much loved having our family come and visit us on our special day. Thanks to all those who helped and attended, we have very special friends and families.