Trick-or-Treat!

Ok, so I guess I am a mean mom... According to my dad, Grady will be SO embarrassed one day when he sees these pictures. And according to Josh, I am never allowed to pick out Grady's Halloween costume again. Oh well, I personally thought it was hilarious and he was so cute! But I am a bit biased, I guess. (Side note...NO, he is NOT a chicken... he's a baby DUCK!)

Rewind to last year...I had the flu and missed Grady's first Halloween. He was a scarecrow, but we didn't go trick-or-treating because I was sick.

So this year was technically his SECOND Halloween, but the first "real experience" of it! I was seriously doubting that he would trick-or-treat, considering the way he acted with Bully in Starkville last weekend. Josh has been telling me for MONTHS that there is no way that Grady is going to put on the costume that I picked out for him. WELL, he proved us both wrong! He wore the costume and trick-or-treated like a little pro! We had so much fun watching him have fun!

Ok, so I put the candy in HERE????

I'm all ready! Are you guys coming?

First, Grady practiced on Grandmother... "Trick-or-Treat!"

Seriously Mom, do I HAVE to wear this hat? Dad says it makes me look like a chicken!

Hey Mackenzie, I've got a GREAT idea! Let's put the chicken suit on Putt-Putt!

Mackenzie told me all I need to know about trick-or-treating!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, of course you silly people are grinning! Y'all have on normal clothes! Chicken Little says that if he doesn't get some candy soon, he's going to ditch this costume!

OOh, a pumpkin with lights!

"Quack, Quack!" I mean, Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Afternoon at the Park

Homecoming

We spent Saturday in Starkville for MSU Homecoming. Grady-man and "Fan-Fare" didn't go as I had hoped. He HATED Bully. He sat in his lap all of about 1.5 seconds before screaming and reaching for me to grab him So no picture with Bully....

On to face-painting. Um, let's just say that wasn't much better. I think we got one maroon dot (one "toe" of the puppy paw print) on Grady's cheek and then he was DONE and let us all know it. Poor girl who was attempting to paint his face! :(

It was just too hot and too crowded at the players' walk-through thing, so we headed back to the tailgate. I think Grady would be happy to play there all day long!

However, much to our surprise, he did VERY well at the game. It was his very first game. All the other times, I've just stayed with him at the tailgate. But Saturday, he went into the stadium! We only stayed until half-time, but he did great. I think he was just in awe of all the people, the lights, and especially the jumbotron. He squealed and clapped and rang his little cowbell.

Here are a few pictures!

somebody get me AWAY from this dog!

my ticket! FINALLY these people are letting me have my own ticket!

Yeaaaa, Bulldogs!

That is the BIGGEST TV I have ever seen! Dad, can't we get one like that at home?

Go Dawgs!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

Grady's new favorite word/object is PUMPKIN! He LOVES them! I have lots in all different sizes at home and he just carries them around (or tries to if they are too heavy...and it's funny to watch)! We took a "family field trip" to the pumpkin patch this morning and he loved it! I had always taken my Kindergarten classes to the pumpkin patch every year, so it was not a new thing for me, but for Grady, Josh, and Grana, it was a first! We had so much fun!

waiting patiently for our turn on the hayride

cheeeeeese!

"Mom, what exactly is this stuff we are sitting in?"

Grady LOVED the cows! He kept saying "Mooo" (well, his version of "moo" sounded a bit different, but that's what he was saying! ha!)


And finally, we made it to the pumpkin patch! Grady was in awe of all the pumpkins!

He wasn't so sure about playing in the corn...

...but the hay-bale maze was okay!

What a chubby little pumpkin!

checking out the goats

Wish DaddyBill could see me on this tractor!

HAPPY FALL!

Puzzles

Back to Starkville We Go...

I just realized that it's been a whole month since my last post and the last post was from our first trip to Starkville. Fast forward one month and here we are again. It was the most beautiful day! And the dawgs won! YEA! Grady was MUCH more mobile this time. Last trip, he had just begun to wander around on his own and he had some trouble walking through the grass and up and down the hills by our tailgate. Today was a different story. Mom and I spent the day chasing him all over campus! He carried his cowbell with him all afternoon and was really on the move! He wears me out! But I love that he is becoming so much more independent!

Our friends Emily and Michael were at the game with their little bulldog, Fisher! Grady and Fisher hadn't met yet and so today was their first "play date." We had so much fun watching them together. I think we have two future offensive lineman on our hands! Ha! Happy early 1st birthday, Fisher! We SOOO enjoyed seeing you today, little man!

This is the ONLY picture I got today with both of them looking semi-towards the camera! They were SOOOO busy!

Grady-man was a bit jealous when we first walked up to the tailgate and Aunt Sue was playing with Fisher. So funny! He is definitely attached to Susan. She gives him more attention than anyone and spoils him ROTTEN!

LOVE this pic! Bubbles are such a hit with Grady. He had a melt-down just before we got in the car to leave for Starkville this morning. He saw me hand the bottle of bubbles to Josh to put in the car and wanted to have them immediately. He started saying "Bubba, Bubba, Bubba!" Once we get them out, he doesn't want to put them up!

Much to my mom's delight, Grady has learned to say "Dee-Dee!" In perfect pronunciation! It is too cute!

Here are some more pics from the day!

Grady's 1st Tailgate

My dad would call Saturday a "Red-Letter Day." MSU had an overwhelming victory in their first game of the season, we had PERFECT football weather, and Grady made it to his first tailgate! Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!
GO DAWGS!!!!

Back in the Routine

er,...three weeks after the fact... (and hence the reason for no posts in forever!!!)
It was bittersweet to start back to school at the end of the summer. I enjoyed being with Grady so much this summer and doing not much of anything else! It was much needed and he and I had fun! I was worried he would be rotten when he went back to Gail's in August, but she said he was fine and acted like he'd never had a summer break! (on a side note though, I went to pick him up one day this week and he had been put in "time-out" for hitting people with a truck...ha! yeah, we're working on the no-hitting thing at home!)
But also, the start of school always excites me so much...all the "newness" of another year beginning and new students to teach. It's hard to explain, but usually I am not ready for summer to end, but at the same time, kind of excited about school beginning. This year was no exception. I LOVE my class this year! They are wonderful and I am so excited about the year ahead!
We took pictures of Grady-man the first morning of "school" starting again!

All ready to go...

DeeDee got Grady a new big-boy backpack! He loves tractors and anything to do with a farm!

I told one of my friends at school the other day that they need to start a club for husbands of teachers. Poor Josh! Did he even know what he was getting in to!!!?? I am still learning not to be a work-a-holic. He is so great to get Grady ready in the mornings and take him to Gail's. Usually, I am gone before Grady even wakes up! Josh does so much to help out! I am so lucky! Of course, Grady doesn't even care that I'm gone...Dad is pretty entertaining!

Enough Said...

Yes, Daddy is the super hero around here! I thought this picture was worth a thousand words. Grady grins and squeals every afternoon when Josh gets home! On this day, he decided to wear Daddy's shoes!

Late Mother's Day Treat!

Susan and I had been wanting to try out the painting class/studio, Easely Amused. We got Mom a gift certificate for Mother's Day and we just all were busy over the summer and didn't get around to scheduling a class until the end of the summer. We finally found a time we could all go and we had a BALL! If you haven't been, you need to grab a friend and schedule a class! I cannot wait to go back! We plan to do it again really soon!

Hammer Family Visit

Paw-Paw and Aunt Autumn came to visit us in late July. Grady LOVES his Aunt Autumn.
Paw-Paw surprised Grady-man with a new "Cracker Barrell" rocking chair that's just right for him! He LOVES this chair and can now crawl in and out of it himself!
It is for sure his new favorite place to read books! Josh is worried that Grady is turning into a book-worm like his mom! Of course this child must love to read if he belongs to me! :)
Thanks for the chair, Paw-Paw!!!

FINALLY!!!

Better late than never....
Long time, no posts! But Grady-man's latest milestone requires posting! Grady is FINALLY walking! WHOO HOO! Late bloomer maybe, but better late than never I guess. He's been walking with one of us holding his hand for a really long time, but he wouldn't get the confidence to let go of someone's hand or a couch, wall, chair, etc. and just go on his own. Just this past week, he's started to get a little more confident. Gail told me on Monday at daycare that he has been walking a good bit with her. Last night, Josh and I were watching a football game on tv, not really paying attention to Grady all that much. He was just in the floor playing and we were in the floor too, but watching the game. All of a sudden, we see this little blonde head streaking across the living room to get another toy and we were like OH MY GOSH! He had never been more than a few steps at a time and all of a sudden, he crossed the living room in a flash! It was too funny! Now he's walking all over the house. I am so proud of my little late bloomer! ha! Here's a video from this morning.