Sunset Beach

We were able to enjoy a whole week at Sunset Beach with the Penningtons. Kate was one of my roomates at Clemson. Her son, Banks, is 2.5 months older than Graham. The Moms enjoyed talking and catching up, the little boys enjoyed playing in the baby pool and the hose, and the Dads enjoyed talking sports and reading. We all decided communal living is the way to go! It was so nice to always have an adult available to watch the boys, help cook and clean. It has been a hard week back in reality...back to work, waking up early, running errands, cooking on our own.


















Graham has really stared talking since we got back from the beach. He now says thank you, oh no, uh oh, sister (Maggie), mama, dada, and gout (go out). He spends his days helping me with chores, helping Dustin out in the yard, and enjoying everything revolving around him!

Little Man

It's official, Graham has changed from a baby to a little boy. He looks and acts like a toddler now. Although I love this age, I miss my little baby. He will turn 19 months this week. At his last well child visit he weighed 31 lbs (95%) and was 35.5 in long (99%). He answers your questions with a 'yes' or 'no' and can fully understand what you are telling him. This doesn't mean that he always listens and obeys (I just told you he acts like a toddler), but he does understand!

This past week my aunt from Florida was in town. Since she was staying with my parents she got to babysit for 3 days last week! Graham had a ball with Kim (ki-ki). She played outside in the 100 degree weather, pulled him in the wagon, and crawled around on the floor with him. Basically, she was his personal play toy! She will be very missed, by Graham and Gamma, now that she has returned home.

As if Ki-ki did not spoil Graham enough last week, he also spent Saturday night with Mimi. We had a wedding to go to in Garden City. This was the first time Dustin and I have been away at the same time. He did great! He enjoyed naps complete with back rubs and constant attention. I hoping to spend next Saturday with her!

Summer Fun

We celebrated July 4th with friends and family. Dustin's aunt, Ethel, has a party every year and everyone enjoys a relaxing day around the pool. Graham continues to love the pool, especially when there are older women (middle school age) around! Filling a cup with water, to water the flowers, is still an activity that can keep Graham busy for the better part of a day.






For Father's Day last year I took a picture of Graham dressed in Dustin's dress shirt, tie, and shoes. We continued the tradition this year. It is hard to believe how much our little man has grown up. Luckily the first picture we took was a good one. Graham fell during the second pose and was done with picture taking!




The days have been incredibly hot these past few weeks. I try to get Graham out late in the afternoon or whenever we can find some shade. Here are some pictures from the past week.

June

Finally, a blog update! We have been very busy and I have not had time to update the blog. Over the past month Graham has learned to "wink", show us his belly button/head/feet/nose/teeth, and blow kisses. We also took a family trip to the beach and bought a new car!

Mimi taught Graham how to wink. It did not take him to long to figure how cute he looks doing it. He now turns around and winks at you after doing something he isn't supposed to do!


Dustin, Graham, Mimi, and I went to Folly Beach the second week of June. It was such a fun and relaxing week. We didn't have any rain but it was incredibly hot the whole week. The heat index was 112 degrees one day! We went to Mt Pleasant to go shopping and went to the Aquarium. The rest of the trip we spent in our bathing suits! Graham loved the pool and the hose. He didn't like the ocean, but enjoyed playing in the sand. His favorite part of the beach was the view from our third floor porch. He had a bird's eye view of every truck and dog that come near!














Last, but not least, we got a new car the Monday after we returned home! Mimi bought my Honda Pilot and we got a Ford Explorer. It is in great condition and has low mileage.

Mother's Day Weekend

What a perfect weekend! We are truly blessed beyond measure. We started the weekend off with a trip to the Greenville Zoo on Saturday. Graham looked at the monkeys swinging in the trees, fed the goats some crackers, touched the pig's wet snout, and watched the tall giraffes walk around. I think he enjoyed running around as much as he did looking at the animals. Graham even got to spend some time with his girlfriend, Brooke. Mimi gave us a family pass to the zoo for Mother's Day, so I am sure we will spend lots of time there in the months to come.






We enjoyed a wonderful lunch on Mother's Day with all the family. Mimi hosted us all at her house. Graham enjoyed having Mimi, Ray, Gamma, and Gpa Ehh in the same place. He also enjoyed all the food! Graham and Dustin gave me a BEAUTIFUL blue topaz and diamond ring. I love it! Blue topaz is Graham's birthstone. This year Dustin and I will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. The ring is a combo gift for Mother's Day and anniversary present.






The last exciting thing that happened this week is that Graham got a wagon. He squeals with delight when we run him up and down the driveway! Please excuse the fact that Graham is not wearing any pants in the pictures. He and I were getting ready for bath time when Dustin finished putting it together. Of course we had to try it out! We have already logged several miles on the wagon and I am sure there are many more to follow.




Graham learned to open doors this week. That includes all doors...bedroom doors, pantry doors, and the front/back doors to the house. We now have to make sure the doors that lead to outside are deadbolted. Once he can reach the deadbolts I'm not sure what we are going to do!