A mish mash of November Festivities

Look at me, only a month behind now...and catching up fast...just wait til you see all these pictures pretty much all from November. We made the trek to Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with Tennille and Clay. My mom and dad went too because Brinley is getting baptized. So, twelve hours in the car with one stop to eat ain't bad for two kids...and we survived without blood clots Tennille!! The dvd player saved us and Axel was in heaven. He got to watch movie after movie without his pesky parents saying, "No, go play" Needless to say he went through withdrawals when we came home. He loved playing with the cousins and seeing Gramma and Gramma (grandpa) yes, he calls them both gramma which I'm sure my dad is thrilled about. Which Axel is also going through withdrawals about. Now every time he doesn't get his way or gets in trouble he runs to the front door and cries out "Gwamma Gwamma" over and over. Then it will switch to "Daee, Daee" (Daddy) Sorry, he is at school and your grammas are too far away to save you now. I don't have to even mention the name he doesn't call out...Mom...of course. Maybe it would be different if I was the one gone all day and came home at night to play. But no, I am the discipliner, the dictator, the punisher, I am also the cleaner, and the chocolate milk giver, and the story reader and so on but all of that leaves his mind and only the first three names remain to echo in Axel's mind. But we do have lots of fun, even if he forgets that so easily. Grady had become Mr. Destructo the second over the last month. Nothing within his reach is safe. Just when Axel stops taking the balls off the Christmas tree Grady has begun. I told him no over and over and would walk him back to the tree to return the ball and he kept thinking it was a game. So, I said No again very sternly and just tapped his hand. He immediately dropped the sucker in his mouth, and started a hyperventilated cry. He broke out in red blotches on his face and wouldn't calm down for nothin. He was heartbroken and so was I. Crap, Axel wouldn't have even blinked an eye at that....he probably would have slapped me across the face. But one wrong look to Grady and he was a basket case. Hopefully he won't do too much wrong because I don't think I could mentally handle that heartbreaking scene again! :) Oh the joys of parenting....they do realize it is all a guessing game right...I keep thinking, "when are they going to find out that I have no idea what I am doing. I am just a fraud, a mother pretending that I have knowledge and experience." Luckily the Lord is on our side.




Tennille gave them froggie towels, which they both love. Thanks T. (Of course Axel wouldn't cooperate for a picture but know that he was a super hero frog in this get up)

I know there is sleep talking and sleep walking but how about sleep eating? He fell asleep eating a ritz cracker. The video of it is hilarious but blogger won't let me post videos anymore.

Oh yeah by the way I turned twenty-seven last month. Hoo raw! We went out to dinner...betcha can't guess where!! Check out Grady's face...he is happy to be there.

He crinkles his nose when he smiles and laughs. It is so cute. Now, he growls like a bear cub all the time. Eli calls him Bear cub because of the new habit.

These are aprons I made out of white shirts for Alex and his companion. I used iron on paper for the name tags. They turned out pretty spiffy and were so easy.

Axel posed in the picture too. I caught him putting his car in the sleeve pocket of the apron. I'm sure Alex would have liked to find that surprise.

The man in the yellow hat. Grady found it at Tennille's and wore it a lot of the weekend. Goober. He actually looks pretty darn good in it.

I made pies. They are my Great Grandma Hansen's recipe. That is exactly how she used to decorate them, so I was trying to make them authentic but my sister pointed out the resemblence. What can I say my fam is preverted.

The Thanksgiving dinner. The quote on her wall is "the fondest memories are made when gathered around the dinner table." I thought it was perfect. How is it that Thanksgiving used to be so exciting when you are little. You watch the parade, play all day and wallaa dinner is served. But when you are older now you are the one in the kitchen all day getting a sore back and feet and wallaa dinner then DISHES. Such a different perspective. But still a wonderful holiday. I am so thankful for family and food in abundance. Plus working in the kitchen all day around people you love makes for unforgettable memories.

The classic picture of dad and Tennilles look of disgust over something in the background.

He didn't find anything wrong with the pies. :)

We raked leaves for Tennille. What servicable people we are. Axel was a trooper he hung in there and helped the whole time.

What a beauty.

And to include a snippet to illustrate Tennilles sense of humor. Yes they have a toilet on their deck...a toilet. (I could telly you that they are redoing their bathroom or let you believe that they are the ultimate white trash or that they are brilliant because they have a toilet at their utter convience....doing your business while watching the kiddos play....a perfect scenerio)

Matching bandaids. Brinley got a leaf raking blister...Axel is a sympathy bandaider.

Playing with Aunt Tennille...yet another glimpse of Tennille's masked personality. Quiet, shy Tennille to the world but to her family her true hyper, butt pinching, wrestling, high-pitched-singing self is revealed.

She hypered Axel up right before bed. I bet you can't guess how long it took him to come down from the ceiling and from bouncing off the walls.

They go out for Chinese the day before thanksgiving. So here we are buffeting it.

Axel found something he would eat...ice cream. That is after his tantrum display because we initiated operation One Bite..meaning he has to try one bite before he can leave the table...the one bite was of pizza for crying out loud. Its a sad tale. I have no idea how he is gaining any weight at all. His picky eating qualities might just be the death of me.

I sure enjoyed my buffet of grapes and jello. ha ha that is Grady's plate.

Tennille Brinley and Clay and the back of my moms head.

There's the front view.

Axel loves his gwamma!

Halloween

Yeah I know I am behind...what of it? So, I don't want to spend hours on the computer, what of that? So, I am lazy what of that? :) Well, here is our Halloween festivities. We picked out our pumkins carved them. Axel didn't dig in like we would have hoped turns out when we showed him the guts he gagged, cried and ran away. Later he got up enough guts to come back with us assuring him we would put pumpkin guts in his face and stuck pins in the pumpkin...yes, pins. That was his contribution. They went trick or treating in the cold as Buzz and Woody. Axel really liked the getting candy part. So, did we for that matter....what of it? :) Grady sat in the stroller with a red nose and a coat and blanket while every house called him a she and had no idea he was Buzz...so much for all my hard work in getting his outfit made and put together...not like it was too hard just white clothes and colored electrical tape. Anyways, I thought they were pretty darn cute and it was fun to actually take them trick or treating!

The pins
Axel's reaction to pumpkin guts. I didn't include the pic of him cowering in the corner bawling.

The lion outfit Grady was going to wear...Axel had to try it on too.

Buzz and Woody....I got a free photo shoot so to Wal Mart we went.

Here was the alternative outfit which he would've pulled off well...and it was warmer...and people wouldn't have mistaken him for a girl....oh well.

A thrilled eli at the ward halloween party. We went got candy and got the heck outta there.

Buzz

Woody

Grady Turned ONE

On the 23rd of October, Grady turned one year old!! Happy Birthday Grady! We are so happy to be celebrating his first birthday after all he has been through, we didn't think we would be. On that subject, my doc wanted me to see a neurologist before we "officially" took him off of his seizure medication (even though we took him off back in July with no seizures hee hee ) So, I take him to which turns out to be a humorous situation. First of all, he doesn't even bother reading Grady's chart before we got there so has no idea he had been hospitalized or had surgeries. Seriously? We had scheduled the appointment a month in advance and you can't even glance at his history. Anyways, I proceed to tell him the big surgery he had when they removed the frontal bone and washed his brain to which he finally found the notes on the surgery and says, "Now, just to clarify so you know, they didn't actually remove the frontal bone, they insert needles in the area and do a soft rinse." Really buddy is that why he has a scar from ear to ear...from needle marks. Then and there I realized this was a waste of time...especially when he couldn't read the EEG because the writing was too small. Okay that was the whole reason we came is to read the EEG. So, he asks me for another copy...which the doc definitely gave me, not! Grrr! And then I come to the kicker...the most humorous of the entire ordeal. He tells me that Grady's eyes are too far apart..."Does he get that from his dad?" "umm no." I say. "Well, his nose is a bit upturned, but I see that yours is too so he probably just gets that from you." Okay...I wonder where this one is going..."And his fingers are short, does that run in your family?" he asks. "Well, I thought they looked pretty normal." "Okay, well I am going to recommend that you see a genetisist. They specialize in birth defects and syndromes, which those characteristics I mentioned suggests that he has. It is completely separate from the meningitis, he was born with this." WOW! All I can say is WOW! So, apparently he is hitting all his milestones on time if not sooner..(bytheway the toad is walking!) and you are telling me he has some sort of birth defect syndrome because in your opinion his eyes are far apart and his fingers are short. Well, recommend away but I ain't going to no genetisist, so he can do more meaningless tests. It is funny that with the dozens of doctors he has seen up to this point that no one else noticed these apparently prominent characteristics. I was baffled. He proceeded to do a checkup where he was like, "Let me check his back to see if anything is there." What do you expect to find? His spinal cord hanging out? Of course all of the magnitude of what he was saying didn't really sink in until I was walking away. Looking back I have a bagful of things I would've told him. But the best thing I will do is ignore his recommendation to come back and see him every three months. No thanks. If I wanted to hear a quack I would go to the duck pond. ha ha ha and I will end with that cheesy cheesy joke.
Anyways, on the birthday note. My mom and sister came up to celebrate with us. We went out to Famous Dave's (big shocker apparently we find it necessary to take all of our visitors there) and had ice cream cake and presents and games and chatting til late in the night. A great way to celebrate Grady turning ONE!


The boys with their Grandma Pennie.

Axel is obsessed with the pig at Famous Daves. This go around he got more comfortable around him and stomped on his foot and poked him in the eye...and thought it was hilarious. My kid is a bully.

The birthday boy and his dear old dad.

Axe and Me.

My mom and sister Mariah. They loved the pig too...his ribs that is..(evil laugh ha ha ha)

Grady's nose crinkle. He does it all the time and I think it is so cute!

He is enthused with the clothes. Thanks T-Bomb. Looks like Axel is the one that needs em. THe ole shirtless wonder over there.

He loved all his presents...and the wrapping paper..eating it that is.

Trying to suck on the binkie in the wrapper. Mom and Dad knows what gift will get him.

Thanks for the card and money mariah. We had a hard time prying it from his death grip.

Money money money!

And the moment everyone was waiting for...his cake. He took it slow and savored every bite, licking his fingers and all. He probably would've finished the entire thing too.

Life's Adventure

We got to visit Grace over Labor Day...yeah that would be a month ago....but nonetheless it is being documented now. It was filled with the usual excitement...wienee roasts, sand volleyball, farming...and my newest experience huckleberrying!! Lisa found it in her heart to take me...and thanks to her I came home with a couple bagfuls. Axel was riding the combine and tractor with Eli so I took Grady to the hills. He did very well considering there isn't a lot of room to crawl around. He would squawk and I would give him a huckleberry and that process repeated itself most of the afternoon. Can I just say there is nothing better than hangin out with the fam in the high hills in the cool air just pickin' huckleberries. It is great to have such wonderful experiences at our fingertips. I can imagine when God was creating the world he got to the mountains and decided to dot them with delicious berries that could only be picked and not grown in gardens. I think it is because the process of finding and chatting while you slowly fill your bucket is the fun of it! Anyways, yeah can you tell I had a great time.

Melissa and her girls Laurelin, and Nessa at the wienee roast.
Our huckleberry stained bottoms..

Mom had Sunny's kids while they went to Texas...and if you stay at Grandma Pennies' you can escape without wearing her pajamas at least one night...so here is Pac and Brax sportin' Mom's pj's.

And now for the whole "mom impersonater" crew. I risked showing off my morning look because it just looks so funny...all of us in mom's jams.

Here is the classic.."i take pictures of myself" picture. I'm sporting the epic cold sore...to which Braxton noticed and said, "Velvet, that mole on your lip looks like a piercing!" What? I hope a mole doesn't just appear on my lip overnight....I set him straight..it is a cold sore...it is a curse!

An out of order shot of huckleberryin' and the whole crew...even Grady had huckleberry butt!

Back at bathtime with all the cousins. Axel showin off his alphabet skills to Pacen and Brax...bathtime letters are the best...to chew that is! I love the cheesy grins.

Here is Axel pants discovering the wonderful world of the bandaid. And what better spot to want a bandaid than on his chin...what a nerd. He wouldn't let me take it off. Finally milk from cereal made it not stick anymore, but not before he already had bandaid skum outlines on his face. :)

The matching PJ's picture. The funny thing is I came upon each pair separately. One at a thrift store and the other came in bin of clothes that I randomly got from a lady. Funny, but they look so cute. They are finally starting to play together. They both love it.

You may be familiar with sleep walking but how about sleep eating? Here is an example. I even got some video feed of him waking up sucking a little bit more on the Ritz cracker then assuming the position of dozing in the hair chair. He was so tuckered out.