BOOOO HOOOO

Grayson had his 15-month check-up today. He was in such a great mood when we first arrived. He played with books in the waiting room until the nurse called our name. As soon as we walked back and he realized that he had seen this woman, the nurse, before in that same room she was leading him into, he lost it.

Grayson cried through all of his measurements, weighing, and long after the nurse was finished with him. He was able to be calmed and coaxed into looking at a book while we waited for the doctor to arrive.

He was pretty cooperative for Dr. Murnane and did all the things she asked. Well except for walking. She isn't worried. She said as long as he will walk holding one finger, which he will do, we shouldn't be worried. He is just scared to let go.

After she finished we found out that Grayson would be getting two shots. He was fine being put up on the table, but as soon as the nurse walked in he got nervous. I gave him his pacifier, hoping that would help. He got SO upset when she gave him the shot. He cried until he fell asleep in the care on the way home. Poor baby!

It wasn't all bad. We did get some good news about his weight. Grayson is FINALLY at 20 pounds. 20 pounds and 2 ounces to be exact AND he is back on the chart at the 3rd percentile. His length was in the 10th percentile. We don't have to go back for his weight to be checked until his 18-month appointment. YAY!!! I guess all that eating has finally paid off. Oh and we do know why he had some fussy spells over the weekend. He is cutting three of his molars. He now has 11 teeth total. Mystery solved!

THREE AMIGOS

Grayson hit the 15 month mark last week. As usual, time is flying by. At 15 months, he is just amazing. He has decided to keep crawling and pretty much refuses to walk. He can walk. Oh yes, we have seen him do it and he even took about 5 steps at his Granny and Grandpa's last weekend. We will see what his doctor thinks about that at his 15 month appointment tomorrow. I expected him to walk a little late after his broken leg, but now I think he has just decided that it is much faster to crawl and he likes to get around quickly.

Lots of great things have been happening in Grayson's world lately and he has even picked up some new words to talk about it. He can now say hi, bye, pa pa, grandpa, car, baaa (for a sheep or goat), fish, truck, and will attempt to imitate most anything you say.

Last weekend was spent with his Granny and Grandpa. They took him to the Ft. Fisher aquarium. We are still waiting on copies of those pictures. (Hint-Hint). As usual, Grayson came home with some treats and now has a new fish friend to keep him company in the crib (stuffed-not real).

This past weekend Grayson was able to spend some time with two of his favorite buds, Louis and Levi. The three of them were incredibly entertaining together. Louis is almost 2 and Levi is almost 18 months old. It is so nice to see him together now that they sort of play with one another. Grayson just loved watching those two bigger buddies. He had a ball playing with all of Levi's toys and swimming in Levi's grandparents pool.

Justin and I also had a great time visiting with Beth, Matt, Kelly, and Wez. All of us spent the weekend together at the Rollins' new home in Thomasville. It was a much needed vacation for me and I couldn't have spent it with better friends. We are blessed with so many great friends. The Rollins and Barrells are just a reminder of how much God loves us. Beth and Matt also shared some of their Thomasville friends with us during our visit. It was great to spend a weekend surrounded by such wonderful people.

On Saturday we took the boys and Layla, Neil and Lindsay's energetic and hilarious little red head, to the Lazy 5 farm. There was nothing lazy about his outing. Once we arrived and took care of potty visits and diaper changes we headed over to the barn. There we boarded a huge wagon, were handed a pail of feed, and began our journey into the animal habitat pulled by three HUGE horses. Our trip through the animal habitat lasted a little longer than an hour and was well worth the time and money. Grayson was able to see all kinds of animals up close and watch them eat feed out of mommy and daddy's hands. We saw all sort of goats, deer, llamas, water buffalo, zebras, camels, bison, giraffes, pigs, a rhino and MANY more animals that I can't even remember. It was amazing and Grayson loved it. He was so excited and didn't seem to be scared at all about getting so close to all of those animals.

To wrap up the weekend we traveled to Greensboro to welcome home Papa Jack. Yes, Jack is home from a two week leave from Iraq. We were so happy to get to see him and spend a little time visiting. Grayson got lots of cuddle and play time with his papa. Since it wasn't enough to make-up for only seeing him on a computer screen since January, we decided to leave Grayson in Greensboro for the night to spend more time with his Nana and Papa. We will be picking him back up this afternoon and I can hardly wait to get that little guy back home.

We have been incredibly busy lately and it looks like the rest of the summer will not slow down one bit. I guess we should get used to it. Grayson is a busy guy that likes to stay on the go.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Okay, so I know it is just a little crazy, but I am me and this is another one of those me things. I like to say "Happy Independence Day" instead of Happy 4th of July. I do often say "Happy 4th", but I prefer the other. I think it is important to acknowledge that the 4th is not just about hot dogs and fireworks, but about celebrating our independence and freedom, which was not "free". People gave their life for the freedoms that we have here in our United States of America and there are many who continue to risk their life to protect those freedoms. So, I have gotten that out! Now, on to Grayson which is the reason most of you even log in to look at this website.

Grayson's second Independence Day was great and we had lots of fun with family doing all of the traditional things (cookout, fireworks, etc.) at Lake Gaston. Grayson spent lots of time with Granny and Grandpa Royal and the whole Royal/Tart family at my Aunt Audrey and Uncle Tommy's house on the lake. He had a blast swimming, playing with his cousin, fishing with grandpa, and watching fireworks.

There was one very important person who did not have the opportunity, even if he had wanted it, to celebrate this holiday with Little Gray Bear. Grayson's Pa-Pa Jack is currently deployed. Yes, Grayson has his very own hero serving and protecting our county right now. Pa-pa Jack has been gone since January. Although Grayson doesn't really understand where Jack is or why he must be there, we try to remember to talk about him often, show Grayson pictures of him regularly, and make sure he has the opportunity with Aunt Meg and Nana to talk to Pa-pa Jack via Skype. I am starting to think that Grayson thinks Pa-Pa Jack has moved into a computer.

I can't tell you how proud we are to say that we know such a fine man. Yes, it stinks to have him away for a whole year. Yes, it is scary to think that he risks his life to protect this country we call home. However, the bottom line is that our freedoms need protecting. Our Independence does not come without cost. We feel very blessed to have a such a man in our family and the opportunity to show Grayson, even though he may not fully understand, that the freedoms we often take for granted require sacrifice.

There are many families and individuals who have sacrificed a great deal so that we can live freely. I hope that on your Independence Day you took time to thank God for the blessing of freedom, time to pray for the men and women who are protecting those freedoms right now, and time to pray for the future of our country and it's leaders.