Me and Piggy...

more fun

We let Grant and the boys blow out the candles about 5 times, because that is the best part!

more bday....

Thanks Jenny and Tori for the great pics....

Grant's 3rd BDAY!

We had a really fun day for Grant's 3rd Bday! We started off with pancakes for breakfast, because Grant has a love for anything with "cake" in it. Then we headed out to the park where we met his 2 cousins- Barrett and Caydon! We came home and he helped me bake his favorite chocolate birthday cake. We watched Toy Story 3 and then decorated his birthday cake with lots of fun balloons and candy fish. He then helped me blow up 10 balloons for his birthday party. I let him open up a few presents early because he pooped in the potty for the first time (TMI- sorry)!!! Yeah Grant.... then we ordered his favorite food- pizza and had Barrett and Caydon come back over to play outside and eat yummy food! He then went back to Caydon's house to play after his party! He was a very happy 3 year old and is finally asleep!!! We had a great day :) Enjoy the pics...

this is what happens when i fall asleep on the couch....

I think Grant inherited my love of beautiful china :) He pulled out my christmas china and set up a tea party. Good thing little piggy was sound asleep for this one!

Bday party...

I am still having problems uploading my MI pics, which are sooooo cute! So I will keep working on that. Cathy gave me some good tips :) Here are a few from the pizza / cake party we had with John. Grant really got the hang of blowing out the candles- he did it like 10 times! I think he is ready for his 3rd bday party in 6 days :)

Thanksgiving in Michigan

Me, John, and Grant made the trip to Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday. This trip was one that was filled with lots of family, friends, and good cheer. We arrived in Detroit Thanksgiving afternoon at 1pm and Paul F . was kind enough to pick us up in their very stylish 18 passenger white van. I was excited for this especially bc I knew there would be at least 3-4 of Al's kids greeting us. And I was right. Our welcoming committee was Clara, Mary Anna, and James. Grant was so excited to see the other cousins. He just listened to Mary Anna and Clara chat back and forth. I think he learned about 50 more words just from the car ride to Al's. We made a few random and fun stops and eventually ended up at Al's house aroun 3pm. Grant just ran inside and started playing with all the other cousins. He fit right in. He acted like he already knew everyone :) I don't think I even saw him again for another 2 hours... Al and I hit the kitchen and finished some last minute cooking for the big feast at 5pm. Then Mary, Mark, Bryan, and Kristina show up with all the other kiddies. The food was great and so was the entertainment. My favorite part of the whole night was during the Thanksgiving play put on by all the cousins. Henry was dressed up like a fat turkey and the pilgrims were trying to eat him for the Thanksgiving dinner. He was the best looking turkey I have ever seen and very fast! We had so much fun eating and hanging out with everyone. It was a great night.

Then we headed over to Bloomfield Hills to Mark and Mary's house. They were nice enough to let us stay with them for the few nights we were in MI. Their house was charming and cozy. Kate and Grant ran around the whole weekend playing with dolls and strollers. John was actually a little worried about Grant's sudden interest in dolls and Mary kept reassuring him that this was a normal behavior :) I don't know how much that helped John. By the end of the trip Grant knew how to feed, stroll, and put a baby doll to bed. When we would go down in the basement Grant would tell everyone "SHHH" babies sleeping and point to the baby in the bed. Kate would just nod her head too. Kate had him trained good. I think she is a much better teacher than I am! It was so fun to see them play together! We had some more good food- doughnuts and cider.

We spent a day at the Ford museum with Kristina and the kids- so fun! The trains and airplanes were amazing. Grant loved everything about it. We went to John's high school reunion at a very exclusive nightclub- hehe. It was so nice to see all of John's friends from high school. He had such a great group of friends and everyone was so excited to see him. Reunions are fun and funny! It is nice to feel young again for a night! I know I did at least...

What made this trip extra special was taking Grant to see Julie's grave for the first time. We really wanted to make the trip out to John's high school reunion because of the date and location. There is no better time to visit Julie than right around John and Julie's bday...(a week before). That was one of John's bday wishes.

We had a great time in Michigan- thanks to all the family and friends! Happy 29 th Bday John! We love u! You are a wonderful husband and father... luv me, little guy, and piggy

garrett and dallas

these are some pics of garrett's thanksgiving in fl.... more pics of michigan coming soon!

let the playing begin :)

We are so excited! Now we have to find some cool things for our back yard. I already have a few in mind :)

John and Grant halloween costumes

John and Grant went to a Halloween costume party the other night. Well we thought the adults were dressing up, but to John's surprise he was the only one! You can imagine how funny it was when John walked through the door dressed as Buzz light year! He was the most popular dad at the whole party! By the way, Grant is supposed to be a pirate. A last minute home made costume...

Grants first day of school pics that I never posted....

So far so good in the school department... only 1 stomach bug for now!

Fun trip with Cathy and Pete!

We had so much fun with Cathy and Pete! Thanks for coming down to Florida! We love visitors and don't get them very often. These were the best pics I have from the trip. I have to go steal all of Cathy's cool shots.... which is one reason I joined facebook again! I am a picture stealer :)

Back on Facebook

I am giving back in!! Come find me bc I lost my old account! BUMMER!

Preschool update

So preschool has been going very well. There are 11 students and 2 teachers. The ladies say that Grant is such a doll, that he just fits right in. Each time I drop him off they rave about him. Maybe they do this to all the parents, probably :) Either way it helps me feel better about the whole thing. They get to play with playdough and make crafts- which we never do at home. I know Grant loves to learn, so I think he is liking school. Every M,W,F - I ask him if he wants to go to school and he says YES! So it is great for now. Yesterday was "red" day and they asked that all the students wear red. I guess the fireman came to visit the school and here is a picture of that! Looks like there is a little boy that already loves to play with Grant :)

more pics from his office

One of the secretaries emailed these pictures to John and I thought they were great. Very much like the others, but just a little different. Her angle was much better than mine. Judge Holder gave a little speech before the swearing in on how much he likes Mormons. It was very unusual and unexpected. John spent some time with him last summer and I guess they really got to know each other. This Judge lived in Utah at the very beginning of his career. His wife has a graduate degree from the University of Utah and they lived in Provo for some time also. Out of all the judges for John to get to know, it is amazing that it was Judge Holder. John has some pretty good luck these days.

Double Happiness cufflinks

This is a very thoughtful gift from Brittan and Brian. They are double happiness cufflinks and according to chinese tradition, the character for "double happiness" ensures a lifetime of joy and togetherness. These cufflinks are a reminder that you are loved each and every day. Thanks Brittan and Brian! We love our chinese gifts. Now it is time to get some cufflink shirts for John- I guess a lot of the guys in the firm wear them, so this will be fun!

So proud!

We are so proud! I love the picture of John holding up the certificate (I think that is what it is called)...shows his real excitement!

more pics

Enjoy! We missed all John's family, of course! These pics are for all of you to see this big accomplishment!

Swearing in

John was sworn in with 3 judges present this afternoon. This is a very unusual circumstance- I found out today. Just goes to show how popular my John is already. He is so friendly and nice to everyone and already has a little following. He was sworn in by these 3 judges and a room full of secretaries, associates, and partners at GT. I was so intimidated and nervous for John, but he was confident and very articulate. It was fun to see everyone that we have gotten to know over the last few years with GT. These are a few pictures of his office too.

Rolex club...

John was inducted into 2 clubs today. The Rolex Club and the Florida Bar Association (club).... I am not sure which one he was more excited about :) Thanks Mom, Dad, and Brittan for coming and supporting John on this special day!

Normal day with the boys...

Why is Garrett always trying to hang out with the older boys? I think he is looking for scraps. He loves trying to steal food from people! And this rocking horse totally freaked him out....you should see his face!

Bye-Bye Lian Ma Ma

We will miss you!!!!

my new blog....

check it out-

http://kaleycares.blogspot.com

Grant starting pre-school

Grant is starting a part-time preschool next Friday. We have been on the waiting list for awhile. It is M,W,F 9-12, at a local Methodist church. A lot of my friends from the Odessa Branch have their kids in this pre-school. We have heard great things and are very excited. I think Grant is the most excited. I am just a little sad about the whole thing! I have to get everthing ready this next week. I am so nervous!

Boating with Mimi & Papa

For the holiday a few Mondays ago we went boating down the Rainbow River. It was fun for the whole family to get together. I am just glad that there are no pictures of me floating around the internet in my bathing suit! I don't think my mom will mind this picture :) Good thing she never checks my blog!

Mid Autumn Festival

Last night John and I took the boys to a Full Moon Party also known as the Mid Autumn's festival in china. In chinese time yesterday was August the 15th- that is because there are no months that have a 31st, they only count up to day 30. Their calendar is based on the lunar calendar. There was lots of yummy chinese food and Grant and Garrett were the only babies. There were 2 older boys that Grant knows and so he played with them. We had a good time. The moon cake pictured above is the party treat and Grant loved it. They are not very sweet for American taste-buds, but for the chinese they are very sweet. Not too bad ! There is a very friendly group around here and they love talking to John. He is a unique american in their eyes!