Jan 1: I ripped my jeans in the crotchtorial area. Need I say more. What a way to start off the new year! P.S. – sorry for the photo of my crorchtorial area.

Jan 2: Since Derek was home on Monday Gray and I gave him a little concert.

Jan 3: Now that his attention span is growing he sits and colors for longer periods of time. So much that I went out and bought him some coloring books. They only cost a dollar, but still, I made the investment. Doesn’t that count?

Jan 4: After a long morning of shopping I let him go to town on a cup of apple sauce. As you can tell, it got a bit messy. It’s a shame we had to throw that shirt in the was. I love him in his little Ireland shirt. My sister got it for him when she went to Ireland in 2010.

Jan 5: Every now and then I like bending the rules and allow my little crumb factory to have snack somewhere other than in his highchair. I do often regret this decision. This time he spared me the shame. Thanks kiddo. Not to mention, how cute is Wrigley snuggled under his little feet? I know she’s just there to act as a garbage disposal, but it’s still ridiculously  cute.

Jan 6: Friday, the weather was warm and wonderful so Squish and I took advantage of the beautiful day and went for a walk.

Jan 7: Gray has finally taken a liking to his rocking horse. He’s always had a bit of intrest in it, but couldn’t quite climb on it himself. When we would put it on him he was so unsteady with his rocking I was afraid he was going to smack his face into the horse’s head. Now that he is climbing on EVERYTHING and has a bit more coordination he has found a new buddy. I really love seeing him enjoy this horse, because it was made for me by my great grandfather when I was born.

I finally found time to edit the rest of Grayson’s one year photos that I took back in August. Life keeps me busy, but I was determined to get this done. I didn’t quite know when that day would come, but by golly I was gonna do it. As to not totally bore you with photos of my super cute, super squishy, beautiful baby boy. Over the top? Yeah? Sorry. I’ll tone it down a bit.

Let’s try this again. As to not totally bore you with this average, no frills kid I popped out of me 16 months ago. Better? Good.

I am breaking his one year photos into two different posts. These are the “Bow Tie Photos”. You guys should feel lucky. Not even facebook has seen all of these yet.

This first photo was on our Christmas card this year.

So dapper!

Tiny Tom’s. Totally Terrific! (10,000 points to whoever can tell me what show Totally Terrific is from. Derek, you can’t answer.)

Really, could his lashes be any longer? At this point I think they might have been longer than his hair.

The kid still makes this face 4 months later. It’s his super excited/dancing face. He usually emits a high pitched squeal while making it. It’s quite the ear-piercing sound.

 I still have a few more to edit from his cake smashing session, and then I will have those puppies up and oozing with cuteness. See ya soon.

When you have kids like it or not you have sippy cups. I think just about every mom/dad has played the “Will You Drink Out Of This Sippy Cup That I Paid $10 For?” game. It’s not a fun one. And by the time you think you’ve got the cup thing down you now own so many different styles of cups you can no longer justify buying multiples of the cup you/the kid likes best. So you just go with what you have. Well, for all you new or soon to be or one day parents out there; here is my experience with the stupid things. I hope it helps.

BTW…I am going left to right with my descriptions. They are not ranked, just in order by size.

1) NUK Gerber Graduates 2-Handled Learning Cup - this cup is pretty decent, but it leaks a bit more than I care. The sicilone nippel is very soft and while cleaning it; the brush went through the spout hole and tore it a bit. Now it leaks even more. This cup is made to change out the lids at different stages, but I never bought the next levels. I’m like that. I’m a quiter.

2) Playtex First Sipster Cup - This is a great cup. It’s fairly easy to clean, it’s rugged, and doesn’t leak too bad when thrown down by a cranky toddler in the car and lands on the floorboards. Buy it.

3) Munchkin Mighty Grip Trainer Cup - this is one of my favorites and the little man’s favorite cups. It’s easy to clean, doesn’t really leak, and has easy to hold handles. Grayson’s ears tend to hurt him when he teethes, and they hurt even worse when he drinks from certain sippy cups. This one DOES NOT hurt his ears. Thank the lord. If you child has issues with their ears, and the issues intensify when drinking from sippy cups try this brand. Buy it!

4) Playtex Baby First Lil’ Gripper Twist ‘n Click Straw Trainer Cup – this cup is okay, but the feature that they brag about is the feature I don’t like. The squeezable cup is meant to help teach children how to drink through a straw, but all it does is cause the drink to pour out of the straw when I pick up the cup. Word to the wise: don’t fill it up too much or you too will find liquid all over the cup due to any form of pressure. Now that I learned that issue I am more aware of what I put in the cup and how much. Aside from the volcanic straw action it’s a good sippy/straw cup.

5) Boon Fluid Sippy Cup - this is a good looking sippy cup. Grayson loves when he gets this one. I save it as a special cup. It really doesn’t leak and can be thrown right in the dishwasher. It does seem a tiny bit harder for Gray to drink from since the mouth piece is hard plastic and not soft silicone, but it doesn’t stop him from drinking it.I don’t really like taking it in the diaper bag because it’s an awkward size. In all it’s a pretty decent cup that looks good too.

6) Munchkin Mighty Grip Spill-Proof Cup - this is one of my favorites and the little man’s favorite cups. It’s easy to clean, doesn’t really leak, and holds plenty of liquid for a super thirsty toddler.

7) Nuby No Spill Sports Sipper - Gray loves drinking from straws so I thought this sipper might entice him to drink from it. He likes it alright, but to him, it’s just not the same. I like that it doesn’t really leak too much, but it does have a bit of a suction issue. The nipple/straw thingie does have an air valve, but it keeps getting blocked by his lip when he drinks from the cup and the nipple will sometimes collapse and can hurt his ears when he’s teething.

8 ) Mud Pie Initial Sip N’ Munch Cup -  I saw this cup on Zulily one day and pressed the buy button before my credit card knew what I was doing. Like I said before, Gray LOVES drinking from straws, but only the kind he can remove from the cup. You know the big people kind.  And this cup not only has a straw, but a screw on stack cup on the bottom. Not to mention the G applique. Only thing is…it leaks. And if the kiddo drops it, like kids tend to do, the lid might even pop off. The function of the straw and snack cup are fine, but I think it’s definitely meant for older kids. Like ages 4-6. It’s really cute, so I’ll keep it around.

Are there any cups out there that I really need to try? You know, like the end all be all sippy cup? Has anyone tried or heard any good things about the OXO cups? I’m thinking about trying them.

FYI – I took the photos in this post. They are his actual sippy cups. These are not from any product websites, so I did not source the images. And yes, #4 has milk in it. I took the cup out of the fridge for the photo while the kiddo was napping.  A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.

I took basic glass ball ornaments that you can pick up at any craft/hobby store or Target and jazzed them up a little bit. Does anyone else get a mental image of someone doing Jazz Hands anytime they hear, see, or speak the word JAZZ? Oh, just me. Never mind then.

If you intend on coating the inside of a glass ornament with paint I very highly suggest cleaning the inside before. I used rubbing alcohol to clean my ornaments. Just pour a small-ish amount into your ornament swish it around and upside down, with your finger sealing off the hole, and then dump and let dry. Some people reuse their alcohol I found that didn’t work well for me. My first few I cleaned the inside and the paint stuck just fine. My last few (the ones I spent the most time on and loved the most…of course) I didn’t clean. Let’s just say they have a melted look to them.

This first one I went simple. I poured white acrylic paint (slightly thinned with 7-8 drops of water) into the the cleaned & dry ornament and moved the ornament around until coated. Place ornament w/ paint upside down on a small cup to allow the excess paint to drip out. During this process you can move the ornament around allowing the excess paint to shimmy on over to areas that need paint. I allowed my ornament to dry overnight upside down, carefully placed the top back on the ornament, tied a cute ribbon to the top, and hung that baby up!

It’s best to allow this ornament to dry with the hole facing down so that the excess paint drips out and doesn’t pool at the bottom of your ornament causing a dark spot to appear on the bottom of your ornament.

This next ornament I did the same as the white one above, but obviously used green on the inside this time. On the outside of the ornament I wiped it down with rubbing alcohol so that my paint had a clean surface to stick to. Next, I dipped the back of a art brush into white acrylic paint and just free handed a swirly dot, and then allowed it to dry on a small cup. Once dry ,I tied a piece of baker’s twine to the top for hanging.

I wanted this one to look fairly messy. I’m sure it’s not everyone’s taste, but I think it adds a bit of whimsey to my ornament collection. Plus, I can always say the hubs or the kid made it if people laugh at it.

For these polka dotted guys I just cleaned the outside of an ornament and dipped the back of a sharpie marker into paint and dotted it around my ornament, and let dry. These were my favorite. Unfortunately, these were the ones I DIDN’T clean the inside of, so now they look all melted on the inside and will not be returning next holiday season. Always, always, always take the time to clean the inside of your ornament if you intend to coat it with paint. You can kind of see the paint on the inside start to “melt” in the photo below. Poor little guys. They never even had a chance.

Oh well, you live and you learn. I still left them on the tree. I just placed the really bad ones to the sides and back.

Grayson’s crib mattress has been on the lowest setting since he began pulling up at around 9 or 10 months. I’ve had nighmares where I awake to a thud in Grayson’s room, and he comes running out having just climbed out of his crib. Well folks, that nightmare became reality on Christmas Night 2011. The weekend was full of family, presents, and food and all three of us were totally exhausted. About 5-10 mins after putting Grayson down for the night Derek and I heard a thud, while relaxing on the couch. We looked at each other as if to say “there’s NO way he did what I think he just did. is there?”

We didn’t really hear anything for a few moments. I started walking towards the hall that leads to Gray’s room, and in a normal volumed voice said, “Grayson!?!”. Just then I heard the pattering of little feet. (That is not exactly the moment I imagined when people say they dream about hearing the pitter pattering of little feet in their house.) Next thing I know, I’m face to face with………IT!

That little turd figured out how to scale the side of his crib! I was freaked out because I figured he had landed on his head, but there was no mark or bump when I checked. Not to mention, the kid wasn’t crying. What?! We brainstormed on how to adjust the crib so he can’t escape again. I’m not to keen on the whole crib tent thing. I’ve heard they have been recalled due to kids still escaping and getting caught by the neck. No way, Jose!

We had to figure out something ASAP, because the kid will not stay in bed long enough to sleep with us. He needs walls. So Derek pulled down the pack-n-play from the attic. While he set the PnP up I put Grayson in his crib. I was still freaked that he might have landed on his head and have a concussion, due to him landing on our wood floors. I also wanted to see if he would attempt to climb out again so I could see HOW he got out. 1) This way we would know if he was using a nearby bookcase or standing on his bumpers, and 2) I could see if was climbing over feet first and landing on his feet.

Not more than 30 seconds after being placed in his crib he made a break for it, but failed. At least we knew how he was doing it.

Then the little spider monkey remembered…

Basically, our kid is just to tall for the lowest crib setting. That’s what you get when your 16 month old is in the 90% for height.

Since there was no way that Grayson would ever stay in his bed if we converted it to a toddler bed right now, even with a baby gate at the door, we had to find another solution. This same thing happened to my friend Destin with her little boy about a month before. She posted about it on FB, and someone suggested lowering the spring frame and mattress all the way to the floor. Our only issue is that his crib has a drawer beneath it. We store small toys in there, and he loves sitting in the drawer and playing with those toys. It’s really quite adorable. I hated having to remove something that made him so happy, but I’d rather him be safe. So, we removed the drawer and droppe the mattress and frame to the floor giving us an additional 5 inches.

Since the PnP was already set up we plopped him in there while we destroyed any future attempts of him escaping.

Dang it gets dusty under stuff when you don’t dust. I have no clue why there is a spoon under his crib. No clue.

The drawer was on sliders that were attached to wooden rails attached to the crib walls. Since there would be a large gap between the floor and the side of the crib we didn’t want to risk him getting stuck, so we placed the frame on the wooden rails to keep the mattress off the floor a bit. Just to make sure the frame and mattress didn’t shift and fall we used old washcloths to fill any remaining gap between the frame and the crib walls.

It’s not the prettiest solution, but a safe(er) one. There is no telling what trouble/things he would climb if we were to put him in a toddler bed right now.

Has anyone else had their kid scale the wall of their crib only to make a surprise appearance in the living room? What did you do? Did you just balls up and move to the toddler bed, or did you still need a tiny baby cage like us?

2011 was a wonderful year. And I fully expect 2012 to kick it’s butt. Here’s a quick look back at what made 2011 such a great year…

1) Enjoying the 1st snow of the year with my chunky little fella. It just so happened to be his 1st snow EVER. He loved every moment of the cold stuff.

2) Seeing my husband fall head over heals in love with someone other than me.

3) Taking Gray to the zoo for the 1st time with my good friend Rachel. (or as Gray knows her as…Stinky Rachel) I promise the name has nothing to do with the way she smells.

4) Taking the 6 month photos that perfectly captured Grayson’s personality.

5) Going skiing with some wonderful friends in Park City, UT.

6) Knowing that my sweet girl, Wrigley, was going to be okay after her emergency surgery. This may have been the most terrifying month of my life. However, knowing that we could have lost her and now getting to see her sweet puppy face everyday made everyday of 2011 a favorite. You can read more about the squeaky toy that almost killed our dog here, here, here, and here. HUG YOUR PUPPIES EVERYDAY!

7) Grayson was born at the end of the summer, and never got the chance to go swimming during 2010. I wait patiently all winter/spring long for summer to arrive. Let me just tell you, Grayson was meant to be in the water. He loves big pools, baby pools, lakes, bathtub, and dog water bowls (ewww!). If it’s got water my boy is happy. So #6 would have to be spending the summer in the pool and at the lake with Squishy. We are planning to take a beach trip this summer, and I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the ocean for the first time.

Seeing my baby turn ONE! I still can’t believe it.

9) If this kid wasn’t cute enough already I had to go and throw a puffy shark costume on him for Halloween. Trick-or-Treating with this baby shark was hilarious.

10) Watching Gray fall into his 1st pile of leaves.

11) Enjoying a busy but amazing Christmas with my two favorite boys.

I decided I’m going to attempt Project 365 this year. I’m going to post a week at a time. Kind of like Sarah does over at Life {Sweet} Life. I’ll also try to give a brief explanation of the photo for each day in my week’s post.

Today is Day 1. Let’s see how far I make it. Right now I don’t intend to follow any particular rules or groups, but who knows. I’ll just be happy if I make it all 365 days. Life tends to get in the way. Oh, and don’t expect these to be great quality photos or anything. I have a feeling most will be iPhone pics. I take photos just about everyday, but I hope this little project will help me to remember each day a little better.

Is anyone else attempting this? I guess I will make this my resolution for 2012.