August Kindness: Localtarians debrief

Week 3:  so bad.  So bad that I'm embarassed to write it down.  I traveled to Pittsburgh for work and stayed in a hotel with Grey and my sister...so food consisted of eating out.  horrible.  We did eat a non-chain restaurant before the zoo as a family though (no guarantee that the food was local, but at least it was ma&pa vs. "the man" dining, right?)  horrible horrible attempt at eating locally.

Week 4:
Saturday: Local cauliflower steamed

Sunday:  Local cauliflower & potatoes slow cooked with pot roast- yum:)

Monday:  local grown Granny Smith apples<3

Tuesday:  local made & baked bread

Well this month's kindness was a lot harder than we had anticipated.  If I was better about deciding my meals for each week, it would have been a lot easier and we would have been more successful at this month's task..but alas, I am not good about ahead meal-planning (although I dream of one day tackling this challenge).  By the end of the month, we were grasping for anything that was made locally at an attempt of fulfilling the kindness, but if we're honest with ourselves it was kind of a half-assed try all month long. 

Some positives that came out of the kindness were quite a few.  We at least started to recognize the quality of food locally grown vs. the food we pull from packaging.  Its no secret that eating it fresh tastes infinitelly better than having it flown in from somewhere else.  We also tried some new recipes that we might not have otherwise given a chance.  With Greyson now getting our grinded up dinners - we are more aware than ever at what goes into our bodies...since its not just going into our old, used to crap bodies; but always his brand spankin' new body too. 

I am hoping that after this month's kindness we continue to buy locally grown fruits/veggies as they are available.  Not totally proud of our commitment to this month's kindness but it was a worthwhile cause and I strive to be better and healthier about it.  A girl can hope.

Profesh photos: 4 months

I finally took Grey to get some professional pictures!  They turned out fantastic and I could hardly choose which photos!  4 months old and so handsome. 

*All pictures by Portrait Innovations

Localtarians: Week 3

back at it again this week, however with not as much success as we started out the month.  We've been doing some "reaching" for considering what satisfys are localtarian status...

Monday:  local green beans, steamed

Tuesday:  we had a picnic at Waldameer amusement park with our cousins.  My contribution to the picnic:  local cherry tomatoes (& cheese/crackers...like a picnic-build-your-own bruschetta?)

Wednesday:  steamed local zucchini on top of spaghetti

Thursday:  locally made maple syrup on waffles for breakfast

Friday:  locally made maple syrup on waffles for breakfast

Saturday:  fresh picked blueberries from my parents' neighbor's yard...like a whole lb of them - oops! hah

Sunday:  cheaters:(  on our way back from Johnstown

Itsy Bitsy in da house!

So a few months back when Greyson & I were singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, I started trying it out with different accents and styles....with just Grey around and he gives no bad critiques.  So I got the guts to sing the different versions in front of Brandon and he thought it was wildly hilarious and requested that only talk in the country voice for the rest of eternity (he has a slight crush on Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash from Walk the Line).  Our parents & some of our cousins have also heard the different versions and think its fairly entertaining too - so I thought I'd share the itsy bitsy love. 

Let me just preface this by proclaiming:  I am not a great singer.  I know that.  This is NOT an audition tape for American Idol or America's Got Talent.  Greyson likes my voice and that's all that matters.  So don't cast stones at my unprofessional voice and even more amateur accents. 



This was right before Grey's afternoon nap, hence the slight crankiness and lack of attention.  Yes, the hallejuah version IS that loud and out of control...that's why its Brandon's favorite.  Usually Greyson shows favoritism towards the Rap and Coffeehouse versions.  However, on this particular day he totally says, "Oh yeah" (at :51) during the English version - HAH...don't even pretend like he didn't say it. 

Welcome to Crazytown, Population, 6.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Labor, and Transportation, and Congress (aka Daddy):  Brandon

The Secretary of Health & Human Services, Education, Justice, and Peace, and The House of Reps (aka Mum): Tabitha

The President (aka the boss who has to pass everything through Congress & the House...but certainly has the power to last-minute Veto):  Greyson Rudy

The Secretary of Energy (as in too much energy):  Bullet

As Greyson has now entered a new stage of babydom, (ie. eating new foods, trying to sit up, less cuddly/more active, etc) I thought it'd be a good time to take inventory of our union...as in the union that is our little family.

The State of Our Union 2010

1. jobs:  I like this quote...I don't know who said it, but I know we need to get back to this in our crazy life: "When I was a kid, I had a hard time distinguishing between what was fun and what was work."

Thankfully, (seriously, Lord, thank you) Brandon and I both have steady, well-paying actual jobs that are secure during a time that we know so many people do not.  We know that we are very fortunate to have our bills paid.  Outside of making a living, job opportunities continue to rise inside the house. Who is making dinner? Who is taking out the garbage? Who is taking Bullet for a walk? Who is reading the same book to Greyson for the 14th time in a row? It seems like the jobs just keep piling up at our house...if only we could replicate this for the national economy...maybe the United States should have a baby too.

It literally takes me a week to do our laundry...and if you think that sounds normal, you dont' know that I only do the laundry once a week.  So, its actually totally sad.  I manage to get the whites in on Monday and then fold them on Tuesday with maybe getting the darks in that day.  Baby's clothes maybe on Wednesday or Thursday and then folding both those and the darks on Thursday night.  Sheets & towels on friday?  maybe not, maybe they can wait until Sunday?  or next Monday? 

Brandon shaking out and re-wearing work shirts two days in a row because I haven't ironed clean ones yet, check.   Running the garbage/recycling down to the garbage man while thanking him for waiting on Wednesday afternoon, check.  Forgetting to throw away leftovers in the fridge and then discovering they are covered in (possibly toxic) mold, double check. 

2. health care:  so far so good.  Grey has not experienced any sicknesses yet..but fall is right around the corner.  B has a track record of getting super sick right at the start of fall, so we need to stock up on our vitamin C in preparation.  Thankfully, we already have a humidifier for when the baby gets sick...of course I'll be sick in the heart to see the little guy suffering, but I guess its a part of life.  In other health care instances, mum and dad SERIOUSLY need to make an appt. at the dentist (forgive us dentist, our last appointments were an embarassingly long time ago), and mumma is due for an eye appt.  Note to self, keep glasses out of reach from Bullet...Brandon and I have already lost 3 pairs to his chompers between us.


"The family; we are a strange little band of characters, trudging along through life; sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of rooms, inflicting pain and kissing it away in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."  - Erma Bombeck

3. education:  we are learning new things everyday it seems.  Brandon has learned all kinds of new house maintenance things over the last few months (mudding drywall, hanging shutters, laying tile, etc).  He is also trying his best to learn how to balance work and home.  Brandon has a very demanding job and has experienced the disappointment and frustration of having to miss fun home stuff (like Grey's first trip to an amusement park!) because of work.  We hope there will be some reprieve in this department soon.

"I get sillier as I get older, so I don't know what wisdom means.  I can only pass on something that I've been acquainted with and let whoever it is pick the bones out of it."   - Dame Judi Dench

I try to learn new things as often as possible which I think is in part why I read so much.  I am learning everyday how to accept the fact that its impossible to juggle everything.  This has been the hardest lesson to learn...I'm still learning it.  I physically, mentally, and emotionally cannot do all the things I was able to do pre-baby (or pre-puppy).  I've been kicking, screaming, and crying the entire way, but I'm slowly starting to recognize that I need to make priorities and realize that I'll get to the other stuff tomorrow..or next week..or maybe never...but at the end of this life is the disorganized guest closet going to amount to anything?...um, No. 

Greyson's little brain is learning so quickly.  What he is capable of doing and understanding now from only 4 months ago is amazing.  He surprises us and makes us laugh everyday with what his tiny little humanoid-self can do.  He is still a no-tv watching baby (although he would like to be; he turns into a zombie baby anytime he catches a glimpse of it) and we are reading lots of books.  He has a few favorites but mostly likes any book.  He loves listening to music, especially music with a lot of drums or horns.  And he loves being in water most of all.  We recently dunked him (!!) in our neighbor's swimming pool and he did just fine.  So, he's learning about holding his breath too. 

Bullet is learning who the bosses are at the house.  Brandon and I are learning the Dog Whisperer techniques (thank you, hulu!) and trying to get Bullet to stop being such a maniac in the house and on walks.  Mostly working, but Bullet just cannot behave himself when we see other dogs...he wants to play sooo bad.  Maybe we should get another dog....HAH.  just kidding...at least not right now.

Lola and Jinx are NOT learning how to keep the litter in the litterbox.  I can't understand it.

4. global warming:  We are full gdiaper-users!  What happended to EC, you ask?  We are still trying to get Grey to pee on the potty as often as possible, but he still needs to have a diaper on.  We use the disposable/compostable/flushable inserts during the day and the hemp cloth ones at night.  They have been working great and his little bum looks so cute in the gpants.  I feel sooo much better that we aren't throwing diapers away anymore.

Also in the (trying to stop) global warming category, we are making our own baby food now.  We got the OK from the doc to feed Grey whatever we're eating for dinner (grinded up in the MagicBullet)!  So exciting:)  We also still recycle everything possible and we have a serious plant growing from our compost bin....?  Pumpkin maybe?  I cant' remember throwing pumpkin seeds in there, but we must of thrown some kind of seed in there that is totally loving the ultra-soil in the compost bin. 

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair"  -Kahlil Gribran

5. economy:  steady.  we are doing our best to save money and trying to make smart choices when purchasing.  We still shop at ALDI for 90% of our food/supplies and I use coupons for anything else we need at the grocery store.  Anytime I shop online I first go to http://www.ebates.com/ (thank you Kayla!) and search for the website I want to shop from.  If you don't know about ebates- check it out.  You get a % cash back from like a bajillion different online stores.  I got my first ebates check in the mail the other day...for literally doing nothing but going through their website.  Once I'm at the site and ready to check out, I stop over at http://www.retailmenot.com/ to see if there are any posted coupons for the website too.  I've probably saved over $50 this year from using coupons I've found on their site between no shipping to $$off of the total. 

"If one wants to establish himself, he should help others to establish themselves first." 

We are also fortunate enough to be able to continue our 12 months of kindness...some months take extra financial planning (like May with our Studer scholarship or our January donation to the local Food Bank).  Other months we get lots of finanical support to help others from our friends and family (like March Madness to support Special Olympics and July Beer Olympics to fundraise for the Make-A-Wish foundation). 

6. foreign policy:  After the baby, we were too ____ [tired, busy, overwhelmed, etc] to really do anything...we are starting, slowly to get back into the friend and fun groove.  Brandon and I have strictly enforced a "third thursday of the month" date night for ourselves:)  And we've been joining friends out for playdates and picnics more often than before.  Now when we get an invitation instead of thinking...ohGod that's going to take a lot of packing/planning, we think, ooh that might be fun!

okay, sometimes we still feel like this:

"When I was young, the future was where all the good stuff was kept, the party clothes, the pretty china, the family silver, the grown-up jobs.  The future was a land of its own, and we couldn't wait to get there.  Not that youth wasn't great, but it came with disadvantages;  I remember feeling I was missing something really good that was going on somewhere else,  somewhere I wasn't.  I remember feeling life passing me by.  I remember impatience.  I don't feel that way now.  If something interesting is going on somewhere else, good, thank God, I hope nobody calls me.  Sometimes it's all I can do to brush my teeth- toothpaste is just too stimulating."  -excerpt from A Three Dog Life:  A Memoir by Abigail Thomas

7. civil rights:  we look at civil rights in our house as playing well with others.  Greyson is encouraged to be held by as many people as are around.  I want Grey to be comfortable being around lots of people, especially since we don't live near all of our family.  He has done well so far, but now that he's to the age where he knows the difference between mum/dad and anyone else, we'll really need to make sure he knows that being with others is okay too.  Of course, "stranger danger" will be taught when he gets a little older:)  We also try our best to introduce Grey to different types of music and food.  We listen to lots of Putumayo cds (http://www.putumayo.com/) like the New Orleans & World Music which has lots of fun jazz and drum beats.  We read about different places to live and cultures, and even different languages in our books each day.  We'd like Grey to recognize as early as possible that there are many ways to live a life. 

"I try to affirm the worth of every person I meet."  -the late "Padre" Reverend E. Raymond Shaheen from Susquehanna University

Unfortunately, Bullet and the kitties still do not play well together.  Lola is the boss between the three of them.  Bullet can run right up to her, barking his head off and that girl fights right back.  Many-a-time, I've had to wipe blood from Bullet's nose because Lola isn't putting up with his crap.  Jinx is the most skittish cat on the planet anyway, so she runs like the wind and hides at the sight of Bully.  We are trying to work on their friendship, but it seems like a long road ahead.  The fact that Bullet can sit with his face through the cat door and just stare at them, while the cats just stare back seems like we've come leaps&bounds from their first meeting...slowly but surely.



All in all, our life is crazy and chaotic, but mostly funny and definitely full of love.  There really is only one truth,  "Life is too short to be anything but happy." 

The incident of the skunk in the daytime

Is it really a surprise that Bullet managed to get sprayed by a skunk?  If you're an avid reader of our blog, I'm sure you (just as we) were anticipating it...and maybe a little surprised it hadn't happened sooner? 

Brandon woke up early for work (5a) and let Bullet out while he was getting ready for work.  Around 5:15a, when he went to let him back in, he said he could smell skunk the minute he got in the sunroom.  So he lets Bullet in the house and couldn't tell if the skunk had just sprayed outside (and that was where the smell was coming from) or if it was Bullet who smelled like skunk.  So what does Brandon do?  He walks Bullet through the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the hallway, and into our bedroom.  Says to (a sleeping) me, "Can you smell Bullet and tell me if he smells like skunk?  I can only smell skunk everywhere." ...um, good morning.

I got close to Bullet and it was definitely coming from him, so we trekked him back outside and I went back to sleep on the couch while B left for work.  Bullet was leashed-up outside for the whole day...which means since our dog is the biggest baby of all time, continued barking and crying basically 24hrs because he wants to be whereever we are.  annoying...sorry neighbors.  It was a long and stressful day, but thankfully Tasha was visiting that day, so she was patient with setting up the canopy outside near enough Bullet to keep him from barking at every living thing outside, but not near enough for him to get skunk all over us. 

Despite the mess of a day it created, it did allow me to feel guilt-free for leaving him outside while I vacuumed the entire basement and got the kitchen cleaned.  Of course, I had to burn incense and candles all day to get the skunk out of the house from the Brandon/Bullet parade that morning.  B got home later that afternoon and brought two HUGE tomato paste cans with him.  We figured that was probably the least invasive attempt.  While he was being washed, B discovered that Bully was really only sprayed on the side of his face and one of his front legs.  Thank goodness, the tomato paste worked and Bullet was welcomed back into our house that evening!

We received lots of advice on how to get the smell of skunk out of our dog's fur...in case you were wondering, some of the suggestions were:

a) vinegar & baking soda

b) de-skunk shampoo from the pet store

c) womens' feminine hygiene douche

d) hydrogen peroxide+baking soda

e) dawn dishwashing soap+hydrogen peroxide+baking soda

f) tomato paste/juice

Localtarians: Week 2

Monday: cheaters.  Brandon came home late and we both definitely ordered fast food separately without telling each other, until we each finally confessed, hah. (!!)

Tuesday: Local Watermelon...I ate about 3 lbs by myself.   Grey even had a taste..and loved it!

Wednesday:  locally grown green beans:  steamed

Thursday:  toast from locally grown & baked bread (I was home alone, so no need for a standard dinner!)

Friday: baked parmesan potato steak fries  (local potatoes- thanks for the recipe, Martha!  ..as in Martha Stewart)

Saturday:  corn on the cob:)

Sunday:  watermelon & blueberries

4 months old and hungry!

Greyson is four months old!  He seems to be getting a little bigger (and heavier!) and smarter every day.  Sometimes when he wakes up from a nap, I would swear that he grew from just an hour or two before.  He is really getting cute and funny now.

Since Grey is bigger, he likes to do some new and exciting things...like trying lots of new foods

...I'm not kidding, the boy likes to eat...

Greyson has also started putting all kinds of things in his mouth...

...but likes "chewing" on his hands best...

He loves playing & laughing...

..and he only likes to cuddle now when he's teething:(

...but I'll take what I can get<3 

zebras, and wart hogs, and kangaroos; oh my!

We were very grateful to be invited to the zoo with the Plummer girls this past week.  It was a perfect little break during the afternoon.  The Erie Zoo is really beautiful and surprisingly has more animals than I was expecting (it was our first trip!)  I had not been to the zoo in quite some time, so I was astonished at how big animals actually are...I almost fell over when I saw how huge the rhinos are...I don't remember them being that massive.  who knew? 

Grey on the other hand wasn't too astonished about anything.  Most of the animals were too far away (jaguar), colored the same as their pen (wart hogs), or not moving enough (HUGE oranguatan).  He did see three animals though and that was pretty exciting!  Grey was mesmorized by the zebras (thank you contrasting skin), and he watched the kangaroos digging and hopping around.  He also could see the parrots ...and maybe a horse, but that one hasn't been confirmed.

He's definitely not looking at the enormous giraffe in this pic; the little water moat surrounding their pen is a lot more interesting to babies, apparently.

It was great to hang out with Jess and Sam again.  We even got to have a little baby lunch date on a bench at the zoo.  Sammie likes staring at Grey and Grey still seems kind of oblivious that Sam is a baby too.  Some day these two will be great friends and that makes me happy:)

beach bums

We dared to take a little trip to the beach for Grey's first time at Presque Isle and to attempt to see how Bullet liked to swim.  We've been to Presque Isle (with both of them) but only for walks; this was a first trip to the beach. 

sidenote:  if you've never been to Presque Isle/Lake Erie, you'll be surprised to know that it legit looks like the beach.  There's sand, jettys, waves; all the standard scenery you'd see at an Atlantic beach, minus the salt water.  cha-ching.

After checking online, we discovered that dogs are allowed on any unsupervised beach at Presque Isle...so we packed up all of Grey's stuff and a very excited pup and headed to the beach!  We stopped off at the beach just before Beach8.  There wasn't too many people there with lots of space to lay out our towel.  While I got Grey ready for his first "ocean"-like experience, Brandon and Bullet headed straight for the water....And Bullet loved it!  Brandon waded out to about thigh-high and Bully was actually swimming!  He didn't mind the waves crashing right on top of his head or anything!  He swam for about 15 minutes and then again for a long while after a little break.

Since Grey loves the water in the bathtub and in the pool, I was hoping he'd love the waves and lake water too...but since its loud (with the waves) and colder...I wasn't sure.  But our little fish baby LOVED it.  I sat down a little back from where the waves were crashing and Grey stood between my feet.  He was kicking his feet into the sand and moving around in excitement each time water reached us.  This makes me even more excited for our vacation in October!!

Greyson and I took our own trip to the beach this past Saturday.  I initially wanted to rent a bike with a baby seat, but since Grey isn't a year yet, we weren't able to rent.  So we stopped at the playground at the Cookhouse and BooBoo got to ride in his first playground swing!  He didnt' seem too impressed and just sat there with his "serious" face on the whole time.

Then we stopped over at the beach and put our feet in the sand and water again.  Grey was loving it and everyone else was loving his baby sunglasses.  hahha.  In other events, when I took his diaper off to put his little swimmie on, he peed straight up in an arc and on to his face.  HAH.  I'm sure everyone around us was just dying about it.  I couldn't stop laughing and Grey could care less.  what a funny little boy.

Bookworm baby

Greyson really loves reading books and seems so engaged in the pictures.  Here we are reading Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball  by Vicki Churchill.  He is 4 months.  From his expressions, his crazy flailing limbs, and his little grunts...Grey thinks this story of a wombat is pretty action-packed.

Caution: there's a pretty awesome projectile spit up at the end...that I totally didn't notice until after the camera stopped rolling.  Grey doesn't miss a beat and practically laps it up.  hah.

Localtarians: Week 1

Our August Kindness is to be "Localtarians" which would mean to eat only locally-grown food for the whole month.  This goal was very ambitious and unattainable for us right now.  We didn't want to forgo the entire goal though, so we are committing to eating at least one Locally grown food at dinner each day.  Along with this goal, we are adding no eating outside of the home for the month (with the exception of a wedding we have in a few weeks)..we'll be eating in for dinner each night.

So why be localtarians and who is the "kindness" for?  Eating Locally is first of all kind to the Earth.  Think about how far your food has travelled to get to you.  Food that travels means at the very least, a) more packaging (waste) and b) fuel for whatever transported the food to your town.  Localtarians is also kindness towards local farmers and/or businesses.  We are lucky to have a farmer's market within walking distance from our house (about 1 mile) that has delicious fruits, veggies, & even a bakery! 

Could we do better?  Yes, we definitely could do better, but we are making an attempt.  Besides being kind - locally grown food tastes waaaaaaaay better than anything store-bought:)  It is still a challenge even though we are only committing to one thing local...but it is forcing us to pay attention to how far our food travels & how much waste we make from packaging.  If nothing else, at least it is making us more aware.

Monday:  "Neighbor-grown" green beans (we even fried them up, a la PF Chang style and they were awesome and super crunchy!)

Tuesday:  Locally grown green peppers & potatoes on our shish-kabobs.  And locally grown blueberries & black berries by the handfuls:)

Wednesday:  Locally grown corn on the cob - YUM!!

Thursday:  Deermeat pies a la Ms. Confer-style!  (Brandon's deer from last season)

Friday:  Leftovers...plus cherry tomatoes by the handful for tab:)

Saturday:  Locally made (&butchered) kielbasa

Sunday:  locally grown zucchini on the grill

EC works for me:)

Brace yourself;  our four month old son goes pee on the potty.  I know, its insane.  So here's how it all went down...

When Greyson was first born and I was looking into alternative forms of diapers (ie. gdiapers.com) I discovered along the way that there is a relatively unknown potty-training technique called "Elimination Communication"  (go ahead, google it).  After reading more about it and watching youtube videos about it; I talked to Brandon about how crazy it was and kind of cool.  Much to my surprise, Brandon was on board and at 5 days old, we started taking Greyson to the potty (or shower, or large bowl) when he was exhibiting signs that he needed to eliminate....aaaand it worked! 

The theory behind EC is that babies, just like animals, have it ingrained in them that they do not want to eliminate where they sleep (think puppies), so when they are super tiny they are perfectly content and still unless they have to eliminate.  So, when Greyson would start wiggling around or "talking" I knew he a) had to go to the bathroom or b)was about to spit up.  After a few times, I could tell the difference between spit-up-wiggling and eliminating-wiggling.  It wasn't training Greyson about potty training - it was training me & B!

Imagine us, cracking up in amazement as our week old son was "using" the potty.  Insanity.  So we continued using EC for a few days until we realized that a) it took serious observation on our part b) babies have to pee like a trillion times a day...so we stopped using EC and went back to gdiapers & normal diapers out of laziness.

Jump forward 4 months and Greyson has moved into size 2 diapers now and I am just so tired of throwing diapers away.  It really makes my stomach turn to think of how much waste we are contributing to the earth...so I went out and bought Grey a little potty and we've started up with EC again.  I don't know if its because somewhere in his little baby brain he remembers his first few weeks of life when we started EC or what, but the kid knows exactly what the potty is for.  It's insane all over again.  This time it is a little bit of training for the both of us.  Since Grey is used to using a diaper, he doesnt' show the same kind of signs like he did when he was a tiny baby.  Now, I just know that I need to take Greyson to the potty during specific times of the day and he seems like he would much rather go in the potty than sit in a wet diaper (it's pretty obvious at how much he smiles during & after).

In case you were wondering, he is definitely still wearing a diaper for any accidents or poo, but we go to the potty before and after naps and after he eats.  We also started signing the word "potty" and he happily goes pee in the potty like a big boy and is done with it.  He did so well this morning that I was able to put the same diaper on him three times in a row because he didn't even use it all morning!

FAQ
Q: Is your son a boy genius?
A:  Obviously we think so!  hahha.  But no, we really believe that its just about paying attention to what Grey was already trying to tell us.  Plus, he still uses his diaper, he's not a grown man for goodness sakes!

Q: Are you joking?
A: No.  I'd post pictures but that seems inappropriate and I'm fairly certain that teenage Greyson would never speak to me if he found out I was posting pics/vids of him using the potty online.

Q:  Whats the sign for potty?
A:  We use the baby sign for "toilet" which is the ASL "T" (your thumb between your index & middle finger) and then you shake it back and forth, while saying "potty"

Q: How do you know he needs to go to the bathroom?
A:  Most of the time, I don't.  I take him at the same times again and again (before&after naps, and after eating).  Sometimes when he gets randomly wiggly or a little fussy I take him and that was the reason he was acting up.  It will be a lot easier when he is able to use his hands to sign "potty" to me, but for now, its just me signing it to him each time we go.

Q:  Does he go to the bathroom everytime you take him?
A:  No.  But I sit him down and give him a few seconds to see if he needs to.  Sometimes he goes, but sometimes he doesn't. 

Q:  Is it worth it?
A:  this is a loaded question...
-Is it worth it to the environment:  right now, kind of.  We are still using diapers though (not at the same rate of wastefulness) but we are still using them.
-Is it worth it to Grey:  I think.  He seems to be happy & proud after he uses the potty, but I would imagine he wouldn't care that much to still be using a diaper exclusively either
-Is it worth it to us:  um, right this second, its a pain because Greyson can't walk there himself, can't take off his own clothes, nor can he use the potty exclusively, so we have a lot of work & still change diapers.  But if it eliminates the need to potty train a 3 or 4 year old and the cost of diapers in a few months..then hell yes.

Q:  Do you think this is as bizarre as I (the reader) think it is?
A:  um, YES.  I think its insane and kind of embarassing to write about because, seriously...who does this?  But its working and I like sharing helpful tips and new ideas.  So take it how you like, but know we think its totally weird but totally awesome.

Fish Baby

Our little baby is a swimming machine!  We knew that Grey would probably like swimming since he has been so keen on taking baths ever since he was born...but we didn't think he would love it this much!  Greyson has been to the Forte's pool a few times in the past few weeks and right away he started kicking his legs and moving his head side to side...like he knows what he's doing!!  hahha, we were all cracking up watching him swim around like a tiny Michael Phelps or something!

Just this last weekend while in Johnstown, Grey had another chance to show off his swimming skills at Gma & Pappy Butch's pool.  He was kicking & laughing just like always...having the time of his life.  He even got his little face too close to the water a few times, but didn't cry at all...he just gives a couple coughs and then gets right back to swimming.

I'm anxious to see if he is this crazy about the water and the ocean when we're in the DR this October!  Don't worry, I bought him teeny tiny water shoes for the beach...HAH!  Can't even wait for our little fish baby to try out his ocean fins:)

If you could pick your family...

...we would pick the ones we already have:)  There's no denying that we have a great great GREAT family, both immediate and far-reaching.  Of course we have our fair share of crazies, but they are the ones that keep things going...I'm fairly certain I might be part of the "crazies" category! 

Three sides of my family (Uzelacs, Plunketts, and Adams) have an annual family reunion which I think is so amazing.  We weren't able to make it to the Plunkett or Adams side this year, but we were able to travel back to Jtown this past weekend for the annual Uzelac reunion.  It was a great time, and Greyson was the newest member of the Uzelac crew!  (Last year, Mallory was born on Uzelac Reunion Eve!!)

It is incredible that we all get together each year and have a chance to catch up and give lots of hugs.  My grandmother was one of 14 kids - so there is a whole lot of family to go around<3  This was the first year, since my great Uncle Petey passed away, that it wasn't all thirteen of the Uzelac brothers&sisters.  My great Uncle Dino & my Grandma, Irene, passed away this year...but their love was felt all around us at the reunion.  It was a great time and I am so glad we could be there to enjoy the day with everyone.

We also got a lot of time to spend with Gma & Pappy Butch while in town since we stayed over their house.  Greyson even got to act as a "trainer" for Gma to get her working out for the October vacation - hahha!

 Uncle Joe, Aunt Ginger, Mimi, Tausha, and Ariel&Gracie all got to visit with Grey too!

It was a super fantastic weekend and we were so glad to get so much love from our families:)

Greyson + SCF

We had a quick SCF lunch in Butler, PA last week that was so fun and needed.  Aunt Kitty drove up to the the half-way point with Uch and we caught lunch at Michael's Restaurant for a few hours that afternoon.  Greyson had just learned how to make the "bzzz" sound and thought he was the cat's meow.  So of course, he kept doing it at the table as loud as possible at the table.  All the while, Aunt Kitty and Aunt Uch smiled and egged him on, of course.  Greyson has the best aunts in the whole world.

Aunt Uch stayed with us for two days and then drove back to Jtown for the reunion on Friday.  I was able to get some much (seriously MUCH) needed cleaning done and Tash helped me re-arrange the basement furniture (yay!)  She also got some extra sleep in (hahha) and SCF time while hanging together outside and running errands:)  On the way to Jtown, Greyson was glad to have a car buddy with him...and he & his godmomma slept holding hands for most of the three-hour ride back:)

new house on the block

What a difference a little curb appeal makes!  We have been talking about putting shutters up ever since we moved in last November and we finally have this past week.  We attempted to put the shutters up a few weeks ago, but without a hammer drill, it was really a sorry sight.  Since our entire house is brick, it was practically impossible to get the shutters up with a regular drill.  Luckily, we were able to borrow a hammer drill from Jon and we got the shutters up over the course of 3 afternoons.  Brandon did most of the work and I was in charge of making sure everything was straight and lined up.  What a difference!  I loooove it!!!

Before:

After:

While we worked, Grey was happy to hang outside with us on a blanket and play with toys....er, fall asleep.