Labor Day Weekend

Boy was this a busy weekend!! Mike was home ALL WEEKEND!!! This might have been a first in the Hollister Household!!! We had a BBQ on Saturday with our neighbors and a few friends. Grant had a blast as a couple of his "buddies" were over to play all night, so he was pooped after all of the excitement!! His friend Alivia came and visited Saturday morning and it took all of his might to share his 4 wheeler with her!! Sunday brought some errands in the morning as a family and dinner with my mom, dad and brother so that they could see our new furniture that was delivered on Saturday! (told you it was busy) Grant said his first FULL sentence which consisted of " I want a bite, Jay"...we all laughed and enjoyed it! Today we had another guest as Sydney came over to play and eat lunch with Grant. Then this afternoon, while Grant was napping, Nana and I snuck out to grab some pre-school supplies. Grant starts the pre-school program tomorrow at daycare, so he will go armed with paper, glue sticks, crayons, markers and a brand new Buzz Lightyear backpack that he LOVES!! More to follow, loving the short work week!!! And the weather in KC looks as if it might be back to normal soon!!!

Nana....YELLOW CARD

So, tonight was the 2nd session of Grant's "soccer" night. He did much better than last week, as there are no bumps, bruises or black eyes!! It was pretty much the same as last week: red light green light, stomping on bubbles, kicking over cone towers, kicking the soccer balls around, etc. He loves the interaction with the other kids....UNTIL HE SEES HIS NANA! It caused complete chaos tonight, to the point that my mom had to come down onto the soccer field to get Grant refocused on the task at hand. I love the program, we are doing it with our good friends Stacy, Chad and Avery, so it makes it even more fun. From now on....Grandparents upstairs and to the left, where my kid can't see you watching!!!! Nice weather is on its way, so more fun pictures to follow!

T.G.I.M.

Thank for this weekend is finally over...we have been running around all weekend with various family events! First, my very first second cousin (not to confuse anyone) got married on Saturday. Then my Aunt Judy turned 60 this weekend followed by second cousin Stella turning 1. There was a double celebration for both which was great! Stella lives in California so we don't get to see her often enough. This could be the first time in my life that I am glad for Monday!!!
Last week we started Little Kickers which is an indoor soccer program for 18-24 month olds. I flew solo the first time, as Daddy was on the train so I do not have pictures. I do however have a classic Grant story. Nana and Papa were there to watch Grant in his first sporting event of chasin bubbles and knocking over cone towers. This is at an indoor facility so one side is all glass. Grant got excited when he saw Nana and Papa and attempted to run over to greet them only to...SMACK!!! crash face first into the glass wall, the poor little guy thought he could run right through it....so we have our first sports injury, an enormous knot and bruise, smack dab in the middle of the forehead!! Other than that, it was quite successful! Pictures of this weeks events to follow.....

Good Night!

Wore out

So, Mike decided that Grant needed a "big kid" 4 wheeler. Next thing I know, our munchkin is manuevering through the fields back behind our house on his own. Surprisingly, he's really good at it. Mike has cut him a path and Grant can twist and turn (all while laughing uncontrollably) through it all like he's been doing this for years. The other day, Mike caught this shot of our big kid after a long day's worth of riding and laughing. We thought we should share it!!

Growing up.....FAST

Grant had his 18 month (I know!!) visit yesterday. He weighed in at 26.8 lbs and 32.75 inches tall. These marks put him in the 60th percentile. Not bad for a kid who can out eat his nana. Now, for some giggles!! His head measured at 50 cm, YIKES! I gave birth to this kid. That is in the 97th percentile. Although, looking at his parents, we too have nice sized melons, so the kid never had a chance! He is due for a trim from his cousin Denise today so that he can look extra adorable for his 18 month pictures that we are having taken tomorrow! So those will be posted later! Then I am off to Texas for a week for Nationals so Grant will be shacking up with Daddy and then Nana/Papa when Daddy is rail roadin it!! This will be the first time I have been away from him for more than a night in 18 months. I am nervous!!! I know he will make it, but will I???? Miss and love everyone....just wanted to let you know all know how our little guy is growing up so fast! If you blink, you miss it!!

Little Swimmers

Grant hates the little swimmers swim pants. So much that he would rather just play with the watering hose completely naked. So, since he's only 17 months, we let him get away with it. He thinks its great, he waters our plants and flowers out front, lets the dogs get a drink when they are thirsty and sometimes, if we are lucky, we get drenched when we aren't looking. Anyways, we got a couple of shots of him playing in the water, since its been 95+ here for a couple of days. Here's looking at you kid...........

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July to everyone. We had our annual gathering at the house last night to kick off the celebration. Lots of friends, family and food--3 important components! Grant absolutely loved the fireworks. Mike and I were unsure of how he might react, but he just smiled, pointed and said boom over and over. It made for a very fun and entertaining evening. This afternoon, Grant and I joined my parents, grandma Bea and Liz and Craze for another small gathering. Papa, Nana, Grant and I shot off some more fireworks after the brief rain shower that attempted to spoil everything. We won, we got it in!! Grant is pooped and is knocked out in bed, but it sounds like a war zone outside, so we'll how long that lasts! Miss and love everyone--enjoy the holiday!!