Saturday, December 20, 2008

Wow, So Much Going On!

I've got so much to post it's not even funny, so I'll at least get started and we'll see how far I get. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family and here are a few of my favorite pics.

The boys ate so much food they had to lay down on the ground, so Grant decided to race around them and use them as bumpers.

Here's our lil Bob the Builder. Aunt Tammy and Uncle Roby gave him the toolbelt and hard hat. He loves pretending he's daddy.

My two favorite boys with full bellies and their cute twinner shirts.

Grant's first year being able to "help" with the tree. By help, I mean sit under it and flip the lights off and on, off and on...and pull all of the ornaments off. Notice we have all of the soft, child safe ornaments on the bottom.

Grant got to go to his buddy Bo's first birthday party. They had such a good time. I just love this picture. They're destined to be best buds.

Daddy celebrated his birthday with some family and friends.

We celebrated Christmas with all of my family this past weekend. You're always guaranteed to have a good time with this crazy bunch.


Last, but not least, Grant visited Santa for the first time. His face is a demonstration of what all we went through just for him to be able to see Santa, but at last the long awaited display of enthusiasm that you expect to come from your baby when you throw him in the lap of a complete stranger, with a big beard and funny clothes. Don't worry though...the minute we took him off of Santa's lap and Santa gave him a candy cane, he was all smiles again. And no, Uncle Bubba, I'm sorry to tell you, he didn't ask Santa for a red rider bb gun.

I think this gets us all up to date. I can't wait to post pics of all the fun we have with lil man this Christmas. We hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Eric's B-day!

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have updated on here. You can tell it's holiday time. We had a great Thanksgiving. I will have to post some pics soon. But I just wanted to get on here and say happy birthday to my precious husband. We just celebrated his b-day on Monday. I am so thankful for this day to celebrate you, my best friend. You are my rock. You are the best daddy and hubby that Grant and I could ask for. We are so blessed that God has given you to us. Through all the chaos of life you keep a smile on your face and you keep loving us with all you've got. We love you so much! Happy Birthday! Sorry you didn't get sloppy joes or a cool cake....maybe next year! Haha!

Friday, November 14, 2008

We'll Miss You George!

I wanted to write this in memory of my Uncle Baxter "George" who passed away on November 3. He was one of the sweetest men you could ever meet. He was always up to something. He was one of those people who always had something up his sleeve and who always kept us laughing. You never saw him without a smile on his face. Now he is laughing and smiling with his Heavenly Father. I can't even imagine the joy he must be feeling. We love you George and we'll miss you very much, but we have joy in the fact that we will see you again someday!

Finally, Halloween Pictures!

Here are the long awaited halloween pictures. Slowly, but surely as usual.


Grant finally got to see the finished product since he slept through most of the actual carving. Of course he wanted to poke and prod at it because that's much more fun than using it to decorate.

Mom is always saying that I need to be in some of the pictures that I post so here ya go Mama! Posing with my sweet lil bumble bee on his first trick-or-treating trip.

Look at that sweet smile! Such a flirt!

When we went to see Granddaddy, Grandma, and Granny, Grant took every piece of candy out of their basket and put them in his bucket, only smooshing a few in the process because he likes to hear the wrappers crinkle.

Some friends and I took the kids to an assisted living center to give out candy! I just think this picture is priceless. We all had a great time!

Grant's friend Rylan went the first day. Isn't he the cutest gorilla you've ever seen.

The second day it was Grant, Kaylee, Braden, and Kimberly. It was so sweet watching them interact with the people there and seeing the smiles on their faces. Needless to say, we had a busy and fun time the entire week leading up to halloween. Grant was such a cutie in his costume and he never fussed one time out of the 5 different times we put it on him.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Carvin' Our Punkin!

Grant got to help carve his first pumpkin this year. I think he had more fun sitting on the table spinning the lazy susan around and around, but that's ok.

We cheated and used a pattern for our pumpkin because it was just too cute!

Daddy took out all of the yucky guts for us! He's a good daddy like that!

Of course Grant had to get in on the action. He wouldn't allow daddy to get messy without him!

We all know that daddy isn't so great at reading instructions so Grant decided to help him out a little.

Here's the final product! I know you're thinking...."hmmm, he was born in August so didn't he do his first pumpkin last year?" That is true, but we waited until the last minute to get our pumpkin last year and didn't actually have time to carve it, so we just put a funny face tatoo on it. So, that said, here is Grant's first official Jack-O-Lantern. Of course, he went night night before it was finished so we have to get his picture with it today. I'll post it soon!

Waaayyy Behind!

I am such a slacker, so I've got lots of catching up to do! We went to the mountains a couple of weekends ago for the Woolly Worm Festival. It's something we go to every year with my family. You race woolly worms and the winner at the end of the day predicts the weather for the season. I know, it sounds a lil silly, but it lots of fun, and pretty entertaining to watch grown adults cheering on those little worms. Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend.

We got there Thursday and the 3 of us went to Blowing Rock to play in the park, walk around town, and just relax. We had lunch at a lil place called Sonny's Grill. We got to sit at one of the old style bars on bar stools and drink from the old glass coke bottles. It was lots of fun. We took this picture in honor of my dad. Don't worry daddy, they don't serve bar-b-q as good as yours.


Grant got to have his first taste of Kilwin's Ice Cream! It was so yummy! We couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough.

This is at the Woolly Worm Festival. It was FREEZING, but it didn't even faze our lil guy. He is such a trooper. We bundled him up and off he went. Mom's got pictures of us racing and of Grant with his worm that I hope to get so I can post them. It was too funny!


Here are my two handsome boys having a blast together.

Grant also had a great time playing in all the leaves that had already fallen up there. My parents, aunt and uncle, and my sister's family all came up and a great time was had by all! Can't wait til next year!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!

Ok, so maybe it was more like Squirrels and Dogs and Cats Oh My! Either way Grant put on his camo and went huntin' today. He chased that squirrel down the road with all his might, but it ran up a tree and outsmarted him. He only made it home with 2 leaves and a rock. Better luck next time. Here he is with what he could actually catch! Eat your heart out Uncle Ronnie!

Latest on Jordan!

I haven't posted anything on Jordan in a while, but this is the week that he finds out everything. He has his MRI today at 4, so please be in prayer for him and his family. Pray for him to be healed, that there will be nothing to see. He should know results right after the MRI. If there is something he will have the biopsy on Fri. Pray, Pray, Pray!!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Go Tigers!

Hey there! I know it's been a while, but you know how it goes when life happens. Anyway, we went to Clemson this weekend to watch the game and to visit some family! We got to see Eric's cousin Craig, his wife Erica, and their 2 kids Hope and Hunter. This was the first time that Grant has met all of them so we were very excited. Sorry that we didn't get to see you Todd. We were a lil bummed about that, but hopefully next time. We had a great trip. Grant did much better than expected for so much traveling in one day. I don't know why we expected any less. He's the best! So, here are some pictures from our trip.


Grant was so excited about going to the game that he refused to sleep the whole way there, so this is how much he enjoyed almost the entire first half.

Now this is a little better. Second half he came alive, unlike the Tigers. He smiled and cheered and made friends with everybody around us.


Here's Grandaddy and his lil Tiger after the game! Thanks for letting us go Grandaddy. We had a great time!

Here we all are, the boys in their Clemson gear and me in my orange. They haven't convinced me to get a Clemson shirt yet! I love you boys!

Grant finally got to meet his cousins Hope and Hunter. He had such a great time playing with them. We had a great time getting them to pose like this.

The boys are playing hard and enjoying their Clemson cookies! Hunter is exactly 3 months older than Grant. They are too cute together!

Hope decided to read to Grant before we left. This picture was too sweet to pass up! We had such a great time with you guys. Hopefully it won't be so long until we see you again!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Jordan!

I know that I have given the latest info. that I have about Jordan's condition, but he has created a CaringBridge account that will probably do a better job of keeping you updated than I will. I'm going to put a link to it on here so you can go there and see what's going on with him. I do want to ask that everybody keep praying for him and for his family. They could definitely use a miracle! Here is the website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jordanbanks

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Labor Day

We got to go to the mountains for Labor Day and we had such a great time! The weather was beautiful and Grant got to do all kinds of new things. Here are pictures of some of his adventures.

Here's Grant and Daddy feeding the ducks. He didn't mind the little ones too much, but he wasn't such a big fan of the big geese getting close to him.


He got to climb through a cool tunnel!

He got to go down a big boy slide and he LOVED it!


The last thing he did was play in the creek! It was sooo cute! It was also freezing, but it didn't faze him. He splashed and played like crazy. He got so wet that we had to take him home in his diaper. He screamed when we took him out to go home. I think we've already got another Mountaineer on our hands!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Another Update

Ok, so this is a little long, but it is a great explanation of what is happening with Jordan. The latest is that he will have an MRI on Oct. 1 and the biopsy on Oct. 3. So, we can all be praying for the miracle of healing that only God could give to Jordan between now and then.

This is from Jordan's mom, written like a true nurse. So neatly organized:)
Dear Friends and Family,Jordan's consultation happened yesterday: The tumor they found is more than likely malignant. He will have a definitive answer after biopsy. Fortunately, Jordan's neurosurgeon is the best in the southeast, but unfortunately he is involved in speaking for a national convention over the next two weeks and won't be available to do the biopsy until the end of the month. Because the tumor is low grade (slow-growing) and Jordan's seizures are under control we opted to wait for Dr. Ashton instead of having another doctor do the biopsy.Treatment after biopsy: chemo and possible radiation without surgery as this glioma's growth has finger-like elements that are growing into the brain tissue. The location of the tumor is in the part of the brain that is responsible for movement on one side of the body. Surgical excision is probably too risky.What this means: At this point, Jordan cannot be left alone, he cannot drive and he cannot continue working his current job as it requires him to drive and cannot have anyone drive him d/t the confidential nature of his job. Jordan is my athlete and fitness/sports/and physical activity have always been a huge part of his life (his plans are to coach track and basketball as well as teach history). He cannot do anything right now that will cause him to overheat or jar this tumor. He can continue to attend school at least until the biopsy (he has one semester left). Jessica needs to continue to work, so I need to stay and help out probably for the next three months. I will need to find temporary employment (night shift) here in Charlotte to help them pay rent and continue to pay my bills.What to pray for: As an experienced cancer nurse, I know how important it is to keep a possitive attitude. So pray for courage and lots of happy moments full of laughter. Pray that Jordan's frustration with this new sedentary lifestyle will be kept in check. We can still pray that the tumor is benign despite the probability that it is malignant. Jordan will need an adjustment in his work arrangement so he can continue to work as much as possible. I need to find work and need to keep my job in Denver so I can return to it when I am no longer needed here. Pray that Dr. Ashton will be on top of his game when the biopsy is performed. Pray that treatment will be tolerated well. Pray that we have the optimum outcome after treatment. Pray that God will continue to keep Jordan safe and that treatment will be tolerable. Continue to pray that Jordan and Jessica and our entire family will experience the presence of God during this time and we will find meaning in this trial.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Update!

Lindsay said that Jordan is home. They sent him home because his brain needs to rest before they do the biopsy. He has an appointment on Tues. and from there they will schedule his biopsy. For now he and Jessica are doing well. Thanks for all the prayers!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Update

My friend Lindsay sent an update saying that Jordan's school insurance is going to pay for all of his medical care. What a blessing!!!! Thanks for praying...and just keep asking for God's love and power to move through them as they deal with this tough situation!

Please Pray!

My friend Lindsay has asked us to pray for her cousin Jessica and Jess's husband Jordan. Jordan passed out while home alone the other day, then he had a seizure. After doing tests they found out that he has a tumor growing between the hemispheres of his brain. He is only 24 years old and they don't have health insurance. They are supposed to biopsy the tumor soon. Please be in prayer for the two of them and for their families. Pray that God will wrap His arms around them and that through it all they will know how much He loves them.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

We Love You Uncle Ty!

We just want to say a special we love you to Uncle Ty! He was at a camp in Indiana for the whole summer, and now he's about to leave to go back to college. We got to see him tonight before he leaves tomorrow. Needless to say, Grant was very happy to see his Uncle Ty. We love you and we'll miss you bunches! Go App!!!

Boxes

Grant loves getting presents because that means he gets more boxes to play with. He spent the whole day pushing this one all around the house.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Big 1!!!

So, we had the big 1st birthday party this weekend! Grant had such a great time eating cake and ripping into presents. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who would come all this way to be a part of his special day!

Grant started out by trying to pick the polka dots off of his cake!



We finally got him to take a lil taste and this is the result! The cake was almost as big as he is so even with the slight damage that he did to it, we still have plenty of cake left over to eat!

He got a "Big Boy" four wheeler that we can't get him off of!


Here he is checking out his new slide!


Saturday, August 9, 2008

Exciting!

Grant took his first steps last Fri. night. We were very excited. He decided to walk back and forth between his Mamaw and Papaw. We got it on video, but I'm not good enough to post that yet. Maybe one day. He has also learned to climb up the steps and thinks he can do it whenever he wants. You better watch out when he decides he wants to play in his room because he's on his way. He's getting very good at listening to "No, not without mommy" and I'm getting VERY GOOD at saying it over and over and over. Here he is on one of his treks up to his room.



Monday, August 4, 2008

Lotsa New Stuff!!

Mamaw and Papaw came to visit. They just got back from Alaska and brought Grant all kinds of goodies. Here's a picture of him with all of his loot.

The Great Toilet Paper Mystery! I walked in the bathroom the other day and a mysterious pile of toilet paper was laying on the floor. Come to find out, Eric was supposed to be watching Grant, and well, obviously he wasn't watching very close because this is what happened.

Grant has just learned to point at stuff. It is so cute watching him point his lil finger at things that he sees and wants.