Grayson's Third Birthday!!!

I CANNOT believe Grayson is already three years old (well, really that won't be until Monday, but who's paying attention?) He truly is growing up in a flash and it's unreal to think about beginning school for him very soon! Here is the skinny on the birthday party: it's a pirate theme...can you believe it? This fact had Gray really wound up all day and night yesterday, so much so that he awoke at 5:30 am ready to go. I have to say, he is by no means a low maintenance kid, but today was one of the worst days we've ever had. I remember watching videos of my 3rd birthday and thinking, "What a terrible child I was!" Well, like mother, like Grayson! He whined about almost everything, and I'm sure this had nothing to do with sleep deprivation! But, you know what? At some point as embarrassed as I was, I remembered that he is my blessing and today was supposed to be for him. We still had plenty of time outs and "go to your room" , but all in all, it was a fun and eventful day, and you know what...I'm sure we'll do it all again next year.

Nana and Papa gave him his first Lightning McQueen bike

So the order of the party was supposed to go something like this: eat chili, treasure hunt for the kids, presents, then cut the cake. Well, due to Grayson's mood, it ended up going something like this: hand him the treasure box before guests even arrive to distract him from the despair that was his life :), ate a little lunch, opened the present Matt and I bought him (the pirate ship with the red sails in this picture), played with the pirate ship and wanted no part of the Happy Birthday singing and blowing out candles, brought the cake to him (see this pic) so we could get a picture of him with it, and threw presents at him as fast as possible so he would open them in front of everyone. Good news is he loved the ship Matt and I gave him! And when he finally saw the cake, he just leaned over and bit some off of it...so we got some laughs after all!

Our little ornery pirate

The good thing about having a pirate party was all the stuff Grayson already had to decorate with. One of the rooms in our house has a bit of a tropical theme, so we pulled from that and his bedroom to decorate.

cute little pirate plates

Matt convinced me to get this "decorate a room" to look like a pirate ship, and I thought it was way too over the top. But I admit, it wasn't expensive, and we didn't have to decorate much more...it was a hit.

Visit from the Cotey's

We've been looking forward to this visit from Matt's sister, Lara, and her family: Jim, Lillian, and Mary Ida. Sickness from all children involved threatened to cancel the trip, but I think Lara and I wanted the trip to happen so badly, we just willed our kids better! We had such a good time and are so lucky to have sweet family to make the trip to see Ava. Here's some pictures from our lazy weekend:

Lara was SO helpful with Ava and Grayson...she is a very attentive sister to both Matt and me and a wonderful aunt to Gray and Ava. She even brought labeled casseroles for us to have in our freezer...can we say, "Mom (and friend) of the year?!?"

Grayson and Mary Ida were born one week apart and it's always fun to see them together. It's also pretty interesting to see them interact...they are both very capable of expressing themselves in one way or another. This picture shows a cute little dialog between them. One of my favorite happenings of the weekend went something like this: Mary had barely touched Grayson's pirate boat (the perfect pirate boat previously mentioned in the blog), and Lara and I both saw Grayson very sneakily raise his hand and push her away. Mary simply raised her voice (like any good cousin would do) and said, "No pushing, Grayson!" I don't think either of them will have any issues with assertiveness when they get older!

Playing at the park: Mary, Lillian, and Grayson

Looks like Mary and Grayson gave up on the performance Lillian planned out for them...imagine that!

So, Grayson loves his Uncle Jim....many nights when he's praying, after thanking God for the basics: mommy, daddy, and Ava, he'll throw in "and Uncle Jim" for good measure. He gave him so many kisses, Matt and I were jealous all night!

Familiar Faces...

Okay, so we're always trying to decide who the kids look like...one day it's me, the other it's Matt. Mom and Dad have always said they really do look like me as a baby, so I thought I'd put them to the test. So here's the famous "wheeler burping face" that seemingly has passed down to our little ones!

Me at six weeks....

And Grayson...

And here's the newest addition to the club, Ava. Let me know what you think!

Grayson's latest escapades!

So, lately our little guy has become not just excited about, but completely infatuated with pirates. I'm not sure exactly how it started. I think maybe it started this spring after he watched the VeggieTales' movie The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. He only loved them more when he saw Peter Pan the first time, and it became true love when his Uncle Lance bought him a (very cool, if I say so myself) pirate boat when we brought Ava home. It has literally become his security blanket. Gone are the days when he asks if I'll go get his blanky or a cute stuffed animal for bedtime; as long as the pirate boat is at the end of the bed, he's good to go. He carries into every room of the house, wherever he is at the time. He now refers to anyone resembling a pirate, Cap'n Hook or Smee. One day he even (try to visualize this if you can) had the dog leash in his hand, holding the clip back with his finger so it resembled a hook, and held it like that for minutes at a time to create the perfect hook! So here he his, in his Halloween costume from last year (which I'm sure we'll be using this year) that he came across in the back of his closet. Now we wear it around at least once a week, just for good measure. He's mostly a sweet little pirate, although, he is known to sadly mumble, "man the pumps" if he's not getting his way. And I must say, it's pretty hard to stay frustrated!

Okay, so next time you hear me say that Grayson's OCD, don't doubt me! Just a little Saturday night fun for him...arranging his cars by color.

Around the house...

It's hard to believe Ava is already seven weeks old this week! Needless to say, because of crazy flu stuff in Troy, we've pretty much been home bound, or at least, the kids and I have. Here are some moments of our exciting adventures (or not so exciting) around the house...

Don't I look good? :)

Ava wearing Grayson's day gown...don't tell Matt!

My two little monkeys

These two...

I never thought the day would come when I would be "a mother of two." Growing up, I always wanted to become a wife and mother, and to be a good one if possible, because I had such a wonderful example in my own mother. I imagined my wedding, my marriage, and then, I began to imagine my children that I would have with Matt. Little did I know that being a mom would be so different and so much better than I had ever dreamed or hoped. It's very cliche, but they are right to say "you just don't know until you have one." I never knew the force God put in me to love these little ones so fiercely. Even knowing how silly it is, it's definitely easy to become very territorial (I mean, I am allowed to talk about my kids' flaws, and I'm happy to admit them, but I really don't want to hear it from anyone else).

It's funny that having Ava makes me appreciate Grayson even more and that having Grayson running around makes me appreciate Ava even more. They are so alike and so very different. Grayson was a great napper, Ava only likes to sleep at night (thank you, Lord). Grayson was so type A from the beginning, but I think Ava has no choice but to be a little more laid back. Grayson's cries were all the same, leaving me totally confused as to what to offer him, whereas Ava's hungry cry is so uniquely pitiful it would have anyone think I was refusing to nurse her. I'm serious, her lip is even rolled over! I can't wait to see how they'll interact in another year, another two, another ten, God willing. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm not a "baby person", but let me tell you, there's not much better in the world than one of those two grinning up at you!

Going Home!

Ava wore home this sweet day gown Mom made for me that I wore home the day she brought me home from the hospital. I didn't realize there would be so many precious treasures handed down to my daughter...Grayson got some cute onesies and he was good! :) Girls are fun in such a different way; it's funny to me that I can see such a difference in their personalities and tendencies already!

Grayson finally noticed Ava when we brought her home from the hospital. He was a little scared of her (see photo) at first, but by the next day, he's been nothing but an incredibly sweet big brother.

Lance and Amy were so helpful at the hospital and coming home. They brought us food and played with Grayson, giving him much needed attention.

Ava wasn't even a week old in these pictures, but just check out those cheeks!

More pictures of Ava's arrival

Here are some more pictures of the morning of Ava's birth...you'll notice her big brother Grayson is not in any of them. He was not interested in sitting still enough to even see her. Why share Mommy's lap while there are so many people to entertain?
I was so happy to finally have Ava here (and out of my tummy) that I welled up with tears over and over that first day...but I never could really just cry. I think I would have gotten over it if the flood gates had just opened!

The grandmothers, Nonni and Nana.

Bubba and Nonni arrived about an hour and half before Ava was born. It was so special to have them there with us when she got here.

Ava and her great-grandmother, aka "Mom." Needless to say, Ava was welcomed with open arms and prayers of thanksgiving for her health and safety, as well as her beauty to those who love her.

Ava Nicole

The big news of late is the birth of our first daughter, Ava Nicole, who was born on July 21, 2009. Nana took this picture of us cuddling her for the first time.

Whether you can believe it or not, we had another big baby! Ava weighed 9 pounds even, and was 20 inches long.

This is our nurse, Lily, who helped deliver Grayson as well. It was very comforting to have her there with us again...she is such a lovely person.

Dr. Garrard puts up with a lot from me, and I'm so thankful. God truly blessed us with another great team of people to help Ava get here. The last few months of this pregnancy were long; lots of trips to the hospital had us all a little on edge and anxious for Ava's arrival. By the time we went in for the big day, the nurses were all excited and we had a few of them fighting over who would deliver the baby...this was probably due to their desire to have us out of there once and for all! :)

Meeting Nana and Papa. My mom was there for the entire delivery, and my dad, brother and his girlfriend were there for the early labor. They were all so wonderful: dad providing the comic relief and sense of security, Lance bringing food and other necessities, Amy handing me anything I needed and they each kept me sane when Mom continued to refer to my contractions as "mild." All joking aside, I could not have asked for more out of Mom and Matt. They both were on their A game dealing with all my crankiness and discomfort. God truly surrounded me with the two people who make me feel like I can do anything.

Small glimpses into our Blessed life...

So, I finally did it....I've joined the world of cyberspace posting. My fear is that I will post this and a year later visit our blog, and nothing will have been added! In the years that have passed since Matt and I married, blessings have only grown, laughter has only increased, and many, many memories fill up the spaces that is our life together. It gives me great joy to know that this could be viewed by family and friends from afar, and possibly our children one day...that our life together could be celebrated by us and a glimpse of our life could be opened for those precious to us.



God has truly laid on my heart to focus on the whole picture lately...to remember that being a Godly wife and mother, instilling in my children a knowlege of Him and His love for us, and surrounding our family with those who feel the same way, challenging and encouraging us along our way through this life, is part of His central purpose for me. My prayer is that this can enable us to share our life with you, and yours with us. Many blessings from the West family...