Grayson is 3!

Having a birthday right after Thanksgiving and in the same month as Christmas can be tricky.  We are often traveling and visiting family for the holidays on Grayson's birthday.  While it allows us to be with family, it doesn't always allow for a birthday party that is just for him.  I really want my Grayson to feel that he is special and appreciated as much as any other child.  He has been such a blessing to our family.  He is the best little brother and friend to Mattox, the best big brother to Maggie who adores him, and just the funniest little guy these days.  He and Daddy have the most fun together.  This year, we didn't travel for Thanksgiving and just celebrated at home with our little family.  We had a special little celebration for you with your favorite PJ Masks characters.  We also met up with your Uncle and Aunt and cousin for a little joint birthday party and late Thanksgiving meal.  I hope you felt loved and celebrated on your special day as you are everyday.  

The birthday boy with his balloons and decorations. 

He was showing us his Catboy toy. 

Mommy made you a PJ Masks cake with the toys for you to keep.  I said the bright blue icing was the "splat" that the bad character throws at the superhero characters. 

Sweet beautiful boy

Getting ready to make a special wish.  Big brother Evan helped him. 

Blowing out his candle and then licking the icing off the bottom of it. 

Showing our blue tongues.

I think Gecko is his favorite so he was wearing green for him. 

He got some birthday cards and money in the mail from family.  

Opening his present. 

He got masks and capes so we dressed as the fearsome trio of Catboy, Owlette, and Gecko. 

Mattox insisted Maggie needed to be Owlette. 

Cute baby Owlette.  Her eyelashes really pop when wearing a mask. 

I was trying to demonstrate the costumes for Grayson to get him to wear them. 

We couldn't get Grayson in our picture.  Mattox and I did a costume swap. 

Awe, we finally got a little Catboy.  I just love him! 

And the cutest Gecko and Owlette.  

We celebrated cousin Grady's 7th birthday and Grayson's 3rd together.   I found Grady a Pokemon balloon. 

A festive birthday celebration at the Mexican restaurant. 

Daddy helped him blow out his candle. 

A picture with the siblings and cousin.   Brody and Grady are best pals. 

Grayson, 

You are such a bright little star who is bursting with personality and fun.  You are all boy and love to play rough.  We expect you will be the largest built man in our crew, and I expect you will be a bodyguard for your little sister.  I know that you have an amazing purpose to fulfill.  I often feel that your baby years flew by way too fast and that I didn't get nearly enough time to really cherish and enjoy them.  You were such a sweet, loving, and cuddly baby, and our time together was precious.  Now, I can barely get you to slow down for more gentle cuddle time at bedtime.  You show love by wrestling and playing rough most of the time.  You like to join in with your big brother's school lessons, and I know you are ready to go to school too.  We hope you can start preschool this year in our new home.  We love you to the moon and back and look forward to watching you grow and develop into an amazing little man with big dreams to fulfill!  

With all our hearts, 

Mommy and Daddy  

Grayson's 1st Haircut

Shortly after Grayson's birthday, we decided to finally get his first hair cut.  It was a bittersweet decision because I hated cutting off his adorable curls.  I knew that he would take on a whole new level of cuteness with a big boy haircut, but I just wanted to hold onto my little baby boy for as long as I could.  The hair cut seems to be an important rite of passage for baby boys.  With girls, the hair cuts seem to come much later since girls want longer hair.  I have witnessed first hand how quickly these babies grow up, and I just want to hold on to their babyhood as long as possible.  Grayson was the latest to receive his first hair cut, and I still wonder if I could have waited a bit longer.  We wanted the experience to be fun for him so I searched for a place with a kid-friendly atmosphere.  In the larger cities we have lived in, there have been many options for kid-friendly salons.  Here, I could only find one.  It isn't specifically for just kids, but they have a room with the fun seats for babies.  The cool barber shop with an antique car shop theme was also a hit with our boys.  Grayson did not love the process in the beginning, but he was consoled and we finally got some smiles with the help of a sorting toy and the blow dryer.

These little boys were pretty impressed by the old Ford mustang turned into the register counter. 

Grayson enjoyed flying his airplane. 

Just one last look at his beautiful long locks. 

And then the cutting began and Grayson was not amused. 

Poor baby. 

Mattox was pretty amused by the airplane propeller. 

We tried to get Grayson's attention off the cutting process by reading a Mickey book. 

But this little block sorting toy did the trick. 

Finally, he gave us some smiles. 

And my baby boy looks like a beautiful big boy now. 

Almost done but first a little blow dry.  

He liked the blow dryer. 

Grayson's Simple 2nd Birthday

Having a baby born in December made me nervous that he would never feel like his birthday was special compared to the festive celebrations of Christmas.  I had hoped that being born on the 1st of December would leave his birthday and Christmas plenty of space for separate celebrations.  However, this year Eddie's family decided to schedule their Christmas family gathering on Grayson's birthday.  Sigh.  We hoped that it would be a good way for all of the family to help him celebrate.  He did get a few minutes of the party to celebrate him, and we celebrated even more at home.  I hope he will know that his birthday is always a very special occasion for us because he is such a special little boy.  He is just becoming such an adorable and fiesty little man.  He loves to "rawr" like a dinosaur so we decided he had to have a dinosaur cake.  He will always be my favorite Christmas gift.

Taking some birthday pictures is always a must.  I made him a special dinosaur birthday shirt.  We always get our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving so it gets included in his birthday pictures. 

He is such a photogenic baby. 

He really loves his Mickey Mouse. 

He is so happy and has the best smiles. 

Mommy and her littlest baby for a few more weeks. He would be a big brother in early 2019. 

Oh how I love him! 

He was definitely ready for present opening this year. 

His big brothers were just as interested. 

He got a little robot that we hoped would encourage him to dance, sing, and talk more. 

But he still loves his Mickey.  

Birthday cupcakes with a candle definitely got his attention. 

Fascinated by his candle and flame. 

He blew it out all by himself. 

Cute little chocolate face. 

He is just so beautiful! 

Balloons and special cake and present to make his actual birthday special. 

He couldn't wait to get his hands on the cake.  

He was excited during his birthday song. 

I just love his sweet little smiles. 

Cousins to help him celebrate. 

The bright blue and green icing definitely made for a nice little mess. 

Brothers and cousins enjoying the cake. 

Another present to open. He didn't want to cooperate for pictures with his balloons. 

I adored his curly hair and really hated to have to get it cut.  

A cute little talking dinosaur book. 

Dearest Grayson,

You are such a special and precious baby boy.  I have cherished every moment with you, and I look forward to sharing a lifetime of happy memories with you.  You will always be my beautiful baby boy.  I love watching your fun little personality develop.  You are one tough little cookie and can definitely handle your own in your house full of big brothers.  Happy Birthday, baby boy!  We love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy