Grayson turns 3!

Your stats from your 3 year well-visit:

(I need to locate the print out from the doc for these)

40lbs

Size 4T tops and 3T and 4T bottoms

Shoe: 9.5W
No diaper size - big boy undies!

My BIG boy! I wish time would freeze. Grayson, you light up our days and our lives in so many ways. You are the funniest person I've ever met, the most athletic little thing that I never dreamed I could produce, the most helpful big brother - Walker seriously adores you.


I love the perfectly imperfect way you talk, your bigger than life imagination and the way you know to laugh so hard when we make adult jokes that you aren't even supposed to get yet! You are so smart and I love watching you put new things together every day! It's just so cool!

You bake with Mimi quite often. Now, you bring me things at our house like flour and sugar and say, "Here Mommy. Make cookies." (You actually pronounce them "tooties")

I just think you are SO beautiful! I try not to tell you TOO often. I want you to know how much you are adored and how special you are but not be spoiled and become numb to praise. It's a difficult balance! 

You are such a big guy already. I can so see you as a teenager. You're 3 going on 16 - eek!

You and your Daddy are closer than ever. You have so much in common - the outdoors, rough housing, same comic cartoons and foods. I'm so content sitting back and watching it all. You guys make my heart so full!

Face Timing with Daddy. You two have so much fun trying on the different faces and hats. We all laugh so hard together!

 One time, and only one time, I found you taking interesting in MY things! Here you're wearing my slippers and purse. I had to take a photo since it's so rare :)

You get so proud of your achievements and you really have a lot at this age! I never could have guessed. Like how do you have the most perfect golf swing still? And hit the baseball like 9 out of 10 times? I'd like to credit my rockstar pitching skills. Ha. ;)

Your sentences are almost complete -only missing the tiny words like to, and, or, am, etc. Which makes your conversations adorable!You are rarely quiet - so much chatter! I don't want you to ever lose this cuteness and I wish I could video every single sentence! 

It's not just the language that amazes us but the thought behind it. Your ideas are big, creative, beyond your capabilities or know-how but this doesn't stop you. 

OH MY, the things you build and the things you come up with to tie together, tie up, attach, fuse together. These are other things that I really want to photograph more of but just don't take the time. You are leaps and bounds beyond where you were just 6 short months ago. 

Your bed head gets better with age!

Your Dad and I had to get you a crane - your latest favorite piece of machinery. It is so real that your Uncle Todd
(a crane operator) spent hours the following day playing with it! 

You made so strange things with these manicure items....as Newborn Brother slept in the background :)

We had your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this year - your first that we had outside of our home and it was a hit! We kept it very small and kept the celebrating with your play group to a separate during-the-week play date. I wasn't trying to have a party of 60 up in the Chuck E. Cheese, you hear? :)

You and Pop in a fierce competition

With Emily, Seton and Fox

Mimi and Pop scored a last minute invite when we realized that we wouldn't see them for Father's Day the following day (we spent the day with the Reynolds side) or at any other point on your Birthday weekend. And that just couldn't happen!

Such a Dude already!

Let's just say that Mr. Cheese should NEVER sneak up from behind a child that has never seen him before.
There were tears!

Grayson wanted Mommy to wear the Birthday Crown

Cake

Blowing out THREE candles. My big boy!

With your buddies Joseph Phillips and Fox Quirin

Love you BIG, Grayson Luke Reynolds!! Happy 3rd Birthday and here's to many, many more!

Walker's Baptism (& Andrea and Rogan came to visit!)

 My apologies for the break in blogging. We (ahem, Grayson) lost the camera cord. But that's no excuse really.

Walker was Baptized May 19th of this year by Father Clay at St. Philip's, our home Church. We really loved being with the family who all came together to celebrate this special time in Walker's life! Andrea and Rogan are Walker's Godparents and we can't think of anyone better to set great examples for our child. Their balance of hard work, strong ethics and morals, faith and good ol' fashion clean fun and living life big is how we hope our boys will live their lives. 

We had everyone over to the house for lunch following the service. It was so special to have everyone gathered for this. I know they all could have been doing a million other things on their Sunday but they chose to spend this time with us. And we love them for it.

A big thank you to Cousin Scott for taking these photos! We sprung this on him 5 minutes before the service and he was a doll to take such wonderful pictures!

Father Clay calling us to present Walker for the Sacrament of Baptism

And so we did just that :)

Walker being Baptized

He didn't cry at all - my precious boy

He is such an easy baby :)

We did it! Ha ;)

Big smiles with Uncle Reyn 

Never wake a sleeping baby! Poor Andrea - good thing she has good arm muscles

I know, I know, we should have awakened him for the photos :/

After the service

And THEN we got him out of his car seat for pictures with Father Clay. Not that he woke up! ;)

My boy Grayson had a rough morning.  But he sure can pull off a dress shirt with basketball shorts!

We really didn't get any pictures of the after party. But here's a recap: Grayson slept through the whole thing, Walker was passed around by adoring family members, good coffee and mimosas, better convo and fun. We love our family and are so blessed!

Walker is 4 months!

Weight: 17lbs 3 oz (85th %)
Length: 26.75in (98th %)
Head: 16.5in (64th %)
Diaper: Size 3
Clothes: quickly moving out of 3-6m; 6-9m is most comfy
Shoes: moving from size 2 to 3
99.9% sure you are my brown-eyed baby! Beau is still grasping for hazel ;)

Highlights off the top of my head: You are so easy! And so happy - we can get smiles out of you effortlessly and at any point of the day. Everyone comments on how easy of a baby you are, you go with the flow, always smile or just sit there and observe. I can't get over how content you are with just watching us or TV! You're definitely going to be my TV watcher. You will even arch your body around to see it. You hate being alone and know immediately when we've left the room. Even then you just let out the slightest whimpers of discontentment.  You DO have the loudest cries when you're hungry. They hurt my ears!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Sleep: Still waking/stirring once a night. You are swaddled for the major stretch: about 7:30pm to 4am; now we are just putting the pacifier back in your mouth and letting you out of the swaddle to stretch out. Then 4am to 6 or 7am on your back until you let the whole house know that you're hungry! You and Grayson still don't wake each other up with your cries/yells. I'm shocked since you share a wall. Napping about 3x a day: 9:30am; 12:30pm; 4:30ish.

Just like Grayson - fightin' the good fight for that one arm up and out!

Eating: 6oz every 3 hours. Not really taking all of it every time. I think it's b/c you're teething. Doc says not to worry b/c it's not like you're starving. Ha! ;) 

Food coma

Teething: You are obsessed with gnawing on your hands, our shoulders, our hands, pacifiers, teething rings, burp cloths, bibs, ANYTHING you can get your hands on! Still no teeth. 

Always biting on your hands. Poor teething baby!

Loving Sophie!

Activity: I love how you still kick and flail when we're within eye sight. You are just so engaging! Love to make eye contact and smile and coo and interact with everyone. It amazes me and humbles me all at the same time. You love jumping more than ever! We now have an outdoor jumperoo for when Grayson is playing in the backyard and one at Mimi and Pop's house. Your coordination is really coming along. You bring your hands together, reach for things, can bring objects to your mouth (again with the teething!), etc.

Cousing Emily loves babies! Y'all held hands a lot while they visited from Corpus!

Making friends at Annie's play date. Jen's baby girl, Berkley

4 month ped appt - Dr. Kaplan is very impressed by your growth :)

You love Mimi's new jumperoo! Way better than ours at home.

Brotherly Love: Things are all good in the Reynolds house! Grayson helps by bringing me burp cloths, letting us know when you have spit up or drool, wipes your mouth, puts your paci in, tells us if you are asleep or awake while in the back seat, says "Baby cryin'" like we don't know ;) , and also says, "TOO LOUD." You are a really loud cryer! 


Other photos...

You look different every day!

Memorial Day pool party at the Hayhursts' house

Our sweet friend Trish was visiting from NYC! Holding you and Natalie Hayhurst (5 months)

Outtakes - a million expressions in just a minute!

 I am so proud to be your Mama, Walker Beau!