Fire station Fun!

We went to the Fire station on a field trip with Grant's class and we had a lot of fun!

Grant was so thrilled! On most days he wants to be a firefighter! And he was so full of questions for firefighter Dan!

This had to have been his very fave part! He was just elated that he got to "drive" the fire truck!He had this big toothy grin on his face the entire time! It was fun!

Fun with "the kids" Thats what Grant calls them!

Pictures with Scott went GREAT!!! I am so excited cause I know they turned out wonderful, even though I havent seen them yet. I will have them in about a week and I will post some then!

Last night we went to dinner with Aunt Susu and "the kids" Nick and Lyss! It was a lot of fun as usual! We went to the cheesecake factory and it was delicious! After dinner we headed over to the mall and walked around for a minute!Cute kids and they have so much fun together!I dont know what it is but Grant is absolutely infatuated with Alyssa. When we are with them he doesnt let her out of his site. And of course you know when Aunt Susu is around someone is going to get spoiled! He was so excited to get this Firefighter bear and he came home and slept with it. THANK YOU Aunt Susu!Here they are walking down the mall, well more like dancing down the mall. LOL These sweet kids who are 16 and almost 14 are so dang cute with my little man. What 16 year old do you know that would literally dance down the mall with a 4 year old?

I love you kids so so so much! I hope you guys know that and never forget it!

Picture time again

Tonight we are having Grant's pictures done and I am so excited. My awesome cousin Scott is doing them http://stalbotphoto.blogspot.com/ He says I am doing him a favor but I beg to differ. He is the one that is doing me the favor. It will be really great to see him too. We are going to do them at Wheeler Farm. I havent been there for years. Jared says I do pictures too often but I dont really care! I love it. I want to do some again before christmas too. You know for Christmas cards and such. YAY!!! Wish us luck!

Looking back

This picture was taken about the same time this journaling was done, almost two and a half years ago. I made the pillow case and the blanket that he is using in the picture. He still uses both of them every night. He is definitely a creature of habit! Gotta love him!

I was going through some things today and came across some journaling I had done back in June of '06.

June 18, 2006

Grant Richard,
I sit here just watching you in your deep slumber. So sweet and innocent. I am so blessed to have you in my life and I thank the Lord for the gift he gave. You are my everything, little man. You make it all worth while. I can only hope that you always know how much you mean to me.
Suddenly you start to whimper and call out, "Mom.." I take your hand in mine and softly whisper, " Don't worry baby, mommy is here, everything is alright." A sweet little smile overcomes your soft little lips. I can tell you are dreaming. What are you imagining sweet boy, wonderful things no doubt.
As I think back to the day you came into this world tears stream down my face. I can't believe it has been two years already. Where has the time gone. You are so smart. Grant never forget no matter what you will always be Mommy's baby. As I get up to get a tissue to wipe my eyes you begin to stir. "Hush baby, don't wake. I love you Grant."
Oh how I wish I could slow down time and keep you tiny for just awhile longer. What an amazing innocence I see in your eyes and such wonder. Always curious and eager to please. Always quick to say sorry and offer a hug or forgive and forget when mommy gets angry. So full of laughter and such joy. I don't know what I would do without you to wake up to every morning. I hope that you will always want to come crawl in bed between mommy and daddy every morning. " Shhhh Grant mommy's turning out the light now, so you can sleep without disturbance. I love you my little man."

June 19, 2006
I cried myself to sleep last night listening to you breathe, thinking about the numerous ways you have blessed my life in the past two years and imagining all the amazing years we have ahead of us.
I love you Grant. I pray that I never give you any reason to ever doubt that. You truly are my EVERYTHING!
Love always,
Mommy XOXO

Aquarium

We webt to the aquarium today after school! It was a lot of fun and Grant asked tons of questions. He is so curious!

Sugar follow up and menu

As a follow up to my last post Jamie asked me to post a menu of things I feed Grant. Let me just say that I am not perfect and I dont always stick to this but I am trying. Yes, sometimes Grant does get candy and crap, but it is usually when someone else gives it to him. I try not to be too mean but I am also trying to keep my son healthy.

Jared's cousin Cory passed away back in April from cancer. This was how his sister Kenzie responded to my last post:



I can totally tell you that the number one thing on your list, SUGAR FEEDS CANCER is the absolute truth. We learned that from our expieriences with Cory. Did you know thats how they test for cancer? They do what is called a P.E.T scan, by injecting surgar into your body and watching what it does, if there is cancer the sugar will go right to that spot and go crazy. Pretty sick huh? And also the thing about sugar suppressing your immune system is also very true. Good job Lauri for teaching Grant good habits, he will be so greatful to you later in life. Keep up the good work!



With that, I want challenge all of you to be a little bit more concious of what you are eating and what you are feeding your kids

Breakfast-
Eggs don’t put ketchup on your eggs. It is full of sugar.
Whole grain (not whole wheat) toast
Whole grain pancakes (usually without syrup, pancakes are more of a finger food in our house lol)
Cottage cheese
Fresh fruit (Grant loves all kinds of fruit)
LITE yogurt (occasionally)

Lunch
Whole grain sandwiches (when I make him a sandwich I put all the yummy extras on like tomato, lettuce, and avocado. If he gets used to eating and liking those things you are creating life long healthy habits)
Baked chicken
Grilled fish
Salad (Grant loves salad, with all the yummy HEALTHY veggies and very little LITE dressing)
Fresh RAW fruit or veggies (most veggies Grant will eat raw and they are so much more healthy that way)

Dinner (dinner can be tough for me because Jared is home and he is pretty picky)
Baked/grilled lean meats (Grant really likes chicken and fish, but Jared hates fish)
Whole grain pasta (watch out for the sugar loaded sauces)
Lots of veggies for dinner
I like to do things where Grant can get involved with the prep. Such as potato bar, tacos, salad, homemade pizza. He can help me chop and dice all the veggies and such and then it is fun for him to be able to choose what he wants to put on it. When he helps prepare it he is more likely to devour it.

As far as snacks go, we don’t do fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, or any other sugar loaded crap like that. I try to always have healthy snacks in the fridge or pantry. You can never go wrong with fruit and veggies. At the beginning of the week I will prepare different things into small serving sizes, like Ziploc bags of apple slices, blueberries, cucumber slices, mini carrots, strawberries, etc. I also have some small bowls with lids that I found on the baby isle. I will put things like cottage cheese and fresh peaches, diced up melon, sometimes LITE yogurt, etc. Another thing I will do is dried fruit or whole grain crackers.

SUGAR OBSESSION!!!

First of all, Grant gets to bring snack to school again tomorrow. This is what he chose. I wasnt given much notice by the teacher and it has been a crazy week so tonight we ran over to walmart at the last minute and I told Grant he could get whatever he wanted because I was just in one of those moods and it is kind of a special occasion. So we are going through the store and I am making all kinds of suggestions such as cookies crackers juice boxes, etc, etc, etc... I really just wanted to get the heck out of there. So this is what he chose and I am very proud of him. The Roarin' waters have 9g of sugar and the apples (even though they come with small cups of caramel for dipping) have 11g of sugar, but keep in mind that 7g of the 11g is natural sugar that comes from the apples. There for, this is a pretty low sugar snack!!!

With that said some of you who know me know that I dont like Grant to have sugar. It is just not healthy. Most of the time Grant would rather have a piece of fruit opposed to a piece of candy. I dont know if that is just the way he is or if it is the good habits we have taught him, either way I dont really care. I love that he is 4 years old and when someone offers him a peice of candy he will turn it down. Dont get me wrong he is a normal little boy who does enjoy candy sometimes, but my thinking is out of site out of mind so, I dont buy sugar cereal, I rarely ever buy candy or cookies, we do not have juice in our house, he drinks milk or water. I try to only have good healthy things in the house to eat (for the most part, nobody is perfect).
Some people, like my dad and others, think I am weird or mean. I am trying to teach my child to be healthy and that fruit and veggies are just as good a snack as cookies and crackers. Hopefully these are habits that he can carry with him throughout his life. I want to share with you some of the reasons for doing this...

I googled the effects of sugar on children and came up with this. http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm If you go to this site and scroll down to the bottom it has references to where this info came from. Honestly I dont know if all of these are true but it is something to think about.

***Sugar feeds cancer***
Sugar can suppress the immune system.
Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries
*Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
Sugar can weaken eyesight
Sugar can cause arthritis.
Sugar can cause asthma.
Sugar contributes to saliva acidity
Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
Sugar can increase cholesterol.
Sugar causes food allergies
*Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function
Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement
Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women
*High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity
Sugar is an addictive substance
The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch
In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives
Sugar dehydrates newborns
*Sugar induces salt and water retention
Sugar causes constipation.

Here is another website I found http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week, which is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals
One of sugar's major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the immune system. This is not something you want to take place if you want to avoid disease.

And another http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T045000.asp

An overdose of sugar. Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of two- and-a-half 12-ounce cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of complex carbohydrates, or starches, has no effect on the immune system.
Sugar sours behavior, attention, and learning. Studies of the effects of sugar on children's behavior are as wildly contradictory as a sugar-crazed four-year-old after a birthday party, but the general consensus is that some children and adults are sugar-sensitive, meaning their behavior, attention span, and learning ability deteriorate in proportion to the amount of junk sugar they consume.


Sorry to bore you with this obsession I have but this concerns me and these are some of the reasons that I limit my little love bug's sugar intake as much as possible.

My very colorful little boy!

Mid-late September update

I havent blogged for a while. We have been somewhat busy and to tell you the truth I just havent been "in the mood" to blog. Well here I am forcing myself to give a little update for those who might care. I dont know if there are even any of you who do care that much but oh well. We went to the fair. As my Aunt's husband likes to call it the white trash fair. But we go every year and we love it. We always have a lot of fun together. It's kind of become a tradition for us. We have gone every year since the year that Grant was in my tummy. If that makes sense??? Anyway here is my grown up little man eating a what he considers mexican food. I had real mexican food, kind of? LOLThis is Grant on one of the rides. I went on it with him, only because I wanted to get pictures. I am glad I went. In this picture he looks a little retarded but you can see in his face what a ball he is having. It was so funny to listen to his cute laugh.

Last week Grant had his first field trip. We went to the zoo and we took Dax with us. So here are my little boys. This is probably the closest Grant will ever have to a brother. We really love Dax and he is a wonderful baby! It's funny Grant's teacher's name is Miss Maria but he calls her Miss Aria, so cute!
One night I had been out running some errands and when I came home Jared had ordered pizza and he and Grant were in the living room on the couch eating pizza on the TV tray. I came in and sat in front of the couch to talk to them. Grant got a bit excited and slipped off the couch sending the TV tray flying and the cup of marinara sauce he was using to dip his bread sticks in. This was the result. And this is what it looked like after cleaning it. Jared went to smith's and rented one of those rug doctor machines. It still looks like hell. Note to self: No 4 year olds eating in the living room, or just dont leave him home with dad anymore. LOL

My Aunt Diane passed away on Sept. 13. Thank God she did pass away peacefully. It was sudden and unexpected and we were all taken back and shocked by it. My Mommy was really upset about it and it was really hard for her. It was also really rough on her children, as it would be for any child having to say good bye to their mother so soon. The viewing was last Friday night and I really tried to prepare myself for it all day. I dont think you can ever really be prepared for something like that. Though I tried to prepare and I told myself I was going to be strong for my mom I wasnt. I was a wreck. It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. Saturday morning we all gathered at the mortuary for a family prayer and to say our final good byes. WOW! I've never really experienced anything so heart wrenching. I've never had so many people I care so much about so sad around me. I was absolutely heart broken. From there we w ent on to the cemetery and they had the most beautiful grave side services. Each of Diane's kids spoke about her and I couldnt help but sit there and think about my own Mommy, who was sitting right next to me, hurting so badly for the loss of her sister and I know that she was also hurting for her nieces and nephews. My heart was aching for my cousins as well. And also for their children who will now grow up without their Grandma Diane in their lives. I kept thinking what would I do in their situation, if that was my mom my best friend, how would I react and what would I say about her, how would I live through the death of my mom? This is what I came up with... I wouldnt say anything because I know that I am not strong enough. I could not have gotten up in front of my family and spoke like my cousins did. They were so strong and brave. I dont ever want to find out but I am almost positive that I would not make it through the death of my mother. I know eventually it will happen but I hope it is not for a very long time.

I want my cousins to know that I am thinking about them every single day and my heart is aching for them. If you need anything or someone to talk to or just someone to lean on I would love to help, listen, or hold you. Any of you. I love you all.

We went to Snowbird for Brock's birthday. He is 19 now. Can you believe it? It was beautiful up there and we had a lot of fun. Some would even say I had a (little too much) fun. But I will deny it all. You have to remember it had been a really hard day full of many emotions and crying. I love this picture of my Daddy and my boy!

And I love this picture of my Mommy and my boy too.

Sorry this blog is so long and thanks for reading my ramblings. Love you all!

Please

Last time I did this I only got 2 addresses.
I promise I will not send you stupid crap that you do not want.
Only cute homemade cards and maybe a picture of my little guy every once in a while.
I would really love to have email addresses too.
So please just hurry and send me a little email to lilmonkey81@comcast.net including your mailing address and your email address.
I will love you forever if you do!
Thanks!