Family Time

 Mimi and Papa came for a visit last weekend.  Grayson was able to show off his new potty skills. 
Thankfully Mimi stayed for the rest of the week--Grayson started having some issues with poopies on the potty, but we're working on it and making progress.
Chad and I headed to Clinton the following weekend to take Mimi back and to hang out with the rest of the family.  We were able to stay until Tuesday because Chad had some work to do in Columbia.  So it was a nice, long, relaxing(well, sometimes) visit.

 We got to spend lots of  time with Grandmama and Daddymac.

 Grayson did alot of his favorite things:  singing and dancing!  He has an obsession with The Sound of Music right now and loves for Mimi to play the songs while he sings and dances along. 

 A very exciting part of the weekend, was that we got to visit with Abby Ruth! 

 Of course the girls had coordinating outfits for each day.

 so sweet--holding hands

 Another exciting part of the weekend was that Uncle Andrew was there too!!  This trip was his first time meeting Caroline and she seemed to love him right away.

 matching onesies that Bonnie and I made--we were hoping they would wear them to the beach in September, but it's not looking like they are going to fit!!

 Ready for church! 

 Grayson did alot of swimming to stay cool, while Caroline watched.

We really enjoyed our visit with the whole family and can't wait to be back together again in September--at Pawley's Island!!

We Did It!!

 Guess what we've been doing for the past 3 days?  Yep, potty training!!  I have been  procrastinating this dreaded milestone, but I decided to conquer it this week when we ran out of diapers for Grayson.  My friend had recommended that I do this method.  It's Potty Training in 3 days!  So that means that I can do absolutely  nothing but focus on Grayson for 3 days--no laundry, no cooking, no cleaning, no leaving the house--nothing!!  So we put off all of our playdates and outings for the week and started our "potty training boot camp" as Chad calls it.  So...
Day 1:

 11 accidents!!  I was getting a little frustrated, but since I'm so stubborn, I was determined to make this work!  By the evening, Grayson had done 3 peepees in the potty!!!  Progress!  He even stayed dry during his afternoon nap and at night.

Day 2:

 Only 3 accidents all day!!  Much improved!

 Sweet Caroline! She really made this process much easier because she was soooo gooooood!!  She just hung out while mommy had to tend to Grayson.

 No accidents at night, either!! yay!

 The word of the week to describe Caroline:  patient!!  This is often how she looked--half undone!! Whether it was a halfway diaper change, halfway dressed, halfway fed, she didn't seem to mind.  She just patiently waited for me to return.

Day 3:

 BIG BOY!!

 No accidents!! None!!  I actually couldn't believe it!! He was telling me every time he needed to potty.  He even did his first poopy in the potty!!  He is also not having any accidents during his sleep!  By the end of day 3, he was begging to go outside, so we both stepped out for some fresh air for the FIRST time all week!! 

 I do believe this was one of the L O N G E S T weeks of my life.  However,  it was very successful and I highly recommend the method.  I am an all-or-nothing kind of girl, so it worked well for me.  No more diapers--daytime, nighttime--DONE!  Now, I 'm sure we'll have some accidents here or there but we're not turning back!  I didn't want to drag this potty training thing out for weeks and weeks--I've heard horror stories that terrified me!  So I'm happy to say that we've made HUGE progress and everyone is happier!! 

Now I  need a vacation!!

Play Dates

Since our lives now involve a baby and a toddler we try to stay home as much as possible--it's just so much easier.  We fill our days with playdates!  There are so many children in our neighborhood right now.  In the past 3 months, there have been 5 babies born and there will be about 5 more before the end of the year!!  So we have lots of friends closeby.  This is one of Caroline's new friends--they are 3 weeks apart.  I made these matching outfits for several of the baby girls in the 'hood.

Grayson had to join in on the fun!

This is one of our neighbors that recently moved.  He's a few years older than Grayson, but they didn't seem to mind the difference.  They had a great time together--it was so funny listening to their "conversations". 

We sure do miss Holden!!

Cow Appreciation

Some of my friends came over on Friday for us to have a sewing day.  They brought their kids along with them.  They had already been to Chick Fil A for their free breakfast.  They brought some extra cow spots for Grayson, so I got him ready for our trip to CFA for lunch.

Caroline and Grayson all dressed up waiting on daddy to get home.

Grayson loved the cows! He was a little shy at first but couldn't take his eyes off of them and kept saying, "hi cows".  Before we left, he was chasing them around the store and hugging them, saying "big nice cow".

This blanket Chad's mom made us last Christmas was perfect!!

Happy Cow Day!!

4th of July

 We celebrated the 4th on Sunday with some friends from church.  Grayson finally got to go swimming for the first time this summer and he seemed to enjoy it and did really well.

 Caroline was looking so cute in her patriotic swimsuit.

Grayson was eating a popsicle while we waited on the firework show.  This was his first time seeing fireworks and he wasn't a big fan.  He kept saying they were loud, however I think he enjoyed the colors and watching them.  We'll have to try again next year.

On Monday, we walked down to the square for the parade.  Grayson enjoyed it except for the extreme heat--so we didn't last for the whole parade.

 

The kids were glad to be back home in the air conditioning.

Ready for church on Sunday--I love the matching boats!!