Priest 2014: Round 2

We were so lucky to be able to get a whole week up at Priest to once again explore with Grady, spend time with family, celebrate our anniversary and spend time as a couple.  We spent the first half of the week with Chris's parents and then they so very graciously offered to take Grady for a few days so that Chris and I could enjoy time together.  Together, it was was the perfect combination of a vacation for us.

Our first night we had the biggest thunder storm I'd ever seen at Priest.  It roared in while we sat at the dinner table just as Grady was begging to be "all done all done".   Once that thunder hit Grady was no longer "all done", he just wanted to sit with Mommy or Grandma and listen to hear "funder turn off and funder turn on" ("funder = thunder in Grady speak).   As long as no trees come crashing in on us, I'll take a good storm any day.  The night was eventful with power going out and staying out well into the next day, the big boys going down and telling us the lake looked like an ocean with waves crashing over the top of the dock, and lots of flashlights (a dream come true for Grady).  It was fun and a good start to our little adventure.  From there on out, we had perfect weather with hot days, lots of sun, and too many "popticles" to count.  Grady was SPOILED with love from Grandma and Papa. 

Grady did lots of driving the boat with Papa and he took a trip up to forest two again to leave treats for the animals.  Papa tells us that our carbo-loader Grady ate almost all the treats (bread) on the way up to the forest.   The poor deer may just starve.

I was sure to get a picture of the "Grandma Hide Game" this time around.  Grady asked demanded  many grandma hide games. Grandma was very sweet to play at least ten times a day.

Somehow these two always ended up adorably matching each other too. 

Swim time with Grandma. 

Don't mess with this kid, he is serious about his water sports.  

Grandma taught him how to jump off the dock and he did this about 150 times.

This guy is serious about his water sports too.   Yup, I married a babe.

After the storm, the men were on a mission to fix the beach, fix the dock, fix anything that needed fixing in a very Johnson-like way. Grady mostly played on the beach with Grandma during this time, but he'd occasionally offer his helping hand.

Grady helping daddy by removing a single rock from the beach.

It surprisingly took our water-loving boy a few days to want to venture from the beach into the shallow part of the lake. Jumping off a dock is no issue, but apparently going down a gradual sandy beach is overwhelming.  Once he was in though, he would have walked out to the middle of the lake and drown in process chasing the waterskipper bugs on the lake surface.

This one cracks me up because it looks like some fancy mud spa!

See ya later buddy.... 

Seeing Chris at "his lake" with his boy is so special. 

I told you, he is very serious about his water sports.

Our boy is getting so old and is so adorably curious.  I just love him.

These two celebrated 41 years or marriage together!

We celebrated our anniversary the day after Kim and Eric. Our adult time started with our anniversary dinner at Elkins.  It was fantastic. We ate ourselves until we couldn't stuff another bite in and then we ordered desert to go because I'm only going to be pregnant on our anniversary once, right?   Dinner was great, the time alone even better.  On or way home from dinner we stopped the boat to enjoy not one, but our two amazing desserts (mud pie for me and huckleberry crisp for Chris for the record).  We watched the sun set and sat and talked some, but mostly just sat together in the quiet admiring how lucky we are in so many ways.  We first met 14 years ago at SCU orientation at age 18.  6 years of dating (with a hiccup or two), 8 years of marriage, one crazy dog, one beautiful son, a bulging baby bump, lots of laughter, some tears, and many adventures later, here we are. How lucky we both are to have found each other, to have united our families and to have formed our own little family.  To be able to navigate life's highs and lows with such a wonderful partner is the greatest gift I could have.

Several quite nights were spent playing games, talking, reading, and just being together without any distraction.  It was simply wonderful.  We spent our days eating slow meals at restaurants, fishing, reading, and just coming and going as we pleased without having to think about kid logistics.  We missed Grady and talked about him probably more than anything, but the simplicity of 3 days without worrying about keeping a two year old alive and entertained was wonderful.

Time without Grady meant that Bella got her fair share of being the center of attention.  I am pretty sure that Priest Lake is her happy place.  She LOVES fetching off the dock more than anything and we love watching her. To think that 4 years ago she wouldn't even swim.  

She also loved going for boat rides and especially loved it when Chris caught a fish. 

31 weeks!

I dragged this lovely pregnant body up on our traditional hike.  I may, just may, have overtaken Bella in the panting category. :)  It still felt good to move despite the panting.

Sometimes I forget how cute she really is.  Love this pup so much.

I couldn't sleep one morning so got up to watch to sun rise.  I have been to Priest probably 15-20 times, but I have never done this.  I never knew it could get more beautiful.  It is good for the soul to see the sun come up in such a beautiful place on earth.  

And then....we woke up very early on Saturday to head home and this was the way that the lake chose to say goodbye.  Not only did I see one sunrise while I was there, I saw two!  I think I'll have to make a sunrise tradition in years to come.

It was a perfect farewell.   Thank you Johnsons for your never ending hospitality, for taking our little man off our hands for a few days, and for allowing us to go to the place we both love probably more than any other.
Until next year, when the Johnsons will come in as a family of 5 (with Bella of course).

Grady 2.0!!

He is two.  Even though our boy has been acting like a two year old for some time with the funny things he says and the crazy tantrums he throws,  I cannot believe that he is officially two.   For the month leading up to his birthday when I'd ask him how old he was he'd say "Only one right now. Two soon."  Now I ask him how old he is and he proudly announces "Two!  Not one anymore- No!".  Grady at two is still a ball of fire and energy.  He is always on the go and lately has two speeds, running and galloping.  He is intuitive, inquisitive, funny, expressive, adventurous, loving and tender.   Grady boy, we've loved these last two years more than you know.  You are our world (at least until October) and we are so proud that your baby brother has such a shining example of an awesome kid to look up to.  We love you G-buddy and loved celebrating your special day with you!

Grady fun facts:

• He looks like summer.  He's got white hair, sparkly blue eyes, red lips, and skin that actually tanned this year (who knew!).  Nobody says he looks just like me or just like Christopher so we think he is just a good combination of us both. 
• At his two year check up he was 35.75 inches tall (87%) and 27 pounds (36%).  He clearly takes after his dad here.
• He may grow up to be sports broadcaster because the kid is still very good at giving the play by play of life's every moment, "mommy awake, mommy got wet hair, daddy holding very hot coffee, Grady not hold very hot coffee, its dangerous, only daddy hold hot coffee, daddy stirring oatmeal . . . etc."  I thought at some point this constant play by play would wear off, but it has not. It is a riot most of the time. 
• He definitely has picked up on the phrasing of the adults around him.  When he messes something up he says "Oh darn it."  I am not sure who can claim this one.  When he gives someone a kiss he says "Oh that was so nice" in a high pitched sing songy voice (definitely gets that one from me).  When we make the slightest move to redirect his activity, he turns to us, shakes his little pointer finger and says "one more minute, one more minute, just one more minute."  He also regularly announces "Good job Grady" or "you did it!" when he accomplishes something.
• He loves water, jumping and being outside more than anything.  He loves to jump with the sprinkler on the trampoline and float around the pool.  While daddy has been working on Grady's big boy room, he and I have made a summer night tradition of jumping on the trampoline in pajamas.  
• He has some darling phrases of his own.  Instead of saying "give daddy a kiss"  he'll say "Grady bring daddy a kiss" or "Grady bring daddy a hug."  He also says "kiss daddy's heart".
• He has started to create a pretend world all his own.  He brings us dinner in his little play cups, brings daddy imaginary golf clubs, and makes up stories about random people we pass by on the street "He coming back from having beer with friends, yeah."  
• His favorite treats are hot dogs, donuts, and fruit chews. 
• He loves his Bella and when she barks now, he'll go up to her and tilt his head and sweetly ask "What barking at Bella?"  He seems confused when she doesn't answer.
• Although he is incapable of watching TV for more than a few minutes he frequently asks to watch "Little Eintein (AKA little Einsteins) and Peppa Pig.  He has also perfected quite the adorable British accent when talking like Peppa Pig.
• He has started to sing songs on his own with some interesting lyrics of all his own.
• Just before his birthday he completed his first real somersault!   I was quite impressed. 
• He drops the S on words that start with s followed by a consonant.  Pider = Spider, Tar = Star, Cared = Scared, Crubbing =Scrubbing, and perhaps the best Cooter = Scooter and so forth.  When I try to get him to say the s sound it goes like this "sssssss (insert pause here) tar".  It is adorable. S is also tough on the end of words.  He's got the cutest lispse when he says words like grasth = grass. 
• He is full of spontaneous kisses, hugs and I love yous now.  We even get the occasional cuddle out of the kid.  Aside from being rocked at night, Grady has never wanted anything to do with cuddling, but that all seems to be changing just in time for him to have some cuddling competition!
• He has got some idea that there is a baby in my belly, but has no idea what he is in for.  He first thought the baby was in my chest (do boys really start that early?), but now he pats my chest and says "baby not up there". .  "baby down there"  said while patting my belly.
• For the week after his birthday, he'd regularly ask us "where'd birthday go?" I don't know buddy, I have no idea how it all went by so quickly!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Not quite the smash cake of last year, but he still enjoyed his cupcake.



Birthday morning balloons were a hit!

When I tried to get some pictures for Grady's birthday invite, I followed him around for about 40 minutes.  This 40 minutes perfectly captured what about an  hour in the life of our very busy little boy looks like. 

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