Zane's Thoughts about Rice Cereal - January 23

"OK, I'm ready - let's get this meal started!"
" Here comes the first bite..."

"You've got to be kidding me. This is what I've been waiting for all this time?"

"Maybe I'll just grab the bowl. That could be fun..."

Playing Together - January 21

As far as Wyatt and Colter are concerned, a day is not complete unless they have had sufficient time to play together. It starts first thing in the morning when they head to the playroom right after they wake up. They are pretty good at getting ready for school because they know if they get ready fast they will have more time to play! Their teachers have told us that they often play together at school when their classes are together. As soon as they get home they run right back to the playroom to play while I fix lunch. Colter's nap time is a little sad for both of them because they have to stop playing, but after Colter wakes up they play together for the rest of the afternoon. Now this isn't to say that they don't have their "moments" of brotherly frustration, but all is quickly forgiven because they absolutely love to play together!

Right now they are really into pretend play. Here are their names for some of their favorite games: "beasty airlines", "Big Bend camping", "way high trains", "big warm fire", "music band" and "hideout". While Wyatt is definitely the "leader" (as a big brother should be!) they both initiate play with the other and Colter has moments when he gets to make decisions, too. They have a very balanced relationship and I am so happy that they like to spend time with each other. The only drawback to this is that I am not usually "invited" to play, in fact I am often told to "go away!" The times they do want me are when the other is not around (like when Colter is napping or the mornings when Wyatt is at school and Colter is home) so I try to take advantage of those times. But their playmate of choice right now is definitely each other!

I absolutely love this picture because you can actually see them making noises for their airplanes!

Palo Duro Canyon - January 19

We spent today at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We had a picnic lunch, went for a hike, played at the playground, saw some wild turkey and finished the day by eating supper at one of our favorite restaurants in Canyon.

Wyatt and Colter had fun climbing on some of the canyon walls. Here is the conversation we overheard while they were climing:

Wyatt: "Colter, how did you get so high?"

Colter: "I don't know."

Wyatt: "Uh, Colter, how are we going to get down?"

Daddy stepped in and explained the mechanics of climbing down a rock wall and both boys made it down safely!

Our little rock climbers and their cute baby brother!

Daddy Cooks Supper - January 14

Our quilt guild in town meets two Mondays each month. I usually try to go if Danny is not on call and let him take over supper and bedtime with the boys. On Monday he decided that he would fix hot dogs for supper - in the fireplace! The boys thought it was great fun when Daddy built a fire and got the skewers from the basement. Apparently they tasted pretty good, too. Danny said that between the three of them they ate an entire package - and he only had two!

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - January 13

We rarely see movies in the theater, so I'm always looking for the perfect "first movie" for each of the boys. Wyatt's first movie (and only one until this!) was "Curious George" a couple of years ago. When I saw a few months ago that Veggie Tales had a new movie coming soon, I knew it would be perfect for Colter's first movie. We drove to Lubbock to see it with Noni,

Aunt Megan and Aunt Cathryn.

The boys were so excited (here they are with their tickets!) and the movie didn't disappoint them. Their favorite parts were the "rock monsters" and "snack beasties". You'll understand after you see the movie!

Rolling Over - January 11

Although he rolled over for the first time a couple of months ago, it wasn't until this last week that Zane starting rolling over regularly. Here's his technique...

Ready...

swing one arm back...

pull head back, other elbow forward, twist...

and done.

Now aren't you impressed?

Griffis Family Top Ten for 2007

10. Trip to Big Bend (11-07)

9. Our New Car (09-07)

8. Wyatt Learning to Climb Trees (Spring 07)

7. Colter Learning to Use to Potty (Spring 07)

6. Trip to Rocky Mountain National Park (10-07)

5. Trip to Florida (03-07)

4. Building a "Texas Igloo" (01-07)

3. Trip to Sedona with the Griffins (04-07)

2. Tenth Anniversary Trip to Colorado (05-07)

1. Zane's Birth (07-07)

"Boys in the Hood" - January 10

Another funny story - Colter got a blue hoodie from Aunt Megan for his birthday. It is one of his favorite shirts. Apparently last time I did the laundry I accidentally hung it up on Wyatt's side of the closet. A few days ago Wyatt came out of his bedroom wearing Colter's hoodie. I asked him about it and he said it was on his side of the closet so he was going to wear it! Colter was not about to share one of his favorite shirts (not to mention it was a little too small!), so I told Wyatt I would try to find a hoodie for him. I just happened to be doing an Old Navy shopping trip that day (virtually, of course, since the nearest Old Navy is over an hour away!) and found the perfect hoodie on clearance. It came in the mail yesterday and Wyatt immediately put it on. He said, "Look Mom! I can put my hood on when I go outside and it will keep my ears warm. I don't even need a jacket!". Colter ran into his room and changed into his hoodie - thankfully it was clean!

3D Painting - January 8

The boys really enjoyed our painting project this afternoon. I had unpacked a coffee maker that Danny got as his Christmas gift from the hospital (those of you who know Danny know how really funny that is since he doesn't EVER drink coffee, but our parents are going to love it when they come to visit!) and it was packaged with two big foam inserts. I had read somewhere that those make a great "canvas" for little painters, so we decided to give it a try. Wyatt and Colter painted for almost 30 minutes while I got supper started. The greatest part is that the foam pieces aren't completely covered with paint yet, so we are going to let them dry and finish them another day.

Along for the Ride - January 7

The weather was great today - not too cold and not too windy - so Danny took advantage of the time to get some work done in the yard. He had two wonderful helpers who worked hard helping Daddy move the leaves that had collected on the side patio into the backyard to use as mulch. They loved scooping up the leaves, riding with them into the backyard and then stomping on them after Daddy dumped them out.

All Rolled Up - January 7

This is Zane's favorite new position - all rolled up. If I put him on his belly to play he quickly rolls over, grabs his feet and starts playing with his toes.

Wyatt's Fashion Sense - January 5

This is how Wyatt came running out of his room this morning after I sent him to get dressed. He has been picking out his own clothes for quite a while - sometimes they match, sometimes they don't. Here is our conversation this morning...

me: Wow, Wyatt! Are you sure you want to wear a short-sleeve shirt today? It's kinda chilly outside.

Wyatt: No, this shirt is good for today. It's not very cold.

me: Wouldn't your camoflouge shirt be better? It would keep you warmer.

Wyatt: Mama! This is the shirt I want to wear. I'll put on my fleece jacket for outside.

me: OK - can I at least take your picture?

And the "bed head" - well that is a whole other story...

Announcing "Scraps of Life" - January 5

I want to announce my new blog called "Scraps of Life." I love sharing pictures and stories about our family on this blog. In addition to sharing our lives with our faraway family and friends, it is a great way for me to "pre-scrapbook" and make sure I get the stories and other information down before I forget them. What I have been missing is a place to share me - my thoughts, my passions and my perspective on this life. In the midst of being a wife and a mom I don't want to lose sight of what makes me who I am. So if you are looking at our family blog and happen to think "How is Jen doing?" or "What's going on with the adoption?" or "I wonder if she has been scrapbooking or quilting lately?" go to my blog and you will probably find the answer. You can click on the link below (all the way at the bottom of the sidebar; I also have Danny's linked from there) or you can click here http://www.jengriffis.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!

"I'm just going to live in the refrigerator!" - December 27

Yes, this is Wyatt in our refrigerator. Let me tell you the story...

Wyatt has always been a pretty intense kid. He feels things deeply and isn't shy about showing his emotions (which is great when he is happy, not so much when he is upset!). He can also be pretty resistant to change and struggles when something is not going his way. He is definantly on the strong-willed side of things. We are always reminding him to "use his words" to tell us what he is feeling instead of throwing a fit or hitting whoever is closest to him at the time. A few weeks ago we started hearing variations of this phrase whenever he would get upset or frustrated, "OK Mama, but I'm just going to live at church (or the grocery store, or a tree, etc.)." As funny as those statements sounded, we realized this was his way of "using his words" to explain his frustration. On this particular day I was fixing lunch and we were out of his favorite kind of cheese. He was near the refrigerator and he said, "OK Mama, I'm just going to live in the refrigerator!", then he opened the refrigerator door and climbed inside. I had already been thinking about how I was going to scrapbook his newest phase of communication, so I quickly grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. He started laughing and forgot about the cheese we didn't have in the refrigerator. I am so proud of him for working through his emotions and learning how to communicate his frustration. It's ok that it sounds a little crazy because it makes us all laugh in the end!

Library Trip - December 27

Every couple of weeks we make a special trip to the local library. It's not that we need anymore books (remember I was a first grade teacher - we have lots of books!), but they really enjoy walking in and picking out their very own books to take home. Lately Wyatt has been picking tree books and Colter picks out books about planes or trains. After they pick out their books, they take them over to the pillows and read while I pick out a few additional books to add to our stack. I am so glad that I have boys who love to read!

Finally - Some Real Snow! - December 27

This wasn't supposed to be much of a snow event. It started as frozen rain in the late afternoon, but quickly turned to snow. The boys went outside to play in it because we weren't sure how long it was going to last!

After a few minutes it started snowing even harder!

In about an hour the backyard was completely white and our boys were having a blast playing in the fresh fallen snow! What a nice surprise!

Christmas in Lubbock - December 25

Danny was feeling better Christmas morning, so after we opened our own presents at home we drove to Noni and Papa's house. We were able to get a picture of all four cousins while both babies were happy!

One of Colter's favorite presents was foam fingers from Aunt Megan. She knows how much he loves football games and now he can take his own foam fingers!

Wyatt loves his new guitar from Noni and Papa!

Zane really enjoyed his moose with the chewy antlers!

Abi looking cute in her Santa hat with her new doll!

It was another fun Christmas celebration! I do have to say that Colter was disappointed when the last present was opened. Between his birthday and Christmas, November and December are very exciting months for him! We have worked hard during the weeks leading up to Christmas to remind both boys that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday and that it's more fun to give gifts than to get them, but when it comes right down to it on Christmas morning opening presents is just tons of fun! : )

Christmas Morning - December 25

Santa left the boys exactly what they asked for this year! Colter got "a sharp-nose airplane", Wyatt got "a telescope and a microscope" (thankfully Santa found a small handheld multi-function microscope, so that request fit into his budget!), and Zane got "a toy to chew on" (that request came from Wyatt and Colter!).

Wyatt also got a Playmobile forest set - great for our little tree-climber!

Colter also got an aircraft carrier to use when he play with all of his "sharp-nose planes".

Zane was anxious for Danny to open the box with his new blocks, perfect for a teething baby!

The best Christmas presents ever!

Christmas Eve - December 24

Danny was going to be off Christmas Eve afternoon and evening and we had great plans for spending that time as a family. All of that changed when he starting feeling bad Sunday morning (only hours before we were supposed to drive back from Colorado). Somehow he managed to drive us home (a six hour drive with a 103 degree temperature; he refused to let me drive!) and then slept off and on for the next 24 hours. I adjusted our plans and we survived (and actually enjoyed!) the day. We did end up skipping the Christmas Eve service at church (I wasn't sure I could handle all three boys without Danny's help!), but I had them get dressed anyway so I could take this picture.

Christmas Cookies - December 24

Wyatt and Colter were great helpers making Christmas cookies this year. They helped me mix the dough, cut out the cookies and, of course, decorate them with lots of icing and sprinkles!
Here is their plate of cookies for Santa! Yummy!