Persistence

Yesterday, right before I put Grant down for his nap he asked for a popsicle. I told him he could have one when he woke up from his nap. He then proceeded to nap for about 2-1/2 hours. When he woke up I heard, "Moooommmmyyy!!!!!" to let me know he was awake. As I got upstairs to let him out of his room, the first thing he said was, "I want popsicle." Never underestimate the memory and persistence of a two year old.

Yesterday was my last day of work. I am now a stay at home mom with a long list of to-dos to get my house in order after not being a stay at home anything for the last five years. Wish me luck. I started a few weeks ago as my work was winding down but there is still much to do.

Chad took his pharamcy law exam this morning. He was quite anxious about it, as always. We will know in a day or two if he passed, as it is computerized. I will let you know.

We are off to get Grant's two year old pictures taken (2 months late) at JCPenney. Of course, the one day I need him to be happy and in a good mood, he stayed up late the night before and woke up at 6 AM. It is 9:40 and he's already napping. I have to wake him up and it's not going to be pretty. I hope at least one shot turns out.

A brief update

Chad started his residency this week. This week and next are mostly just orientation but they are orienting him to all of the many projects, assignments, tasks and work responsibilities he is going to have for the next year. He is definitely in a rigorous program and a bit overwhelmed. It doesn't help that he still has to worry about passing his pharamcy board exam, which he isn't taking until the end of July. Chad reports they have already given him about 10 assignments but because they have given him so many so fast, he's not even really sure what he's supposed to do with each. Luckily, this is not a new environment for Chad. That would put him over the top with anxiety. He spent three months at this VA already and knows his bosses and his way around the place. That relieves some of the newness anxiety but he has far more responsibility this time around than last. We attended a BBQ last weekend for the program to welcome the new residents and say goodbye to the old ones (who Chad was quite good friends with). It was obvious that both of his bosses really like him and value him. This is quite a good thing for him and his comfort level. I think once the boards are done and passed he will feel a little better but it's going to be a tough year for him. He will be an excellent pharmacist by the end of this and know more than he learned in 4 years of pharmacy school. I am excited for him.

Grant and I attended his second Little Critters zoo class yesterday with our friends Amy, Nicholas and Zach. We went to one last month, which Grant behaved poorly at. this time he was much better. We learned about staying cool at the zoo. They see some of the animals, listen to a story, do a craft and pet some small animals. He petted a rabbit, a bearded dragon lizard and a baby tortoise. He also got to feed frozen grapes to Macaque monkeys and had a popsicle himself. After the class was over Amy and I took the boys to see the rest of the animals then let them play at the small splash park our zoo has. If I haven't said it before, I love our zoo here in Tucson. It has all the best animals but it only takes at most an hour to go through. It's the perfect size and the perfect combination of animals. Grant loves it and asks to go all of the time.

Grant is becoming the good chore helper. He likes to have his own papertowel for cleaning when I'm doing bathrooms. He has a toy vacuum that he pulls out and pushes around with me when I'm vacuuming. We vacuumed the whole house together last night. He also, all on his own, has started putting his breakfast play in the sink when done with his waffle. He helps me put dishes away when emptying the dishwasher and sets his own place at the table for dinner and gets his own dishes out for lunch. He loves to help with laundry too, putting things in the washer and dryer for me. Someone just needs to share with me the secret to keeping this love of helping alive as he gets older because I suspect this desire is going to disappear at some point.

I am about done with my work. I have one week and 2 days left. All of my cases are settled and I am just finishing up the last documents on the last one and waiting for the rest to come back from court with the judge's signature. there is only one case I have to withdraw from before completion because it is going to be several more months before it is done. Wednesday was an unexpectedly joyful day. I settled the worst case I have ever had in my life. Due to attorney-client privileges, I cannot share the details of this horrendous case but suffice it to say I have a 7, soon to be 8 page memo chronicling the settlement negotiations on this case. We have been trying to settle the case since March (my memo only starts chronicling as of May 9). We reach an agreement then something happens and it falls apart. They finally reached an agreement on Wednesday while we were in court so we immediately put it on the record so that they are both bound by it and neither can bcak out. It's official and done. The documents are almost done and they should be divorced this next week. I will never be able to explain or describe the stress and anxiety this case causes but it's over and I'm almost done with work.

The baby is growing. He is ahead of schedule in size. I had another ultrasound this week because at my last ultrasound the doctor could not see one of the kidneys or the bladder. She found both this time around and all is well. I am anticipating another big baby like Grant (9'3) and to have him early like Grant, which is fine with me, as I hate being pregnant (sorry mom, but it's true).

The following picture is our dog Barry, pouting at the top of the stairs where is now banished each morning while Grant eats breakfast. Grant eats his waffle on our ottoman while watching a movie (his Aunt Kitty says that makes him spoiled). Barry, so very much the lab just cannot refrain from stealing the waffle the first chance he gets. I finally got so tired of yelling at him and watching him every second that I now just send him upstairs. I actually have him trained to go up when he sees the waffle. He doesn't like it though and the other morning Grant was taking so long to eat that Barry started whining because he wanted to come down.

The following picture is one I took just the other day after a big afternoon monsoon storm. We had one full rainbow and another partial rainbow. It's not often you see double rainbows so I took a picture. For those of you Arizonans living outside the state I thought you might appreciate a little glimpse of th beauty of Arizona monsoon season. I sure love it.

Going Green and a Grant story

So, I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to stop using store bought chemical cleaning products and instead start using natural, kitchen ingredients. I made this decision in part because I didn't like all the chemicals we were using and also because I'm not as concerned about Grant finding stuff. Vinegar won't kill him. Of course, I don't leave anything sitting in his reach but I feel a little more comfortable.

I did a little internet research and now my primary cleaning agent is white vinegar mixed with various amounts of water. In case anyone is interested, it's quite simple. It's very cheap and if you don't like the smell you can add lemon juice. FYI - vinegar cannot be used on marble surfaces because it breaks it down. So, if you have cultured marble in your bathroom you need to keep using your Soft Scrub.

Here are the mixes:

Glass/dusting liquid:
2 tbsp vinegar:1 quart water

Toilets:
Dump undiluted vinegar into the toilet and let it sit. Then, scrub away with your toilet brush
If you want some scrubbing action pour in some baking soda as well. It works just as well as comet or Ajax

All purpose kitchen, bathroom cleaner:
1 part vinegar:1 part water
(I use this for everything)

Floors:
1 cup vinegar:1 gallon water
(I usually just fill the sink with some hot water and pour in some vinegar. You all know I'm not that precise with measuring. That takes time)

Any place you would have used an abrasive scrubbing cleaner like Ajax or Comet you can use baking soda. There are no chemicals.

Ok, now a Grant story I want to make sure is documented. His new favorite book is Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. We have a giant board book of it. The last page is of the dogs at a party in a giant tree. There is a huge pink cake and some ice cream in the picture. Whenever we get to the last page he has to pretend to eat the cake and the ice cream. He pulls the book to his mouth and starts making fake eating sounds. I think it's hilarious and he figured this out on his own. The boy loves cake and ice cream. What can I say?

He also in the last month has started to sing along with the songs I sing to him. He loves "pig," which is Old McDonald, and "bus," which is Wheels on the Bus, and "Twinkle," which is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He can actually sing some of the words to each of these songs. He started doing this once he started nursery. I learned from the nursery leader that she has little animal stick puppets for Old McDonald and Grant always wants the pig. This is why Old McDonald is "pig" for him. I'm sure you all really don't care about this but given I use this as a journal, I felt it important to make a note of this development.

Hilarious Grant moment!!!!!!

This little event took place this past Saturday morning. Chad, Grant and I were all in my bedroom on Saturday morning. Chad was laying in bed and I was just sitting on the bed talking with him. Grant was playing around in our bathroom and our closet. He likes to shut the closet door and then knock and come out. He had our closet door shut and then opened it up and walked out with my maternity bathing suit top and bottoms around his neck and my swim hat on his head. When he walked out of the bathroom he had his head down so you couldn't even see his face. I just started laughing hysterically. Chad couldn't see Grant at first so I told him really quietly that he had to look. I ran down the stairs to grab the camera and caught him just as he was headed down the stairs. Of course, he had to have the swimsuit top on inside out but that's just par for the course these days. This is one of those moments I am so glad I got on camera. It was beyond funny.

Grant spent Sunday to Wednesday with his Aunt Shelli in Phoenix and gave mom and dad a break. It was heavenly. We went on two dates and I got some of my house projects done. It was also just nice to only have to worry about myself. Grant had a fun time with Shelli so it wasn't all bad. He got to go swimming twice, harass and whine at Shelli and be the center of attention by Shelli and all her friends for three straight days. I think any two year old could handle that. I will get some pictures and more details from Shelli and do another post later.

Our week

This week has been a normal week until yesterday when I had a call from Chad as I was leaving a deposition that I needed to hurry home because Grant had been puking all morning. Of course, when I got home he was fine and no more puke. That is until this morning when Grant was sleeping in our bed for a little while. I was already up and downstairs. Suddenly, I hear Chad yell frantically for me to get upstairs because Grant was puking again. Poor Chad. Grant only pukes when it's just the two of them. It's kind of sad and kind of funny at the same time, although I'm pretty sure Chad would have a different opinion on that.

Grant and I went to Shakers this week and to the pool with Amy and Nicholas and Baby Zach. he also went to the Children's Museum with Regina and her girls. He loves it there. Our plan was to go there yesterday too but that was thwarted by the puking.

My work is winding down. I am down to two unsettled cases. One keeps settling then unsettling. We're about at the unsettled stage again, which is driving me nuts. I am truly hoping to be done with work entirely by the end of the month.

Aunt Kitty (my sister, Kristen) asked to see pictures of Grant sleeping in front of his gate, which is his new favorite place for naps. I always put him in his bed with everything he needs then within 5 minutes of going downstairs, I heard the door to his room open and then nothing else. Without fail, I find him dead asleep on his pillow with his blanket over him, a binky in one hand a a water cup in the other in front of his gate. We have the gate there so that he can't wander around in the middle of the night and possibly fall down the stairs. The photos of this daily occurrence are below.

Sonogram photos of the new baby

I decided to try taking photos of the sonogram photos to see how they turned out and they look good. As a result, I can share them with every one. As you can see from the picture just below, we are definitely having a boy (and I don't just mean because it says "It's a boy!!!" on the photo).

This is our little boy's profile. Who do you think he looks like?

Here's another profile shot. I think he looks more like Chad in this one.
Another clear indication it's a boy.
Here's his little (or not so little) foot. Grant had huge feet when he was born and this little one's look big too. We'll see.

The doctor said I was measuring about a week ahead of my projected due date. This doesn't surprise me. Grant was a week early and weight 9'3. I just hope for something less than 9 pounds this time around and maybe normal, instead of Chad size, shoulders on this little one.

It's a Boy!!!!!!

This week was an eventful week. We had our sonogram of the baby. It is officially a boy. We suspected as much based upon an early sonogram but could not be sure until this week. We are very excited to be having another boy. I am happy that Grant will have a brother to run around and cause trouble with. Chad was hoping for a girl but I think he's excited anyway.

Grant also had his 2 year old well child check with Dr. Shapiro. He weighs 30 pounds and is 33" tall. that puts him in the 30% for height and now the 75% for weight. We have a little football player on our hands. He did very well, even when he got his MMR shot. He was pretending he didn't like stuff but was smiling the entire time he was being examined.

To continue the celebration of Grant's birthday, we took him to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time on Memorial Day. He had a great time. He ate pizza, drank lemonade and pushed buttons and threw balls to his heart's content. We had a coupon for a pizza, 4 drinks and 30 tokens for $23. We didn't actually need tokens to keep Grant entertained but Chad and I loved them. I played skee ball, which I love. Chad played video games and Grant loved to watch Chad play the basketball game. Grant also loved throwing the skee ball balls up the ramp. With our 30 tokens we won 73 tickets, rounded up to 80, and we were able to buy 4 mini tootsie pops and 1 plastic glasses and nose set. Chuck has steep prices. We also learend that Grant does not like the rides you have him sit in and turn them on to shake. We tried two and both completely freaked him out. He didn't even want to try the slide. We tried to have a family picture taken in the drawing booth but you can see below how well that worked out.

Grant started a new session of Shakers this week. He didn't do very well this time but hopefully will continue to improve. He was acting very tired. Since getting his new bed, he has been waking up between 5:30 and 6 AM (much to his parents' chagrin). By 9 AM now, he's ready for a nap, which is right when Shakers starts.

Yesterday (Saturday) was fun. We took Grant to the Children's Museum for the first time (ours, not his). He's been twice with Regina. As soon as we walked into the place he starts yelling, "Jungle!!!" There is a Jungle Room with all sorts of stuff to climb on and slide down that he loves. He also enjoys pushing the button to make the train sets go and he got to color some mini maracas. Chad and I enjoyed ourselves as well. We all had fun making music in the instrument room. Grant got to try out a real fire truck and a police motorcycle. He wasn't really too sure about either.


The plan was to go swimming after a rest from the museum but both Chad and I got sick and were not up for that. Chad is still sick this morning but I feel better. On Friday, we also managed to get the bookcases switched and start cleaning up our house a little bit (not too much though, don't worry). I hate moving stuff around because you find out just how dirty stuff is and how much junk you actually have. Hopefully, before the baby comes in September, the house will be back together and organized. Is that too much to ask?

Happy 2nd Birthday Grant!!!!!!

Grant turned 2 years old yesterday. How times flies!!! The day started with Grant and I driving home from Phoenix after visiting Grandma June and Sarah and Sarah. In the morning, while getting things ready to go, I told Grant it was his birthday and that he was 2. He paused for about 1 second and then the first words out of his mouth were, "I want cake." How do they know? I never put the two together for him.
Once in Tucson, Grant and I stopped to pick up his new bed from Babies 'R Us. When we got home, we immediately unloaded the car and headed for In-n-Out Burger, the zoo and the park. Grant loves "fries" and "burgers" although he only realy eats fries. He invariably throws a tantrum between ordering and getting the food because he wants it immediately. He is particularly bad if we need to sit outside because he thinks we're leaving without the food. Don't come between Grant and fries or you'll regret it.
Grant loves the zoo. He loves to see the animals, except that when looking at one animal, he immediately asks to see another. He loves the giraffes, rhinos, zebras and monkeys. He was very intrigued by the otters and polar bear as well. He also, thankfully, loves his stroller, so keeping him contained is not too difficult. We have a zoo membership so we never feel bad only spending 30-45 minutes at the zoo, which is about Grant's attention span. On the weekends there is always an ice cream truck parked outside the zoo so of course we had to partake. We each got an ice cream treat then went across the street to enjoy the cool shade and the treats. Grant and daddy got into a wrestling match and Grant had fun running races against himself. He also loved his "ommy" (ice cream).
After we got home from the outing, it was nap time - the last sleep Grant would ever have in his crib. I got the house sort of cleaned up and relaxed a bit. When Grant woke up, Chad started building the new bed and I continued to clean. Chad and I were too full for dinner, so Grant enjoyed a birthday dinner of quesadilla and milk and got to eat while watching "Baby" (Classical Baby) on the computer (he prefers that to the TV). While Chad and I were working on the bed, Grant found his presents and opened up a couple of them while we were unable to intervene. Sneaky little boy. Grant even helped put the finishing touches on the bed. After the bed was done, we opened up the rest of the presents and then had cake. Somehow Grant knew exactly how to blow out the candles. We don't know how he knew that. I guess you're just born with some important, life saving instincts.Grant even got to cut his own piece, per his request. Thankfully he only ate a few bites, much less than the actual size of the piece he cut for himself.
After cake, we headed upstairs with the bed to get his new room set up and for bath time. Chad took the crib apart enough to get it out of the room, while I gave Grant a bath. The crib is now in the upstairs landing, waiting to be put in the new nursery (presently a very messy, unused office). The new room looks great and much larger. Grant finally went to bed about 10 PM. It's true what they say about sugar winding up kids. He was on another plane. We had no problems with bed time though. He went right to sleep and didn't get out of bed once. He did however, wake up at 6 AM, which was quite discouraging for two very tired parents.
I can't believe Grant is 2 already. Time really does fly. He is growing like crazy and getting smarter everyday. We are blown away by his vocabulary and his ability to do so manythings for himself. He has also turned into quite the boy in just the last few months. He loves to crash his cars into each other, make his animals fight each other, sword fight with anything he can find and attack anyone who will wrestle with him. He's active, loud and funny. He brings both laugher and frustration to our lives, sometimes at the same time. Grant is definately a 2 year old.

Grant after blowing out his birthday cake.
Grant enjoying his birthday cake.
Grant's new big boy bedroom, with his new bed.

Grant enoying his "ommy" after the zoo.
Grant and Chad wrestling at the park.
Grant eating his birthday dinner.
Grant getting caught opening birthday presents while we were distracted.
Grant helping Chad finish putting his bed together.

Grandma June's visit

After moving away from Gilbert five years ago, Grandma Glenn (Grandma June to the great-grandkids) came back to Phoenix for a visit on her way to SLC. It was so great to see her. She arrived on Wednesday, May 21 in the afternoon. Dad (Richard) was in Phoenix for a visit himself and picked her up. She stayed over night at Betsy's house. Me, Shelli and David visited her because we hadn't seen her in a couple of years. Grandma also had never met Grant so she finally had the pleasurable opportunity. We all went to The Fish Market for dinner. Yum!!!! Grant was as wound up as could be and although coy enjoyed Grandma. At The Fish Market, Grant even shared his ice cream with Grandma. On Thursday, May 22, Grandma, dad and I went to Deseret Book and the distribution center. We also had yummy frozen yogurt. It was so good to see Grandma again.

Grandma and Lindsay.
Grandma and dad.

Chad's graduation...Yeah!!!!!

May 16 was a joyous day for all of us. Chad is finally done not only with pharmacy school but with school all together. It was an amazing feeling to watch Chad get his hood and finally become a pharmacist. The below picture is Chad walking in to start the ceremony.

Below is Chad wearing his hood after graduation concluded. The ceremony was unnecessarily long but what can you do?
The joyous Mellen family after the graduation ceremony. Grant did not do well during the ceremony. Thanks to Alisha and Grandma Mellen for keeping him entertained so I could sit through the ceremony and support Chad. Grant got to walk through the museum across from the graduation hall twice. Grant did not find the ceremony quite as momentous as the rest of us. Of course, he'd been good all week but chose that day to wake up in a bad, tired mood.
Grant being forced to have his picture taken with Daddy after enjoying his post-graduation cookie. A giant chocolate chocolate chip cookie was his reward for enduring 2 hours of graduation. Chad was very happy at graduation.
My family (dad, Shelli and David) arrived in town after the ceremony and spent the weekend with us and Chad's mom and sister. They couldn't get into town before the ceremony. Chad took his sister Alisha to some sites in Tucson, as she had never been here before. They went to Kartchner Caverns, ate indian food and at The Grille. We had a fabulous BBQ last night. Barbara and Alisha flew out this morning and Dad and David are leaving today. Shelli also left last night. On Friday night we had a heated game of Glenns v. Mellens Scene it? Until the very end the Glenns were ahead. Only at the last question did the Mellens win the game. I was a Glenn for the game.

In July, Chad starts his one year residency at the Tucson VA. In another year we will be making decisions about where to go from here. We will keep you posted.

What parents will do...

The following shows what Chad and I will do to get Grant to eat dinner, even if it is just white rice (Yes, that's the serving spoon for the rice. Apparently, it's more fun to eat with than a regular spoon). I did manage to sneak a few bites of salmon into his mouth in between rice bites so there was some nutrition had at dinner.




We checked out a local weekly swap meet a few weeks ago. We found this pool for $10. Grant loved it. Sadly, I left it outside to dry for a couple of days and it met its end after only one use. Despite what some of you may be thinking, the dogs were not involved. We have had huge wind storms. I woke up one morning to find it plastered against one of our cacti in our backyard. I pulled it off to find counless spines sticking out of the pool. How sad!!!

Last weekend we went to Phoenix to enjoy one last weekend at Chad's Uncle Dan's house/private family resort in Paradise Valley. Grant is our little fish. He jumps in the pool all by himself and cries when he has to get out. He loves to go under the water and never tires. Mom and dad do though. we had a great time and have many years of memories at Dan's. We are sad that the house is gone but are excited that a new house has been purchased. We hope it will be just as fun. For those of you who attended our wedding, this is the house that our luncheon was held at, although at that time it was still under remodeling construction.

The Fun Never Ends

We are plugging along here in Tucson. Chad is in the throws of what has to be his absolute worst rotation yet (thankfully it's his last). He has to be to work by 5:45 AM. He can't go anywhere on his own because it's the prison. His preceptor has no personality and did everything but actually call him stupid. He just implied it. Chad actually lost his temper and kind of told him off, which, if you know Chad, you know is something he never, ever does. It is so counter to his personality. The whole thing started because Chad asked the guy a question about a project he was assigned to work on. The guy basically told him he thought he was smart enough to handle the project and that he was wrong. Chad then told the guy he's published 3 times had worked on several projects and said that the way he wanted the project done was the stupidest way he'd seen. If you're shocked, imagine my surprise when he told me this. He doesn't even tell me off when we fight. He just sits there quietly. He's just miserable but it's almost the end and his preceptor is going to be gone for 2 weeks so he won't have to go in until 7 and still get off at 2:15.
I'm chomping at the bit to be done with my work. I'm working as fast and pushing as hard as I can but I just want to be done. I'm going to withdraw from a couple of more cases that are just going to take too long to finish.
I am convinced I have the strangest kid there is. The boy's favorite pasttime is to take naps. I am not lying when I say that within an hour of waking up from his daily three hour nap, he is asking for night night, crib, pillow and binkies (he has 3 in the crib with him). This is Grant playing night night in his potty box and the picture below that is Grant playing night night on the towel on the counter. I don't complain, that's for sure. I love Grant's 3 hour nap times.

Grant's other new favorite activity is swimming. It's been warm enough lately for swimming so he has gone a few times with his babysitter Regina and her two kids and some other people. Of course, this is while I'm at work so he's out swimming and having fun without me. He loves his swim outfit, especially his shoes and hat. He's the only kid I know who keeps hats on.

Yesterday, Grant woke up at 6:45 AM so that meant me and Chad also woke up then. Because we were up we went garage saling, a rare event in this household. We hit the jackpot. We found some great new stuff for Grant. We found puzzles and cars and one of those big Little Tikes cars he can push himself around in. Chad's best find was the hat Grant is wearing in the picture below. It was 25 cents and Grant loves it. Not to mention he is now officially THE coolest kid around.

On Wednesdays, Grant and I go to a Parks and Rec class called Little Movers and Shakers. It's 45 minutes and they do dancing, stretching, races, some gymnastics, play time and parachute and bubbles. He hates the dancing, stretching and races part, really hates the gymnastics, cries because it's not playtime then cries because playtime is over too fast and loves to go under the parachute and play with the bubbles. This is Grant playing tee ball during play time. He asks all week for "Shakers" and cries a lot of the time when it's over. Slowly, he is learning structure and how to follow instructions. I just wonder, how come all of the other kids sit quietly in their parent's laps and participate in all of the activities, while mine is throwing tantrums on the floor until toy/free time?

Lots of big news

The Mellen family has lots of big announcements to make and we'll make them all at once. First, we got the results of Chad's residency match. Chad matched at the VA here in Tucson. We are staying in Tucson one more year for sure. We are very happy. Tucson was Chad's second choice, just under Milwaukee. He liked the teaching opportunities provided there. Ultimately though, Tucson is a harder program and is a better program. I am just thrilled not to have to move in June.

The reason I'm thrilled not to have to move in June leads me to our next big announcement, which is that we are going to have another baby. I am due on or about September 21, 2008. We are excited. I am pretty sick with this pregnancy but not near as bad as I was with Grant. I am able to keep food down but I'm pretty nauseous all day long. I feel more tired this time around too. I think I'm just getting too old for this child bearing thing.

The other big news is that I'm finally quitting, well phasing out, my job. I have given my notice at work. I am no longer taking new ccases. I've gotten out of the new cases I just took that hadn't gotten started and now I just need to finish the cases I have. I thought about just quitting but I feel too bad about just dropping my clients so I'll finish their cases and then be done. I will be done before the baby is born for sure but hopefully sooner.

We are very excited about these changes coming up in our lives. Grant has hit the terrible twos a couple of months early and needs to be home more so he will benefit from this as well. When we know what we are having we will let you all know.

Spring Training

One of our favorite things about living in Arizona is the month of March because it brings Spring Training. Chad is a huge Giants fan and they train in Phoenix, which means that they come to Tucson a few times during the month to play some games against the D-backs, White Sox and Rockies. Yesterday they were here to play the White Sox so we took the afternoon to watch a baseball game (well, in theory anyway). We had a great time, other than Grant's numerous tantrums over who knows what (he's almost 2, does he have to have a reason?). We all ate too much overpriced, greasy food and loved it. We sat on the grass behind the foul pole at 3rd base. I have never watched so little of a game as I did yesterday. Grant made sure of that. He finally warmed up to running up and down the grass hill we were sitting on and enjoyed the food. Overall, it was a really fun afternoon. While Chicago was enjoying a snowstorm and San Francisco had a foggy 50 degree day, we had lots of sun and mid-70's. We all got a little sunburned even.

In other Grant news, his new obsession is The Jungle Book. I bought it because I was so tired of Classical Baby but now it's all he wants to watch morning, noon and night. As soon as he wakes up every morning he asks to go downstairs and asks for waffles, couch and "bear" (Grant speak for Jungle Book). He also now walks around the house be-bopping to himself and playing whatever he can that sounds like a drum, just like Baloo and King Louie do in the ancient ruins scene of the Jungle Book.
Chad is presently half way through his six week rotation in Flagstaff. We all hate having him gone. He's not enjoying the rotation much because it is a lot of pill counting and retail type stuff, which is not what he likes. He comes home on the weekends but we will be glad when it's over. We'll all be even happier when he is done with school entirely. Just two months until that. Yeah!!!!!
While Chad is off in Flagstaff and Grant is watching Jungle Book, I am doing my ususal working and trying to keep the household together and running.

President's Day

A week or so ago, Amy, Nicholas, Grant and I went to the mall one evening so the boys could play on the slides. These boys have been together since before birth, as they are one month apart and Amy and I have been friends for a few years now. While playing they started giving each other hugs totally unprompted by either of us. Since then they have continued to give each other hugs and put their arms on each other's shoulders when together.

Grant and I went to the zoo today with our friends Amy and Nicholas. Grant and Nicholas had a great time. The highlight of the outing were the Gibbons monkeys. We could hear them several exhibits away. I took some video because it was too hilarious to pass up. See the following. FYI - when I replayed these at home before posting them my dogs went nuts. Sooner came and put her paws up on the table to try and figure out what was going on and Barry started running around all crazy. So, if your dogs are in the room use caution when listening. You'll understand when you play the videos.

Our January Chicago trip

We were in Chicago over Martin Luther King weekend. It was cold. That's the short and long of the trip. We stayed inside at our family's house for pretty much the entire weekend. I ventured into the city on Sunday to attend Logan Square Ward and see some old friends. Chad ventured in with his brother Vance on Tuesday to partake of his all time favorite restaurant -- Chicken Hut (don't ask, just nod and smile). The vacation was really an opportunity for Grant to get to know his counsins. His brother has three kids, his youngest being just 3 months older than Grant. They don't get along so well but Grant liked his older sister Brookie and played well with her. For part of the time, Chad's sister and her family came for a visit from Michigan. They have 4 kids, two teenagers and two that are 2 and 4. It was pure chaos but fun. Grant didn't quite know what to do with all the kids and was overwhelmed when everyone was together but each night he had an opportunity to play with just two counsins at a time and he had a great time. I finished a 600 page book and did pretty much nothing else. Chad is about the same as me. He was able to stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching weird and ridiculous movies with this brother.
Here are some photos of our trip. Of course, they're really just Grant because who else gets pictures taken when he's around?

(Grant, aka Elton John Jr with his counsins Brookie and Ellie)

(Grant reconstructing the Ho Chi Minh trail with Jenga blocks - this was his own creation with no assistance provided)

(Grant and his arch rival cousin Vance - sharing is hard when you're only 1)

Chad is back in Chicago now after a trip to Erie, PA and Milwaukee, WI for residency interviews. We didn't know the interview schedule when we made the MLK plans or we would have economized a little better. I guess you can't put a price on family though. He's back on Saturday then off again next weekend for his last two interviews. He'll be home for a week after that then up to Flagstaff for his 6 week rotation up there.

At this moment, we are having new tile installed in our kitchen/dining room and entry way/half bath areas. they have been here since about 9 AM and likely won't leave until about 10 PM tonight. My poor dogs have been locked outside all day and they are going nuts...so much barking I can't take much more. The tile looks great though, much better than our cheap vinyl.

Our cute boy

Grant is getting more mischevious and more intuitive. He rediscovered the dog door earlier this week. What follows is the result of is discovery. Of course, while these photos were being taken he may or may not have been actually somewhat crying for help but being the good and forethinking mother that I am I couldn't pass up the photo op before rescuing our son.



Grant is obsessed with my sunglasses but also breaks them so I pulled his out and it has solved the problem.

A couple of days ago, grant grabbed his bike helmet, which he has never worn and went straight to his tricycle to ride. I have no idea where he learned that helmets and bikes go together but he did. Yesterday, he did it again, so I took time before our errand running to let him ride his tricylcle. Here is the next Lance Armstrong. He can actually almost peddle by himself. My back can't wait until he can.

Our New Years

Our New Years was really uneventful and honestly one of my least favorite holidays. I am too old to stay up until midnight anymore. I fell asleep at 10:30 on New Years Eve. Chad had to wake me up and guilt trip me to get me out of bed for the ball drop. I was able to fly home from SLC rather than drive home and it was pure bliss. Of course, Grant came with me. My sister Shelli took me to Tucson and stayed through New Years Eve. She watched Grant while I worked on Friday. I guess I have to put some hours in at the office. My other sister Kristen flew in from Seattle, where she was visiting my parents, on the Friday before New Years. Chad and his sister Brooke arrived at about the same time. My brother David came down to share the holiday as well. We had quite a full house. We did baking and played our new game Scene it. I am terrible by the way. Chad, Brooke and Shelli are the ones to have on your team. On Sunday we had fondue, a Mellen tradition for Christmas Eve that had to be pushed to New Years Eve because of poor ventilation in Chad's mom's condo. I love fondue though and it is quite the interactive family activity. Chad took Brooke to Kartchner Kaverns and me and my sisters made a trip to Target and In-N-Out. We had a mini-dance party that stemmed from watching the movie Hairspray. Grant had an opportunity to display his new moves. He is quite the dancer but prefers rap and hip hop to other things. He is truly his father's son.
It was also time to take down Christmas. Upon our return from SLC our poor, ignored tree was nothing more than brown, dried up needles and honestly a very bad fire hazard. I spent Saturday undecorating the tree and putting away all of the ornaments. My sister's helped me clean the house too. It was my plan to do it before they arrived but that never happened. Grant also enjoyed helping clean up Christmas. He particularly enjoyed the lights.