Equation of a Happy Toddler

Mischievous and adorable 16 month old

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Camo jammies

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Dad’s green combat boots

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20 minutes of complete merriment, clomping around and joyous laughter at every step.
All 3 of us were rolling on the floor. So much fun!

Captain America!

Here’s Grayson as Captain America, our mighty hero.
And just like any great hero, they get a few bumps and bruises. Ours has a scraped lip (see previous post).

Grayson absolutely LOVED Halloween, especially visiting his friends. And I can’t tell you how much he (and I) love these kiddos!!! We are so blessed to have great friends with great kids as perfect examples for Grayson.

Unfortunately what you can't see are Capt America’s hat and accompanying shield. He really just wanted to have fun in the costume, forget the hat and shield! But who can blame him?!? :-)

Choo-Choo's Maiden Voyage

My parents gave Grayson this adorable electronic Thomas train for his birthday and he absolutely LOVES it! He fondly calls it "Choo - Choo" and rides it around the house every day.

Well tonight we decided he had mastered it well enough to warrant a maiden voyage outdoors.
In true Grayson style he loved to ride it about 10 yards, then push it 10 yards, then run around, then ride it, then push it....you get the idea.

What can I say, he likes to keep us on our toes because about 10 minutes into the 3rd set, he face planted and we have our first major boo-boo...a scraped upper lip.
Poor kiddo!

We did have a heck of a run though! 16 months with minor bumps and no blood, until tonight.

Here are the pre-boo-boo pics.

Hey Momma, is my little sister here yet?

We have 9 ½ weeks to go folks!!
Ok, technically we have 8 ½ weeks until our scheduled c-section, but as you can see, we are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of Baby Girl Halsted.

28½ Weeks!

In preparation for our doctor’s appointment today, I whipped up a batch of mini cheesecakes for my favorite doctor and also arranged for Grayson to spend the morning with one of his bestest friends, Jackson (Thanks Amanda!). So after we dropped Grayson off, Dan and I scooted out for our biweekly appointment including a fun-filled session of peekaboo with the ultrasound tech. I love getting those sneak peeks!

Thankfully everything looks fantastic and an extra bonus...I didn’t faint! (Darn vena cava!)
Our baby girl is measuring right on schedule for her Christmas Day due date; she’s in the 40^th percentile for growth, the fluid levels look great and low and behold….she’s NOT breech!
I thought for sure she was going to be breech, just like her big brother; but nope, she’s already surprising us! We’ll see if she changes her mind between now and Christmas.

What didn’t surprise us was her current state of comfort we were able to capture. Why was there no surprise? Well…it’s known in this household as a popular pose when you’re resting. Grayson does it and so do I. :-/
Here’s the shot we got, her arm resting over her eyes. Genetics are an amazing thing!

There’s No Place Like Home!

With the 3^rd trimester looming (a milestone that has since passed, YAY!) Dan and I decided to head back home for a quick visit.

Since we can't travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas, we timed our trip perfectly and were able to be home for Dad’s birthday. Happy birthday!

We really do love Columbia, but heading home and spending time with family really makes us miss Little Rock. And unfortunately, in utter non-Laura fashion, I neglected to take many pictures.

So here are the few I took. As I sit and look at them, I cant believe how big Grayson is getting! He’s really turning into a little boy!

Thanks for having us Mom & Dad! We’ll see ya in a couple months!

Snuggle tackle on Mamma

Making a birthday card for Grandpa

Lovin’ the beach

We jetted away down to the beach for Labor Day weekend a few weeks ago and as usual we had so much fun!

Grayson loves the sand and pool, but could probably pass on the surf for now. Something about the ginormous waves and their subsequent retraction scares the poor little guy to death. I’m sure he’ll grow to appreciate them someday, in his own time.

And in typical Dan fashion, he booked an incredible room in a prime location so our week was filled with lots of sandcastle building, tons of pool time, the most incredible sandwich I’ve ever had (being 6 months pregnant, full of cravings and starving might have had a tiny bit of influence…but it was A-maz-ing!), and LONG walks on the beach. Grayson and I probably walked a good mile every day, which is a

lot for a little toddler

walking next to me!

Here are some of our pics, the rest are HERE. And I have to tell y’all, living

so close to the beach is one of the best things about Columbia!!

Lions Say ROAR!!!!!

Grayson and I have a lot of fun with animal noises around our house. He knows sooo many and I just eat it up.
For over a month now, is favorite BY FAR is "ROAR!".
Here he is in action. As you can see, we both enjoy it. He cracks me up every time!