Graham at 18 Months

Halfway between one and two years old, wow I can't believe it! Our little Gram-a-Graham is amazing us every day with how much he is growing and changing. I'm anxious for his check up at the doctor because I know he's grown so much. He just looks very tall. My favorite of his latest developments is his singing. He has always loved music and can't ever resist busting a move whenever he hears it, but now he's singing as well! Some favorites include Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, and If You're Happy and You Know It. He's great at doing motions too. Some other milestones and changes:

- Lots of new words and even a few phrases! My personal favorite- I Wuv OO! Melts my heart every time. Some others include me (said repeatedly when he wants you to let him be- "me, me, ME, MEEEEEEE!!!!"), mine, toast, juice, diaper, all clean, help, and thank you (gang OO).

- He is understanding everything we say. If I say "it's about time to go" he runs to the door as fast as he can. When I say "Daddy's home" he runs to the door as fast as he can. When I say "outside" he runs to the door as fast as he can. If I ask, "are you hungry?" he runs to his booster chair. He doesn't really ever walk anywhere. :)

- He is still not the greatest eater. He eats a lot so in that sense he is a good eater but he is just very finicky with what he likes and if you give him something he doesn't currently like it is a BATTLE to get him to eat it. Basically he refuses any food that is new. In order to get him to try the food I basically force feed it to him. Usually he realizes he actually does like the food and then proceeds to eat all of it. But that force feeding is quite a sight and a little silly if you ask me. Anyway, strawberries are still his favorite food and we go through several pounds a week!

- His current favorite thing to do of all time is... take a shower. I'm a little embarrassed to even reveal this but all three of the boys in my house shower together every night. Randy usually feels so hot from being out in this weather that he wants to shower again in the evenings and since he usually is the one to bathe the boys, I guess he prefers to kill two birds with one stone. Anyway both boys love showering so it is fun times around here every evening!

- He is loving reading books. His favorites are Chirpy Chick, Goodnight Moon, and Pat the Bunny. We have to keep him away from Jack's books as he loves to look at them but inevitably tears them up.

- He loves TV. I limit this of course, but wow does this kid love TV. Particularly Veggie Tales, Elmo (Melmo), and Toy Story (basically anything Jack likes).

- We finally got rid of the bottle this month. For awhile he adamantly refused to drink milk out of anything else, but we've finally found a sippy cup (with a straw) that he will drink it from. Again, very picky kiddo!!! Next up, lose the binky. Now that I am dreading!

- He is finally a snuggler!! For so long, he refused to snuggle because he was just so active and always wanting to get down and play. He is still that way for the most part but as of late he has been snuggly at night time when I rock him. He'll just cuddle with me while I sing and rock him. I love that time and cherish it so much.

- Favorite new game- Ring around the rosie. Jack likes to sing it super fast and pull Graham along. Graham finds this unbearably hilarious.

- We finally turned his car seat around to be forward facing and he lit up like he was in a whole new world! The new recommendation says to leave them rear facing until age 2, but as big as he is, we feel comfortable having made it 18 months. I can tell he feels very big and proud to be sitting next to brother this way.

Graham has really enjoyed his summer. We haven't been able to go to the park as much as I would like, but we do lots of swimming and he loves that. He has also had several play dates with new and old friends. He just loves being with Jack and with friends.

In general, Graham just continues to be a happy and joyful little guy. He can really light up a room with his smile (very cute and toothy now that he's added another 10 teeth over the past few months) and is just so fun to be around. I get so many compliments on him (and his brother) because of how adorable he is but also just how much fun he is. I just thank God for him and that I get to be a part of his life. He is growing so fast!

Family Reunion at the Lake

Last weekend the entire Vaughn side of the family joined us at the lake for a mine family reunion. Actually, we were missing three people- Toby, Jessica, and baby Claire. Claire was born only a few days prior so we forgive them for not coming. :) However, we are so glad they sent Charlie! It was so fun watching all the boys play together! Graham and Charlie enjoyed playing ball together and going on boat rides, while Jack enjoyed swimming in the lake, jumping off the boat, and tubing. This was his first tubing experience this year and he was slightly braver than last year, allowing us to go fast enough to see the beginnings of a wake. Contrast that to Collin's tubing adventure. All us old folks in the boat were scared to death and sick to our stomach's during that boat ride, but he said, "that was nothin..." Whew, to be young and fearless!

The big boys spent their free time golfing and playing Bocce Ball. I enjoyed some relaxing reading and laying out time. And then in the evenings we all enjoyed playing games together. Of course we had to play Garbage one night. Then the next night, the younger generation played Poker while the (older? more mature?)... others played Garbage again. Cody and his friend Isaac joined them and apparently almost even won. It was fun having everyone together! Lots of good memories were made!

Independence Day

One of my favorite podcast hosts was complaining about a pet peeve of his- the fact that most people call the recent holiday the fourth of July instead of it's actual name, Independence Day. The reason for the celebration is our nation's independence after all. I tend to agree so I'm working on correcting myself. We had a wonderful Independence Day this year! My parents went all out as usual and we had lots of family over for swimming and hamburgers. The boys loved swimming with their cousins, Keaton and Katherine. There were only a few holiday mishaps- a couple of dog throw up issues after he ate a bunch of ice and two bee stings for Kent. Other than that, it was a pleasant day and lots of fun!

Randy and I took Jack to UCO for some fun and fireworks in the evening. He was so excited to stay up late. The show was really good and we all enjoyed it. Jack was asleep in the car before we were out of the parking lot. 11:30 is pretty late for him. He prefers to be asleep by 8!




Can't believe I don't have one picture of Graham from that day!!!

Summer Fun

We are loving summer over here!! Even though it is super hot this summer, Jack, Graham, and I have been having a blast! It's either inside or in the pool as far as I'm concerned, so that has kept us cool. I am just really loving being home with the boys full time again. It is amazing how much it opens up our days for more fun things like play dates and lake trips, while still allowing me to cook more, keep up with the ironing (my least favorite chore and always the first to go when I'm busy...), and stay dedicated to Bible study. These are the things that just felt rushed when I was working two days out of the week. Most days we hit the gym in the morning (unless I went at 5:30am before they woke up), then we either go swim at BB's, meet up with friends for a play/lunch date, go to the church library, or just play at home. Then it's lunch, nap, and playing until Daddy comes home. On Wednesdays, the boys have been attending Playschool at Highpointe Church and they just love it. I am really impressed with the program and those five hours each week allow me to clean the house and get the groceries bought without having to drag the kids along. Our evenings have been filled with t-ball games, small group gatherings, and more swimming. Can't believe we only have a month left before school starts!