Grayson: 10 years old

 

It's hard to believe we have a 10 year old!

He is such a big kid now! He's 72 pounds, 4 feet 6 in, almost my size, I can wear his shoes, he thinks he's much older than he is, and he's so much fun!

He learned how to solve the rubiks cube. 

He loves all things football. Football cards, football games, throwing a football. 

He's become a big NY Giants fan this year... heavily influenced by a friend/neighbor. 

He still loves to read. 

He likes to hang with all our young pro/college students at church. He always sits in the sound booth with Lake when he does sound... I hope he's learning!

It's a joy to be his mom! 

Grayson: 10 year old interview

1. Nicknames? G

2. How old are you? 10

3. What is your favorite color? black

4. What is your favorite animal? raccoon

5. What is your favorite book? The Green Ember

6. What is your favorite TV show? "we don't watch tv"

7. What is your favorite song? The Goodness of Jesus and Happiness

8. What is your favorite food? everything

9. What is your favorite drink? fizzy water

10. What is your favorite breakfast food? those bagel sandwiches

11. What is your favorite snack? pumpkin muffins 

12. What is your favorite outfit? jeans, my boots, a NY Giants shirt

13. What is your favorite game? football 

14. What is your favorite toy? football cards

15. What is your favorite thing to do? play football

16. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play football and explore in the yard 

17. What are you really good at? football

18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? a book

19. Where is your favorite place to go? Andrew and Retts house 

20. What is your favorite restaurant? Optimist Hall 

21. What do you like to do with your family? go on adventures

22. What is a place you would like to visit? China... they have good food

23. What makes you laugh? AFV

24. What do you like to learn about? football 

25. What do you want to be when you grow up? NFL player and a farmer

Grayson: 9 years old

9 years old! And just such a big kid! 

Grayson is mature, smart, thoughtful, easy going, a helper, and always wanting to learn new things! 

He is 63 pounds and gaining inches in height by the day. We currently now wear the same shoe size, but I'm sure by next month he will pass me. 

He is an adventurous eater (wants to be just like his dad) and will always try strange foods, spicy foods, or anything Chad says is good. 

He eats up one on one time and loves when he can go early to church/work with Chad or run an errand alone with me. 

He LOVES to read and just blows through books. We don't watch any tv or do any screens, and I think that has really fostered how much he gets into and loves books. 

He loves any kind of adventure, exploring or new activity.  

He's wanted to learn to play piano and guitar recently and used his own money to buy a guitar. Some friends have shown him some basic songs, and he plays them over and over. We need to look into some sort of lessons. 

He really wanted to do Great Wolf Lodge for his birthday this year, and thanks to our neighbors friends and family pass- we are doing just that!

He loves to play any sport and enjoys pick up games outside each afternoon. The neighbor kids will rotate phases of soccer, kickball or baseball, football games, or nerf war type games. 

I can hardly believe that he is NINE. One year from double digits, half the time he will probably be in our house... what a joy it is to watch him grow!

Grayson: 9 year old interview

1. Nicknames? G

2. How old are you? 9

3. What is your favorite color? black

4. What is your favorite animal? bengal tiger

5. What is your favorite book? The Green Ember

6. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts

7. What is your favorite song? any song... Be Thou My Vision

8. What is your favorite food? meat

9. What is your favorite drink? fizzy water

10. What is your favorite breakfast food? grits, eggs, pancakes, and tater tots

11. What is your favorite snack? trail mix 

12. What is your favorite outfit? shorts and a long sleeve shirt

13. What is your favorite game? Monopoly Deal

14. What is your favorite toy? perplexus

15. What is your favorite thing to do? play football and read

16. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play football and run 

17. What are you really good at? I hope football

18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? a comfy blanket 

19. Where is your favorite place to go? Andrew and Retts house 

20. What is your favorite restaurant? I like buffets

21. What do you like to do with your family? go on adventures and hikes

22. What is a place you would like to visit? Thailand

23. What makes you laugh? Miller

24. What do you like to learn about? history

25. What do you want to be when you grow up? NFL player

Grayson: 8 years old

Grayson has grown up SO much in the last year. I feel like we are in such a new "big kid" season. 

He is about 55 pounds and about 4 feet, 3 inches tall. Size 1 shoes and 8 clothes. 

I'm not sure how, but he jumped in the pool and was just a great swimmer this year. I'm so thankful! Probably helped that we had a neighborhood pool to go to and he was in the water more than ever before. 

He reads and reads and reads. He has read hundreds of books this year. I love that he is a reader! He has just blown through series. During the peak of quarantine, we found our old Kindle and it worked perfect for him. Especially since the library was closed. I could so quickly and easily send him new books. He read through these series and so much more! Boxcar Children, Redwall, Green Ember, Geronimo Stilton, Penderwicks, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Magic Tree House, Henry Huggins

He loves to play outside with his brothers and friends. 

He has picked up a love of fishing this year. 

Learning comes very naturally for him. He learns so much from reading. 2nd grade is very simple and natural for him. 

He wants to do anything like or with Chad. I'm thankful he has such a great example to follow! 

This year he has learned the hoverboard, ripstik, enjoyed soccer and basketball, nerf gun wars, fishing, reading, anything crafty/creative. 

It's a joy to watch him grow!

Grayson: 8 year old interview

1. Nicknames? G

2. How old are you? 8

3. What is your favorite color? orange

4. What is your favorite animal? peregrine falcon

5. What is your favorite book? Redwall

6. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts

7. What is your favorite song? I don't have a favorite

8. What is your favorite food? pizza

9. What is your favorite drink? milkshakes

10. What is your favorite breakfast food? pancakes

11. What is your favorite snack? I eat whatever is on the tray

12. What is your favorite outfit? camo 

13. What is your favorite game? Ticket to Ride 

14. What is your favorite toy? rubiks cube

15. What is your favorite thing to do? play outside

16. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play with neighbors

17. What are you really good at? soccer

18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my blanket

19. Where is your favorite place to go? Great Wolf Lodge

20. What is your favorite restaurant? CFA

21. What do you like to do with your family? play games with them

22. What is a place you would like to visit? France

23. What makes you laugh? Miller

24. What do you like to learn about? science

25. What do you want to be when you grow up? Clemson tiger football player

Grayson: 7 years old

So much change in the last few months for our biggest boy! 

He currently weighs 54 pounds.

We moved from Clemson - to a missions house for 3 months- to our new home in Charlotte. 

He surprised me with how easily he transitioned to Charlotte. He was the one I was a little worried about. He misses his best buds, but hasn't really had a hard time otherwise.

He loves to read. If we go to the library, he spends the entire afternoon devouring all of our new books. Magic Tree House books are his current favorite. 

He loves to play outside and with our neighbors. 

He loves to get to go with us places one-on-one. 

He's lost 5 teeth. 

He just easily learns things at this point. School is pretty simple for us because I can tell or show him a new concept and he just gets it. I'm thankful for that. 

His 7th birthday was the BIRTHDAY OF THE POCKETKNIFE, that he's talked about for YEARS. Chad told him maybe when he was four that he could have a pocketknife when he was seven (because that seemed so far off) and man, did that sneak up fast :) 

Nona was here helping us get settled in our new house on his birthday and she made him a cookie cake that they decorated and then we also celebrated his (and Mackenzie's) birthday that evening with our small group. 

We decided and started talking wayyyy back (maybe in the Spring?) about doing a Great Wolf Lodge trip for Grayson and Rett's birthdays and I think it was perfect for this year. It was something to look forward to to see our best friends, they got to come see our new home, and it was just a fun memory. 

It's such a joy to watch him grow!

Grayson: 7 year old interview

1. Nicknames? G, G-man (?)

2. How old are you? 7

3. What is your favorite color? red and blue

4. What is your favorite animal? peregrine falcon

5. What is your favorite book? Magic Tree House

6. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts

7. What is your favorite song? Bless the Lord

8. What is your favorite food? pizza 

9. What is your favorite drink? fizzy water 

10. What is your favorite breakfast food? cereal... mini wheats

11. What is your favorite snack? chex mix

12. What is your favorite outfit? "oh my goodness... jeans and some shirt" haha

13. What is your favorite game? zingo

14. What is your favorite toy? zipline

15. What is your favorite thing to do? play with my friends and brothers and cousins

16. What is your favorite thing to do outside? ride my bike

17. What are you really good at? riding my bike and reading

18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my blankie 

19. Where is your favorite place to go? Chick-fil-a

20. What is your favorite restaurant? Sabor

21. What do you like to do with your family? dance parties, adventures and fishing

22. What is a place you would like to visit? Boone

23. What makes you laugh? Miller laughing

24. What do you like to learn about? animals

25. What do you want to be when you grow up? work in the K-9 unit

Grayson: 6 and a half

Our G is growing up so much lately!

50 pounds. Size 6 clothes and size 13 shoes. 

He has lost 3 teeth. He lost his first tooth (bottom middle) on March 27 and his second one (other bottom middle) on April 19. Grayson pulled his first one in bed one night and I pulled the second one. His top one he lost at the beginning of July and hung out of his mouth for about a week before we finally got it out.... so gross. 

He finished up his 3rd baseball season in May and played "coaches pitch" this year.

He finished Kindergarten and is an awesome reader.

He is processing this upcoming move and is not excited to leave his friends, the familiarity of our church, and our house (same here, G!). We try to process through this with him and come up with exciting things to look forward to. You can pray for him (and us!) as we have lots of upcoming changes. 

He plays with his brothers all day long. 

He's recently enjoyed riding his bike, reading lots,  the garden, playing with his bros, doing special things with Daddy, fishing, getting to go on special school dates with Mommy, anything crafty, and of course his best buds, Andrew and Rett. 

Grayson's 6th birthday party

Grayson's been talking about having a sheriff party probably since the day after his 5th birthday party. He requested to have it in Durham this year, because he really wanted his Uncle Eric "a real sheriff" and cousin Keller to come. We celebrated while we were there for Thanksgiving and G loved it. Simple and special night celebrating our oldest boy!

Cops and donuts just go together, right?

Highlands + G's 6th birthday

We had a fun day celebrating Grayson on his 6th birthday. It was great that it fell on a Saturday, and since he wanted a party in Durham this year, we decided to have a family adventure day on his actual birthday. He's always asking to go to the mountains, so we planned to go to Highlands. We sent him on a scavenger hunt (he loves stuff like this!) around the house to find tickets to use during the day on our adventure trip... and Bowen got a bag too :) 

After breakfast, we hit the road. We enjoyed walking around downtown, hot chocolate, walking in and out of stores, window shopping, lunch at our favorite little local grocery, a beautiful overlook, waterfall, and a beautiful drive. 

We are thankful for 6 years of Grayson's life!  

Grayson: 6 years old

Grayson turned SIX years old today!

He is such a sweet kid and we are so proud of him. He is silly,  looks to the needs of others, and loves to be around people. 

He is 46 pounds (I can hardly pick him up anymore), 3 feet, 8 inches tall, wearing size 6 clothes and 11 shoes. 

He is rolling through Kindergarten and breezes through most of his schoolwork. He is a great reader!

He has about an hour and a half or two hours of rest time back in my bedroom each afternoon. He is so creative during this time. He writes all sorts of stuff and reads tons of books. I can't remember that last time he slept. 

He LOVES his brothers and he and Bowen play together all. day. long. They have hard moments and get frustrated with each other, but they are the best of friends. I love their friendship!

Lately, he and Bowen play Paw Patrol all the time and Lion King (since coming back from Disney World). They'll also make up and plan bunny hunting, or a vet or "take care of" their stuffed dogs. 

He gets so excited over things. He couldn't wait to decorate for Christmas, or open his birthday presents or even to go visit Daddy at work. 

For his 6th birthday party, he wanted to have it in Durham so that all of his family could come (and a REAL sheriff since he wanted a sheriff party). Thankfully, Thanksgiving is the following week, so it worked well for us to have it when we travel for that. We sent him on a scavenger hunt around the house where he found a bag of tickets for a birthday adventure on his actual birthday. A day in the mountains with lots of fun things to do. I think he loved it and felt special :) 

So thankful for this 6 year old boy!