Many celebrations!

Bubba where oh where is your hair??!

I'm not really into the cheesy sayings on shirts but I have to admit this one is kind of funny. Chris's best friend Dave gave this onesie to us so I thought I would surprise Chris with it on Father's day morning as a joke. Don't worry Grady did not stay in this outfit for long and he will never be wearing it in public! Click on the image if you can't read what it says. It is a blurry picture but you get the point. It is said out of love because it is not true.....well maybe on rare occaisons :).

It seems as if the reasons to celebrate keep piling on! This is fine by me as I love reasons to celebrate, sometimes I don't even need a reason :). First we celebrated Father's day in KC. Chris took Grady to KC last Wednesday and I joined them on Friday for the weekend. Chris and his father play in an annual golf tournament that usually falls over Father's Day weekend. They were doing well in the tourney until a team in their flight decided to turn up the heat and smoke everyone! Oh well there is always next year. I am hoping one year they will win as it is a nice chunk of change to walk away with!

Chris has been trying to get into Xavier's MHSA/MBA program and was scheduled to go for another interview the Monday following our return from KC on Sunday. We have been biting our nails the past few weeks because it seems the program directors were hesitant about accecpting Chris. He went into the interview on Monday and it went well! They have accepted Chris into the program! I am so proud of him! He has put in a lot of work to get into this program. I am excited for him and for us! Our future has now taken a turn and I believe for the better!

Three years ago yesterday Chris and I got married! I can't believe it has been three years. I love thinking back to our wedding day. It is a day I will relive in my mind forever! It was such a magical night full of natural smiles! We celebrated our 3 year and Chris's acceptance into Xavier by sending Grady to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the night and enjoying a nice dinner at Daveeds. Yum! It has been awhile since we have been to a nice restaurant with just the two of us. It was great to have a relaxing meal and enjoy one another's company.

Note to self: Please start taking more pictures! You are really slacking!

The Farm

We celebrated my Uncle's birthday with a trip to the farm. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the trips we would take to the farm. The drive to Blanchester seemed like an eternity back then but now it does not seem like too bad of a drive. When we were young our grandpa would take us on tractor and dune buggy rides, then we got to drive the four wheeler around when we were old enough. I still love driving the four wheeler and get excited to hit the trails on every visit to the farm. It is such a nice escape from urban life. I love going to the farm and just relaxing. This time around we talked PawPaw into letting us all bring our dogs so it was a bit crazy with 5 dogs running around but it turned out ok and was so much fun! Ever since having Grady I have found I am becoming more and more nostalgic and want Grady to be able to experience all the things I did growing up. It is very hard on me when a family tradition is let go because they are such great memories. The farm has already been left to an agricultural society which breaks my heart. It would have been so nice to keep the farm in the family and continue to take trips there. I am hoping we will still be able to go. If there is one personality trait I wish I could change in my grandfather it would be that he would actually want to keep things in our family; That family and keeping traditions would actually be more important to him then making charity donations. It really makes me very very sad, I am a big sentimental sap.

WARNING: It is true!!

When Grady was a newborn I frequently would hear, "Enjoy it now because they grow so fast!" I still hear this sentence a lot and I would like to stop hearing it. The first three months I hated hearing it because things were in slow motion and I felt like he was never going to sleep through the night. Now I hate hearing it because it is true and it gives me mixed emotions. I get super excited to see him learn and grow but then get sad that he is growing up and fast! Time really has flown by ever since he started sleeping through the night! We thought he was going to skip crawling because he really only seemed interested in wanting to stand but suddenly a couple of days ago he decided to crawl! Now he is all over the place, and getting into everything! He is pulling himself up on the side of the bathtub on his own and standing. What happened? I suddenly am already asking myself, "where did my baby go?" He is becoming little Mr. independent. He is so proud of himself for being mobile now and a much happier baby. He was getting so frustrated because all he wanted to do was move around. Well now he has done it! We knew this day was going to come and we kept saying that we needed to baby proof the house before he was just everywhere. Well guess what? The day has come and we are not prepared! We are running around quickly and trying to make this house a safer environment for him to explore. YIKES!

Another sentence I would like to stop hearing is, "wow what a fat baby!" Seriously I am really getting a complex! Please stop acting like my baby should be a carny because he is so fat. At the pool today an 11 year old said, "Oh my god that is the fattest baby I have ever seen!" He said it like Grady should be a circus act. My feelings were actually a little hurt. I wanted to tell the boy that he is a fatty fat head and that he should go find a snickers. Really is Grady that fat? Should I be feeding him less? Does he need to diet? I don't see it. I feel like other babies are just as big and bigger! I know he has a ridiculously large head and maybe that is really what the problem is. I don't know whatever. I don't really care what people think I love my chunky bubba!

We ran in our first 5K!

Chris and I ran in the Redlegs 5k race on Saturday! This was the first time either of us had ever run in a 5K so we are very proud of our accomplishment! We chose the Redlegs race because it seemed like a good route for beginners. Cincinnati has many hills so a lot of races around here are up and down but the Redlegs was mostly flat and actually ended on a down hill which was nice! Running does not come easy for us and we both hate it! Chris has been training for this 5k by using a program called from the couch to a 5K. I did not use the program but slowly worked my way into being able to run 3 miles. I had gotten to the point of being able to run 3 miles but it was a struggle so I was nervous about the race. Our only goal was to be able to complete the race without having to stop at any point. We did far better then I expected! Not only did we not stop but we ran at a decent pace. We finished in under 30 minutes! I was thinking we would cross the finish line around 30-35 minutes. I am waiting for our official times to be posted but my unofficial time is around 28 minutes and Chris was right behind me with 29 minutes. The race was sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds which was really neat because we got to finish at home plate! I got so excited seeing the finish that I went into a full sprint the last 50 or 100 yards. Chris took off after me. I got a shout out from the announcer saying, "Nice job little lady!" It was pretty funny! Chris said it took everything he had not to vomit and I was definitely tempted to stop at certain points but we persevered! I am really proud of the both of us! Our next goal is to be able to make it around Lunken which is a five mile loop. Thank you to Oggie who babysat Grady during the race. We have been horrible recently about taking videos and pictures. We forgot to bring our camera but thanks to the camera on Chris's iphone we were able to capture Grady getting to meet all three of the Red's Mascots! It was hilarious to see Grady looking at them and probably thinking to himself, "What in the heck are these creatures?!" He did seem to be entertained by them, he is a Reds fan in the making!! Congratulations to all who ran in the Redlegs and to anyone looking for a starter 5K to run in I highly recommend the Redlegs for your first 5K.

Grady is in Kansas City!

Grady playing at Grandma and Grandpa Stahl's house

What does a duck say? "quak, quack,quack"


Chris and Grady left yesterday for KC to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Stahl until Thursday. I opted not to go because I actually loved the idea of having absolute free time to get some things done! Plus we will be going to KC in June for a quick visit. Saying goodbye is always the hardest part, I did get watery eyes. However I really needed this break! I am getting all sorts of things accomplished and don't feel as scattered brained. It has been a little hard to adjust because I still feel I have to rush to get things done and that I am missing something or am suppose to be somewhere. It is really weird to have this absolute freedom! I am taking a pause to blog because the next thing on my list I am dreading doing but it has to be done! I am going to make trash bags full of crap that needs to be removed from this house, starting with my closet! Then I will reward myself with some shopping and hopefully a pedicure if I have the time. One way I won't be spending my time is worrying about Grady. I miss him but I am not worried because he is in great hands! If anything I need to worry about how much he is being spoiled right now! I am getting updates and he sure seems to be having a lot of fun! It is wonderful to have a husband capable of traveling alone with his kid. I know many hubby's out there would not have a clue what do if left alone with their child, that is sad to me. The days of Dad's not being involved with their children are over! A child needs his/her father just as much as his/her mother. Grady is so lucky to have such a hands on Mother and Father! We love you Grady!!!

Grady's first trip to the zoo

The gorilla grabbing his foot like Grady :)

polar bear

bear

kaitlyn feeding the goats

silly girls Kaitlyn and CeCe

Aunt Emmy, CeCe, and Oggie


At the end of April Grady took his first trip to the zoo with his grandma Oggie, Aunt Abby, and cousins Kaitlyn and CeCe. It was a short trip and he slept for most of it but it was still fun! I am sure we will be back many times once he is walking. I still love watching the monkeys! The polar bear was entertaining on our visit as well. I love going to the zoo and it is so pretty in the spring!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day Yola!

Boppa and Grady

Enjoying the park with my little buddy

Grady loves to swing!

Oggie pushing Grady in the swing


I had such a wonderful Mother's day yesterday! I woke up to homemade blueberry muffins, chi latte from Starbucks, flowers, and cards! Thank you Grady and Chris for making me so happy, I love you! The weather was perfect so we planned a picnic in the park with my parents. I introduced my parents to Barbecue City, and they loved it! We shared a nice bottle of wine and Oggie got to push Grady in the swing. I could not have asked for a better day! I loved every second of it and I love being a Mom! Cheers to all mother's out there! It is a tough job that definitely deserves recognition. I don't think you fully appreciate what your mom did for you until you become a mom yourself. Thank you Mom for being so wonderful, I love you! You did an excellent job raising me, you deserve more then just a pat on the back! Grady, Kaitlyn, and CeCe are rewards of all the hard work you put in throughout the years. I know they already love their Oggie so much!