Touch a truck

Saturday morning our county fairgrounds hosted Touch a Truck (aka little boy heaven). Grayson was so excited by all of the oversized vehicles, he didn't know where to begin.

 Gray the helicopter pilot. So serious!

 Next, he got to explore the ladder truck of the Norman Fire Dept. This one is actually from Uncle Levi's station, but he wasn't working that day. Gray got to sit in the captain's chair.

Then, he and Holten checked out where Uncle Levi would sit with the rest of the guys in the back. 

Next, he got to meet the driver of the ladder truck and check out the huge steering wheel and all the buttons. 

He explored every inch of the truck and particularly loved all the gauges and nozzle hook ups.

Then we went inside one of the city's public transit trolleys. Even though it doesn't run on a track, I love how they made it look like an old trolley with wooden seats inside.

 Gray also really loved this vehicle for two reasons...the enormous steering wheel and the fact that there was a "cranky crane" on the back of it. 

 We also went in a refrigerated ice cream/milk truck. This was the Braum's cow mascot he met while we were waiting in line.

A big muddy tractor was our next stop.  

Here's Holten driving the same tractor. 

Then the boys double teamed the UPS truck. This is another one of Grayson's favorite vehicles. He gets excited when we pass them on the road and loves it even more when one stops at our house. 

 Exploring the back of the UPS truck

There were lots of different police cars there too. The OU PD, Norman PD, County Sheriff trucks and the State Highway Patrol. Gray got to turn on their sirens and talk over the loud speakers.  

Then he arrested Holten. 

And, of course, Holt got to drive Gray to jail too. Fingers crossed this is the only time he'll ever see the back of a police car. 

Friday night at the ballpark

Michael scored some Redhawks baseball tickets from his office Friday so we spent a beautiful evening at the ballpark. This was Gray's first game and we were excited to see his reaction.

We sat about 11 rows back behind home plate, ate hot dogs and ice cream, and Gray even brought home a ball from the team. I didn't think he would be able to last through the entire game, but after hearing the announcer promise fireworks at the end, Grayson wasn't about to go home early.

Despite not having a nap that day, he managed to stay awake until the fireworks (around 10 p.m.). Although we had a really fun time, Gray told me his favorite sport is still soccer. Guess we should take him to a soccer game at some point to see if it will hold his attention.

Picnic Potluck

We celebrated the birthdays of our friends Rob and Courtney this weekend and couldn't have picked a better day for a picnic in the park. We gathered our kiddos, their bikes and some pretty awesome potluck dishes to enjoy the afternoon and evening together.

Grayson, Cora and Liam rode their bikes around the park's sidewalk loop while baby Claire charmed us all with her big blue eyes and smiley disposition. As usual, the little kids loved vying for the attention of Emma and she lovingly obliged, pushing them on the swings, chasing them around the park and keeping them out of trouble in general.

As we were riding our bikes back home, I couldn't help but be thankful for such wonderful friends and the memorable day we shared.

 Here are a few of baby Claire's beautiful faces.

Refueling at the picnic table

The kids were playing soccer and Cora decided to run away with the ball. Her little giggles were so cute.

Norman's newest biker gang: Liam, Gray, Cora and Emma. Not sure what sign Gray is flashing in this picture, but I think we should all be very concerned at the mayhem this group is capable of. 

And finally, a short video of Gray and Cora on their bikes:

A cyclist is born

Grayson has been doing really well balancing on his bike without pedals and he's becoming more of a daredevil, so we decided it was time to put the pedals back on and see if he could ride like a big boy without training wheels.

We took him to the school parking lot down the street and Michael was able to let go of Gray's bike seat in a matter of minutes. The only problem was Gray's attention span. He wanted to ride off curbs and up hills like he was used to doing without his pedals. He kept forgetting to pedal and instead would turn his head and start talking about riding on a nearby hill.

Once we were able to get him to focus on continuous pedaling, he was able to go all the way across the parking lot on his own. It was amazing to watch him pick it up so fast. I am now a firm believer in stryder bikes!

We have a lot more practicing to do before Grayson will be totally comfortable riding with pedals, but he did extremely well for his first time and didn't fall once. Here are a couple of videos (pardon the crazy wind noise):

Roadtrip & Relaxation

We left last Thursday to visit Pappa, Susu and the rest of my family in Mississippi. It was a much-needed getaway where we all got to do anything we wanted to for days and days. Cell service was spotty and the only schedule we kept was nap time and happy hour. Total bliss!

Gray fished for about three minutes the entire trip, but it was long enough for me to snap a picture. 

On the other hand, Michael fished for days on end. The weather was perfect and he fished at all hours of the night and day, catching blue gill and bass in three lakes on my family's property. The shot above is from the lake behind my grandparent's house. Of course, Pappa John has to get in on the fishing action and had lots of advice on the best spots to cast.

Meanwhile, Gray's patience had run out for fishing so Pappa Steve kept him entertained. 

Back at my parent's house, Michael found some bamboo and made a cane fishing pole which I later used to catch a fish. He may have made it and baited it, but I'm still claiming the fish as mine. 

Another one of Gray's favorite past times was putting the roof up and down on Pappa's convertible. Even if we weren't going anywhere, he enjoyed pushing all the buttons on the "transformer."  

Gray, Pappa and Michael enjoying a lazy afternoon. 

Gray trying out the cane pole. He enjoyed working the reel on the other fishing poles so he pretended this one had a reel too and cranked on it endlessly.

This is the fish I caught with the cane pole. I caught four others with Gray's rod before calling it a day. 

Gray also enjoyed sitting on the parked four wheeler and making motor sounds. Later we went and got his helmet so he could ride in the pasture with daddy.   

Gray also took his first ride in the back of the farm truck. Pappa John drove us around to the levy on the lake for a better fishing spot. Gray was a little nervous on some of the bumps, but he loved wearing his boots and riding in the truck.

On Saturday, we dyed real Easter eggs for the first time. I've just done plastic ones with Gray until now. He liked dropping the eggs in the cups from high above. Good thing we were outside. 

A little happy hour baseball with Pappa at sunset. 

 

On Sunday, we went to church and enjoyed Pappa and Susu singing in the choir's Easter Cantata. Grayson was so excited to wear a tie. Unfortunately, his recent growth spurt made his khaki pants look like capris, so I had to find some hand-me-down pants at the last minute. They were a little big, but better than the others.

One of the church members decorated the cross outside the church with gorgeous fresh flowers. Here we are with Pappa and Susu after the service. 

For my entertainment, I enjoyed reading magazine after magazine, taking a few afternoon naps in the sunroom, getting to do a little shopping and watching the Hunger Games movie one afternoon when my parents kept Gray.

Despite the long drive home (and the fact that my car passed 100,000 miles along the way), it was all worth it. We always have so much fun in Mississippi and can't wait to go back. 

Pre-Easter egg hunt

So, I'm a little behind on my blogging. We've been in Mississippi for the past five days and I'm just now getting around to posting pictures from our pre-Easter egg hunt the weekend before.

My cousin Suzanne and her family hosted a houseful for an early Easter celebration and cookout. Since we were going to be out of town for the actual holiday, it was nice to get together with everyone and watch the boys hunt eggs together.

The weather has been absolutely amazing the last few weeks, so we all enjoyed being outside for a relaxing evening. Here are some of the highlights:

The kids' table...no girls allowed. 

Jack enjoying some big boy food 

And their off...next year Jack will be running around with them instead of supervising 

On the hunt 

Next, it was time to check out the loot. Gray loved opening the eggs to find candy surprises. 

Luke was excited to fill his pocket with coins. He even found the golden egg with a quarter...jackpot! 

Holt liked the candy too. Isn't his basket adorable? He and Luke both had cute baskets, meanwhile Gray sported a hand-me-down basket from his daddy's childhood. 

It was so much fun to have four generations together. I realized later that I didn't get pictures of anyone besides the kids. Isn't that always the case?