The Howells

Independence Day 09

It's tradition in the Howells fam to go up to the Hunstville house for the morning of the 4th. This year we ate at the Liberty breakfast which is much better then the Huntsville one in our opinion. My grandparents also go to that one as well so it was nice to see them too.

Later we were invited to attend the Fords fireworks show which was awesome as always. They sure know how to host a party! Following that Cami's in-laws stopped by & they had a box of works as well then we headed to our backyard to watch the Thanksgiving Point show which was swell but Grayden missed it- way too sleepy.

You know when you judge a firecracker by the box & you get really excited & have high hopes for it & then it turns out it blows? Well that was this pic & it looks like Grayden agreed.

Tubes Day!

6.19.2009

We arrived at 6:30 am, they checked his vitals, changed him into his little gown & the actual procedure began at 7:30. He did great the first hour but towards the end he started to get fussy because he wanted to eat & nurse but wasn't allowed. When the nurse took him away he was completely content no worries at all. (unlike his father who couldn't sleep the night before & couldn't sit still the whole time). They took us to our waiting room & I had a couple sips of my juice barely read two pages of my book before the doc came in & said they were done & all went well. About 5-10 minutes later the nurse came & told us Grayden was awake & we could now go get him & that's when we heard the screaming. It took us awhile to calm him down, I tried to nurse him but he was still a bit shaken up & disoriented. We got him in the car, he eventually fell asleep & after we got his prescription & before we got home he woke up & he was cooing & acted like nothing ever happened. The end- just kidding. I wish I could say " and they lived happily ever after" but we're still trying to clear up the last ear infection since he got sick again right after the surgery so it's getting better but still not over.

Baby Contest

The competition was fierce I was quite surprised with this outcome. There were so many cute little boys there! After he saw the judges & got his free rattle & Little Amigo kids meal I was completely content about the $10 I paid. I love Strawberry Days I think every year our committee does such a great job with all the festivities! (minus $12 for the rodeo- ouch!)

When they announced his name my mom & sisters cheered so loud that it scared him & he started crying hysterically!

"Big Brother"

Grayden found the camera in his room last month. This is what I saw...

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9 Month Check- Up

5.14.09

I love seeing how big he is getting for that scale!

Height: 28.6" (70%)

Weight: 17.3 lbs (15%)

Head: 17.5" (30%)

He has dropped on the curve & it makes me sick. I've been told not to worry because he has been sick fighting ear infections since March (7 months old). It finally got bad enough that he is getting tubes in his ears Friday morning (6.19.09). It's been so sad seeing him suffer. Nursing, eating, sleeping you could see that it was painful for him :( I'm just happy that he'll finally start to feel normal again.

Grayden at 9 months ~

is a lizard! Both tongue & movement. He'll crawl normal for short distances but he prefers the "army crawl" probably cause he's so fast at it.
finally has his first tooth! He likes to bit me sometimes when nursing, I scream and he laughs- NOT funny!
tries really hard to roll all the toilet paper off the roll.
is really good with his pinchers.
is impossible to change both clothes & diapers. As soon as I lay him down on the changing table it is his mission to see how fast he can sit up. I start to get mad but then he'll get this huge grin & look on his face like he just accomplished Everest.
is standing up every where & walking around the furniture. We've had many spills so far especially in the tub.
loved to clap all the time but has moved on from that stage now.
gives kisses when asked- I just love!
has had 3 big hair cuts & needs another.
is such a joy in our lives & we just love him to death!

1ST YEAR GARDENER!!

Yes, I am proud to admit that I'm a gardener now. In the past I was never interested in it because of all the hard work- the tilling, weeding, thinning, & all the space it took up! Then I discovered the Square Foot Gardening method & was so excited to get started. What is SFG? Well scroll down & you'll get the idea.

Tulips!!

I finally planted them last fall & was super in love when they bloomed in the spring. I love how you plant them & then time goes by you forget, then spring comes & pop!

SFG~ before...

...after

a couple of weeks later

zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, mesclun lettuce, cauliflower, onions, broccoli, carrots, tomato's, green beans, bell peppers, jalapenos, and more lettuce.

Some of you might be wondering about my squash & tomato since they grow like a bush. Well I'm going to attempt the vertical growing method- Stay tuned.

Loves To Swing

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Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival

April 23rd we went to the Gardens for the Tulip Festival with Natasha & Payden (& Cami & friends from the ward). We ate lunch on the grounds & had a great stroll while enjoying the beautiful tulips. I was actually surprised by how pretty it was.

Easter 2009

We colored eggs with T's fam over conference weekend in Huntsville.

This is the easter egg hunt on Saturday at my mom's. It's very competitive! The kids went first then the adults.

Haley Jones held an egg hunt & get together but Cami had to work so I took her little hoodlums. While we were there Grayden became pals with little D. Smith! It's a lot of fun having Grady at this age where he can finally interact some. Soon we'll be able to really have play dates instead of me just tagging along.