Grandstaff family

There has been a lot going on since the last time I blogged! I struggle to find time to do laundry and clean house right now, let alone keep my blog up-to-date at the moment. So, I apologize to any of you who have been anxiously awaiting an update! In the past couple of months, we have celebrated birthdays, grieved at a funeral, celebrated memorial day, proudly watched my brother graduate high school, finished out this school year and much more. Here is a quick update on everyone: Oliver is now 10 months old (I can't believe it). He is crawling all over the place and a generally happy fella. He has 7 teeth and one more on the way. He weighs over 20 lbs and he is at least 30 inches tall ( I don't know the exact measurements, sorry). He loves to play in the water, as you will see in the below photos, and he loves to follow his sister everywhere she goes. He jabbers a lot (but not nearly as much as Claire these days)! He and Claire manage to make me laugh at least 10 times a day (which is great for your health)! Ryan and I feel truly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy babies! Claire is now 26 months (when people ask, I simply say she is 2). She often lets us know she is 2!!! She speaks mostly in sentences and I think most people can understand most of what she says. She LOVES to dance and sing, her very own songs most of the time! She likes to play dress up and she really enjoys telling her baby dolls and her baby brother and the dogs what to do. She is often Miss Independent and is not afraid to let you know exactly what she wants. I usually get a kick out of this, but sometimes she tries my patience! Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese, which she often demands at breakfast time (I have only given in once, because we had leftovers in the fridge)! She also likes to help mommy and daddy in the garden and help them pick (or should I say eat) the berries that are becoming ripe. Ryan is still working for Shaffer Manufacturing. He still enjoys his job, but doesn't like going to work when he knows I am home having fun with the kids :-) Every year his company has a company picnic at the Columbus zoo that we always look forward to. It is coming up this weekend, we get to enjoy the zoo, lunch, and Zoombezi Bay all thanks to RT Bundy Companies, the parent company of Shaffer Manufacturing. Hopefully I will have pictures of our fun day soon. I am still working on my Master's degree, but the end is in sight. I will officially be finished on July 24!!! After that I may have a little more time on my hands, hopefully. Currently I am working on my capstone, which is like a thesis, and finishing up my last class about curriculum and instruction. I am glad school is out and I get to spend more time with my children and have more time to do my mountains of homework. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the mish-mash of pictures from the last couple of months....

Sharin' the rocker

Ryan bein' silly

Claire with bedhead

Cutie Pie

Memorial Day

Mommy and Claire

Daddy and Claire grillin' the yummy food!

Claire in her "treehouse"

MMmmm....Watermelon

Ollie enjoyed it too.

I took a pic of Claire like this so I had to do it to Ollie too! Compare...

My Little Man

Claire playing "house"

My Peonies

Claire playing dress-up

This Clifford is now in Claire's room. I drew it free hand for school. We had to decorate our doors for Right to Read week.

Graduation '09

Mark Brake recieving his full ride scholarship to West Point!! Way to go Mark!

My cousin Mary playing her last song as a member of the Lincolnview band!

Jared, all grown up, and ready to go to college!! Good luck Jared, I love ya!

My cousin Britney(sorry if it is spelled wrong). Good luck at ITT!

Claire at naptime

Some cute pictures of Oliver, I couldn't chose just one.

Time for some water fun!!!

Claire and Oliver loved playing in the water as you can tell!!!

Ollie kept trying to drink the water!

Here are a couple of video's of Claire and her dancing and singing!

I cannot believe it! My baby girl is 2 years old!! She is such a joy to us! She makes us laugh everyday and amazes us with new things she is learning all of the time. I cannot believe how much she has changed in just a year. Last year she took her first steps the day after her birthday. Now she is running around like a pro. Here are some pictures from her birthday party and a day or two before it!

Claire and Ollie playing in a Pampered Chef box!!

Hi, mommy!!

Mmmm, Wendy's Frosty

Here is what you get when you send daddy and the birthday girl to get balloons!!

Napping before the big party. Maverick sleeps with Claire whenever she is in bed. He is her protector!

Playin' with my jungle set.

I attempted to make Backyardigans cakes for Claire's birthday. My plan was to do each character, but I got tired after two. So, Claire got Pablo and Uniqua and a regular cake.