I cannot believe summer is coming to an end. School buses are everywhere now, and the even stranger part is I'm not working at a school....truthfully back to school time came and I was so happy not to have to go through the stress of the few months of school. Not that dealing with a year and half year old is piece of cake, but I'm thoroughly enjoying my career change to the titles of: graduate student, diaper changer, meal preparer, house cleaner, bill payer, laundry lady, driver for playdates, song and dance entertainer, bath giver.....ahhh...the list goes on. For anyone who thinks stay at home mom is a sham of a job, I dare you to walk a day in my shoes. It is exhausting, but the reward of getting to see my gorgeous boy smile and run up to hug me makes it all worth it.
This month started off with a visit from Kyle's parents, Daryl and Joyce. They were kind enough to come and visit to keep Grey and I company during part of the time Kyle was gone in the field for the final weeks of his BOLC II officer training. It was great having someone else around to help with Greyson and to ease my nerves of being home alone. We really enjoyed showing them the sights of Lawton (ha ha!) and Daryl is always a wonder at taking care of any and all yard work that needs to be done during their visit. Thanks again for coming to see us and for all your help. Greyson says, "You're the best Pop Pop and Jo Jo!"
Kyle finished BOLC II training last week (yeah!!!) and got to have a 4 day weekend before starting his new training.....you guessed it...BOLC III this past Wednesday. What makes BOLC (Basic Officer Leadership Course) III different is that these next 4 and half months is all training focused on Kyle's branch of the Army, field artillery. During this training he will become an expert in gunnery, fire direction, and fire support....in English that means anything and everything having to do with the "big guns" of the Army (essentially the modern day cannons). This training is supposed to have better hours, which makes me happy, and it's very academic which is Kyle's niche. I'm sure he's going to do very well.
During his 4 days off, we took a family mini-trip down to Dallas for a few nights. We enjoyed time away from Lawton and took advantage of being back in a "real" city. We did some serious shopping and stocked up Greyson's fall/winter wardrobe. He was in desperate need of some 24 month size stuff and though it still looks giant to us I know he'll be fitting right into those clothes in the next month or two. We also spent a great morning at the Dallas Zoo. We got up close and personal in the viewing area of the gorillas (see video below), and they also had a great separate children's zoo with lots of things for Greyson to climb on and even a fun shallow stream to wade in and cool off from the hot summer sun. All in all, a great little family getaway that we all needed to spend time together and just to get out of town for a bit.
Greyson is continuing to develop and change every day. He's officially running - in any which direction he so chooses at any and all time....makes for a tired Mom and Dad. He's also blossoming in his verbal development. He now regularly says: Momma (still for Kyle and I), Nona (for both cats), nana (banana), hi there (he loves to wave and say this to everyone), bye, potty, cheese, shoes, and his favorite word right now is woah.....and truthfully I'm sure most things at this stage in his life are "Woah!" so it's appropriate and adorable. Also, to my sister the pilot's joy, he is obsessed with airplanes. Every time he hears one or sees one he points to the sky, stops dead in his tracks, and is set on seeing it. He had a blast at our hotel in Dallas as it was near the airport so there were LOTS of airplanes to spot. Next week is also a big moment for Greyson as he begins his Tuesday "preschool". I found a great Mom's Day Out program at the local Baptist Church that does a preschool/daycare setting for 1 year olds from 9:30-3:00 that allows him to socialize with kids his own age, learn to share a bit more, and get used to being around other adult authority figures other than myself. Plus, this will give me the set aside time to focus on grad work when I start back up in the next week or two with 2 classes this semester. For September he'll only be going on Tuesdays, but if he's doing well and seems to like it I may have him start going on Tuesday and Thursday starting in October. I'm very impressed with the program and the facility and I think it will be great for him, and nice for me to have a bit of set aside time to focus on school work so I don't feel like I have to cut school work time into time I'd rather be with the family.
Enjoy the August pictures and video clips below. Hope you are all enjoying these last few weeks of summer, but I can tell you living in the HOT great plains I am ready and waiting for fall to arrive as soon as possible.
Lots of Love,
K, L, and G
Hotel Fun
Our Close Encounter with Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla (seriously the Gorilla's name)
