Our Little Man

October has kept us quite busy. We started off the month with a trip to Florida to visit with Kyle's parents. This was Greyson's 3rd airplane trip, and he's quite an excellent flyer - he gets that from his Aunt Lisa. We had a wonderful long weekend enjoying the Florida sunshine, taking some time to relax, and Greyson got lots of love and attention from his Pop Pop and Jo Jo. Check out the pictures and you'll see what a little swimmer we have. We're looking forward to our next trip down to Florida over New Year's for some more Florida fun. Other than that trip we have enjoyed some downtime at home this month. We took Greyson to the pumpkin patch, I hosted a Halloween party for our playgroup, and of course, he experienced his first Halloween. Lots of fun and lots of great photo opportunities - so check them out.

Greyson is growing like a weed and based on us putting him on our home scale he's about 20-22 lbs now and quite the arm workout to carry around all the time. He's an excellent sitter and lately he's developed a passion for rolling. He can roll from one side of the room to the other in a matter of seconds. Then when he gets stuck somewhere he pivots on his belly and rolls another way. He hasn't quite figured out the crawling thing, but we figure he's learned to get most places rolling so why crawl? I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough, but check out the video down below to see his rolling in action. His skills are quite impressive. He's also getting more and more verbal. He says "ma ma", "da da", "na na", "ba ba" and a variety of one syllable sounds. He'll have these talking moods where he just talks and talks and sure does seem to love it. We're guessing that when he does start using his words more, he's never going to be quite. Afterall, he's got us for parents and both of us always seem to have something to say.

Kyle and I are keeping busy with work and school. Kyle did find out recently that he will be comissioning as a field artillery officer in May. He's happy with that branch and glad he'll be going back to the branch of the Army he was in before so he can apply all that he already knows. Now that we know what branch he is going to comission we also know that we will be heading to Ft. Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma for about 6 months sometime next summer for Kyle's field artillery officer training. Not particularly thrilled about living in the great plains, but it's better than many other places we could have been sent and we're only there for a short while. We will know where we are getting stationed for after his training sometime next spring and we're quite anxious to know where the next place is that we will call "home". The relatively exciting news for me is that I just recently applied to get my M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on children's literature through Penn State. I'm anxious to find out that I officially got in and plan on starting classes either in January or next summer. It's an online program that will allow me to still be a stay at home mom after completing teaching this year, and plus with it being online it gives me the flexibility to work on my masters while we're moving all over for Kyle's career during the next year or so.

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the two videos - we couldn't pick just one this month. One showcases Greyson's rolling abilities, and one is a rather amusing Halloween video of Greyson as the cutest and silliest penguin....enjoy! Don't forget to check out the October pictures link.

With Love,
K, L, and G

Busy Busy Busy

September has been a CRAZY busy month for our family. Almost every weekend we have had something going on or been out of town. Two weeks ago we went up to Chicago for the weekend for my Grandpa Bell's memorial service. It was a beautiful service and I really felt it honored him in a very sincere way. Despite it being a sad occasion it was wonderful to see family that we haven't seen in awhile, and for Greyson to meet some second cousins that he hadn't met yet. Then this past weekend we road tripped up to St. Louis for a friend/teaching colleague's wedding. Nonny and Poppy (my Dad and Robyne) were kind enough to meet us there and be wonderful babysitters to Greyson so we could attend the wedding and reception. We had a blast at the wedding seeing some friends we unfortunately we don't get to see very often, and Greyson had a great time checking out St. Louis and playing with his grandparents. Great times were had by all. Now we're preparing to head to Florida in a few weeks to visit with Kyle's parents and to show Greyson the excitement of the Villages, the retirement community where they live. We're looking forward to having another fun trip.

Other than that not too much is new with us. Kyle is keeping busy with his graduate classes, and I'm enjoying my part-time teaching job - especially being able to go in, teach, and leave by 3:15 everyday. What a nice change! Greyson continues to be such a joy. He's chewing on everything and drooling so we think those teeth are on their way, but no sign of them just yet. Also he's working on figuring out crawling - he hasn't quite discovered how to tuck his knees under his tush, but I'm sure he will with time. He is doing quite a bit of "talking" - he says ma ma, da da, ba, ga, and few other one syllable sounds. He hasn't quite connected those names with Kyle and I and says ma ma and da da to just about anything, but I'm sure he'll figure out those names go with us soon enough. Our biggest accomplishment is doing some successful "sleep training" according to Dr. Weissbluth (thanks Aunt Susie and Jenni for the recommendation!). Greyson was suddenly back to waking up a few times a night for no reason other than wanting our attention and we weren't to thrilled with this since we had been blessed with a sleeping through the night baby since he was about 8 weeks old. So, we followed the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" recommendations and now he's back to being a super sleeper! He's sleeping about 12 hours at night and taking 2 naps that range from 1-3 hours daily....yeah! We're so happy he's back on track and we're a much happier family with a well rested Mom, Dad, and baby. Hope you all are doing well!

With Love,
K, L, and G

P.S. Check out Greyson's September photos - some really cute ones!

P.S. Check out this rather amusing video of Greyson - already trying to get behind the wheel at 7 months old

Happy Grandparents Day!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Back to School for Mom and Dad

Well, hard to believe Greyson is 6 months old and we're half way through his first year of life. He's got such a defined personality now - always making faces, loves to giggle, and talk in his own unique baby language. Developmentally he's really progressed and is quite skilled at sitting up on his own - occasionally he topples over to one side or the other, but he's learning what he needs to do to avoid that. Lately his other favorite hobby is shaking his head from side to side - looks like he's saying "no", but we think he just likes how it makes things look funny when you shake your head. He's a goofy boy who is still super easy going and just as happy as can be. We still constantly hear from people who are around him how laid back he is - he honestly only fusses if he's tired or hungry, and we're thankful for his chill personality. Speaking of hungry, we have quite the little eater on our hands now. He's had all stage 1 foods and he loves ALL of them - not a picky eater at all. He chows down 3 things of baby food a day, plus he gets 3 bottles of formula, and still nurses in the morning and night. I think his Dad, a proud eagle scout, would say Greyson has earned a merit badge in eating. We have his 6 month check up at the end of next week and then we'll fill you in on his updated stats, but from our estimations he's about 20 lbs. and close to 27 inches long - what a big boy!

Kyle and I have been busy this month with the adjustment of us both going back to school. I've now been back teaching part-time for about 3 weeks. The afternoon hours as the technology teacher is working out really well. I simply go in at 11:15, teach 3 or 4 classes (of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) and then I'm done at 3pm and typically home by 4pm. So glad this job opportunity arose because not only does it still allow me to fulfill my passion for teaching, but I get special mommy and Greyson time in the morning, and then Grey gets to bond with Dad in the afternoon, which is a unique situation that we both value. Kyle started back at Austin Peay for grad school this week and so far, so good. He only has a couple classes on campus, and 2 online so that allows him to be home more often which is appreciate by both Greyson and I.

This month has also had some highs and lows - we started off the month meeting up with Kyle's parents in Gatlinburg, TN (kind of like the Wisconsin Dells of the south) for a weekend getaway. We had a great time shopping, visiting the aquarium and Greyson got lots of hugs and kisses from his Pop Pop and Jo Jo. Then on more of a somber note, my Grandpa Bell (my mom's father) passed away a few days ago. He had been struggling the last year and half in a nursing home, so we're happy he's in a much better place now, but it's hard to imagine not having him here with us any longer. We will be heading up to Chicago in a few weeks for a memorial service and look forward to being with family and sharing stories and memories of the many great times we had with him throughout his life. I'm so thankful that he was able to meet Greyson in June, and that I see so much of my grandfather in my son's eyes when he smiles and he will carry on his legacy through his middle name of Robert. I know he will always be with me and watching over me - love you so much Grandpa Bell.

Enjoy the video down below of our big boy sitting up and talking away - such a funny little monkey! Also check out the weeks 24-28 (August) pictures from our trip and from around the house.

Love to you all,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Baby G

Whirlwind July

Hello All~

Well, July has been another busy month and it really seems like it flew by as I find myself preparing to head back to work (part time - thank God!) for the new school year. Here's what we have been up to. In early July Greyson and I returned from our fabulous trip to Chicago and spent a little over a week relaxing at home waiting for Kyle to finish training. Kyle then returned from Ft. Lewis, Washington, and we were all very happy to be back to a family of 3! Then the craziness began....literally 24 hours after Kyle returned we took a flight to Chicago and then drove up to Door County for a wonderful 5 day vacation. Door County is considered the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" and it holds a special place in our hearts. Kyle grew up visiting there and this was our 4th visit there together. Always a pleasure to visit a beautiful area where the pace of life is a bit slower. We enjoyed visiting with family friends - The Schultz's, attending a delicious fish boil, climbing the tower at Penninsula State Park, playing mini-golf at the Red Putter, and visiting Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant for breakfast. It was a fantastic first vacation with Greyson, and a wonderful way for us to bond back together as a family after Kyle had been gone for a little over a month. Since returning from our trip we've enjoyed some downtime together at home with Kyle on leave and my summer break. Soon enough we'll be starting our shared parenting schedule with Kyle back in grad school and me doing my afternoon technology teaching. We're both THRILLED to have Greyson with one of us all day and hopefully once we all adjust to the new schedule it will move along smoothly.

A couple updates about the G man - he's now a little over 5 months and entering some new stages in his life. The biggest change is Greyson is now a "big boy" and starting to eat food. He's having rice cereal twice a day - granted most of it goes into his mouth and comes directly back out, but it's so darn cute and he's learning more and more about how to eat each day. In the next couple of weeks we'll be introducing some basic baby foods so it should be fun to see his facial reactions with these new tastes. Greyson is become much more verbal also, always babbling away and screaming with glee is one of his favorite hobbies. Another little trick he's learned recently is he realized he has a tongue and likes to stick it out and then blow so he pretty much just gets spit everywhere, but soon enough he'll realize he can close his lips on his tongue and then blow to make his tongue vibrate which Mommy and Daddy do at him quite often.

A side note - Kyle and I both started Weight Watchers online and so far so good. We're a little over a week into it and I've lost 3.5 lbs and Kyle has lost 5 lbs. We're really happy with the plan and both are looking forward to getting ourselves back into the "best" shape we can be in. It's not like Kyle and I were obese, but we both recognized that we needed to make a concious effort to eat healthier and could use to drop a few pounds. Plus, we realized that we had to work toward this goal together or it just wouldn't work out - so far we've been a great team and I can't wait to continue to see us be successful in reaching our goals. Hopefully you'll notice a difference in us in the pictures I put up next month.

With Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson

P.S. Check out the updated July pictures and enjoy the video of Mr. Messy Man enjoying a delicious meal of rice cereal - too cute!

Busy Month of June

Well, I do apologize that it's been quite awhile since the last website update, but the month of June was a busy one. Kyle left for his ROTC training in early June and then shortly after he left Greyson and I spent about 2 and half weeks in Chicago seeing family and friends. We had a GREAT time! Greyson got lots of love from his many grandparents and it was wonderful to introduce him to family members he hadn't gotten to meet yet. We also attended a few great events: Kyle's cousin Nick's wedding, my stepmom Robyne's doctorate graduation party, visiting my Grandpa Bell at the VA home, and spending a weekend at my Dad's lake house. We ended our visit in Chicago by celebrating my 26th birthday with my family (including a homemade cake by my lovely sister - thanks Lisa!) and then we arrived back in Clarksville a few days ago. Grey was an excellent traveler during both legs of the road trip and it was a WONDERFUL trip for both of us!

Kyle is doing well with his training. He's currently out on a 10 day field problem (playing war is what I call it) and he should be finished with that tomorrow and I'm looking forward to his next phone call. I think this might be the longest we've gone without talking including the year he spent in Iraq. Really miss getting a chance to chat with him, especially now with a baby - I always want to fill him on Grey's updates and accomplishments. I'll catch him up when we talk sometime this weekend. He then has a few last training events next week and he'll arrive home next weekend - Grey and I can't wait to have him back! I've gained a large appreciation for my friend's who are playing the role of single mom while their husbands are deployed. Taking care of Grey on my own is a pleasure, but it's a time consuming tough job for one and I've come to appreciate all the help Kyle offers. He's an amazing husband and dad and life just isn't the same without him. Plus, I came home to a house with Jack's beanstalk weeds growing in the front yard and ants in my kitchen - oh the joy of dealing with fixing problems with the house....again gave me more appreciation for all the odd jobs and work he does around the house that I typically don't do.

Greyson is now 4 and half months old and changing and growing everyday. Had his 4 month doctor appointment yesterday (a little bit late due to us being in Chicago) and here's his update. He now weighs 15 pounds 4 ounces (60%), he is 25.5 inches (75%) long, and his head measures 42 centimeters (50%) around. He handled his next round of shots quite well, and once I picked him up when they were done he quit crying and was even smiling at the nurse who gave him the shots. He's such a little flirt. Another proud moment occurred in early June when Greyson rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time. Check out the video below to see him in action. Currently he's very into arching his back and pushing on his feet, so I'm guessing that rolling from back to front isn't far in his future. He's also a drooling machine as his teeth are starting to come in. It's looking like he'll be getting his canines first - so we'll have a little vampire baby :) When he hits the 5 month mark we'll be starting him on beginning solids so look for some messy pictures in the future. Overall, Greyson is continuing to be an AMAZING little boy, and everyone who I visited with at home just couldn't get over how good he is. My mother tells me I'm spoiled rotten with what a good baby he is, and I was nothing like him when I was a little one (thanks Mom!) He truly is such a joy to be with everyday and every time he gives me that gorgeous smile I know I've accomplished something amazing by bringing our little guy into the world. I'm such a proud momma!

Well, I better hit the hay. Happy 4th of July to all of you. Look for the next update toward the end of July. I'm going to start doing monthly updates instead of weekly - especially with heading back to work part-time in about a month. Hope you're all doing well.

Lots of Love,
Ky, Linds, and Grey

P.S. Don't forget to check out the updated pictures from weeks 16-19.

P.P.S. Check out our little man rolling over from front to back....so proud of him, but sad his daddy missed this moment. At least he can see it on video :)

Family Time

Not too much new going on here with our little family. We actually enjoyed a laid back weekend of not doing much which was much appreciated after a very busy month of May. One exciting note is that we've found a great local babysitter and used her for the first time on Saturday and we went on a "date night" to our favorite restaurant in Nashville. We did very well leaving Greyson, and he was great for her, and Kyle and I definitely appreciated a little time to ourselves - especially with him leaving later this week. Definitely a little blue about Kyle's departure to Ft. Lewis (near Seattle) for a month, but I know Grey and I will keep each other busy. I'm looking forward to my sister, Lisa, coming to visit this weekend, and then next week Greyson and I will be heading up to Chicago for about 2 weeks. He'll get some quality grandparent time with both sides (Kyle's parents will be in Chicago for a wedding, so that worked out nicely) and get to meet many new family members on my side during our trip. Plus, I'll get to enjoy celebrating my birthday at the end of this month with my family - it's somehow become Army tradition that Kyle always misses my birthday :) Hope you all are doing well and looking forward to seeing many of you soon!!!

With Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson

P.S. Enjoy his week 15 pictures and the video below - I think an appropriate title for it would be "Giggles and Drool".