The Grass Family Chronicles

I hope you all had a very nice Christmas!

We kicked off our Christmas with some stockings. The boys really love opening all the little things! Then we moved on to the presents under the tree. After that we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a brunch and more stockings and presents. As we finished with presents, we were all so excited to find out that it was snowing outside! Our first white Christmas. We were all exhausted after that, so we went home for a nap and then headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's for a yummy roast dinner. It was a great day!

The next morning, we headed to Corvallis to visit No-Hami. She was so happy to see all of us, and made us the most delicious Korean meal! We even got to take leftovers home. The boys were very well behaved and are always so nice to their great-grandma.

For our last day of Christmas, we headed to Auburn to celebrate with Paul's extended family. We got our traditional socks from Gramee and Grampee and had lots of fun visiting with them and playing with all our aunts and uncles. After another wonderful dinner, we got the boys dressed in their pajamas and headed home. It was lots of hours in the car, but the boys were so good. Tired, but good.

And now Christmas is over. We are all very full, but will rally once more for the annual after-Christmas Grass Family Sushi party that is taking place tonight.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Posted in: on Friday, December 28, 2007 at at 3:26 PM 5 comments  

Here is Caleb's school program, as promised. Unfortunately, the first couple songs were cut off as they were taped over with the church program. :(

Oh, well. You can still see how well he did!

Posted in: on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at at 7:45 PM 1 comments  

We had our Christmas program at church last Sunday. The boys did a marvelous job! You can hear Caleb's high pitched singing if you listen. :)

Posted in: on at at 5:57 PM 1 comments  

We just got back from Caleb's school Christmas program this evening. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from him. His two program performances last year were, well, less than spectacular. Anyways, we picked up Grandma an hour before the program started (had to get good seats!) and head off to his school. Caleb told me it was weird to go to school when it was dark, but he seemed excited about it. We got there, snagged our seats, and waited to drop Caleb off at his class. He was so ready to get going! When it was time, he waved good-bye and left with a big smile. I will admit that at that point, I started to get hopeful that at least he would do something up there! People, my boy was a STAR! He was so confident as he walked up to the stage with his class, and when he found us frantically waving at him, he gave us a great grin and wave. He was very intrigued by the live nativity scene behind him, but when the music started he focused and sang all the songs and did all the motions. I have a video of it, but I can't find the cord to download it, so these pictures will have to do for now. It was so great to see how proud he was of himself. What a fun night for us all!

Posted in: on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at at 9:37 PM 3 comments  

Caleb has been working on a big craft at school, and today he was so excited to bring it home! It had been carefully wrapped in a bag that he decorated with paint and glitter. He could hardly wait to get home so that Mommy and Daddy could unwrap it! Actually, he got impatient and ended up unwrapping it for us, but we were rewarded with a beautiful snowman ornament. We took it right out to the tree to hang it up, in the very front. He is so proud of it!

Posted in: on Thursday, December 6, 2007 at at 2:28 PM 3 comments  

Here's a cute one of Jakey. He just loves to roam around in his diaper!




Here's one of Caleb and Andy. Can't get enough of pictures like these!

Posted in: on at at 2:26 PM 1 comments  

One of Caleb and Andy's favorite Christmas traditions is the advent calendar. They talk about it all year! Each day they are so excited to see what new treat they will find behind the door. Usually it's a little piece of candy, but sometimes they find fun little toys, too. It's such a great way to countdown to Christmas!

Posted in: on at at 2:23 PM 0 comments  

Paul and I ran our first marathon today. We flew into Oakland yesterday and spent the day with Michael and Becky. They made us a huge pasta dinner in their beautiful house and then drove us to Sacramento. Paul and I woke up EARLY this morning, at 4:20AM, so we could get ready, grab some breakfast and make it on the shuttle that would take us to the start line. We were both successful in completing the marathon, and a lot of the credit must go to our super spectators, Michael and Becky. They cheered for us and took pictures at miles 5, 10, 20 and the finish line. It was so amazing to have them there!

Paul finished in an unbelievable 3 hours and 38 minutes, and I hobbled across the finish line at 4 hours and 30 minutes. It was a great experience for us, even if I am walking around on a gimp leg! We learned lots of things we should and should not do, so that we can be even more prepared for the next one. Yes, that's right. We'll do another one. Probably the Eugene Marathon in May 2008. As always, we invite any of you to run with us. It is truly an experience you will never forget!

Posted in: on Sunday, December 2, 2007 at at 10:25 PM 2 comments  

Andy has learned to do a new thing that I think is very cute. He puts his hands on his hips, scrunches up his face, and shouts, "I'm a superhero!". I don't think he has any idea what a superhero is, and I have no idea where he learned it, but is sure is funny!

Posted in: on Thursday, November 22, 2007 at at 9:18 PM 1 comments  

Michele "tagged" me on her blog to post 10 things I do, so here they are:

1. I take pictures of my kids.
2. I take a shower. (This is a good thing, right? :) )
3. I check my email.
4. I read, although I don't read near as much as Michele!
5. I dance around with my my kids.
6. I take Caleb to preschool.
7. I take Andy to storytime on Tuesdays.
8. I run as much as I can.
9. I try to be a good role model for my kids.
10. I do laundry. LOTS of laundry.

If you read this and you have a blog, I tag you. What 10 things do you do?

Posted in: on at at 8:52 PM 1 comments  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, friends and family. We are so thankful for YOU!

We started off the day with the Turkey Trot. The weather was really cold, but sunny. Grandpa was a trooper to help out and watched they boys in the van while Paul and I ran our race. After we were done, we went to go get everyone out of the van and headed into the zoo so Caleb and Andy could run their race. Caleb ran with Paul and did a great job, running the whole half mile. Andy, who was a little sick, ran with Grandpa and decided in the middle that it was too much for him. That's okay, he still got the candy cane and ribbon. Jakey slept through the whole thing, as usual. That's him sleeping on my back. We wore our race day shirts during our huge Thanksgiving day meal, deliciously prepared by Grandma! The boys weren't all that impressed with the huge spread, but they did like the homemade rolls. ALOT.

We all came home and took a nap; it's so nice when it works out like that! Gramee and Grampee are staying for a visit, so they came over with Grandma and Grandpa and we had leftovers for dinner.

It was a great day.

Posted in: on at at 8:19 PM 1 comments  

Today Caleb and Andy's best friends came over. Yes, it was the day after the big party, but who cares? Benny and Gracie's mom and Josie and Keegan's mom both had some things to do, so all the kids came over for the morning. You would think that taking care of seven children might be difficult, but it wasn't and they all were very good. And silly, as you can tell by the picture!

Posted in: on Monday, November 19, 2007 at at 3:05 PM 1 comments  

Andy is now three years old. He had a great check up at the doctor's today. 37 inches tall and 36 pounds. Weighs the same as his brother! :)

We had a big birthday party for him yesterday. All of his friends came and we all had the greatest time! Our neighbor, Claudia, made an amazing cake for him. It was so cool that Caleb asked her to make the cake for his next birthday! The kids all enjoyed the pinata and Andy pulled the last strings to make all the candy come out. Almost every present he got was a Cars thing, which was just fine with him. He really loves his Cars!

Posted in: on at at 2:44 PM 1 comments  

What do you think? I don't really want to lose the baby hair, but it's getting pretty long. Post your vote in the comments and we'll go with the majority!

Posted in: on Friday, November 16, 2007 at at 12:53 PM 7 comments  

We are such a busy family that staying at home all day is a rare occasion for us. On Monday, though, it was so windy and gloomy that Caleb suggested that we spend the day inside. We found lots of fun things to do! First we cut up our Cinderella pumpkin and roasted it so we could make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Then we made a paper plate turkey craft. After that, we built a fort. Jakey really enjoyed that! Staying at home is fun, but I was exhausted after all that!

Posted in: on at at 12:49 PM 0 comments  

Today I went in to get Jakey after his nap and he was doing this. It was a real shock, I tell you! I know he's been pulling himself up on the couch, but the crib is a whole new ballgame. Guess we'll be lowering his mattress tonight!

I also want to mention that he climbed five stairs today. BY HIMSELF. He was quite proud of his accomplishment! :)

Posted in: on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at at 5:38 PM 1 comments  

Last Sunday Jakey started crawling. A few days later, he learned how to go from crawling to sitting by himself. A few days after that, he started pulling himself up to stand. He's gone from zero to sixty in a matter of days. There's no keeping him still now!

Posted in: on Monday, November 5, 2007 at at 7:22 PM 1 comments  

The leaves are changing colors and are falling off the trees at a rapid pace. The weather has been beautiful and sunny lately, so we took advantage of this to play in the leaves. The boys had such a great time making huge piles of leaves and then throwing them up in the air. Hopefully we'll get a few more days of sun!

Posted in: on Saturday, November 3, 2007 at at 4:39 PM 3 comments  

We had another great Halloween this year! We started off with a visit to our neighbor, Camille's, house. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to show off (and get some candy, of course!) and then to the Morinishi's for our annual get together. We had some yummy food, made some caramel apples, then got dressed in our costumes to head out. We were quite a group; something around 15 kids. It was fun to see the faces of the people who answered the doors. :) Great times!

Posted in: on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at at 7:24 AM 1 comments  

For those of you that don't know, the Steenson's our one of our favorite families. In fact, our Andy is sort of named after Andy, the Steenson dad! Cindy was one of our college professors and I later went on to nanny her three boys. Sort of prepared me for the future, although her boys are all five years apart and I had all of mine within four. :) Anyways, David, her oldest, had a soccer game in Battle Ground today so we went out there to watch the game and hang out with them. What a great time we had! After the game, we went to Burgerville and took over the place. Remember, we were all there so that's SIX boys! I have to say that they were very well behaved, funny faces and all. It's such a wonder to Paul and I that these little boys that we used to watch all the time are growing up so quickly! David, who was our ring bearer, is now sixteen years old and a junior in high school. Sheesh! We all can't wait to see them again. Caleb and Andy are so excited to go to "Big Andy"'s house! Guess we'll have to make that trip soon...

Posted in: on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at at 9:08 PM 1 comments  

Paul took his first business trip in a long time - to San Diego. I know, what great timing to go while the fires are raging, right? Fortunately, Paul was safe and said all he noticed was a little smoke. He was gone from Tuesday until Friday, and poor Caleb really missed his Daddy. He had a hard time going to preschool this week; he needed lots of extra hugs from Mrs. Wooding. Other than that, we did pretty well while he was gone. The boys are always so good when Daddy is on his business trips. Grandma and Grandpa were tons of help; I even got to go scrapbooking one evening! Nothing, however, can replace the awesome presence that is our one and only Paul Grass, Super Daddy and Husband extraordinaire. Hopefully he won't go on another trip for a long time!

Posted in: on Saturday, October 27, 2007 at at 8:36 PM 0 comments  

Well, they finally figured it out. Uncle Joshua had tried teaching Caleb and Andy the "rock, paper, scissors!" game the last time he was here. Caleb caught on pretty quickly but Andy had a hard time figuring out how to change it up. He kept on doing rock until Joshua would tell him he had to do something different. Then he'd keep doing scissors. Needless to say, he didn't win very often. Even so, he always wants to play it and Caleb is a patient, willing participant. Now that he's figured it out, this is how we do it: Andy will say "rock, paper, scissors!" and they'll both put out their choices. Then they both look to me to find out who wins; and repeat. Over and over. Sounds fun, doesn't it? ;)

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at at 9:25 PM 2 comments  

This year we have two fire fighters and a monkey. Caleb and Andy especially like their costumes because their fire extinguishers actually spray water! They've been saving all the plants outside from fires. Better than trying to save Mommy (I don't really like getting surprised with water spray!). Jakey is a monkey, because, well, because I saw this costume and it was cute and cheap. So there. How do you think they look?

Posted in: on at at 9:20 PM 1 comments  

Jakey officially has five teeth. He's currently cutting his sixth; the fourth on top. It's a relief, because it was bothering me that he had an uneven number of teeth on the top! :)

Posted in: on at at 9:17 PM 1 comments  

Today Caleb and Andy had their first dental check up. I cannot tell you how amazed I am by my children. Caleb just climbed up into the chair and opened his mouth like there was nothing to it! Dr. Tom had a cool camera wand that he used to show the boys what the inside of their mouth looked like and they thought that was so cool. They got their teeth checked and cleaned and then got a nice little toy for all their hard work. Andy saw how much fun Caleb was having and couldn't wait for his turn! Hopefully every dental visit will be that easy. Dr. Tom is truly our family dentist; he has been Paul's dentist since he was just a small boy as well. Pretty cool!

Posted in: on Monday, October 15, 2007 at at 9:23 PM 1 comments  

The doorway jumper has become Jakey's new favorite toy. He can really go to town in that thing. I get nervous sometimes that he's going to jump his way right out of it! We didn't have it for Caleb, but I have fond memories of Andy using it. I think I even have an old video of it. *sigh* They grow up so fast!

Posted in: on Thursday, October 11, 2007 at at 9:28 PM 1 comments  

Today was Caleb's class field trip to the pumpkin patch. They always invite family to come along, so the five of us headed off to spend a great morning at this wonderful farm. Caleb and Andy had so much fun learning how to make apple cider, holding the baby chicks, taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, and playing in the haymaze. Caleb says his favorite part was the hayride and while I didn't get a chance to ask Andy today, I'm pretty sure his favorite part was eating the fresh apple cider doughnuts. Boy, were they good!

Posted in: on at at 9:20 PM 1 comments  

Paul recently accepted a job (within his same company, Applied Biosystems) as a Strategic Marketing Manager. It is a big promotion for him and we are so proud! What the actual job consists of, we really have no idea, but at least he gets a cool new job title. :) Alas, the sad part of this story is that we will have to give the company car back. Yes, the days of driving around in a free car with free gas are over. Never fear, though, we will be getting another minivan very shortly! Like we would get any other kind of car. :P

Posted in: on at at 9:16 PM 0 comments  

Legos are the new thing in our house. We have literally spent hours going through a box of Paul's old Legos to find just the right piece needed to make whatever it is we're trying to make. Paul has been getting so nostalgic making these Lego creations with Caleb! Andy is not quite as into it as Caleb, yet. I'm sure he will be quick to follow, though. I forsee lots of Legos for Christmas!

(Don't you love Andy's hair? Hey, it was a Saturday!)

Posted in: on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at at 9:05 PM 3 comments  

It's hard to believe that Jakey is already six months old; closer to seven already, for that matter! He is such a happy baby and seems to be getting easier every day. We took him to his well baby visit and he didn't even cry when he got his shots! This kid is tough; he's going to need it with two big brothers. Here are his stats:

Weight: 20 lb, 1 oz (90%)
Height: 26 inches (50%)
Head Circumference: 17 1/2 inches (75%)

He's not a small baby, is he?

Posted in: on at at 8:58 PM 2 comments  

Caleb and Andy are just so cute during bath time. They laugh (and cry sometimes!) and have such a great time together. Often times, they stay in there until their feet and hands are wrinkly messes and the water is borderline cold! They're always so cheerful after they get out, too. Well, maybe silly is a more accurate term!

Posted in: on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at at 9:25 PM 1 comments  

Caleb can type his name on the computer, but he is not able to write it. At least, that's what I thought. He's never been interested in learning his letters and I haven't really pushed him about it. The other day, he was drawing some pictures and I asked him to write his name. To my surprise, he pretty much got it right! He always seems to know so much more than I think he does...

Today was his first day at preschool! He didn't really want to go, but must have had lots of fun because when I picked him up he said he wanted to go back tomorrow. Must have had a good time. :)

Posted in: on at at 9:21 PM 0 comments  

Posted in: on at at 9:20 PM 0 comments  

Posted in: on at at 9:19 PM 0 comments  

Jakey continues to be a wonderful baby. He had two beautiful front bottom teeth that he loves to show off by smiling all the time. He rolls all around the floor (we can't keep him on his back!). He recently started grabbing his toes and just this week he started sitting up by himself. He still falls over quite frequently but he's quickly getting the hang of it!

Posted in: on Monday, August 27, 2007 at at 3:48 PM 1 comments  

Caleb had his four year check up last week, and he weighs 37 pounds and is 41 inches tall. 50 percentile overall. I keep expecting him to stop growing so quickly, but I think that he got a little more of his dad's genes on that one. Interestingly, he is only one pound heavier than Andy. :) He got his finger poked for a blood sample and he was very brave. In fact, he was very interested in watching what the tech was doing and insisted on seeing his blood when it was done.

Posted in: on at at 3:43 PM 1 comments  

Andy has had a big month! A couple weeks ago, we decided to take off the diapers. It was a risky gamble, but hey, that's potty training! To our delight, after only a few accidents, Andy quickly got the hang of it. He's even night trained! What a kid.

Posted in: on at at 3:40 PM 1 comments