A little off the top!

5 Days before his first birthday, we decided it was finally time to cut little man's hair.    I have been resistant to the notion, because I think it's funny to see him with a big mess of hair, but in hindsight I like the new look!  Incidentally, there has been a running debate as to what color Grady's hair is.  Some of us say it is blonde, and others are just wrong in their opinions.

Before pictures:

Business in the front...

Party in the back!!!

Getting his haircut:

LOOKING GOOD!!!!

Suncadia and other stuff

Time for what has apparently eroded in to my "seasonal" update... I keep finding I'd rather play with my kids than sit down at the computer and write about them!

Grady has been keeping us all feeling young beyond our years, and we are just having the time of our lives watching this little dude fill our home with his big personality.

I'll start with a rundown of developments and accomplishments.  Grady is a very cute thumb sucker.  We didn't get a thumb sucker with J or M, so this is fun.  We know it probably won't be as fun in a few years when we have to put chili oil on his thumb to prevent him from embarrassing us when we take him to get his drivers license, but for now we find it very cute.

Grady settles in for a good night's sleep

Grady has mastered rolling over from back to front, and is getting pretty good at rolling from front to back.  Last night he managed to travel a good 10 feet with no artificial propulsion.  He also has "discovered his feet", and occasionally entertains sucking his foot thumb.

In contrast to his siblings, who both had dark brown hair and eyes at age 6 months, Grady is a blonde right now, with gray/hazel eyes.  More than anything, he is just a happy guy.  He has a big smile for anyone that wants one, and takes after our dog Smokey, in that he is usually content if he is just in the same room as his family.

Floor time, working on his rolls

 Grady is eating a wide variety of food now, and we've yet to find anything that he doesn't like.  Another trait that he does not share with his siblings.

Kenzie is her usual mix of athletic and fashionable.  This picture captures the current essence of Kenzie!

Grandad Werner and I took the kids to Mariners fanfest, where they played on the field, toured the locker room and got Brendan Ryan's autograph.

Jackson meets his hero, who asked him if he's also a shortstop.

Kenzie strikes a pose with the King.

Finally, we took the kids on a little Winter vacation to Suncadia, where we rented a house and just hung out, joined by the Werner grandparents and cousin Cameron.  Grady swam for the first time, J&M ice skated for the first time, we inner tubed, hot tubbed, played cards, read a lot of books, and completed about 23 pieces of a 1000 piece puzzle!

Grady enjoys his first ever swim.  We have yet to find an activity he doesn't enjoy!

Kenzie completes her 73rd run on the yellow waterside.

Jackson and Mackenzie loved ice skating... and never got injured:)

Winter ice bunnies

Snow racer

Chillin' with my homies after shredding the mountain all morning

Grady enjoys a nice thumb at the end of another relaxing day on vacation

Another close game of Uno

Kenzie and Jackson on a winter walk at Suncadia

Baby's first holiday season!

We're all having a great holiday season this year.  Our little bundle of joy keeps the house bright and warm with his big smile.  We just can't get enough of them!!

Grady is growing up so fast.  It seems like everyday he shows us a new trick.  His latest is the ability to use his left hand to direct his right thumb into his mouth.  Yes, he is a thumb sucker.  I know we will probably have a challenge on our hands in a few years, but it is incredibly cute right now!

Grady doesn't really care what he is doing, he just wants to lie around, and be in the same room as his family.   He is very much like Smokey in that regard!

Aside from the thumb sucking and lying around, Grady likes playing on his play gym, babbling to whoever will listen, and engaging in silliness with his Mom and siblings.  He sleeps through the night most nights, going down around 8pm and waking between 7 and 8pm, earning our gratitude! He still has the craziest hair in the world, with a big fluffy, pointy tuft on the top of his head that sticks straight up, shaggy hair on the sides that grow over his ears, and a circular balding spot... sort of a halo, which of course make perfect sense to us.

A happy morning in his Christmas PJ's!

Jackson and Mackenzie have been firmly in the holiday spirit since October.  They are professional Merry Makers.  We listen to Christmas music whenever we are home and aren't watching Seahawks games.  They are very excited for Grady to get his first Christmas presents, and helped wrap their presents to him.

Annual lollipops after visiting Santa

Brothers at dinner, in their Christmas outfits

Super excited to pick out his first tree!

Nothing beats a hot Starbucks after picking out a tree!

The morning ritual of carefully inspecting the progress under the tree

Mackenzie has gotten really good at gymnastics and is now in some kind of "select" program.  She is very passionate about it and practices several hours a week.  She does awesome cartwheels, bridges, splits and back walkovers.  It is amazing watching a 6 year old become more skilled at something than anyone in the family! 

Daddy/Kenzie date night at the UW Huskies Purple-Gold gymnastics meet! 

Kenzie did her own little art project after a bible study.  She used a real leaf!

Sunday night movie night is a cherished tradition in our household.  The kids snuggle up in front of the TV in their PJ's, enjoy snacks and a dessert and watch a favorite kids or Christmas movie.

Grady gets in on movie night!

Huskies fan!

Our angel

Fall happenings

With a new baby, it's all about firsts all over again, which is especially fun heading into the holiday season.  We got our first "first" under our belts, with a successful Halloween.  Harry Potter, a cute kitty cat, and our little baby lion joined their butterfly cousin Gracie and trick-or-treated our small neighborhood, and then Harry and the kitty cat drove to a much larger neighborhood to trick or treat with friends, while mom and baby lion stayed home to hand out candy.

SAVE ME!!!!

Jackson and Mackenzie wrapped up successful soccer seasons.  Jackson scored several goals and played great defense for the Lightning, and Mackenzie had fun in her first season of soccer for the Geckos!

And everyone is having a blast with Grady.  He has a colorful personality, and loves flashing his smile to his family.  He loves looking at art, especially the picture of the elephant over his changing table, which makes changing diapers a fun time.  He has already rolled over on his own, before he even reached 12 weeks old!

First bottle from big brother

Meeting great grandma!