Fun Wichita weekend

We had a great weekend here in Wichita as Brett and his girlfriend, Claire, came from Lawrence, and David and Kristen drove in from Ft. Worth. We all hung out, ate, did a little KU shopping, and enjoyed each others' company. Here are some pics!

Grayson loves when Uncle Brentley picks him up by his ears =)Brett and Claire
All the "kids" -- Kristen, Dave, Jerry, me, Grayson, Brett, Claire

David taught Grayson some football stances -- check out that position!
Brett joins the game and Grayson feels the need to be a little taller...The married couples =)Grayson had a WONDERFUL time this weekend, and so did we!! Thanks for coming, guys! We can't wait to see you again soon! And, Mom, thanks for sharing your great pictures! =)

Thoughts from the oldest child

Me: "For "show and tell" tomorrow, everyone gets to take a picture of their family to school."
Grayson: "I'm taking a picture of me and Mommy and Daddy and Zoe."
Me: "And how about taking a sonogram picture of the baby, too?"
Grayson: "Okay."
Me: "And what is the baby, Grayson?"
Grayson: "It's a baby brother. But, I didn't want one. I wanted a sister."
Me: "Well, whatever Jesus sends us is perfect for our family."
Grayson: "So can we have three kids then, Mom? Two brothers and a sister?"

I don't think I'll be getting pregnant again, so any donations of sisters would be greatly appreciated by Grayson. =)

KU football game

Yesterday we took a little day trip up to Lawrence for some fun shopping, eating, and of course, the KU football game. We met Uncle Brett and his girlfriend, Claire, at one of our favorite restauants on Mass St. called Ingredient. It is soooo yummy!! (They have an awesome spinach dip pizza...) Anyway, as we were finishing our lunch, a parade started down Mass. Apparently it was Band Day (as well as Parents' Day) and Grayson loved watching all the tubas head down the street. Here he is with his bird's eye view -- no pun intended! =)All I can say is the Hill has changed soooo much since I was a student at KU. Now there's TONS of people tailgating, lots of tents with food and drinks, and even a huge area for the kids. Check out these Jayhawk inflatables!
Grayson just finished the inflatable obstacle course, with Nana in tow!
Now that's the biggest Jayhawk I've ever seen!
Finally, we made it to the game. There was a guy making balloons in the shape of Jayhawks, so we had to get one of those, too. We enjoyed an oh so healthy dinner of soft pretzels with cheese and popcorn at the stadium. Yum! We had a great time!
And, according to the rankings, the Jayhawks are still in the Top 25 -- number 18 to be exact. Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!

Oh, that 8 year gap...

I called my 22 year old brother, Brett, who is a 5th year senior at KU, this morning to chat. We talked for awhile, and then he asked me what Grayson and I were going to do today. I told him that we were headed to the library for storytime, then were going to pick up some lunch, and then meet some friends for a picnic and playing at the park.

He said: "Geez, Julie. You live, like the most domesticated life of anyone I know."

I asked him, "Well, what do you expect for a stay-at-home mom?"

He didn't really have an answer... The more I thought about it, I guess the more my life probably does seem awfully strange to a college senior. But, then on the flip side, sleeping in until 9 or 10am, going to a class or two each day, and staying up past midnight is pretty foreign to me right now, too! =)

I guess that's what you get when there's an 8 year difference between the older sister and younger brother.

Another 3 1/2 year old conversation...

(Preface) Grayson's most favorite Bible story right now is about David and Goliath. He knows a song about them, has a video about them, and has a book about them, too. So...

Grayson: "Mom, was Goliath mean?"
Me: "Yes, he was. He was one of the bad guys."
Grayson: "Didn't David hit Goliath?"
Me: "Yes, he hit him in the head with a stone."
Grayson: "So, Goliath was an uncle. Right, Mom?"

Since Uncle Dave and Uncle Brentley have accustomed Grayson to their "You can only hit uncles" rule, they have now been successfully compared to Goliath. Better watch out for stones and slingshots from the little guy. =)

Any suggestions?

Next week is a huge consignment sale that is full of kids' clothes and baby items. Now that I know that we have a little boy on the way, I went through ALL of Grayson's clothes (awww... sweet memories) and picked out the ones I wanted to keep and then the ones I wanted to sell. I have been busy tagging and pinning clothes to their hangers, and the Type-A personality in me is absolutely thrilled about getting rid of something. Lessening the storage. Pitching the clutter. I just love it.

But, I also got to thinking about what I might possibly need (or just want) from the sale. I love baby clothes, so I'm sure I'll find a few things that I can't resist. But, I have a few questions on baby equipment:

What did you all do with your little one(s) in those first few weeks of their newborn life? We put Grayson in his crib from day 1, and when he would wake up or need to be fed or nursed, I would get up from our bed and stumble down the hall to his room. I fed him and then put him back to bed. BUT -- would a bassinette be easier?? We do have a Pack & Play, but it does not really fit in our room (if we still want to be able to get in the dresser or open our closets). Did any of you use a bassinette in your roon, and would you recommend it?

And, lastly, those Bumbo seats weren't even invented when Grayson was a baby. Are they worth a consignment sale purchase? Or do you just use them for a month or two and then they collect dust? I'd love your input!

It's a Boy!!

We had an exciting day! We found out the sex of Baby Anderson... HE is a BOY! Grayson is going to be a big brother to a new little brother. We are excited and grateful for this new little life. Our sweet neighbor was able to do a sonogram for us today, and he said he was 100% sure that it was a boy! =)Already showing his "stuff"
A neat picture of his arm -- just at 16 weeks along
If you can see it, the baby is sucking his thumb.
So, Jerry had a great idea that we should go out to dinner to celebrate with Nana and Gramps, and Jerry suggested Two Brothers BBQ because there are now two brothers in our family! Cute idea, Jerry!!
No better way to celebrate than with some yummy food! Oh and by the way, I would love some suggestions for cute boy names. Please -- anything that you've heard of and like -- I'm up for it! It of course needs to be compatible with Anderson, and hopefully sound good when paired with Grayson, too. My current faves are (in no particular order): Hayden, Elliott, and Chase. Please leave suggestions in the comments section. Thanks =)