Grant-isms

I have to write about my little Grant today, because as much as he can challenge every ounce of my being, he also has such an innocence to him that I don't want to wish away.
The other day as we stopped at the store to run and in get "1" quick thing, he insisted on going in with daddy. Therefore a 2 minute trip, was now going to be a 15minute trip, thanks to unbuckling and buckling the seat belt and little footsteps versus fast big ones! Not to mention the conversation that he was bound to initiate about God knows what. But as I watched him so eagerly take daddy's hand it occurred to me how very little he still is. I think that with a family our size the younger ones start to follow after the older ones and sometimes we take for granted the preciousness of their age. They seem to grow up quicker because they are constantly trying to do what the "big brothers" are doing.

Now that our family is complete, I am amazed at how fast time flies. I am determined to keep the little ones little for as long as I can. I have also decided that I am not going to correct his "Grant-sim's" as I call them, because soon enough he will figure out that he is mis-pronouncing words and then they won't be his cute little words anymore. Some of my favorites are "headick" for headache, which I am sure he has never had, but he will on occasion tell me that I am giving him one. Another is "eye-bra" for eyebrow, and my personal all time favorite Grant phrase lately is when he tells me that he has made a bad choice because he is "frustred", of course that is frustrated, but when I asked him if he knows what frustrated means, he replies "Well if you tell me, then I will know for next time."

Another thing I have chosen to let go are the wardrobe choices. He has a real interest in dressing himself. Most days we have a nice stripe on top and perhaps a plaid on the bottom. Or other days we might have a white tank top on top with Batman boxers on bottom. And it would not be uncommon to have some sort of cape or costume accessory somewhere in the mix as well. I almost like it when we are out and someone asks him if he dressed himself, because he is so proud to say "Yup", having no clue why they would ask such a silly question...

As much as I am not looking forward to summer coming to an end, and the boys all heading to school, I am looking forward to some one on one with the littlest Sandstedt's at home during the day.

Above is a picture of Grant as we went through the car wash. He asked to sit in the front and sat in awe the entire 5 minutes! It captures life in the eyes of a 4 year old.

Ella's 1st birthday!

We were thrilled to have friends and family with us to celebrate Ella's 1 st birthday! In some ways it is hard to believe that she is one year old already, but on the other hand, it is hard to remember what our family was like before her! She has been such a content, happy baby, even in the newborn days. She is a true delight! One of my favorite moments is when I wake to hear her babbling from her crib. She always greet us with a HUGE good morning smile....what an awesome way to start any day! We feel so blessed to have been given this "gift" to complete our family!
We are excited to see her change and grow over the next few months. Although she is not walking at this point, we expect that to be in the near future. She is pushing toys, baskets, and even her highchair all over the house. She has also started standing alone for a few moments too! Her vocabulary has increased, and she now says "Hi", "Bye", and "Door", (which we believe is "Dora"). She loves to look at books, play peek-a-boo, and climb stairs (this new trick proves to be a bit challenging for mom!) She also LOVES music! She shakes her head from side to side and bounces up and down. I must say that daddy is responsible for all her awesome dance moves...and he is quite proud to show them off!


Upcoming event in Ella's little world...
~First trip to Alcona County over Labor Day!

Stay tuned for walking updates.....

Ella's 1st birthday!

July parties!

Nate and I had a lot of fun celebrating with friends and family over the past few weeks! We were thrilled to witness the Sagmoe and Crowell weddings and we also had an awesome time at the 40th birthday celebration of our friend Bridget. Good times....

Miss Ella is 11 months old today!

I had to write a post today, because I can't believe that our baby girl is so close to her 1st birthday! She turned 11 months old today and boy does it show. She is quickly approaching toddler hood. She is all over the place! She crawls up, down and even inside things. She is cruising the furniture and even getting brave and will let go for a few seconds. She recently got a new baby doll stroller push toy and is having a lot of fun pushing it around the house. She is not to interested in the baby doll though, as we find it thrown in the corner or she is chewing on it!

Some new accomplishments this past month were learning to say: Mom (very clear), go, baba (we think that is bye-bye), and "yeah" when she claps her hands. She has also mastered doing "so-big", shaking her head no, and waving! It is so fun to have her do her tricks. Although when all the boys start asking her she gets confused and will mix them up! She also loves any type of ball, and giggles when she sees Dora the Explorer. Very cute....

I can't help but think back to this time last year when I had a high risk pregnancy and was in and out of the doctors office for tests and having to count fetal kicks....how stressful! I am so thankful that she arrived safely and our family has been so blessed by her addition.

Coming up soon for Ella....HER 1st birthday!

I tried to get a picture of Ella to post today, but she would not sit still! So I thought it made sense to capture that!

Miss Ella 11 months