Last week

Grayson sits in a booster steat at our table now. He even learned how to use a fork recently. He can sometimes stab the food (or we help him), then brings it to his mouth. We are always amazed at how fast he is learning. He rarely throws his sippy cup on the floor anymore. He learned how to place it back on the table when he is done drinking from it.

Last weekend Grayson's favorite person was his Great Aunt Gay. He loved playing with her all day long. Here she is helping him practice walking. As you can see, he can multitask. He gets that from his mother. This weekend Grayson started walking on his own while we spent some time in MN. We're probably only a couple weeks away from him walking most of the time.

Grayson is getting taller. Here he is looking out the back bedroom window. He loves looking outside and we expect to spend a lot of time with him outdoors this spring/summer.

This reminds me of being at my Grandma and Grandpa Roos' house. Growing up there were 8 boys and 4 girls. Now there's 9 boys.

This picture shows Cael, Evan, Nate, Grayson and Chance playing together. If that isn't a group of trouble, I don't know what is.

Dale

With great sadness, Trina and I would like to let you know that Dale passed away on Saturday, March 19th. His family and friends celebrated his life at his visitation and funeral which were held on Monday and Tuesday. Dale will be greatly missed by everyone.

First Hair Cut

Last week Grayson had his first hair cut. His long hair reminded me of pictures of Grandpa Roos and Grandpa Bud when they were in high school. After I told Trina that he needed a hair cut every day for a couple of weeks, she finally agreed. And since she is the mom, she gets to decide these things. Trina told me to expect that he would cry and scream the entire time. I had more confidence that he would handle it well. Mostly because I didn't know that kids don't like getting their hair cut

Check out this face. Does this look like a boy that hates having his hair cut?

What a trooper! He almost looks like he doesn't notice what's happening.

What a cute kid!

When my parents came to Lisbon to watch the girls, we decided to rent a room at a CR hotel so we could go swimming. Left to Right

Grandma Roos, Grandpa Roos, Noelle, Alexa, Quinn, Grayson, Autumn, Reed, Paige and Tanner

Busy Two Months

Boy have we been busy the last two months! I am in my final semester of college again. There is no way I'm going back to school for a third time. This week I received a letter telling me that I passed my comprehensive exams. That was a huge relief for me. I spent the entire month of January working on my paper. I now have two classes left. One is a required course and the other is a course that I had the option of choosing. Graduation from Morningside College is May 14th in Sioux City. I've chosen not to attend the ceremony. Rather, I'm having my cap, gown and tassel sent to me for pictures. When I'm finished I will be able to say that I've received an advanced degree from a college I've never been to.

Trina spent the month at the bowling ally again. Bowl For Kids Sake had around twenty-three bowling shifts during the month of February. If you bumped into Trina during that time, you would have seen her in a green long sleeve t-shirt. I'm sure that she won't put that shirt on again for at least six months. Although she was sick of wearing the same thing to work everyday, she did like that laundry was getting done in a timely manor. Now that bowling is over, I can't see either of us doing laundry as often as he had last month.

During this same time, Trina also helped with Dale's benefit. Don't forget to check out that blog for more information or if you want to donate to a great cause.

Grayson has been getting closer to walking. Trina works with him on a regular basis. The best that he has done is about five steps before he gets to his destination or sits down. He still crawls very fast. I wouldn't be surprised if he still prefers to crawl in April.

He has also found a fun activity to play in the kitchen.

Here is a photo of Grayson at the water park in Des Moines in January.

Superbowl Sunday isn't just for adults. Grayson strapped on his helmet and was ready to play.

Grayson's tooth count is up to four. Want to see?Here he is at mall play area. Things are just soft enough that when he gets kicked over, he bounces back up.

This weekend Trina and I painted Grayson's room. Parts of it at least. If you have the book "The Hungry Little Caterpillar" by Eric Carle you will see this pattern on the opening page. We hid a caterpillar sticker on the top left side of the wall and a butterfly sticker on the top right side. Someday we will paint that line on the wall back to the original color... someday.