Tia's House

Our beautiful niece Audri Mei turned eight and chose to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She invited us to come to her baptism.  Tyler was asked to give a talk and she asked me to lead the music.  We wanted to be part of this occassion and have the opportunity to see all of our family, so we made arrangements to drive to Oregon.
We drove all day Thursday.  Greyson was a champ and really did well in the car, but we were all happy to get to the Kato's house and not be driving anymore.  Tyler's parents had flown in earlier that week so we visited for a bit, enjoyed some birthday cake, and hit the sack.
Friday, Tyler's sister Ashley and brother-in-law Kendall flew in, and we all went to the trail marker for the Oregon Trail.  It was a really great place for kids--they dressed up, colored, made teepees (or hats), and Brayden & Audri even dipped their own candles!  Greyson and Ian then ran and ran and ran and chased each other and ran some more.  Between the two of them, they probably fell 20+ times in the uneven grass.  It was entertaining to say the least.  We had lunch at Five Guys and spent the evening hanging out as a family.

Kenna smiling and Tyler serious

Audri as a pioneer

Selena and Tyler with their "pioneer" faces

Brayden, Greyson and Audri crafting

Greyson and Ian eating cakies

Audri and Brayden's candle making

Ian lookin' good in his hat

RUN!

RUN FASTER!

Saturday we played and prepped for Audri's baptism.  Tyler was the luckiest and had a tooth extracted.  (It's always good to have a dentist in the family!)  Finally it was time for Audri to get baptised.  It was a really great experience and the Holy Ghost was strong.  Audri made an awesome decision and we were so happy for her.  We had a delicious dinner afterwards with all of Audri's family and friends.  Later we treated ourselves to ice cream to celebrate Audri and her baptism!

The Kato Clan

Bellies

The Quong Dynasty

On Sunday we went to church and just spent time together as a family.  The weather in Oregon was beautiful so we were lucky to enjoy it.  It's just nice to be around family that you rarely get to see.  It was a blessing that we all got to be there. 

Audri swinging like a monkey in a tree

Uncle Jeremy helping G

Cousin bath

The interaction between Greyson and Ian was both amusing and annoying.  They are six weeks apart and still learning to share.  It didn't matter what toy one was playing with, the other one wanted it.  Chugginton trains were the most-valued, but pretty much everything became a conquest.
Monday we drove home, so it was a short trip.  Greyson was sad to leave "Tia's house" and asked to go back at least a hundred times.  We were so grateful for the opportunity to be part of Audri's baptism and see our family that we love!

The whole fam!

My Happiness

Last night was a good night.  Tyler unexpectedly didn't have to work so we got to spend the evening as a family.  We decided to go downtown to City Creek to check out the new shops and buildings.  It was nice out so we wandered around.  Greyson loved the fountains and wanted to swim.  We went to the Disney store and that lucky little boy got Red the firetruck from Cars.  We watched the "choo choos" (Trax) go by and went on the escalators.  Dinner was Chinese food in the food court.  While we ate, it started raining so we had to sprint through the unconvered sections to make it back to our car.  On the way home, we all sang the zoo song together and looked for lightning.

Reaching in!

I felt really happy.  I was thinking through the events of the night and wondering what it was that made me so happy.  And I realized it was the little things--Greyson's excitement to see the fountains, watching Tyler and Greyson interact and seeing what a good dad Tyler is, little eyes that lit up when we went in the Disney store, holding hands, laughing as we ran through the rain, the look on G's face when he got his new firetruck and then drove it everywhere while we tried to eat dinner, sharing really delicious bites of Chinese food, opening up fortune cookies and sharing them, listening to Greyson jabber in the backseat, pointing out the horse carriages so he could see them, watching G run (it's comical), the mutual understanding Tyler and I shared when we knew we wanted to get Greyson a new toy, and just being together as a family.

I love Tyler's smile in this

This morning I was still thinking about what a good night we had, and I started making a mental list of all the little things that bring me happiness.  And I wanted to record them as a reminder to myself, and as a way to count my blessings.  I don't think happiness comes in large packages (at least not consistently) so it helps to see the little things that create happiness and dwell on those.  Here is some of my happiness:
When Tyler holds me and I melt into him.
When I say, "I love you Greyson" and he answers, "I love you mama".
An unexpected kiss from either of my boys.
A compliment from a friend.
A compliment from a stranger.
Hitting green lights (especially the one off the exit at work--it's always red!).
Good hair days.
A clean house (even if I was the one to clean it).
Holding hands with either of my boys.
A feeling of accomplishment.
Tyler's thoughtfulness (this encompasses so much).
New clothes or shoes and having someone notice.
A better price than expected.
Surprises.
When Tyler gets home early from work.
When Greyson says, "hold you" and I can.
Eating out.
Cuddling with my honey.
Watching Ty and G wrestle and monkey around.
Being the "safe" mama that Greyson can escape to from daddy.
Feeling this little baby wiggle and move and push around in my belly.
A sincere thank you.
Hugs.
Knowing how incredibly blessed I am.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Favorite truck jamis

We were sitting on the couch, and Greyson walks up to Tyler and whispers in his ear and then starts laughing.  Then he walks over to me and tells me a gibberish secret, and again starts laughing.  Tyler and I are cracking up at him and he realizes that he's being funny, so he goes back and forth between the two of us telling us secrets and then laughing at whatever he said.  Those secrets will remain secrets though because we could not figure out what he was saying.


Daddy & Greyson

Recently, Greyson started referring to me as "the mama".  He got out his tool set and said, "Need to fix the mama" and then plucked at my clothes with some pliers.  "Tickle the mama."  "Get the mama."  "Need the mama."

Mama & Greyson

We had just gotten home from church and Greyson asked, "Daddy work?"  Tyler responded and told him that he was not going to work and asked, "Greyson work?"  Greyson said yes, so Tyler asked him where he works.  He answered simply, "zoo."

Reeses are delicious

We can't get enough tickling at our house!  G is a tickling FIEND.  He tickles everyone and everything--I've seen him tickle the couch, my phone, the toilet, his toys, everything.  It's also his mark of acceptance.  If he loves you, he will tickle you.  And his tickling is accompanied by him saying, "ticka-ticka-ticka-tah!"

G and I did 4 weeks of Parent-Tot swim lessons.  He did really well, but he shivered almost the whole time every time.  Poor boy!

For about a week straight, Greyson watched Monsters, Inc. every single day.  And he would really watch it; it wasn't just background while playing.  Part of it is because he gets to watch it on his own personal screen--the pad (more commonly known as an iPad).  Watching movies on the pad is way better than on the TV!  Anyway, last year when we went to Disneyland we got our picture taken with Sully.  Tyler got the picture out to show Greyson that he, mom, and dad were next to a monster.  We thought he would really like to see it and be excited about it.  Greyson looked at it, shrugged his shoulder, muttered a disinterested, "huh" and went back to his movie!

California Adventures 2011 with Sully

I thought Greyson was a counting genius.  He's had 1 and 2 down for awhile (more like, "2...1...go!!") and occassionally three, but that was about it.  I heard Greyson counting at the grocery store, "6, 7, 8" and I was so impressed by my little boy!  But in reality, we're still missing a few numbers.  Greyson counts, "1, 2, 6, 7,8".  It's a work in progress.

Big boy bed!

Our kind neighbors let Greyson jump on their tramp and play on their swingset, and Greyson basically thinks their backyard is his backyard.  He loves to jump on the couch, bed, floor, over cracks in the cement, over toys, on top of toys, when he is excited or happy, or for no reason at all.  So their tramp is heaven to him.  He doesn't get tired of jumping either; he just wants to jump all the time.  One day he was jumping on their tramp and asked if mama wanted to "jump tamp".  I explained that I was too big and couldn't because of the baby in my tummy.  He looked at me and said, "Big mama?"  Good thing I love that boy.

Blue delight

A Parenting Achievement

Since Greyson was a tiny baby, he has not been a good sleeper.  We struggled and struggled with getting him to go to sleep, and then with getting him to stay asleep for more than 45 minutes.  Every kid has their "thing", and Greyson's was sleeping.
I remember when he was still really little (maybe 3 or 4 months old) and Tyler was working in Sandy at 6 am so he got up at 4:30 to be to work, and I got up at 5:30 in order to have both of us ready, fed, to the babysitter grandma's house and to work by 8.  That little boy would NOT go to bed before midnight.  I tried everything, but it was a fight every single night.  I would dread putting him down for a nap or for the night because it was just miserable.  So much time was spent trying to convince that little man to sleep by very exhausted parents. 
There have been improvements and things have gotten much better since he was a baby, but we used to have to lie down with him until he fell asleep for naps, and we'd have to stay in his room until he fell asleep at night (which was sometimes 10 minutes and sometimes 50).  He finally got to the point where he would take naps by himself, and I knew something had to change at night so I wasn't spending an hour waiting for him to fall asleep every night.  After about a week of him crying and crying and me being the mean mom, Greyson will go to sleep by himself in his crib.  It is nothing short of a miracle! 
Bedtime is not the worst part of the night anymore.  We have our routine and he might hang out and talk for a bit in his crib, but he goes to sleep by himself.  I don't have to stay in his room or rock him or adjust his blankets every time he moves.  I feel like I have gained so much time at night because it's so much less effort to put him to bed!
Any parent can understand this is truly an achievement. :)

Hamburger or Hot Dog?

20 weeks.  It was time.
We had our ultrasound for Baby Q on January 18th.  I was both excited and nervous.  The tech examined this baby from head to toe (healthy! healthy!), leaving the best for last.  Then we caught a glimpse of some little legs.  And a hot dog.
Baby Quong is a BOY!!!

Hot dog shot

I was, well, shocked.  There's no question about it--he's a boy--but I truly believed this baby was a girl.  And honestly, that's what I wanted and that's what I thought so I was completely surprised to find out I was dead wrong.  Of course I am happy to be blessed with a baby and of course I want any kind I get.  I think G and new baby will be best buds and I love that idea.  We do have a lot of boy stuff already, but they will be born in opposite seasons so clothes-sharing won't work out so well until they're older.  It will be wonderful to have another little man in our lives.  And Greyson is so stinkin cute, this baby is bound to be completely adorable.

Left foot (on left side of pic)

Right arm and hand (top of pic)

Profile of our little man

Bring on the football team.

 20 weeks

Sweet little nothings

Best smile

Greyson was asking for cake and I told him he couldn't have any because I was making dinner.  I decided to make muffins and I got the muffin tin out of the cupboard.  Greyson saw it, yelled, "Cakies!" and started jumping up and down shouting, "Yay!  Yay!  Yay!  Yay!  Yay!"

Sometimes he won't eat dinner, but his cars will!

At Ashley and Kendall's house, we were all sitting in the basement watching TV.  Greyson went upstairs (it's a split level so we could kind of see him still) and climbed up on the piano bench.  He started playing piano and singing to his heart's content and to our great delight.  He entertained himself for a good five or ten minutes.

Car love

G probably learns at least one new word a day.  I am so impressed by how smart he is.  He tries to repeat what we say.  I heard him say "Woody" for the first time (he's already got Buzz down pat).  I was pulling food out of the fridge for dinner one night and said, "and we need the pickles" and Greyson copied me and said, "pick-le?"  He knows how to say colors (blue, red, green, yellow, orange, brown, white, black, pink) but still has a little trouble distinguishing which color is which.  He says "please" like "peas".  He says thank you without us reminding or asking him to.  It's kind of a "ank oo" but we know what he means.  Horse sounds like "herse" and helicopter is "copper".  When he wants you to hold him he says, "hold you".  Nose is "news" and because snow kind of sounds like nose, it's also "news".  His favorite Cars are "Mer" and "McCean". 

Shaving like daddy

A few weeks ago we were shopping at Kohl's.  Greyson heard a baby crying and he turns to me and says, "Baby?  Sad?" and then talked about this "sad baby" for the rest of the night.  The next day he remembered the sad baby and started talking about it again.  Now, even weeks later, we still have talks about the sad baby.  If you ask him what a sad baby says, he leans his head back and says, "waaaaaaa" with a sad look on his face.

Cuddled up

I was changing Greyson's diaper and gave him a dinosaur to keep him entertained.  He was playing with the dino on his tummy and I said, "Dinosaur, you do not bite Greyson's buttons!  Don't bite the buttons!" Greyson thought I was scolding him and burst into tears!  I felt so bad!  It was the funniest and saddest thing!

G and Mom

Cookies

Sometimes when are baking sugar cookies, we get so hungry that we go from this:

To this: