Merry Christmas!

I am still trying to figure out if Christmas is more fun as a kid, or with a kid!  Although Christmas was always very memorable growing up, and definitely the best day of the year, this Christmas was extra special. The obvious reason is because were able to enjoy it with our son who made the holiday even merrier than it already was.  Griffin ofcourse received many gifts from Santa and family.  His favorite by far though, was a tunnel from my parents.  He LOVES to crawl through it.  It’s also my favorite because it is QUIET and keeps him entertained :) I don't have many pictures to share from Christmas this year because Keith surprised me with a video camera.  If I ever learn how to post them, I will be sure to share!  I hope your day was as enjoyable and special as ours.  Merry Christmas and God Bless!!

Mountain Weekend with the Griffin's

Griffin Family Photo Shoot

This past weekend, my family made our first weekend trip to the mountains...ever!  This may surprise you, but my family is not very outdoorsy.  I have only become interested in the outdoors since I met Keith..and he never really gave me a choice about it.  I was excited about my family going on this trip together.  Our mountain condo was cozy and very 1970's ish...but absolutely perfect!  We spent Friday night playing games and reminising on the 'good old days'.  It was a blast! 




The boys at the bottom of the bridge

 On Saturday, we got up for a family photo shoot (I have included some pics for you to see).  Mom REALLY wanted to do one of those infamous shots where everyone wears black shirts and jeans.  I must say, they turned out great (well, except for the fact that we couldn't get Thomas and Griffin to look at the camera at the same time).  Keith really did an awesome job taking pictures!  After our glamour shots, we headed out for sight seeing and hiking.  Keith took us to a place called the stomp ground.  Apparently it was an old railroad tunnel that was never completed because of the civil war.  Talk about creepy!  Aftewards, we had a picnic and headed to a nearby park that had beautiful waterfalls and a suspension bridge.  The bridge was very cool...what wasn't so cool though was the 310 steps down to the bridge and then 310 steps back up!  I think my body is still recovering!  We finally made it back to the condo where we grilled steaks and had round 2 of drinks and games.  I enjoyed hanging out with the whole family, but I especially enjoyed my time with my brothers.  We rarely get to spend time together these days and it was nice to catch up with one another and joke around.  Things haven't really changed between the three of us. I know am very lucky to have such wonderful siblings!

The next morning, we enjoyed watching Griffin and Thomas play together.  It amazes everyone to see how much they have grown in such a short amount of time and how every time they get together, they seem closer and closer in age. 



Our Little Lumber Jacks

All in all, it was an unforgettable weekend.  I will cherish the memories we made there for a long time to come!  Can't wait til next year :)  



Halloween

 This past weekend, it was our turn to host our friends annual halloween party!  It was a lot of fun, and in my opinion, one of the best!  It was a great turn out! Here is a glimpse at some of this years guest! Thanks to all who came!  Can't wait til next year!

 



KJ as a Star Wars Character (sorry I don't know which one)



Little Thomas as Cow



Rice Gravy as Jose



Rice, Vic, and Keith the Carny





Kelley as a naughty police officer
and

Janet as a witch



Beth (Super Woman)
Jenn (bun in the oven)
My back (Carny)



Justin Davis as Mr. Chick-fil-a himself



Griffin and his Aunt Jennifer



And ofcourse, our little pumpkin, Griffin

Happy Halloween!!













Griffin is 6 months old!

This past week, Griffin turned 6 months old. 

It’s hard to believe that we have been parents for 6 months.

Changing diapers for 6 months.

Feeding and caring for something for 6 months.

And had our world turned upside down for 6 months! 

I have to say though, that these have been the best 6 months of my life!  He makes me laugh, cry, and love more than I ever thought I could!  At his 6 month check up, we learned that Griffin is in the 15th percentile for his weight.  This explains why clothes fall off of the little guy.  He is SKINNY!  He makes up for his weight with his length of 27.2 inches.  This puts him in the 70th percentile for length. Griffin has started to scoot, attempted to crawl, and has almost mastered sitting up.  He also got his very first tooth last week.  When he smiles, you can almost catch a glimpse of it every now and then.  Dr. Cope just started him on baby food and don't faint when I tell you this...but I started making my own!  I have had so much fun with it and never knew how easy (and inexpensive) it could be!  So far, I've mastered carrots, bananas, and zucchini.  Griffin sure does love it!  Hopefully with some solids in his diet, he will start to chunk up a little!  I'm sure he'll be crawling all over the place soon, but until then I am going to hold him for as long as I can.  He is the sweetest thing ever and makes me happier than I ever imagined I could be!

Happy Birthday Spencer!

Today, my little brother Spencer turned 22!  I know that may sound young to some of you...but to me, it sounds so old (for him, that is)!  I just want to start off by saying how awesome of a person he is.  He is a great brother, uncle, son, and student.  He makes good grades and good choices in life.  Its so hard for me to believe that he graduates December 13th from USC and enters the 'real world' with the rest of us.  Spencer, I just want you to know that I am proud of you and love you very much!! Happy Birthday!! :)

Griffin Goes Camping

You know how the story goes, like father, like son!  That proves to be true with Griffin and his Daddy!  This past weekend, we decieded to go on a family camping trip with just the three of us.  When the idea first came up, I immediately said no.  Then, after giving it some thought, I changed my mind and actually began to get a bit excited about.  Afterall, it had been well over a year since I had been camping.

Keith did all of the preperation.  My only job was to leave school ASAP so we could hit the road.  When we arrived at our campsite, we were blown away at how beautiful it was.  We were surrounded by lake keowee and the mountains.  We even had our own beach area.  After we got settled, Keith began cooking.  We didn't have hotdogs or hamburgers like you might be expecting.  Instead, we had fillet mignon and corn on the cob.  Hands down, the best steak I've ever had.  No lie!  After dinner Griffin went to bed.  Now you may be thinking "How can they be camping with a 5 month old in a tent?!"  But trust me when I say that he had a pretty sweet set up!  His pack and play fit perfectly by our air mattress.  Griffin slept better in the tent then he does at home.  Mom and Dad, not so much!  You forget how cramped it can get in a tent.

Anyways, the next morning we woke up, had breakfast, and prepared for our hike around Lake Keowee.  It was suppose to be a 4 mile trail.  After hiking though, Keith and I came to the conclusion that 4 miles must have meant one way!  Griffin LOVED hiking.  He was so amused by all of the sounds in the woods.  He actually even took quite a few naps while on his Daddy's back.  It was absolutely perfect...until Bailey got lost.  She was doing an awesome job leading the way on the trial until she caught a whiff of a nearby deer...or maybe a turkey.  Who knows!  Regardless of what it was, her jack russellness got the best of her!  Off she went!  She was missing for about a half hour when we decided to give up our hunt for her and head back to tell the park ranger to keep an out for her.  As we turned around to finish the hike, Bailey the super Jack Russell, came running over the hill.  I'm not sure who was more relieved, Bailey or us! 

Once our family was together again, we enjoyed a quick picnic and headed back down the trail.  Oh!  I think I failed to mention that I left the dog leashes at the top of the trail...this meant after our hike we had to go to FRED's (about 20 min away) to find a new one.  Keith wasn't very pleased, but on the bright side, atleast we needed a dog leash :)

After our visit to FREDS...and a quick stop at Arby's, we headed back to our site where we enjoyed a swim in the lake and then a nice relaxing night by the fire.

That night when we went to bed I found myself thinking about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband and such a sweet baby boy.  They both make my life complete.  This camping weekend was just what the three of us needed:  Rest, Relaxation, and Time Together :)

My Weekend

I have been looking forward to this weekend all week.  Not because I was doing anything fun or fancy, but because I was going to be able to spend it with my sweet baby boy, Griffin.  Keith left town on Friday for a bachelor party (camping ofcourse), and it was just me and my little man from then on.  We ended up not getting home until late on Friday, which meant that by the time we got settled, it was time to put Griffin to bed.  I got him ready like I always do, we read a story together, then I went to lay him in his crib.  On this night though, I just couldn't lay him down right yet.  I knew he was tired...and I was too, but part of me just wanted to hold him until he fell asleep (something I rarely do anymore).  So I sat in the rocking chair in his room and sang to him as he drifted off to sleep.  Looking down, it was almost unreal to me that my 'baby' had gotten so big in what seems like such a short amount of time.  The next day, we took our time getting ready and then ran some errands with gamma (my mom) and headed back home to get ready for cousin Thomas to come over while my brother and sister in law went to the USC game.  Thomas just turned a year old on September 3rd.  Watching Thomas and Griffin together on Saturday was definitely the highlight of my weekend.  It amazed me how much Griffin already adores Thomas.  Everywhere Thomas went, Griffin would want to go.  Now lucky for Thomas, Griffin can't really get around yet, but he would try his hardest to scoot and roll to wherever Thomas was. I had the best time with them!  Eventually, they both went to bed...atleast I thought.  As I walked down the hall a little later on, I saw Thomas sitting straight up in his crib.  He wasn't fussing or crying, but I had to pick him up.  I brought him to the couch with me where I held him until he drifted off to sleep again.  I was about to put him back in his crib but as I held him and thought about how little he use to be, I told myself to sit down and hold him some more while I was still able.  Watching a child grow definitely makes you think about life.  Growing up, time didn't seem to go as fast, but today watching my nephews, and now my own son, I am reminded how quickly time does fly and just how precious every moment we have here with the ones we love is.

Griffin Gets Baptized

This past Sunday, August 15th, Griffin Patrick Ancone was baptized.  The service took place at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, where we have been members since February.  I was a little nervous that morning because Griffin woke up bright and early as usual and didn't want to go down for a nap before church.  It was okay though because he surprised us all and was the happiest baby all day.  Guess God was looking out for us :)
The service was absolutely beautiful.  The Pastor included Keith and I in the ceremony, as well as my brother Thomas and his wife Jennifer, Griffin's God Parents.  The part that I thought was the most special was when I got to help pour water on Griffin's head.  He was all smiles the entire time and he looked adorable in his white outfit, that mom finally found online (baptism outfits for boys are harder to find than you think). After the service, we took some pictures of our family, chatted with some church members who are also close friends, and headed to the house for lunch.  Lunch was just as special as the service.  We do many family gatherings at our house, but on this day, it just seemed extra special.  Everyone pitched in to help get everything ready, Griffin and his cousin Thomas were on their best behavior, and it was just an overall good time.  When everyone left and Griffin went down for nap (finally), I sat and thought about how blessed we are to have such wonderful family and friends.  I know that Griffin will grow up surrounded by people who care for him more than  anything in the world, and that is a blessing all in itself!

Back to Work

This week was my very first week back at work since the end of March.  Even though I've been out for quite some time now, I have no idea where all the time went!  I mean, if I've been out since the end of March and I think the summer went by fast, then I really feel for the teachers who worked until the beginning of June.  The older I get, the more I realize how fast time flies.

Leaving Griffin with his sitter was not as hard as I thought...actually, I didn't leave him there at all.  I left him with Keith, who took Griffin to the sitter.  I was doing okay that morning, that is until I pulled into the parking lot of the school.  I got a little emotional as I turned off my car, grabbed my bags, and headed for my classroom.

Once I got inside my room though, my thoughts about Griffin drifted away because I was quickly reminded of how long I had really been gone. My mind started racing about what to do first.  I told myself to take a deep breath and to not worry because, as all you teachers know...it ALWAYS gets done! Even though it was a bit stressful, I enjoyed being back at work.  I missed my kindergarten team greatly.  I am very fortunate to teach with such great girls!  While it was good to be back, the closer it got to 3:00, the more anxious I got about going to get my sweet little boy.  I came to a stopping point, packed my things, and headed to Mrs. Kathy's to get Griffin.

When she opened the door, he was laying on the floor just a kicking away with a huge smile on this face.  This reassured me that he was FINE and in GREAT hands.  I couldn't help but pick him up right away!  That night when I put him to bed, I cried a little as I looked at how big he looked laying there in his crib.  He has grown so much in such a short amount of time...it breaks my heart to think about it!

So all in all, my first day back at work was a success!  I have a feeling its going to be a great year :)