Rhys' 3rd Birthday

Yesterday, Rhys turned 3 years old! It was both a very fun day and a sad day. He has been going to a class called "Early Intervention" for the past year to help him with his talking and over all development. He has LOVED going, but the kids can only go until they turn 3. So, yesterday was his last day of class because he is now 3 and can't go anymore. He was VERY happy to get to go on his Birthday, but was sad to say good-bye. We were able to get a picture of Rhys with his teacher, Ms. Colette. They sang "Happy Birthday" to him and gave all the kids cookies. He even got a little crown that the class made for him. As a "Graduating" present they gave him a little yellow smiley face ball wearing a Graduation hat. It was really cute, and one of the only ways we could get Rhys to stop crying when it was time to leave. Luckily, the school is having a "Spring Party" tomorrow and they are insisting that Rhys gets to go.. so its not over just yet.

Since all of Rhys' friends are gone for the summer, we didn't have a party. But, we wanted to do something fun for him. Rhys loves to play on slides of any kind, so we took him to lunch at McDonald's and let him just play on the indoor playground a while. Since it was not quite noon yet, he had the whole place to himself and it made it even more fun for Steven and me to watch him play. He didn't even put up a fight when it was time for us to leave.. which makes me want to take him back again that much sooner.

When we got home from McDonald's it was time for Rhys to open his presents. He had a very big pile and he was excited to dig in. He got lots of new clothes, some Spiderman sandals and big boy underwear, some books, a few spiderman action figures, 2 new board games, a puzzle, a gift card so he can go pick out his own toys, and a Spiderman water doodle book. It was quite the haul for a little boy, and he was very happy to get it. His favorite were the doodle book (We had a hard time getting him to finish opening his presents at first because he wouldn't put it down), his puzzle, and his Pokemon book. We even had to take them with us to dinner.

After Rhys opened up presents his Uncle Evan and Aunt Leslie came over to celebrate with him a little bit. Rhys got to show off all of his new loot, and he even convinced them to play both of his new games with him. It was very fun, although Rhys and I are convinced that they cheat since Evan won one game, and Leslie won the other. =) They ended up coming with us to Denny's to have some of Rhys' favorite food. He absolutely LOVES breakfast and was very excited to eat pancakes, eggs, and sausage for dinner. He was a very good boy at dinner.. even when he has his Daddy being a bad influence. (Steven taught him how to blow the wrapper off of the straws)

After Dinner it was time to go have some cake. It was just a homemade cake with chocolate frosting, but Rhys was very excited about it. He got his 3 candles and when we lit them he blew them out before we could sing. So, we lit them again and he let us sing to him this time. He was adorable and was smiling the whole time. He wasn't able to blow the candles out quite as fast the second time but he eventually got it. We cut him a piece but he immediately objected and pointed to his name. He wanted the "R" from Rhys, so we had to cut him a new piece. I was just excited that he actually said "R".

All in all it was a great day!

Mother's Day

I had one of the best Mother's Day ever! First, Rhys was really quiet in the morning so that Steven and I were able to sleep in together. Then he must have known there was something special about yesterday because he was extra affectionate and was constantly giving me hugs and kisses, which I loved.

Rhys was really good during Church and we didn't have to take him out in the foyer once. In the nursery they had him make me a little coupon book that was adorable. My favorite coupon said its good for 10 hugs.

After Church Steven had Rhys give me my present. He wished me Happy Mother's Day and everything. Steven said he picked it out all by himself. I got Buffy Season 6 and Ever After on DVD. It was very sweet of Rhys.

One of the best presents Rhys gave me though, was a nap. Rhys hasn't taken a nap in WEEKS, even though we always put him in his room to try and get him to take one. But, yesterday he actually fell asleep, so I got to take a tiny nap without feeling guilty too. It was very nice.

Steven made me Homemade Lasagna for dinner, so it was really nice not having to cook. He also baked a frozen pie all by himself. =) Actually, Steven really is an excellent cook, and if I had wanted him to he would have made me Creme Brulee... his is the BEST!

But, after all of that my FAVORITE part of the day was the call we got from a guy named Mark who wanted to buy our Washer and Dryer. Well, not OUR Washer and Dryer, but Kimmie and Shane's. They let us use them for 2 and a half years since we had the hook ups for them, but when we moved we couldn't use them anymore. So, instead of Kimmie and Shane hauling them back to Portland they decided to just sale them. But, while we were waiting for them to sale they were sitting in our Living room. Not really getting in the way.. but still there. So, it was a VERY pleasant surprise when we got a call Mother's day Morning after over a month of having no requests. Not only did the guy want them, but he wanted them that very day. So, my Mother's Day ended with the Washer and Dryer leaving my Living room. Plus, now I get to send Kimmie and Shane a check , which also makes me very happy. They are the best and we will be forever grateful to them for letting us use them in the first place. We love you guys!

So, all in all it was a VERY nice day and just makes me wish that EVERY day was celebrated like Mother's Day. =)

Its fun to have boys to watch!

So, since Steven was laid off in November and didn't have a play he was in this semester he had a lot more free time on his hands then we were used to. One of the things he got into was painting his models for one of his role playing games that he enjoys playing. Rhys will normally just sit there and watch him paint, or he will pick out colors he thinks Steven should be using. But, after a while that wasn't enough for Rhys and he wanted to paint to. So, Steven found one of his figures that he wasn't going to play with and helped Rhys to paint it all on his own. It was really cute to watch and Rhys was very happy to get to do something with Daddy.

On another note, Steven was finally able to find a job in this horrible economy right now and actually started today. Its not much, just minimum wage and about 8-10 hours a week, but since our Unemployment had JUST run out it is a HUGE blessing. Plus, he gets to work at a Game store, which is pretty much a second home for him. =)

While I am THRILLED that he is working, I am really going to miss him being home with us so much. I have to say that I was definitely getting spoiled having him home so much with us. I think it definitely helped get me through those first months of pregnancy too. Its nice knowing that you've got the help right there when you need it.

I guess I just need to remember to "Count my blessings" and enjoy the moments that I can. =)

Ultrasound!

Earlier this week we were able to go get a 3D ultrasound done of Gavin. The pictures are amazing and you can already tell that he will look like Rhys.

Rhys got to go with us to see it and he was enthrolled with the screen. Whenever you could tell that there was a baby on the screen he would point and say "Baby!" It was really sweet and I hope he gets just as excited when Gavin is actually there in person.

Meet the Grawrocks!

So, I've been postponing making a blog because I am not creative and I didn't want it to be totally stupid. But now a lot of people we know have one, so its time to jump on the bandwagon.

Steven and I live in Cedar City, UT with our almost 3 year old son Rhys. We have another little boy to be named Gavin, that is due in August. Our lives basically revolve around Steven and his acting opportunities. He is currently a Student at SUU studying for a BFA in Classical Acting. He has one more year left and then its off to Grad School.. so who knows where we will end up.

Living in Cedar has been great for Steven because he's had opportunities to work at the Shakespeare Festival here over the Summer's so he can make a good impression and hopefully one day get to Act in it as well.

I spend my days taking care of Rhys. So far we have been fortunate enough that I have been able to be a stay at home mom, and we really hope to be able to keep it that way. When I'm not taking care of Rhys, or watching Steven act, I am usually reading, scrapbooking, or watching T.V. I know.. my life is exciting.

Rhys is growing up really fast and I can't believe how much of a little person he is now. He was having trouble learning to talk so he was enrolled in a "Early Intervention" Class this year. He gets to go twice a week and he loves it. It has been a HUGE help to him and he will be sad when he has to stop going in 3 weeks because he will turn 3. We are hoping to get him enrolled in Preschool next Fall to help him continue to develop his speech, but we won't know for a few more weeks if he gets to go.

Well, that's our lives so far and we look forward to getting to share it with everybody!