Buckroe Beach and the Capital

We have taken some very fun family trips together these last couple of weeks. We went to Washington D.C. a couple weekends ago as a last hurrah as just the three Shaws.

It was a total blast, and Graham really loved seeing the museums, especially the Natural History and Air and Space ones.

He also really loved running around on the mall and making new friends.

We had a wonderful time, and by the end of the day everyone felt as tired as Graham looks in this picture:

But, he recovered quickly!

We also went to the local beach, Buckroe Beach, and had an amazingly fun time. Graham was in heaven and I think we're in the process of making a beach bum.

Tonight I had an extended conversation with Graham about the arrival of his new brother soon. It started out as he sat up on my platform of a belly (it's a nice spot for him to ride!) while we walked to the playground. The conversation went like this:

-"Mommy, you're tummy's getting very big!"
-"Yes, it is isn't it? That's because the baby is getting big, he's going to be born soon. After the baby is born my tummy will get small again. What do you think about that?"
-"Oh." Contemplates this information quietly.
-"Are you excited for the baby to be born?"
-"Um, no."
-"Why not?"
-"Because the baby will cry."
-"Yes, the baby will cry sometimes, because he won't know how to talk. But we will love him and help him to feel better when he cries."
-"Like Baby Maya?"
-"That's right, just like baby Maya."

It's incredible to me how he can put things together. We haven't seen baby Maya since she was just over a week old, but seeing her parents lovingly attend to her when she cried obviously made an impression. He is a very sensitive soul, so I know the crying among other adjustments will be difficult for him. We're all in for a big change when the baby comes! Pray for us, especially Graham, in that transition.



We had to put this up because he was so proud that he achieved his first somersault! Yay!

In a couple days we'll put up a post about our trip to DC last weekend. We had a great time.

Funny Story

I had to share this funny story from Graham this afternoon. He picked up one of Jon's and my wedding photos and this commentary followed:
Graham: "Ah! Your Wedding Mommy!"
Me: "Yes, that's when Daddy and I got married".
Graham (seriously): "You're very beautiful"
Me: "Thank you Graham, that's very sweet of you to say!"
Graham (smiling): "Did you dance like a girl?"

I can only guess that he remembers what fun we had dancing at Brandon and Elizabeth's wedding. I'm not sure what it means to dance "like a girl", but I assume that's better than me dancing like a boy!

He's getting so excited about having a little brother. Yesterday he came up to my belly to give it his usual generous hugs and kisses, and lovingly, in a quiet voice said "Bebo [the name he's given the baby] you're getting so big! You're growing!". I can't wait to see how these brothers get to know each other!

I'll add a cute picture from Mother's Day last year just for fun. Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms!

Hope you are all well. We're enjoying Jon being done with classes although he still has several papers and his thesis to finish up. It's great to have a few more hours together as a family.

Love you all!

Getting closer to being a big brother...

Hello all!

I've been meaning to do another post for a while so I might as well just do it! My belly continues to grow and Graham is loving it, looking forward very much to being a big brother. He has named his baby brother "Bebo" and calls him that all the time. Each day he must have several opportunities to "Snuggle Bebo" which consists of a lot of hugging, kissing, and generally loving my belly. Although the other day my baby bump got in the way while we were trying to play a game and he politely asked "Mommy can you take belly off, please?" Not yet! A little less than 2 months (give or take a bit) to go!

Graham and I have both enjoyed the beautiful spring weather, spending lots of time at the sandbox and nearby playground where we have met lots of new friends. He is generally quite wonderful with other kids and loves to see them; if he sees anyone over at the playground he's yelling "Hey kids! What're you doing? I'm happy to see you!" While we walk over. His other favorite new game is hide-and-seek, which he thinks is just hilarious, and he loves to try to count to 10 while I hide.

We're both looking forward to spending a bit more time with Jonathan/Daddy once his classes are over next week, although he will still need to be doing lots of writing and other work. Hopefully we'll even get to the beach a few times as a family before our new addition arrives.

Hope all is well with you all- Much love!

More Graham stories!

Hello everyone!

We recently got back from a wonderful visit to see Manna, Granddaddy, Aunt Keely, Uncle Jovan, baby cousin Mia, and Aunt Emily. What fun! In spite of the long 10 hr drive each way Graham kept a (mostly) great attitude and was always ready to get back in the car to "go to Kentucky!" When we finally arrived Grandaddy was across the street at one of his gardens. We waved wildly and Graham called exuberantly "Hey Grandaddy! Hey! I'm happy to see you! Come back over to Kentucky!!"

We spent lots of time playing and enjoying being together, although Graham wasn't too sure at first about having to share his grandparents with a new baby. He was very sweet to Mia, though, and worried about her any time she cried. She is a beautiful little girl! Unfortunately we somehow managed to come away without any pictures of them together. We'll have to get some next time... She is truly precious. Keely and Jovan are great parents, and it's fun to see them enjoying their new daughter so much!

Graham just had a two year check up. Some results: he is 75th percentile height (almost 35 inches) and 50th percentile weight (26 pounds). He's doing great, and the doctor was very impressed with his language ability, although Graham immediately remembered where he was and put his hand on the stretcher and said "'Member this? I got a shot." And was thus nervous about the whole operation, but the doctor put him at ease.

And finally, Graham's a "modol mite" or a "noble knight" depending on the moment:

Graham's Birthday Blowout

I know it's been a month but

here's a little video from Graham 2nd birthday

Much love.

Belated Birthday Pics

Hello everyone! I promise that our delay in blogging about Graham's birthday and the surrounding time with Granddaddy has not been from a lack of desire to do so; we've been even busier than usual lately with Jon completely overloaded with projects at school, church, and work, plus working on a paper for a conference presentation in March. I'm continuing to work full time and trying to find time to keep our house together and cook at least an occasional healthy meal!

Graham has continued to go with the flow well and I think is enjoying being 2 yrs old. He (and we) had such fun while Granddaddy was here for a visit. We had lots of time playing outside, a meal at Chick-fil-a (a favorite of Graham's) and for Jon's birthday on the 28th we ate at a wonderful French Bistro in Williamsburg. Unfortunately Graham was starving and not in the mood to be wowed by the ambiance or menu choices. When the waitress came up to our table he immediately looked up at her and said, in a commanding tone, "I want FOOD". She kindly obliged very soon by bringing him some incredible soup and the best mac and cheese I've ever had. We had a party for Graham and Jon on Sunday night Jan 31 and I made him a special truck cake. He thought it was pretty awesome, and I'll get Jon to post a video of his response soon! We had a few friends over and had a very nice time. To both of the boys' delight the menu was sausages, fries, and a huge fruit salad as well as some hummus, salsa, and guacamole with chips/veggies. Fortunately they have a lot of overlap in foods that they like! We had a great time, and thanks to all of you for the books, cards, and gifts that you sent to both of the boys! Graham LOVED opening the gifts, and loves reading the books, playing with the trucks, "cooking" with the utensils and pots and pans, and adding appendages to his "'Tato Head".

We will also try to get a picture of my belly soon. We had our ultrasound last week and we have another boy on the way! We're excited, but now we have to decide on another boy's name...
I've also posted a picture of Graham the first night Dad was here; together they came up with the idea of trying on some of Granddaddy's tube sox, and the result is pretty funny. What fun we had!

Much love to all of you!