Mizzou Football!

Football season is upon us and in the Francis household that means black and gold wearing Saturdays, fight song singing car rides, tailgates and cheering on our Tigers!  I love this time of year!  

Chowing down on some Subway on the way to Columbia.

On the way to tailgate! 

Zach got to come to the first game too!  Mizzou Tiger football and Zach!  Wow - dream day for our boys! 

Playing football with dad too!  #bestdayever

Opening kick off for the 2014 college football season!  

Nathan loves football and his "jersey."  He asks to wear it ev.ery. day.  I have to tell him you have to wait for Saturday.  Every morning..."Is today Saturday?"   I love his enthusiasm!  

Tyler has asked a LOT of questions about the rules of football and he understands now that the team gets 4 tries to go 10 yards...or the length between the "sticks."  It really is pretty impressive how into it he is and how much he gets.  He knows the difference between offense and defense.  He has already asked when he gets to play.  We tried to sign him up for flag football for 4-5 year olds but there were only a few other parents as crazy as we are...not enough for a team. :) 

Game #1 was a hot one and so after a bathroom break that dad took them on they came back with snow cones.  I swear, Dad is just so cool!  He always gets the fun treats.  :) 

It did cool them off and the snow cones were big enough that it took the whole second quarter for the boys to eat them.  

Tyler was a bit frustrated with a disappointing play. 

More snacks!  

Water - see, it wasn't all sugar! :) 

Nathan was asleep before we got out of the parking lot.  He was an awesome spectator. 

Thanks to Aunt Sandy for watching Grant while we enjoyed the Tigers victory in the first game of the season! 

Grandma said that the boys were so well behaved and had a great time at the first game that she offered to take the big boys back the Saturday before Tyler's birthday so I could stay at home and get things ready for the party without all my "help." 

Jersey Saturday with Grandma! 

I am pretty sure this may end up framed in our house...and maybe on a football senior night slideshow in 13-14 years or so. :) 

Back at home, I had this super cutie helping me get things ready for the big Power Ranger 5th Birthday Party!  

Rubber ended utensils to chew on and some pots to bang on - Grant was a happy camper.  

I was able to get SO MUCH DONE with only one child to care for.  It was amazing!  Thanks Mom and Sandy and Anna for taking the big boys to the game! 

Grant: 9 MONTHS and 10 MONTHS

 We have been so busy chasing this growing boy that I have neglected to keep up with his monthly blog post.  In an effort to catch up, months 9 and 10 are being combined. :)  

The photo looks like it says 3-15-14 but this was really taken on 8-15-14.  I suppose my chalk must have gotten wiped off there by a certain someone (suspect photographed).  This is the first I noticed it...obviously too late. 

It is getting impossible for me to photograph this child without him eating something during the photos. Grant had 7 teeth on his 9 month birthday - the four front teeth on the top and three on the bottom.  

So I must have noticed it because I seem to have fixed it the date for these photos.  

My prop revealed to get these giggles.

Showing off all those teeth!  I love this sweet face! 

Nine Month Milestones included:

• WALKING!  Yes, as much as we weren't ready for it, he was.  Our zone defense is in full effect now!  
• Formula only baby at this point!  I was not prepared to have 7 teeth (yowzers!) and him walking up to me to eat.  I just couldn't wrap my head around it and to be honest, I was ready to be finished.  Tyler nursed for 6 months, Nathan: 8 months and Grant: 9 months.  It really did get much easier with each kid and working from home made my pumping schedule SO much easier!  
• Grant cut out the dinner time nap around this point and takes a morning nap and another around 2:30-3pm.  
• Talking and pointing.  Grant started pointing to things much more frequently around the 9 month mark too.  He babbles and has a lot of inflection in his noises.  His most understandable word is still dada.  He will, when prompted, repeat mama but usually doesn't say it on it on.  

10 MONTHS!  

Grant was not pleased that I wanted him to sit.  I promise you if this sweet, sweet child is awake, he is on the move.  Wears. Me. Out.   whew

Playing peek-a-boo...

I don't know why the photo is crooked...probably due to my fast attempt to catch any photo before he dive bombs off the chair.  

Dive bomb in progress...

Plopped back in the chair...see he thinks it is a game.  

This one is sneaky like Nathan.

Clapping for himself! 

Mom, can we be finished please? 

So it wasn't our most successful monthly photo shoot. 

But aren't those big brown eyes just so sweet? 

Ten Month Milestones: 

• Dancing - I really need to get this on video.  Tyler, Nathan and Daddy we dancing one night and Grant just joined right in.  This is what happens when I clean up from dinner, hence why if you come to my house and find dishes still in the sink or things not completely picked up...I don't want to miss out on the fun.  Dishes can wait until the boys go to bed.  
• Fast walking / running up and down the hall to the boys' rooms chasing after Nathan most of the time.  There have been several face plants from his little legs not being able to keep up with the rest of him.  
• Clapping!  He will clap when you tell him to most of the time too.  
• Soooo BIG! Grant will raise at least one of his hands and make a high pitched squeal, most likely to mimick my "Sooooo big" pitch that I say when we play.  
• Peek-a-boo.  Have I mentioned that I love this age!  He is really getting so much so quickly and catches on to our games.  He likes it when I hide best but I can sometimes get him to cover his eyes too.  He also really likes to hid his ball under a blanket and pull the blanked off to reveal the ball - WOW!  Crazy amounts of fun! 
• Sleep has been a bit interrupted with molar teething pain.  I feel so sorry for the little guy.  I don't give him Tyenol every night and there are nights when he wakes up around midnight or so in some paid so he gets some then and 20 minutes later he is back out.  Two of his four 1 year molars have poked through the gums.  The other two are right there - I can feel them when I stick my fingers in his mouth.  Warning: do not try this unless you are prepared for him to bite down...and HARD!  Teething has also caused a lot of snot too. 
• Speaking of teeth - we have the front top 4 and the front bottom 4 and 2 of his one year molars have popped through too.  That is a total of 10 yes, ten! teeth.  
• Eating we cannot forget about the main focus of Grant's day - Grant eats pretty much whatever we eat: fruit bar, eggs, cereal, yogurt are common options for breakfast;  Lunch is usually a squeeze pouch of some baby food that combines a fruit and vegetable.  Grant is over my homemade baby food and the pouches are pretty easy to send to the sitter.  When we are at home, he gets cut up fruits and veggies and usually a cracker of some sort.  Dinner is whatever we are having - just torn or cut up enough for him it to be safe.   Our Parents as Teachers educator recently asked me if Grant was feeding himself.  Umm, yes, of course.  He is the third child.  It is a matter of survival.  

Whew!  I am caught up on Grant...for now.  Soon he will be 11 months old and then we will be celebrating his 1st birthday.  Where does time go and will someone please tell me how to pause it?   I sure do love watch my baby grow...just not so quickly.  :) 

First Day of Tumbling Teddy Bears

Tyler's first day in a new class at Little Rascals was on August 18.  He got to move to the Tumbling Teddy Bears class.  Tyler was pretty excited!  You can see his first day of preschool last year here. 

We love Little Rascals and Nathan really would love to go with Tyler to school (we are working on the potty training).  Nathan loves to go to Ms. Michelle's with Grant too.  So tough to be a middle child! 

Anyway, this post is about Tyler!  

Isn't he handsome?
This chalkboard frame is from my playroom gallery wall project I created recently.  I really need to finish so I can post a photo.  #somuchtodo  #solittletime

Nathan wanted to stand next to Tyler.  

Nathan sometimes gets a bit wet with unsupervised teeth brushing. It's just water! :) 

Here is my fun back to school wreath / craft project.  

Thanks, Pinterest! 

Tyler gets homework every Wednesday in Tumbling Teddy Bears and brings it home, sits down excited to complete it immediately and then asks me for extra reading homework.  The homework he gets is pretty easy for him.  I bought him a "chapter book" and he can read it but isn't as excited about it since it doesn't have photos.  Tyler's zest for learning is truly amazing and I hope his enthusiasm continues for a lifetime.  

That day after school, I also needed a photo of Tyler for his birthday invite (post coming...sometime hopefully sooner than later).

Of course, Nathan wanted in on the action.  I sure don't mind snapping a photo of this cute face. 

Tyler wanted a silly photo too! 

Cheese! 

I cannot believe that next year I will be posting about Tyler going to KINDERGARTEN!  What?!? How has he grown up so fast?  

We are so proud of Tyler and the young man he is becoming!