Going private

The Griner blog will go private on April 25th. Please let me know if you'd like access.

Hoppy Easter

Hoppy Easter from our little bunny to you.

Legally Bound

Yesterday we got a semi-important looking letter in the mail from the court house. Not, really understanding what it was I called our all knowing caseworker to translate. To our surprise the adoption is final, two months early!!! Jamis is now a legal Griner. I still can't believe it. I was never worried about having problems during finalization, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I can't even tell you how good it feels to have everything DONE. The best part is that we now can take him to the temple and have him sealed to us of all eternity. Not only is he legally ours on earth now, he is soon to be ours for all eternity. I always knew this, but to have it, is completely different. For the first time, I'd like to introduce you to Jamis Calvin GRINER!!!!!!
We went out to eat at Rucker John's to Celebrate. This is the restaurant we ate at the night Chrissy went into labor. Its now our special little celebration place.




Some more fun pics taken this week

So Sad
Jamis loves to have a ride
The ever present stream of drool
What a ham this kid is



Please let me stay, I'll be a good boy.

The Dirty Truth

Yesterday's Oprah was about the dirty truth of motherhood. It was fabulous and really got me thinking. I've wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember and spent the last several years trying to achieve that goal. Now that I'm here, I can honestly say its not entirely what I thought it would be. Its better, harder, smellier, wetter, and more scary. The mothers on the show talked about how no one really tells you the truth before actually becoming a mother. As mothers, or really women in general, we have perfected the art of putting on a smile when we want to scream. I know that women next to you looks like she does it all and is perfect, but guaranteed she is wanting to scream as well. There is no way to look like a model, make 3 perfect meals everyday, have a spotless house, flourishing garden, homemade bread, be an active PTA member, clean children, and pay the bills all while writing in your journal, doing your visiting teaching, family history, and making desert for that ward social. Some days just getting a shower is an accomplishment (and I only have ONE child). As women and mothers we need to develop a bond of no judgement. When I brought Jamis home, I felt like I was babysitting for the first couple of weeks. I would cry daily that I was an awful mother because I didn't feel like a mother. When Jamis would cry and cry for no reason, it took a very patient husband to convince me that just because he was crying didn't mean I failed at being a mother. The process of becoming a mother, I think is the hardest transition in life. We need to stop being so hard on our selves.
Motherhood is also quite humorous. On the show mothers from all over the country aired their dirty little secrets. Actually having a favorite child, not bathing their children for weeks at a time, feeding them candy bars for dinner, using paper towels for diapers, and my favorite peeing in a diaper for fear of pulling the car over and waking the child (I've honestly been tempted with that one). So in the spirit of bonding together in the real world of motherhood, its time to let our hair down and tell it like it is. Girls I want to hear your stories, I know you all have them. I confess that:
- When Jamis was a newborn people would comment on how good I look for just having a baby. My response was always, "thank you, I know." The looks I got were priceless, why tell them he was adopted.
- I only clean the house when I know someones coming over.
- I make dinner 1-2 times a week and when its gone we eat cold cereal and ramen.
- I only wear makeup and do my hair on Sundays

With all that said, I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be able to call myself a mommy. I truly love my little guy and all that he has brought to my life and look forward to many more confessions to come.

What a week

So its been a busy week, yet I feel I have very little to show for it (except of course for a plethora of Jamis pics). Spring is here and so is the pollen. One of the Wilmington wonders is the amazing amount of pollen that one city can produce. The first year we lived here I made the mistake of leaving all the windows in my house open. In no time at all my red couches were yellow, as well as my walls, white carpet, etc. The breeze looks like a yellow blanket flowing and after a rain there are rivers of gold flowing down the street. I tried following the yellow brick road down the neighborhood, but the Emerald City has yet to be found. Thank goodness we don't have allergies.

Here's our week in pictures:

Jamis loves his new shirt. Thanks Becky

We went with some friends to see Monsters vs Aliens and Jamis hasn't put down Ginormica since. Daddy says its cause she's hot.

I love my boys

Now I got a lot of slack for this outfit, but I think it is cute, maybe a little motherboyish, but cute. Devan is always telling me about what the pioneers had and didn't have. Well their little boys had bonnets. He still didn't go for the prairie look.

So my sweet baby has had some problems keeping all his food in his stomach lately. So I don't cry, I've decided to laugh at spilt milk.

In a moment of weakness, I let my sister in law talk me into running the St. George Marathon with her in October. So, I talked my mom, sister, and aunt into sharing in our pain, I mean adventure. I guess almost 5 years is long enough to forget about the absolute joy I felt while crossing the finish line. Pictures never forget though.

Yes these blisters look bad, but at least I didn't subject you to the picture where all my toe nails fell off. That's right you heard me. So gross. Who knew you could get the salon to put those fake gel nails on your toes. From gross to gorgeous.
Jamis is all ready for the training to begin.


And back by popular demand. The monthly sequence:

He is so wiggly now. I'm going to have to take the curtains down before he pulls them down.