Introducing Grady Joseph

Grady Joseph Rosenberg

August 3, 2012 7:45 am

6 lbs 13 oz, 20 inches

As sweet as can be!!

We are so excited to have Grady home and part of our family.  He is such a sweet baby and as long as his tummy is full and his diaper is dry he is happy and content! 

We are all LOVING this little boy so much.  I can't imagine our family without him in it.  Noah is adjusting well, for the most part.  He loves popping the binki into Grady's mouth the second he hear's him begin to get upset and loves rubbing his head....i'm going to blame Noah if he loses his hair or is the first kindergartener to take his binki with him because of his addiction-haha!  With pre-school starting again tomorrow, I think it will help Noah with his adjustment even more.  It's been a boring month for him staying home so much, which we aren't used to doing, but it's been nice for me adjusting to life with two kids.  

We are blessed and feel so fortunate for amazing family and friends who have helped out so much, had Noah over to play, dropped food off and called to check in on us.  

Thanks to everyone from the bottom of our hearts!  You have made our transition so much easier and we are truly indebted to you for it!

The Countdown is on!

It's Sunday morning, 8:26 to be exact.  Both my boys are still asleep and that's a-ok with me!  I love Sunday's that are quiet with no meetings and just being able to enjoy my little family.

All too soon that will change.  I will still be able to enjoy them, I will just have a newborn in less than 3 weeks or 19 days to be exact, and the hustle and bustle that will come with him.  

We are ready for our little guy to arrive.  The nursery is ready, arrangements for Noah are in place, my Church calling is going to to covered and the dog...well he's on his own!  Just kidding, but definitely mixed emotions are being felt by all of us. 

I'm nervous and anxious, but very much excited.  I'm worried I won't be able to handle two kids!  Noah is at an age that he can tell me exactly what he wants and is pretty much independent so I know he will be able to and want to (hopefully) help.  He is excited to have a baby brother, but I don't think he quite realizes how his little world is going to be rocked.  He has been the center of our attention for 4+ years and I pray he will adapt and adjust and I'll have the patience and ability to help make the transition easier for him.  Any advice is greatly appreciated in this department!!  Clair has been a trooper.  I don't remember being so grouchy and irritable while pregnant with Noah, but he has taken it in stride and has known when to walk away and let me do my thing and when to call me out on it and bring me back down.  My latest nesting craze has gotten out of control and he just keeps going and doing from sun up to sun down.  Luckily, i'm slowing down and I know he is relieved and grateful for that also!

My heart is full.  I am so blessed.  It seems like just a few months ago we were meeting with Dr. Petersen, working up a plan on how to conceive a child and now the time is here already.  I can't wait to meet this choice little boy and be his Mother.  What an honor it is!  I am going to miss feeling his kicks and rolls and watching my belly expand and be lop-sided as he moves, but holding him in my arms will be worth every heart-ache and sacrifice it took to get him here.

Words don't do justice in expressing my feelings.  I'm blessed and eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for the abundant mercy he shows to me each day.

The nursery is about done with the exception of a few decorations to hang.

We had a fun 4th of July and Noah loved his shark face painting!

Not sure why this pic is sideways, but here are my two cute boys waiting for fireworks to start!  

Aren't they handsome!

And the Baby Bump in all it's glory at 8 months pregnant.  I don't know how some people look so good taking their own side profile pics.  Luckily, this is the last for me!

The Bump!

**Disclaimer-i'm by no means a pro photographer...especially when it comes to self portraits. Who thinks to wipe the toothpaste spit off the mirror when taking a self photo or checking to make sure it isn't blurry? Don't judge-haha!

Here's the bump at 5 months! Over the weekend, on the 8th to be exact were officially able to say that we were exactly 4 months away from being parents again! AHHHHHH! It's a bit over-whelming but so exciting! I can't wait to meet this little boy. This pregnancy has gone by so fast thus far and has been just as easy as when I was pregnant with Noah. I hope it continues! I'm so happy to be adding another boy to our family. I thought I might be a little sad he isn't a girl, but that's just not the case at all. I know he is meant to be apart of our family. Being a Mom to just boys is going to be great and I'm so looking forward to it!

What a weekend!

Our Easter weekend was great! It is always busy as Noah's birthday is right around Easter so we typically combine parties with both sides of our family and have a blast. This year was no exception, although his birthday turned into a birth-week of celebration! He is one lucky and spoiled kid, that's for sure, but such as sweetheart whom we wouldn't trade for the world!

Noah loved the egg hunts this year and all the loot that came with it! The Easter bunny is getting richer by the year (which tells you we aren't stuffing or hiding the eggs-haha)...wish I could get in on the egg hunting action!

Three years ago, Alisha and Amy started the traditional "bump pic" with Molly and Emersyn about to be born. This year it was me and Amy! Amy is due next month and i'm a short 3 months after that. It was fun to share that pic with her this year!

He loves his binoculars and puzzle the Easter Bunny left for him.

And finally celebrating Noah's birthday. I can't believe he is 4 now! It really is redundant, and I say it every year, but it has been such a short 4 years! This boy makes me smile, laugh and cry all within a day's work. He's at a tough age that tries my patience to no end but doesn't forget to tell me that "he loves me to the moon and back" at least once a day...and the morning cuddles are always something I look forward to.

Happy 4th birthday little Man!

Christmas Update!

Merry Christmas!!

Aren't my boy's so cute! I love this pic that was taken Christmas morning before Church. I loved having Church on Christmas morning. It helped remind me of exactly why we celebrate Christmas and forget about the gifts and hustle of the day. December went by so fast as did Christmas and New Years. We were once again spoiled by Santa and our families and are blessed to be able to spend the day with all of them. This was Noah's first year that he understood who and what Santa was all about. It made it so much fun!

I feel so lucky to be a Mom and wife to two incredible people. Sometimes I worry that my time isn't spent doing the things that enrich our lives or help us grow as a family, but the past few months have brought them closer to me and given me the opportunity to really step back and be grateful for them individually.

Clair is my rock. He is quiet and soft-spoken, but by no means incapable of calming me down when I get riled up or frustrated. We balance each other well and i'm grateful to have him know and understand my needs well enough that he doesn't need to say much.

Noah. Oh Noah! My heart swells with pride at the mention of his name. He brings so much to the table at our house. His fun, sassy, yet sweet personality keeps me on my toes not knowing what to expect next. I love this little man so much it's often overwhelming.

And last, but not least...our new little one who will join us in August! Yes, i'm pregnant! It is still surreal to say and doesn't seem quite real yet, but we are so excited and thank our Heavenly Father everyday for finally allowing us the opportunity to bring another little Spirit into this world to join our family. The road has been long and hard, and not without many tears...it has been a test of my faith and patience. Before we began trying to get pregnant again and even up until recently if has been a fear of mine that I won't love another child as much as I love Noah. I know that seems silly, but it's a genuine fear I've struggled with. But I know that because of this trial our love for this little one is even greater and I do have enough love and room in my heart to love not only Noah, but this baby as well. My testimony of our Heavenly Father's plan has been strengthened. 4+ years between our kids definitely wasn't in my plan, but maybe realizing that my plan needs to bend to His will is another lesson I needed to take from this trial.

Happy 4th of July and other stuff!

Happy 4th of July! We went to Real Salt Lake's game and had so much fun. Noah did pretty well and even watched some of it, but mostly had fun taking pics of the people around us with my camera. Our budding photographer! We did fireworks with friends on both the 4th and the 24th. I must say this year, I was really sick of them and grateful when August came around so fireworks would stop. It felt like they were constant all month. But we had fun nonetheless.

Noah steals everyone's Razor scooters where ever we go. He also decided he wanted to buy his own with his own money from his piggy bank. It was very cute taking him to the store where he picked it out, carried it to the register and handed his money to the cashier. He LOVES it and is very daring with no fear of falling. He does well and we have even ventured out to the skate park in which my heart nearly imploaded as he dropped down off the walls and hung with the big boys riding around the jumps and bumps. He is growing up so fast my heart-strings are pulled in different directions. He's not my baby anymore, but my sassy 3 1/2 year old who will still cuddle and give me kisses and still melts my heart everyday.

My studdly man competed in his first Olympic distance triathlon in Burley, Idaho. The Spudman (or Studman as I like to call it)! I couldn't have been prouder! He did really well and finished strong! The pic above is him sprinting to the finish line! He met his goal and felt good about his performance. He enjoyed the race and is excited to get signed up for another one. Way to go babe! We are so proud of you!

The bike portion (26 miles) is the second event, my pics are out of order.

His wave entered the Snake River at 7:10 for his mile swim.

And completed his race with a 6 mile run.

Catching up from May!

I participated in my first sprint distance triathlon. The Woman of Steel was held in American Fork in May. I trained hard, but not hard enough-lol! It was very rewarding to train and compete and feel like I did the best I could. The jury is still out on weather I will do another one, but it was a good learning experience and really fun (once it was over)! It was really hard and I am so grateful to have had 3 friends who were also competing so we could push each other in each event.

Andrea, Jamie, me and Shannan

Just after we crossed the finish line.

This is Jamie. I wish everyone could have a friend like her. She talked me into doing the tri with her and was there encouraging me every step of the way. Although i have only known her for just over a year, we have quickly become best friends and often it feels like we have known each other for many, many years. I'm so lucky to be able to call her my dear friend.

Sneaky, Sneaky!!

I am finally getting around to loading the pics from Easter off of my camera to the computer and lo and behold, what do I find....random, silly pics that I didn't take and have no idea who took them of my Sister, Michelle and my niece Taylor. I died laughing when I saw them and she's probably going to beat me for this post, but i'm way over-due in letting her know how much I care.

Michelle is so organized and on top of everything! She is intuitive and really tries putting others feelings first. She is an incredibly talented scrap-booker among everything else going on in her crazy, busy life as a devoted mom and wife, which I believe is her greatest and best role to date. The last few years we have become very close and her friendship means more to me than words can describe. Michelle is 10 years older than me (although she doesn't look it), but having that kind of age-difference, we were always in different stages of life as I was growing up stuck between two brothers. I just wanted my older sisters to be my friend, but really, who wants to hang with their kid sister and play barbies when they can hang with cute boys from high school? I'm so proud to say that over time as we have grown up my sisters have become my best friends and their experiences and advice only strengthen me as a person and a mother.

I love you to pieces Michelle. I look up to you and admire you in all aspects of life. Thanks for always having my back and lending your shoulder for me to cry on. I am so grateful for all that you do for me and especially for the special role you play in Noah's life. He loves you more than you know and considers your home his second home.

Love you Shel, don't be mad!

My little Man is 3!

It's been hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that 3 years ago Noah was a newborn. Everyday since has been a joy, not without it's trials, but truly a joy for me as I watch my little man grow and learn. I often find myself having to remind myself that he's only 3 and to chill out because he is so smart and bright and it's easy for me to think he is older. I'm so grateful for this little boy who I have the honor of calling my Son. He knows just how to push my buttons and just when to give me a big hug and tell me he loves me. I wouldn't change one thing about him. He continually keeps me on my toes and laughing. I look forward to the years to come and can't wait to see what he will do with his life and the adventures he will lead.

April 9, 2008 3:28 am

Having his favorite breakfast: waffles and milk.

Noah loves to bowl and wanted to go for his special day! He beat me the second game...yes, i'm a terrible bowler!

We had 14 of his little friends over for a fun play date party combo. It was a lot of fun. He is very social and loves having friends come to play.

Happy birthday Little Man. I love you so much. Thanks for being such a good boy. We are truly blessed to have you in our family.

I'm baaaack!!!

Wow, where have the last few months gone? We have been staying busy doing who-know-what really...if Spring would ever really come to stay I think we would be a lot happier. It's been a tough Winter at our house and i'm not the most creative person so coming up with things for Noah to do has been rough! Here's a quick recap of the highlights from the last few months!

This kid just wants to be able to ride his bike so he makes do even when there is snow.

We went to the cabin for Clair's 33 birthday in February. As usual, it was a lot of fun and beautiful. It had been so cold the main drain had frozen. It was a HUGE wake-up call for me realizing how much I take the drainage systems for granted. I would not have made a good Pioneer that's for sure! But it was still great to be away from the world together up at the one place we all truly can't get enough of.

Happy Birthday Clair! We love you so much!

My Dad and I ran in the South Jordan Valentine's Day 5K. It was his first 5K ever! He has been training with his good friend Craig for a long time and he did great! I was so proud of him. He took second in his age group.

We have been spending a lot of time at the Living Planet Aquarium. I wish someone would have told me how cool and cheap this place was a few years ago, but nonetheless, every week we go and Noah never gets tired of the animals...especially the Sting Rays. I highly suggest buying a membership if you don't already have one!

Big News!!

I have felt little desire to blog lately, but felt this tid-bit of info was worthy of my blogging time! No, we aren't pregnant, but yes, Noah is finally potty-trained! Haleluja is all I have to say about that. My oh my, what a pain in the butt it has been. It really wasn't that bad, I just am not the type to stay at home for a week straight and then only venture out for an hour or so here or there. After reading my "Toilet Training in Less Than A Day", buying a Baby Alive so noah could teach it how to pee in the potty over a weekend, and feeling pretty confident I decided it was time and Noah was way excited when he woke-up one morning to see the "Potty Fairy" had left him a special treasure chest full of toys, treats and gum for successes on the potty! That began our journey. We have only had 2 accidents in 3 weeks, but he has also only had 3 poops in 3 weeks! So going number 2 is still a work in progress...way more info than i'm sure you wanted to know.

Anywhosie, i'm so proud of Noah and it's fun to see how excited and proud he is of himself when he goes in the big boy potty.

Look at that cute little butt in underware! Love it!

(Even "Baby Lacey" over on the stairs dressed in Noah's underware made her pic debut...she has since been put away in the basement with hopes to one day have a little girl play with her...someone who won't throw her down the stairs or dangle her by the feet over the banister).

The Beloved Treasure Chest

(yes, it's just a shoe box covered in paper...give a girl a break eh)!

The "IT" Factor

You always here on American Idol or other reality talent shows about the "it" factor and how you just know (well not me really, I don't know, i'm not that good, but the judges apparently do) when someone has that certain "it" quality. Well I finally found my "it" factor person whose got "it" and is going to make us rich one day!

Check out the stance and technique in the throw 'eh, even when dressed like the Stake Puff Marshmellow! Impressive! Yes, the snowball did hit me and he laughed pretty good and continued throwing them at me with the encouragement of another certain someone in the background. Future athlete in the making baby!!

Red Rock Relay Finishers!!

Last February, my friend Jess, who became my running buddy asked if I was interested in running in the Red Rock Relay. I did a little research and said yeah, why not! The Red Rock Relay is a running relay consisting of 12 members per team (2 vans of 6 runners), 2 days straight, 186 miles from Brian Head Resort to Zion's National Park and a bazillion port-o-potties! Sounds like a blast to me! Little did I know it would be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding experiences of my life thus far! I ended up being the captain and Jess, co-captain of the team and as of 6 days before the race, we still had 3 spots to fill on our team. By some miracle, everything came together and on Thursday, September 9th, I headed to Brian Head with my friend Jenny and her parents (thanks Dick & Carol for chauffering us and dropping us off, you're the best)! I only knew 2 of my 12 team members up to this point. There was a pasta party in Cedar City that night where my team met-up...most of us for the first time ever! It was incredible how quickly we became great friends. Maybe it was because we knew that for the next 2 days, they were our support system...our families weren't there to lean on. Everything started for us, The Warrior's Kickin' Assphalt, (that was our official team name) Friday morning at 9:30 am. Our first runner began our journey from Snow to Sun...Mark's first leg consisted of a 20 minute ride up the ski lift at Brian Head and running all the way back down. It was freezing with snow in the tops of the mountains, hence the snow part, but he was a trooper and got us off to a great start! The 6 of us in my car got along so well. We instantly found out more about each other's "runner's diarrhea" than we ever wanted to know, which was so cool (not the diarrhea part), but the fact that we bonded and cheered and routed each other on like we had known each other for years! I couldn't have asked for better team members and I couldn't have done it without them. My first leg was around 5 miles and started around noon on Friday. My second leg was just under 5 miles and began at 10:30 pm Friday night. Running in the dark, on little side streets with no street lamps was a bit freaky. We ran with head-lamps and reflective vests and didn't dare look off the road for fear of seeing 2 beady little eyes starring back at us. Coyotes could be heard howling and I just kept praying I didn't get pounced on! My third leg began at 5:30 am on Saturday morning. It was 4 miles and I think knowing it was my last leg and I needed a good time to help our team drove me and pushed me to finish strong.

Running the Red Rock was an experience that I won't ever forget. It was harder physically, mentally and emotionally than I was prepared for, but as we crossed the finish line as a team of 12, it was so worth it. Having only run a few 5k's in my short running career to taking on a challenging 186 mile relay was a very rewarding accomplishment that forced me to hold my head a little higher. It pushed me out of my running comfort zone into an area that was unknown and unfamiliar, but I liked it, learned from it and came out on top. My team finished the relay around 5:00 pm on Saturday evening. The last few runners got hit hard with the heat and long, hard legs. I felt really bad for them, but they did so well considering all! Clair and Noah drove down and met me in Washington City, (at least I think that's where it was) on Saturday morning. We hung out with my 5 team members until our other van ran their legs and we were able to cross the finish line together just outside Zion's Park. I was so happy to see them and having a reward like that at the end of the relay made the victory for me even sweeter! I'm so glad I ran the Red Rock Relay and hope that next time Clair will be running it with me!

My van buddies who put up with me for 32 hours in the car

Shawna, Jenny, Me, Nate, Jaymee and Mark

This pic was taken at 9:00 am on Friday morning...that's why we are looking so excited! We had no idea what we were in for!

I had just finished my last leg of the relay somewhere around 6:00 am Saturday morning and was so thrilled to sit back and cheer everyone else on! Talk about jell-o legs!

Every runner is required to run 3 legs in the relay. After each leg finished, you get a stripe. I was pretty proud of my stripes and they wouldn't wash off for a week!

Just outside Snow Canyon around 6:00 am. I only slept 3 hours that night so i'm looking a bit tired and haggared!

The Warrior's Kickin' Assphalt

me, Jaymee, Shawna, Alesi, McKel, Sake, Mark, Nate

Jenny, Karen, Jess & Ali

You guys are amazing! I'm so proud of you! Thanks for making my Red Rock experience incredible and for pushing me and being my support system while down there!

I'm honored to call you all my good friend's.

July What?

I'm still a bit confused and left wondering where the heck July went! We had a great, busy month so here's your fair warning that there's a lot of pics on this post with not a lot of chit-chat. All in all we are doing great, healthy and happy! Cheers to August and hoping it won't go by so quickly (wishful thinking?...yeah, I thought so too)!

We did a lot of this and loved every minute of it! Noah is fearless in the water and i'm still not sure this is a good thing.

We tried be outdoors and in the mountains as much as possible.

My boys just get cuter and cuter!

I even rocked the faux-hawk and I have recently began rocking the "Freeman Eye"...although i'm not sure I consider it being "rocked". Many of you will know exactly what I mean by "Freeman Eye". Love ya Grams!

Noah learned how to peddle and picked out his first bike. He LOVES it. The 4th & 24th of July were great and I turned into the Mom who went over-board with decor for the Children's bike parade. He's growing way too fast for me!

We have played with these 2 and Michelle a lot lately and it's been so fun. Paige & Colin went with us on Noah's first big "train" ride on Trax down to Gateway for a little Ben & Jerry's. Noah loves his Col-Col and Paigie and it's fun watching them dote on his every need! They are great cousies!

Crib to Big Boy Bed!!

We decided it was time to move Noah from his crib to a big boy bed when I walked into his room one afternoon and he was teetering on the top rail, gymnast style holding himself up (like the male gymnasts straddling the pommel horse). No need for a broken arm or worse if we can help it! The move has gone fairly smooth so far (given it's only been 24 hours). Yesterday's nap he ended up sleeping in his crib, last night he did better and fell asleep with me laying next to him and today's nap went great...he didn't get out except to see who was at the door when the bell rang, realized it was nobody fun, then trodded back to bed and fell asleep! Let's hope it stays on this nice, smooth course, or we may regret the move and transition back to the teetering pommel horse!!