The Valiant Family Blog

Halloween with my super heroes

Drew Valiant — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:09:00 GMT

Fun Halloween week last week with the little guys!
We carved a couple pumpkins... by the way, carving pumpkins with little guys is fun but they get bored and go ride their bikes while mom has to dig all the goop out ... and they return to ooh and aahhh over mom's carving skills and accidentally break a tooth off the skull pumpkin and punch out the ghost the pumpkin... oh....well...

The pumpkin carving happened on Sunday... which was way too early. It turns out that pumpkins rot pretty quickly once they are cut... so... maybe next year we'll carve just a couple days before Halloween.

On Thursday we made sandwiches in the shape of a spider. Although, I've been told they actually look like crabs. Whatever they looked like, they were scary looking for sure!!! And the boys had a blast eating them...

And finally on Saturday we did the trick-or-treating in the neighborhood with our very own super heroes!!! Later that night, the boys endured a sugar coma...

Big Boy Bed for Drew

Drew Valiant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:51:00 GMT

Drew is two and a half now, potty trained (mostly... ugh!), and has officially grown out of the crib.
Walt has plans to build the boys some bunk beds, but until they are finished (they might end up being loft beds for their college dorm at the rate he gets things... nevermind ) we are borrowing our brother and sister-in-law's spare bed. (they don't need it because they are now needing a CRIB as they're expecting their first in January - YAY!)

Drew was super excited about the transition and really we are too. We thought it might be hard to make the switch but he seems to love the bed and though it takes him forever to go to sleep at night, he doesn't really get up out of it. Though the first night he did, and we found him sitting in his closet playing with his toys... which was way cuter than it was frustrating!

Drew in his new bed!

The Cutest Video You'll Ever Watch (my opinion might be a little biased on that)

Drew Valiant — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:08:00 GMT

I don't know... maybe it's a mommy thing ... but I think this is pretty much the cutest 2 yr old saying I love you that there ever was!!!!

http://grantvaliant.com/2009/06/03/the-cutest-video-youll-ever-watch-my-opinion-might-be-a-little-biased-on-that.aspx

A Relaxing, Much Needed, Family Vacation

Drew Valiant — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:51:00 GMT

Pictures from vacation!

If you click on that link above you'll see lots of pictures from our vacation last week. We had such a good time... just the four of us. And just for the record, I DID NOT take my laptop and turned off email on my phone. So.... it truly WAS a vacation (and I think Walt only talked to work on the phone a couple times... which is definitely a record). It was so cool to see the boys having such a good time... pure joy! And every night at bedtime they were MORE than ready to hit the sack which gave us some nice relaxing adult time watching the ocean from the balcony with our strawberry wine. Doesn't get much better than that!

Now back to summer in southern Indiana. Tball games and golf league...grilling out... need to get the rest of the garden planted. GOOD TIMES indeed!!!!

TBall Guy!

Drew Valiant — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:25:01 GMT

Just as soccer is coming to an end, Tball is gearing up! And here starts the taxi service that will be my life for the next 15 years or so.
Grant LOVES baseball and he's so proud of his uniform! But of course, most of all he likes the snacks at the end of the game!
Watching Tball is great entertainment!

Looking cute in his uni... and Drew is his biggest fan! He chants "come on guys!" and "go Gant!" from the stands while big bro plays.

Drew's First Hair Cut!

Drew Valiant — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:32:00 GMT

Drew got his hair cut for the VERY FIRST TIME today!!!!! I know... he's two and never had his hair cut. He didn't even have hair though until he was a year. Now he has the cutest mess of blond wavy hair. I've been putting off getting it cut because I just LOVE it. But, it was starting to hang in his eyes and get a little too long in back so I took him to the salon. I had Grant get his cut first so Drew would see that it was no big deal. Grant, though understand he's not really a normal child, really likes getting his hair cut and has not once complained or fidgeted about it. I was a little worried about Drew. I really thought he would be mad and cry... sorta like he does at the doctor's office. He didn't. He sat on my lap but he did GREAT. He didn't say a word the whole time and sat very still. You can tell from these pictures though that he wasn't super happy about the experience. But we made it and he looks SOOO cute!!!

"I don't know about this mom!"

"WHAT is this lady doing to me!"

"But... I do look kinda handsome now!"

PICS and Congrats

Drew Valiant — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:45:00 GMT

Here's a link to a recent photo session of the boys:

(if you are a grandma or grandpa, don't order any yet... I'm getting you some)

www.seemyprints.com type in Valiant Boys and then 2009 for the password

Also CONGRATS to our Brother and sister-in-law on the birth of their FOURTH boy...Griffin!!!!
Can't wait to see him!!!

I think this makes me a .... GASP! ... soccer mom!

Drew Valiant — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Grant has started his first team sport. I think I'm as excited as he is. He's playing soccer and it is SOOO cute!!!
He's no David Beckham but he's not too bad.. .for a four year old that has never had any interest in soccer until now. His things are basketball and football but he's generally competitive by nature and enjoys just about anything involving sports and running around. So, soccer is filling that need right now. Here are some shots of our little man strutting his stuff at his first game last Saturday.

So Much to Catch Up On!!!! part 2

Drew Valiant — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:25:00 GMT

Drew's Birthday.
Easter.
Drew's Birthday again.
Grant Soccer.

Okay. Now I've got you all caught up!

Alright. DREW IS NOW TWO YEARS OLD!!! What a whirlwind two years it has been!!!! But we made it and this little guy is crazy cute!!!
His doctor said he's lookin' great, growing well, and showing signs of great development. He is talking up a storm these days and mimicking everything Grant does. He's insane about his toy cars... which he selfishly refers to as MY CARS!!! He even insists on sleeping with one or two of them each night. He's a tiny bit on the mischievious side (which everyone insists he got from me... ) but sharp as a tack (which I insist he got from me...)! He doesn't miss anything. His glasses are really helping the nystagmus... I'll give an update on the eyesight next month after he has his check up with the Ophthalmologist. His little personality is awesome but he's a little impatient and bores easily. Again... high probability he got that from me. And what a dare-devil. He throws caution to the wind and trys anything. Which tests my patience just a teeny tiny bit!!! Just a little recap of some of his little "adventures": broke our full length mirror in our bathroom, crawled in the bathtub and turned on the shower -- fully clothed, punched the screen in our dining room window and fell through onto the front porch --- he's fine, went down the BIG BOY slide at the park upon INSISTENCE and fell on his face at the bottom -- wanted to go again... NO I didn't let him, .... I could go on. He requires A LOT more attention and activity than Grant ever did.

So, we celebrated the little guy's birthday Easter weekend at Gma and Gpa Valiant's house where we had a great CAR cake and lots of cool presents. The following weekend we celebrated at Gma and Gpa Murphy's house since they were on vacation the weekend before. Here's a picture recap of his big day(s).

Drew's gift from us... a cool picnic table for he and big bro. They loved it!

the birthday cake #1:

\\

birthday cake #2:

So Much to Catch Up On!!!! part 1

Drew Valiant — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:46:00 GMT

A few weeks ago I took a vacation from life for a few days by myself and trekked up to Boston for a design conference. It's a little bit like a Star Trek convention but with much cooler special effects. The attendees were all graphic designers like myself and photographers. The focus was primarily Photoshop but the design track (which is mostly what I attended) covered all of the Adobe Design Suite. A lot of it was review for me / brush up on some design skills but there was quite a fair amount of new techniques and tools to be learned as well. I had a great time submerged in three days of design stuff alongside a slew of other designers. When you freelance like I do, it's nice to have human contact with other like-minded folks every now and then.
One afternoon while I was there, I had a three and a half hour break to do whatever... so I went for a walk. My hotel (next door to the convention center that hosted the conference) was in the Back Bay area which is sort of a swanky little burgh of Boston with lots of cute boutiques and artsy stuff. I set out to explore that afternoon and what I found most exciting was some beautiful architecture. I didn't have time while I was there to see many of the major historical spots but I did get a glimpse of a beautiful New England City. And I did find Fenway Park and attempted to take some pics of it... although I couldn't really see anything. It's really just dumped in the middle of a bunch of other buildings. Here's a link to my photo album from the trip: Boston Pics

THIS IS TOO COOL!!!!

Drew Valiant — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:48:00 GMT

This is so cool. This guy made an amazing arrangement for piano and cello out of two POP songs. Unbelievable! I love it so much I just had to share. I am going to buy this guy's stuff. And if he's ever touring near here, I'll be there.

Busy Spring So Far

Drew Valiant — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:07:20 GMT

We've all been so grateful for the warm (ish) weather we've had so far this spring. It's so nice to get outside with the boys and play. Grant has been out with his basketball and his Little Tikes Hoop just about everyday since it's been warm.

Here's a great picture of the boys ... they were outside first thing on a chilly morning playing basketball.

And a great picture of Drew falling asleep in his lunch one day... also check out the video of him doing the sleepy head bob...

http://grantvaliant.com/2009/03/28/busy-spring-so-far.aspx

MY BIRTHDAY
Although I'm really not acknowledging my birthday anymore, everyone else still seems to be...
Mom and dad came down for the afternoon of my birthday and hung out with me and the boys and took us all out for dinner. Here's a cute pic of Drew and Grandma reading together

:

And then we celebrated my birthday and Walt's brother Casey's birthday at the Valiant's over the weekend.
Here's my boys hangin' out on the couch. Notice Drew trying to change the channel on the TV and Grant in his basketball clothes but still with his nice socks from his nicer clothes. Good lookin' fellas in my life, eh?

another cute pic of Drew...

Too Cute!

Drew Valiant — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:23:00 GMT

Drew is talking up a storm these days. He'll be two in just a couple weeks and I just can't believe it. He's grown up so much in the past few months. And although he is still the more challenging of the two (just because he requires a lot more attention and activity than Grant ever did), he is insanely cute and sooo sweet! Some of our favorite things he says these days are as follows:

mommy cuggles   = (mommy cuddles, I want to cuddle with mommy)
BOP IT!   =    (stop it!)
Gant   =    (Grant)
weep   =   (sleep)
daddy guck   =   (Daddy's truck)
AHH Wooo? =    (Where are you?)
deet =    (eat... this is his favorite word)
my boo   =    (my ball)
my boogas   =   (my boogers... he says as he points to his nose)

and there's much, much more... to hear them all, you'll have to come visit us!

And the Grant man... he is such a 40 year old trapped in a 4 year old's body. He's crazy smart, reading and doing simple math. He craves knowledge constantly... and when he isn't busy figuring something out he's bugging us about something. He's so shy around most people but at home he talks NON-STOP.   His latest spark of cuteness involved a grocery list that he wrote himself!

See pictures below... I'm going to keep this forever ... it is too precious!

And I'll end with a cute picture of the boys. They played outside most of the afternoon yesterday and needed a break to have a popsicle... here they are standing in the garage enjoying their snack.

March Madness!

Drew Valiant — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:14:55 GMT

It's officially my favorite time of year. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT time!!! Is anything more exciting? AND Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament yesterday. It's even more fun when you have a dog in the fight, ya know! Thursday starts the opening round of the NCAA tourney and the past two weekends we've watched our town's High School team compete in the state tourney. Fun stuff!!! Grant is becoming a little crazy about it too. He's even gone so far as to be very choosy about what clothes he wears most days. Usually he only wants to wear basketball clothes like shorts and cut off T's or his favorite nylon sweat pants that he says look like warm up pants. It's so cute and I can appreciate a good choice in cool athletic clothes.
Anyway, many people I know (namely my uncle) have exclaimed their displeasure in the way the HS state tourney is handled these days... with the four class system. They say it has taken a lot of the excitement out of tourney time. And I understand that it has... it certainly has at my old high school from what I understand. However, NOT in this neck of the woods. The excitement around here is INSANE and I LOVE IT!!!!! The quality bball programs in this part of the state are plentiful and our town's team is no exception. We've enjoyed five years now of high quality teams with high profile players not to mention a couple of State Championships thrown in for good measure. We've had five kids go on to play Div I ball since we moved here just 8 yrs ago with a definite sixth one on his way. The sectional and regional sites down here are amazing... full of rivalries just like the old days.

To prove how exciting it is and to show you how our little corner of the state is still very much alive with hoosier hysteria... check out this video from Saturday morning's regional semi-finals at the hatchet house (yes it's our high school's gym... one of the largest HS gyms in the country so we hear). MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR SOUND UP!!!

http://grantvaliant.com/2009/03/16/a-good-week.aspx

A couple pictures of the boys at the game... Grant doesn't look very happy in his picture... he was irritated that I had the camera in his face while he was trying to watch the teams warm up before the game.

Random Stuff...

Drew Valiant — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:25:00 GMT

Well, it's March and today was a good spring day. The boys and I spent a good part of the afternoon outside messing around. Drew had a blast kicking around the soccer ball and Grant "mowed" the yard with his Gator. After awhile we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood... which isn't really a walk for Grant and Drew and it's a "jog" for me. The boys ride in the gator as I tag along behind trying to keep pace with their lightning speed. I decided after this "walk" today that I should really work out more!!!

Nothing much else to report. Here's some cute pics of the boys looking handsome before church last Sunday:

And here's my "willing to try anything if you explain it to me to where it makes sense..." guy doing YOGA poses on the Wii Fit
TOO FUNNY!!!

Melting Snow and Super Cute Tough Guys

Drew Valiant — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:30:00 GMT

I happen to think my little guys are the cutest ones in this entire world. I understand that I might be MAYBE a little on the biased side but... well, see for yourselves. Grant and I got a bright idea on Friday to go out and play in the "snow" (which was actually melting and turning into slush) since it had gotten so warm outside. So, he quickly put on his hat, a sweatshirt, and his snow boots while still in his Panda pj's. He apparently thought he looked like a super tough guy as he posed for the camera - I couldn't resist - he's never without some type of comical expression. So, here's my bruiser:

and because big brother was getting mom's attention, Drew wanted to try and be "tough guy"

but as you can see, the only look he pulled off is "sweet guy".... he couldn't stop smiling....

So, after the boys quit posing for the camera ... Drew took a nap and Grant and I ventured outside. We decided to shovel the walk both with the shovel and also with Grant's big tough John Deere loader. In this first picture you'll see that we might have been breaking some child labor laws....

and then it was time for break to eat some snow and hang out with Shadow... the snow, grant informed me, was not yellow...

The New Site with (I promise) more Updates

Drew Valiant — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:54:00 GMT

Ok. Since, once again, I write a regrettable post about how I never update this website anymore ... I've decided it's time for a change. I'm just going to do the blog style from here on out... with the OCCASIONAL special addition on a separate page.

So, let's do a quick recap. We've been very busy, we're still very busy, and we plan to be very busy for quite some time!!!

OK fine!!!!!

It's been a very cold January here in the "luxurious" southwest region of Indiana. But we capped it quite nicely with a trip to Las Vegas with some friends for a few days (Heather, Jerod, Noel, Alex, Jill, Walt, and me). We had a great time and just happened to avoid the winter blast that hit southern Indiana while we were gone. Unfortunately, Walt had to cut the trip short due to a very important meeting at work that came up AFTER we had made travel arrangements. However, once he flew home and drove throght the ice and snow covered highways in the middle of the night, he was told the meeting was canceled. I felt really bad for him but continued to enjoy myself with our firends in Vegas nonetheless!!

Here's a few pics of our trip:

This is the group at Iron Chef Mario Batali's Italian restaurant in the Venetian Hotel.

A great shot of the strip at dusk.

Me and my bff Heather at the Donny and Marie show. (that's right, we like Donny Osmond)

And in other news.... there's a foot of snow in our yard so, Grant has been enjoying playing in it on his sled and also plowing the sidewalk with his loader. Drew... not so much. He loves his snow boots... but he'd rather wear them in the house with his pajamas...

13 Months Old

Drew Valiant — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:48:00 GMT

D-Mack looking cute:

Drew is now 13 months old and filling out quite nicely (rounding out at a hefty 24 lbs). He is quite a joy to be around (most of the time) and has the most contagious giggle. He loves to play with Grant and lately they've been enjoying taking baths together. They get each other laughing and splashing... including splashing me. It's great though - saves me time doing their baths together and they have a blast. In fact, if Drew hears the bath water he darts off to the bathroom. One night I decided to give Grant a bath and NOT Drew and he became terribly upset with me. The kid can't see, but he can hear the bath water running a mile away. Grant is also learning to share toys with Drew although it's still a struggle at times.

More on Drew's development: He's not officially walking yet and doesn't show any real desire although he gets where he needs / wants to go with no problem and usually in record speed. So, calculating the effort to need ratio - he's probably figured it's just not worth it. He walks around the furniture really well - in fact, if he has anything to hold onto he does great and he has crawling down to a science!

He's eating all table food now and also enjoys throwing it on the floor when he's full. He knows a few signs including 'up', 'more', 'please', and 'all done'. He can also say a couple things like 'ma ma' (my favorite), 'bye' and 'hi' which he pronounces 'buh' and 'huh' while holding his arm stiffly in the air and waving his hand. In fact, whenever he enters or exits a room or is attempting to engage someone in conversation he will use the 'huh' or 'buh' greeting.

Of all of Drew's cute tendencies, our house favorite is his excessive swaying. He sways to anything all the time. When he wakes in the morning and I go to get him out of bed, he'll be standing up hanging on to the railing of his crib swaying back and forth. There's no music on, no rhythm in the air - just whatever is going on his head. It's hilarious and incredibly cute in my seriously biased opinion.
'

I CAN SEE NOW!!!!

Drew Valiant — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:44:00 GMT

Drew sporting his new glasses - as if he could get any cuter...

After a follow up visit to the ophthalmologist, it was decided that Drew needs glasses right away to try and help correct his nystagmus (the oscillation his eyes do) and strabismus (right eye crosses). The doctor is hoping this helps so that surgery isn't a necessary step for correction. I hope so too!!! I discussed this in depth in one of the first entries on here so I won't re-hash everything but basically I have the same stuff Drew has - I must have gotten it from him! Wait... ok - I guess he got it from me. Sorry, sweetie! Anyway, I have had two surgeries on mine - one at 18mnths and another at 16yrs (in the middle of basketball season might I just add... lost my starting spot... OH, this isn't about me, is it?). So, because I've been through it I just wasn't all that worried about Drew possibly going through it. And, honestly, I'm still not. But I have to admit, when the dr. said we'd try glasses first I was so relieved. I thought about someone messing with his adorable little face and I got a little worked up. Whatever the result, I'll be ok with it. We're really happy that it isn't any worse. And on another positive note, his vision does seem to improve when he has the glasses on. His daycare provider marveled over what a different kid he is with them on. No more stranger anxiety (apparently he can actually see them now) and he just seems much more content and receptive to things .. and calmer which is a REALLY good thing for my patience!!!! He has, even since growing out of the collick stuff, periods of time every day where he's just fussy for absolutely no reason. Since wearing his glasses more, that has seemed to drastically improve. So, we can only take that to mean he is a little more comfortable with his environment. From what they've been able to measure so far, his vision isn't quite as bad as mine but he is far sighted like I am. And I can tell you that most people think I'm totally blind and ... I am with only one eye opened... but with both I can see pretty much anything... it's just the details and depth that are real fuzzy. So, I can actually really understand his apprehension with people around whom he's not 100% comfortable. It's probably as if he's seeing them for the first time every time. I have this problem STILL even with my contacts or glasses on... if someone waves to me from a distance - like across a crowded room or from their car at an intersection - I often times have no idea who it is or don't even notice. This, I'm sure, causes people to think I'm unfriendly. Well... maybe I am anyway. But a lot of it is because I'm very uncomfortable with distance vision and very uncomfortable with eye contact unless it's someone I know really well.

ANYWAY... sorry for the rambling...

Drew Turns One!!!

Drew Valiant — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:21:00 GMT

This entry is a month late but we celebrated an awesome birthday for Drew complete with all the family, messy cake, and lots of gifts. Here's some great shots of Drew on the big day:

He also had a blast opening gifts - with lots of help from big brother Grant and daddy (see Grant's hand in the picture below).