The Growing Gant Family...

This kid just rocked it at his very first dentist apt.!  Given our experience with William, I was a bit nervous.  This apt reminded me just how different our boys are.  Their unique personalities give each of them separate perspectives to the same experiences.  And although I was still a bit fearful that Calvin might be intimidated by the dentist chair, I (as well as the rest of the dental staff) was proven wrong. Look at this kid!  He doesn't even know what he's smiling about yet! Mouth wide open the entire time...Amazed me. He even let them take some bitewing xrays...They were doubly impressed at this point.   They even took a few pics and posted them on their Great Grins Dentistry page and if I could get them to upload here, I would have (o;  They told me that they couldn't remember a three year old ever doing as well as he did on their first visit.  They were even more impressed when I told him he had just turned three a littl...

I asked William why he didn't have school today and he told me, "So the teachers can work without us bugging them."  (o; It was time to learn the real reason why he got a day off of school for Veteran's Day... Hands on activities are the best way to learn when you're five...(or two (Avery)...or three (Calvin)!) Flag fun with friends Evan and Avery! Evan was so proud of his flag. These two crack me up. They giggled pretty much the entire time they glued stripes on (although they're looking pretty serious in this pic). Apparently it's a lot of work to hold up a flag so Mom can take a picture (o;   Minus drawing ALL the stars on our flags, I was proud of these kiddos and their flags.  And whether or not they took anything away from our little lesson, at least they had fun.

Was it really three years ago that we welcomed this little guy into our world?!  Never ceases to amaze me at how time flies by (and I'm sure that's probably the hundredth time I've written that in this blog). Yes, Calvin's now three.  We couldn't be more thankful for how God has blessed us with his life.  In his short three years he has become quite personable (with whomever he comes across), extremely lovable (both to his family as well as his friends), compassionate (always asking about others) and yes, even a bit stubborn, rough and gruff (isn't every three year old little boy?!).  It's amazing how different him and his brother are.  And yet, they compliment each other so well.  They have their brotherly squabbles, but for the most part they get along and, you can tell, love each other deeply.  It's so neat to see the brother bond continue to grow. Along with being another year older, comes the task of getting another finger up on your hand when...

Both boys are fully aware of everything scary that starts arriving in stores as the 31st approaches.  There have been many times they've closed their eyes as we've strolled past something they didn't want to see.  We've had conversations about the reason behind it all and it always provides me an opportunity to explain.  Along with these conversations has also come the opportunity to explain how we view this time of year (and how I grew up celebrating it). Growing up on a farm, the turn of Fall meant that things outside were wrapping up and Winter was fastly approaching.  The boys understand the work of the blueberries and our garden and how that when it starts raining and getting cold, we don't spend as much time outside.  I remember the anticipation of Dec. as a kid.  Dad wasn't in the fields as much and it meant that our Christmas vacation and road trip to see family was right around the corner.  It's a time of thankfulness for all that God has bl...

We always try to grow at least two really big pumpkins in the garden each year.  One for William and the other for Calvin.  Here's our entourage of orange harvest... It's fun to watch the boys excitement as they grow bigger and bigger.  And then getting to pick them off the vine and roll them out of the dirt. We chose just one to carve this year.  William picked the face design he wanted, and everyone helped gut it and separate the seeds for roasting.  Only a few words to describe it all...Sticky mess.  Which, especially in a little boys mind, equates to SO much fun.  I will admit, I enjoy the gutting process too (o; Tada!  Our finished product...  Until next year!

We knew we weren't going to force the issue, but we also wanted to provide the opportunity if William wanted to do it.  The start of a new school year also means the start of soccer season.  We were kind of surprised when he decided he wanted to give it a try.  He had impressed us with his transition into kindergarten and so we were optimistic about how soccer might provide the perfect opportunity to play and  connect with his friends. A couple weeks in, we were seriously contemplating what to do.  Most of the time he told us that he wanted to play but once we got to the field, all he wanted to do was sit on the edge and watch his friends.  He would get tearful when we'd try and encourage him and we still, to this day, aren't sure why.  Funny thing is, we decided to try having his friend Evan pick him up and take him to a couple practices and even a game.  Every time he went with Evan, he played (o;  Every time Curtis or I (or both) would b...

Meet Little Mouse In William's kindergarten class, Mrs. Ruwitch has a mouse that gets to go on adventures with each of the kids throughout the year.  She sends it with them for the weekend and you're supposed to bring it back on Monday with a little write up of the adventures that Little Mouse had with your child.  Fortunately for William, he got to take Little Mouse home on one of his long weekends which meant even more fun! Here's all that Little Mouse got to do... Coloring, coloring and more coloring...One of William's favorite things to do. He told Mrs. Ruwitch that he taught Little Mouse how to color while he stayed with him (o; I was pretty impressed with this one! He went along with William to spend the night at his buddy Evan's house! The three hooligans He got to experience the Rescue Boat with Dad! Spray some water... And even drive the boat (o; I'd say that little brother enjoyed him just as much as William di...