A thing of the past?

Do you remember this picture of Grady from last spring? Unfortunately, this is what he has looked like every spring since he was a toddler. After many years of trying different medications that didn't work, we FINALLY got a referral to see an allergist. The news isn't good - it seems he's allergic to Virginia! Every tree, grass, and weed that live here caused a reaction in him. He didn't really do any better in N.C., FL, or CA, so it's not really fair to blame VA! There is some hope for him ... he'll be starting allergy shots next month, and we're hoping that it may even help this spring. We are praying that this is the last picture we ever take of him looking like this!

Grady

I'm way behind in my blogging, as I'm just now posting about G-man's birthday! On January 3rd, Grady turned 9. He started celebrating on the 2nd, and the festivities weren't over until the 10th! His first "party" was a trip to Joe's Crab Shack with Mimi, Papa, and Chi-Chi. He had decided back in September that he wanted to go there and eat crabs for his birthday; he really enjoyed it! The next day we went to Pop and Nana's to celebrate Christmas with Dave's family - and we celebrated Grady's birthday, too. While we were there, he learned how to use his birthday gift from us - a Ripstick. It was pretty hard at first, but after some practice with Dave, he figured it out. He ended his birthday season with a "guys night" - he invited 2 friends to go to the movies with him, Liam, and Dave. They came home and had pizza, cake, and a sleepover. He was kind enough to let us girls join him for the cake! I still can't believe he's 9 ... where have the years gone??