So, can you believe it...Chari has turned 30!  Yeah!  No more "you are so freakin' old you are in your 30's" jokes.  I need to savor the next 6 years.....ok.....5 years....dang.   We had a great time for Chari's birthday.  Her work friends gathered for a little surprise party at Miro's Spanish Grille (one of our new favorite restaurants here in Charlotte -- it's practically walking distance from the new homestead).  Fun was had by all.

 

The other big event so far this summer was the Grangers finally doing a family vacation.  Since Chari and I have been married we haven't been able to pull one off, but alas, we conquered the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We had talked about getting my family there for years but finally did it.  Nothing cures a long year of work and changing diapers like seven days in the Outer Banks.  Check out the pictures....it really is a special place with too many memories to count...add a thousand more.

 

Tim

Here's some pics of Jake's first birthday.  Thank you everyone who came out to help make this a special day for him! 

Yet again, we find ourselves apologizing for taking so long to update our site.  Here's a snapshot of the Grangers since Christmas: we spent the holiday's with family in Virginia, then moved into a house in January, started unpacking our boxes, had a few visitors, unpacked boxes, made a trip up to NoVa for Christa's (Chari's sis) baby shower, unpacked more boxes, spent Easter in Raleigh with our family, and are now getting ready to celebrate Jacob's first birthday tomorrow and this weekend with family! More pictures to come, we promise!  Still unpacking boxes...

 

 

 

 

 

Here are our latest pictures....the Nextel Cup 500, halloween, and swimming lessons...

 

 

Dang, I'm so sorry...it's been over two months since I've updated the site.  I'm wondering if there are any of you out there in the blogosphere world that are even still checking our site.  Hmmm.  Anyway.  So much has been happening in Grangerland...

 

Soon I will post some pics from the last two months...I have some good ones.  But for now I am posting pics from our OBX, NC trip last week.  Some friends of ours, The Cassadas, had the brillant idea to hit the Banks in September.  Six couples, half with kids, none old enough for school, low house price rentals, warm water, blue skies, and lots o good food....perfect.  As you might notice Dad took about three thousand pictures of his boy...we're only posting a fraction of them.  What can I say?

Congratulations to our friends, Alan and Allison!  They put together a beautiful wedding on a steamy Charlotte weekend.  Sorry I don't have better pictures of the bride and groom.

 

This was Jacob's first wedding and he did really good (ok, ok...I mean "well"...he did "well"...sorry Dad).  I know, I know...give him a year or two.

 

Speaking of the J man...he's 3 months old today!  Happy 1/4 of a year, little man!

 

 

 

 

Sorry it's taken us so long to update everyone.  We've been so busy the last month or so.  As you can see from the pictures, Jacob is growing.  He's about 13.5 lbs now.  He's basically doubled his weight since his birth.  He is doing great and loves to shower mom and dad with smiles and attempts at giggles.  This stage is such a delight.  We just love to watch him grow and develop. 

 

Since we updated the blog a lot has happened.  Chari's mom and her sister's family (Christa, Brad, and Brayden) came to visit, my mom came for a week to help out, Chari went back to work full time (Yes, Jacob has day care...it's called "Dad Care"...just call me Jack Butler), I continue to finish up this semester's classes and look for a job,  and we traveled up to Staten Island for Chari's grandfather's funeral...Alexander Posnak.  We were terribly saddened by his death, but had a great time with all Chari's family as we remembered Grandpa Posnak and all that he meant to all of us.  He was a great man and will be greatly missed.

 

Stay tuned for more pictures as our boy grows!!!!

Up until Jacob was born, I had been working a lot on a research study that was about to open.  It was 6:30 on a friday night, and I was sitting at work with my friend and coworker Tara busily trying to figure out the last minute details of the study (knowing that i could have him at any time since his due date was saturday).  I started feeling something vague and uncomfortable at my desk.  Tara noticed I was shifting around a lot and making funny noises while we were talking and finally she said to me, "Hey, I think you are in labor!"  "Shut up, I'm not ready" I said jokingly, "Lets keep working."  I was in a bit of denial and as usual wanted to finish a million things at work and home before he came.  So, I went home that night and busily started cleaning and organizing while having mild contractions that I thought would soon intensify any minute.  Well, they didn't.

 

We were up all night friday with contractions that were 5 minutes apart,  but not very intense.  We tried going to bed, but that was a joke and we stayed awake all night staring at the ceiling.  Saturday day came and went and I was still having contractions 5 minutes apart and slightly more intense.  I was so tired and started thinking irrationally that I was going to stay in this state of prelabor for weeks.  So i thought, 'we should go to a party and try and have some fun.'  Tim thought I was crazy (which I was), but I convinced him to go to my friend Allison's engagement party uptown.  So we drove the 30 minutes, all the while having contractions and doing my 'sh, sh, sh' breathing.  Tim was a little nervous about the party scene, but I assured him that I would blend right in.  And for the most part I did.  I made small talk and had a good time meeting Allison's friends all the while doing my funny breathing, but a little quieter.  I ate a good meal and went to the bathroom and all of a sudden my contractions picked up.  I promptly pulled Tim aside and we made our exit thinking that things were finally going to happen and this baby would be born that night. 

 

Well, after calling the doctor, we realized we still needed more intense contractions and we stayed up all night again this time in the living room watching movies and breathing, breathing, breathing.  By sunday morning, I was delirious from lack of sleep and really wanting to be in labor.  We had contractions all day and my parents decided to drive down from Fredericksburg.  I was happy that they would be there for the birth and almost wondered if they would have to wait a few days before it really happened.  But, a little while after they arrived, we went for our umpteenth walk of the weekend and decided we should call the doctor again.  This time we went in, around 11:30 pm on Sunday night.  We were 5 cm dilated and knew our baby boy would arrive finally.  We went a 3rd night without sleep (so much for getting rested before the baby is born) and the contractions slowly and steadily became 2-3 minutes apart and were very painful.  At that point the doctor broke my water, around 4:30 am and I went into a zone of prayer, reflection, and total loss of control over my body as the pain was so strong that all I could do was breathe.  Tim was by my side the entire time, encouraging me and praying for me constantly.  I could not have made it through the pain without him.  He ended up being really active in the birth and saw everything and then some, but he did wonderful and wasn't phased by anything.  I also had an awesome nurse who encouraged me to have him naturally when I started to doubt myself.  It was so neat how God used everyone involved to help us have the labor we had hoped for.  I started to push at 6 am and Jacob was born at 7:18 am.  There was no doctor there, so our wonderful nurses delivered him and did an amazing job.  I was able to cuddle with him before they took him away and felt so much emotion in that short time than I ever have experienced. 

 

It was such a feeling of joy and wholeness to finally bond with our son and see his beautiful face.  Daddy was able to hold him for a long time after they checked him out and we will always remember that special and first time that we felt like a family together.  Jacob was very alert from the beginning and quietly scanned the room with his big eyes.  We could tell he was going to be a deep thinker just like Tim from those first few moments.  Gigi and Pa Granger had driven through the night and came shortly after he was born to meet him.  It was such a blessing and a gift to have both of our parents there to love on us all and share in our happiness!  These last 4 weeks with Jacob have been awesome and I look back on his birth everyday and realize how miraculous and God-inspiring it was.  Praise be to God for His sweet creation!

 

 

He's finally here!

 

Jacob Timothy Granger entered the world on Monday, April 24th at 7:18 a.m. at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C.

 

Chari and I are so thrilled to be blessed with such a beautiful, wonderful, and healthy little boy.  We've gone through the pregnancy and labor pains and now we are entering the world of sleepless nights and breastfeeding woes, but we just feel so blessed by God that it overwhelms us with joy.  We can't believe we made him!  Now we understand the spiritual dimension to the birth of a child.  Thoroughly amazing!

 

We will tell more of his birth story soon, but for now enjoy the pictures!

 

Love,

Tim, Chari, & Jacob

Okay...now it's getting a little crazy...

 

No, seriously, we are so thankful for all our friends and all their gifts for our "soon to arrive" son.  For the last couple months we've been attending a church here in Charlotte called Warehouse 242.  Guess what the "242" is for?  Sometime when I have more time I'll have to write an entry about the church.  I can say that we've loved it so far.  The thing that has meant the most to us is the fact that pretty much from the moment we walked into the church they have embraced us.  It's always hard adapting to a new area and making friends.  Maybe the second or third time we went we met a girl named Jenny who invited us to her married couples small group.  We've been attending the small group for the last two months and love it!  Right now we're going through a series where we each tell "our story" so we can get to know everybody in the group (they didn't do this before we joined...good thing for us -  we just got in on it).  When Chari and I showed up for the group last Tuesday night they surprised us with a baby shower and cookout.  These people are so cool!  And an answer to prayer!

 

Sorry there aren't more pictures...

 

 

Last Saturday we had baby shower #3...

 

Chari's friend, Allison, threw it for her at Cabo's (fish taco joint) and some of her high school friends (that now live in the Carolinas) and some of her co-workers came out for the festivities.  Yes, I whined all day that I didn't get any fish tacos, but I am so thrilled with all the cool stuff for my boy.  He may never appreciate things like wipes, breast pumps, and nipple cream, but we sure do!

 

Thanks Allison and the rest of ya'll...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes!  We're "full term"!  He could come at any moment.  We are so excited and nervous at the same time!

 

Chari's co-workers threw a baby shower for her at work on Thursday...see the pictures.  There is a third shower coming this weekend too.  Okay, this child already has more clothes than his father!  Thank you all for your kind gifts, we appreciate it so much...

What a great weekend in NoVa!  Christa (Chari's sister) did an excellent job hosting our baby shower at her new home at Lake of the Woods.  So much planning goes into these things and we are so thankful for Christa, Momma Gee, and Laura and for all their hard work.

 

On Friday night we went to Chari's parents house to celebrate Russell's (Chari's nephew) 9th birthday.  Fun was had by all when Russell received his first "fart whistle."  A few pics are at the end of the slideshow.  While our baby shower was taking place on Saturday I went with Brad (Christa's husband) to his batting practice and I got some baby watching practice in with my nephew, Brayden.  In the evening I was able to go home and have dinner with my family.  All I could think about was the fact that next time I go to my parents house I will be sporting a Graco car seat carrier thing.  Word.

 

Thanks everybody for all the cool baby stuff!  Brad, Christa, and Brayden, thanks for hosting us.  We'll keep you posted from Charlotte...

 

 

 

Hey all!

 

Chari was able to put together a little reunion this weekend with some close high school girlfriends.  Jill came down from the D.C. area and Allison and fiance, Alan, who live in Charlotte hosted us all.  On Saturday night we went out and watched UNC beat Duke.  On Sunday we hit our new church, Warehouse 242 and the Original Pancake House.  It's a good thing the food is so good because there's always a stinkin' wait.  Mmmmm....pancakes.  Congratulations to Alan and Allison on their recent engagement!  If you get a chance check out the skating rink on her finger.

 

We've begun the first steps in pressuring Jill (& bfriend, Matt) to move down here (as we have with everyone else we know in D.C.  ).  It was great to see Chari having fun with the girls.  Her pregnancy has been physically and emotionally draining, so I was really encouraged to see her dancing with everyone else.  I just wish she hadn't started breakdancing.  I think that may have been pushing the line and I'm certain that our doctor would not approve.  If you see her you may want to talk to her about it.  Anyway.

 

Next weekend is the long anticipated Baby Shower!  Come back to get an update.

 

Alan, Allison, and Jill...thanks for the great weekend!

 

 

What do you get when you mix 2200 year old biblical manuscripts and your whole family?  That's right, a rockin' good time!

 

This weekend my (Tim's) family came from Raleigh and NoVa to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us take cameras into the exhibit...something about flash/light potentialy damaging the greatest archeological find of the 20th Century.  I tried to convince them that I needed to take pictures for my blog, but they failed to have an understanding of the web presence of "Grangerland."  Oh well.

 

Although a bit too crowded the exhibition was very informative and the actual Scroll gallery, other than being like the holy of holies at the mormon tabernacle...as I imagine it, was really amazing.  When you stare at the writing on the scroll fragments and understand that they were written some 20 centuries ago, before the life of Christ, you can't help but to be in awe.  The fact that the Isaiah portion is virtually the same as what we have today in our bibles is incredible.  Yeah, history makes me giddy.

 

We had a great time with the fam, too.  After viewing the exhibit we walked around downtown Charlotte a bit.  Some of the pictures are taken in the lobby of the Bank of America building.  My parents bought "Maximus" his first stroller.  Very nice...thanks Mom and Dad!  Amanda and Kathryn are going to have a cousin to push around in the stroller very soon...

 

 

 

 

This last week was a busy one.  The pictures we posted are from a Mexican themed dinner that Chari's new co-worker friend, Tara, hosted.  I went a little picture crazy with her new dog, Peyton.  What can I say, I love dogs and their facial expressions (and when they fight it out with cats).  We also had our second birthing class.  As you can see I would make a beautiful pregnant man.  Thank the Lord that He designed it the way He did.  I'm way too much of a wuss to do what Chari is doing right now.  She's amazing!  Valentines day was great...I made up a new dish that I call Viva La Salmon.  Got two thumbs up from my Valentine!  Lastly, the Cherbakas passed through town and spent the night.  Again, I went camera crazy with their daughter Malayna.  You know...just gettin' my baby camera trigger finger in shape...

Hey all!  So sorry it's taken us so long to update this site.  MSN Spaces has had all these problems with uploading photos.  Anyway.

 

Finally I've been able to put up some pics of Christmas in the Granger and Gargan households.  Are our nieces and nephews not the cutest?!  Hopefully you've all had a blessed Christmas and New Years and are now enjoying the best time of year: tax season.  Seriously, my father-in-law, Doug Gargan, is a great tax man.  We highly recommend him and if you need a new one he can be contacted at doug@patten-associates.com.  Just a little plug there.

 

We will update you soon on little Baby Granger.  Chari is pregnant as ever...nothing quite like a hot pregnant wife!

 

 

Weekends are never long enough!  We went home this weekend to Northern Virginia and saw lots of friends and family.  On friday night we saw some of Chari's family...Chari got to see her cousin Amy (they haven't seen each other in 5 years so that was a treat).  On Saturday we hung with the Cassada's and the Rao's...lot's of kids for one day...good preparation for us!  On Sunday we met some of our great IBC friends for breakfast before church and then Chari went to a baby shower up in Silver Spring MD for Melissa McGraw (I believe her and Billy are expecting a month before us).  It was great to stay home with Dad (Granger) and watch some Sunday playoff football even though our Redskins weren't in it.  As always it went by too fast...but we're going home next month for Chari's baby shower.  Hopefully we can catch up with more of you!

Recently we've had several inquiries about the absence of an entry regarding our big news.  So, just to fill you all in...we found out in August that Chari and "Big Papa" are expecting.  In November we had our sonogram and found out that it's gonna be a little boy!   Awwww.....  As you can see from the picture of "Big Papa" in the slide show he loves this news...and correspondingly looks like a bit of a freak!  Yeah, get out the power tools and the sports eqiupment!!!

 

So, Maximus (that is what we, ok just me, are calling him until we unveil the name when he is born) is due April 22nd and will be delivered at Charlotte Medical Center.  What's great is that Mommy works in the same building practically, so we are familiar with the hospital.  The picture of the gourmet hamburger is to let you all know that "Big Papa" is taking good care of Momma and her tummy.  Diapers:  bring 'em on!