The Flash

Halloween comes but once a year and costumes are always a difficult decision until the kids can actually say what they want to be. Last year, Gabe was a really cute and cuddly caterpillar. This year, I feel certain that judging by how often he is running full throttle through the house saying "running, running, running" that if he could have picked the most suitable costume out himself, he would have chosen to be The Flash. We ordered this costume on-line, and it arrived complete with muscled chest and lightening-bolt mask. Can't beat that!

The Flash is a comic book superhero who possesses "super-speed", which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and violate certain laws of physics. Gabe definitely did that tonight from our doorstep, down our driveway and all through the cul-de-sac, he didn't stop running. He even fell down twice but he didn't let that stop him. Uncle Jimmy taught him how to say "Zoom" so as he's streaking by, he's yelling "ZOOM"!

Due to the "digital delay" from our camera, most all of the other photos, were a blurrrrr, so here's our little superhero on one of his more sedentary assignments.


Eat your heart out, Comic Fans!

For the Seafood Lover in YOU

There aren't too many options for the little bitty guys on Halloween. We looked at plenty of costumes and finally made a decision on this one. Gavin went as a lobster. I felt like I should at least be wearing a lobster bib or carrying something that went along with the theme so as not to detract from his costume. I didn't go so far as to dress as the "turf" for his "surf"! Maybe next year I'll talk Rob into all 4 of us going as something that coordinates??...hmmm....gotta do some major brainstorming.

Good thing it was a crisp, cool fall evening for trick or treating or poor Gavin would have been miserably hot in that fleece costume. He did great while I toted him around from house to house, he just hung out and drank his bottle and looked around. His little lobster claws were a big hit and the floppy eyes were my favorite part. He was sound asleep in my arms by the time we got back home at dark. I bet he and Gabe both will sleep well tonight! Happy Halloween.


Little Red Lobster

It's all about perspective!!

Every year Rob tells me I'm more than just a little nutty when it comes to the holidays (see archived posts from October 2005), but I'd prefer to think of myself as 'enthusiastic'! The kids received matching overalls and red shirts as a gift a week or so ago and I just had to join them in mine for the annual (ok, we just started last year) Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza! I want this to be a family tradition for years to come, so we're trainin' 'em early!

Some people take all of their creative drive and efforts and invent a world changing contraption, or cure a disease. Me, I compel my husband to go to 9 stores to find THE Greatest Pumpkin, I find matching overalls, the perfect spooky, but friendly stencil for our jack-o-lantern, and a picturesque fall day for the backdrop of scrapbook worthy photography...

Who says motherhood isn't rewarding?


Look at that pun'kin!

What's large, grey and wrinkled...?

An ELEPHANT, of course!!

Gabe is really into animals lately and he looks for them in books and tries to identify them whenever he sees them. He says "El" for elephant (cuz he is still mostly in the one syllable stage when it comes to his talking). Elephants are a current favorite, but he knows zebra ("bra"), lion ("roar"), monkey ("monk"), giraffe ("raff"), and a few others.

He has a fridge toy with farm animal magnets on it that sings and makes animal sounds. He loves it. He says dog, duck, sheep, cow, pig, oink, cat, meow, and bird.

I have to admit, it can be a bit confusing for him. The other morning, we were sitting at the kitchen table together, having breakfast, and he looked out the back window and noticed a bright red cardinal pecking around on the patio on what was a particularly, grey and rainy morning. He pointed and said, quite proudly, "Duck!" He also calls penguins ducks! We've gotta work on that, but he's trying!

His bedroom is decorated with a safari theme, so there are animals in there as well. We recently went to the zoo and he had a great time. He saw many of the animals he's only previously seen in photos. My favorite was the flamingos, but he didn't care too much about those. Daddy refused to let him go to the petting zoo, so we'll have to go back when we can get DIRTY and pet goats!!!


Eyeing the Elephants

Yummy fingers

Unlike his big brother, Gavin isn't all too interested in a paci. He will take one to go to sleep and if he can't get comfortable after he finishes a bottle, but he usually pushes it out with his tongue or gags and coughs until you feel bad for attempting to give it to him in the first place.
Something we've noticed lately that he likes much better is these 2 yummy fingers. He rolls back and forth and sucks and smacks these same 2 fingers until drool covers his cheeks and his little hands are all wet and stinky. No, I didn't mean to say sticky; I really do mean stinky. It's this sweet, sweaty smell that gets trapped inside his teeny damp fists after he sucks his fingers and drools all over them and then clenches them tightly for hours on end. I know this may sound gross but it's actually pretty adorable.... something only a mother could love.


Whatchu lookin' at?

'G' means money

Most people send out a picture of their new baby and say, 'Hey, look! We had a kid!'. But not Jules....nope, not Jules. Can't possibly do anything that easy. No, we have a web page for the kids, so the people we want to know about the birth already know about it.

Now, where I would say, 'Since they already know, why even do an announcement?', Jules says 'We have to do something SPECTACULAR!'.

Guess who wins those arguments.....

Anyway, Jules found this place on the Net that makes birth announcements that look like movie posters. Therefore, I suddenly find myself working on making a movie-poster-themed birth announcement.

We had to have a funny title. We had to have the perfect picture. We had to be witty in the credits. We had to...etc, etc, etc. It only took three months after the baby was born for us to actually send out the announcements. But I have to admit, they came out really well. That wife of mine...she's pretty special...

The Infamous Birth Announcement

Tummy Time Firsts

Today, we were playing in Gabe's room and I had Gavin on his belly doing his routine "tummy time" and he rolled over for the first time all on his own! I often place him on his belly on the floor throughout the day to strengthen his back and neck muscles and prepare him for learning to hold his head up, sitting upright, and crawling. As you can see, he's getting really good at pushing that head up and he shocked us (and himself) when he layed his head down near his left arm and then threw his weight and legs over after. He ended up looking at the ceiling and grinning widely. It wasn't a fluke...he was able to do it 3 more times before he fatigued too much. We'll keep working on it.

When he's laying on his back, he curls his legs up to his belly like a rolly poly bug and squeezes his tummy until he rolls over onto one side. I wonder if rolling from back to belly won't be too far behind this milestone? We'll keep you posted. I'll try to get some video too so you can see him in action!


Now I can see my big brother coming!!

Look Ma'...No Bop!

As many of you know, Gabe calls his pacifier a "Bop". He has always had it and it's in his mouth alot of the time so it gets caught on film when we're snapping photos here and there. You may have even seen him hording them and carrying one in his mouth in addition to one in each hand. He even manages talk around it pretty clearly. That paci is the only thing he's really attached to. Historically, he's had no interest in dolls, stuffed animals, a blankie, a certain toy, etc...no matter how hard we've tried to introduce alternatives. It's probably my fault for pushing the paci when he was a baby but I was paranoid and didn't want him to become a thumb sucker or anything. I guess now we have this habit to worry about breaking. Could be worse, right?

Recently, he has surprised us and started giving it up on his own. Now, he usually doesn't have the bop during the day. He asks for it at naptime and bedtime and if he gets upset and I'm fine with that. Maybe this means he's growing up a little more and it won't be so difficult to steal away from him once and for all? Here's a pic that's "bop-free"!


"Won't my Momma be so proud of me!"

Bad Hat Day

It has turned cold here in the past week or so, and we've gotten some rain and pretty drastically low Fall temps. In my haste one day, as we headed out, I wanted to be sure I had my infant's head covered (you know, to avoid all of the stares and people talking about how "It's too cold to have that baby out in this weather.")

Anyways, as I blindly grabbed for a hat in the drawer of recycled baby clothes from Gabe, I grabbed this one which was admittedly, a little Summery for the season, but it served the purpose of warm, head cover. I thought it was pretty adorable on Gavin and it's tough to tell at a glance in those boxes of tiny clothes, socks, and hats which outfits are which size and season. Gabe was a February baby and Gavin is a July boy so we are apparently 'off' a bit on our seasons for hand-me-downs. Oh well, I'll do better next time. At least he was warm!


"Ok, Like, she didn't think the birthday hat thing was bad enough?...Mercy! Now look at me."

She Loves Me Not....

"Outdoor play on Friday the 13th...of course, I ended up with 'She Loves me NOT'!"


"Bummer!"

Napping

Crazy schedules, doctor's appointments, lots of laundry, dishes clean, dishes dirty, wiping hands, faces and hineys, toys scattered the length of the house, pitter patter of little feet, hungry cries, dirty diapers times two, up-all-night exhaustion, loving no-no's, teaching and learning, welcome to MY world...

A stay-at-home mom gets alot of help from a loving hubby and modern technology via the Diaper Genies, dishwashers, calendars and reminders, alarm clocks, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and automatic dryers, cell phones, computers, and the like....but there's nothing better and more energizing than a sweet, clean baby who smells of baby lotion and diaper cream, who feels so warm in your arms and makes your heart so full that you can face it all again after a nice comfortable nap. Ahhhhh...


Zzzzzzzz....

First Birthday Party

Gabe and Gavin were invited to a neighbor's daughter's birthday party and we decided to go and deliver our gift. It's still tough for Mommy to take both boys out without help, but we knew other Mommies would be there and there would be plenty of hands and eyes to go around.

So, we took our stroller and off we went. Gabe played and had a ball with all the little girls at the party. He flirted with the ladies and begged sweetly for fruit from the food table. Gavin cooed and looked around from his front row seat in the infant carrier. He was very alert that particular morning. We enjoyed being with friends and eating cake. Gabe got a party hat and wore it and we certainly didn't want baby brother, Gavin to be left out, so here he is sporting his very own FIRST birthday party hat! He looks thrilled doesn't he?


"You've got to be kidding me"....

Coming soon, to a theater near you...

This week, the British author of a popular children’s series of fantasy novels telephoned, to ask if we would consider allowing Gabriel to star in an international film based on her seventh novel. We were elated. She went on to further explain that the film would feature a young wizard boy and his friends who struggle against evil in a magical world. The lead character would be known for his courage and instantly recognizable by the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. His name shall be….wait for it….”HURTY POTTER”.

OK, before you report us for being bad parents, hear me out! Maybe it’s not a “lightening-shaped scar”, maybe it’s a big green bruise and a goose egg to match, but this seemed like a much better way to tell it. Admit it. I had you going, didn’t I? I thought “Hurty Potter” was pretty comical. Gabe fell while running inside our home on Tuesday and he bumped his head into a cabinet door (not so humorous). He seems to be taking it like a champ, as you can see. With 2 boys, I guess I should brace myself for future accidental injuries. At least he didn't break his arm...

"I thought it was supposed to be a lightning bolt?"

Circus Talent

I know you all are only interested in seeing pictures of the kids...but this HAD to be shared!! Rob and I couldn't stop laughing.

As you may know, Gabe is using utensils now at mealtimes, so I got him some colorful, plastic utensils of his own. He seemed to like them and was using his new green fork just fine until I turned around to go to the sink....THIS is what I saw when I turned back around. I'm sure Wilbur thought the meal was delicious, after all, his meals usually come right out of a bowl on the floor. He [the dog] isn't one to beg, but when there's a delicious morsel hanging down on a perfectly good fork, at the same level as your mouth, why wouldn't you take it?? Fork and ALL!!
Dog Eats with Fork...This has to be some sort of Animal Circus Talent we could make a quick dime on don'tcha think?


"I'm the luckiest dog on the planet"...."Kids share, why beg!?!"

Hittin' the big boy slide

Jules mentioned that she has been taking the boys to the park and letting them play. Well, here is a video of Gabe doing one of the slides all by his lonesome.

Doesn't Get Much Cuter

Johnson's says "no more tears", well, we never really even had any. Gavin loves the bath. It's so much fun to have a tiny baby again. I can't wait till the 2 of them can take baths together...it'll be such fun! Gabe has a big time in the tub and likes to splash so for now, Gavin is better off in the kitchen sink with the infant tub!


Just gettin' myself cleaned up and smellin' good