Gavin's First Haircut

Yesterday, we took Gavin to the barber for the very first time. He has been with us when Gabe has gotten a haircut so he HAS seen what goes on there, but until now, he has never had a haircut. Apparently...1 year, 5 months, and 8 days, was long enough!!

He did great! No tears. Daddy held him and with the cape draped over both of them, we all bid farewell to those curly locks. Those clippers sure do make quick work of tiny heads of hair. Bzzzz Bzzzz! Sentimental Mommy that I am, I must have saved every strand of hair that dropped to the chair or the floor for my keepsake box. Gavin doesn't look like a baby anymore, he's got a big boy haircut now. He received a certificate and everything. Wonder if those curls will grow back before haircut #2?

Christmas

So Christmas has come and gone, and Santa left plenty for the boys to open and enjoy. Gabe started the morning like any other: he came out and laid down on the couch. He was too short to see that just behind the couch was a wonderland of presents. So, after pointing out that Santa had eaten the cookies and drank the milk that had been left for him, the boys pulled the small gifts out of their stockings.

Then it was time for the good stuff.

First off, Gabe got a play kitchen:

The boys got a scaled-down door to go in the doorway to their room:

And new modes of transportation:

But, oh, how they love their new Jeep.

Not Twins

Well, I may not have given birth to twins, but one of my favorite things to do is dress the boys alike. We get so many compliments on how adorable they are and people often say how much they favor. So, when they were given these matching reindeer sweaters for an early Christmas gift, I just had to dress them up and whip out the camera. Cheesy, I know......but just look at 'em!

Although, in hind sight, I'll admit it was pretty difficult to get them to even sit still and look anywhere near the same direction. Next time, I'll hire a cat wrangler or pay a professional photographer!

The Chap with Caps

Gabe loves a show on PBS called Between the Lions. It's educational, like Sesame Street, but the content is all relevant to pre-reading skills. They sing songs and do word games. He learns about homophones, vowels, letter sounds (phonics), blending and more. They also read stories and highlight the words so the kids can follow along. He has a few Between the Lions DVD's but we also record the show when it comes on and he will ask for his favorites by name!
This week, there was a new one that we hadn't seen called The Chap With Caps. It was based on a book I remember from years ago called Caps for Sale. It's an easy-to-read story about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys he's attempting to outwit. Simple but humorous. Gabe really enjoyed seeing the cartoon and reading along. Now, all he wants to do is stack as many hats as we can find on top of his head and balance them there just like the peddler in the book.

Our Very Own Wise Man

Tonight we took the boys to a Live Nativity Scene and Walk Through Bethlehem at Gabe's preschool. It was really well done and we all enjoyed it. The weather was nice for being outdoors too. There were luminaries lighting the path, live animals, including a real camel, Roman guards, a marketplace, a census taker, and even a stable with a manger for the baby.

In the marketplace, Gabe received a scroll from one of the booths which has the Hebrew alphabet inscribed on it. Next, he took some pet food to feed the live animals. He also received a tiny cup with an 'offering' of gold (in the form of a goldfish cracker) to give the baby Jesus at the appropriate time. We walked over and heard the storyteller and Gabe liked the "3 kings" (aka, the 3 wise men). When it was time, Daddy pointed him in the right direction to put his cup by the baby. Gabe thought it was alright at first and was only a little timid to walk up with the other children, but when all was said and done his response was, "Daddy, I want my cup back from Baby Jesus!" Too cute!

Tree Festival

I took Gabe and Gavin to a tree festival downtown, to see all of the decorated trees and wreaths. We had a very festive time even if we didn't run in to Santa Claus. There were lots of things to see and do there and a huge train exhibit too.
Gabe was really excited and talked alot about Christmas. He's really into all of it this year. Gavin just looked around and laughed at Gabe, who was entertaining him. I snapped a couple of pictures and bought a souvenir ornament to hang on our tree.