Happy 11 Month Birthday Gavin!

You turned 11 months on Friday, the day after your very first Christmas. You had a great day starting with our annual trip to Target at 7 am! Then out for breakfast. You finished off your day with dinner at Grandma and Papa's to see Great Papa! On Saturday you took almost a 3 1/2 hour nap! You definitely needed it!

Your first Christmas was very exciting with you opening your first gift a few days before. You really weren't interested in what was inside, just the paper and bows. On Christmas Eve afternoon you woke up (ok you never went down) from your nap to find Daddy in the process of putting together your wagon from Grammy. That quickly became your favorite gift! You helped Daddy finish putting it together, well you sat in it and played while he slaved away. Then you took a lot of circles in the house in it. The next morning you insisted on opening your Santa gifts while sitting in it. It was very cute.

We spent Christmas Eve at Auntie Jen's with the Hogoboom family. You had a great time with all your cousins! 7 other boys and 3 girls. The girls are definitely outnumbered in this group! Christmas morning you were up and ready to rock and roll! Grammy, Grandma, Papa and Aunt Jenny were there to watch you open some of your gifts. We then hosted brunch for the Kunz's, Walter's and Alexander's. My favorite gift to Gavin, Pyper, Frankie and Jack were the monogrammed towels. All the kids loved them and I tried to fit the animal to them, with Gavin getting a Doggy, Jack a Froggy, Pyper a butterfly and Frankie a kittie cat. It was a great time!

You are walking a lot more now (I think you are pretty much walking, Daddy not so much), I think you think crawling sometimes is a little faster so you will drop down in mid walk to get to something or someone. You are still a little sick from your first "sinus infection", but that does not slow you down one bit. The only way we can tell you are is because in the morning you still sound a little congested and you have a nose full of boogies. I know, gross right?? Your still such a happy boy, you do have your moments don't get me wrong. When you throw a "tantrum" you are no longer arching your back and throwing back your head, nope, now you throw yourself on the floor on your tummy with your bum in the air and put your head between your hands and cry. It is actually quite amusing. You have definitely got my dramatic flair. You don't stay angry very long, not once you hear me laughing hysterically. You usually end up laughing along with me, which is good. Luckily we have not had one of these "meltdowns" in a public place! Fingers crossed....

On another note, Greg and I must have been good this year, because we got the Wii. We have been somewhat addicted to it and are pressuring Gavin to take more naps so we can play it! The past few nights after the bean is in bed we have stayed up 11pm + to play Guitar Hero. I am trying to get through a 3 song set without getting booed off the stage! It is very fun and great for Greg and I to do together. The first night we bowled, did you know you can get a strike while holding a beer?? It is a ton of fun! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! We are very blessed to have such loving family and friends!

With a lot of love,

Greg, Shawna, Gavin, Crash & Elvis

Big Boy

I forgot to mention in the last post that Gavin is now feeding himself and doing a very good job at that. He mainly uses his right hand but will sometimes switch to his left. He loves to pick up a popper and put it back into its jar, dump them all and go one by one putting them back, he could actually do this for hours. His fine motor skills are wonderful! But with him being in charge of his own food, he has decided that he wants to share (which I guess is good). Crash is now getting some food straight from Gavin's hand, luckily Crash is so gentle that he just nibbles it right out of Gavin's hand. It is very cute!

On another note, it is 7:30am on Friday morning and I have now listened to the Nutcracker song about 2 dozen times from our Nutcracker music box/book. I use it to distract Gavin while he is in his high chair and not eating yet. This morning while eating he decided that he needs (you notice I say needs, because once again it is playing) it to play over and over and over again......

A lot of firsts!

I am sorry I have been so lax about updating. Tis the season! I have been trying to get out all the Christmas cards out, I have done 50 with about 25 more to do! Sheesh! And of course getting the house decorated, wrapping, etc.... I know, excuses, excuses!

To get on to the important part of this blog, our little Gavin has had a big couple of weeks. We got our very first Christmas tree, which to be honest he didn't really care about until lately. Now he is very into the bows on the gifts and a few of the ornaments, which we have documented on the pics. He is only allowed to take off the two jingle bells on the tree and he takes them off several times a day. He is pretty funny about it.

Some other firsts, he said his first word! CIRCLE. Yes, odd, circle being his first word. Greg and I have heard him say some things, Momma, Da Da, but circle? It is was very cute, we have a "shape" toy that you put in the different shapes into the matching holes and he was putting the circle in all by himself, which was also a first, and Greg and I were both saying "circle". Well he said it, and we both about had a heart attack. We made him repeat it just to see if he really did say it and sure enough he said it again.

Gavin also has his very first cold or as we found out at the doctor yesterday, a sinus infection. Poor baby, he has definitely had his ups and downs and right now is on an upswing. Which is wonderful, a sick Gavin is not a fun child!
On another note, that child is incorrigible. Right now he is very into placing things or as I like to say "hiding things". I just found my flip flops in the end table. He loves to put things in jars, the cabinets, the trash can, which isn't so great when I can't find a lid to a pot! But I do like that it keeps him occupied! Still no walking, he is taking 2-3 steps on his own, but that is it! Hopefully soon! ****Update: Gavin took 4 or 5 steps on his own this morning! Yea***

A Merry Christmas to you all! Hope it is filled with love and family!

A little belated!

Happy Thanksgiving a week and a half late! We traveled back to Nebraska to spend it with Greg's extended family and of course had a wonderful time, with plenty to do! Gavin did very well, even with the 8 hour drive! We were very busy while there and Gavin had several different surroundings to get adapted to. Overall he was very good and of course spoiled by all the aunts, uncles, cousins and of course Great Papa. Gavin loved Great Papa's house, he knew every inch of it by the time we left. Gavin also got his first taste of Pumpkin pie, which he did not like, but did like the cool whip! The pictures below are a testament to that! The above collage was of various days while we were there, of course Papa documented all of it. Gavin has for some reason been sticking his tongue out a lot! I love the picture of him holding the wish bone. He didn't know whether to eat it or throw it. Which is typical of him now. Overall it was a wonderful trip and we were happy to spend it with the Kelly's.

On another note, Gavin turned 10 months old while we were there. He is of course wonderful and we are so thankful that he has been so happy and healthy! We are counting our lucky stars that with the flu (that I had) and the colds going around he has remained immune to it. We are looking forward to his first Christmas, we just got our tree and are in the middle of decorating it, more to come with pics! As of right now, Gavin has not gone near the tree, but thinking once the bulbs and ornaments are on he may be a little more into it. I will be fine with him ignoring it though!!!

Sorry

I am so behind on posts, I just got back my computer after it going on the fritz for 12 days! 12 days without the Internet, I almost croaked! I will get a few new posts out this week!

Busy Times

I always think that once the summer has ended our busy schedules would somewhat calm down. Apparently not. We are still busy as ever - which is fun, but a little draining sometimes. I am thankfully feeling better, so much so, that I went to Madonna last week! Which was fantastic, we should all have her stamina at 50! And I was finally able to snap a ton of pictures of Gavin! I was feeling a little bad that I was neglecting my boy so much.

He has been of course, the wonderful boy that he is. He is motoring all over the place. He is now just holding on to one finger and he can walk side by side with me. I am just waiting for him to take some steps on his own, that will be a day I will probably cry my eyes out. He is also loving all things that are not his toys. Pots, Tupperware, spatulas, my cell phone. Oh well, keeps him busy!

Yesterday was spent in Boulder for Jackson and Francesca's baptism. Greg and I are Frankie's godparents and were very happy to be a part of their big day. They seemed to have a great time and with the wonderful weather, we all enjoyed the day. Jack was hilarious, the boy did not take off his sunglasses all day! He was very Rico Suave with his white shirt unbuttoned, his rosary on and of course his red glasses. Big sister Pyper kept Gavin occupied during the ceremony, which was very much appreciated.

Sick as a Dog.....

I apologize for my lack of posts lately, I have been fighting the flu for about 4 days! I finally started feeling a little better yesterday and am almost back to normal today. Which is odd to me, I normally am sick for about 12 hours than ready to rock and roll. So to put this mildly, I have been a slacker and negligent to my son and taking his pictures. Oddly enough the only pics I have taken in the past few days are of the dogs. For some reason Elvis is just loving the chairs on the patio, he normally only sits on them when we are out with him or when we are sitting by the fire (yes, we have to have a chair for him). I love the pic of the two boys together just sitting out by the road in the tree. They look like they are bonding. Please notice the nozzle on the table in front of Elvis on the below pics. I had gone out earlier this morning and took it from him and put it on the table, he then decided to get on the chair to get it back! Elvis is definitely my original "problem child".

A few quick updates on my little G man, he is doing wonderful, getting bigger every day. He is now pretty much eating all "normal" food, loving Mommy's homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and mashed bananas. That child would live on nanners if he could. He is also clapping to music, thanks to Aunt Jenny and Papa. He loves to pull all his books off the end table in the living room, sit down amidst them and pretend to read them. He still has not taken any steps on his own yet, but motoring along with his lion as fast as he can go. I promise pics of him soon!

2 for the Zoo

Gavin and I made a trip to the Zoo on Tuesday alone. I thought we needed to take advantage of one of our last nice days! We had a great time, it was unbelievably quiet. There was a few times I was walking and no one was around. It was wonderful. We spent a lot of time in the Primates and Gavin loved watching the monkey swinging and jumping around. We also spent a lot of time watching the gorillas, we were the only people in the enclosure and they were putting on a show for us. The gorilla pictured above would walk right up the glass and just stare at Gavin and somewhat smile. It was very cute, and Gavin did not even blink or freak out. He just stared back! The black bears were so cute napping, one in the top of a tree that I had to take some pics. I am glad we went when we did, it is now 40 and windy. Not happy with that!

All is right in the world....

That is all I will say! I am so glad Colorado is a blue state! Go Obama!

Happy Halloween!

As most of you know Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I start decorating October 1st and it is a little elaborate! Of course I also start watching my scary movies, Halloween being one of them. Greg has definitely gotten into the spirit more and is always willing to get my bales of hay and corn stalks for the porch. And yes, we do some lights! We are geeks.

This year is a very special Halloween it was Gavin's first, and he was adorable as a dragon. For awhile I called him a dinosaur until Greg reminded me that dinos don't have wings! Duh. We had a great time with starting our day going to my old office for lunch and some trick or treating. Then headed out that evening for a hay ride around our neighborhood. We had so much fun, the weather was wonderful, the kids all looked great and it was nice to be able to ride around chatting with our friends! Our neighborhood is not very conducive to trick or treating. We had a great turnout, both the trailers were filled and I have to admit it was very organized. A lot of the pictures have Gavin pulling at his head, he was not a fan of the dragon "hat". I love the last picture of Greg looking like he is losing it! We ended up leaving the ride early because Gavin had had enough.

Once we got home, we decided to pack up and head to Kristi and Steve's for some adult Halloween partying. Gavin was a champ and slept the entire time of course! That kid can sleep, just like his Mommy. A lot of people wonder if we even get trick or treaters and we do! Last year I had about 40, this year Greg's parents and sister stayed at our house to pass out candy while we were gone. When we left we left the bowl out (we have a great honor system out here, a lot of our neighbors do this and the children are very respectful) and when we got home, had about 5 pieces left. So I am sure we had more this year, heck on our ride there was about 15 or so kids! And yes, we did trick or treat our own home! Overall it was a wonderful day and I think Gavin had a great time, especially being around the big kids!

Pumpkin Carving

We did some pumpkin carving last night with the Kunz's, which was a lot of fun. Grandma and Aunt Jenny kept Gavin occupied while Greg, I and Papa carved our pumpkins up! We tried to get Gavin to dig into the bowl of "pumpkin guts", but alas, he touched it and then pushed the bowl away and wiped his hand on Grandma's sweater. My son is going to end up like his Daddy and Mommy with regards to having our hands dirty! I may just get him his own little sanitation bottle.

Tomorrow is going to be a very big day for us, starting with going to have lunch with the Four Star crew in Boulder. Gavin will don his outfit for the first time and try not to sweat to death! I can't imagine he will last very long in it. We will then head home for a much needed nap to rest up for our hay rack ride around our 'hood! I think I am more excited than anyone about this! It should be a good time and Greg will finally get to meet some of the woman I have been hanging out with lately. Plus it will be nice to not have to walk our neighborhood! With our homes being on 1-3 acres it would get a little tiring after a block! Will post pics of the bean in his dino outfit as soon as I can!

On another note, Gavin had his 9 month check up yesterday. He did very well, has almost reached the 22 pound mark! We are so lucky he has been so healthy! HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN!

***UPDATE, I just realized why my little stinker would not take a nap this afternoon, he has his two front teeth coming in at the same time!

Happy 9 Month Birthday!

Gavin turns 9 months today. 9 months old, I cannot believe it! 9 months old going on the terrible twos! He is becoming very obstinate and vocal. A little more vocal than we like, especially when we are out to dinner. Which is very embarrassing for Greg and I! But oh well, I guess we are lucky that we have been able to take him out as much as we do. Maybe just take a break for a month!

Greg is on the western slope golfing with the guys, so we decided to have a slumber party! We spent yesterday and today with Grammy, Pyper, Jackson and Frankie. Grammy, Gavin and I were supposed to go to Boo at the Zoo yesterday, but after getting down there and not being able to turn into the zoo & seeing the line to get into the park. It was craziness! So we came back to our house, packed him in the stroller and walked to our local park and had a picnic there. Gavin decided to stand up on his own with no help from anything or anyone while we were there! He made it upright and stood there for a few seconds. I am still in a little shock.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon playing and decorating pumpkins with his cousins. The evening was spent sitting out by the fire, making s'mores and drinking hot cocoa. Well, ok, Grammy and I were drinking wine! We needed it! The slumber party we had went great, with the occasional hiccup. Like Frankie falling off the bed that she was not even supposed to be sleeping on, that girl is an escape artist! With 4 kids under the age of 4 1/2 in the house, I thought our sleep would not be great! What a surprise, they all slept till 7. We of course had to have a bubble bath this morning, Gavin wanted so badly to get into the tub with the kids- but just not big enough to handle his own yet!

Gavin then spent the early evening at Grandma and Papa's for some play and love time. I headed to the mall and did some retail therapy with Grammy! It was nice to get a little away time. When I picked him up, Grandma informed me that she saw his new "personality", or as I like to refer to it, his devil side! Not so cute now! Overall it was a wonderful weekend, filled with family and of course a lot of love. I think we are all very much wanting Greg to get home. Maybe now Crash will eat! Our sensitive dog.....