Living

May is quickly coming to an end, but it has brought goodness to us.  Warmer weather, birthday parties for little ones and big ones, outdoor fun times, swimming lessons, play dates, stresses of getting our house ready to put on the market, and lots of time enjoying our little family.

 

My saving grace right now is Gavin's dislike for grass.  I can put him on a blanket in the middle of the grass and he can't stray too far.  Give the boy a snack, book and his sister for entertainment and he is content.

 I have found a couple garage sales in my neighborhood on my way from work in the past couple of weeks and have found some amazing deals.  A princess scooter for Reegan $4 and this walker toy for Gavin $5.  Now when he gets tired of his blanket on the grass he can scoot around in the garage.

 



A newish goal I have for myself is that one morning a week I get the kids out of the house for a fun activity.  Something outside of our normal routine.  We've done Deanna Rose Farmstead a couple of times, ceramic café for story time and paint your own pottery, and this last week we went to Nerman Museum.  It was...a little disappointing.  The kids were very well behaved but it was small so we walked through it much quicker than I had anticipated.  

Plus we were the only people there, so the security guard was our shadow which was a little awkward.  I understand it, museums are not a typical place to bring your infant and toddler, but I was looking for some culture.  Lesson learned: security guards make this little girl a little nervous and timid. 

I've got a whole list of summer activities I am excited to do...Jason on the other hand may not be as excited!  I'm keeping him pretty busy! 

11 months old

Our little man turned 11 months old this past weekend!  I don't know where time is going, but he sure is getting cuter by the day! 

No interest in walking, but is a speed crawler with a mission for destruction.  He's slowly learning the rules of what he can play with and what he can't play, but according to Gavin, rules are meant to be broken and he does whatever he wants.  Oh to be a baby...can get away with everything!

 Mr. Personality- loves to hear his own voice.  We lovingly call him a pterodactyl with all his shrieks.

We love him more and more everyday!  Can't believe it's time to plan his first birthday...

Worlds of Fun

We had an amazingly busy and wonderful couple days last weekend.  We were going nonstop and may have taken advantage of our children's easy, go-with-the-flow personalities.  We did pay for it a bit, Gavin and I both have colds and I did suffer through 2 days of cranky while we caught up on sleep and resumed our "normal" schedule.  It was worth it and we would repeat anytime! 

 

Saturday started off with the Chiefs 5K and ended with shopping at the legends and T-bones baseball game with my family.  Sunday we spent the day at World's of Fun with Jason's family.  Here are a few highlights.

 Poor Gavin didn't get to ride any rides, but he had other entertainment...

 Snoopy!

 She is getting so big!  Where has time gone?

We had a blast.  It was a beautiful day and lots of fun.  This weekend we plan to take a little slower and actually spend a little time at home :)

10 months

Here they are, finally, Gavin at 10 months.  He is a complete joy and a bundle of energy, always on the move.  

 He's obsessed with his tongue and putting everything and anything in his mouth.  Loves to eat and does not like to see anyone else eating unless he can enjoy it with them.  Luckily for him, he has a sister who likes to share and therefore got to enjoy a few tastes of chocolate chip cookie while on an outing to Sam's Club while Jason and I were blissfully unaware. 

 He is the sweetest thing and loves to cuddle when he is sleepy.  He likes to rock in the chair and give kisses.  He also will give high-five and loves to clap. 

Gavin is at such a fun age.  It is so much fun to watch him explore and test out this world.  He is quickly clinging to his favorite toys and loves to be wherever Reegan is.  Reegan is an excellent big sister and is patient with him most of the time.  They love to give each other hugs and play peek-a-boo.  She can make Gavin laugh like no one else can. 

 Gavin has developed a routine but is great about being flexible.  Days we spend at home, he takes a 2 hour nap in the morning, 9:30-11:30ish and then another 90 minute nap in the afternoon.  He likes to go to sleep much earlier than Reegan and is always asleep by 7:30 and wakes up at 7:15 in the morning.  A few mornings a week we go to the gym, or run errands, or do something fun and Gavin is such a good sport and goes with the flow.  Those days he usually just takes a 2+ hour nap in the afternoon.  I sometimes feel bad about taking advantage of his go-with-the-flow attitude.  He is such a good baby!

 Gavin likes to pull up furniture and cruise around.  He finds chairs or any toy that he can possibly push around to get from one place to another.  He took his first steps without holding onto anything this week, but I think we are far off from walking.  Anytime he looks like he's thinking about it, he just drops to his knees and crawls off.

His favorite thing is to crawl around and see what he can get into.  He is learning what he is not supposed to get into and is just a little sneakier about it.  If he is headed somewhere we don't want him to go, he will crawl faster when we call his name or chase after him.  Gavin is fast too. 

Gavin- wild man, joyful, laid-back, funny (he makes us laugh with his funny faces and games), loveable, independent, sweet, lovable.  We love everything about him!

Our everyday

More pictures from the iPhone documenting our everyday...  Our "real" camera hasn't been used much lately. 

Reegan started swim lessons. She did great and we were so proud of this girl!  She jumped right in and followed directions. 

Gavin gets into everything. Take your eyes off him for 10 seconds and he's scaling the wall...

Or hiding under his high hair

This girl is growing up too fast. I look at her see a 10 year old sometimes. She's too cute. 

Weather is finally warming up. Our pots and garden are planted. 

Gavin has decided he likes to suck on his toes, no thumbs or fingers only toes.

Back soon (serious this time) with his 10 month update.  

Deanna Rose

Last week we had a few nice days and tried to take advantage of the weather!  We made our first visit to Deanna Rose Farmstead.   

Reegan had such a great time and was our leader.  She lead the way and told me everything we were seeing!

 Hello eyes!  Gorgeous boy!!!

There will be many more trips in our future! 

In other news, Reegan is learning to write her letters and loves when Gavin takes a nap so we can do "preschool".  I am learning a lot about myself in the process, this has been a great reminder of my weaknesses and is giving me a great opportunity to grow and stretch myself. 

Amazing!

Hello!

Yes, I know this blog is long overdue.  Life is a constant state of adjustment for me.  There are so many changes going on, and change is not my comfort zone.  After switching jobs and working days for 8 weeks, I am back to nights.  That and adjusting to my children's ever changing sleep schedules and behaviors has me fast asleep much earlier than I would like and I have been napping...I don't like to nap at all, but it's been necessary.

So, here are pictures from the last few weeks.  We've had fun and been staying busy!

Reegan is still loving gymnastics and wants to practice all day, every day.  Maybe she'll be a cheerleader?  Girl has got balance.

 

We do lots of reading, and even more clearing of the bookshelves...

 

Dress-up.  Today in fact we wore this princess dress to walmart and toys-r-us.  The heels did stay home, there has to be some boundries :)

 

The weather is slowly turning warmer and we've enjoyed a few afternoons outdoors.  

 Gavin is not sure about the grass yet and doesn't like to venture off the blanket.  Fingers crossed this continues for a llllooooonnnnngggg time.  This kid is a mover and keeps me busy...



More posts to come.  We made our first visit to Deanna Rose Farmstead yesterday, Gavin turned 10 months old this past Friday, and we have lots of plans for the summer.  Big plans!  Back soon, promise!