Fall Fun (in 94 degree weather-Oh Well)

Today I met my friend Trisha and her daughter and son at a Pumpkin patch in good old Temecula wine country.  It was a lot of fun and it was VERY hot.  Gavin had lots of sunscreen on but after 5 minutes of running around with 3 year old Mikaila, his cheeks were bright red from the heat.  It is a great pumpkin patch though, just right for his size.  In the past I've gone to a huge farm that's pumpkins as far as the eye can see.  It was just a little too much with a little guy.  I much prefer this little humble pumpkin patch in wine country.  There were tons of cute photo op spots although I didn't capitalize on it b/c Gavin wanted to just run.  One of his favorite things was a big ring of hay.  You could walk on the hay bails all around the circle and then jump onto the hay floor.  I thought he might be a mess of allergies afterward but he was fine.  Then we went through a corn maze and that is right up his alley.  He followed Mikaila around as fast as he could.  When she'd stop (cause her mommy said "wait") he kept going at top speed.  Several times I had to take off after him b/c he is fast and I didn't want to lose him in the corn maze!  At the end we went to the petting zoo, we fed goats and the most docile rabbit I've ever seen in my life.  Gavin actually stepped on its foot and it just gently moved it's foot once he got off and placed it under its body.  He used to our dogs who head for the hills when he gets too close.  It was a fun day, well hour I should say b/c that's about all we could handle with the heat.  It was just right and FREE, except for the petting zoo which was 4 dollars.  We didn't buy a pumpkin yet b/c we want to wait for daddy.  Gavin did try to pick up some of the big ones though.  All in all lots of fun to get to do this today with my little pumpkin!

What a lucky kid!

This is a short post to say how thankful I am that Gavin has such an awesome family to grow up with. We just spent some time with both of our families and Gavin knows them all by name. It's so fun to get up in the morning and see his reaction when we say, "Do you want to go see Poppi and Nonni (Benjy's parents) today?" or "We are gonna see Grandpa and Grandma (my parents)" or look out if we even mention his cousins! I know what a richness my family was to me and my childhood growing up. Going and seeing my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins was the highlight of my year (literally) because we always had so much fun and I felt so loved!

I'm thankful that Gavin is going to have wonderful influences in his life from the adults and great friends in his cousins. So I included a picture of Gavin with his Cousin Nicolas who is only one month younger, just because it was what got me thinking about all of this in the first place. Although they don't really appreciate each other now (they just sort of coexist in the same room together but don't really play together quite yet) it will be so fun to grow up together and I'm so thankful God gave him that gift.

Some family he has yet to meet and get to know and I'm so excited for that because his life will be all the richer for it.

On that note: Jonny (Benjy's little bro) and Sara-can't wait to spend time with you in a couple of weeks!

Jesse (Benjy's big bro) and Shawna-Gavin will love getting to spend time with his four cousins from Oregon! Hopefully this Christmas????

And to my AZ family-we can't wait to see you all in November and I know Gavin will love his second cousin Michael who's also close in age.

This is probably my most rambling post so far so thanks for bearing with me. Check out the next post about our summer (below)!

Summertime means...Keeping up with Gavin...

Well I have to say between blogspot, myspace and facebook I've been horrible about updating pictures and keeping in touch. Let's blame it on the fact that it is summer and we have way too much free time on our hands...Benjy, Gavin and I are having a great time. We kicked off the summer with a little vacation in San Diego. We stayed with Joe and Emily and Gavin had an absolute blast following around his cousins. We used our Sea World and Zoo passes which was nice b/c we could go at our own leisure around Gavin's nap. Benjy got some surfing in and we actually got a night with Joe and Emily without kids (all were in bed) which is so rare and was very fun! We also went to Bakersfield for the week of the Fourth of July so that we could light our own fireworks in my parents front yard (a long time tradition in my family). That week was awesome because Benjy and I were able to go on a two day rafting trip on the Kern River. We rafted all day, slept under the stars at night and then rafted the whole second day. It was beautiful and fun and only an hour from Bakersfield.

Besides that our summer days have consisted of Gavin's swim lesson in the morning and then some adventure in the afternoon. We either take off for the beach, Wild animal park, the pool, a hike, or the park. It's got to be something active. Gavin's got a lot of energy and we soon found that errands to Target and the grocery store were just so much easier to do if one of us goes while he is napping.

At the Wild Animal park he literally never stopped running! He ran from place to place, barely noticing the animals but loving every little tiny rock and bug he found on the ground. Gavin is famous for his announcements which he shouts for all to hear so he ran around the park shouting and pointing "WOW" and "OH!" (and lots of other long phrases which we are sure are several sentences long but are still very difficult to decifer) everytime he saw something that amazed him. We found out that the tram ride through "Africa" was only 25 min and free with our membership so we thought it might be a nice chance for us all to get off our feet and relax. It turned out to be a wresting match for both of us as we tried our best to keep Gavin from falling out of the tram. He was all over the place and by the end Benjy and I were sweating and I think the giraffes were happy the little "tasmanian devil" (yes, he was literally turning circles in Benjy's arms at one point) that went by on the tram was getting off! We just had to turn on the video camera and laugh!

So, summer is fun. We still have four weeks left and everyday is a new adventure. We eat lots of watermelon, spend as much time in the water as possible and try to keep up with our little ball of energy! He's an absolute blast though and we couldn't have asked for a more entertaining addition to our lives! By the way, in August we will have been married 9 years!

Trucks and Tractors!

Gavin is now almost 15 months old and he is absolutely so excited about the world around him. The other day we were walking out of a restaurant and he was walking ahead of me with Benjy and they passed by a tall palm tree. I called out, "Gavin! Look at this BIG tree!" (we'd been working on the idea/word "big" lately so I thought this was a good teaching opportunity) He spun around as if on cue and shouted a really dramatic and long "OOOOOOH!" and looked up and pointed up at the tree. He then ran over to it and threw his arms around it and essentially gave it a hug! All the people waiting outside the restaurant were cracking up along with us! He is really animated about things like that!

In contrast, on our first ever trip to Sea World he was absolutely stunned into silence during the Shamu show though he stared at the action and never moved! Afterward when he'd had a chance to process it he spent the rest of the day waving his hands up and down and saying "Shamu, Shamu!" (or his muffled version of it-something like "mamu") This is what they had taught us to do during the show in order to get shamu to splash really big! It is so amazing for Benjy and I to re-experience the world through this child's eyes. He is so passionate and really throws himself into this life and we are really enjoying the ride with him!

His latest passion is big trucks and tractors and he can hear and see them a mile away and is quick to point them out with his characteristic motor sound which I think God programmed into all boys! (Vroooooom!) The other day we took a walk to a dirt field behind our house and visited some enormous tractors. Gavin saw them from a football field away and his little legs just couldn't carry him there fast enough. He climbed up on top and tried every lever and handle to see how to make it work. It was a fun adventure.

Hiking Santa Rosa Plateau

This actually happened before the next post but I did them out of order.  So, don't forget to check out the "Rock Climbing" post below if you haven't seen it.  Anyway, a few weeks back we drove up the road about 15 minutes (just right outside of town) to the Santa Rosa Plateau.  Everything is so green b/c of the rain right now that it is just gorgeous.  We had the most refreshing hike just enjoying the expanse of beauty that went on and on.  We couldn't believe we were so close to home and in such wilderness.  Gavin fell asleep in the backpack which tells you just how relaxing it was.  While we were there we saw so many people jogging or going going on walks but at the same time we were alone most of the time.  It's such a great place to go!  Just another reason why we love it here!

Rock Climbing with Seal and Heidi Klum

On Sunday we went to a beautiful spot in Malibu where the rock jets up right next to the gorgeous ocean, almost on a secluded end of the beach. It was so pretty. Two of our best friends, Linus and Tiffany also came and we were all hanging out on the beach waiting to climb when up toddled the cutest little boy. He stopped to look at us and I was waving at him and laughing b/c he was so darn cute all bundled up on top but with no pants on (I guess so he could play in the water) his dad was right behind him and said Hi to us and we said Hi back and then he walked over to meet his family. That's when Benjy looked at me and said, "Erin, that's Seal!" (If you don't know him he's a singer and he sings that song "I've been kissed by a rose on the grave" Then I really looked and saw that distinctive face and then looked to see if the girl w/ him was Heidi Klum. I didn't think it was b/c although she was tall and skinny, she had short blonde hair and a hat and glasses but she wasn't as tall as I thought she looked on TV or in pictures, so I thought maybe it was her sister or something. We were two of the few families on the beach so there were several times when Gavin went over to their boys to see what they were up to. Before I knew it was her for sure (there was a little entourage w/ them) I asked her how old her little one was. She said he was 15 months, I told her Gavin just turned a year and she commented on what a great walker he was for being so young. Then I knew it was her by the accent. Later Tiffany and I were taking pictures of Linus as he sport climbed the rock to set up our top rope and we were standing next to Seal as he took pictures of Linus too, he turned and asked us how we were doing etc. He basically took pictures the whole time as each of us climbed and we overheard him explaining to Heidi about how Linus was setting up the rope. We were all tempted to ask him if he wanted to try it but we were trying really hard not to be annoying b/c obviously they felt comfortable to stay there since no one was harassing them.

At the end of the day the older boy came over to play with our tractor and Tiffany was talking to him and playing with him. Seal came up and was trying to get Henry to come with him since it was time for them to leave. He joked with us about how he never listens. Then he told us to have a nice day and that was it! It was really cool!

Anyway, aside from that we had a really fun day. It was very windy but sunny and gorgeous! Tiffany and I made it to the top. It was her first time and she did awesome! I had to fight with my mind a few times since I hadn't done it since before I got pregnant and I was nervous to fall. I gained strength from a few things, one was looking down and seeing Gavin smiling up at me and pointing and mouthing the word "Up, Up". Another motivation was looking down and seeing Seal taking pictures of me. I thought, "Shoot I don't want to fall!"

So, enjoy the pictures. It was so fun. Gavin was so good for having slept only 45 min in the car. He just loves days like that and is such a trooper b/c he enjoys the activity and the great outdoors! Sorry, no pics of Seal and Heidi Klum, as I said we didn't want to be annoying. The coolest thing was that we were just hanging out doing our thing as if they weren't superstars! Luckily for me it was a cold day so Heidi was all bundled up and not in her bikinni since she is a Victoria's Secret Supermodel!

More Pictures from Gavin's birthday party

Gavin's First Birthday

On February 28th Gavin turned 1! On Saturday March 1, (mommy's 31st birthday) we celebrated! Curious George was the theme so I had it all decorated with vines and leaves and Curious George monkeys! Our friend Marcie made him a shirt that he wore which had the number 1 and his name with a Curious George on it. His sitter Doreen gave him shoes that squeak when he walks and to top off the outfit he wore my brothers jeans from when he was a baby in the 70's. They were hip man! Anyway, we had a great time! Friends and family came and everyone got into the Curious George spirit. He got some great monkey plates and a bowl and cup and silverware to eat with now that he's a big boy. He also got lots of great books and a toy car from the movie Cars AND a mini guitar so he can play with daddy! He was really amazed by all the gifts!

He had, of course, his own little cake to smash and was much more interested in squishing the frosting between his fingers. He immediately wiped it all on his face which made for some great pictures! He loved having all the people around! We had practiced singing, "Happy birthday" before hand and blowing out the candle. He wanted us to sing again when it was time to blow out. He looked around and started singing, "Haaaaay" so we sang a little more and then he attempted to blow out the candles with more of a spitting effect and I finally helped him get it out.

Later that evening we celebrated my birthday with BJ's pizza and ice cream cake (that's right two cakes in one day-we don't mess around!).  There was only one present I asked Benjy for and he came through!  I got a silver charm for a necklace with an imprint of Gavin's little fingerprint on it!  It is soooo precious to me and it made me cry.  It was the most perfect gift for my birthday this year to celebrate that at this time last year he came into my life!  I thought it would be tough for Benjy to pull off behind my back b/c he had to find out who makes them and then get Gavin there to do it.  I thought he hadn't been able to do it so he really did surprise me with that gift!

 Gavin was in the best mood all day with only about 45 min nap the entire day! He even had trouble sleeping that night-I think he was just so excited. So... just to commemmorate this past year with him, we got up from 2-4 am and watched one of his new Elmo videos, lit a candle and sang Happy Birthday again and ate some leftover Ice Cream cake together. It was pretty memorable although I was tired the next day! We finally got back to sleep about 4:30 and he was up by 6:30! Thank goodness Grandpa was up!

Gavin Enjoys Walking the Dogs

Hi All, 

Here's the latest with Gavin.  First of all, he got the cutest jacket from his Uncle Jonny and Auntie Sara so check it out in the pics.  Also lately Gavin likes to hold on to the dog's leash and help when we go for our walks.  The dogs are pretty good about humoring him for a while and they basically stay out of his way.  Of course, when it's time to really hit the road and start movin' Frodo doesn't want to mess around with Gavin's slower pace.  So, yesterday we put Gavin in the backpack and had him hold the leash from there.  We got a lot of smiles from passersby as we strolled down the street.  

Also, some great news for those of you who have been following our lack of sleep saga for the past 11 months.  I hesitate to say much but... for the past week Gavin has consistently slept from 7:00 until 5:00!  He usually wakes up once at 11:00 or so and acts like he's disoriented, cries a little.  It takes a minute to go in and snuggle him and give him his pacifier and then he's right back to sleep.  He's also napping great!  At 5am I can give him a bottle in bed and he goes back to sleep for a couple of hours!!!  So now it's my goal to make that my time to get up and go to the gym or get other things done.  I used to love to wake up early before everyone else and go to the gym or have a long bath with a book.  It's just been so long since I've had a normal night's sleep that this was just not pleasant sounding at all to me!  So, I'll try to get back into it now that Gavin is doing better sleeping (it only took 11 months! but we do love his energy!)

Enjoy the pictures!  

Snow and hiking!

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post. I've been so inspired by Emily that I had to go for it. I'm posting pictures of our latest adventures. We went to Big Bear, just 2 hours away and got to play in the snow. My good friend Ryann and her husband and 2 girls invited us to stay with them in their time share and right outside our door was LOTS of snow! Gavin loved it, mostly he wanted to put it in his mouth (since he's cutting 4 teeth right now). When his hand would get too cold, he would cry and we would then pick him up and take the snow out of his hand and then he'd get more upset. It just wasn't quite registering with him what was happening. He went down the little sled hill with daddy too! It was fun for all of us to get to see snow!

A few days later, we headed up the road (about 2 exits from our house) to the Santa Rosa plateau. It's about 20 minutes from us and you suddenly are out in the middle of nowhere, discussing strategies in case you see a mountain lion. It was a beautiful California hike and no city as far as the eye could see. You can hike for miles and miles but since it was our first day and we had no hats or sunscreen (who thought you'd need them on a January day) we decided to take the short loop. We ended up finding some beautiful Oak trees that were nothing short of what you picture the giving tree to really be like, or something out of a fairy tale, the perfect climbing tree with these really long lanky branches that touched the ground! Gavin's eyes lit up as we let him explore this wonderland. He found a big (and pointy-mommy might add) stick that was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen and was passionately angry when I took it away from him b/c I determined it too much of a "You'll poke your eye out" hazard.

Anyway, we are happy to be kicking off 2008 with 2 outdoor adventures. It's so fun that Gavin is getting so curious about the world b/c we are sure enjoying introducing him to it!

Also, for those of you who don't know, he is walking (practically running these days). He's also talking a lot. He points to everything and wants to know the name and then he does his best to try to mimic what you say. He's got a lot of expression and intonation although all the correct sounds for the words may not be there. Today he picked up the phone and said, "Hi daddy" as clear as day. I know that sounds crazy but he says Hi and daddy all the time and actually says Hi daddy to daddy in person. I just thought it was so awesome that he'd say it to the phone. I immediately called daddy but of course he wouldn't do it on command. He also says "hot" "light (ight), he answers when you ask "what does the doggie say" (he sort of barks) and "What does the kitty say?", "OW" is his answer!

Needless to say, we are having the time of our lives with all of this!!!
Love you all!