Gavin and Bill

 
A couple of years ago, my Dad bought Brad a lawn jockey for Christmas. Brad had a chance to clean it up and repaint it. Believe it or not, Brad has been wanting one since he was a kid. He's completed it and it sits proudly in our front room. Gavin had fun posing with Bill (which Taten lovingly named). Who knows?

Plowing Time

 
 
 
Gavin went out with Brad tonight to plow some snow and had time to even make a snow angel. Can't play on the job when you're working, G. :o)

Four-Wheelin'

 
 
 
Brad, Gavin, and our nephew, Jamie, went four-wheeling out at the shop. They had a great time. Gavin has a big scratch by his eye. Apparently there was a mishap going over a bump and Gavin kissed the handlebars. At least he was wearing a helmet. Jamie had 2 friends w/him and they were riding on his yellow 90cc four-wheeler. After about 4 hours, they finally came in for supper.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 
 
 
I'm late getting these on but here's a few candid shots of tree-decorating. The boys had a great Christmas and made out pretty good. More to come . . .

Happy Turkey Day!

 
 
 
Thanksgiving was great! Food was delicious, and the boys got to make a wish on the wishbone! My Dad cooked a fabulous meal! Now on to Christmas!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

 
 
 
I'm late getting this on here thanks to a massive sinus infection . . . Anyway, I'm feeling better so here it goes.

Saturday, Nov. 15th, we celebrated Gavin's 6th birthday. We got to celebrate with our niece and nephew, Kennedy and Jamison, and their brother Jimmy Wayne. We joined up with them at Monical's in Monticello and later, brought K and J back with us to our house for a sleepover. Sunday, I became plagued with my sinus problems, but everyone else got to go to Jupiter's for bowling and games which was great. Gavin was very excited over his "Cars" birthday cake and gifts. Of course, the pizza was great, too. Taten was struggling with the whole birthday thing. Although he all ready celebrated his, he was having a hard time understanding it was Gavin's birthday and the gifts we bought were for Gavin to open and not a moment sooner. Taten is all ready planning a Thomas birthday party for next year. :o)

Happy Anniversary to us!

 
 
Brad and I have spent 10 great (married) years together (14 years in all). Last night we went out for a nice dinner. Our babysitter, Zoey, was gracious to take our photo before heading out. Love ya Brad!! :o)

Happy Halloween!

 
 
 

Leaves

 
 
 
We love fall. The past couple of weeks the boys have had a great time playing in the leaves. We also invited the Kleinman girls over to join us. This is my favorite time of year. Now that Taten is getting bigger it's fun to watch them get into the leaves.

The New Bike

 
Today has been a great fall day. The weather is cooler, leaves are on the ground, and a boy and his bike are tearing through! Here is Gavin with his new bike and wearing the helmet he received as a gift from school for raising the most money in his grade level. Very exciting! The video of him receiving the prize is "priceless." The look of shock on his face says it all.

Fun in Minnesota

 
 
 
Thanks Karen for your big influence on getting us up to MN for a getaway. Definitely worth the trip and we were in love with the scenery especially around The North Shore of Lake Superior. We visited Gooseberry Falls, went in to see the sights of Canal Park in Duluth, and met up with Karen and Randy and took on Minneapolis. Whew! What a trip. The pics speak for themselves. :o)

A Big Week!

I had to let everyone know the results for the Walk for Westview. We did it! First, the school, Westview Elem., raised over $13,000! That was amazing! 100% goes to the school. What a great time. Gavin was the top fundraiser in his grade level AND THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. It was all thanks to everyone who pitched in to the cause. Wow! He won a new bike (Photos to come later) and a gift certificate to Monical's. Congrats Gavin!

On another note, Brad and I are off to Minnesota this weekend. Thanks to my mom, we will be kidless. Just taking a breather. This Nov. we celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary so we're stealing away. No, we're not going to the Poconos for those who want to take their shots. Ha!

Happy Birthday Taten!

 
 
 
It's official. Taten is 3 as of today. We had a nice family get-together yesterday with family and our neighbor, Jane. Taten's cake was none other than Elmo. I made it which took a little longer than anticipated but fun. Taten's big present was a big wheel from his Daddy. Gavin's enjoying it more than Taten right now. Ha! Taten got a new train, jammies, a truck and cars, and a savings bond. Go Taten! Unfortunately after all of the excitement, Taten came down with a fever. He's doing better today, though, and hopefully will stay that way. Too much going on.

On another note, Taten's stitches were removed this morning at the Dr. He's on the mend. The Dr. added some stitch glue to the scab and tiny adhesive bandaids which will fall of on their own. Gavin is back in school after a fun weekend. He's learnin' lots. :o)

BATTER UP!!

 
 
It's the darndest thing. Right before dinnertime, Gavin was practicing his T-Ball in the front yard. As he was swinging, Taten ran up to him and you can guess what happened next. WHACK!!! Gavin accidentally smacked him in the forehead. It split open to about a half-inch cut. Unfortunately it was bleeding profusely and the cut was deep enough we had to go to the ER for 2 stitches. So, we had our first trip to the hospital. I'm happy to report Taten did not cry at all once the bleeding stopped. Even when receiving the stitches, he did not cry. The Dr. was great with him. He and the nurse commended him for how great he was in the ER. He'd doing just fine today. And after about a week, we should be healed. Hopefully minimal or no scarring. Whew! Mama was in dire need of medication and chocolate. :o)

It's Official! We're Paci-Free!!

 
 
 
My boy is growin' up. I'm excited to report Taten has done pretty well without the pacifier. At night when he's attempting to get settled in, he asks for it, but I can't believe the change in his personality for the better. He's not as baby-ish. It's liberating. Nighttime is still a struggle but eventually he gets to sleep and has made it the whole night. Wake-up time is about the same. His 3-year birthday is the 22nd and I think we got this thing away from him at just the right time.

On another note, Gavin came home yesterday from school reporting in about a girl trying to kiss him and wanting to marry him. Apparently, at one point, she was practically dragging him on the ground to get at him, and his friends had a hold of him from the other end in order to get him away from her. Victim of a tug-o-war. Bummer. Not sure what to think. Kids know there's kissing but I know at this age they don't really understand what it means. Regardless, I'm hoping this ceases at least for a while.

Pacifier Fairy

The Paci Fairy visits tonight. It's time to get Taten off the security mouth piece. On that note, please pray hard for us. The next few days are going to be rough. Despite the fact Taten has a security blanket and puppy to sleep with, he still thinks he needs the paci. We explained to him that the fairy will come tonight and take the paci to another baby boy or girl who really needs it. Taten will find a toy in its place. In order to ensure a smooth transition, Gavin will be sleeping in the spare room so he isn't disturbed. I am confident once he's off of it, he will begin the potty training process hard-core. He's done it for a whole evening until he got his hands on the paci the next day. We'll keep you updated on how it goes . . . Dear God in Heaven let things go well. :o{.

School Update

I was informed tonight there is a girl in Gavin's class named Abby. Hmmm . . . He went on to mention he and a few others like her because she is so "nice." And so it begins. Ugh. Then there's an Alex. Apparently this kid "escaped" today and the teachers had to whip out their walkie-talkies to inform others Alex had broken out. He later was caught and sent to the warden's office, I mean the principal's office. Ha! We need to pray for him, eh? I guess it's not boring.