Happy belated Thanksgiving!

A week late, but what the heck! We had a great weekend with family. We spent the day before Thanksgiving with my parents and sister. We met up for lunch and then Grandpa and Auntie took Kyle for a couple of train rides.

Grandpa and Gavin

Then, Grandpa and Grammie came to watch Kyle in his sports class.

Here the kids were learning how to, "Set, Hut, Hike" the football.

The next day was Thanksgiving with my Oregon family. We had a great time!!! Even got the news that there will be a new, little cousin come June! Here, Auntie Jan meets Gavin.

Friday, we decorated for Christmas and picked out our tree (freshly cut from Oregon)! Man, does our home smell wonderful!!

Sunday afternoon we took the kids to the beach. 

Daddy and Gavin.

Kyle was sad to see the Thankful Tree being taken apart, so we left up the bare branches and decorated it with a painted egg from my cousin Karianne. 

Kyle still asks that we share what we're thankful for and frankly, I can't argue... we could celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving all year long! Here's Kyle's list of things he's thankful for:

• grapes
• "for loving you"
• "God. He protects us."
• trees
• "the pictures" (of Kyle and Gavin)
• "for Mommy" Why? "You get the food ready."
• Brother
• cheese
• Moppets (MOPS childcare program)

It is so fun to hear him share his thoughts and learn what's important to him. Happy Thanksgiving... and hellooo CHRISTMAS!!!! :) 

Kyle's 1st Sleepover!!

Kyle was invited to his very first sleepover by his Auntie Michelle! :) He could hardly contain his excitement and kept exclaiming, "I just can't wait!!" all day long. Their plans were to set up a tent and sleep in the living room of my sister's new apartment. Kyle was excited to eat, play, bathe... you name it, if it was at his Auntie Michelle's house. Check out his excitement when we "finally" arrived at her door...

Immediately upon entering, he began to unroll his sleeping bag and get to unpacking his Thomas suitcase.

Then came the tent.

And then, "Okay Mommy, good-bye!!" Kyle waved me off with a huge smile.

I got a great report from Michelle later that night. He was adorable in all the ways I'd have expected him to be (lots of "Kyle-isms"), and slept really well. They were back at our place the next morning bright and early and we were off to spend Thanksgiving with family.

Thanks, Michelle, for making this fun memory happen. You're welcome to repeat this anytime you please!!! :)

Weekends with the Martins

We love our weekends. A typical one involves:

Pretending that we get to sleep in ... 

Special breakfasts either at home or at the beach! 

Swimming for Mommy, surfing for Daddy, and fishing trips for the family.

Working on projects like this weekend's soap carving creation.

And finally, arriving late to church.

 Why does Monday morning come so soon?!

Gavin - 2 months

Rudy's grumpy face passed down...

Gavin is 2 months old! At his doctor's visit today we heard that he is healthy (11.9 pounds and 23 inches long) and developing well (cooing, smiling, and tracking us with his eyes)! He is a sweet, cuddly little baby.

At 2 months, Gavin:

• runs warm. We call him our "little heater."
• likes to cuddle
• "talks" often (and loudly!)
• refuses a pacifier and dislikes being swaddled
• loves going fast in a car!
• wears 3 month clothing
• nicknames: Gav, Brother, Buster, Chango

Gavin is a fantastic addition to our family. We feel so blessed.

Kyle's 1st Dentist Visit!

I took Kyle to see my childhood dentist yesterday. She and her husband run a business together where she works with the kids and he works with the adults. I've been going to this place since I was a little girl and was just there last week for my own cleaning. I'd been preparing Kyle (getting him interested and excited) for his 1st visit for almost a year and yesterday he finally got to experience it himself! :). He really likes reading his books about the subject and watching me during my appointments. He took his visit seriously and was so well-mannered. He was such a little man. :) 

Dr. S has been doing her thing for over 30 years and let me tell you, she is a master at her craft. My mom joined us and we both were in awe watching her do her thing. I'm so grateful we have such great dentists. 

Dr. S showed Kyle "Mr. Thirsty" and the water sprayer. He got to hold Mr. Thirsty and see how he works.

The dentist explained each and every tool, using Kyle's fingers to demonstrate what she would do. She was so patient and treated Kyle with so much respect, not like a "little kid."

Then, after seeing and learning about all the tools and everything she'd do, they got down to business. Kyle was such a polite, respectful and obedient boy. Not to mention, brave. I was so stinkin' proud!!

Afterwards, he got to pick out a toy from the toy box.

My little, big boy! He's growing up so quickly.

Gavin Smiles :)

Over the weekend, at 7 weeks old, Gavin began to smile. His first smile was such a beautiful sight, it made me tear up. So far, he's saving his smiles for Mommy. We stare and talk to each other lots. Gav is quite a "talker." :)  I love this little boy!!!

Earlier I posted about "going private" with my blog. That may still happen, but the urgency is no longer... will keep you posted should that change. 

A Month of Thankfulness

It's way too easy to think of things we're not happy with or would like to change... so it's refreshing to welcome November, the month of giving thanks! This year, Kyle is able to participate in a new family tradition we started last year called, The Thankful Tree. I found this link: http://www.simplyvintagegirl.com/blog/index.php/2010/11/27/the-thankful-tree/ and loved the idea of daily writing one thing you're thankful for and then reading them all aloud around the table on Thanksgiving Day.  It's been fun to share our thoughts each night around the dinner table. We have loved hearing what Kyle is thankful for. :)

Here's our tree from last year. We took off the circle papers and have begun adding new ones this year.

I added coffee beans to my jar just for the added aroma! :)

Happy November!

A Not-So-Typical Friday

What we did was typical but there was one thing not so typical ... my cousin John from Oregon was in the general area and drove out to see us. Since most of our family (both Rudy and mine) live out of state, having any relative come visit is a special treat. We loved that he made the effort to see us and we had a great time showing him some of our favorite places.

Balboa Fun Zone

Yay for family visits. It puts a smile on our faces.

Happy Halloween!

I love how adorable little kids look all dressed up in their costumes! We started the day joining a parade at my school with my 1st graders. The students' storybook costumes were so cute and creative. Kyle and Gavin got their picture taken quite a bit as we walked by the entire student body and their parents. It was a bit intimidating for Kyle, but he held his own very well.

Later in the evening, we went trick-or-treating with our friends. Kyle was so kiss-ably cute!  He was old enough to really anticipate and enjoy every moment of it and yet still small enough to look absolutely adorable!! Unfortunately, I couldn't get my camera to focus so well and then  pretty soon into the evening my camera's battery died! But... I did get a few! Here's Kyle the Dragon with his friend Elsie as Rapunzel. 

Precious.

Gavin, the dragon/dinosaur, slept soundly through the whole evening...

...but Rudy made sure he got his candy!!! :)

The boys and their loot. Gavin was still completely out!

Happy 1st Halloween, Gavin!