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!

Pumpkins and Pony Rides

Nothing says fall like 80+ degree heat!! So, we have to "make" fall happen. We pass this pumpkin patch every week and decided that today was the day to stop by. Kyle was super excited to ride the ponies this year, so we spontaneously threw together the best cowboy outfit we could find and headed out the door. With his cowboy boots from South Dakota and his new "shooter" (gun) he felt and looked the part. And man did he take himself seriously! :)

Our little gunslinger drawing on some bubbles from the bubble machine!

Riding on a pony named Dakota! :) A worker offered Kyle his hat to complete the look. 

The boys and their bandanas. Auntie Michelle, being in the area now, came over to join us and took a few pictures of the 4 of us. Can you tell how much Kyle enjoys being a big brother? :)

Gav looks like he's smiling here.

Just over 3 feet for this 3 year-old.

Our cowboy in a space shuttle wearing Auntie Michelle's glasses. Yeah. :)

An Afternoon with Auntie Michelle

My sister recently moved to a neighboring city. We are sad that she won't be with us a few nights a week anymore, but since she moved just a few blocks from our church, we know we'll see her often. Kyle loves going to "Auntie's House" and loved providing the muscles necessary to move her in! :) 

Yesterday, she had some time off work and came to watch Kyle in his "upside-down class" at The Little Gym. (I've been meaning to blog about this but what can I say ... been a little busy around here.)  It became apparent pretty early on after Gavin came that Kyle would enjoy having a special class to look forward to each week, as well as benefit from having some outlet for his energy. So I signed him up for a sports-themed class where he learns the fundamentals of various sports and then continues learning other skills in the gym. Not only is he getting to have fun and learn about various sports, but I know from my P.E. background that what he's doing is so developmentally spot on! It's exciting. It's made me really happy to be able to give him something that he loves and is so good for him. 

Anyway, back to Auntie's visit. Here he is reviewing some soccer skills. He's a true lefty. 

He loves going upside-down.

I had to take this picture because with Auntie there (and Grammie 2 weeks prior) he was soo distracted! He constantly came to the window and smiled. He loves his family (and any extra attention!).

Then, in the spirit of fall, we went to one of the many pumpkin patches in the area. We chose this one because it's on a real farm (like where produce really grows!... in Orange County!!).

Kyle with his "binoculars."

Kyle "drove" this thing until a worker finally had to move it. My sister and I both thought of our Grandpa Hahn. Kyle would have loved all his tractors.

Then on to a tractor-pulled wagon ride.

My handsome.

 Love having my sister so close by!!

Bob the Builder

A Bob the Builder exhibit came to the Discovery Science Center and we couldn't wait to take Kyle, knowing how much he'd love it. He didn't disappoint! :) Ru met us on his way home from work and we had a fun little family outing.

Kyle is super proud to wear anything that matches his brother and that states his new status in life: BIG BROTHER! :) He takes great pride in his little sidekick. It's adorable.

 We hit up some hands-on activities before going upstairs to see Bob.

Playing a game in the "Eco Shopper" store.

Bob and Pilchard, the cat

Muck

 

Dizzy

 Building walls with rocks and wood.

This was Kyle's favorite. He dumped, pushed, pumped, and collected these balls through this contraption over and over again.

He's been asking to go back almost nonstop. What does he want to do? Play with the pump thing.