Bella, Gabe and Josiah

There's nothing like a long weekend to inspire you to take a family hike (well, most of the family) out to play at the waterfall and "frow rocks water." Gabe got some rock throwing lessons from Daddy. Then all Gabe wanted to do was throw the really big rocks... It wasn't very warm, so we didn't last too long. But it was nice to get out a bit  

The last week has been completed crazy.  I think we're all just completely wiped out. Let me back up... We spent the entire weekend working on the house. I spent Friday evening deep cleaning two bathrooms and Pat spent it moving dirt around with the skid steer. Clearly we are hip, happening people... Saturday was more of the same. Gabe and I did take a break to have a tea party and watch the Royal Wedding though. How pretty is that table??? By the time we got home, the yard was ready for Gabe to put in some seed. Sunday afternoon was more of the same, yardwork and cleaning. We did take a break to go to Bella's piano recital. By the time got to bed Sunday evening, the entire house was ready, except for the kitchen and dining room, and a dump run, both of which we finished on Monday night, so the realtor could send over her photographer on Tuesday. When Gabe woke up on Tuesday, he was sick. He doesn't get sick very often, but he definitely was then. We spent the day snuggling

My dear little Gabe loves his heavy equipment.  Garbage trucks are still his first love, but the rest of them all take a close second.  The daycare ladies told me that they'll go on long walks around town, which includes walking by a construction area.  The kids always ask what they're looking at and the ladies say that they don't know.  Then Gabe pipes up with "Evcavator", "Backhoe" or "Cement Mixer." The other day we were driving and Gabe suddenly said "Forklift say Beeeep, Beeeep."  I said "Yes, Gabe.  A forklift does say Beep Beep."  Then he got frustrated and said "No Mommy.  Forklift no say Beep Beep.  Forklift say Beeeep Beeeep." We've seen the garbage truck a couple of time this week.  I think Gabe thinks that the garbage truck is it's own entity, rather than a truck that people drive in order to pick up trash.  Yesterday he was concerned about "Men ride garbage truck."  Um, yes.  Someone

For the last few months, every single weekend has revolved around house projects. Realistically, that's what happens when you're trying to get the house ready to go on the market, but still. It feels like that's all we're doing these days. Hopefully those days will be behind us soon... This weekend, though, we had a few other things going on. On Friday night we dropped Gabe off with a friend and Pat and I went on a date! I don't have any pictures of our date because apparently I only take pictures of kids nowdays, but it was really nice to just have dinner with my husband. We should do that more often... Saturday morning was the Girls on the Run 5K. Bella has been doing Heart and Sole, the middle school version of Girls on the Run, for the last 10 weeks, and this was their finally hurrah. I've been helping with the race planning, so I got to show up early to set up, before running the race with Bella. As I was eating breakfast, I looked out the window and realiz

Today is National Childcare Provider Appreciation Day. Since Gabe loves his daycare ladies, I figured that we should bring them some flowers. Last night as I was putting him to bed, I told him the plan and he was not happy. "No, no buy flowers Andrea, Kristin, Alecia." I told him to sleep on it. This morning, he and Daddy had a chat about how one of the ways we say thank you to the people we care about is to buy flowers for them, and that helped. He still wasn't excited about this plan until we actually had flowers in our hands. He looks way too grown up in this picture... By the time we got to school, Gabe was so excited that he threw the flowers up in the air. They landed on the floor and then he kindof stepped on them. At least he didn't throw them at anyone...  

The weather was lovely yesterday and my friend Teresa was in town, so we headed down to the beach. When I picked him up at school, he was playing at the park. He doesn't really like leaving the park, because he's having too much fun playing, but he willing left as soon as I used the words "throw rocks in the water." We stopped by the house to do important things like picking up Daddy and cutting up the watermelon and he was rather upset because he wanted to "frow rocks water" and stopping at the house was getting in the way of that! Gabe may have eaten his weight in sand. I mean, when you eat chicken in one hand and play in the sand with the other, it's hard not to... He and Pat got to spend time throwing rocks in the water while Teresa and I talked and played with her two-month-old. Then Gabe discovered the joy of throwing sand. Getting that out of his hair later was fun... Do you know how many times I said "Don't put sand on the baby!" Be

Before Gabe was born, Pat and I would go on a date every week. We'd take Bella to the church for the Wednesday night program, and he and I would go get coffee at the coffee shop.  Once Gabe came along, that all fell apart. Apparently the demands of bedrest, the nicu and then a newborn change your schedule a bit? This year, we've taken Bella to the church for youth group, I've been going to Bible study and Pat and Gabe have been at the church on Wednesdays. Well, this week Bible study was cancelled, so Pat, Gabe and I went to get froyo. (He's too little to leave at the church quite yet...) Clearly Gabe doesn't eat much sugar, because after a small bowl of froyo, he started doing this: Luckily the place was mostly empty... Date night definitely looks different than it used to, but I'm okay with that.

Gabe and I have a routine for bedtime every night. When it's bedtime, he gets a diaper change and his jammies. Then we put on his sleepy sack and he drinks a bottle of milk. When he finishes, he sticks the bottle in my mouth and laughs about "Mommy bottle!" After that, we brush his teeth and then he gives Daddy and Bella a hug and a kiss. Then we go to his bedroom and snuggle on the chair while I sing one hymn and then we read his prayers from his book of prayers. Then he gets a kiss and a hug and I put him in his bed. Here's where that gets interesting. Gabe sleeps with his blanket, his bosh (pacifier), his doggie, his kanadoodoo (kangaroo), his fox and a stuffed ball. So I lay him in his bed and ask him what we need. He always asks for blanket and bosh first. Then I ask him again and he says "doggie". So I grab the doggie and let the doggie give him kisses while making a dog-kiss noise. He laughs and does the dog-kiss noise also. Then he says "what el