still giggling...

So, I thought I'd post this, just in case you needed a laugh. Feel free, I think we giggled for at least 15 minutes.We were hoping he'd get stuck trying to get out of it, but he figured it out. This kid is a goof ball, and is constantly keeping us on our toes, and in stitches.

And for those of you who were impressed with the taco braid, don't be, it was really quite easy! I don't have a bosch, I used her alterations for a kitchen aide. If any one wants the recipes, I'll email them to you. You can make a pizza braid or a sloppy joe braid too. She also gave us a recipe for a chicken cheese braid that sounds really good. Maybe next time!

hello?

So, since it has been so long since I last posted, I'm wondering if anyone is still checking this blog. Have you all given up on me? You may have done that long ago, ha! Well, it is helping relieve some of my boredom, so I will press on whether anyone reads, or not. So have you ever had a purchase that you quickly realized was a waste of money? That is how I felt about the leap pads we bought Colin and Maddie for Christmas years ago. They played with them for a few days, and then they were quickly forgotten. Thankfully this little man has a renewed interest in them. Well, he's actually only interested in one of the books, Thomas the Tank Engine, of course. Gavin is in love with "tmas" as he calls him. Also, I made some yummy bread yesterday, I finally tried Sister Nelson's recipes from Enrichment last month. Everyone but Maddie and Kate liked the taco braid. Maddie rarely likes anything new, and Kate had a sore throat, so I didn't take it too personally.
They have all been devouring the bread though. It was easy, and is quite tasty.

winter boredom...

So, this will be a record, two posts in a week, but I am completely bored!!! I have cleaned my house, and have gotten the laundry caught up (it's never truly done, right?), and now I am wondering what to do. I have surfed all my favorite blogs, checked up on facebook and my email. I've read half of January's Ensign, and I am at a complete loss of what to do next. If anyone has some fun inside activities to cure my boredom, please feel free to comment and share. I would love to have a new arsenal for these days when the boredom and the gray skies get soooo overwhelming!

wow...

Wow! Have I really made it two months without a blog post?

My thoughts have been elsewhere, I guess.

Mainly on this little man.

How can someone so cute and small create so much chaos in my brain?

I have been so caught up in his lack of verbal communication, that everything else just gets pushed back a bit. Well, almost everything else. I have been able to get my running/exercising in each morning. It's the one resolution that has survived more than a few days.

I shouldn't be so worried, Colin had speech problems, and really didn't reach a normal level until at least 3 1/2 years old. But Gavin has me all perplexed, and I just wish I knew how to help him. He has less than 5 regular words, and a few others that have popped out once, and then we've never heard them again. I'm just trying to be patient, helpful, and attentive. I'm trying to just enjoy him and celebrate the little things he does to communicate. He's very good at pointing, dragging us around the house to show us what he wants, and the fact that everything else he does is at a normal level of development should keep me from worrying, but most days he is always on my mind.

Hence the reason for no blog posts. I'm going to try to do better as this is really the only journaling I do. Hopefully Mr. Gavin will make some progress in the upcoming months, and my brain can have a break while soaking in his personality. Thankfully he does give hugs and kisses remarkably well, and it makes all the worrying worthwhile!

blog worthy...

So I'm not sure these are really all that blog worthy, but I decided I'd share them anyway. Here's a cute little purple pansy I found growing in our window well. It gave me a little bit of hope. If it can grow in this unforgiving circumstance, then I can grow and progress with whatever trials happen to come my way, right?

It reminds me of a part in Alice and Wonderland (the old one). I really dislike that movie.
I am happy to say, that we have officially discontinued the use of both the bottle, and the binkie. Now if we could just get Gavin to go to sleep without having to watch a movie!

And this is a completely random picture, but one day I was thinking about how I'd miss using this closet for baby things. Some day it will have a different purpose, and I really wanted to remember how it looked filled with little clothes, blankets, and diapers.

I know, I'm a little crazy at times. Jared would be rolling his eyes for sure.

And yes, there are at least three different kinds of diapers there, because after two years, I still can't find a brand that I really like.

call me a junkie then...

So this article infuriated me while reading the first half, then I surrendered through the second half. Science wants to tell us that we're "addicted" to our children. I should hope so, it takes a lot of emotion, time, and personal investment to raise a child. Who can blame me for enjoying the sweet, tender moments of love and affection that they give back? Go ahead and call me addicted, I call it unconditional love, because no matter how hard it is to raise these children, I still want one more. Actually two more, but Jared has only agreed to one.

(and by no means is this a pregnancy announcement :)

Really, who could resist more of these cute little Wheelers?

And after reading the article again, it aggravates me that people try to blame divorces on the children in the family. Divorce has nothing to do with how many kids you have, but rather the selfishness of the two individuals involved. I think if people would put their partners needs above their own, and vice versa, a majority of the divorces in this world would be unnecessary. Some divorces might happen for other reasons, but I think blaming it on the fact that a couple has children is ridiculous.

halloween...

Gavin enjoyed trick or treating until he received the biggest lollipop he's ever seen. After that, he was content to just sit in the stroller and enjoy his goodies. Kate made sure to get an extra treat for him at each house. She was a little miffed that he wouldn't get out and knock on the each door with her.
Jared told Colin that if you want to have a good Jack O'Lantern, you have to tap your pumpkin 3 times. Gullible Colin believed him, and as you can see faithfully tapped each pumpkin.

Kate couldn't keep her hat on, it was too light and kept blowing away. Her cousin Zach told her that her hat was a little bent, and she replied, "that's cause it's made in China."

Maddie wanted to be a vampire kittty. That was an easy costume choice, I obliged!

And getting a good picture of all of them was impossible, so I had to post the one with Jared's rear end in it. He'll never know, he doesn't read my blog!

My parents were here for all our Halloween festivities, which made it all the more enjoyable for us. My favorite moment was when Kate sat down wrong in her chair, and yelled, "Ow!" My dad asked if she hurt her keester, and she replied, "no, Grampa, I hurt my bum!"