The Santas and The Jig

Santa #1 (aka Fake Santa)

Gavin's totally cool with Fake Santa and even quite interested in his belt


Santa #2

Poor kid...hehe

Santa #3


He acted like he wanted to see Santa this time, we weren't trying to be mean parents and traumatize our kid. But apparently he changed his mind!


The Jig

Major Catch Up

Thanksgiving 2009

We drove up to Utah for Thanksgiving for the first time since we moved away. Our main reason for going up was to attend Tyler's endowment session on Friday November 26th. We had a great time with family and friends and ate really good food! Friday afternoon we spent some time with Ariel and David, Gavin's birth parents. It was a nice visit and they got him a bubble-blowing toy lawn mower which he loves! Tyler's session was wonderful. It's always so nice to be in a session with tons of family! Unfortunately when we got home we realized we didn't take any pictures except when Ariel and David came over. Oh well.


We are SO GRATEFUL for the wonderful people in our lives, family and friends alike. We are grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the center of our lives and brings us such joy and happiness. We are grateful for our adorable son Gavin! We are grateful for prayer, temples and God's hand in our lives.


December Activities

So Santa was a BUST this year!! I was actually really excited that Gavin hated Santa this year. I love the screaming Santa pictures! hehehe
Gavin has been so CRAZY lately. He is learning so much. He can now RUN and tries to JUMP! He loves to "play" the Wii with Daddy and is constantly handing one of us a Wii remote.

He's been really cute with Christmas and presents. He lays on his tummy with his feet kicking in the air and just looks under the tree at the presents. He's SO EXCITED to get to open them! With constant Christmas music on in the house, car and pretty much everywhere else we go, Gavin has become quite the dancer! Anytime he hears music he starts doing a jig, it's SUPER CUTE!
His favorite thing to do right now is give high-5 and knuckles. He has also started saying "hi" and "bye-bye" to everyone. I'll be carrying him out of a store and he'll just start saying "bye-bye" to everyone we pass. The old people love it! Gavin has finally discovered his love of movies. He is CONSTANTLY getting movies out of the entertainment center and asking to watch them. His attention span has improved and he sits and watches for about 20 min. before he's distracted. His favorites right now are Signing Time, Toy Story, Kung Fu Panda and Ice Age. We are really having to limit how much he watches because he wants to all the time!

Jason and I tell each other almost everyday that we have the cutest kid on the planet! However, he has become more challenging too. He gets into everything, is pushing boundaries and throws fits. We are definitely nearing the terrible two's. But, time-out is working for us pretty good right now so we'll keep our fingers crossed.Gavin helping decorate the tree

Gavin's new favorite candy

Hangin' at home

Playing piano with Mom (he pats bench next to him for me to sit and play with him...it's so cute!)

Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple with Josh and Dani

Me, Jason and Mr. Happy Pants (he wanted to go run around, NOT take pictures)


US

Anecdotes

I try to use this blog as a sort of Gavin journal of things I want to remember, I have a terrible memory. So here are a few anecdotes I didn't want to forget. They'll put a smile on your face and may even produce a chuckle:

1.
Gavin is too stinkin smart! Case in point:Gavin has developed a new fascination with the hutch, to my chagrin. So for days I have been telling him no or asking him not to play in the hutch while taking him away from it. So the other day...he's playing in the hutch,again, and I walk over, put the stuff back in the drawer, tell him "we don't play with the hutch" when he suddenly takes my finger and starts walking away from the hutch. I think to myself "oh good, he's done with the hutch and on to something else he wants to do" (he is still constantly taking mine or Jason's finger and leading us to whatever he wants at the moment). So he's leading toward the family room when all the sudden he DITCHES me in the middle of the room and RUNS back to the hutch! I couldn't help but laugh...little trickster!


2.
We are beginning the process of learning to obey Mommy and Daddy. Gavin has gotten pretty proficient at recognizing my tone when I don't want him doing something or playing with something because as soon as he hears it he takes off and hides in a corner! I LITERALLY have to chase him down to take away whatever he's playing with that he shouldn't! Silly kid.


3.
Gavin's favorite word is NO. Yes, lucky me we are at that stage (heavy sarcasm if you didn't catch that). He says NO to EVERYTHING, even when he means yes, which is just...confusing! I asked him one morning if he wanted to be a happy boy and get out of his crib (he's pretty fussy/ornery when he wakes up...wonder who he gets that from...hmmm) and he quickly yells out...NO! It was really funny :)


4.
Okay, so Jason is not the best softball player, we'll just get that out there. Anyways, the stake softball tourney has been going on and since he's not really good, Jason hasn't gone to the games. However, our bishop is a huge fan and has begged Jason the last two weeks to come play so our ward has enough players. We went last week, stayed a little while, but Gavin was so upset that Jason couldn't hold him and would not be consoled even by me that we (Gavin and I) left shortly after arriving. Gavin was being a HUGE Daddy's boy that day! This Saturday Jason was talked into playing again; how can you refuse the bishop?...you can't! (backstory: Gavin calls Jason "mommy" even though he was saying "daddy" long before he learned how to say "mommy." We have been trying relentlessly to get him to call Jason "daddy" over the last few months to no avail. He'll say it here and there but instead of getting better he seems to be saying "daddy" less and less lately.) So, back to the softball story...Gavin was watching the softball game and I pointed out daddy when he was up to bat. As soon as Gavin saw Jason he starts yelling at the top of his lungs..."mommy, mommy, mommy." It was HILARIOUS!! There were all these people around and all these other MACHO (I use the term lightly, its more a description of how they view themselves, they were pretty serious about the game although not as bad as last week's team) guys from the other team and here Gavin is calling his daddy, whose trying to hit the ball nonetheless, "MOMMY!"


5.
Gavin LOVES to give kisses and almost never refuses if you ask him. It's the highlight of my day! We were at a stake cultural night called On Broadway, where people from the stake performed several numbers from Broadway musicals. It was a huge production and really good. During one of the quieter parts, Gavin decides he wants to give me kisses. Now mind you, Gavin doesn't give quiet kisses, they are quite loud and juicy and full body affairs as he throws his head back when he's done. So, there we are in the back corner, you could almost hear a pin drop in the cultural hall it was that quiet and Gavin starts going "MMMMAAAA" over and over again as he gave me kisses. What's a mommy to do?


6.
Dinnertime...the bane of my existence. Ok, so I'm being melodramatic but it's not the happiest time of day. Gavin is into throwing his food on the floor lately, which Sugar loves, but me not so much. He used to sign "all done" and wait for you to take it away but now he takes a bite or two and then gets bored and chucks the rest on the floor. If I don't watch him like a hawk while he's eating I have a huge mess! Gavin usually gets hungry between 5pm and 6pm which is before Jason gets home. So I usually feed Gavin dinner, or depending on the day, pick Gavin's dinner up off the floor and then Jason and I eat later. Almost every night Gavin crawls up on Jason's lap during OUR dinner and eats like half of his food, making it really hard for Jason to eat. If Jason got home earlier and if I could trust Gavin not to throw his food on the carpet I would just put Gavin up to the table to eat with us since he wants to be a big boy. But...neither of those two conditions exist and so the chaos ensues.


That's all for now folks!

Playing Catch Up!!

I realized a little while ago that I have tons on pictures to share. I thought I was keeping up but apparently NOT!

1.
We drove to Las Vegas with our friends Josh and Dani and met up with Chris and Treasure and their kids for the BYU vs. UNLV game the weekend of Oct 9-11th. And, oh yeah, we bought a new car, a 2006 Ford Explorer. So the drive up was our first long trip in our new car. Gavin did really well. He loves his new car seat that faces forward and the Explorer has a DVD player which came in handy on the trip! Yippee. We had a blast in Vegas and loved that Jason's parents drove over to visit us and go to the game. Grandma Launa watched Gavin while we went to the game. Thanks again!


Gavin discovers the kiddy rides at the outdoor outlet mall in Vegas. Go TMNT!


Mike and Launa met us in Vegas. YAY!

Me and Dani. Thank goodness for best friends!


The gang! Us, Nieders and Bittons (minus Chris cause he's taking the picture! It was supposed to be a girls pic but the boys thought they were being funny!)

Me and Jay (I look out of it with my half closed eyes but oh well)

So, Jason went to go sit with his dad, who had a single seat, for part of the game. Well, while he was gone some drunk guy came and sat by me and ended up staying for the rest of the game...awkward.


2.
We bought this blow-up ball pit for Gavin for his birthday but have just never blown it up. Well, after Halloween we decided to and Gavin loves it. Everyday he THROWS himself in the pit and rolls around making it fall all over the place. It's pretty cute! We need to get more balls though, it only came with 25 which is pretty sad for a ball pit.


Jason blowing up the ball pit

Gavin helping blow up the ball pit

Gavin so excited to play in the ball pit he can't wait for it to be fully blown up

Finally, playing with his favorite toy...balls

The finished product...cute huh!

Halloween 2009: TOY STORY MANIA

Gavin had a blast this Halloween. He had a fun time at our ward Halloween party on Friday with Daddy and Grandma Niece. His favorite part was playing with the bubble machine. Before Trick or Treating we had our annual Halloween dinner with the Niederhausers, Youngs and Clarks. For the party my mother and I made brownie spiders. They took a while to make but turned out SOOOOOO cute! The kids ate mummies and we drank Witches brew. The adults chose from chili and broccoli cheddar soup in their pumpkin bread bowls. Trick or Treating with Gavin this year was so fun. For the first 5 houses or so Gavin was more interested in picking up ROCKS from each house until we were finally able to get his attention with the candy! Silly kid! We visited a few houses in our ward and neighborhood. Awesome night! I can't wait for next year!!

Pumpkin Carving

Thursday night we carved pumpkins with my mom who flew into town Wednesday evening. Gavin LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

Preparing the pumpkins to get gutted! YUCK!

Scraping out the guts!!

Gavin copying Daddy's every move! Super cute!

Mom tracing her pattern

Daddy and Gavin hard at work!

All clean and ready for carving

Goofy Gavin!

Our AWESOME pumpkins!
(from left to right: Jason's, Gavin's, Jen's and Grandma Niece's)

Our Little Genius

Gavin has been doing and saying new things at the speed of light these days. Today he said apple for the first time. It came out "Bopple." Also, I about fell out of my chair in astonishment today. I was seated at the table and Gavin in his highchair, breakfast in front of us. I said "let's say prayer" and he immediately folded his arms. I said a lightening quick prayer and to my amazement when I ended he still had his arm folded! What a GOOD BOY! (we have been working really hard to get him to pray with us each night...so kudos to Jason and I)
Other things he does include pointing to his nose when you ask "where's Gavin's nose?" Gavin is also mimicking what you say. He said cracker for the first time today after I said it (although he has been signing cracker for a while). Oh-and we finally figured out his sign for TV. He started rolling his hands any time he wanted to watch one of his shows about 3 weeks ago and it dawned on me today that his sign for TV comes from Signing Time. He uses the sign for "sign" (rolling your hands) to mean TV in general! Awwwww...another mystery solved!

These are the BEST days!!

This morning was the BEST!! Gavin usually wakes up crying and continues to pout and fuss even after I've gotten him out of the crib. TODAY Gavin woke up smiling! I have been trying to teach Gavin to give kisses. Most of the time when I ask for a kiss he says no and shakes his head vigorously. TODAY he LOVED giving me kisses every time I asked and even gave me several kisses without me asking! Every time I drop him off at Treasure's on my way to work I ask for a kiss and usually he starts to cry or ignores me because he's so excited to play with Jackson. TODAY I got a kiss goodbye!! THESE ARE THE BEST DAYS!

P.S. (thought-can you p.s. a blog entry....hmmm...anyways Gavin was pointing at the Halloween decor I have on the table which had a cat on it. As soon as I said it he signed "cat" for the first time! He's such a smart kid, he hasn't watched the Signing Time with cat in it for months!)

Talking

We took this video back in July and I just realized I never posted it. Gavin has added a few more words and signs to his vocabulary but I'm still trying to get him to say them all on camera.

Laugh Out Loud

The other day I was at the stove making dinner when all the sudden I hear laughter at my feet. I look down to find Gavin sitting on the floor by the fridge looking at this book, totally oblivious to me, laughing each time he turned the page. It was hilarious, but I was trying not to laugh too loud so he would continue!

On Tuesday while I was at work, Jason was getting Gavin undressed for bed. Gavin rubbed his tummy and then did a double take. He bent his body in half as if to say "what the heck was that," trying to look at his belly button. Then he stuck his finger in his belly button over and over, like "hey...I've got a hole in me!" Okay, so my story telling skills are seriously lacking...it's much funnier to hear Jason tell it with his voices!

This Saturday morning I got up with Gavin. We were going to let Daddy sleep in since he never gets the chance, but as I passed this knob at the top of the stairs Gavin grabbed it, as if holding on for dear life and started yelling "Daddy" and pointing to our bedroom. Jason did not get to sleep in!

Gavin has been climbing on EVERYTHING lately! He loves to get on the couch and then hang over the back side like this. Then to show off how strong he is he will pull himself back over and fall on the cushions! Boys!!


On Wednesdays, Jason gets up with Gavin in the mornings since I work Tuesday night until 4am. For the past couple months Gavin has woken up at 6:30am Wednesday morning and not wanted to go back to sleep. Jason will usually sit him on the floor and put on Baby Da Vinci for him to watch while I still sleep and he showers for work. Gavin has gotten in this routine now. He has even made up his own sign for TV; he twists his hands together and then points to the TV. Well, one Wednesday morning I woke up to Gavin screaming and crying. I couldn't figure it out. A week later or so I was doing my hair and letting Gavin watch Baby Da Vinci when he comes running into our bathroom crying...I finally figured it out. In teaching about mouths they show a picture of a lion growling followed by a hippo with his mouth wide open. Yep, totally freaks him out every time!

Apple Pie Extraordinaire

I made my FIRST apple pie yesterday using the apple pie filling I canned last week. It was Mmm...Mmm...good! It's a new family favorite! I LOVE trying new things...especially with food.

Adventures in Canning

I feel like quite the homemaker these days. Treasure, a friend, and I decided we were going to can fruit this year for our food storage. We ordered peaches, pears and apples by the case from Utah and with lots of help from our friend Nikki (you rock girl, thanks!) we canned them all. Don't they look beautiful?! :)

Me, Treasure and Julie (Tiffany and Nikki not pictured)

The fruits (pun intended) of a hard day's work! (literally, it took us from like 11am to 6:40pm)

My babies, it brings tears to my eyes!

Silly Boy

Gavin is such a joy! He is growing up so fast. He is now signing thank you, sleep, ball, shoes, cracker, horse and brush teeth. Some of the words like ball, shoes, and sleep he tries to say. The cutest thing is him now saying “please” to everything. He takes his little hand rubs it across his chest and says, “pees?” That just kills you when you have to tell him no, but also means he gets some things he might not otherwise.

His newest trick, besides climbing up on EVERYTHING, is coming up to you, grabbing your finger and pulling you wherever he wants. A lot of times he has nowhere he really plans to go, he is just taking you on walkabout. Most of the time, however, he heads for the door, looks up at you and does his “pees?” and if you don’t take him out… well lets just say he is not a happy camper. The boy loves being outside. Outside he can play in his favorite things: rocks, plants, and dirt. He would spend all day out there if you let him. Thank goodness it's not quite so hot these days, you know, only 95-105!

Gavin trying on Daddy's shoes!

Gavin playing ball, his favorite game!

Gavin swimming with Grandma Niece

"I still love technology...always and forever" (Napoleon Dynamite)

Gavin's first taste of dirt!