Catching Up

I know.  I completely missed the month of November.  And most of December at this point.  I just don't know where the time went.  Well, actually it went the way of busy days filled with preschool drop offs, dance classes, play dates, messy lunches, naps, no naps, watching Curious George over and over again, spontaneous dancing in the kitchen, refereeing play time between a toddler and an active infant, climbing stairs, pushing strollers on walks through the neighborhoods, and swinging at the park.  Throw in there Halloween and the attempts to go trick-or-treating with a two year old and a then nine month old, a family trip to our cabin for Thanksgiving, and all the preparations and celebrations of the holiday season, and I still can't believe I haven't quite passed out yet.  There were bridal showers and bachelorette parties, and watching our wedding video for the first time with our kids in honor of our six year anniversary.  Time flies, and I can't believe how much our cup continues to overflow.  

So instead of a million catch up posts (because who has time for that?), here are some snapshots of what's been happening in our little world.

Ella really got into the spirit of Halloween this year.  When I asked what she wanted to be, she immediately replied with "orca!"  And since it was pretty tough to find an orca costume for such a small person, I decided to make it, instead, with the help of Pinterest and some sewing by Mimi.  It only seemed appropriate that we kept Gavin at the top of the food chain, too, so we thought he'd make a cute shark.

She tried on her costume many times before the big day.  She was so excited to wear her costume to preschool.

Definitely the one that is not like the others.

Trick or treating at Mimi's house.

My good friend, Kathy, is getting married later this month, so we celebrated with a glitter-themed bachelorette party in Vegas, followed by a "Love is Sweet" themed bridal shower.  By the end of the two events, I definitely had my glitter fix, and Adam was ready for all the stray flecks of glitter to leave our house.

Ella is the flower girl for Kathy's wedding.  While she was trying on her dress, she broke out in interpretive dance (because that's what you do).

I love cold weather, and the drop in temperature (finally!) meant more opportunities to go to the park and not feel completely depleted by the heat.  Gavin got to swing for the first time during this visit, and he's been a convert since.  Ella showed him the ropes.

We spent our Thanksgiving at our cabin, which was Gavin's first time to the lake.  He LOVED it.  He is definitely a nature-lover.  We found a great hike (perfect for the little ones) and he couldn't stop shouting at the trees. 

The weekend after Thanksgiving we went Christmas tree shopping and Ella got to help decorate (and dictate).  It was a festive time and I love that our kids are just as excited about the holidays as I am.

Celebrating St. Nicholas Day, the kids checked their shoes for special treats.

Wednesdays have become Mommy-Gavin days and I have been loving my alone time with this little fella.  He loves having lunch outdoors and people watching.  I love watching him grow and mature right before my eyes.

 Rainy days and cold weather means camping indoors.  Ella loves "sleeping" in her tent.

Gavin being the lookout.

 We do family strolls around the neighborhood whenever possible.  Ella has taken to pushing her baby doll around in her stroller.  Just like Dad.

These two are everywhere these days.  Keeping up with them can prove to be exhausting.  Their newest idea of fun is climbing stairs (with Ella speeding to the top and cheering Gavin on), and then chasing each other through our bedroom.  

Ella had her buddy Caiden over to decorate gingerbread houses.  She snuck in some licks of frosting here and there, but I'm relieved that not too much candy was consumed.

Saying Goodbye

Even though we knew it was coming, we were sad to hear that Ella's good friend, Madelyn, and her family would be moving back to Texas in a few short days.  We got one final play date in before they pack up and leave (and we pack up and take our trip to Hawaii).  I got a little sentimental because these girls have known each other since they were five months old.  Maddie is definitely Ella's first friend and  I always love watching them together.  And I totally think it was serendipitous that Maddie's mom, Melanie, and I both got pregnant around the same time and both had boys.  It made me even more sad because Ella and Maddie just started to really interact and I could see that they could have really grown close as they matured.  Thankfully there's Facebook so that we can keep in touch.  But I will miss our play dates filled with snacks, awkward stares, and interrupted conversation.  :)

Beating the Heat & Independence Day

We've been having some pretty hot summer weather here lately.  And while I'm used to the dry heat, I'm not a fan of the humidity we've been experiencing.  Needless to say, we've spent a lot more time at home (rather than lugging two kids around in the hot sun), and have been looking for ways to keep cool and have fun.  Enter Ella's birthday gift--a flower sprinkler head--that she loves splashing in.  Gavin is just happy to be outside and look at the trees.

Hanging out in the shade, G was all smiles. 

Ella loved filling her buckets with water and trying to splash anyone who got close to her.

Learning to enjoy tummy time more.

If you position him just right, Gavin can sit up on his own for a few seconds.  I'm definitely excited for him to hit this new milestone.

Sometimes, it's just better to have a picnic indoors.

Adam had two days off for the Fourth of July, so we definitely enjoyed the long weekend, just taking it easy at home.  We've had some busy weekends, so we were more than happy to just relax a bit.  On Thursday we had our families over for a casual BBQ.  The rest of the weekend was spent playing in the sprinklers, splashing in the pool, and watching a movie and eating popcorn.

Friday night we had an early dinner followed by a temporary power outage so we decided to make s'mores in our backyard.  It was a perfect summer evening, and Ella got to eat her first s'more (minus the chocolate).  She loved the marshmallow gooeyness and loved doing the hokey pokey as a result of the sugar high.

Gavin also got his first taste of "solids" over the weekend.  He's been expressing a lot of interest in our food, and grabs at anything he can while we eat at the table.  So I decided to give him some multi-grain cereal mixed with breast milk.  He took a few bites and was intrigued by the spoon.  But our biggest challenge was his constant attempts to grab the spoon causing cereal to spill everywhere.  He's had a few more feedings, but he's also been fussier than usual these past few days, so I might put off pursuing solids for a little while longer.

Ella got to watch the Winnie the Pooh movie and Gavin snuck a peak in while I was trying to get a photo of the two of them.

Building Memories

Ella loves being helpful, whether it's throwing away her baby brother's dirty diaper or retrieving a pacifier or burp cloth.  Recently, we bought some items for her to use this summer, and she was super excited to help Adam put them together.  I'm not sure how helpful she was exactly, but she was definitely good at giving direction.

I asked Adam to get Ella something she can ride around in on our driveway.  They came home with this.

She couldn't wait to get in. 

Cruising with her pug.

She realized she could have used more trunk space.

Meanwhile, Gavin hung out.

I think I single-handedly keep Pottery Barn in business.

Helping build her new outdoor bench.

Not the best picture, but wanted to capture Ella eating her dinner on her new outdoor table and bench.  She loved it (hence we ended up eating outside that day).

Again, G hung out.