Hordes of Gourds

We are all pumpkined out around here. During the month of October we made three trips to local pumpkin patches, bought pumpkins, ate pumpkins, decorated pumpkins, and carved pumpkins. Here's a little glimpse of our punkins among the pumpkins.

I had to include this picture because it captures the boys perfectly. We could not get Owen to pose and smile for a single picture that day. On the other hand, Gavin was all smiles.

Blue-eyed and bundled up, our little chubs.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Owen. We took a preschool fieldtrip to the patch in our costumes.

Gav was a monkey for his first Halloween.

And here are our gourds all aglow on Halloween night.

Gavzilla and the Falsetto Child

It's been way too long between posts again. I think motherhood has gotten the best of me lately. My most recent motto? Maintain. I refer to vacuuming as "cleaning the house", milk and toast as "dinner", mascara as "wearing makeup, a phone call from Mark as "quality time". You get the picture. Anyway, these two boys are certainly the center of my world.

You wouldn't believe how fast Gavin is growing. In fact he has been dubbed "Gavzilla" by Mark. No doubt because of his size and NOT his disposition. The kid loves to eat and he's filling out his clothes like nobody's business.

He's a beast, that kid. This morning I placed him on the floor to bat at his toys a bit while I got a bowl of cereal.

After awhile I noticed it was very quiet in the next room, so I wandered in to check on him. This is what I found:
He had turned over! So I made him do it again...and again. In fact, almost everytime I lay him on his back now he will turn over to his tummy. I'm not ready for it. I just want him to sit like a blob on my lap a little longer.

And as for Owen, well he's continually on the go. Owen's energy matches Gavin's size. He is always running or jumping or riding or wrestling.
His latest thing is talking in this super high-pitched voice. It kind of reminds me of the kid in the movie Overboard; the one who talked in the Pee-Wee Herman voice. He began using it whenever he would pretend to be a dog or other character. And somehow it became his everyday voice. I have to remind him multiple times a day to speak in a normal voice. Weird.

And somehow these two boys, who are so very different, seem to balance me out. Well, break me down THEN balance me out. But that's motherhood, right?

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Seattle

10. This view from my parents backyard window. Can't you just smell the fresh air by looking at it?

9. Watching morning cartoons in style.

8. Falling water and King of the Mountain.

7. Catching frogs with the professionals, Jack and Piper.

6. Birthday celebration with the cousins. Mmmm, we like our cupcakes.

5. Picking fresh vegetables from the garden...even if they weren't quite ready to be picked.

4. Getting to sit on Grandpa's lap.

3. Playing on the latest and greatest equipment at the park.

2. Checking out the salmon at the Issaquah fish hatchery.

1. A deer in the backyard! We saw this mother and her two babies more than once during our stay.

(All pictures via my iphone)

Baby Blessing

My baby is two months old! And we had the wonderful opportunity to give him a baby blessing (as is customary in our church) this past Sunday. My parents, my brother Brett, and nephew Will came to celebrate the occasion with us. The weekend went by much too quickly, as it usually does with family. But we were happy to be together and give our Gavin lots of attention.

As for some interesting stats, he is 14 lbs already. I thought Owen was a chunky little guy, but Gavin may have him beat. I love all the chubbiness. Cheeks and thighs especially! He is also getting so strong--holding his head up and using his legs to stand in place. He loves to smile...a lot. He is so cheery and will coo to anyone who looks at him. He just discovered how to blow bubbles in the past couple days too. And he loves, loves bathtime. As soon as the evening hour hits he is ready to splash. He's a good little guy. We feel so lucky to have him.

Utah

Some highlights from our last trip for the summer:

It was the first time we had been together with Mark's parents and all his sisters in several years. So family pictures were in order.

It was our first time visiting Cherry Hill. We met up with our California-turned-Utah friends and hung out a bit. Owen loves his buddy Trenton.

It was NOT our first time at the zoo...but this was one of many things Owen got to do with his cousins.

It was the first time the boys took a bath together...per Owen's request.

It was my first time flying with both the boys alone...and not my last.

Triple Threat

Last week I was packing for a little family trip to Utah. Gavin was taking a snooze and Owen was keeping me company by talking my ear off and simultaneously jumping off his bed...as usual. It wasn't long before one particular jump ended in a crash landing and a hurt arm. We treated it like any other injury by checking it out, putting the trusty ice pack on it, and soothing the tears away. Owen went to bed shortly after and woke up to more pain the next morning.

Now Owen is no stranger to scrapes and bruises. He's definitely not a wimp. But he complained of pain and refused to use his arm. So (with no swelling and no bruising) we figured a trip to the doctor couldn't hurt just to be sure. The doctor requested we get an x-ray since we'd be leaving town shortly. And after a trip to radiology and a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, we walked away with a bright blue cast. Owen had broken his arm in two places!

But here's the clincher. Two of the cousins we came out to visit in Utah happened to have casts too. Jasper, age 7, injured his arm in a trampoline accident. And Cameron, age 11, fell while climbing a tree. All three boys had casts! On their right arms! At the same time! What are the odds?

Super Hero Birthday

We celebrated Owen's 3rd birthday last week with a superhero party. It was a team effort to make the whole thing happen...what with a newborn around and all.


First, Mark and I put together some activities for our little heroes in training. They decorated super hero masks and completed an obstacle course testing their agility, courage, and speed.

Then they practiced their super powers by shooting balls and rockets into floating hoops in the pool.

When all activities were completed, each guest was presented with an authentic, handmade, his or hers, super-duper cape. Lest you get too impressed with my ability to make homemade invitations AND capes, you must know that my mom sewed every single cape while she was here helping out with the baby.

The capes were amazing! Even on the littlest of heroes.

And we ended the celebration by serving lunch and super hero cupcakes. It all came together quite nicely (with even more help from friends who prepared food and took turns holding Gavin during the party).
And a special thanks to our photographer, Caleb, for supplying us with all these photos. It allowed us to enjoy the party even more!