Pictures of Gavin

Every time I try to get pictures of Gavin without fail he scratches or bumps his head just before I'm about to set the appointment. I normally take the boys to JCPenney's to get their pictures taken but they don't "edit" any of their pictures. So you are left with whatever they take. Which is a good and bad thing. The pictures you get are true to life pictures. But little blemishes like a scratch on their face I'd like to have removed if possible. Enter Deanna. I happened to mention this to her and she recommend a place that her friend had gotten her child's picture taken at. She contacted her friend and got the name... fotofly in Draper, UT. I looked them up on their website and they looked really cute. For $79 you get all the pictures from the session on a CD. NO other charges. No sitting fee, no additional charge for extra people in the picture (immediate family only). And no obligation to buy any prints. Of course they sweeten the pot by offering same day prints for only $4.00 ($3.00 if you order in the first week). I liked their concept and their photo gallery was really cute. Unlike JCPenny's when you look at their photo gallery the pictures could have been taken at ANY JCPenny's. Also I liked that their backgrounds and props weren't cheesy. They had natural looking backgrounds that weren't curtains (well two are curtains but they are super contemporary looking). So I booked a session that worked with our schedule and within a few days of being told of this place I had Gavin's pictures taken.

I must say I am really happy with how they turned out. The girl was awesome with Gavin. From the get go she had him smiling (which if you know Gavin he doesn't smile until he assesses the situation and deems the person worthy of a smile). I really did love the backgrounds.

So take a look:







Gavin is such an awesome little kid. He totally understands what we are saying to him. He loves to help and is always taking care of his garbage and clothes. Well the garbage thing is a little annoying because he throws EVERYTHING away. He's done with a bowl; into the garbage. We'll have to hide our keys, when Zack was in this phase my mom and Bob lost their keys. (we found mom's keys a year or so later -- bob's are still missing). And I did find my phone floating in the toilet. That was a fun week. Luckily Bob has a work phone and my Aunt Jolene was getting a new phone and gave me her old one. Gavin loves talking on the phone. He can say ball (which was his first real word). And he says lo lo lo on the phone. He calls Zack-- Kah. When it's nap or bed time I ask him if he wants a bottle which he gunts a yes and nods his head. Then I say you want to go to bed? And again grunts and nods his head. For the most part he just rolls over and goes right to sleep. His naps are about 2-3 hours long and he totally sleeps through the night. He's a rock star!

Gavin we love you so much and you are such a wonderful addition to our family. You love brother so much. You are definitely a momma's boy but when you need special attention Daddy is your favorite. We love your little personality. You are growing up way to fast but it's been so much fun to watch!

First Dentist Visit

Last Tuesday was Zack's first dentist visit. I felt bad that I haven't taken him to the dentist yet and he's already 2 1/2 years old. But I've heard conflicting times as to when to take a child to the dentist. Some places I've read to take them after they are two some websites say three and some say when they get their first tooth. In Zack's case that would have been like 4 months old. And I'm sorry a 4 month old does not need to visit the dentist.

I'll admit I was a little nervous for my little guy to visit the dentist. Don't get me wrong. I loved going to the dentist when I was little. He was super nice, the office was fun and we got prizes afterwards. Luckily I knew someone that worked in a dentist's office and I've heard really good things (from her and other patients) about him. So we gave it a try.

Zack is fearless. I love that little guy! When we got to the denstist office he immediately started playing with all the toys and exploring the room under the stairs. It was awesome. Gavin of course played too. That was my other concern I couldn't get a sitter for Gavin so I was worried that if Zack had a meltdown or something I wouldn't be able to help because I would already have my handsful with his little brother.

After I filled out the majority of the paperwork for the first visit the dental assistant called Zack back. She told me that normally the first visit is a lap visit and they quickly look at the teeth but mostly just pretend denstist. I really didn't have a lap available for Zack because Gavin was already buring himself into me because the lady was talking to us (he's such a shy little guy). So I asked Zack if he wants to sit on mommies lap and have the dentist just look at his teeth or sit in the big chair and have his teeth cleaned. He chose have his teeth cleaned. And off he went with the Dental Assistant. I had to hurry and grab all my stuff to catch up to them. Zack just jumped right into the dental chair and was ready to go. They wanted him to lay down but he wasn't really comfortable doing that. He also didn't like the headphones in his ears so he didn't watch or listen to the movie that was playing in the ceiling.

The dental assistant cleaned his teeth, gave him a little floride and flossed his teeth. And he did wonderful! He listened to her, held his mouth open big and wide and sucked the water sucker (don't know technical name) when she asked him to. I was so proud of my little guy!

And of course I took pictures.

Pictures with the Dental Assistant. Don't mind the huge bruise on his forehead. He ran into a table the week before and it still hasn't completely healed.




Goodie Bag!!! Zack got a toothbrush, sticker, floss, a prize from the prize bucket and a tocken to buy a prize from the candy machine. He totally lucked out.



The dentist checking his teeth. I was worried because he had a brown spot on his back molar that I scrub at every night and thought was a cavity. Come to find out that it's just mother natures way of sticking her tounge out at good dental hygiene. The dentist asked if Zack got a lot of ear infections when he was a baby (which he didn't) but all it takes is one ear infection and medication to damage enamel that hadn't come in yet. So the enamel was stained and soft on the back molar, we made another dentist appointment for the next week (today) to have it fixed. No drilling or shots. Just a little sanding and a filling.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby!

Seriously can you believe it's already been one year since Gavin came into our lives. What a trip! I love that little guy so much. I can't even imagine him not in our family. He has a such a wonderful personality.



His 1 year stats:
30.7 inches tall (between 75 and 90th percentile)
25.3 pounds (between 75 and 90th percentile)

Verdict he's a big boy! And we love every inch of that little guy!

For Gavin's birthday I took the boys to the park. Yes I realize it's only March but they are getting tired of being in the house and it was warmish. The trip didn't last very long because Gavin fell on the slide and cut his lip. He was bleeding ALOT! So we ran home and got the blood to stop. Probably not the best start to his birthday.

When daddy got home we went to Famous Daves for dinner. (I'm not a fan -- still not.)



Afterwards we went to Grandma and Grandpa Speakman's house for Grandma's traditional first birthday train cake. Gavin was a little hesitant in making a mess with the cake. For the most part he just picked off the candy from the cake. But after we gave him a piece he really got into it. Oh yeah and the little stinker would not look at the camera. GRRRR.





It was a pretty low key day, but we knew that Saturday was going to be the big day. Gavin's first birthday party with family.

I got to admit I get a little crazy with parties. I have big plans and a lot of ideas but in the end I'm rushed because I'm a procrastinator and try to get everything done the night before. This party was no exception to the rule. I've been planning his party in my head for over a month now. In my mind it looked amazing. The party still turned out amazing but just a little different then I had planned.

For dinner we had Sliders (mini hamburgers), pigs in a blanket, salads and chips. The food turned out really good. It was fun to have the little hamburgers I think. I just thought it was appropriate to have little food for our little birthday boy. I originally wanted to have the party to be a car theme but it ended up being more of a color theme. I found some fabric to make a banner for Gavin's birthday and the party pretty much centered around that. But it was perfect. Hopefully Gavin likes the color green because that's what we've pretty much picked for him :).


I made the banner for behind his high chair, cupcake toppers and his t-shirt. I must admit I was pleased with how it all turned out. I wish I knew how to make the cupcakes look more professional but I tried. One day I'll take a Cupcake decorating class... yes that is my dream. But until then these will have to do.



After dinner we had Gavin open presents. And when I say Gavin I really mean Zack opened the presents, quickly showed them to Gavin then moved onto the next present. Poor Zack didn't quite understand the concept that it was Gavin's birthday and not his. Luckily Gavin is good at sharing for now and allowed Zack the opportunity to help him with his presents and even let him play with most of them.



Then it was time for cake. Not really sure why it's so exciting to have a one year old devourer a cake but it's tradition. Gavin didn't really get into it too much. I know my mom has better pictures then I do of Gavin but these will have to do for now.




Like I said all in all the party was a wonderful success. It was for a one year old who won't remember a thing about the party but I wanted it to be perfect for my little man. He's a wonderful guy and we are so lucky that he's healthy and chose to be a part of our family.

And some more pictures from the party. These are our party guests (minus my dad, Debbie and Lori who had to leave early)





Gavin also enjoyed playing with the decorations when the party was over. I think this was his favorite party of the entire night. Poor guy had people overload and didn't want to be put down for more then a few minutes.

My baby is walking! I am so excited for this new step in Gavin's life. It's really surprising how quickly it happened. Well it shouldn't be that surprising he's been walking along the couch for months. But every time we try to get him to walk he'll just sit down and crawl. But the other day my mom was over watching the boys and she showed me what my little man was up to. It's so exciting! He's now in his second or third day walking and he's doing so well. At first it was only a few steps then he'd fall and be caught. But now he'll pull himself up on anything and walk, stop, turn and go somewhere else. My mom calls him Frank because watch the video he's our little Frankenstein!

I love this stage!!!

Zack... where to even start with that kid! He is so funny and just keeps me guessing every day. He's getting so independent AND vocal. If he wants something he will tell you. Right now his favorites are: Toy Story (1,2 and 3), Harry Potter, OSO and Chocolate Milk. These are something that I know will come up at least 2-3 times every day. And yes I have gotten to the point where to quiet him for a few minutes we pulled out the Mini DVD player. This became a necessity because Zack wanted to watch Toy Story then 2 minutes later Harry Potter then back to Toy Story and on and on! But with the Mini player he is allowed one movie and if he stops it or turns it off he's done for the rest of the day. And he really doesn't just sit and watch the movie the entire time (hi, this is Zack we are talking about). He watches a few minutes, pauses it, runs around the house then come back and watch some more. He's even learned how to change the TV so it's in DVD mode and knows how to load the DVD player and get everything ready for a movie. So word to anyone that babysits him, we no longer have to teach others how to get the movies going because the litte stinker can do it all by himself! Zack also loves to play Tent. He learned this from his Grandma and loves it. Any time I'm under a blanket he has to get "in my tent". Sadly he's even tries to get underneath my dress on Sunday's saying "I in your tent".... um yea! Zack is also always getting into my scrapbook supplies. Do you know how many markers I've lost because of that stinker! Oh well, it's a worthy cause and as long as they don't end up on my wall it's okay I guess. So I bought some paper and saftey sisors for him. I wanted to try to have a little craft time with him while gavin slept and also work on his colors. So far he's only interested in cutting. I have to keep reminding myself that he's only 2 and doesn't need to learn everything in a day. Zack's newest hobby is to rearrange my cupboards. Sometimes I just stand back and watch to see what he'll do. I know it's not good for him to get up on the counters... bad momma! But it is funny because he'll get a rag and look at me and say "I cleaning mom". So to say Zack is a handful is a huge understatement, but I love that little kid. He's such a good big brother and he's getting to the age where he is trying to teach Gavin how to play with his toys. I'll hear him in his room trying to show Gavin stuff, it's so cute. Of course Zack also likes to shut his door so Gavin can't get in and I can hear Gavin banging on the door to get in, but hey what are big brothers for? Potty training is getting a lot better. He's having fewer accidents and we are even venturing out with just underware on and coming home dry. Of course I still bring back up pants and undies, but it's a process (a very long process). He'll even taken his diaper off when we've gotten him ready for bed and go potty by himself. It's progress and hopefully we'll be out of diapers for good soon! (he only wears diapers at nights and church now)

Bowling

A week or two ago my mom took the kids and I bowling. It was a ton of fun! Zack was pretty excited for the first few tries. Even tried bowling all of our turns. But after a few rounds he was pretty much done (just as any two year old would have been).



Here is the final score of the first game that we played. I totally rocked!



Gavin was a natural at bowling. He took over Zack's turn and pushed the ball down the ramp. Even got a spare his first try!




Gavin's spare:


Ever since bowling Zack has been talking about it. It's definitly something we will have to do again.

Christmas 2010

I know original title, but it is what it is...

We had a great Christmas this year. Zack really got excited for everything Christmas. My favorite picture of him was when we were setting up the christmas tree. We hadn't finished putting on the lights. He set his chair right in front of the tree and just looked at it. Then in a soft voice he said... "Beautiful". It really melted my heart.



And because I absolutely love this picture of Gavin I just had to post it (even though he'll hate it later)




Last year we didn't even try to do anything Santa with Zack because I just knew he would scream. This year we talked the Jolly guy up and Zack wasn't afraid to see him at all. First we had our Ward Christmas Party were after standing in line for what seemed like forever Zack finally got to sit on Santa's lap. Gavin actually did pretty well but I don't think he knew what was going on until after all was said and done.



For the Ward Christmas party my friends and I got asked to decorate for the party. I had mixed feelings about it. Excited because I love planning parties. Nervous because that was alot of responsibility for us. It all turned out great. We sold Poinsettes weeks before to help decorate the tables. Everyone who bought one got to take one (or how many they bought) home with them. We then used what little budget we had to buy wrapping paper and bows to decorate with. Alot of people lent us christmas trees to decorate the gym with as well. We even arranged for a family to do the Nativity while the Bishop read the Christmas Story. We then arranged for Santa to come to the party as well. It all worked out amazingly! I know it sounds weird but the past few years our ward hasn't really done much in the Christmas department for the Ward Christmas dinner so this was a huge change!




We also went to see Santa at the mall. Zack doesn't really do lines so my mom entertained him while Gavin and I stood in line. Zack was very excited when he saw Santa coming into the mall. We didn't have to wait too long in line because we got to Santa's corner about 1/2 hour before it opened. When it was finally our turn Zack walked right in and sat on the big guys lap. Not really sure if he talked to him because I tried to get Gavin to sit on Santa's lap and as you can see from the picture... it didn't go to well.



Christmas Eve we went to my dad's house for Christmas. It was alot of fun. With yummy food, gift exchange and games! (that's right I forgot my camera...)

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. We invited my mom and Gordan and Bob's parents over to watch the boys open their presents. Zack didn't wake up early so in order to have him awake when everyone got here we had to wake him up. He was a little groggy but when we told him Santa had come he got really excited and ran down the hall. Right to the front door, where he looked outside for Santa. It was funny because I wondered if Zack really understood what was going to happen on Christmas. I kind of figured that he was thinking Santa was ACTUALLY going to be there with presents. He doesn't quite understand the magic involved yet. But he was excited for all the presents that had appeared underneath our tree!






And no Christmas is complete without a pile of wrapping paper!




After we opened all our presents we got dressed and went to my Grandma's house where we spent the remainder of the day. We hung out, opened presents, ate, and celebrated Christopher's birthday.

It really was an amazing Christmas! I love that we have such a close family and are able to spend the holiday's with each other. I know that each year is just going to get better with the boys. I just love the holiday season!!