Remembering Family

Yesterday, my Uncle passed away after battling cancer. He was a great person, and an amazing Pastor. I know in my heart that he is in a better place and ask that a prayer is sent out for those left behind. Thank You.



Earth hath no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal. --Thomas Moore

Slide Show of 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

New Gadgets

I am starting to get the hang of blogging. I recently put a music player on our blog, and am going to start working on slide shows next. Stay tuned.

Busy Bees

Sorry for not writing much this past week or so. We've been so busy. Josh, Gabriel and I took Grandma and Grandpa to visit family over in Eastern Washington. It was a good trip, nice to see everyone. Our Uncle Joe is not doing well, so I think Grandpa and Grandma were glad for the quick visit. Gabriel did pretty well too. I... reluctantly conclude.. that he has offically said his first few words. AND IT WASN'T MAMA! No, he says "dada" all the time. Even when Josh isn't around. I honestly think he just likes how the D's feel when he says them, but still. And now he does say "mama" but only after he completely conquered calling for his daddy.

Birthday is still in progress. Josh and I wanna have it at The Little Gym, but it's a little difficult with corrdinating days and times. He may be one for a week or two before we actually throw him a big ol' party. ;) I think he'll forgive us. And for your viewing pleasure... here's a few pics of the most adorable misters in the world (I'm not bias at all ;) )

Top Left: Smilin' at the Camera; Top Right: Hangin' out with his cousin, Peytyn; Middle Left: Havin' a laugh with Grandpa; Middle Right: Swingin' with Aunt Krista; Bottom: Getting Scooped up by Mommy

Gabriel's Birthday Party Planning in Progress...

Well, misters is gonna be one in a couple of months. So we've started the birthday planning process. I have called all over the place to find something to do and a place to have his party. He's a March baby, which many of you who live in Washington know is not warm enough to be outside for the whole event. Farmers Almanac averages around 47 degrees. No thanks. So park party out, Zoo party out. Ok, and I wanna be able to have him have his little baby buddies (small friends from play group, family, etc) over. But our apartment is the size of a public restroom, so our place is not an option.

I called all over to look at fun play places for him, and there are surprisingly few. YMCA has an offer, but how much fun can a one year old have when they usually do parties for kids and not babies? So, the Y is a no go. Then I found a couple blow up fun toys (massive bouncies, etc), but they are not really baby friendly either. So, those aren't gonna happen. Now, what can I do for a one year old that would be geared to a one year old?

I was doing a little web searching during his morning nap the other day and I found a great answer. Who knew they have a place for kids as little as four months? It's called The Little Gym and it's a perfect place to have friends and little ones while letting the birthday boy enjoy the festivities. And (BONUS), all I have to do is bring the boy and the cupcakes (no cake, cupcakes are simplier for small hands) and they do the rest. They even handle gift registry and invites. Nice. This birthday is gonna be a blast for Gabriel, and as stress free as possible for mommy. They grow up to fast to dwell on the little things.

Cheerios Anyone?

Gabriel is boycotting all things baby at the moment. Josh and I are making his food with a baby processor, but that doesn't matter to misters. I happen to think that apples and pears and pineapple are pretty dang good, but unless they have a very distinctive crunch then Gabriel would kindly disagree. He is in love with cheerios at the moment. I'm convinced they are laced with some addictive agent that draws all children to them. But hey, at least they are healthy. It could be worse. My neice was in love with honey buns. Still, it's a little aggrevating when he won't eat a thing except those little circles.

Christmas in January

Last Saturday, we went to my Uncle Paul and Aunt Jackie's for a late christmas party. Because of the weather it was postponed. And because of digital cameras, I forgot about the pictures until just now. Been awhile since I downloaded the pics, one of the many positives and negatives associated with having a camera like that.

Gabriel got a special gift from his auntie and uncle. Who's the cutest santa's helper ever? HO HO HO!!

Church Website

Josh and I have been attending a church in Sumner Washington since we started dating. They finally have joined the world wide web. Their website is www.valleychristiancentersumner.com . Small community, small church, but still an integral part of our lives.

Making Baby Food

Josh and I decided that we were going to make Gabriel's baby food a long time ago. Well, he's past nine months and starting chunkier things, so putting them in the food mill is perfect. It's not really pureed, so Gabriel gets to chew a little and still get the good stuff. It was a little discouraging at first because Gabriel didn't want fresh organic pears. Sort of made me wonder what was in the store bought baby food. But I mixed the pears with fresh pineapple and he's gobblin' it down like there's no tomorrow. I'm a little irritated because Josh and I spent twelve bucks on this hand mill (to save twenty from the electric). What a laugh. I was sweating and my muscles were so sore after turning and making two trays of his pear/pineapple meals. Josh just laughed at me and said, "Maybe you'll think twice before you wanna save a buck." I just commented that my guns will be bigger than his when I'm done feeding our son. I'll be one buff mama.

Gabriel in '08

Two Weeks
Three Months

Six Months

Gabriel's Nine Month Pictures

We got these taken of the boy a few days ago. He's getting so big, and he's got six toofers now.

Happy New Year

Happy 2009! Hope everyone had a great holiday. Gabriel allowed mommy to bring in '09 a few times, at 1 am and 3 am and then up for good at 6:45am. He's been dealing with a cold for a few days now. I think he's getting better though. Josh played his 360 (one of the new games Gabriel and I got him for christmas) and although we tried to stay up, we inevitably failed. I don't think there has been more than one or two new years where we actually succeeded in staying up. I'm only 24 and already get exhausted tired at 9:30. Bring on '09...