naughty or nice?

Look who made Santa's list...

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/2868-711dylan/

Sorry, you'll have to copy & paste the link into your browser.

halloween snapshots

We went to a Halloween Party at Dylan's school in the morning. Here he is doing the O-course (O = obstacle).


Bryan came home on Halloween night to take the boys trick-o-treating. Gavin just rode in the cruiser. Dylan was a little frightened by some of the decorations set up in the front of people's homes and I can't really blame him. One was rather frightening to me. Gavin didn't seem to mind any of it though.

It was pitch black where the boys were standing for this picture and I was using my little point & shoot camera so I couldn't see them in the view finder or on the LCD screen. So, I cut off B's head.




This one cracks me up because it looks like Gavin is howling.


Dylan went up to every door but as soon as it opened he became shy and refused to say "Trick or Treat" or even look at the people. Here he is looking back at us as if we were supposed to say the magic words for him.


When we got home, the boys went through Dylan's candy. In this photo, Gavin is eating a box of Nerds. Not the candy, just the box.


Dylan 'organized' his candy for several hours that night and again over the next couple of days. (Nice lookin' bananas, huh?)

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch FOUR times this season. The boys just love climbing the hay bales, rolling the pumpkins, and throwing hay too. I took a lot of pictures....

Our little walker.












"Hey pretty girl. Wanna see me turn this pumpkin into a stagecoach?"






The next picture was about 2 seconds before we had to drag Dylan out of the Pumpkin Patch kicking and screaming. Dylan threw a pumpkin at Gavin and it hit him in the mouth. Poor little guy is teething already so I'm sure it hurt pretty bad. You can see Dylan winding up in the picture.


I took the next two near the pumpkin patch. Dylan actually trespassed onto this bridge. I couldn't pass up the photo op. This bridge is fab!




Here are some snapshots I took with my little point & shoot too:

Dylan and a big John Deere tractor.


Gavin and some farm animals.


Michelle & Cash

USMC - Drill Instructor and Devil Dog

Gavin never stops moving. Thankfully Bryan was home to help me take his photos. Bryan had to put Gavin back in place over and over and over again because he kept crawling/walking away. I decided to give him dog biscuits thinking he'd sit and look at them & they went with the costume theme, plus the were neutral in color so they wouldn't look bad.





Yes, my little bottomless pit ate one too. That is a dog cookie in his mouth. He didn't seem to mind.




I thought this was cute cause you can see the tail.


Dylan hates pictures lately. He will do everything possible to avoid looking at the camera. I was able to bribe him with M&Ms today and it worked like a charm. It took me less than 5 minutes to get the shots I wanted. I told him what, where, and how to stand, and he followed my instructions the first time. I was so elated, that I let him eat the whole little bag.



His posture looks like he is yelling at recruits. I can just hear his deep little voice right now.




This is his mean face.




Gosh, I love these little guys!

PS: Halloween snapshots coming soon!

celebrate

I too celebrated my thirty(gulp)fourth birthday on the same day as Gavin. For me the birthday celebration really began on Thursday evening and lasted through the weekend.

When I got home Thursday evening after work, Bryan and Dylan were finishing up frosting a cake that they made for me. I got home in time to catch Dylan sprinkling on the jimmies. Chocolate + chocolate, with rainbow jimmies. YUM!




The next morning (our actual birthday) Bryan was off work so he got up early with the kids. They woke me up to give me this awesome present:

I had no idea Bryan was so creative!

We then gave Gavin his birthday present which both kids seem to love:


Dylan also gave Gavin a present, but he got it a few days early.


At 9:30 AM I headed off to the gym for a personal training session and then a relaxing hour on the stationery bike so I could read my beloved novel Breaking Dawn. Bryan & I had plans to go out to dinner that evening and I had that chocolate cake with my name all over it so I had to go to the gym to ease the guilt.

Later that day, we played outside.


Honk. Honk.


Hey baby, wanna ride?








That evening Gramma & Opa came over to watch the boys so Bryan and I could go to dinner. We went to Harry's Pacific Grill. If you live in Southern California, this restaurant is worth the drive to Temecula. After dinner we came home and had cake with Sara & Hoss (Gramma & Opa).

Here I am blowing out my THREE candles:


Poor Dylan was already in bed, so I let him have cake the next morning for breakfast. Bad mom, I know.


The next day we went to my parents house for a birthday BBQ. The boys (all of them) played in the jacuzzi and the girls tried to avoid getting splashed. My mom made a delicious meal for us. Salad, bacon wrapped flank steak, asparagus, and twice baked potatoes followed by German Chocolate Cake. YUM!!



See, sharing a birthday with your child isn't all that bad!!

Stay tuned for Gavin's party pictures!

happy happy birthday, baby

Last Friday, our sweet baby Gavin turned 1. Gavin is an easy and oh-so-happy baby. People always ask me "Does he ever cry?" He has to be really hungry or really tired or sick before you will hear him cry. He is a mover. He is always moving and has been since the day he was born. He likes to explore. . He will put anything his mouth. He climbs on everything. He is not walking but he crawls fast. Real fast. Changing his diaper requires two people, three is even better. If you are trying to do it on your own, I guarantee you will pass him off to someone else the next time his diaper needs changing.

He has several nicknames, which include but are not limited to: Baby, Beet, Beep, Beepers, G-bomb, G-funk, Rottenpot, Gavinnaise, Love Bug, Baby Love, Peanut...the list goes on.


He loves to scream and laugh for no apparent reason and he babbles often. He says mama, dada, doggie, kitty-cat, birdie, bottle, up, uh-oh, oooooohhhhhh, and no. He loves to wave, clap his hands, and throw his arms in the air when we say "yay!". He thinks his big brother is pretty funny too.

Today he had his one-year check up. His stats were:
weight: 19.10 pounds
height: 29.5 inches
head circumference: 19 inches

These were taken this afternoon:


A little love from the Mags.




I love our Gavin. Every single ounce of his silly little being. You always wonder/worry after you have your first child, if you will love your second child as much. I felt that way when I was pregnant with Gavin but now I know how it works. You don't split your heart in half, you double it.

dylan's 3rd birthday

I cannot believe my little boy is THREE. Where has the time gone? If you ask him how old he is, he says he is "eight". Sometimes, by the things that come out of his mouth, I think he could be 8. He is a smart little dude, and I am not just saying that because I am his mom. Anyway, here are pictures from his 3rd birthday:

Opening presents in the morning.




The typical 3 year old smile.


and after much bribery...


The party.


The birthday boy's request...a Thomas bouncer.






Irelyn


Cheyenne


Ryan & Drake


Brendan & Connor


The rad Rosete Family.


Kae


LOVE her to pieces.


My 88 year old Grandma swinging. Love it!


Cupcakes a la Grammy.


Birthday Boy.




Kae


The first present he opened and the one he slept with every night for the next week. Cranky the Crane. Thanks Nashes!!


Gavin flirting with Mary.


Little Dante (on the left) was doing 'the sprinkler'.