New Orleans trip

Recently, Gary, Gavin and I went to New Orleans for a friends wedding. Gavin did so great on the plane again! We did have three seats to ourselves. That, my friends, is the the way to fly! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I only have a couple of dinky pictures from my phone.

Saturday night was Yudi's wedding. We had a blast dancing to the old school music and being with old friends. Congratulations Yudi!

My sister has a 10 acre spread in New Orleans with so much land! They even have a lake. The main way they get around is by 4 wheeler. We made the mistake of bringing Gavin on a 4-wheeler because from the minute he woke up to the time he went to bed, he was saying "I want that!" while pointing to the garage. We explored all over my sister's property. We saw spiders, and bugs, and water. Fred, my sister's Catahoula, herded us the whole time. He nipped at the tires and ran along side of the 4-wheeler anytime we were on it! Wasn't hard to keep up...I think the fasted we moved was 7 mph!

My mom, sister, Alexis, Gavin and I went to a wildlife refuge in Folsom, LA...aka BFE! It took us over an hour to get there. Luckily, Gavin napped in the car. This place was really cool! There were four covered wagons pulled by a tractor. You could buy cups of feed to bribe the animals to come up to you. Some animals followed behind the wagon the whole time. At times, it was pretty creepy. You turn around and there's some animal giving you snifters! Some animals took your cup, some would bite your hands (zebras), some you could feed out of your hands (giraffes), some made there tongue a cylinder so you could dump food down it's throat. I don't think Gavin appreciated it too much at this age. He was tired and hot, and it was an hour and a half ride! He had a decent time, though. He love hanging out with Aunt Gina!

One day while in New Orleans, we met dad, Ellie, Michelle and Leonard in the Quarter. Ellie's dad, Paw Paw Howard, has a little apartment in the Quarter, so we met there. We walked along the river to see the boats and the water. Gavin loved that. We also saw a sand bar with "WOH DAT?" written on it by a well intentioned fan. Not smart or not sober...I'm guessing both. I mean, who misspells who? Anyway, we continued to walk and had a picnic of shrimp po boys and gumbo for dinner. After frolicking in Jackson Square, we headed over the Cafe Du Monde for some beignets. Gavin LOVED the beignets (duh?).

Gavin wanted some of Paw Paw's drink, so he made him some "coffee" by mixing up some milk, imaginary sugar and water. Gavin drank it up!!! Go Paw Paw!

We had so much fun visiting with family and friends. I wish they all lived closer...

Nana and Paw Paw in town....

This past Wednesday, Ellie came into town to visit and Gary's dad flew up on Sunday to join her. We had so much fun with NaNa and Paw Paw! The weather was amazing, so we were outside a lot! Ellie is very creative and fun. For example, she drew squares with every one's initials in it, and we all had to go stand in our squares. Gavin knew right away where his square was, and so did Jack. They drew many other beautiful drawings, like sailboats, fish, trees, and the sun. Gavin had fun showing us their pictures.

Ellie watched Gavin on Thursday and Friday while we were at work and then again over the weekend while Gary and I took a much needed mommy and daddy vacation. More to come on that! Gavin did great! He and NaNa had a great time!

Jack had the coolest square, by far!
Dada, Gavin and NaNa standing in their squaresNaNa, Gavin and Jack.

Gavin loves being in the kitchen and helping. On this particular occasion, he was helping Ellie and I make Sunday dinner. He was in charge of washing the potatoes and then putting them in the strainer. He is such a good helper! Anytime Ellie was in the kitchen, he was right there with her!

On Monday, Gary went to work, and I took NaNa and Paw Paw to the Arboretum. They boast the only pumpkin village in the world!! It was all very neat. There were pumpkins (and people) everywhere! There were even houses made of pumpkins. Gavin was mildly overstimulated by all the people at the pumpkin patch (as was I), so we moved through quickly and went to eat our picnic lunch in a quiet spot in the shade.

Gavin and Paw Paw inside one of the pumpkin houses.

The only good picture I got from the pumpkin patch. Gavin was mostly NOT interested in sitting on a bail of hay to take pictures.

On the way to our picnic spot. I took NaNa and Paw Paw through the Women's Garden. Of course, Gavin loved all the water!

Finally at our picnic spot. We found a shady spot to set up. The weather was amazing! For lunch we had Lox and bagels, chicken, cheese, crackers, grapes and water. Very yummy!

Gavin was sharing his lunch with the birds and then trying to catch them.

On Tuesday, Gary took off of work. We took NaNa and Paw Paw to one of our favorite breakfast places, "Einine's babels" (BKA Einstein Bagels). After breakfast, we went on a trip to get pumpkins! Gavin had so much fun running around the pumpkin patch. He climbed on the pumpkins, played in the hay and ran up and down a little "hill". After he was pretty tired out, I took him for a wagon ride around the patch. That was a blast!! We got four beautiful pumpkins and four smaller pumpkins that we decorated with stickers.

After Gavin's nap, we went to the State Fair of Texas!!! It was $3 Tuesdays, so it was packed! We walked around for a while and Gary and Paw Paw got a corny dog. Then, we found the petting zoo. This was by far the highlight of Gavin's trip! He was so excited to see the animals and they seemed just as excited to see him!! We continued to walk around the fair and saw a few other things. It was getting late, so we decided to leave.

NaNa got slimmed!!

True story: This giraffe was in the corner with his head down. I was disappointed because I wanted to get some good pictures of it, but I also wanted Gavin to be able to see a real giraffe. I didn't blame him for being off in the corner...there were A LOT of people around. All of a sudden, he turned around and started walking right towards us!!! Gavin's face lit up as he walked right over to him and Gary!! He stayed over by us for a few minutes and then went on about his business. That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. That giraffe came over to say "hello" to Gavin and then turned around and walked away.

Visiting with Gary and Gavin. I know what you're thinking...it's because Gary has food. Everyone had food!

Gavin love this...thing. He even gave him a kiss.

He liked the goats, too, although they didn't get a kiss. It was so cute to hear him make the goat sound.

Ostriches are scary. Very frightening...and creepy.

Gavin loved the Llama.

Gavin getting a ride from Paw Paw on the way out of the Fair.

The Fair was fun, but we were all exhausted! When we turned down our street, we saw a firetruck in the parking lot of the school. Gary remembered that it was National Night Out, and that there would be a firetruck, cop car and bounce house there. So, we hopped out of the car thinking we would take Gavin to look at the firetruck, then go home. Well, the fireman (and lady) walked over and opened the door to let Gavin sit in the drivers seat. He had soooo much fun! He loved it! He got mildly freaked out when they turned the engine on, but other then that, he loved it!! He honked the horn and sounded the siren. Every time it was another kids turn, and he had to get out of the firetruck, he would say "MORE!" The firemen got a real kick out of him.

Gavin in the firetruck.

Then, the fireman let Gavin operate the house. We all know how much he loves water! He had a blast!!

To top it all off, we went and got some lemonade, cookies and Cheetos. There was a bounce house, but there were several big kids in the bounce house. Once they all left, Gavin and I got in and jumped around. He didn't quite know what to do, but he sure giggled!! Dada even got in the bounce house with us for a bit while NaNa and Jack watched.

I think, so far, this was Gavin's BEST DAY EVER!!! I look forward to trying to top it, but it won't be easy!

Making bread...

Gavin likes to help me "cook" as I said in a previous post. On this particular day, we were making banana bread. He took a 4 hour nap, and I got tired of waiting around, so I measured all of the ingredients out and put them in separate bowls. When Gavin finally woke up, I let him help me pour all of the ingredients into the bowl. I even let him hold the hand mixer. In response, I got the big eyed, circle mouth face. He was having so much fun! Then, it came time for me to pour the big bowl of stuff into the bread pan. I could barely see Gavin while I was pouring the mixture, but I finally caught on to what he was doing...he was sticking his fingers in the bread pan while I was pouring! I let him eat a little more so I could take some pictures...

Crying shame

This week has been quite an emotional drain for the family. Gavin started "school" last week. After 15 months of Isabel coming to our house 3 days a week, every week, we decided it was a good idea to put Gavin in "school". Isabel lost her other job and would probably get a full time job very soon. We wanted to have Gavin someplace that we really liked instead of having to scramble when and if she found a job and could no longer keep Gavin.

So, the day arrived. Gary and I decided that it probably would be best if I didn't go to drop him off. The first sign of sadness, I would have snatched him up, gone home and called in...maybe even quit my job!! We decided Gary would go because he's stronger. Turns out, he's not that much stronger. He struggled with leaving Gavin when he was crying and with the feeling that he was letting him down. As a parent, you always want your child to feel safe and that you'll be there for them no matter what. It's hard to leave your child in a place he's never been before with people he doesn't know. I can't imagine he knew what to expect. Was he wondering if mommy and daddy were coming back? I went to pick him up at lunch and he seemed to be doing ok. He was sitting at the table with his back to the door. His feet were dangling because his legs are too short to touch the floor, and he was looking around. I let him finish eating before I went in to get him. I watched him, with assistance, pick up his plate off of the table, put it in the sink and push in his chair. He was given his lunch box to bring to his cubby, which was outside of the room...where I was waiting. He started to whine a little bit..."momma....momma?" And then he saw me!!!! "MOMMA!!! MOMMA!!! HI MOMMMMMMA! MUAH!" So sweet and so said. He kissed me over and over again and kept saying "Hi momma".

The next couple of days proved to be equally upsetting for Gary and I. But, luckily, the teacher said he didn't cry at all during the day, only when Gary dropped him off. He continued to be excited to see me when I picked him up. Hopefully, this week goes well. He'll be there all day this week, which means he has to nap there. I'm cautiously optimistic about that!

Today, was Gavin's 18 month check up. He started to cry to minute we pulled into the parking lot. He remembered this place. Even more amazing to me was the fact that he started making "fishy" sounds before we opened the door to the doctor's office. He remembered there was a fish tank in there!!! He cried for almost 45 minutes between being weighed, examined by the doctor and given his 18 month immunizations. He was able to follow directions even though he was crying. Dr. Nale tried to distract him while doing his examination. He asked, "Where's your ears? Where's your eyes?" Gavin pointed to the appropriate body part while howling all the while. He finally stopped crying when every one left the room. He was so ready to go! He kept saying, "Bye bye?" "Dada?", and he kept pointing to his battle wounds. Every now and then he would point to his bandages and say, "oww" He was more than happy to show the neighbors his four "ouchies". Poor guy wore himself out so much, that he fell asleep in the car on the way to lunch. He had a fever tonight and was a little fussy, but I hope that passes and he will come away with no other side affects. Poor little guy, and big guy, and me...

BIG helper!

Gavin really is such a big help...mostly. He is really helpful with laundry. I can give him something to carry, and he brings said items to the laundry room. And, if I drop something, he picks it up and brings it into the laundry room for me. Jack has been replaced.

It has been so hot this summer, so in the afternoon, we go outside and turn the hose on and play in the water. Sometimes, spontaneous things happen like washing the car. He wanted to help so I went and got him a little kitchen sponge. He was so cute dipping it in the water and washing the car. He pretty much imitated everything that I did. So adorable. We get pretty soaked from playing in the water.

Gavin found a new hobby the other day while helping me garden. He had so much fun digging in the mud with his little shovel. There is one thing he'll have to get over if he ever wants to be good at gardening...getting himself and his tools dirty! I kept a little trickle on the hose in case he wanted to play in the water. He would go over and dig in the mud and then walk back over to the hose to rinse himself and his shovel off! This happened for about 30 minutes!!

He also tries to help me cook, do dishes, vacuum and sweep and flush the toilet.

Our day...

I haven't taken a whole bunch of pictures lately, so I decided to get my camera out and capture a portion of our day...

Gavin was playing with the lids. He was trying to put all the lids on the pink bowl of blueberries.

There is a fly (or 2) in the bench seat area. Gavin and I were sitting in the bench seat looking outside when he spotted the fly. He tried to get me to touch it, and I said "no". So, he took my finger with his finger and touched the fly and jumped up and down with excitement at my reaction.This is how Gavin eats a tortilla. He shoves the whole thing into his mouth. That's my boy!!There is normally a HUGE puddle here from rain/sprinklers. Yesterday, Gavin pointed to it and said, "puddle!!!!" I explained to him that it wasn't a puddle anymore because there was no water. Then, we proceeded to sing a song that went like this...."No more puddle cuz the water's all gone, no more puddle cuz the water's all gone, no more puddle cuz the water's all gone" and then whatever I felt like finishing with, "it'll be a puddle again when the sprinklers come on". Today, Gavin walked over to it, squatted and shook his head and said, "no, no more". :)

Making a break for it.

"HUT, HUT"

Future underwear model

Gavin messing up my beautiful piece of art. You can't have anything nice with kids...

Jack was outside with us for awhile, but started to get hot, so I let him in. Gavin tried to "rescue" him. Jack looks more demanding than appreciative.

This is why I had kids. Stop looking at it and get to work!

And, this is the look I got in response.

"AIRPLANE!!"

He is THE BEST! We have so much fun together! A couple of other things he did that were funny today.

-I heated up our lunch, but it was too hot to eat. I was holding him at the time, and he started to blow on it. He grabbed my head to make me blow on it, too.

-He watched me smack at a bug outside. Later that day, he started saying "bug" and smacking his hands together.

-He doesn't quite get hide-n-seek. He stands there while you count to 10, then when you say, "ready or not, here I come", he runs.

BYOM

On random Fridays during the month, our neighbors invite us over for "White Trash Friday". We call it this because it involves sitting outside drinking beer. The few time I've gone, it's been in someone's backyard, but I think it originated in the driveway in the back of said someone's truck. Pretty white trash...

This one particular Friday, we decided to have a BYOM, or bring your own meat party. Participants were banned from telling jokes about the male genitalia. Other than that, there were no rules. I made twice baked potatoes and a pound cake with berries on it. Tina brought some yummy blueberry cupcakes, and everyone brought the meat!!! We tried to make a turtle- which was a hamburger patty that was basket weaved with bacon and decorated with hot dogs to make it look like a turtle. You were supposed to bake it, but Gary grilled it and it fell apart when he tried to flip it.

Gavin had fun playing with Haelyn and Heather, and he stayed up way too late! He was so delirious by the end of the night!

Haelyn enjoying a cupcake.
Matt and Gary enjoying a heated discussion and Jonathan enjoying some "butt" cake (I don't know why we called it that by the end of the night)

Matt and Amy.

Tina and Heather. The turtle was gone by this point. You can see his remains in the top left corner.

The boys...
My poor delirious baby!