My Buddy

I was just thinking today about what two wonderful blessings Jared and I have. But then I realized that in the hustle and bustle of getting new baby pictures posted, I haven't really posted much about what Gavin has been up to lately.

I caught this picture of him after hearing him vaguely while I was working in the kitchen. He had been looking through the hymn book and then, with it open on his lap, proceeded to say prayer. I didn't hear everything he said but I caught "bless Matt home safely". He really is a sponge right now, picking up on (and repeating) everything!

He loves to help me in the kitchen. He gets his apron on and his stool out and helps me with the dishes. We usually end up with a big water mess, but at least it keeps him occupied while I get the kitchen clean!

Here he is, proudly sporting his apron. It's my apron that was folded over and such to make it work. Not long after I took this picture, we hit the jackpot on a trip to Dollar Tree. They have little outdoor aprons right now that are so cute, we had to buy one for Gavin's work in the kitchen.

The biggest news of all is that Gavin is now putting himself to sleep for his naps. We're talking asleep within two minutes, no crying, no rocking, no problem! If you are familiar with the difficulty we've had with his sleep, you would know what a MIRACLE it is. It was brought about by necessity. This picture is one instance of how we handled naptime at first, but it didn't work for long when they started napping at different times!

Gavin loves being a big brother. My favorite thing that he does is comfort Jaynee when she's upset. "Oh sister, don't cry!" Melts my heart! He also likes to help me with her bath. He likes to wash her "stinky feet".

I love this picture from Jared's birthday. He has become more of a Daddy's boy since Jaynee has arrived. He loves his nightly routine with Jared - bike ride before dinner, bath after dinner, Jeopardy watching (which Mommy is invited to), and rocking to sleep. But I must confess, that while Daddy's at work....

...we have some buddy time of our own.

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Happy Earth Day, Everyone!

So in honor of Earth Day, Gavin and I decided to plant a flower in the pot on our front porch.

He wanted to be in charge of dumping out some of the old potting soil to make room for the fresh stuff.

Digging the hole. I had to explain that we didn't have to dump out the dirt as we dug...we just move it to the side.

Then, with my back turned, I heard him saying "Uh oh, uh oh!" Worried that he had torn out the plant, I was relieved to hear him follow up with "Hands dirty, Mom!"

I also thought that for this Earth Day post, I would add some pictures from our trip to the zoo last weekend.

My camera doesn't capture the pure look of laziness on the face of the cougar perched up in the tree. Actually, it doesn't really even capture the cougar all that well. I just thought my two fellas were awfully cute.

That day was the Elephantastic birthday celebration for Packy so they were handing out elephant ears...not the edible ones, unfortunately. :)

I think Gavin liked the aquatic displays so much because he could get right up there next to the animals.

So go show some love to the Earth today!

It Only Took a Month...

I apologize for the late posting, but being a mother of two while recovering from a C-Section during this CRAZY month of March has proven to be a challenge for me. But better late than never, I always say...so here are "the stats":

Jaynee Rose Royer

March 2nd, 2010 11:49 am

7 lbs 8 oz, 20 1/2 inches

Gavin was not able to come to the hospital the day Jaynee was born due to the H1N1 restrictions. BUT we woke up the next day to the news that the restriction had been lifted so he got to come visit us. I was glad because I didn't know how I would do having to go that long without seeing Gavin.
I just love this picture!

So, as I said, this was a crazy month. A week after Jaynee was born Jared's sister got married and then the following weekend was my dad's surprise 60th birthday party. All of my siblings and their families were there, which was AWESOME. Another great thing that came of this was that my sister-in-law Emily shared her photography talents with us while she was here by taking some newborn shots of Jaynee (PLUS she lent us the adorable hair bow for the pictures):

Emily also took a bunch of great candid shots over the course of the weekend, so we have a few recent pictures of Gavin to share with you...

Playgrounds are serious business...

Thanks again, Emily!!