Uncle David's Visit

Yesterday we had an all too short visit with our brother-in-law, David. Uncle David to Gabriel. David is Richard's younger sister's husband. We only had one day, so we crammed in breakfast at the beach, followed by a walk along the strand to watch volleyball players and surfers. Then we went to the Getty Museum in Malibu. We forgot to bring our camera, so all of these shots are taken from my phone.

Scottish Festival

A couple pictures from this weekend's Scottish Festival, held at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  We were invited by some friends and had fun watching all the events like sheep herding, dancing demonstrations, and poll flipping competitions.

Gabriel would have stayed by this gate all day if we let him. He just stared and pointed at the sheep.

Gabriel was excited to wear a Scottish kilt.

Making A Tea Wreath

I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to make one for a couple friends. Now that they have both received their gifts, I get to blog about it! A tea wreath can be hung anywhere you like. It's decorative and functional. If you really like tea, you can keep it stocked throughout the year. Each time someone comes over for tea, they can easily see what kinds are available. Let them pick a tea bag from the wreath and simply replace it later on. I love this idea!

To make a tea wreath you will need:
1 cardboard square (I cut it out of a box)
clothes pins
decorative paper
mod podge (glue)
hot glue gun
ribbon (or something to hang it with)
tea bags

Just cut the cardboard into a doughnut. I did mine 11 inches in diameter.

Cover the board with paper and mod podge. Using a 12x12 scrapbook paper is perfect. Cut small strips of paper to cover the pins.

Attach the clothes pins with hot glue, and tie the ribbon on. Then just add the tea and you're done!

Gabriel's First Steps

A few weeks ago, I was trying to encourage Gabriel to take some steps. He was able to step far enough to catch himself on the couch, but no more than that. When Richard got home, Gabriel wanted to see him so badly that he took his first real steps to walk toward him! I guess he just needed the right motivation. Did I mention it was Richard's birthday that day? It's like Gabriel was giving his daddy a gift! It was so exciting, and I even got it on video!



Since then, Gabriel has walked quite a bit, but hasn't quite gotten the confidence to do it regularly. He mostly walks when we stand him up and show him a toy across the room. It seems like he should be really walking any day now. We'll keep you posted.

Gabe and Tabe - A surprise visit

Our friend, Danielle, and son Tabor surprised me with a visit during Gabriel's birthday. When we pulled into the driveway one night to find Danielle on our front porch I just cried. She is such a dear friend, and the unexpected visit (along with recent emotions from my miscarriage) made for many happy tears when I saw her.

Gabriel and Tabor haven't seen each other since September. Tabor is the only child (other than our own) who has his own label in our blog. It was so fun to watch them play together. Usually at this age, children will play independent of each other, but these guys followed each other around the house, never wanting to be separated. At one point, we found Tabor crying with Gabriel sitting on his back and playing happily with a toy! I ran to save Tabor, but now wish I had grabbed a picture. It was pretty funny.

Of course we had to take pictures of bath time, too! They love their bath time. Gabriel seemed to enjoy it more with Tabor there. They were both splashing and giggling.

For more Gabe and Tabe memories, click on the "Tabor" label at the top of the page.

Gabriel's One-Year Milestones

At one year, Gabriel can do so many things. My, how they grow!

He can:
- Say some words in sign language: please, all done and milk
- Eat many finger foods, but still eats purees too
- Say "mama" and "dada" although he doesn't do it often. He definitely knows who we are though.
- Walk anywhere as long as he's holding a hand
- Walk about 5 feet on his own

Other milestones:
- Gabriel finally got his third tooth (first top tooth) the week of his party
- He's 22 pounds, and starting to wear 18 month clothing, even though they're a bit baggy
- With longer wake-times, he's able to stay in the play center at the gym so mommy can have her alone time and work out. (This is more important for me than for him!)

We pray for Gabriel all the time. We always pray that God would guide us to bring him up well. For Gabriel to become a Godly man who guides his family in the right path, just like his daddy is trying to do right now. We even pray for his future wife. That they will stay pure for each other. That she will respect him, and he will love her as Christ loves the church. Above all, we pray for his salvation.

This last year has flown by so quickly. We're looking forward to many more years to come!

Gabriel's First Birthday - Dr Seuss party, Cat in the hat cake, Smash cake and more

Gabriel is one year old! I can't believe it! We had a great first birthday party with a Dr Seuss theme. Everyone had a blast, and I had a blast putting it all together. I could not have done it without my baking buddies, Danielle and Marlene. Neither could I have pulled it off without my mom, who was able to fly out to be here for the big event. Thanks guys!

First, I want to show you the invite for the party.

 

The day of the party, we put the same picture on our front door and it said "No need to knock, just come inside. We're all upstairs. Come join the ride!"

Inside, we had a table with socks and fabric markers. Next to them was Dr Seuss's The Foot Book, and the quote "In the house and on the street, how many different feet you meet!". Guests were encouraged to color their own socks, wear them throughout the party and meet all the other feet.

Upstairs was decked out with Dr Seuss books propped up in all locations. The food table looked like this. Most of the food was inspired by a Dr Seuss book. Green Eggs and Ham, Three Cheese Tree, Hop On Pop(corn), etc.

Danielle made chocolate coated cat in the hat marshmallows that were delicious!

And I couldn't get by without doing another cake. I don't think I need to tell you what book it's from :)

I was so excited to give Gabriel his smash cake. I pictured him making a huge mess and getting cake all over the place and in his hair. He didn't quite have that reaction. I guess I've trained him well to not make messes while eating. Check out the video and pictures.

As a party gift for our guests, I made these A-B-C cookies, inspired by Dr Seuss's A-B-C book.

Baby Gabey we love you dearly. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy