Mandi's Baby Shower and Ruffle Cake

My friend Mandi is having a little girl, and I was so happy to throw her a baby shower. I didn't do it alone of course. I had a lot of help of Marlene and Danielle, and Erin was a big help the day of the shower. Thanks guys!

The theme of the party was "Sugar and Spice". I had so much fun thinking of games to play and decorations. The food table was organized into a "Sugar" section and a "Spice" section.

I made a ruffle cake that looks almost like a little girl's skirt.

We played a game with eight spices in containers with no name. You had to guess the name of the spice based on sight and smell. The winner got 5 of 8 correct.

 Mandi's niece, whom I know as "Clo Clo" was dressed up in the ribbon from the gift wrap.

Of course, there was a lot of cute girly stuff.

Marlene, me, Mandi, Erin and little Charlotte Elise (in the tummy).

 
Congratulations on your little baby girl Mandi! I can't wait to meet her!

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!