What a VERY Merry Christmas!!

Just hangin out eating some chex mix with Uncle Shane!
Wow - life got really busy the past few weeks, sorry I haven't updated this sooner! We had such a nice Christmas, it was so good to see so many of our family and friends. Gavin was sick the week before, but was feeling better just in time for all of the fun. We started our celebration friday night with the RatTrap family christmas. I feel so blessed to have such a close group of friends, and although I don't see them nearly as often as I like, it doesn't seem to make a difference when we get together - we had so much fun, and the food was delicious Kell! G also got to spend some time with Garett, who is just a few weeks younger - it was so fun to watch them play! Saturday we spent with the Wulf's and Sunday with the Hagen's - Gav was spoiled rotten - and loved every second of it, although I think he might have been a little overwhelmed - which toy to play with first!?! such decisions a one year old has to make. :o) He really enjoyed opening his gifts this year too, which was fun to watch. Monday was spent at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Eden Prairie. It was so nice to see so much of our family! By Tuesday, Gavin was pretty much Christmased out, we had a pretty low-key day trying to give him a little normalcy, which I think he appreciated after his 4 hour nap that afternoon! And we've pretty much been trying to get back to normal ever since. My new year was spent with a very ill baby, which made me appreciate my own blessings even more. It never ceases to amaze me what a miracle a baby is, and how tragic it is when something goes so terribly wrong. Most days I can't even believe the role I play in these people's lives - what a privledge - I just have to remember that when I haven't sat down for 10 hours and my head is spinning! I assisted at the delievery of twins last night - which was very exciting! I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas!

We have had so much fun getting ready for Christmas! We celebrated at Grandma Betty's last Saturday - which is always so much fun. Then on Sunday we had everyone over to our house for a cookie exchange. We baked and baked and baked all day - it was a blast! Lauren, Ellie and Allison decorated a gingerbread house - which is now my holiday centerpiece - it turned out sooooooo cute! Gavin had a blast playing with his cousins all day long - what a treat that they all were there! We got the best laughs out of Owen, next year he'll be just as crazy as Gav is now! I'm almost done with my shopping, which is a big relief. I can't wait to see everyone over the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone - our camera's battery was dead, so I don't have any thanksgiving pics to share - sorry! I do have a little update though. We had Gav's 15 month appointment last week. He's up to 24lbs and 32 1/4 in! He's still really tall for his age! Everything looked good, except for his sinuses - they are full and infected, so that means 20 days of antibiotics! yuck!! He loves to take his medicine though, so it's not a problem for him. He's running all over the place and loves to get into everything - literally!! He says a few words, and has really been into giving hugs lately - I like that part a lot! We're still trying to get settled in the new house - hopefully we can get some furniture soon - that will help. We put up the Christmas tree, which surprisingly G has left alone! We'll see how long that lasts! We're looking forward to seeing a lot of people over the holidays. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Our first family vacation to Disney World!

G had soooooo much fun playing in the water fountain! Good thing we had a change of clothes!

Standing in line for his first ride - Winnie the Pooh!
He was so tired he fell asleep sitting up - poor guy - it's tough keeping up with Grandma and Grandpa!
Gavin came back so spoiled after spending a few hours with Grandma and Grandpa - but he finally looked like a "real tourist!"



We're back from our trip, and it went way too fast! We had so much fun and Gavin just loved it! He wasn't scared of the characters - he loved going up and meeting them, he even got a kiss from Pocahontas - I think daddy was a little jealous! He was just so intrigued by everything - he stared at all the lights, took in everything his little eyes could see on the rides, and reached for more fireworks when they were over. He got to be a pretty good dancer too - especially jammin to chubby checker one night at EPCOT - he can really groove for a one year old! I think we all had more fun watching Gavin take everything in than actually looking at things ourselves! We're both going through a little post-vacation depression - and counting down the days until we can go again - December anyone? Although, I don't think he'll need anymore souvenirs for a good five years - he was spoiled rotten! We got a lot of good pictures, so we need to set up a scrappin date - I have so much to work on!

Our little pumpkin!

Isn't he getting so big!?!



Wow - what a crazy month October was! We finally moved into our house - it's just so fun having a place to call home again! We all love it - although, Rigley isn't quite sure what to think yet, but I think he likes all the space to run. Gavin quickly mastered going up and down the stairs - and he's loving all the fun places to hide his toys! He had a super fun halloween, isn't he a pretty cute pumpkin? Tuesday night we took him to a halloween party at the church where he goes to daycare. He played some fun games, and we got to eat pizza. I had to work Wednesday night, so Bryan took Gavin trick-or-treating in Renville with Lauren and Ellie. I love that they get to spend time together, he adores those girls - how couldn't you - look how cute they are! I was so jealous that I didn't get to go with, but Bryan said it was so much fun. I was so sad to hear the next morning that someone had smashed my pumpkin. I worked so hard to carve it and make it perfect - and I didn't even get a picture of it! Grandpa will have to grow another one for Gavin next year. I better go and try and get some sleep, I've been up all night playing with tiny babies! Plus I need to get up early to finish packing for our trip! Hope you guys enjoy the pictures!!!

So silly!

A couple of G's favorite things to do are dance on his Mickey plane - and climb all over his couch!

update

Hey everyone, just thought I would give a quick update. I've been trying to post pics but for some reason it's not working - there must be a problem with the server. I'll keep trying. We're getting excited to move - less than two weeks now! Gavin is walking everywhere - it didn't take him long to master that skill. We are seeing more of his personality everyday - he just gets goofier and goofier - and a little testy with this new found independance! We might have issues as he gets older - he doesn't seem to understand what the word "no" means - actually he thinks it's funny - not so funny for mom and dad! His new favorite past time is dancing - even if there's no music. Also, I'm pretty sure he inherited his father's appetite - how am I going to keep up?! We've had a busy month, getting ready to move with a toddler is not the most fun I've ever had, but it will be worth it once we are in our own home. Like I said, I'll keep trying to get those pics uploaded!