The Burns Brothers

A very late May update (and hopefully a few more months soon to follow)

2011-08-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

Gwydion decided he wanted to spend his birthday with his cousins, so off to Ohio we went. We arrived at Aunt Shawna's house just in time for lunch.

Anand and Gavin had a great time playing cars.

And Gwydion discovered Grandma's piano.

We didn't stay put for long though, as we had a visit to eastern Ohio on the agenda. Gwydion and Gavin met more Burns cousins and spent most of the day running circles in the yard.
After a nice visit, we headed back to Cincinnati for a grand tour of all the museums. First stop: the museum center.

And of course, a quick lunch at Frisch's. Gwydion loves Big Boy.

And then it was PARTY TIME!
Which started with derby races.
There were trophies for everyone.
And of course, cake and presents!

We also had a wonderful trip to the zoo.
We had such a good time, it was hard to leave. But of course we had to. To make up for it a bit, Gwydion had another birthday party to look forward to.

Spring time means Vikings! Yes, really.

2011-04-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here and we are definitely happy. We had far too much of cold and snow this winter. I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately, because we've been so busy catching up on things- garden stuff, remodeling stuff, work and school. Here are a few quick pics though. Hopefully these will satisfy the hordes of fans. :)

This picture was taken at Gavin's request. The kitty is Tigger, our oldest cat and Gavin's favorite.

Gavin has been doing lots of puzzles lately, mostly the smaller variety. He's gotten good enough to do 24-28 piece puzzles alone and will happily tackle 100 piece puzzles if I help.

Another picture Gavin requested: Goblin, the youngest of the cats. He sleeps at the foot of Gavin's bed most nights.

Here's Gwydion, garden helper. He's always happy to be outside, even it if means pulling weeds with Mom.

Gwydion has been reading Magic Tree House #15: Viking Ships at Sunrise, so we've been reading about Vikings: mythology, history and of course geography. We've even been playing a Viking game called Hnefatalf, which a little like a shorter, simpler version of chess.

We've also had some free art time, in which Gwydion attempted to make Cars characters out of polymer clay. The attempt was rather unsuccessful, but we'll try again soon.

And here's my happy little monkey, cheesing it up for the camera. Hopefully I'll remember to bring the camera along more often and the next update will be longer.

February Science Fun (and a few other things)

2011-02-24T10:13:00.001-08:00

A quick overview of some of the fun stuff we do here at Casa Burns for school.

Gavin selects the appropriate day of the week sign and posts it. The kids helped decorate them (and the wall too, as you can see. Apparently dry erase marker is only erasable if it is on the dry erase board.)

Gavin is learning to read, so he helps make some of his own flash cards. We use these to make silly sentences and help him learn new words.

Gwydion is preparing materials for our melting point experiment: ice, milk chocolate and crayon.

As you can tell, he's very excited. We didn't have a thermometer fancy enough to accurately measure the temperature so we estimated time instead. Given roughly equal amounts of ingredients and a constant temperature, his hypothesis was that the ice would melt first, the chocolate next and the crayon last.

Melting chocolate. It made us all hungry. Yum.

Melting crayon bits. Stinky, in case you wondered.

End results: Gwydion's hypothesis was correct. We also made some chocolates (eaten before the photo) and some neat crayon shapes.

Silly Gavin shows off a puzzle he completed on his own.

Since Gwydion finished The Magic Tree House: Night Under the Volcano a few days ago, we decided to see if we could build our own.

Gwydion helps mix the ingredients.

And pours them on top of the baking soda.

Foamy 'lava' boiled out.

Gwydion the Scientist is very proud of himself.

So it has been a while!

2011-02-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

It appears that I haven't updated the blog since November. That means no pics of Gavin's birthday or Christmas. Since most of you have seen those on Facebook, I'll skip to something a little more current.

We've been incredibly busy lately, with homeschooling two active kids, working and generally keeping up with things. That and we had the snowstorm of the century, followed by a record-setting 100 degree change in temperature in one week's time. At one point just last week, it was colder here than it was in the South Pole and we had nearly two feet of snow on the ground. Today's high is around 75. Crazy.

In any case, since Oklahoma has very little in the way of massive snow-moving equipment, we spent much of the time housebound. For most of the time, Michael couldn't even get to work, though he did work from home for a few days. When the temps weren't in the negatives, we took the kids out to play in the snow. Thank goodness Santa had the foresight to give them sleds for Christmas! I'm not sure how he knew we'd be able to use them this year. Many years there just isn't enough snow. That obviously wasn't a problem this time around. We did worry a bit that we'd lose Gavin in a snowdrift though.

These photos range from mid January to last week.

We got a light dusting of snow around the 10th. The boys were desperate to sled, despite the fact that we had more mud than snow. It was messy but fun.

Not too long after that, we got hit with the first big blast. Just about everything was closed. There was so much snow that we were able to pull the kids down the street on their sleds.

And of course, Mother Nature decided that wasn't enough, so we got another massive snowfall. We had so much snow in the back yard that we couldn't see the edge of the deck.

Yes, we really did have 2 feet of snow on the ground. Gwydion also discovered the hard way that snow in the pants is very, very cold.

Gavin climbed a snowy mountain.

And crawled through a snowy tunnel.

We also spent a few afternoons at the park at the end of ours street, sledding down the hill. Note the incredibly bright sunshine. All this snow happened in short cloudy periods- perhaps two days at a time. The rest of the time it was miserably cold and windy but very, very sunny.

Now of course, it is feeling more like spring. The boys have played outside almost every day this week, most of the time without jackets. They even wanted to turn the sprinkler on! I'll try to get some good pics of them enjoying the beautiful weather and get another post up soon.

What a busy, busy month! (lots of pics)

2010-11-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

As if life with 2 kids could be anything but, right? We started out with a visit to Thomas the Tank engine, as you've probably seen in a previous post. But that's not all! These kids keep me going: pear harvesting, chick petting, generally goofing off and of course, Halloween!

This photo falls under the 'generally goofing off" category. I was working and the boys came into the office to show off Gavin's "rock star" costume. Fabulous!

We harvested an incredible amount of pears from a neighbor's tree. We had 4 groups picking pears and there were still more than we could possibly use.

Gwydion found the perfect pear.

Gavin helped too!
Break time!

And then it was back to Grandma's house for playtime.

And a visit with the new chicks.

Gavin got some snuggle time with Grandma.

We were also lucky enough to have a short visit with Papa Rick. I don't have a lot of pictures because the boys were too busy running in circles. I could barely get them to sit still for this one!

And... another goof off pic. Michael got the boys a DDR mat, in anticipation of a long, cold winter of homeschooling. Watching them try it out was hilarious.

Toward the end of the month, I realized that we hadn't yet bought pumpkins, so off we went. Gwydion found a pumpkin drum.

Of course, both boys picked out pumpkins very quickly.

I tried to get them to sit still for a nice pic...

...but they really wanted to run circles around the hay bales.

and visit the scarecrow.

There were also sorts of animals to pet. Goats, sheep, alpacas, and even some oxen.

And ponies to ride. Gavin sang a song about riding a horse the whole time.

On the way home, we had ice cream. In Grandma's car!

At home, Papa helped with the carving. The boys insisted that the insides were too gooey and the needed gloves.

They both look a little grossed out, don't they?

But in the end the sticky mess was worthwhile.

Trick-or-treat!

Day Out with Thomas

2010-10-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our annual family vacation to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Oklahoma City. Sure it is only 2 hours away, but the boys love it. We stay in a hotel for a night, which they love almost as much as they love seeing Thomas. And of course we eat out for every meal which is also quite a treat. Here are a few pics of the happy little guys. The event is held at the Oklahoma Railway Museum, so there are several old steam and diesel engines on the premises, as well as other types of cars.

Gavin and Gwydion were so excited to get inside that they could barely stand still for this pic.

They both very much enjoy playing trains.

And here they are finally getting to meet Thomas. Gavin was too busy staring to turn around for the picture.
This is their favorite engine aside from Thomas. It is one of the oldest engines in Oklahoma, built in the late 1800s. Gavin loves anything with gears or wheels and was rather disappointed that he couldn't make the big wheels turn.

There's also a caboose from late 1800s, which you can see below. The staff at the museum is working to restore it.

And finally, here's a picture of Gwydion, posing with the statue of an engineer.

September, school, and more!

2010-09-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a busy few months! I've been neglectful of this blog, I'm afraid. We've had a wonderful summer with lots of swimming, trips to the zoo, bike rides, etc. Oh and we got a video camera, which Michael was supposed to use to take videos of the kids. Gwydion has taken it over though, and records endless play sessions with trains, cars, and even his own music videos.

Without a doubt, this is our favorite thing to do at the zoo. Who needs animals when there are trains to ride?

The playground is a close second, of course.

We've also had loads of fun with Legos, of which both boys are very fond.

And even a little brotherly snuggle time.

There is even snuggle time on the computer! I'm so glad they're finally starting to get along.

We've also had birthday parties with water balloons....

and indoor playgrounds...

and of course, pizza!

We've also started school at home. Gwydion loves it and he's learning so much!

Pictures from the end of June.

2010-07-04T05:13:00.001-07:00

How did July get here already? June flew by. It was a busy month, even more so than usual. Gwydion's school had a fundraiser/art show which we attended. Gwydion was in one of the performances, singing train songs with his classmates.

Gwydion graduated from Kindergarten. He received awards for walking 25 miles over the course of the year for the school's track fundraiser. He also got a book club award for reading over 2700 minutes.

We went to the zoo:

Played some music:

Added on to the shed, thanks to Papa and Gwydion:

Did some art projects:

And of course, opened the pool!!! This is where they spend the majority of their outside time. They're both little fish.

And this is what happens post-pool party.

A quick little update before summer really gets started...

2010-06-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Gwydion recreates the set from one of his favorite music videos. The boy LOVES Animusic. If you're not familiar with it, you can check it out here: http://www.animusic.com/

It really is pretty neat.

The finished set. We had to take LOTS of pictures from several different angles for his photo album.

Sweet little angels reading together. Things like this do happen sometimes!

Gavin gets creative and decides the roof pieces for his train station are shoes.

Treasure hunting at the lake!

For us, that means walking around until you see something metal, then using the metal detector on it to confirm. Silly boys! We did find a few neat things though, shells, some fish bones, and we saw lots of turtles and birds.

And of course, we stopped at the playground. These boys love to swing!

Gavin takes a quick break before heading back to the swings.

Gwydion's 6th Birthday

2010-05-09T06:50:00.001-07:00

Gwydion had a fantastic birthday. I don't think I've ever seen him so excited! He had a cake with a big number six and some sparkler candles and Wall-e cupcakes. Both were a big hit.

The sparkler candles were really cool but a little hard to blow out. So of course, Mom helped.

Gwydion carefully selected presents to open in an order known only to him.

He had a fantastic time opening all of his presents, especially since Dad was there to help with the tough boxes.

The party lasted for about two hours, with fun and games and racing around outside. Even after the guests left, Gwydion wasn't ready for a break. He had to test all of the new colors in his giant box of crayons. And of course, nothing would but for Gavin to choose a separate activity- making animals out of Playdoh. Good thing Dad has some artistic talent. He and Gavin made cute little turtles, frogs, birds and ducks.

Lots of stuff going on lately!

2010-05-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

I realized that I hadn't even posted Easter pics yet, and here it is time for Gwydion's birthday party. I've got a lot of catching up to do. So, here are a few Easter pics and various other things. Pics from Gwydion's party should follow in the next week or so.

Decorating Easter eggs while Gavin does an Easter puzzle.

The boys discovered that the Easter bunny left them some presents. Gavin didn't know which to look at first, but Gwydion was only looking at his new car.

After the boys raided their baskets, we went to Papa's house for breakfast and the first of our eggs hunts. Gavin had a keen eye for the eggs, once he knew what to look for. He got almost as many as Gwydion did!

And of course, after the hunting comes the sorting. Gwydion liked to sort his eggs by content. some had coins and some had candy.

Then it was off to Grandma's house for lunch and another egg hunt.

Gwydion also played t-ball for a very short period last month. He liked the idea but not the reality. We signed him up for a 'non-competitive' league, but even so, the only position he got to play was center field. And of course there are NO balls in center field when you're playing t-ball.

This is how Gwydion spent the majority of the games he played.

As it turns out, Gwydion was quite content to have the hat and t-shirt and not play t-ball. Funny guy.

Here's one of their new favorite games: rescue us from the toy box.

We've had such a busy month that poor Gavin has needed a nap a few times. Of course he's such a stubborn little monkey that he won't take one. So this is what happens. Adorable, isn't he?

Just a quick update since I'm so behind!

2010-04-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Gwydion's favorite restaurant in Cincinnati. His second favorite was Skyline, but not for the chili. The boy is a hot dog fanatic!
We spent a lot of time with the cousins, which the boys enjoyed greatly. One of our trips was to the Museum Center.

Gavin and Aunt Shawna in the tram car.

Gwydion plays with the drill press.

Gwydion and Liz in the print shop.

Dinosaur lego table!

Splashy water table fun.

Gavin found a train table. He could have stayed here ALL DAY.

And of course we also went to the zoo.

Gwydion and Grandma at the entrance.

Waiting to ride the carousel.

Gavin and Daddy on the carousel.

Gwydion and Grandma enjoyed the ride too.

Gavin gives Aunt Sarah a scare.

When Dad's away, Papa and the boys will play!

2010-02-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

The little monkeys talked Papa into building a fort out of the couch cushions. They all crawled inside and took turns being as loud and annoying as possible with the voice changer. Good times were had by all.

Congratulations Gwydion!

2010-02-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Gwydion received two awards at school. The first was a reading award for the Reading Counts program sponsored by Scholastic books. He read books and took tests on them. He earned 25 points, for which he received a certificate. He was the first kindergartner at his school to be given this award. The second award he received was a good citizenship award for responsibility. He's very proud of both and we're very proud of him!

More Snow!

2010-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Late last week we had our second big storm of the winter. Luckily we didn't get much ice here in the northeastern part of the state. We did get several inches of snow though. Here are the boys watching the snow fall. They didn't even want to wait until it stopped falling before we went outside.

By the time it stopped we had about 6 inches. This is what our neighborhood looked like.
We did finally make it out to play. It was cold but sunny and still. No wind, for once! Gwydion ran through the ditch several times.
Goblin thought he wanted out, until he realized that the snow would stick to his paws. Silly beast.
Gwydion was content to play in our front yard but Gavin took off down the street, intent on reaching Papa's house. So off we went. Here we are sliding down the little dirt mound in Papa's field.
And here is Papa's train covered in snow. (He made it himself!)
The novelty of the dirt mound wore off quickly, so we made the trek across the field to the walking trail. At last, a hill just the right size for little guys.

January fun

2010-01-19T08:40:00.001-08:00

We had snow on the ground for more than two weeks- from Christmas to first part of January. That's so unusual here that I can't remember the last time it happened. The kids loved it though. Gavin really knew what it was this year, and of course Gwydion was having a great time throwing snowballs.

Since it was sooo cold and snowy outside, we had to get creative with the inside activities. Here is one of the boys' favorites: dance party! They rush into Gwydion's room, turn the keyboard on demo and grab whatever musical instruments they can find. Then comes the booty shaking!
Gavin is quite the comedian here. He's madly in love with the movie Cars right now, so many of his jokes revolve around it. Here's a pic of him with his "new favorite hat" as he calls it.
We now have two little bakers in the house! Here they are helping to make cheesy breadsticks. They had a great time, though ooor Gwydion didn't know they'd take so long to rise.

I forgot to add....

2009-12-01T13:55:00.001-08:00

these will be in the mail soon, hopefully along with Santa pics.

I took them myself because I couldn't bear the thought of going to the mall more than once during the holiday season.

Birthday Boy!

2009-12-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

Gavin had a wonderful birthday thanks to all the people who love him. Thank you everyone! :)

It is hard to believe he was such a tiny little fellow not so long ago. He's so big and active now, and his conversations are fantastic. He loves to talk to anyone and everyone. He even talks to himself while he's playing. He also loves a party. He was super excited to see the birthday decorations go up and could barely contain himself when he saw all the guests arrive. His new favorite food is birthday cake, which he requests at least once a day.

Here are a few pics of the festivities:

Gavin surprised us all in singing Happy Birthday to himself and knowing he was supposed to blow out the candle. Smart boy!

Gavin's new favorite character is Wubbzy.

Gavin was a little overwhelmed with all the presents so big brother Gwydion helped out.

And here's a very rare and rather unflattering pic of me, just so you can see that we were all wearing the same shirt. It was entirely coincidental but funny nonetheless.

Eventful October!

2009-11-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

What a month! We had our family vacation at the beginning of the month (see previous post), something the kids look forward to every year. It is always a fantastic time. This year though, the rest of the month was an adventure too!

Grandma and Uncle Chris came to visit, so we spent a few days touring around Oklahoma, particularly along Route 66. One of the things Grandma hadn't yet seen was the Blue Whale in Catoosa. It used to be a very popular water park and is still a tourist attraction.

Grandma and Gwydion in the whale's mouth. Eek!

Uncle Chris helps Gwydion climb to the portholes.

We also stopped at an antique tractor show in Catoosa, just for fun. It was chilly and breezy though, so we didn't stay long.

Then we made our way to the Will Rogers Memorial, which Uncle Chris had never seen. The kids weren't interested in much but the playroom in the basement and of course, the gift shop!

After what seems like weeks of rain, we've had some warmer sunny days. Perfect for bike riding and playing in the fallen leaves.

Gwydion gives Gavin a ride. He enjoys being a helpful big brother.

Tired of riding, Gavin runs through the field at the end of our street.

We also took Grandma Diane to the zoo. It was a short visit but we had a great time. Who wouldn't when there are trains to ride?

Grandma and the boys on the train. I got a whole seat to myself for once!

On the playground. The wooden train is their favorite spot! Sometimes I think the animals are just background for them- the playground is the real attraction.

Gwydion is SO STRONG!

And Gavin is so sweet! He gave the meerkat statue several hugs.

We also went to the zoo for trick-or-treating. Michael and I dressed as a knife thrower and his unfortunate target. Gwydion invented his own costume as a fireman rock star and Gavin was a snuggly little tiger.

More adventures to come!

Family vacation!

2009-10-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to Day Out with Thomas because the boys love it so much. This year we decided to make a weekend out of it and enjoy a few other attractions in Oklahoma City. Our first stop was the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Gwydion and Papa had to check out the map. This place is HUGE! We spent all day here and never left the central area of the zoo. We did ride the tram around at closing time though, and we got a little better idea of just how great it is.

Gwydion and Papa pretending to be stuck in an exhibit.

What, this isn't the playground?

Ah, the playground at last!
Gwydion shows just how much he's grown by deftly climbing the pole.

Of course, Gavin had to check out the playground too.

Does anyone remember the Mold-A-Rama machines? They were a big hit when I was little and apparently they still are.

Gavin loves the Mold-A-Rama animals!

Little dino fans pose for a pic.

Wow Mom, we're riding an elephant.

The baby rhino was too hot to ride.

But the lions weren't!

Gorgeous lady lion observes us from her shady hilltop.

Finally, the Oklahoma Railway Museum!

Gavin spies one of his favorite trains.

Gavin is in little boy heaven- train tables everywhere!

Time for the train ride! Gwydion and Papa pick a good seat in the caboose.

Gavin and Mama are excited!

Gavin and Dad wait in line to see Thomas up close.

I love my little guy!

Gwydion gets really close!

We walk along the track while waiting for Gwydion.

After lunch we went to the Oklahoma Science Museum.

Gwydion found his favorite part- the drum machine!

While Gavin enjoyed painting on the interactive monitor.

Unfortunately, this is where my camera ran out of batteries. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Science Museum but it is sadly undocumented. The boys had a great time though, and slept all the way home!
U

The End of September

2009-09-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

and fall is finally here. We've had a mix of warm and cool weather and the kids have really been enjoying it. Gwydion has been riding his bike around the neighborhood with Papa, while Gavin plays in the garden with me. Here are a few random pictures from our adventures this month.

Gavin and his dog Kipper take a 'nap', which involves lots of fake snoring.

Gavin takes his baby for a walk.

A turtle in the garden!

Gavin helped me plant our new apple tree.

And of course he helped water the flowers...

...and our new magnolia.

More pictures coming soon, as this weekend we're going to Day Out with Thomas!

King's Champion Faire

2009-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this weekend! The boys got to go in costume for the first time. I wanted to make them nice colorful costumes but ran out of time. As it turns out, they didn't much care as long as they got axes to chase each other with. Here's a really funny video. I only wish I had figured out how to get the sound to work on my camera. Gwydion was screeching like mad and more than one spectator stopped to enjoy the show.

Ready, Set, Learn!

2009-08-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Gwydion has started school. We're into the second full week now. He absolute loves it. His best friends from pre-K are in the same class, so he feels quite comfortable. Gavin misses his brother but is happy to have some time alone with Mama. We've also had a few little adventures: The Wiggles Live, a new sandbox and a trip to the lake.

Gwydion and Gavin can't believe The Wiggles are real people.

Enjoying the new sandbox.

Gwydion's first day of school.

Gwydion and Gavin reading books in bed.

Our trip to the lake. We thought we'd get in some hiking, maybe see a few wild animals. But what did the kids want most to do? Play in the sand, of course!

Gavin is identifying letters for me, but apparently there's no sound. I'll have to check the settings on my camera to see if I missed something or if it just doesn't have a microphone. Sorry folks.

The end of summer

2009-08-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

July is the end of summer for us, as Gwydion starts school this week. As many of you know we were strongly leaning toward homeschooling, but Michael and I decided to let him try public school. He's very excited and can hardly wait to see his friends again. Gavin and I will miss him though. Somehow it doesn't seem fair that he has to spend the bulk of his day away from the family. We've been making the most of our time together though and very much enjoying the summer. Here are a few pictures of our recent adventures.

Gwydion at dance class. He's taking a tap/ballet class at our local park community center. He's thoroughly enjoying himself and is very much looking forward to a performance this winter.

While Gwydion dances, Gavin plays in the gym nearby. The giant balls and hula hoops are fascinating.

When it is time for some quiet activity, they boys enjoy being crafty. Here, Gwydion paints beads for his pipe cleaner animals.

Gavin enjoys a foray into abstract art.

Gavin tries to tickle his brother, which of course results in a round of wrestling on the couch.

Snuggly boys watching cartoons.
Playing trains and chasing the camera.

We also went bowling for Sara's birthday. The boys had a great time, though the lighting made it difficult to take pictures. Gwydion was quite excited that he could actually knock down pins (with the help of bumpers and a ramp). Gavin was so determined not to be left out that he picked up an 8 pound ball and carried it about two feet before rolling it across the floor. After that we let him use the ramp too. Who knew a 20 month old would like bowling too?

We took a break from the lanes to ride the go-carts. Papa drove while Gwydion enjoyed the ride. Our foster brother Darrean got to drive a go-cart for the first time and had a blast, while Gavin and Michael watched the race.

After racing for a bit, we took a break for cake and ice cream. With Papa's help, the boys ate their fill. Gavin even tried the ice cream!

Then it was back to the race track for Gwydion to try driving on his own. He had a little trouble steering and pushing the gas pedal at the same time, but he finally got the hang of it.

Busy boys!

2009-07-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

The boys have really been enjoying the summer in our pool. It is their favorite way to spend time with Daddy. Gavin wears his little suit and can dog paddle all the way across the pool. Gwydion's swimming has done nothing but improve, despite his swim class being cancelled. He swims under water like a fish and is learning to float on his back.

We also went to Philbook again last Saturday. The boys had a blast! We did an art project, walked in the garden (hot!!) and did the scavenger hunt.

We've also been to the zoo several times, most recently with Grandma and her boys. We all had a great time seeing and learning about the animals.

Darrean, Gwydion and Jabre play Atlas.

Gavin and Nolan atop the big rock at the zoo.

The boys posing at the entrance to the rainforest exhibit.

Grandma, Gwydion and Gavin in the rainforest exhibit.

The boys monkeying around!

Grandma also had puppies visiting for a few days, so the boys got some interaction time. They weren't quite sure what to think. The puppies were fun but they had sharp little teeth.

And of course, since we've been visiting the museum, Gwydion insists that we have our own museum at home. You can see our 'exhibit case' in the background, while the artists create more masterpieces at the table.

2009-07-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute Gavin video for his adoring fans.

And a few more pictures, just because.

The boys had a good time making sidewalk paint and decorating the patio.

That is until Gavin spilled the paint on his foot. Apparently feet aren't supposed to be green...

Congratulations Gwydion!

2009-06-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Gwydion has officially graduated to Kindergarten! His preschool class had a small ceremony, during which every child received an award. Gwydion loved every minute of it and is very excited about starting Kindergarten in the fall. Here are a few pics of him at the ceremony and some from our other activities this month.

We also started our summer activities including family days at Philbrook, our art museum. The kids had a fantastic time drawing, painting, and making puppets.

We also made a short excursion to the park to let them run around, since we couldn't do that at the museum.

We also had a birthday party where Gwydion AND Gavin went down the big slide. I went with Gavin and so did Grandma. He loved it!

And finally, the boys both had checkups this month. They're both big and healthy. Gwydion is 46 lbs. (80%)and 44 1/4 inches tall (76%). Gavin is 26.4 lbs. (50%) and 34 inhes tall (92%). Gavin got one shot but he didn't cry- he just got mad. Big boy!

New address, same adorable boys!

2009-06-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody. Due to my inability to keep up with 2 blogs, I've created this one. Gwydion and Gavin will both have pictures and updates here. I've also imported all the posts from their old blogs, so if you're looking for a specific picture you should be able to find it here. I'll give it a week or two before I delete the old ones, just to make sure.

So, without further ado, here is an update!

May was a busy month for us, as I'm sure you'll see. Gavin is moderately interested in the potty, mostly because he gets to read books uninterrupted. We haven't had any luck with actually using it, but as long as he's having a good time we'll keep trying.

Gwydion's 5th birthday was definitely one of the highlights of the month. He had a great party at school (no pictures, sorry!) complete with a Mickey Mouse pinata and a big family party at our house. Lots of cake and presents!

Uncle Ben even helped open a few of them.

Our big outing for the month was to the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire. We met Uncle Ben and Sara and Aunt Jo Ann and Elizabeth there. I regret not having costumes prepared for everyone, but we had a good time regardless.

Gavin seems to love road trips, at least until it gets dark. He looks like such a big boy in this picture, doesn't he?

Gwydion the Barbarian shows off his new horsehair cap. He was delighted to actually be on stage!

Gavin and Michael watch the juggling show.

Gwydion the Barbarian is off to the desert atop his trusty camel.

Digging for buried pirate treasure with Elizabeth.

We found a pair of adorable halflings along the way.

And finally, everyone was exhausted. Even barbarians have to sleep sometime.

Sleeping Gavin modeling his racoon tail.

We also had some septic tank difficulties, with which Gwydion was more than happy to assist. Here he's helping Papa uncover the distribution box.

Gavin and Gwydion observe the progress (or lack thereof) from what used to be the pool area.

Gavin and Papa share a late dinner in the kitchen- he was afraid to track dirt across the house, silly guy.

We also got a chance to visit Grandma and her chickens. The boys love to feed them and help collect the eggs.

Note that the very large bird here is actually a turkey. Just in case you were wondering.

Gwydion discovers two fresh eggs!

We have also been doing a few science experiments of our own. The most interesting of these was the butterfly hatching. We received 5 caterpillars in the mail. After about a week, they transformed into chrysalides. We transferred them to their tent and about 10 days later, we had gorgeous Painted Lady butterflies. We observed them for a day, then released them.

Papa is determined to make his yard very inviting for the grandkids, so we have made frequent visits to Comstock Park. :)

We also took a trip to the zoo and got to ride the new Tiger Train.

I'm afraid that's it for May, but June promises to be at least as exciting. Gwydion is graduating from preschool and has lots of summer activities scheduled, including lots and lots of pool time! Stop by in a few weeks for another update.

Easter

2009-05-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, Blogger is giving me errors. I can't seem to upload any pictures. I've tried several times over the last two weeks. I'll keep trying though, so stay tuned!

Easter photos

2009-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, Blogger is giving me errors. I can't seem to upload any pictures. I've tried several times over the last two weeks. I'll keep trying though, so stay tuned!

Springtime fun!

2009-04-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Gavin has been quite the busy boy lately. He runs, he climbs, he swings. In short, he thinks he's 2 already! Anything Gwydion does, Gavin must do.

Here he is playing on the slide at Grandma's house.

And visiting Grandma's chickens. He wasn't at all afraid of them.

Playing peekaboo in the playhouse window.

Mr. Mischief. I get this look from him a LOT.

Swinging in the sun!

Shadow dancing and spring interrupted

2009-04-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

I caught Gwydion dancing in the kitchen. Of course, Gavin had to join in!

We visited Grandma and enjoyed some fabulous weather.

Gwydion met Grandma's new chickens.

And a few days later, we got 6 inches of snow. Snow at the end of March is a very uncommon occurrence here. It was perfect though. We had enough snow to play in for a day and it was gone the next.

Gavin's 15 month appointment

2009-03-12T17:42:00.001-07:00

Only a few weeks late, thanks to all of us having a horrible cold.

He's 32.75" tall (92nd%), 25.8 lbs (65th%), and his big ol' head is 48.2 cm (76th %). He's a big boy all over! No wonder he thinks he's 2; he's the size of a 2 year old! He's recently gotten one of his molars in (finally!) so he's up to 9 teeth now.

He still isn't eating much of anything other than carbs- crackers mostly. Of course he eats french fries and pizza crust. :P He's very occassionally nibbling an apple or carrot, but not much else. He still won't drink anything but mama milk and maybe an ounce or two of water per day. He doesn't like juice or anything else we've tried so far. So I'll be nursing a little longer I guess.

He's physically much more adept than Gwydion was at this age, especially with fine motor control. He also climbs like a madman and loves to do flips. He talks a LOT. The doctor wanted him to have a 4-6 word vocabulary, but he's easily got 3 times that. Of course I'm probably the only one who understands him, but at least he's talking!

It is really interesting to see how different they are. Gwydion was all about organizing his trains and doing puzzles at this age.

Gavin's 15 month appointment

2009-03-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Only a few weeks late, thanks to all of us having a horrible cold.

It is really interesting to see how different they are. Gwydion was all about organizing his trains and doing puzzles at this age.

Gavin and the trains

2009-03-11T06:23:00.001-07:00

Gavin loves to play trains just like his big brother. He's got a little to learn about sharing the track though!

Train Time!

2009-03-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Both of my boys love to play trains. And since we're cutting out nearly all of the TV time, we've been playing trains a LOT. Here's Gwydion with one of his favorite track layouts.

Where did February go?

2009-03-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

February pictures of my handsome boy. This is from one of our nicer days. It was so nice to get him into some of his cute summer clothes.

Hat! Hat! Hat!

Gavin watches the fish at Grandma's house.
He says, 'cheese' for the camera!
Climbing on the bottom of the plant shelf.

How did we miss February?

2009-03-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

Somehow a whole month has zipped by. We barely have any pictures to show for it. Here's a pic of Gwydion, Gavin and Papa on Valentine's Day. Gwydion helped make the brownies.

We also visited Grandma Diane and saw her new Guinea pig, Patty.

Other than a little Valentine's fun, it has been the normal routine. The weather has been up and down here: hot one day, cold the next. So of course, everyone got sick. Poor Gwydion missed a week of school because he was so pathetic. He's back to school now and very happy to see his friends. He has lots of little friends and is constantly asking for one of them to come over for a playdate. Here are some pictures of Gwydion's indoor fun:

Gwydion and his race track.

Gwydion the big, green caterpillar.

Gwydion built a model of the city of Sand Springs, complete with Carl's Jr., the movie theater, and library.

Gwydion is enjoying school very much, though he is stressed about writing in his journal. His handwriting is constantly improving though, and I hope it won't be so stressful for much longer. The talked a lot about Chinese New Year in school and did lots of activities, including making paper lanterns and dragons.

Next week starts Gwydion's spring break. He gets 2 whole weeks off (it was 3 until we had a week of ice), during which we'll be making a visit to Cincinnati. He's very much looking forward to seeing Grandma and his cousins, and of course, to staying in a hotel. He's even saving his money so that he has something to spend on the trip!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Gwydion tried his hardest to stay awake this year. We bought ginger ale for toasting and some confetti poppers- he was so excited to try them out. He made it until 11 pm, when he fell asleep at the table. Poor guy. We woke him up for just a few minutes so he could bring in the new year with us. He was happy but sleepy, as you can see.

Saturday was so warm that we went to the lake. Gwydion had a great time using his metal detector to look for "treasure" (bottle caps and pennies mostly) and playing in the fort that someone built.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

Just a little update for the new year. It has been a bit warmer than usual here in Oklahoma. Saturday was 71 degrees! We couldn't pass up the nice weather, so we loaded the boys and Gwydion's new metal detector and went to the lake. They had a fantastic time! The boys played in the sand and in a fort someone built with washed up limbs. Michael and I got a nice workout trying to keep Gavin out of the water.

Gavin's Christmas

2009-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Gavin's second Christmas was far more exciting for him (and everyone else!) than his first. This year he was big enough to notice all the lights and decorations and to enjoy the festive mood of the family. He even figured out how to tear the paper off his presents. He really liked his Little People airplane and the silly little singing snowman he got in his stocking. Poor Dapper Dan got no love. Ah well.

Gwydion's Christmas

2009-01-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

This year, Gwydion was so incredibly excited about Christmas. We had been talking and planning for weeks. He made detailed wish lists and searched Ebay for trains and Cars that he didn't already have. We decided what kind of cookies to give Santa and how many carrots the reindeer might need. He even wanted to wait up so he could show Santa his room!

Here's a picture of the boys, eagerly awaiting presents on Christmas Eve.

We opened presents from family on Christmas Eve and the boys had a blast.

Then we made Santa and the reindeer a snack. Gwydion even wrote a note for Santa, complete with Space Chimps stickers and a little reminder that he was supposed to bring more Cars.

Christmas morning, the first thing he checked was the plate of cookies. Santa and the reindeer had a great snack and left a thank you note.

Then he saw the presents!

Santa brought new trains, some Cars, and best of all, a Deluxe Knapford Station!

Birthday Boy!

2008-12-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry that these pictures are so late. Keeping up with my two little monkeys takes a lot of time! Here are the few shots we got of Gavin's birthday. He had a great time at the party, but was not at all interested in the cake. He really, really loves the little rocking horse and the Nascar track.

He was also quite fond of his Bob the Builder sheet set, as you can see.

Gavin's October Adventures

2008-10-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Gavin went along on all of our adventures this month and he really enjoyed himself. Here he is taking his new view from inside the mini-van. Gwydion was sitting in the seat behind him, so he had someone to keep him company.

Gavin in the caboose. He explored as much as we would let him.

Those big brown eyes didn't miss a thing!
The baby area at the Oklahoma Science Museum was perfect for Gavin. He loved this little rocket ship.

And he loved the bead toys.

The water table was interesting.

And even the cannon wasn't so bad.

But this is what he really loved!

After our trip to Oklahoma City, we expected a quiet week or two. Instead, Gavin spent the week processing all the new things he learned. He's more toddler than baby now, and it really shows.

Here he is, looking out the window. He's not shaped much like a baby anymore.

Gavin loved the tents we set up in the back yard, though sleeping in them was difficult for him. Michael and Gwydion were just too exciting for sleep.

And again, here's Gavin with one of his favorite toys. The boy loves to drive and he loves playing in the yard. He's quite mobile and can get from the patio to the playhouse all by himself.

He's also keenly interested in anything Gwydion likes to do, so Gwydion's computer draws his attention every time.
And of course, how will he get to Gwydion's toys unless he can walk? He decided to walk a few steps at a time the day before Grandma Susan arrived. He spent the rest of the week nearly running while holding on to someone's hand.

Since he's decided to be such a big boy, we've had a lot of trouble getting him to eat solid food. We finally figured out that he will only eat if he can feed himself. Messy and not terribly efficient, but fun!

Gavin loves to go to the zoo almost as much as Gwydion does. Since he really started walking the day before, this trip was more fun than usual for him. He was very interested in the meercats, and they were very interested in him. I'm sure the cookie in his hand doesn't have anything to do with it.
A trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without a stop at the playground, and of course, a chance to drive the truck.

And the train!

Sliding is fun with Daddy's help.

Gavin checks out the turtles.

Musical instruments are a big part of playtime here. Gavin loves to play the maracas while Gwydion drums. Just this week he learned how to play the flute and the kazoo.

And just when we thought the week couldn't get any better, a new toy arrived. He could hardly wait for Michael to get it out of the box.

Gavin loves to make faces. Here's his fishy face, made especially for Grandma.

The last of our adventures for the week of Grandma's visit was a trip to the pumpkin patch. Gavin was quite festive in his little pumpkin suit.

He was absolutely delighted by all the animals, but particularly the goats.

He really wasn't sure what to do with the pumpkins though.

October Adventures!

2008-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

We've had a very, very busy October so far and it isn't even Halloween yet! The month started with our trip to Day Out with Thomas. We rented a mini-van and got to stay in a hotel for 2 nights while enjoying the attractions in Oklahoma City. Here's Gwydion at the beginning of our journey.

Bright and early Friday morning, we went to the Oklahoma City Railway Museum. It is full of old engines, cars and cabooses, some restored and some waiting for restoration. Thomas the Tank Engine fit right in. Here's Gwydion at the gate.

This year, we rode in the caboose. As you can see, it was Very Serious Business.

After playing with lots of trains and spending his money in the gift shop, Gwydion got as close as he dared to Sir Topham Hatt.

After we visited with Thomas, we went to the Oklahoma Science Museum. They have lots of education and entertaining exhibits for kids of all ages. Gwydion particularly enjoyed the water table.

And flying the airplane simulator.

And exploring the firehouse, where his slid down the pole all by himself.

Gwydion also put on a puppet show for Mom, Dad, Papa, and Gavin.

He also enjoyed the PVC xylophone. Papa was enthralled as well, and may be building one soon.Here's the tired boy at the end of our trip, waiting for a trolley ride back to the van.

The weekend after our trip, the weather was beautiful. We decided to camp in the back yard, figuring it would be fun for Gwydion and a good test run for the real camping expeditions we'd like to make in the future. Of course, Gwydion loved it. Gavin proved to be a bit more temperamental about the whole thing, so he and Mama slept inside for the majority of the weekend.

Gwydion will make a fantastic camper though- he was bright-eyed and cheery when he woke the next morning.

On the days when playing in the yard wasn't an option, we constructed train layouts to Gwydion's specifications. Here he is with his favorites.

We also spent some time trying on new clothes sent by Aunt Shawna. Isn't he cute?

And best of all, Grandma Susan came to visit for a week. We spent a lot of time out and about, but I think everyone's favorite excursions were to the zoo and the pumpkin patch. Here's a picture of the family at the Tulsa Zoo.

The boys driving a truck on the playground. I think all three of them were making truck noises.

Showing off for Grandma.

Gwydion is... Monkey Boy!

My little pumpkins at our favorite pumpkin patch. They have a wide variety of pumpkins, a petting zoo, and lots of locally produced treats. Of course, the boys liked the petting zoo the best.

Gwydion carefully selects pumpkins.

Cheeeeeese!!
Gwydion wanted to ride the camel all by himself, and he did!
One pumpkin for each of us, plus one for Grandma.

Luckily for us, on the one day it was too wet and cold to play outside, Gavin got a present in the mail. He happily shared it with Gwydion.

Super September

2008-10-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

The whole month of September was a blur. Gavin is acting more and more like a toddler and less like a baby. He's a very vocal, opinionated boy, though he's also very sweet. He loves to give Mama kisses and loves to snuggle. He's learning to identify facial features. He's particularly fascinated with noses and teeth. Michael thinks maybe he'll be a dentist. He's very close to walking now, though he prefers speed crawling as a means of locomotion. Here are some pictures of my big boy.

Happy boy at the park.

Too tired to play anymore.

Gavin and Grandma Diane.

Silly baby!

Ready, set, go!

Goodbye September!

2008-10-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

September flew by. We were so busy with school and having fun that we didn't get many pictures taken. Gwydion is really enjoying school and making lots of friends. He's learning how to write and is reading very well.

Big boy on the playground.

Blue!

Hopscotch (or what Gwydion does while Mom pulls weeds).

Trying a costume, just for fun. He's adamant that he'll be a doctor for Halloween, just like last year.

2008-08-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Gavin pictures, yay! He's quite the active little monkey, crawling around, eating grass when he can sneak it, chasing cats, and generally causing mayhem- in a good way, of course.

I ended up not needing to make more baby food, as Gavin has quite quickly learned how to self-feed and is eating chopped up table food. He regularly eats bits of fruits, vegetables, and bread of any sort. He's not quite ready for meat yet, but I expect he'll make the transition soon. He is also quite vocal in voicing his opinion. If he sees that what I'm feeding him is different from the food on my plate, he loudly demands that I share. He seems determined to grow up quickly- he's got a big brother to keep up with after all!

He's getting his top front teeth in, too. The one on the left has already broken through, and judging by his crankiness, I expect the one on the right any day now. He's quite adept at crawling and pulling up, and can even climb a bit. He seems to prefer all fours to standing or walking, though I've seen him stand alone for a second or two at a time. He loves to play ball and will attempt to roll a ball back and forth, with limited success. He also rolls a ball and chases it around, amusing himself quite well.

He's learned a few new words besides Mama and Dad dad. He now says 'good', which means anything that goes into his mouth, but particularly food. He also says 'bird', as we've visited the tropical bird exhibit at the zoo several times in the last few weeks. He loves to watch them eat while we hold them.

Gavin at Grandma's house, playing in the sprinkler and of course, the mud!

Watching Mommy work in the garden.

Look, Mom, I can do it myself!

He wants to go to work with Daddy.

Little chubby baby boy.

Playing with Gwydion while Mom tries to get some work done.

Gwydion loves his giraffe.

A day at the lake, testing out the mei tei carrier Mommy made.

Gavin wants to eat the camera. Big surprise, hmm?

Showing off his new tie dye shirt and matching diaper.

Gwydion goes to school!

2008-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened. My little boy has started school. It is only for 2.5 hours a day, but he loves it! It gives him plenty of opportunity to gain some social skills and practice for the academic stuff he's picked up here at home. He loves library time (daily!) and music time once a week. He's even made a friend already. His teacher has said he's doing quite well and is impressed that he's such a good reader already.

There are lots of other 'firsts' below. It has been a big, busy month for Gwydion.

Gwydion explores his classroom on the first day. He's already helping the teacher organize things.

Daddy and Gwydion in front of the school.

Gwydion's first carwash. My car never looked so shiny! He had so much fun that he washed his bike too.

Gwydion goes bowling for the first time. He had a blast!

A winning team!

Riding the new rollercoaster. This thing sees nearly non-stop action when we're outside.

Big 4 year appointment

2008-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Gwydion is such a big boy now! I know I sound like a broken record, but he's growing and changing so fast that it is hard for me to adjust. He had a fantastic time in swim classes. He's never been afraid of the water, but at least he's a bit less likely to drown himself now. He's mostly learned how to keep his mouth closed in the water and knows the mechanics of a dog paddle (though it will take a bit of practice for him to build up the strength to keep himself afloat while doing it). He's also learned how to put his face under the water.

He will very likely start preschool at the beginning of August. We're going to check the school out in a week or two. If I feel like it isn't a good fit for him, I'll look for other alternatives. Here are some recent pics:

Gwydion doing yoga. We try to do a little every day. He really likes it.

Hi Mom!

So strong!

Swimming in Uncle Ben's pool.

Swim class. Gwydion is the little blob in the green suit, next to the
first instructor in the yellow shirt.

6 month appointment and more

2008-06-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

Gavin has been a super busy boy lately! In the last week he's started scooting around and following Gwydion everywhere. He's also raised himself into a push-up position several times and pulled up to his knees in the crib. He 'talks' nearly non-stop and is getting very good at imitating sounds.

His 6 month appointment was delayed until nearly 7 months due to a fever, but here are his stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz (80%)
Length: 27.5" (80%)
Head circumference: 45 cm (80%)

He's just a big boy all over. I have noticed that he's slimming down a bit already- some of his little chub rolls are loose. He's getting longer and leaner, almost by the hour.

He's also been able to tolerate more foods recently, so he's eating biter biscuits, rice, oatmeal, peas, and zuchinni. He loves to taste new things, so I'll have to start making baby food again very soon!

Here are some recent videos and pics.

As you can see, we're in trouble! He's such an active little monkey. He's happy 99% of the time, but he also doesn't hesitate to let you know when he's not. The last two pictures are after bath time last night, when I not only took away the cup he was playing with, but actually had the temerity to remove him from the bathtub. Egads!

June movie

2008-06-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

More pics to come, I promise!

May 2008

2008-05-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

Gavin is now 6 months old. He's adorably cute, if I may say so, and he's gigantic in comparison to Gwydion at the same age. He hasn't had his 6 month appointment yet but by my measurements he's 20 lbs and 27.5 inches. He's rolling quite well, sitting unassisted and trying very hard to crawl. All he can manage at this point is a sort of kneeling push up position, and that only for a few seconds. He's fascinated by almost everything we do and most fascinated with Gwydion and the cats. He's also the model and test subject for my cloth diapers, so you'll see lots of pics of him in diapers or diaper covers.

Gavin and Grandma Susan.

Grandma Susan and the grandkids.

What's that on my head? Ah, I don't really care!

Gavin happily models the fleece diaper covers I've made for him.

My sweet boys.

My cute baby in a cute diaper!

Gavin loves the keyboard as much as Gwydion did at this age.

My little chubby baby.

How did I get both these balls?

May 2008

2008-05-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've taken so long to update. I swear, these kids keep me so busy I can hardly think straight! And I've been trying to start a cloth diaper sewing business and keep our garden going. Lots of work going on around here. Anyway, on to the update you've all come here for:

Gwydion had a fantastic birthday and has had a fantastic month in general. He absolutely adored the visit with Grandma Susan, Aunt Shawna and his cousins. He asks to visit and play with them all the time. I'm thinking we'll have to try visiting sometime later this year so that all of us can maintain our sanity.

He's changed so much in just the last few weeks that it is hard to see my little baby in him anymore. He's such a big boy! Gymnastics classes are over for the summer and swim classes start soon. He won a trophy in gymnastics, which you'll see below. It was mostly for his enthusiasm, I think. I know he'll be just as enthused about swim classes, if not moreso, because he's such a little otter. He's out playing in the pool with Michael right now and could happily stay there for hours, even if the water is freezing cold.

He had his 4 year appointment on Friday and he's now 41 inches tall (he's grown an inch in the last month) and 36 lbs (and lost a pound, somehow). Doc says he still has a bit of a speech problem. She feels that it and his sensitivities will work themselves out when he starts the 4 year old program this fall. The only remaining worry we have is his heart murmur, which is still present, but at least sounds no worse than it did last year. We've scheduled another visit with the cardiologist, so we'll see where things go from there. As of last year they wanted to wait and see how things progressed, thinking that he might even outgrow it.

Gwydion and his trophy. On the left is Mr. T, his much adored teacher.

The birthday boy. Sorry folks, this is the best of the birthday pics.

Gwydion-in-a-box. Gavin is very amused by his antics.

Gwydion got a new 'big boy' bike for his birthday.

These boys know how to have fun!

A sprinkler AND a bounce house= a great recipe for fun.

Gwydion loves his little brother very much!

Gavin has been a busy boy lately

2008-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Testing out Mommy's newly designed cloth diapers.

Outside: pale yellow PUL.

Inside: light teal microfleece, lined with a microfiber towel.

Front

And finally, here's Gavin modeling!

Quick update

2008-04-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy here, so a quick update: he's getting so big!

Play time!

Check out my new pants!

2008-04-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Life's been super busy here lately, so this is a quick update. Here's a cute video of Gwydion dancing.

Spring is here!

2008-03-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Gwydion is becoming such a big boy. He's taking gymnastics, riding his bike with the neighborhood kids, sharing his toys, and hugging his little brother. He had a great Easter (including 2 egg hunts!) and is very much looking forward to his birthday. He asks me several times a day if his Cincinnati relatives will be coming to the party.

Here are some recent pics of Gwydion:

4 month appointment and some pics

2008-03-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

Gavin had his 4 month appointment yesterday, so I thought today would be a good day for an update. He's now 16lbs 4oz (75%), 26.5" (95%), and his head is 42.9 cm (70%). He's doing everything on the doctor's list of milestones, including rolling over. He rolls front to back and back to front, though so far he's only done it when I'm not looking. Sneaky! He's a wonderful, social little guy, who loves to grab everything and watch everyone. We just can't believe how sweet and patient he is.

Here are some recent pics, from around St. Patrick's Day to Easter.

Making bread!

2008-02-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Aunt Sharon, Gwydion now has a whole set of baking tools. Here's one of the thing we made with them. This boy LOVES to bake! We tried plain white bread this time. Next time we'll be more adventurous- maybe cinnamon rolls next!

3 months!

2008-02-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Happy 3 month birthday to my little guy!

He loves bath time!
If you want to see how much he's grown, take a look at the bath pic from a few weeks ago.

Here's the little man cheerfully testing Mommy's newly designed cloth diapers.
Looks like Tarzan, doesn't he?

2008-02-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here's what Gavin has been up to lately. Sorry I haven't updated more often. As you can guess, we've been very busy!

Playing with big brother Gwydion.

Sweet smile!

Hanging out with Grandma.

Snuggling with Gwydion.

Hi Mom!

Valentine fun and more...

2008-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy month! Gwydion had RSV and was sick for nearly 2 weeks, so our Valentine party plans didn't happen, but we tried to make up for it. Here are some recent pics:

My little Valentines!

Snuggly boy.

Making Valentines.

Gwydion loves to help make cookies.

This toy was Gwydion's when he was a baby.

2008-01-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

We've been very busy since Christmas, trying to find ways to keep a very active 3 year old amused. Here are some pics from our recent activities.

One of Gwydion's favorite activities: playing the drums.

Noisy, noisy cow bells.

Handsome Gwydion!

Tunnel fun.

8 weeks!

2008-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Gavin is 8 weeks old today! According to my scale, he weighs 13 lbs and I've measured him at 23 inches long. He's doing great with tummy time- he can raise his head to look forward and can lift his chest off the floor for short periods of time.

Here's the handsome fellow in his bouncer:

Gwydion and Gavin

Smiling for Daddy!

Bath time for the chubby baby.

Happy boy!

Christmas Pics

2008-01-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Most of the pictures with Gwydion turned out blurry because he was in constant motion. This is the first year that he really got what was going on. It was certainly lots of fun to watch him get so excited. He loved the presents, the company, and the decorations.

Christmas eve- the fun begins.

Musical instruments, a computer and baking stuff. It doesn't get any better than this.

Goofy grins are the best!

We had even more fun on Christmas Day. We invited everyone over for breakfast and presents.

Look, Mom! Its Harvey!

Christmas Pics

2008-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas but only got a few good pictures. Sorry for the short post- busy, busy here!

Papa Rick's visit

2007-12-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

Gwydion loves it when Papa Rick comes to visit. This time, he brought a present- a big red truck just like his! Gwydion loves to play with it. He puts his cars in the trailer and drives them around.

Days like this...

2007-12-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

make it all worth while.

Gavin is growing so fast! He's already outgrown many of his newborn clothes, and will be moving to size 1 diapers as soon as we run out of the newborn ones. Did I mention that our little turkey already weighs over 9 pounds? That means he's gained more than 2 pounds since birth. I'm telling ya, this kid knows how to eat!

Gwydion really loves his little brother, though of course he's a tiny bit jealous that Mom doesn't have quite as much free time right now.

Papa Rick stops by

2007-12-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is the only picture I have of all 3 of them, so here they are!

Grandma Susan's visit

2007-12-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

Gwydion loves having visitors. Especially when they bring presents! Needless to say, there was much present opening during this visit. Gwydion had a great time with Grandma Susan and Uncle Chris. He was sad when they left, and even wanted to drive to Ohio yesterday. He still remembers the number of their hotel room, and tells me about it every time we drive past. Hopefully we'll be able to visit sometime next year.

Grandma Susan's Visit

2007-12-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Gavin loved meeting Grandma Susan- apparently she's quite warm and snuggly, as he immediately fell asleep every time she held him. It was a very lucky thing Grandma came to visit when she did! She and Uncle Chris allowed us to crash in their hotel room, so we were quite comfortable for the week our power was out.

Grandma and Gavin

Gwydion shows Gavin all the neat toys on his bouncer.

Sleepy boy in his carseat.

Daddy and Gavin.

Gavin reclines in his bouncer. He almost likes it. Maybe in another month.

Train Show!

2007-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

The weekend before last, we went to a model train show. There were models of several different scales present, as well as LOTS of Thomas stuff. Gwydion had a fantastic time. I think his favorite part was the little ride. He had never been on a ride before, let alone one he had to power himself. He figured it out very quickly though, and zoomed around the track.

2 weeks

2007-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

We've made it through 2 weeks with a newborn. Yay! We're very, very tired, but Gavin is such a sweet little guy that he's made it all worthwhile. I'll get some holiday pics up soon, since I know you're all anxiously awaiting them.

Santa Visit!

2007-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

I never thought this would happen! Gwydion actually wanted to talk to Santa this year. He was still a little nervous, but after I told him he could tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, that seemed to make everything alright. If I had known he would actually go for it, I would have dressed him up a bit. Of course, then he wouldn't have done it, right? Anyway, here they are!

2007-12-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

See, he does sleep sometimes! Just not at night...

And here's Gavin modeling the sweater I made for him. If I make another it will have to be a bit wider across the back, but the sleeves and length were perfect!

Getting ready for Christmas

2007-12-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

Gwydion is very excited about Christmas this year. He was very helpful in getting all the decorations out and getting everything set up.

Michael and Gwydion check the lights.

Looks like they are fine, lets get them up!

Gwydion the architect contemplates candy placement. This is very serious business.

A gumdrop roof is just what this house needs.

Happy 1 Week Birthday!

2007-11-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but late is better than never, right? Here's our little guy at one week.
He's really a very good baby. He doesn't cry unless he's hungry, and he makes the most hilarious poopy faces. He doesn't sleep much, but I'm hoping that will improve in the next week or two. He does take 3-4 hour long naps during the day- we just need to figure out how to switch those to night time. Right now he wakes every hour, sometimes every 2, to eat. He sleeps best while someone is holding him, so I spend the majority of the night between being awake and dozing while propped up in a sitting position. Hopefully we'll have things switched around before Michael goes back to work.

He's here!! Welcome, Gavin Emrys!

2007-11-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'll write two version, so those of you who would like to skip the details and get down to the facts can do so, and avoid possible TMI in the process.

Short story: Gavin Emrys was born on Thursday, November 22nd at 6:22 am. He weighs 6 lbs, 15 oz and is 19.5 inches long. We're not sure who he looks like yet, but he's got dark brown fuzz on his head and dark eyes.

Long story: Talk about a long labor! Whew! Contractions started around 2:30 am on Wednesday morning. They were 3-4 minutes apart, but not painful. I timed them for a couple of hours and decided maybe it was time to call the doctor. First things first though- a shower and food! Two things they won't let you have while in labor. So off I went to shower. I got the bags by the door and placed a call for the on-call doctor. By this time, the contractions had slowed to 5 minutes apart but they were still regular.

I woke Michael and we waited for a couple of hours, but the on-call doctor never called back. Contractions had slowed to about every 10 minutes, so we went for a walk. No good- they stayed at the same rate. Michael went to work, and Gwydion and I decided to run some errands. By dinner time, of course, they were picking up again. I called the doctor again and was told to come in to be checked for progress. We got there at 7 pm. I was having regular contractions 8 minutes apart. They were increasingly painful, but after 4 hours of sitting in a hospital bed and NO progress, we decided to go home for food, showers, and maybe a nap.

Of course, by the time I got to the bottom of the stairs at the hospital, contractions were 3 minutes apart and harder to breathe through. I was still starving and wanted a hot bath, so we decided to try the 20 minute drive home. As the contractions intensified, I wasn't sure we would make it! We did though, so we had a snack and Michael tried to nap. I decided to try a hot bath. I now understand why people talk about laboring in the water. It really does make the contractions more manageable. Unfortunately, the water got too cold after about 30 minutes, so I got out and started to dress. That's when I noticed a huge glob of bloody mucus. Progress!!

I was certain that the contractions would hit much harder very soon, so back to the hospital we went. We arrived 2 hours after we left, though this time I was 6 cm dilated instead of 4. That's all the progress they needed to fully admit me and get in my request for an epidural. While waiting for the anesthesiologist, the contractions slowed but intensified. They were 5 minutes apart, but very hard to breathe through. I made it to 7 cm before relief came. Let me tell you, I was getting worried that I wouldn't get an epidural!

Once it kicked in, all the pain was gone. The epidural slowed the contractions to 8 minutes apart, so around 6 am, the doctor broke my water. Things progressed rapidly after that. About 10 minutes of pushing and tiny episiotomy later, Gavin was born.

He's not much of a sleeper, but we're hoping that changes when my milk finally comes in. Gwydion loves him already and has been very helpful (he even found the diapers when I couldn't!). Here are a few pictures.

38 week appointment update

2007-11-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

Baby is doing great! His heart rate is 145 bpm, so that's well within the normal range. I don't know how large my tummy is measuring, but at this point it doesn't matter much. Doc did say that I am about 4 cm dilated so it could happen any time. Of course, it could also be another week or two. He did strip my membranes in hopes of getting some contractions started, but nothing so far. That's one of those things that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I asked how far over they would let me go and he said no more than a week- so we will have a baby by the first full week in December, no matter what. Don't worry, you'll all be notified when he finally does make an appearance!

Ultrasound update

2007-11-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Due to a concern about baby's size, we were sent for a growth ultrasound. Let me tell you, this little guy is just fine! The tech said he's about 7.5 lbs right now, at 37.5 weeks. Measurements may be off a pound or so, but they're usually pretty accurate. So, no size concerns at all- he's just really low and really squished! His face is smashed against my pelvic bones, which is why he looks the way he does. He's also got on elbow next to his face, with the hand behind his head- which explains why I've been feeling little fingers digging into the muscles just millimeters above my pelvis.

Since babies gain, on average, 1/2 a pound a week, I think it is time for an eviction notice!

Here's the little guy in all his smushed glory. Doesn't look too comfy, does he? Maybe he'll get the hint!!

Sorry about the quality. My scanner isn't operating properly and I don't have the patience to pamper it right now. I ended up taking a digital photo of the ultrasound pic after crawling around under my desk for 10 mins, trying to find the problem. In any case, we hope to have actual pictures of a real, live baby to make up for it.

Update:
Since ultrasound pics are hard to read, here's one with the details highlighted. His face is on the right side of the picture and he's resting his head on his arm. The top of his forehead is at the right margin of the picture. Hope that helps! You can click to zoom in on the pic for a better view.

37 week appointment

2007-11-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Pretty normal doc appt. I got to see a different doctor today. I've seen him before and he's very nice. After this appt, I think I may like him better than my regular doc. At least he has a sense of humor.

Total weight gain 21 lbs. BP 122/something. It has steadily been creeping up, as normal for me is 112-114/60, but still within normal, so I guess they're not worried. Baby's heart rate was 160, and that's about average for him. Here's the catch though: I told my regular doc that this baby feels bigger (and he does!). Doc agreed with me, and said I was measuring a little ahead. Or maybe that's they way I interpreted it.

The doctor I saw today says I haven't grown much in the last couple of weeks, so he wants to send me for an u/s. He showed me my chart and all the #s were between 28-31 cm for my last several appts. Admittedly, I'm short and short-waisted too, so I'd expect to be measuring a little small- but not that much! I'd expect my doctor to tell me what's going on, but maybe he just didn't want to worry me. Who knows. In any case, I now have a new favorite doctor- one that gives me info. Gotta have the numbers! I'm 2-3 cm dilated already. That could be the reason I'm measuring small, but we'll find out at the ultrasound.

I went ahead and scheduled my appointment for next week. Scheduled the ultrasound too, both are Thursday of next week. We'll see if we make it that long!