4th of July 2011

The 4th of July is always lots of fun at our house since the City of Riverside puts on a fireworks show right down the street. Every year since I was a child, my family has put blankets on our front lawn and watched the show from there. This year was no different. We enjoyed a barbeque, good time with good friends, and an amazing fireworks show. Matt even rented a blow-up water slide for the adults kids. It was so big that Gavin couldn't even go down the slide.

Mr. Cool checking out the waterslide

The slide was as tall as our 2-story house!

Gavin, Daddy, and Bocephus enjoying the pool at the bottom of the slide

Thanks to our friend Mikey for making this adorable cake!

Matt (on the right) with good friends Jason and Ray

Damian and Gavin

Billy and Gavin showing off his orange ear plugs

Yo, Ho, Ho, Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me!

With the warm weather upon us, we recently took full advantage of the beautiful pool at Matt's parent's house. Gavin especially loved the pirate ship they had and spent most of his time floating around as our little Captain Sparrow. He is extremely independent and did not want us touching his pirate ship at all, and if we did - even by accident - he would say, "Nooo!!! I wanna do it myyyyyself!" Well, since we haven't really experience the "terrible twos" yet, I guess I can't complain if that's the worst of it.

Helping Grandpa S clean the filter

"Ahhh.... refreshing!"

Finding "Doggie Doodles" with Grandpa

Father's Day 2011

For Father's Day this year, Matt and Gavin enjoyed a ride in the Chevelle to get some lunch before we did dinner with my dad that evening. Just before they left, I was able to catch what I consider to be one of the cutest pictures of two of them to date. I just love how happy they both look to be spending time together doing their favorite thing!

27 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You are absolutely the most wonderful son! Daddy and I just adore every moment with you and it just seems to get better every day. You are so smart; people are always blown away when they learn that you have just turned two! Your vocabulary is nothing short of amazing and the things you know and do are remarkable. You are so polite and loving - you make Daddy and I very proud. Here are some new things and cute stories (mainly cute stories) about you this month:

• You seem to understand some opposites. For instance, you will say, "I can't drive. I'm not tall, I'm short." Or, "It's not hot, it's cold."
• Your counting skills are getting better, you still count from 1-10 very well, but occasionally "4" gets left out. Who needs "4" anyway?



• You say the darndest things! One day while I was sick, you came in my room and said, "Cuddle, Mama." Of course, I will never pass up an opportunity to cuddle with you so I scooped you right up. I had been reading, so my bedside light was on and when you laid your head on my chest, you said, "Light bright!" So I said, "Do you want me to turn it off?" You said yes, and when I did, you snuggled down on my chest and said, "Perfect!"
• While getting you ready for bed one night, you said, "Knees hurt." So, when I asked why they hurt, you said, "Crash landing."
• As I've mentioned before your vocabulary is just incredible. I noticed that this month, you are beginning to understand the use of plurals and past-tense. For example, you are starting to add proper suffixes to words, such as -s, -ed, and -ing.



• As a little science experiment, we had you plant a few seeds in little pot and water them each day. You apparently have a green thumb (which you definitely did not get from me) because after just a week, you plant was already almost 1" high! So I said, "Gavin your plant is growing." And your response: "Yeah, a-mazing!" I couldn't believe my little 26 month old son was using the word "amazing." That's amazing to me!
• I had to drop you off at Grandma's house early one morning because Daddy and I were both working during the day. On the way there, it was sprinkling outside and you said, "It's not bright, it's sparkling."
• That same day, before we headed over to Grandma's house, you were holding your Monster toy that Daddy had won for you at Knott's Berry Farm and I observed you say, "Nice 'a meet you, Gavin's Monster" as you shook it's hand. You're even polite with your toys!
• Again, on the way to Grandma's (this was a very entertaining morning), you said to me, "I can't drive Daddy's blue work truck, I'm too short."



• I know I mentioned this on your "25 Months Old" milestone post, but your memory continues to amaze us! While reading your bedtime story one night, we came across a horse and you said, "I rode a horse when I was a baby." Well, you weren't quite a baby, but you had just turned a year old. (You can see the photos of his first horse ride here.) And you constantly talk about other things you remember from when you were younger. It's incredible!
• One day, Daddy and I were playing Hide-and-Seek with you and we were trying to teach you the concept of hiding. So, while Daddy counted, I helped you hide in the office, but each time Daddy came looking for you, you would run out to surprise him. I kept trying to explain to you that you needed to stay put and Daddy would try to find you, so you said, "Okay, Mama. I won't come out. I promise!" So cute!!! I don't know where you got "I promise," but I think the concept is still new because you came running out the moment Daddy came around the corner.



• Another polite little trait of yours is that you now apologize anytime you do something "wrong." If you drop your napkin on the floor, spill some milk, or even knock over blocks, you will say, "Sorry, Mama" or "Sorry, Dada" in this cute little upbeat voice. It is so adorable! In most cases, we just smile and say, "Well, that's quite alright, Gav." You are just too funny.
• In addition to apologizing, you also say, "Thanks, Mama" or "Thanks, Dada" at all the appropriate times. (Geez, I know some adults who could learn a thing or two about manners from you!)
• One day, Daddy brought you a kids meal from Subway, which comes in a little reusable cloth bag, and when you saw it, you said, "A present for me?? Oh thank you, Dada. How nice!" We laughed so hard, we cried!



• One night after your bedtime story, you said that you wanted to go to a car show with both Daddy and I. But I told you that I don't get to go to car shows very often because there isn't a seat for me in Daddy's "hot rod." Since it's a two-seater, there is only enough room for you and Daddy. Then, I made a sad face and you put your little hand on my cheek, rubbed it and said, "It's okay, Mama." My heart almost melted!
• While in your room one night, you pointed out your football-shaped clock and said, "It's Gavin's touchdown clock." And when I said it was yours, you said, "Actually Mama's." I cracked up! What 2-year-old says, "Actually"???



• You refer to sleeping as taking a "Niiiiiice nap." So, every night after you wake up, when Daddy goes to your room to get you, you say, "I wake up from a niiiiiiice nap!"
• While reading an animal book one night, we were discussing the giraffe and how they have very long necks. So I pointed out that while their necks are long, yours is very short and you reached up to touch your neck and said, "Yeah, it's tiny!"

Oh, Gavin, I could fill a book with all of the adorable things you say! You make us laugh everyday. You fill my heart with joy and I absolutely adore being your Mommy. Thank you for being my little angel!

I love you to pieces, Gav!!

Knott's Berry Farm

I woke up one day feeling like I wanted to do something fun and different as a family, so we decided to go to Knott's Berry Farm. We weren't sure how Gavin would react to a theme park and if he would even like rides, but considering how much he loves going in "Daddy's Hot Rod," we figured he would probably have fun. Once we got there, we headed straight for Camp Snoopy, since they have the most kid-friendly rides in the park. The first one we saw that he was big enough to ride on was the Airplane ride. It's a little set of Airplanes that travel in a circle and can be controlled to go up and down. Gavin decided he was willing to try it and sure enough - he did! He picked a white plane and wanted to ride in the front seat (luckily we were the first in line so he had his choice). He did so good, Matt and I were just beaming at our brave little man and smiling at how cute he looked with his shades on in the little plane!

Gavin rode on the little race cars with Matt and he loved it!

Here is the only pic Matt got of Gavin and me on the bus ride (Matt's not quite a "Papa-razzi" like I am). And no, we do not know the man in the front of the picture.

And this is the only pic Matt got of Gav and me on the truck ride (you can just barely see Gavin driving the truck).

Gavin on the "Log Peeler" - he did so good riding by himself, but the poor kid behind him was terrified!

Matt got a few great pics of Gavin and me on the Carousel.

This was the first time Gavin has been willing to ride on a carousel and he loved it!

The day continued with Gavin wanting to ride every ride that he was tall enough for. He kept saying, "More rides!" We had so much fun. On the way home, we agreed that it was one of the best days we had had in a while. It's a completely different experience going to a theme park with your child for the first time. It was so neat to see it through his eyes. We are hoping to take him to Disneyland for his 3rd birthday. He's a huge Mickey Mouse fan, so I'm sure he would just love it there!

Matt and Gavin on the train

Me and Gavin on the train

Family picture (Hooray for the timer setting on the camera!)

Gavin took this picture of Matt - I think he has some potential as a photographer!

Our tired little man on the ride home!

Car Show, Car Show, Car Show

The Rogers' boys love car shows and I mean looooove them. If Gavin knows he gets to go to a car show with his Daddy on a Saturday, he will talk about it all week by saying, "Car show Saturday!" Then, if it's an early show and Matt has to wake Gavin up before the sun rises, Gavin will say in the groggiest little voice, "Car show!" But he will happily get up and get ready to go faster than you can say, "Are you sure you don't want to sleep in?" So, in the month of May, the two of them attended a car show on three weekend days in row (Saturday, Sunday, and the following Saturday) and they were just in hog-heaven!

The first was the Redland Optimist show that we attended last year. I couldn't go this year because I was at a baby shower. And being that Matt is not quite the camera-obsessed parent that I am, he only came home with a handful of pictures and they were all taken at the same moment. However, what he did come home with that meant even more to me was a story about an event that happened that day. He said that there happened to be real drag car at the show that day and my dad, Matt and Gavin all took some time to admire it. Gavin--being the polite little man he is--looked at the car quietly in awe and then shook the hands of all of the crew guys that were there and said, "Nice 'a meet you." Matt said the guys were so impressed with Gavin and they said he was the most polite child they had ever met at a show and offered to let him sit in the car to pose for a few pics. Gavin happily did so and they even gave him a photo of the driver of the car. He was so excited to bring it home to show me. Matt said he was such a proud Papa at that moment and I was so proud when he told me! And, to make Matt's day even better, he won two awards this year: Best Chevelle and Best Muscle Car! Hooray!

The next day, the boys attended the J & M Car Show and I was able to meet them down there. When I arrived, my poor little man was fast asleep in his stroller with his hand up his shirt. (Yes, he is still very fond of rubbing his nipples!) It was so funny! He woke up shortly thereafter and spent a few minutes polishing my Dad's car and then enjoyed some time in the driver's seat.

Gavin polishing my Dad's Chevelle

Matt's Chevelle

The following weekend was my 29th birthday. So, while the boys attended a small, local show, I enjoyed some time at home relaxing before we did a family dinner that night. I guess all the excitement from car shows wore my poor little guy out because this is what he looked like when they arrived home: