Gavin's 3rd Birthday Party

Gavin requested a Mickey Mouse themed party for this 3rd birthday, of course.  Since we were just planning on having family over, I knew that we could pull of a cute little party.  With the help of some online ideas and my creative brother, the Mickey-themed party was a success.  

Family Tree

My dad had been asking for a family tree to be added to our backyard where he could bury the ashes of his parents and my mom.  For Christmas, my siblings and I purchased a tree for my dad so that his wish could be fulfilled.  It was an emotional day, but I am happy now that a part of my mom and grandparents will always be at my childhood home.

Grandpa's ashes

Grandma's ashes

Mom's ashes

Glen Ivy

As a late birthday gift for Matt and a Valentine's gift for the two of us, we spent a romantic day at Glen Ivy Day Spa.  It was A-MA-ZING!!  We enjoyed the pools, mud bath, and a couples massage.  It was incredibly relaxing!  We definitely want to go back.  At the pool I thought that my baby bump would look cute and obvious in my little two-piece; however, I was sadly mistaken.  Upon looking at the photo later, I realized that I just looked really bloated.  Darn it.

35 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You are just a month away from 3 years old!  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  You are such a sweet, intelligent, wonderful child.  We are so very thankful for you.  We are excited to see you in the role of big brother because we think you are going to be amazing!  Here are a few things new things about you this month:

• You were telling a story when we heard a noise outside and you said, "What's that?"  When I told you it was a siren, you said, "It's just messing up my story!  I wasn't done yet!"  How dare that siren!
• The cap flew off of my pen and you said, "Don't do that.  That makes me grumpy."  So I apologized and you said, "That's okay, accidents happen."  I certainly appreciate you being so understanding.
• While Daddy was away at a 49er game for the weekend, we enjoyed our time together.  We even put on what you called "scary face[s]" to make our skin silky-smooth.  ;o)

• You began telling me that when certain things happen, they make you "upset."  I love that you use the word "upset" when you are not even 3 years old yet.
• You visited the 2nd grade class I was student teaching in and even sat at a desk and answered questions.  It was so cute to see you raise your little hand!  You even got some of the questions right!

• You just say the darndest things!  You were playing with your tools when you found your ball and said, "So there's my ball!"  Then, you began playing with your drill and it wasn't cooperating the way you wanted it to and you said, "Hey, what's the big idea?  The wood's saying, 'I don't wanna go on the drill!'"  (And of course, you gave the "wood" a character voice.  Wonder who you got that from??  Hee hee...)
• You got your first black eye and I was so mortified.  You ran into the table and it got you good.  You were a good sport about it, but we were so sad!

• You saw a girl with tattoos on TV and you laughed and said, "Girls can't have tattoos!"  I guess you've never realized that I have one, so when I told you, you said, "Let me see it."  But when I showed you, you laughed again because I guess you thought it was funny.  Oh, Gav, you really crack me up!
• You are so incredibly smart.  One day, you wanted me to get up, but I was exhausted.  So you said, "Don't be frustrated."  Frustrated?  Where do you get your vocabulary??  So then, I smiled and said, "Gavin, you're so--"  But before I could finish the sentence, you said, "So sweet!"  Ha ha!  Yes.  Yes, you are so sweet.
• You still LOVE drag racing and it seems to be something you and Daddy will enjoy going to together for many years to come.

• You asked for a snack one night, but I really wanted to cuddle.  So, I asked you to cuddle with me for a bit and you said, "Okay, I'll give you a little bit of love."  Then you climbed up next to me on the recliner and laid you head on my chest for a split second, jumped up and said, "That's all you need."  Oh.  Okay.  Thanks.
• You saw an old picture of Daddy and I from 2002 (when Daddy had bleached spiky hair, rather than a shaved head) and you said, "Why did Daddy make his hair all crazy?"

We love you so very much, Gav.  You bring so much joy to our lives and to the lives of everyone you meet.  You are going to be a wonderful big brother!  Thank you for being such an amazing kid!!

We love you!!!

Valentine's Day 2012

My wonderful husband sent me a dozen beautiful roses this Valentine's Day with a very sweet note.  Matt is not a particularly romantic guy, so I know that gestures like this require lots of thought and effort on his part, which makes me love him even more.  The fact that he took the time to think of such a genuinely sweet message for the card and send me beautiful roses makes me so grateful.  I adore my hubby and am looking forward to our years to come!

Gavin also worked on making a few Valentine's Day gifts of his own.  He started by making a card for Matt.

Then, he made gifts for his grandparents (with a little help from Mom).  Thanks to some adorable ideas from my new favorite website--Pinterest--we made personalized Hershey Kisses and put them in cute packages.  I love how easy they were and how incredibly cute they turned out!

Changes

Baby bump 16 weeks, 4 days:

With our little family expanding, we decided that it was time to make some changes.  We needed a more "family-friendly" vehicle, so it was goodbye Silverado and Mercedes...

Hello Tahoe!!  (So much more comfortable and nice for our little family of four!)

Baby #2

Baby bump at 13 weeks, 6 days: