"Oh maaaaan!"

When I check Gavin's diaper and it's poopy I say, "Oh, man!".  So the other day I asked, "Gavin, are you poopy?"  He replied, "Oh, maaaaaaan!"  (Think: Swiper of Dora the Explorer fame)  As he's saying it he tilts his head and throws his hands down.  "Oh, maaaaan!"  When he's not poopy he doesn't say it.  He's just a little genius.  He tries to hang up Chuck's hat on the wall where it belongs.  When we're getting ready to go somewhere he goes to the closet to get his shoes.  He signs "water" when he wants water, "milk" when he wants milk and "eat" when he's hungry.   The latest trick we taught him is we say, "Raise your hand if you love Mommy."  Lo and behold, he reaches that hand up as high as he can.  Mama's boy.  Today any time Chuck asked Gabe to do something, Gabe would say, "Mom, is it okay if I ________?"  (Fill in the blank with whatever Chuck told him to do.)  It was pretty funny, but after a while Chuck looked at me and rolled his eyes.  I think we know who wears the pants around here.

Black Friday

So I hadn't planned to climb out from under my warm covers to wrestle the crowds for half price socks but when I awoke at 7:30 and realized Gavin was still asleep, I jumped up and realized it was now or never. I'll admit, free coffee and donuts made it a little more bearable. I actually didn't do much damage. The crowds weren't too bad. I was home by about 10:00 in time for Chuck to leave for work. Stephanie came to pick up Bree and Gabe so Gavin and I just hung out together for the afternoon. We bundled up and put him in the Ergo in his oh-so-cute hat and gloves and went out for a walk around the neighborhood. There were quite a few people out walking their dogs or riding bikes. We walked for about 40 minutes and went down by Jackson Bottom Wetlands. It was just starting to get dark and it was pretty foggy. The ducks were quacking and splashing in the water. It was sooooo beautiful. And quiet. I just wanted to stand there all night and listen to the quietness. Gavin just looked around and watched the birds flying asking, "Azzzhaaaattt?!?!?" ("What's that?") Great day.

Happy Thanksgiving

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sugar and spice

Ah... teenage Breanna.  Not a girl, not yet a woman.  Wait, did I just quote Britney Spears? Breanna is now officially taller that Chuck and me.  She's her own person.  With her own personality.  One that reminds me a lot of her dad.  To watch her love for her brothers is so unbelievably sweet.  They bicker and annoy each other but she sees the cute, baby-ness of Gabriel still and loves to play with him- tag, hide-and-seek, puzzles.  I can't believe she's going to be a high schooler so soon.  Man, when I think about the things I was doing as a freshman, I just want to lock her in the house for the next 5 years.   Here are some of my favorites of the past couple months.

Dorothy for Halloween

Bree and "Lubie" at the NW Women's Show

Snips and snails

I love being a mom to boys.  

We get to marvel over baby frogs... (don't know how he got into our house?)

Flex our muscles...

They didn't make it through pumpkin picking 

I love being a mom to boys.

Gabe read his first complete sentence today!  "Help Spiderman find the bomb."  What a big boy!  He sounded all the words out himself.  I tried to explain to him how "the" is going to be one of the words he reads and uses the most and how it's tricky to sound out.  AND, not to toot my own mommy horn, but I am so proud of him.  When I picked him up from Sunday school today Teacher Mary said,  "I love all my kids, but if I could have a classroom full of Gabriel's I would be so happy!"  That just makes my heart swell.  To know that all the effort Chuck and I put into teaching him to be respectful and compassionate is paying off.  

I ran a couple miles today.  First time I've done that in a looooong time.  It was such a beautiful sunny day here in the Pacific NW (Moon family, please come back).  Chuck took the kids for a walk and I kind of ran around the neighborhood and met them at the park.  Saw some neighbors we haven't seen since the sun was out last time.  That's about how it works here in Oregon.

So I'm struggling with how to approach my striptease dance class.  Your input would be much appreciated.  It seems that Father Bill (Chucks priest) received my mass email.  Chuck thought it was kind of funny at first- until he had a chance to think about it.  Now he says that I should take out the word "striptease" and rephrase it so that it would be something I wouldn't be ashamed of my pastor or his priest reading.  (My pastor, Steve, received it, too.  But somehow I think it would be better received by him).  He didn't say anything at church to me today.  But that may be because I picked up Gabe and we scurried out the back door.  Am I ashamed?  Hmm...  Maybe.  I feel like it's okay to teach women how to be sexy and to feel better about themselves and to entice their men.  But if I'm worried about certain people knowing about it, then what?  

Random?...

Gavin got a hold of the maple syrup and opened it just so..... that as he toddled throughout the kitchen he left behind him a thin, gooey drizzle.   Gabriel skipped his nap yesterday and stayed up way too late (Cameron spent the night) and has been whiney and on the verge of tears all afternoon.  He's almost 6 and I firmly believe that he still needs a good 2 hr. nap every day.   He's so much more pleasant afterwards.  Since it's getting dark so early he rarely has a chance to play outside after his friends get home from school.  He started wrestling (Chuck's idea) 2 nights a week for an hour and a half and just comes home wiped out- not to mention smelly.  He really likes it and is getting a lot of practice at home with Chuck and Bree.  Gavin loves to see them wrestling and usually runs over laughing trying to climb on top of them.  Ah, my little Doodle.  I just can't get enough of him.  I just want to eat his chubby neck and make him giggle all the time.  He's very proficient at signing "milk" and although he's nursing only a few times a day now he still tells me he wants milk.  I think my supply is pretty low.   I'm never getting to the point anymore that I'm full and NEED to nurse.  Breanna had quit nursing by this age but Gabe continued until he was 18 months.  I think it's a boy thing.  It will be very emotional for me when we stop.