Random

I am one tired Mommy this evening but I wanted to post some pictures because I'm trying not to get too far behind. . .

Loving the big tree in the backyard

I don't have a long list in my head of new or funny things that Gabriel says (even though he still says plenty), but one that has come to mind is how he talks about food and gets the words mixed up.  For example, he will say "I'm thirsty about milk" or "Daddy is thirsty about tea".  I think it's funny.

Sharing a bag of cereal and watching something exciting

Gabriel transitioned a couple weeks ago to a bunk bed.  He loves that thing.  I took him to the park while Taylor was putting it together and he was telling random people "My Daddy is putting together my bunk bed.  He can do it!" I think what he likes most about it is that we can get in it with him.  It's hard to resist him when he says "Mommy wants to sleep with me?" or "Mommy wants to come get in my bed and cuddle with me?".  I may have fallen asleep a couple times curled up next to him singing him songs before nap time. . .

Besides the bunk bed transition we started potty training TODAY (thus why I'm probably so tired).  I figure that we should give it a serious try now or wait until after the baby comes.  This may be TMI for some people, but for the longest time he's known when he's going "#2".  It used to be that when I asked him if he was pooping he'd lie and say "no."  I explained many times that he was not being honest if his diaper is dirty and he says that it's clean.  Now when he poops he often come to me and says, "I'm being honest.  I pooped."  It cracks me up.  At any rate though today was a challenging day and I'm not exactly looking forward to giving it another go tomorrow but we will keep trying.

We've had various people come to visit in the last month and Gabriel has had fun showing them his favorite hang out spots (Children's Museum, Duck Pond, "The Big Park", Romp and Roll).  He also got to take some swim lessons. . .

Children's Museum

Cousin Love

Swim Lessons

He loves his Aunt Stephanie

Duck Pond with Grandpa

There was an event lately with lots of trucks to explore.  He especially loved getting to ride in a fire truck. . .

Lastly, he just got to go bowling for the first time.  He seemed to enjoy it, but waiting your turn gets a little boring.  Seeing his first arcade was also a highlight (lots of flashing lights and buttons to push), but after a while he got over stimulated and needed to get out of there. . .

Beach Trip

So, we went to the beach.  Taylor and I were talking one night about how it would be fun to take Gabriel to the beach before we become a family of four and we were pondering what would be the best way to do that.  That same week the opportunity arose for us to attend RUF Summer Conference with me serving as the nurse for the week and Taylor teaching a seminar.  It also worked out for my mom to come along too.  It was a great opportunity for all of us to get away and for Gabriel to have lots of new experiences.  In true Gabriel fashion it only took him a day or so to develop a routine for the day: wake up and get into Mommy and Daddy's bed (sharing a room was actually kinda fun), eat breakfast, run laps in the conference room next to our room, watch Disney Jr with Grandma Cheryl while Mommy and Daddy did some work, go to the beach, eat lunch, run again in the conference room, take a nap, play at the pool, eat dinner, go to the nightly RUF meeting and sing songs while on Daddy's shoulders, and finally go to bed.  He also thought that going to the laundry room was really neat.

Riding down in Uncle Matt's car was great (because of the extra space).
Gabriel talked about it a lot.  He also spent many hours sucking his thumb
 and playing with his own hair, leading to this little curl that I found so cute.

Much of the week was spent on Daddy's shoulders

The only way he'd go out in the ocean.  He played in the waves a little bit
one day but got clobbered once and decided that the ocean isn't very fun

He fell in love with Grandma Cheryl's granola bars

The pool was his favorite even though he spent most of
the time outside of it throwing his toys in and laughing

Nightly meeting singing songs.  He would clap after each one and want to sing some more.
I think the big group of excited college students was really fun to him.

Watching Disney Jr with Grandma Cheryl.  Since we don't have cable at home he decided that Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First, and Doc McStuffins are all pretty exciting things to watch on vacation

Mommy's glasses!

Eating some BBQ before he decided to run in the gravel

Two skinned knees after he ran in the gravel.  He also got a blister over the course of the week and got very excited about showing it to his pediatrician when he had his wellness exam after we got home

Excited to have fruit loops for breakfast every day.  This dining hall is the best.

He really wasn't wild about the beach but he liked burying his hands and feet in the sand
 and playing with his toys in a big bucket of water.
You'll notice Mike W and Flick the ant are floating in the bucket off to the side.

Silly

He actually was saying "cheese!" and looking at the camera for once!

Here are a few extra pictures that I found after writing this post: